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Monday, June 14
Newsletter 06-11-10
by
Laura Smith
on Mon 14 Jun 2010 08:17 AM PDT
Newsletter 06-11-10
Calendar
Tuesday, June 15 Sixth Grade Graduation 6:30 pm
Wednesday, June 16 Last day of school for students, dismissal at 11:50am All students will be going home on one bus.
The Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
We had a special All School meeting and a special visitor at school on Tuesday – Adam Perkins is home on leave from Iraq. He wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to the boxes sent to him on his army base in Iraq. He presented the student council with a US flag that was flown on his base in Iraq.
Don’t forget to sign your child up for the Jumpstart to Learning if you haven’t already done so. A sheet with corrections on the costs went home to all students on Wednesday. This is a great extra learning opportunity for students who need some additional support and those who wish to excel. There are also openings for the artist in residence taking place the week of the 21st. Remember there are scholarships available. We don’t want any child left out due to costs. Contact me if you want more information.
We had our final All School Meeting of the year yesterday. We used it to celebrate student successes of ROARS this year. If you have walked through the halls the last few weeks, you may have noticed all of the stars outside the library. Each section of stars represents a classroom. These stars are symbols of the successes students have had by “going above and beyond” to be good examples of ROARS. Over the last few weeks the goal was for each student to receive a star for each one of the attributes of ROARS – r – responsible, o – own-it, a – achieve, r- respect and s – safety. Each classroom had a different way of acknowledging this. In all classrooms, conversations took place between the child and teacher in order to get a star when the student shared their ROARS behavior. In grades one through six students also shared their ROARS through writing.
Additionally, the students in Mrs. Bills’ class worked in groups and developed skits around ROARS behaviors. Mrs. PJ’s class also linked ROARS to poetry. Below are several examples of cinquains that were written by students;
ROARS
Own-it safety
Using kind words
I really love ROARS
ROARSBORO
By Arin
Achieve
Work done
Above and beyond
Always should do it!
AWESOME
By Ayden
Really nice to people
Owning your own business
Always getting your work done
Really helping people out
Sitting criss-cross
By Curtis
ROARS
Reading quietly
Oh no, I did not mean it
Always doing your homework
Really listening to the teacher
Safely playing
By Cobe
Don’t forget to look for our community news in the July edition of the Bucketville News. HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY SUMMER!
Saying Good-Bye
Saying good-bye is never easy, especially when it is someone who has been an important part of our lives. We’ll soon be saying good-bye to a para, a teacher, colleague and friend - Gwenn Melis. Gwenn has been a valued employee of the Wardsboro Central School for the last 16 years. She has served as a paraprofessional in various rooms during her time here. In the three years I have been here I have witnessed her dedication to her job and her caring towards others. She will be greatly missed.
School districts, like families, are in the position of needing to find ways to conserve. As a result of budget discussions during board meetings last fall and winter, the Board of Directors approved a budget designed to balance school and taxpayer needs. An overview of the budget was presented to voters, discussed and voted on March 2nd at the annual school budget meeting. Along with other cuts, this budget included a reduction of one paraprofessional. As principal, I work closely with the board to develop the school budget. As a former elementary teacher, I know how valuable a “good” para is. In this school we have been blessed to have four great paras so the decision of which para to cut was not easy. It involved discussions with many people, including the paras, to consider all options. In the end, Gwenn, was the para to be let go. This is by no means a reflection on her work here but a result of the simple fact there is only money in the budget for three paras next year .
Abe Lincoln once said, “Whatever you are, be a good one” and Gwenn has been that. On behalf of all those students and teachers she has served over the last sixteen years, WE THANK HER!
Rosemary FitzSimons
Summer Book Making Class
Students and parents! There is still time to sign up for the June 21 – 25 summer bookmaking class at Wardsboro Elementary. Local artist Betsy Stacey will be guiding students from start to finish through the steps of bookmaking. From writing to photography to art, this class is a fun way to kick off the summer! Sign up forms are available from the office at Wardsboro Elementary School. Sign up now before the class fills!
-Charlie Cummings
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Families,
Thank you to all of the families who contributed items to our pasta salad. It was delicious. Also, it was nice to see so many families at our picnic on Friday, thank you all for joining us.
