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)
Friday, May 20, 2016
Friday, May 6, 2016
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)
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)
Friday, April 29, 2016
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)
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)
Friday, April 8, 2016
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
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
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Conferences, Projects and More!
Hey all,
I hope this warm weather has found you doing well. There has been a lot of sickness going around, so please be sure that your children are getting lots of rest and not getting too stretched out. The kids have been doing a fabulous job here in school, getting through the last long stretch of school in the year (can you believe it?).
We have been working hard on our land form projects and finished today, Thursday. I hope you get a chance to see them at conferences or when they come home. Speaking of which, since they are big, they will not be staying at school. I can hold onto them until the end of the day Tuesday at which time they will get recycled. I'll make sure the kids know, but please try to get a plan together to get them home by the end of the day on Tuesday. The kids will be presenting them on Monday morning during morning meeting time.
In Writer's Workshop we are going to be starting to work on some informational texts on animals in one of the habitats, related to our study on land forms. We will be focusing our work not only on the content and organization of these kinds of writing pieces but the grammar usage specific to their grade level. You can see the writing rubrics in the writing section of this blog.
Willy Wonka is being shown by our amazing Rumney theater production team. Please consider bringing your family to check it out. They never disappoint! Also, thank you to all of the parent volunteers who have helped out with boiling. The kids at Rumney get a great experience that helps them connect to the land under their feet. Not many public schools, elementary schools especially, provide their students with this kind of opportunity.
Again, if you need, here is a link to the conferences:
http://grades.wcsuonline.org/rumney/conference/
Again, I am looking forward to meeting with all of you!
~B
I hope this warm weather has found you doing well. There has been a lot of sickness going around, so please be sure that your children are getting lots of rest and not getting too stretched out. The kids have been doing a fabulous job here in school, getting through the last long stretch of school in the year (can you believe it?).
We have been working hard on our land form projects and finished today, Thursday. I hope you get a chance to see them at conferences or when they come home. Speaking of which, since they are big, they will not be staying at school. I can hold onto them until the end of the day Tuesday at which time they will get recycled. I'll make sure the kids know, but please try to get a plan together to get them home by the end of the day on Tuesday. The kids will be presenting them on Monday morning during morning meeting time.
In Writer's Workshop we are going to be starting to work on some informational texts on animals in one of the habitats, related to our study on land forms. We will be focusing our work not only on the content and organization of these kinds of writing pieces but the grammar usage specific to their grade level. You can see the writing rubrics in the writing section of this blog.
Willy Wonka is being shown by our amazing Rumney theater production team. Please consider bringing your family to check it out. They never disappoint! Also, thank you to all of the parent volunteers who have helped out with boiling. The kids at Rumney get a great experience that helps them connect to the land under their feet. Not many public schools, elementary schools especially, provide their students with this kind of opportunity.
Again, if you need, here is a link to the conferences:
http://grades.wcsuonline.org/rumney/conference/
Again, I am looking forward to meeting with all of you!
~B
Friday, March 18, 2016
Mid March Madness!
Hey All,
Well, it looks like winter still has some fight in her! On that note, please be sure to continue to send in winter clothes with your children daily, until we give the all clear here at school. When kids don't have their outdoor gear, we see an up-tick in resistance to going outside as well as playing in the way they usually do due to the lack of appropriate clothing. Water-resistant wear (pants especially) can be a big help, especially as we get more snow and the ground continues to be wet. Thanks for your support on this.
Thanks for sending in permission slips for our trip to the Flynn in May. I know it is a long way off, but we wanted to make sure people had plenty of time to make plans and think about chaperoning. The kids are already looking forward to it, as many are reading Henry and Mudge books right now.
I am going to be boiling tomorrow down at the Rumney Sugar house. Feel free to come on down and say a quick hello when you go to the amazing Pie Breakfast! It would be lovely to see anyone who'd like to. If you can't make the breakfast, consider a donation to the Rumney PTO instead, who make so many amazing things happen in our school.
