Friday, January 6, 2017

Post Holiday Update!

Hey Everyone,

I hope you all had a restful and healthy break. Even though the plague moved through our house, it was fast moving and largely predictable, which we all appreciated! The kids have all had a great week, despite the fact that it was a full one after vacation. There are some pretty wiped out kiddos but we have really made an effort to make sure we keep our expectations reasonable and our patience high. Our rules for the day (and every day) are to be kind, work hard and have fun. They are doing a wonderful job on these!

We have begun a class myth, which is shaping up really well. The kids are really engaged in the story that they are writing. We will then be writing some either as partners or individually. The kids are going to get the choice on how they will be crafting their stories. We will be putting them all together to make our own class book of myths, including the one that we all wrote together. Here is a preview:

Slowly, the ice and snow started to pile up and take form. It was no longer a pile! It was now a Snow Goddess! Her hair was flowing with ice and snow and she had a long flowing dress, made of snow. Her skin was icy cold.

"Who are you and what are you?" asked the Cloud God. 

We have begun our mid year reading assessments. The kids have all done a great job so far. I finished about half of the class this past Wednesday and will finish the rest next week. Be sure to be in touch if you'd like to ask any questions about them or if you need any clarifying information. I'll include their progress in their report cards, which will be sent home late January/early February. The reading assessments we do are one data point, but one that is largely standardized throughout our district. The data we get from this assessment are some of the most important we get, and I am always excited to see confirming information about my students' progress as well as new questions to be explored. We will also be doing our mid-year spelling assessments next week. The information we get back from these will also be included in your child's report card.

We have renewed our work on Rumney CARES as well as our tiered behavioral intervention system as well. We'll be getting new posters in our room that show the steps we go through to help students practice their best behavior and will be practicing them as the weeks go along.

We will be starting Winter Wellness next Friday afternoon. Please make sure that your child comes in with all of the necessary gear to participate. If you have questions about what this things are, be in touch with Lauren Caswell, our amazing PE teacher and organizer of this great opportunity for our kids, at lcaswell@u32.org or by calling the school to talk to her directly.

I think that's about it for now. Let me know if you have any further celebrations, question or concerns.

Think snow!

~B