This was our last week of literacy centers in the classroom, we played fish BINGO, wrote about our trip to the beach and used Geoboards at the fine motor center. We also reviewed all of our Letterland characters and their sounds.
The Pre K class participated in their first Four Winds class on Wednesday morning. They saw a puppet show, went outside to listen for bird calls and played a bird song game. The Four Winds program is a wonderful enrichment program for our school, and is in need of volunteers for next school year. Thank you to Jennifer Finaldi and Jill Dean for a great class.
This is the final newsletter of the year. End of year report cards will go home on the last day of school, June 16th.
A letter will go out in August to incoming kindergarten students about next school year. Be on the lookout for it.
It has been a wonderful school year. I have truly enjoyed your children and will sincerely miss them all. I hope you all enjoy your summer and hope to see you around town. It is sure to be a busy summer for me, as my family will be building a house in hopes to be in early this fall.
First and Second Grade
Well, the first and second graders had a wonderful time on our field trip to the beach. I was very excited to share where I grew up with my students. We all enjoyed climbing on the rocks, looking through tide pools, and exploring the sandbars, and of course SWIMMING!
Now that we are back at school I am continuing my end of year literacy and math assessments. I will include this information in student’s report cards.
During word work first graders worked on sorting and identifying words that end the same. Also, first graders began looking for words that go together because of what they mean. For example, socks and shirt go together because they are something you wear. Second graders continued to explore suffixes. This week we worked on adding –er to a base word to make a word that tells what someone does. For example, a person that swims is a swimmer. We explored different clues we use to help us with the different spelling changes when adding –er.
Students have continued to work on their sea creature reports during our writer’s workshop.
For our Math workshop the first and second graders have wrapped up their exploration of money. We will be completing the end of the year assessment covering everything we have done in math this school year.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Dear Third and Fourth Graders and Families,
Thank you very much for the great year! I have enjoyed working with this great group of Third and Fourth Graders. I wish the fourth graders luck and a great year next year with Mrs. Shakespeare, and I look forward to working with the third graders again next year!
The class has continued to work hard in all subjects, and they have been very cooperative and helpful while I do individual student assessments.
This summer I hope that everyone does plenty of reading, and other activities to keep their brains working. Just like our muscles our brains need exercise to stay strong. I will try to put together a sheet of ideas of ways to exercise their brains this summer and send it home next week.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Melis for all of her help and hard work in my classroom and the school! She will be greatly missed next year and I would like to wish her luck in whatever she decides to do!
Please have a happy, safe and fun summer break so that you are all ready to return to school in the fall and work very hard!
Fifth and Sixth Grade
This last full week of school has been a productive one! Students in six different groups completed news presentations in front of their classmates. News presenters were dressed professionally and did a great job of conveying the seriousness of delivering the news. They also did a great job of creating commercial breaks for each news station’s presentation! All of the presentations were taped in front of a live audience. It is expected that students will be able to view the news presentations next week.
Our class was quite moved when Kristen’s and Chris’s brother Adam visited the school to present the American flag to the school. Students appreciated the opportunity to ask him about the important work he does.
Sixth Grade Parent Alert! If you are planning on having your child attend another school other than Leland and Gray for the seventh grade, please notify Mrs. Smith as soon as possible! She needs to make sure that each student’s record gets sent to the correct place!
Reminder: Graduation ceremony starts at 6:30 on June 15th in the multi-purpose room. Sixth graders should arrive at 6:15.
Monday, June 7
Newsletter 06/04/08
by
Laura Smith
on Mon 07 Jun 2010 10:26 AM EDT
Newsletter 06-04-10
From the Principal’s Desk
Don’t count the days, make the days count! I shared this message that was on my daily calendar with the students at All School Meeting on Thursday. It is an important thought for this time of year. We get towards the end of school and everyone is thinking about summer vacation. There is lots of great learning that takes place in June – so parents, remind your children to make the days count!
Amy Dix was also at our All School Meeting yesterday to share information regarding the great summer reading program sponsored by the library. Take advantage of this for your children. We have nine children who were successful reading, recording and returning records to school. These nine students – Ashley, Trevor, Kayla, Arin, Kaylah, Danielle, Siyanda, Michael and Matthew consistently sent in their forms. They will be joining me for a special adventure in Manchester next Tuesday (6/11). Kids and parents - be looking for the permission form for this. I tried to work around ball games – hope I was successful!
