Hello Wonderful Families!
I hope you all heard lots of great stories about the hike last week. I was sorry to miss it but I know the kids had a great time.
Sorry about the possibly perceived preachy/lecturey tone of what is going to follow, but recent events in class call for me to ask you for some assistance.
I talked about this some time ago is a previous blog post but many of you are new to my class so I'll reiterate a point I'd like to ask you to support. It is election season. The general public has some big feelings about the candidates one way or the other. I can't do anything about this. However, recently, kids have been coming in using some pretty hurtful language about candidates running for president, leading to some hurt feelings. It is my belief, and one that is emphasized at our school, that because we disagree doesn't make someone bad or good. It means we have something to learn from one another. This connects directly to our young ones, as they are always trying to see the world in black and white. They are too young and not ready to understand the immense amount of grey involved in the world, in this case presidential politics and policy. I ask you to please make sure that if you are choosing to discuss politics with your child that you make it clear that because you disagree with someone's views that it doesn't make them a bad person. People can disagree and still be friends.
On a another note, I have had kids coming in and asking about clowns at school. In case you haven't heard, there are people dressing as clowns and doing some pranks and scaring of people. It is one of those viral things that will pass with time. In the meantime, however, I would appreciate some filtering of this kind of information to kids. One student came in talking about his parent's Facebook messages about the clowns and it affected some kids in class. It scared them. Your help is appreciated in being the person discerning what information is appropriate for your child to know about.
Back to the other work at hand...
We have all been working hard in class and we have finished all of our reading assessments. The kids are going to be put in groups to start working on specific skills next week. Some groups will be primarily working on word-solving strategies, some working on reading fluency to build their reading rate, others will be working on comprehension. There is a lot to learn!
In Writer's Workshop we are working on books that are called "All About Me" ABC books. It has been a real blast reading about how kids see and describe themselves. They are concentrating on their handwriting as well as thinking about the words that best describe them. They are going to be looking at ways that they are same and different to other things as well. We will be using Venn Diagrams as one of the tools to do this work.
We have continued to work on our weather chart and next week will be charting the shortening of the days. We will work on our observation skills as well at our observation table. We will also be having a station where we can carry out an investigation, next week we will be weighing.
We are reading the Minpins in read-aloud. Ask your child about the story, it is a Roald Dahl classic. We are working on making a movie in our minds when a book is read to us. We stop and ask the kids what they are seeing in their movies in their heads and it has been a great exercise for them all.
I am having such a blast this year, and your children are to thank for it. It is a most wonderful group, indeed!
Have a wonderful weekend,
~B
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Post Hike Week Update
Hello Wonderful Families!
I hope you all heard lots of great stories about the hike last week. I was sorry to miss it but I know the kids had a great time.
Sorry about the possibly perceived preachy/lecturey tone of what is going to follow, but recent events in class call for me to ask you for some assistance.
I talked about this some time ago is a previous blog post but many of you are new to my class so I'll reiterate a point I'd like to ask you to support. It is election season. The general public has some big feelings about the candidates one way or the other. I can't do anything about this. However, recently, kids have been coming in using some pretty hurtful language about candidates running for president, leading to some hurt feelings. It is my belief, and one that is emphasized at our school, that because we disagree doesn't make someone bad or good. It means we have something to learn from one another. This connects directly to our young ones, as they are always trying to see the world in black and white. They are too young and not ready to understand the immense amount of grey involved in the world, in this case presidential politics and policy. I ask you to please make sure that if you are choosing to discuss politics with your child that you make it clear that because you disagree with someone's views that it doesn't make them a bad person. People can disagree and still be friends.
On a another note, I have had kids coming in and asking about clowns at school. In case you haven't heard, there are people dressing as clowns and doing some pranks and scaring of people. It is one of those viral things that will pass with time. In the meantime, however, I would appreciate some filtering of this kind of information to kids. One student came in talking about his parent's Facebook messages about the clowns and it affected some kids in class. It scared them. Your help is appreciated in being the person discerning what information is appropriate for your child to know about.
Back to the other work at hand...
We have all been working hard in class and we have finished all of our reading assessments. The kids are going to be put in groups to start working on specific skills next week. Some groups will be primarily working on word-solving strategies, some working on reading fluency to build their reading rate, others will be working on comprehension. There is a lot to learn!
In Writer's Workshop we are working on books that are called "All About Me" ABC books. It has been a real blast reading about how kids see and describe themselves. They are concentrating on their handwriting as well as thinking about the words that best describe them. They are going to be looking at ways that they are same and different to other things as well. We will be using Venn Diagrams as one of the tools to do this work.
We have continued to work on our weather chart and next week will be charting the shortening of the days. We will work on our observation skills as well at our observation table. We will also be having a station where we can carry out an investigation, next week we will be weighing.
