Choice Time Learning

During our choice time on M, T, and Th, kids are creating and extending their own learning. Here, students reenacted the village built by Pilgrims who sailed over on the Mayflower.

Number Corner

During number corner (calendar) time this month, we have been learning about time and fractions.  Children are learning how to break something into parts - or a fraction of the whole.  They are identifying 1 whole, 1/2, and 1/4.  We are also learning about clocks- and how to tell time to the hour. We will move on to half hours later in the year. We are also trying to understand 24 hours a day, am/pm, and what time of day we do certain activities.

We continue to count each day in school. We are so excited there are less than 50 days until day 100!  Today marked the 57th day (picture taken earlier).  Students are learning about groups of ten and ones in double digit numbers, and learning to add these together as we approach the 100th day!

Writing

we are lrnig to ritig  non fichin stores. 

I am ritig ubout tigrs.

ROAR!

Computer Lab Free Choice

we rnd a free chus day at the cumputr lab.  we rnd it by geting  20 tale marks by showing lisning bodys. we whrkt on rasing awr hands and not intrrupting. good job first grsdrs!

Responsibility

This month's assembly focused on RESPONSIBILITY.  As a whole school, our community spends one morning meeting a week, focusing on one component of CARES.  This week, students thought about how they can show responsibility by taking care of their clothing, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc.  Students enjoyed a "fashion show" starring many UES adults/kids wearing many pieces of lost and found clothing. Did you know, last month, a team counted how many pieces were "lost" and counted 383 pieces of your child's belongings. WOW! Each day, our class works to show responsibility by keeping track of our clothing.  INQUIRE with your child each day about whether they came home with everything they left with that morning!

Veterans Day Parade

The rain did not keep us away from thanking all those veterans out there.  Although a little wet, students enjoyed marching in the parade yesterday! 

(I tried to keep dry by keeping my camera away!)

Deadline Near

If you have not already signed up and sent in $ for your thanksgiving lunch, please do so by TOMORROW, Friday, November 13th if you plan to attend.  The cafeteria will not accept any late registers!  Thanks!

How Police help our community!

Corporal Kniseley toured us around the Montpelier Police Station this afternoon. Students learned about the holding cells, fingerprinting, locked entries, dispatch, the cruisers and so much more! We learned all about how police officers help our community and keep us safe. Police officers ensure that all people follow rules and help community members that have a hard time doing so. One police officer we visited with shared how he had just got back from a traffic accident and how sometimes they help with the traffic - especially in Montpelier these days! Through a day long conversations, we even heard from many children about the times their parents were pulled over for speeding after learning about how police can track how fast cars are traveling! Students loved hearing about how the police have a dog who helps them in the evenings.  For some, this was surprising - that dogs can be more like people and be so helpful.  Students even met the dispatchers who would answer their call if they needed to call 911!  INQUIRE with your child what they enjoyed at the police station.

Thank You, Community Helpers!

4 winds

Royce and Melanie joined us this morning to teach our first 4 Winds lesson. Students strengthened their understanding of leaves and their function in the world.  Students focused on learning about different types of leaves and their differences, how leaves help a plant make food, and why leaves change color and some don't.  Students thought during the morning of how plants and animals work together while watching an AMAZING puppet show (complete with a spectacular song ;) observing, and then sorting leaves.  We finished the lesson by using our creative skills and made animal pictures out of leaves!  Thanks Melanie and Royce. We look forward to next month learning about conifers!  

Sharing

In Kindergarten, a daily occurrence during morning meeting was for children to share special things from home, talk about them, and answer questions from their friends.  This year, we focus on just news, sharing about these special things, or events from our lives that we are excited about. We continue to do this during morning meeting, but without the actual item.  There are times, when children are super excited to share items with their friends - special projects, postcards, photos, etc. I invite these children to do less formal shares - either at snack or during their choice time and take this time to share these items with their friends and use them to engage in conversation with their friends!

Where in the World Project

 Where in the World?

Optional Independent Project

Thank you for supporting your first grader’s interest learning through independent projects this school year. We will continue to explore the concept of place through our social studies unit about community. We have been to walking to different places in our community and students are making connections and learning about point of view. We are beginning to identify important landmarks, and key features of our school community and our downtown community. Students are mapping their local world!

Our new independent project will give your child an opportunity to think about maps, and the places they’ve visited, or wish to visit someday. This project is also optional and can be done as a family or individual.

Here’s what we would like to have included in the final project. Your child can present it any way they choose. We would like to see students demonstrate the following components:

1. Choose any place you have been, or wish to visit, that can be found on a map (Montpelier, Hubbard Park, Montreal, your house/backyard, office building or structure, waterway, vacation destination, etc.)

