Week One News!

Hello, Everyone!

I hope you and your child have had many rich discussions about their first week in school. From my perspective, it has been such a wonderful, calm start to the year.

We are easing into our literacy block, revisiting expectations as well as practicing. We use a modified "Daily 5" model. You can find more information about the Daily 5 here:

https://www.thedailycafe.com/daily-5

We have been practicing read-to self time and the kids are doing a great job. We have discussed the concept of "good fit" books and where to find them in the room as well as how to know if they are indeed a "good fit". We will be introducing more and more components of the literacy structure over the next few weeks.


Rumney CARES is an important part of our school philosophy and we have begin to talk about the different components. We have introduced greetings and games during morning meeting and throughout the day to build the cohesion in the group. The kids are learning the names of their classmates and laughing together. This                                                                            feels like a great place to start.


We will also be starting science stations in the morning. The kids will be beginner meteorologists, observers and experimenters. I look forward to slowly rolling these out and having kids practice these skills. Also, I will be bringing in clay from my house for the kids to start exploring. The cool part about this clay is that we can form it, let it dry and fire it. When it is fired, it turns orange due to the ferric nature of the clay on my property. If you are a potter at home, I welcome you to get some and try it out!

I teach first grade math and the kids have been settling into our schedule and working hard on counting, stretching their brain, and doing some work with dot cluster cards. We will be launching into using cuisenaire rods and place value/adding 1 in the coming weeks. I love watching their math skills emerge!

As always, folks, please get in touch with me about celebrations, questions or concerns. I always enjoy talking to you all! I also invite you to check out the new Rumney Website. Don't forget to do your Rumney Family Handbook scavenger hunt!




Thanks for a great week, and I look forward to many more!

~B

Hello Wonderful Middlesex Families!

I am really looking forward to our upcoming school year! We have lots to learn about the world around us and ourselves and I can't wait to start our journey together. We have a beautiful number of students in our classrooms and this gives me the ability to better serve their important and varied needs.

I am looking forward to re-introducing studio art time and getting kids working on various projects that are art and construction related, tied to planning and journaling and seeing them develop their core academic subjects as well.

Our first day of school is next Monday, the 29th, and the kids will have a full week of school. If you haven't yet, now may be a good time to get back on the school schedule to try to alleviate as much back-to-school drag as possible. I will be providing ample time for kids to rest in the afternoons in the first couple of weeks, recognizing that this transition back can be tiring, especially for our younger students. Please make sure you have solid lunch and snack plans for your child so they know what to do. If you feel like they are foggy about it, write me a note or drop an email to let me know their plans. Any afterschool plans need to go through the front office.

On the first day, please make sure your child brings in a spare set of clothes fit for any season and anything they'd like to share about their summer. We'll be doing some of that on the first couple of days as we ease into the year.

The students will be getting folders on their first day with LOTS of important information. Make sure to look at everything, fill out the paperwork as quickly as possible and get it back to school. Since picture day is September 1st, it is really important to get that information back to school. Otherwise, picture make-up day is going to be mighty busy!

I will be updating our schedule and other parts of the blog as the week goes on, so if you see something dated or not functioning, wait a bit or drop me an email at bweiss@u32.org. I'll try to help you out in any way I can!

I'll be writing more over the next week or so and I'll notify you via email about blog updates for anything you need to know.

Be in touch any time and I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Warmly,

Ben

The End of the Year is Approaching!

Hey Wonderful Families,

I hope this letter finds you well. The kids are having a great end to the last days of school what with the play, projects, and end of the year field trips.

The kids are finishing up their wonderful writing pieces and covers. They should be so pleased with their final results. I can't wait for you to see them, sometime next week. These writing pieces are a great representation of the progress they have made on their writing skills this year.