We are reading the Minpins in read-aloud. Ask your child about the story, it is a Roald Dahl classic. We are working on making a movie in our minds when a book is read to us. We stop and ask the kids what they are seeing in their movies in their heads and it has been a great exercise for them all.
I am having such a blast this year, and your children are to thank for it. It is a most wonderful group, indeed!
Have a wonderful weekend,
~B
I hope you all heard lots of great stories about the hike last week. I was sorry to miss it but I know the kids had a great time.
Sorry about the possibly perceived preachy/lecturey tone of what is going to follow, but recent events in class call for me to ask you for some assistance.
I talked about this some time ago is a previous blog post but many of you are new to my class so I'll reiterate a point I'd like to ask you to support. It is election season. The general public has some big feelings about the candidates one way or the other. I can't do anything about this. However, recently, kids have been coming in using some pretty hurtful language about candidates running for president, leading to some hurt feelings. It is my belief, and one that is emphasized at our school, that because we disagree doesn't make someone bad or good. It means we have something to learn from one another. This connects directly to our young ones, as they are always trying to see the world in black and white. They are too young and not ready to understand the immense amount of grey involved in the world, in this case presidential politics and policy. I ask you to please make sure that if you are choosing to discuss politics with your child that you make it clear that because you disagree with someone's views that it doesn't make them a bad person. People can disagree and still be friends.
On a another note, I have had kids coming in and asking about clowns at school. In case you haven't heard, there are people dressing as clowns and doing some pranks and scaring of people. It is one of those viral things that will pass with time. In the meantime, however, I would appreciate some filtering of this kind of information to kids. One student came in talking about his parent's Facebook messages about the clowns and it affected some kids in class. It scared them. Your help is appreciated in being the person discerning what information is appropriate for your child to know about.
Back to the other work at hand...
We have all been working hard in class and we have finished all of our reading assessments. The kids are going to be put in groups to start working on specific skills next week. Some groups will be primarily working on word-solving strategies, some working on reading fluency to build their reading rate, others will be working on comprehension. There is a lot to learn!
In Writer's Workshop we are working on books that are called "All About Me" ABC books. It has been a real blast reading about how kids see and describe themselves. They are concentrating on their handwriting as well as thinking about the words that best describe them. They are going to be looking at ways that they are same and different to other things as well. We will be using Venn Diagrams as one of the tools to do this work.
We have continued to work on our weather chart and next week will be charting the shortening of the days. We will work on our observation skills as well at our observation table. We will also be having a station where we can carry out an investigation, next week we will be weighing.
We are reading the Minpins in read-aloud. Ask your child about the story, it is a Roald Dahl classic. We are working on making a movie in our minds when a book is read to us. We stop and ask the kids what they are seeing in their movies in their heads and it has been a great exercise for them all.
I am having such a blast this year, and your children are to thank for it. It is a most wonderful group, indeed!
Have a wonderful weekend,
~B
Friday, September 23, 2016
Last week of summer, first week of fall!
Hey Fantastic Families!
I hope the last two weeks of summer have treated you well and it was wonderful seeing you all at Open House this week. It's not the best time to get information from me so if you'd like to continue any discussion anytime, let me know. I am available for before school meetings most any day of the week, should I get adequate heads-up. I'm always glad to sit and touch base.
In literacy, we have started partner reading and are working to get the hang of it. It can be tempting to chat about things other than books when sitting with a friend! We will also be introducing listening to reading on the computer as well. We use a program called Tumblebooks, should you want to investigate it. We will also be starting reading groups on a regular basis once we are finished our reading assessments, next week.
In Writer's Workshop we have begun our discussions about sentences and what they are. The kids are really getting the hang of noticing when a sentence does not make sense, which is the first step. You have to know that it doesn't sound right before you know it isn't written correctly. We are also continuing our hard work on our handwriting. It is our goal in the 1/2 this week to make sure that the kids are really solid on these foundational skills before embarking on formal writing pieces.
We will begin our study about light and sound waves in the coming weeks as well in science. We will also be starting to rotate through some science centers in the morning that involve the weather, investigating a physical science question and an observation station. The kids have been practicing reading a thermometer and graphing the weather each day. They are making some great progress!
I think that's about it for now. Again, never hesitate to get in touch about celebration, questions or concerns.
Enjoy the start of autumn,
~B
I hope the last two weeks of summer have treated you well and it was wonderful seeing you all at Open House this week. It's not the best time to get information from me so if you'd like to continue any discussion anytime, let me know. I am available for before school meetings most any day of the week, should I get adequate heads-up. I'm always glad to sit and touch base.
In literacy, we have started partner reading and are working to get the hang of it. It can be tempting to chat about things other than books when sitting with a friend! We will also be introducing listening to reading on the computer as well. We use a program called Tumblebooks, should you want to investigate it. We will also be starting reading groups on a regular basis once we are finished our reading assessments, next week.