We are doing some great work in science, where kids are working on a definition book of different kinds of major land forms and designing and building a landscape or poster that shows the different features as well. They are excited about this work and are doing a great job!
It has been a real pleasure to be reading and writing with your children at literacy time. It has been so wonderful to see how their writing and reading are progressing. I am looking forward to seeing you all at conferences on April 1st, or sometime around it. In Writer's Workshop, the kids are working on their land form books and writing about their favorite land form that they have been to. I look forward to finishing up both of those next week.
Conferences: I have set up times at http://grades.wcsuonline.org/rumney/conference/
Be sure to sign up for a time and if you can't find one that works for you, please be in touch.
Enjoy the pie and be sure to stop into the sugar house for a short visit on Saturday!
~B
Well, it looks like winter still has some fight in her! On that note, please be sure to continue to send in winter clothes with your children daily, until we give the all clear here at school. When kids don't have their outdoor gear, we see an up-tick in resistance to going outside as well as playing in the way they usually do due to the lack of appropriate clothing. Water-resistant wear (pants especially) can be a big help, especially as we get more snow and the ground continues to be wet. Thanks for your support on this.
Thanks for sending in permission slips for our trip to the Flynn in May. I know it is a long way off, but we wanted to make sure people had plenty of time to make plans and think about chaperoning. The kids are already looking forward to it, as many are reading Henry and Mudge books right now.
I am going to be boiling tomorrow down at the Rumney Sugar house. Feel free to come on down and say a quick hello when you go to the amazing Pie Breakfast! It would be lovely to see anyone who'd like to. If you can't make the breakfast, consider a donation to the Rumney PTO instead, who make so many amazing things happen in our school.
We are doing some great work in science, where kids are working on a definition book of different kinds of major land forms and designing and building a landscape or poster that shows the different features as well. They are excited about this work and are doing a great job!
It has been a real pleasure to be reading and writing with your children at literacy time. It has been so wonderful to see how their writing and reading are progressing. I am looking forward to seeing you all at conferences on April 1st, or sometime around it. In Writer's Workshop, the kids are working on their land form books and writing about their favorite land form that they have been to. I look forward to finishing up both of those next week.
Conferences: I have set up times at http://grades.wcsuonline.org/rumney/conference/
Be sure to sign up for a time and if you can't find one that works for you, please be in touch.
Enjoy the pie and be sure to stop into the sugar house for a short visit on Saturday!
~B
Thursday, March 10, 2016
If at first you don't succeed...
Hey all,
A couple of things.
One, we will have a morning performance practice as well, starting at 10:00, if the afternoon doesn't work for you. It won't be exactly the same, probably because of some pauses and some last corrections, but it is an alternative for folks who may not be able to make the afternoon show. I don't know if other parents will be there, but I thought I'd throw out the offer.
The other is a video clip I showed the kids today. For context, it takes place in Japan and it is at an all-school performance. I talked to the kids about how in other countries, struggling and supporting one another is something that is encouraged and accepted, as shown by the video. While recognizing the cultural differences (such as encouraging the student to keep going, despite the fact he/she was crying), I think the message and lesson is a powerful one.
Drive safe on those sloppy roads!
~B
A couple of things.
One, we will have a morning performance practice as well, starting at 10:00, if the afternoon doesn't work for you. It won't be exactly the same, probably because of some pauses and some last corrections, but it is an alternative for folks who may not be able to make the afternoon show. I don't know if other parents will be there, but I thought I'd throw out the offer.
The other is a video clip I showed the kids today. For context, it takes place in Japan and it is at an all-school performance. I talked to the kids about how in other countries, struggling and supporting one another is something that is encouraged and accepted, as shown by the video. While recognizing the cultural differences (such as encouraging the student to keep going, despite the fact he/she was crying), I think the message and lesson is a powerful one.
Drive safe on those sloppy roads!
~B
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