2. Get a map of the location or make a map of the location  (print from the internet, Chamber of Commerce, photos, etc.)

3. Label the place or places on the map, include landmarks.

4. Include why you visited, who you saw or what you did, and some interesting facts about the place (photos, drawings, labels, fact bullets or charts)

5. Recall, then retell the visit with your family so you can share your story with the classmates

6. Have fun!

If you have any questions about this project, please send us an e-mail! Enjoy learning with your child.

The First Grade Team

*Projects are due by Tuesday, December 1st , but if finished sooner, please send it in.              

Mapping

As we continue to explore our school and larger community of Montpelier, students are thinking about their place in the world - what they do to contribute, as to where this place is. This weeks ECO focus was about mapping and exploring where Harrison Forest/Field are in location to our school.  Our group traveled up the back side of the forest, passing Heaton Woods nursing home, and scaling the ridge line. Along the way, students got a birds eye view of Montpelier, and stopped for to sing the Vermont Song, as we looked out towards the golden dome! While in the forest, students sat from above, making maps of the forest, as well as mapping their sit spot location. A fun game of "Owl's Eye" was played - a camouflage outdoor version of hide and seek. Can you believe in 10 seconds, 40 first graders can camouflage themselves in the woods, and not be spotted from a stationary spot in the forest meeting area!  Thanks to our volunteer grandpa for lending us a helping hand on this trip!

Guest Reader

There were some families who were interested in coming into the classroom to be guest reader again this year. They enjoyed sharing their love of reading with their child's class in Kindergarten and want to do it again! I'd love to offer this again, if you want to. I think that Friday's would work best - so let me know what date works best for you. It would be directly after morning meeting, but we'd also have you join us for morning meeting/arrival with your child at 8:15.  We would go no later than 9:00. Is there a Friday that works best for you? Maybe a different day works better for your schedule?? Just let me know, and we can accommodate your schedule to get you into our classroom for guest reader.

Do you have another interest/talen/special project you'd like to integrate into our day? I'd love to have you join us to share.  Let me know what works best in your schedule!

PE NEWS

We have had an exciting October, filled with activities that your children have loved. We just completed a successful second unit of Soccer and Parachute. Throughout the past four weeks the upper grades (2-4) learned and practiced Soccer skills such as: passing, dribbling/controlling, shooting, and team strategy. The learning objectives helped to improve their psychomotor skills, social skills, and cognitive domain (working together and learning to understand the basic rules of the game).

The lower grades (K-1) were introduced to one of the most loved activities in Physical Education, the parachute. The unit focused on cooperation and team building activities. The students were introduced to a variety of games that allowed them to think creatively, and to improve their cardiovascular and muscle endurance. They also continued to work on listening, following directions, using the parachute safely, and showing respect. One of the most enjoyed activities during this unit was the “turtle” where the parachute becomes a giant turtle shell with everyone underneath it on their hands and knees. As a class, everyone must cooperate and work together to get the turtle to move around the gym floor.

We had a great month of continuing to get to know each of our students, and we look forward to having another successful unit.

This month all students will be learning various forms of dance, such as creative and modern dance. Our learning objectives include:

• Incorporating rhythm and fitness into dance activities.
• Incorporating locomotor/non-locomotor skills in response to teacher-led creative dance.
• Perform teacher-selected, developmentally appropriate dance steps and movement patterns, with correct response to simple rhythms.

The students will begin the unit learning a variety of dances as a full class. The upper grades will then transition to working in small groups on their own dance routine. It will be exciting to see each group’s creativity show through when they are developing their dance routines. Each group will then perform for their classmates and classroom teachers on the last day of the unit. We look forward to seeing what they come up with. This is a time for students’ creativity and personalities to come out!

65 in November - YES PLEASE!

What a BEAUTIFUL day to get outside to plant our tulip bulbs.  While planting, students made observations, predictions and questioned what would happen over the course of the changing seasons.  INQUIRE with your child what they are wondering? What observations did they make today  - what did the garden look like? 

Reading Groups

Students meet in small guided reading groups to work on skills at their just right level during our reader's workshop block.  From word attack strategies, phonics, fluency, and to comprehension strategies, the range of skills is broad. INQUIRE with your child what books they've been reading. What goals are they working on to become a better reader?  Below, students use toobaloos to increase reading fluency! 

Namaste!

Bi-monthly yoga sessions with Chrissy from Grateful Yoga have been continuing.  INQUIRE with your child what pose is their favorite. Can they tell you how it makes them feel.  Also, INQUIRE with your child how they can breathe in different ways. Can they sing you our good morning and goodbye song the YOGA way?!