All students received the registration forms for the Jumpstart to Learning that takes place in August. This year the program will be integrated with the 2009 Winnie Belle Learned Grant that Jill Dean wrote and received for us. Students will explore Wardsboro history in a creative way. The primary students will also practice their language and math skills with a local history focus. It is sure to be fun for both groups of students.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE CLASS THAT IS TAKING PLACE THE WEEK AFTER SCHOOL GETS OUT CALL SCHOOL, IF YOU HAVE LOST THE INFORMATION.
Next week is our last newsletter of the year. This time of year we usually send home a community newsletter. This year we will make this part of the Bucketville News for July.
It is hard to believe we are in the second decade of the 21st century. In education we often hear of 21st century skills that students will need to be successful. We know they will need to be problem solvers. We also know that technology will be a part of all they do. To help support technology integration, Matt Martyn, Director of Technology for the WCSU, wrote and received a grant to update technology in our schools. In Wardsboro each classroom, the instructional support room and the library will have new equipment to improve teaching and learning. This will be installed this summer.
WCS will be a busy place this summer as we provide learning opportunities to start and end the summer, have two classrooms and the exterior of the school painted, along with the usual maintenance that takes place each summer. We are hoping that the attic insulation is also completed over the summer but need to wait for the final ok to begin this work.
Have a safe and happy weekend!
Bus News
The road construction in Townshend may cause delays in our morning and afternoon bus runs. If the bus is a bit later than usual please wait and it will be along shortly. This can be expected through the end of the school year.
Girl Scouts
Daisy Girl Scouts will meet immediately after school at 3 pm on Monday the 7th for our trip to Molly Stark State Park. Pick up will be at 6 pm at the Town Hall. Please dress appropriately for being outdoors and in the woods. Sturdy shoes are a must and please bring a snack and drink.
Softball/Baseball
Upcoming Games
T-Ball - 4:00 pm on 6/5 at Jamaica
Baseball (grades 1-3) - 6:00 PM on 6/10 at home & 6/17 at home
Baseball (grades 4-6) - 6:00 PM on 6/4 at Dummerston & 6/7 at Grafton
Girls Softball - 6:00 PM on 6/4 at Vernon Rec Area & 6/9 at home
Summer program for Preschool aged children
The Windham Central Supervisory Union’s Essential Early Education Program will be offering a summer camp program during the month of July. The program will be held at the Dover School in the Pre K room four mornings a week. This will be a structured program with activities appropriate for preschool-aged children. Enrichment activities and outdoor play will be part of this exciting social summer experience.
Please contact Claire Nelson, Essential Early Education Coordinator at 365-9591 or email, cnelson@wcsu46.org for information and an application for the camp. Space is limited.
2nd Annual Bottle Drive
Proceeds benefit the Wardsboro School Club
This year all proceeds raised will be used to improve the outside areas at the Wardsboro Elementary School…soccer / baseball field, picnic tables and benches, etc.
This is an ongoing event beginning Saturday; May 22nd running through Sunday; June 13th. You can drop your returnable bottles and cans off at the ‘old town shed’ in Wardsboro (if you are heading to the dump; you will see the trailer and signs on your left hand side).
If you have bottles / cans that you wish to donate, but can’t get them to the drop off location; please contact Melissa Bush 896-6876; Scott or Viv Francy 896-9701 or Carrie Hart 896-6811 to schedule pick up.
As always, thank you for your support!
Summer Book Making Class
Students and parents! There is still time to sign up for the June 21 – 25 summer bookmaking class at Wardsboro Elementary. Local artist Betsy Stacey will be guiding students from start to finish through the steps of bookmaking. From writing to photography to art, this class is a fun way to kick off the summer! Sign up forms are available from the office at Wardsboro Elementary School. Sign up now before the class fills!
-Charlie Cummings
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Parents,
With such a quick week, I have only a short update on things that have been happening in the classroom this week. Our ocean theme has been creating a lot of enthusiasm in the classroom. We have learned a bunch of new songs and poems including Five Little Fishies, A Sailor Went to Sea, and Going over the Sea. See if your child is able to sing any of them to you. At the art center we have made Rainbow Fish, jellyfish, seahorses and sea stars. From Letterland, we have learned about what happens when Peter Puppy and Harry Hatman join together in words like phone and photograph. It is a “funny” story.
