Last Week, Crazy Week!

Hey Everyone,

We have had a great week last week, despite the weather interruption. I really appreciated how we were given the opportunity to plan ahead for the days by getting phone calls ahead of time as well as the responsiveness to the evolving weather to keep all of us safe.

We were going to start new book groups this week but because of me not being in on Monday and the two days off, I decided to just wait until next week. The kids are all working so hard on their reading strategies as well as the volume of reading they are doing.

We are going to be continuing our work on some persuasive writing as well. The kids have almost all finished choosing their topics and are practicing using the graphic organizer that we will use in our final writing prompt next week.

We will be starting our end of year projects after April break. We will be doing work around woodworking and working with clay as mediums. We will be keeping a work log and planing journal to keep track of our work. The kids will also be tying their work to a specific topic (animals, events, etc.). These personal learning projects are always a great way to end the year.

In any case, make sure to sign up for conferences and be in touch if you'd like to discuss anything else beforehand, any time. 

Have a great week,

Ben

Long Time, No See!

Hey All,

It has been a long time! Sorry about that. As you might imagine, the past few weeks of school have been busy for me. It's no excuse, but it is the reason some things have had to slide. I endeavor to get back on track in the coming weeks.

We have been getting better and better at making our literacy choices in the morning and following through with their plans. They are producing more and more in regards to volume and detail. A couple of students wrote an amazing story and presented it to the class this week. They did the great work of trying to make sure everyone who wanted to, be involved. I and some of the other kids were a group of villains and ,yes, we got what we deserved. Chris and I talked about how this was a genuine, organic, team-building experience. It wasn't something we organized or manufactured, it came from caring, fun-loving and thoughtful friends. It put life into our hearts that we really needed, and appreciated. This is the beauty of my job: The gifts we exchange, every day, that we don't even know we give.

We have started to work on our persuasive writing which will, as always, culminate in some sort of writing prompt to gauge how well they absorbed the information, purpose and format of this kind of writing piece. We played a game called "Convince Me" and have had a lot of fun challenging the kids to convince me of a number of topics (best pet, best sandwich, etc.) On top of that, kids continue to do a great job working on their writing during literacy time.

I have continued my work with kiddos on their reading in class. This is typically a time when kids make huge gains in their reading. As always read, read, read at home. If you ever want any guidance on things that would be helpful to work on, don't hesitate to reach out and ask. You can also practice sight words. All of the links needed for a start are on the class webpage.

You can sign up for conferences on the link below. As always, if none of the times work for your family, let me know. We can always figure something else out.

Here is the parent link:

 http://grades.wcsuonline.org/rumney/conference.

Last, a few of you have reached out to me to talk about the recent events here at school, which I have appreciated. By sitting and talking/answering questions, I feel more comfortable knowing that we are all communicating openly, honestly and building toward a place of common understanding. If you'd like to sit down and get whatever clarity I am able to provide, let me know. I'll be happy to pencil you in!

Have a great weekend and don't forget to spring forward!

Best, 

Ben