Post Thanksgiving Break

Hey Friends,

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with your friends and families. I was grateful for the time to give pause and take some purposeful time to be thankful for all I have.

One of my biggest joys and parts of my life that I am thankful for is the time I get to spend with your wonderful children, watching them grow and learn. It grounds me and reminds me daily of the reason I became a teacher.

As far of our activities here at school, we have been working hard on wrapping up our small moment stories in Writer's Workshop. The kids have been working on writing their hooks, filling out details using transition words like first, then, later, etc. and then stretching out details.

In literacy we have been focusing on using our time well as well as working hard in our reading groups. The kids have really gotten into working on their sight words as well as dabbling in free-writing their own stories about pirates, jail breaks and the like.

We have also been working on our transitions between activities as well as recognizing kindness in our room. During this time of the year, kids can get pretty distracted and it is always important to remain grounded in our agreements from the beginning of the year: being kind, working hard and having fun.

In science we have been looking into the states of matter - solid, liquid and gas. We have also had a lot of discussion about how scientists answer the question they are investigating. Scientists can answer their questions with a "yes", "no" or I am not sure. "Kind of" is not in their vocabulary. This has been a challenge for some, as some kids really like to try to find the sneaky way around answering these kinds of questions. example:

Teacher: Can you pick up water in the same way you can pick up a solid with your hands?
Sneaky kid: Kind of
Teacher: Show me using the water in the sink. Did it work?
Sneaky kid: Kind of

All kidding aside, it has been great and all in all, the kids are really doing a wonderful job.

I think that's it for now. We'll be starting our Artist and Residence next week. Thanks so much to Jen Campbell for helping organize this great opportunity for our kids!

Have a great weekend, everyone. Remember, bow/crossbow/muzzleloader season is starting for the next nine days, so be careful in the woods.

Be in touch if you need anything or have any celebrations, concerns or questions.

~B

Conferences and Other News

Hello Friends,

I hope you are enjoying the beauty of the fresh snow on this crisp Friday!

A few of reminders:

1. Thanks to those of you who have signed up for conferences. I am looking forward to meeting with all of you and talking about the great progress your kids are making! I have sent out sign-ups via Signup Genius. Look in your inboxes if you need to find the link.

2. The long Vermont tradition of youth hunting season this weekend, followed by regular rifle/muzzleloader weeks starting next weekend, is upon us. Please be safe and careful if you choose to spend time in the woods.

3. The Food Drive is in full swing and we are trying to get 1,000 items for the Middlesex Food Shelf. Please consider sending in some boxes/canned goods if you can. The Rumney Food Drive continues both in our classroom and in the school lobby. Our goal is to bring in 1,000 non-perishables/toiletries before Thanksgiving. Currently we have just over one hundred items. Most needed items include cereal, oatmeal, fruit cups, canned vegetables, soup, rice/pasta mixes, jelly, nut butters, baking ingredients/kits. Thank you for your generosity! The Middlesex Food Shelf is open every Saturday from 9:00-10:30 and is open to everyone.

I think that's it for now, please let me know if you have any questions, concerns or celebrations.

Best,

B

Nominations, Food Drive, Personal Narrative, and Conferences

Hello, Friends,

I hope you all have been enjoying our transition into the real fall weather and enjoying all that comes with it!

We have been doing so much in our room, I almost don't know where to start. We have begun to nominate one another for list of good deeds throughout the day by filling out nomination sheets. You may have seen some of them come home in your child's folder. It is enormously powerful to see kids noticing the great work they are doing, not by me, but by one another. We earn class and individual rewards for all of our wonderful work.

Our list of behavior/deeds to notice are:

Facing Their Fears
Working Hard
Taking Turns 
Apologizing Without a Teacher Asking Them to
Taking Care of Nature
Helping a Friend
Being a Good Listener
Being Kind
Being Generous/Sharing

Also, we are starting a Food Drive here at school. Please feel free to send in non-expired non-perishable items to us here at school. Our goal is to collect 1,000 items by November 26th. If you are able, please consider helping out families in need in your own neighborhood.

The kids are working hard on their personal narratives and are thinking about times when they had an experience when they learned something about themselves. The variety of experiences they are writing about is so incredible! They are thinking about feelings, senses, and details about their experiences. We'll be stretching out the moment using as much detail as we can muster. I can't wait to see how they shape up.