Next Friday, our school will be celebrating the end of the school year with a Field Day and Picnic. Pre K students are invited to stay for the picnic, with an accompanying adult. All families are welcome to attend. Our class will be contributing an item for the picnic. I will send home more information on this to follow.
The kindergartners, first and second graders had a terrific field trip to the beach. A huge thank you goes out to all of the parents who volunteered to drive. We could not have done this without your help. Thank you also to Ms. Kjellberg for substituting for the class while kindergartners and I went on our field trip. I felt good about leaving everyone in such good hands.
The kindergartners continued working with Data, Tables and Graphs. This seems to be mostly a review for us. However, it is a great unit to end the school year with.
Are there any Pre K families who would like ideas for activities to do during the summer months? I am considering putting together a packet of summer activities. If you are interested, just write me a note to let me know.
Next week we will be wrapping things up with end of year activities. Next week will also be the final newsletter of the year. It’s hard to believe the year is almost over. Have a great weekend and hope to see you at The Fishing Derby on Sunday.
Fifth and Sixth Grade News
This past week has been a busy one. As part of our final current events study, students have been preparing for their news presentation projects. Students were divided randomly in groups of four and were given requirements and criteria for completing a news presentation of four types of news: international, national, state/regional, and local. Students will follow a television news presentation format and will be delivering summaries of 8 articles, (2 per student). News programs will also include 2 commercial break!
On June 3rd the sixth grade students visited Leland and Gray for Movin’ On Up Day. Students were actively involved in team building activities and ice breakers. They had the opportunity to get to know students who will join them in seventh grade from around the Windham Central Supervisory Union. They completed grade 6-7 surveys, and also learned about the HEY program, (Help Empower Youth). Students got to see a dance and a music performance, as well. Students were invited to sign up for future band and chorus!
Fifth Grade Parents: Be on the look-out next week for information regarding summer suggestions for keeping skills sharp. Sixth grade students may also receive a copy if requested by parents. (Just send in a note!)
Have a great weekend!
5/6 Grade Class Picnic
Reminder Saturday June 12th is the 5/6 Grade end of year picnic. If you have not already done so please RSVP to Linda @ 896-6479 ASAP. Please feel free to call with any questions. We hope to see everyone there!
It’s time to order your yearbook
If you would like to order your 2009-2010 yearbook, please return the order form below. Cost of this year’s yearbook will be $12. All orders are due by June 7th in order to insure delivery by the end of school.
Order Form
Name of Student: ___________________________________________________
Please enclose check for $12 made out to Wardsboro Elementary School
Orders due by June 7th
Monday, May 24
Newsletter 05-21-10
by
Laura Smith
on Mon 24 May 2010 07:42 AM PDT
Calendar
Friday, May 28 Annual Memorial Day Observance & Early Release day
Monday, May 31 Memorial Day, No school
Tuesday, June 15 Sixth Grade graduation
Wednesday, June 16 Last day of school for students
Girl Scouts
Daisy Girl Scouts will meet at 11 a.m. on Sunday at the Town Hall for our "Land of Fairy Magic" field trip in North Hartland, VT. Please remember to dress appropriately for being outside and getting dirty! Comfy shoes are a must and don't forget your lunch and a non breakable water bottle. Our regular meeting will be held on Monday, at 4 p.m. at the Town Hall. We will be going outside, weather permitting.
Softball
A fundraiser for the Girl's Softball Team
Sat May 29 11:00 AM CAR WASH at the Wardsboro Elementary School parking lot
Baseball Games
T-Ball @ 4:00 pm on 5/22 @ home
Baseball (grades 1-3) @ 6:00 PM – 5/25 @ home
Baseball (grades 4-6) @ 6:00 PM – 5/24 @ home & 5/28 @ home
Girls Softball @ 6:00 PM – 5/21 @ Jamaica & 5/26 @ home
Connections News
Hello Parents!
In addition to our August summer program, this year we are offering a 1 week bookmaking class right after school ends. This fun, art oriented camp will teach children the art of bookmaking, with time spent writing and creating art as well. Designed to be fun and creative, this camp is a great way to start the summer! Artist Betsy Stacey will be our host and teach us this fun and creative activity. For more information and to signup, grab a signup sheet from the office at Wardsboro Elementary!