As far as field trips, we have a couple coming up:

1. Shady Rill

• Leaving at 11, walking down. Taking a bus back, returning at 3:15
• Bring a lunch or order one from school (you did this on the permission slip)
• Scheduled date:6-9, Rain date: 6-14

2. Field Day at Wrightsville

• Leaving at 9:30, returning at 3:20, all by bus
• Lunch is coordinated by class, you should have received a yellow slip indicating what we're asking you to provide. Some of you are not being asked to send in anything.
• Kids signed up for a hot dog, hamburger, or veggie burger. We encouraged kids to sign up for one, even if they usually get cold lunch to ensure that there is enough for everyone.
• Scheduled date: 6-10, Rain date:6-13

We are finishing up our end of year assessments and the kids have been doing a great job with our crazy schedule and being pulled out of things to complete them.

If you need any information, have any questions or need new permission slips, let me know.

Have a great weekend!

~B

Plays, Pond, and Plenty More!

Hey All,

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying our beautiful spring weather. The kids are certainly feeling the wonderful weather as well! I hope that you all get a chance to make it to our amazing Spring Fair at Rumney tomorrow, 10-2. Our fantastic PTO has put together a great collection of activities and opportunities for people to help support our wonderful school. A huge thanks to them for making our school a better place!

We went to the frog pond and the kids did some great observations on what they saw. There are some kids in our room who see things I never would have! We then drew pictures of our habitats at our houses. We barely started to then talk about Venn-Diagrams and how they are useful tools in comparing things and started to use that tool to compare these two habitats. They made lots of great observations.

The stage for the plays has made the annual entrance into our room and the kids had a great time exploring it. We talked about the expectations around it and we all appear to be on the same page. As for the plays, they are next Thursday, the 26th. We will have two showings, one at 10:45 and one at 2:15. After the 2:15 performance we usually do a cast party. If you'd like to volunteer to send something in, it would be appreciated. Let me know what you are thinking via email so that I can make sure we aren't too loaded with any one thing. Please make sure that all food sent in are gluten, egg, nut, and dairy free. 

In Writer's Workshop the kids have been working on their information writing. We are working on revisions and making sure that we are filling our books with lots of facts. Their final products are shaping up to be a great representation of their amazing progress in writing. I can't wait for you all to see their finished products. They will also do some form of a visual products as well for the animal they studied. 

Ms. T and I have decided to bring our classes down to the Shady Rill picnic area toward the end of the year. We have blocked out June 9th and 14th as possible days that work. We are open to as many chaperones as possible and will be walking down from school around 11:00. We'll have a picnic lunch and then enjoy the afternoon by playing in the brook and playing large and small group games.

Please be in touch if you have any questions about this busy time of year.

Enjoy the fair!

~B

Dates to Remember

Thursday May 26th -- Ben's class plays 10:45 and 2:15 showtimes
Friday May 27th -- Book Buddies Field Trip at U-32 
Monday May 30 -- NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Friday June 3rd -- Mrs. Fox's class plays 2pm
*NEW* June 9th (14th raindate) 1/2 River Day at Shady Rill
Wednesday June 15th -- The Last Day of School (1/2 Day)

Green Up!

Hey Folks,

First and foremost, I'd like to extend my thanks to our amazing PTO. The PTO helps to put on amazing programs for our students here at school and helps it become a more rich and vibrant place to learn and work. Thank you all for your support, I know I couldn't do my job without it.

Also... It was a great a end to our week! We got to write some cards, do some Greening Up outside, and had a great 4 Winds activity on nests. The kids got to end their work with smiles on their faces, which is a great goal to have at this end of the year, when emotions and energy run so hot.

The kids have continued their amazing work on their information writing pieces. They are assembling their books to have the correct number of pages and we have started to talk about the editing process to ensure that the work that goes into their books is their best work. We talked about how it is a great gift to look at your first and second grade work years down the road and how it brings you back...

In literacy, we are looking toward the end of the year. The kids are making their last pushes and gains toward making the end of grade benchmarks for spelling, reading and writing. No matter how your child fares on these assessments, please remember that they are only 7 and 8 years old, after all. Development in academic and social areas happens in a varied way. Grades and seasons are not black and white indicators of where children should be in their learning progression. Learning and skill acquisition happens on a broad spectrum, and I have been happy with all of their progress.