As far as conferences go, I'll be sending out times soon. I understand that families will be getting a notice regarding a new sign-up system we are going to try and use. I may or may not use it because the slots available are only for 20 minutes and I like to allow for a 30 minute meeting. It seems like 30 minutes is the least I can offer you all! More details will be coming soon.

I think that's it for now. Please have a safe, fun time this Halloween!

Be in touch with any questions, concerns or celebrations any time.

~B

Apple Sauce, 4 Winds, Reader's Workshop and more!

Hello Friends,

I hope this finds you well. The foliage is starting to wane and the temperature is fall. Autumn is fully here! We have been singing our hearts our during Primary Sing to celebrate the changing of the seasons.

Today we got the opportunity to use some of the apples from my house to make apple sauce! Thanks so much to Talitha for sharing her Instant Pot, food mill and time to help make this happen. The kids even got to have some at lunch, too! It is amazing to see how much sauce you can make from a 5 gallon barrel!

Adrienne Magida came in to do our first 4-Wind session on the sun and its position in the sky. I even got to do some acting in the puppet show. This month we will be look at erosion. I really appreciate the time all of our volunteers put in to help make our days a bit more enriching and I know the kids feel the same.

We have been working on our senses in our science journals and will be moving into solids, gasses and liquids in the coming weeks to come to some basic understandings on States of Matter. I look forward to making some oobleck, looking at ice melt and evaporate and other investigations.

We have begin our work in Reader's Workshop as well. The kids split for the beginning part of literacy by grade, second grade stays with me and first grade goes with Caitlin. We are following the Lucy Calkins continuum, which is a great guide to help kids get to know themselves as readers.

We will beginning some story writing next week as part of Writer's Workshop. The kids will be writing about a time when they learned something about themselves. We have been talking a lot about the author's message (moral) and we will be incorporating the use of transition words, descriptive language and compelling beginnings and endings to our stories. 

As a heads-up, we do not have a celebration for Halloween like a parade or a party, no need to send in a costume or treats on the 31st. We try to keep things as sane as possible!

I think that's it for now. Please let me know if you have questions, concerns or celebrations anytime!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~B

Cider, Open House, All School Adventure

Hello families!

I hope you have all been able to enjoy these beautiful summer days! I know we have here in our room. We are building our class rules, exploring and cleaning up the outdoor classroom and settling into our routines.

In literacy, we are working on building our work stamina, making sure that it is a silent work time so everyone can do their best learning, and getting to know what "good fit" work looks like. They are working so hard on their reading and writing. Next week, after we have finished all of our assessments, we will begin our reading work in earnest.

We've read a number of books, the two the Read-Aloud books we read were Elmer and Down the Road. 





We've been talking a lot about the author's message in the books I have been reading aloud and these are two of my favorites. The lessons from the books are critical in creating our classroom culture and helps us create expectations for ourselves and our friends in class.

We pressed some cider on Friday across our 1/2 team and the 6th grade got a crack at it, too. It's a good thing we picked so many apples! The kids all got to have a taste of their hard work at the end of the day and it is always a good reminder to celebrate our fall harvest. A special thanks and shout out to the Cotterill/Chabot family for letting us borrow the cider to press that allowed for this all to happen. The generosity of the families in Middlesex always come through!

The All School Adventure is planned for this Friday, the 27th. We will be leaving in the morning to go to Hubbard Park in Montpelier and will have a day of exploring the many sites and trails in the park. Please be sure that if you plan on joining us that you have filled out your Level 1 chaperone paperwork in the front office. Be in touch with Mary or Christa in the front office if you need more information about this. 

Open House is this Wednesday, the 25th from 5:30 to 6:30. I look forward to you all coming in and learning about our class and seeing/meeting you all! The kids will be showing you routines, some of their work, and much more. You should also make sure to check in with their allied arts teachers as well to talk about their amazing work as well.

I think that's it for now. Be in touch with questions, concerns or celebrations any time!

Enjoy the last day of summer!

~B

First Two Weeks

Hello Families!

I hope your children have had a wonderful two first weeks of school! I know it has been wonderful working with them and getting to know them!

The kids designed our room set up, have helped put away materials and have arranged out book shelves. They are doing a wonderful job working together! Over the next few weeks we will be establishing class rules, norms and expectations. This is when we all really get to know the other people in the room and how we start thinking about how we can take care of ourselves, take care of each other and take care of our school. This will be the foundation of our work going forward this year.

Holy dominoes, Batman!