In Writer's Workshop we have begun our discussions about sentences and what they are. The kids are really getting the hang of noticing when a sentence does not make sense, which is the first step. You have to know that it doesn't sound right before you know it isn't written correctly. We are also continuing our hard work on our handwriting. It is our goal in the 1/2 this week to make sure that the kids are really solid on these foundational skills before embarking on formal writing pieces.
We will begin our study about light and sound waves in the coming weeks as well in science. We will also be starting to rotate through some science centers in the morning that involve the weather, investigating a physical science question and an observation station. The kids have been practicing reading a thermometer and graphing the weather each day. They are making some great progress!
I think that's about it for now. Again, never hesitate to get in touch about celebration, questions or concerns.
Enjoy the start of autumn,
~B
Friday, September 9, 2016
Week 2 News
Happy Friday, everyone! We have continued to have a wonderful time in our class getting to know one another, getting familiar with our surroundings and schedule, and building great work habits. The kids and I are having a ball!
In literacy we have introduced two of our choices, reading-to-self and writing. We have been able to build up to 15 minutes of each and are working on transitions between choices. We are working our stamina up to 1 total hour. Next week we will be practicing partner reading.
We are about to kick off our annual fall assessments, so please try your best to make sure that your kids are rested and ready to go. We do a phonological assessment (for some students), a reading assessments, math assessments, an upper and lower case letter name/sound assessment and a spelling assessment. We make sure to spread these out so as not to tire the kids out and to avoid losing as much instructional time as possible. We will be able to talk about any of this information at any time after it is done, should you want to, as well as at parent/teacher conferences.
In Writer's workshop we are continuing our work on handwriting as well as responding to a choice of books that we have done for read-aloud. The kids are enjoying doing this work and are working hard at it. We will discussing and practicing sentence writing next week as well. The goal is to see kids making the connection between the work they are doing in their handwriting and their independent writing. I will be starting to differentiate during this time to work with smaller groups on more discreet skills that are germane to their current skills. Right now I am getting a read on their needs and ho best to meet them.
We will begin morning science tables next week. My plan is to have them rotate through three science tables, one per week and then resetting the activities after the third week. We will have a weather station, observation station and a inquiry/investigation table. They will do these jobs 2-3x per week. We will be learning how to do these stations one at a time and then splitting up the groups and rotating weekly.
Next week we will continue our work in building our class atmosphere, talking about Rumney CARES as well as activities that build our cohesion as a group and classroom expectations. I always find that giving the class a couple of weeks before getting into this work is helpful, as we need to know one another a bit before entering this work, as trust and knowledge of one another, albeit just a small bit, helps. Even without this work, the kids have been doing a great job. Chris and I have been so pleased with how these kids treat one another.
As always, be in touch with any celebrations, questions or concerns.
Enjoy your weekend!
~B
In literacy we have introduced two of our choices, reading-to-self and writing. We have been able to build up to 15 minutes of each and are working on transitions between choices. We are working our stamina up to 1 total hour. Next week we will be practicing partner reading.
We are about to kick off our annual fall assessments, so please try your best to make sure that your kids are rested and ready to go. We do a phonological assessment (for some students), a reading assessments, math assessments, an upper and lower case letter name/sound assessment and a spelling assessment. We make sure to spread these out so as not to tire the kids out and to avoid losing as much instructional time as possible. We will be able to talk about any of this information at any time after it is done, should you want to, as well as at parent/teacher conferences.
In Writer's workshop we are continuing our work on handwriting as well as responding to a choice of books that we have done for read-aloud. The kids are enjoying doing this work and are working hard at it. We will discussing and practicing sentence writing next week as well. The goal is to see kids making the connection between the work they are doing in their handwriting and their independent writing. I will be starting to differentiate during this time to work with smaller groups on more discreet skills that are germane to their current skills. Right now I am getting a read on their needs and ho best to meet them.
We will begin morning science tables next week. My plan is to have them rotate through three science tables, one per week and then resetting the activities after the third week. We will have a weather station, observation station and a inquiry/investigation table. They will do these jobs 2-3x per week. We will be learning how to do these stations one at a time and then splitting up the groups and rotating weekly.
Next week we will continue our work in building our class atmosphere, talking about Rumney CARES as well as activities that build our cohesion as a group and classroom expectations. I always find that giving the class a couple of weeks before getting into this work is helpful, as we need to know one another a bit before entering this work, as trust and knowledge of one another, albeit just a small bit, helps. Even without this work, the kids have been doing a great job. Chris and I have been so pleased with how these kids treat one another.
As always, be in touch with any celebrations, questions or concerns.
Enjoy your weekend!
~B
Friday, September 2, 2016
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
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
Monday, August 22, 2016
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
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
Friday, June 3, 2016
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
2. Field Day at Wrightsville
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
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