In Science, we are reading a big book about tadpoles and we are planning on doing some near-Rumney field trips to the frog pond and practicing how to observe, draw, and label what they see. We will also be trying to do some work on erosion to cap it all off. Time is fleeting...

We have started working on our plays and poems as well. The kids are seriously excited about this work. If you'd like a script for home to practice, please let me know. We will be working on our sets and props over the next couple of weeks.

As always, be in touch with anything on your mind.

Enjoy your well-deserved Mother's Day!

~B

Dates to Remember
Friday May 13th -- Field Trip to see "Henry and Mudge" at the Flynn Theater
Thursday May 19th -- All School Meeting 2:30 (Primary Singers performing!)
Thursday May 26th -- Ben's class plays
Friday May 27th -- Book Buddies Field Trip at U-32
Monday May 30 -- NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Friday June 3rd -- Mrs. Fox's class plays 2pm
Wednesday June 15th -- The Last Day of School (1/2 Day)

Post Break Push!

Hey Lovely Families,

It has been a great week back from vacation. The kids appear to have grown quite a bit over just the past few days! We are geared up for the final push and we have lots to do!

We are currently working on our class plays, which the kids got scripts for. They all know which parts they are doing and are totally excited about it. A few kids have also chosen to recite some poetry instead of/including being in a play. I am really looking forward to seeing them display their wide range of abilities. Ask your child about what they are choosing to do.

In Writer's Workshop the kids are continuing their work on their information pieces. They will be creating visuals to go along with their writing as well, which we will be working on in the next few few weeks. Some kids are going the extra mile and are also working on doing an independent project. There are some really motivated learners in this group!

We had a great assembly this week with the Drumsticks group coming to perform. The kids were motivated drummers after the performance, and it was fun to revisit again to talk about and practice the different parts they learned. Also, our trip to Henry and Mudge is coming up. If you haven't heard from me, it means that you were not picked to be a chaperone. No offense intended, and I wish we could take more but we already had 4 teachers going which means we only had 3 parent tickets. Sorry!

In science we are going to do some work on habitats in the coming weeks. We will look at the vernal pool that is in the woods, the woods in general, and also will be looking at the stream across the road. We will be discussing the different features of these habitats and how they support different kinds of organisms and animals. Ahh, the outdoor classroom!

Again, as always, be in touch with comments, questions, or concerns.

Enjoy the weekend,

~B

Dates to Remember
Friday May 13th -- Field Trip to see "Henry and Mudge" at the Flynn Theater
Thursday May 19th -- All School Meeting 2:30 (Primary Singers performing!)
Thursday May 26th -- Ben's class plays
Friday May 27th -- Book Buddies Field Trip at U-32
Monday May 30 -- NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Friday June 3rd -- Mrs. Fox's class plays 2pm
Wednesday June 15th -- The Last Day of School (1/2 Day)

Willy Wonka and the Regular Goings-Ons

Hello Wonderful Families,

It has been such a great pleasure getting to talk to all about the progress and future goals for your children, and I really appreciate your insight and openness. If ever any of you need anything, be sure to let me know.

We had the pleasure of watching Willy Wonka yesterday and the kids were thoroughly amazed with their performance. The Rumney Theater program never ceases to amaze! Congratulations to all of the actors and stage helpers. There are shows on Friday night at 7, Saturday afternoon at 2 and Saturday evening at 7. Also, check out mychamplainvalley.com to see our Cool School segment. I think Mr. Rosen has a future in television!

We have started to work on next writing genre, information writing, and the kids have done a great job mapping out their ideas. They chose their topics yesterday which were animals from specific habitats. Ask your child what they are going to writing about. We are learning about the structure of these types of writing pieces as well as focusing on writing and spelling conventions.

We will be wrapping up our reading, spelling and sight word assessments after vacation, starting in mid May. Be sure to keep on reading over vacation! We want to make sure that we don't slip right before the finish line.

We are also sending home placement forms for next year. I spoke to many of you about this at conferences, and we take your input into strong consideration. We try our best to make sure all of the kids get what they need during this process and because the kids will be getting mixed up to accommodate the new 1/2 classroom, your input is appreciated.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and think spring!

~B