Next week we'll being to dig our teeth into literacy time by practicing reading to self and doing some self-directed writing and handwriting practice. I'll also being doing our annual battery of beginning of the year assessments to help guide our work in word study, phonics, handwriting, reading and writing.

We have also had the pleasure of letting go of some monarch butterflies that we raised and hatched. It is always such a wonderful experience to share with children. We were talking about it today and we think that the children of Vermont are probably responsible for the huge number of butterflies we've seen this year!

To go along with the theme of autumn, I was wondering if any of you know someone with an apple grinder and press that we can use here for our 1/2 team to make some cider. If you know of anyone who'd be willing to let us use one, it would be greatly appreciated.

We were able to get out to the outdoor classroom today (Friday) and the kids did a great job talking about our second week and also about how we are going to use the space and spend as much time outside as we can. We'll be making science journals next week as well.

Information:

• September Dates
• September 9 - Picture Day!  
• September 18 - Instrument Rental Night, 5:00-6:15pm in Rumney Gym (Also Board Meeting at Doty, 6:30pm)
• September 24 - All School Meeting 9:05-9:35
• September 25 - Open House, 5:30-6:30pm
• September 26 - Kindergarten Screening Day
• September 27 - All-School Outing

I think that's about it, please be in touch with any questions, thoughts or concerns any time.

Enjoy the weekend!

~B

Welcome!

Dear First and Second Grade Families,

Welcome back! I hope you had a fun, refreshing and relaxing summer! I am so excited for the school year to start. I have had a busy couple of weeks getting ready and getting to know our new principal- Mr. Provost! It is going to be a great school year. Here is some information about me and some information about the first few days of school. I will see you soon!

Getting to Know Ben!

This is my 10th year teaching at our fantastic school! I grew up a few short miles from Rumney and am deeply connected and committed to this community. I remember playing little league on the ball fields! I believe in a classroom that is full of kindness, hard work and learning. I hope you get a chance to check out my blog (https://weissrumneyclass.blogspot.com/), which talks about this and many aspects of our days. Continue to check in as we go through the year for newsletter updates, curriculum resources and more. I am an avid outdoors person and am looking to finding lots of ways to get out and use nature as a resource for learning. I am looking forward to a great year working with your wonderful children!

Here are a few logistical reminders as we think about heading back to school:

• Look for your child’s home to school folder with lots of paperwork on the first day. After that, folders will continue to come home each day. Please try and check them and send any important information our way!
• Try your best to make sure your child knows their snack and lunch plan for the day. Also, feel free to shoot us an email with your weekly plans.
• Please send your child with a water bottle to keep at school! We will send them home on Fridays.
• We have PE on Monday and Friday, so be sure to have your child prepared with sneakers on those days.
• This Wednesday August 28, will be a regular 3:30 dismissal. Starting Wednesday, September 4 we will begin our early dismissal procedure with a 3:00 dismissal.
• Despite how excited your kids are, our school days can feel long to young learners. Please do your best to help your child rest up and get a good nights’ sleep before the first day.
• Please remember, snack should not have any nuts due to school wide allergies and policies. If your child brings a lunch with nuts, they will have to sit at the nut table in the cafeteria.
• If you feel like your child needs a change of clothes at school, please let us know and send them in. We will keep them in a safe, private place. In case of emergencies, the nurse has some available.
• Arrival and Dismissal: Arrival time in the morning is at 8:45 AM. If you arrive with your child before 8:45 AM, please wait in the lobby with your child until the start of our day. At this point, children may enter the classroom. Our day starts at 9:00 AM and this is when we take attendance. Dismissal will be at 3:30 PM. Please wait outside the primary wing for your child to be dismissed. If your child goes on the bus, please make sure you are there to meet them. The bus driver will not let children off the bus if no one is there to meet them.
• Please leave toys at home. If your child is someone who may benefit from a fidget of some sorts, we have many options of those for children to use and try out to see how they best learn.
• Picture day is Monday, September 9! Be sure to send your form in with your child.

Also, here is a picture of our room and what it will look like on the first day. No worries, though. I know we are all going to help each other make a space that is going to be amazing! We have tables to move, labels to make, bookshelves and materials shelves to move and books to shelve in book bins. I can't wait to see you all and for us to work hard together to create our one-of-a-kind space!



Feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns! We look forward to a great school year with you and your kiddos!

Warmly,

Ben
223-5429 (s)
223-3677 (h)
bweiss@u32.org