Charlie Cummings
Summer Camp Information
If you are interested in summer activities for your children we have lots of information available. Watch for fliers coming home with your child and our weekly newsletters for other information. Check in the office if you would like more information on any of the following activities:
· WCSU Summer Explorer’s Camp, 4 weekly sessions beginning July 12
· Artist in Residence at Wardsboro Elementary School, June 21 – 25 – Sign up form in last week’s newsletter
· Jumpstart to Learning at Wardsboro Elementary School, August 9 – 20
· Fiber Fun Camp at Maybelle Farm in Wardsboro – see flier with today’s newsletter
· Deerfield Valley Basketball Camp
· Soccer Camps
o Leland & Gray Soccer Camp - see flier with today’s newsletter
o Deerfield Valley Soccer Camp
o British Soccer Camp in Whitingham
· Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center Nature Explorers Camp
· Green mountain Camp for Girls
· Camp Waubanong
· The Grammar School Summer Camp in Putney
· Leland & Gray Summer Performing Arts Program – see info in today’s newsletter
· New England Youth Theatre
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Families,
This week we learned about the “ch” sound. See if your child is able to tell you the story about Clever Cat being allergic to Harry Hatman’s hairy hat, and any time you see them together in words, they will make the “ch” sound, as in the word “cheese”. We had fun naming words that begin and end with these two letters.
Students have been very interested in our new ocean theme. We have been reading about sea animals, learning new songs and making sea creatures at the art center. We hope to transform our classroom into an underwater world.
We had a great turn out for this year’s Teddy Bear Tea. It was great to meet some new families. Pre K students met some of next year’s incoming Pre K students and enjoyed the story, snack and craft.
Next Friday, our school will participate in our annual Memorial Day Program. Students will ride the bus to Fairview Cemetery where our program will begin and then walk back to school via Main Street, stopping at the bridge and The Town Hall. Families are welcome to join us. Look for more information on this in this week’s newsletter. This is also a half day of school.
This week in the afternoon hours, kindergarten students completed the MAP assessment. Therefore there was no reading homework assigned for the week. I am very proud of how hard all of the students worked. Next week we will begin our last unit of the year, which is Graphing, Data, and Probability.
Thank you to those families who filled out the Pre K Program survey. There are still some families who have not yet returned theirs. They are due by May 28th.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs. Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
We all had a great week. We have begun our final theme for the school year; the ocean.
During word work first graders continued working on recognizing short and long vowel sounds in words. Our focus was on the different sounds of o and u. Second graders explored words with suffixes, and how it changes the meaning of words, like tall, taller, and tallest.
First and second graders have chosen a sea creature to write their final report about. Our focus is on what special features help their creature survive in the ocean. Each student will be researching at school AND AT HOME. Any info about their sea creature should be in by Monday May 23rd. Please help your child fill in the tree map with any information that they find about unique features their creature has to help it survive in its environment. We will be filling in a tree map at school with the research we do. My goal is for students to be writing their first draft next week.
For our Math workshop the first and second graders have begun their exploration of money. This week we have been counting collections of coins to find its value, demonstrating multiple ways to show the same amount of money. Next week we will be learning to make change. The grade expectation for first graders is to count coins to $1.00 and second graders should count coins to $2.00 and make change from a dollar.
Parents please write a note to me about one survival feature your child’s sea creature has. When I receive the note I will EITHER give them a NO homework pass or, as requested by some students, an EXTRA homework pass.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
Thank you to the fourth graders who have worked very hard on the first two sessions of the NECAP Science testing. We will wrap these up on Monday with the final testing session! I’m proud of the effort they are putting into these tests. I would also like to thank the third graders for working hard on their writing responses to nonfiction text with Mrs. Melis and Mrs. Sebastian. We have also wrapped up our MAPS assessments.
The last few weeks will be very busy with finishing up activities. In math next week we will be working on division, problem solving and some probability activities. The following week we will be working on geometry. I am looking forward to many fun math activities.
We will be finishing up our responses to nonfiction text then moving on to writing our narratives. We have also been doing a lot of work with reading nonfiction for understanding.
In science we have been working on many hands on activities and practicing making predictions, observations, and writing about what we learned from our experiments.
Please remind your children to continue to stay focused and to practice ROARS behaviors for the remainder of the school year so we can have an enjoyable end to the year!
Enjoy your weekend! Hopefully this beautiful weather will continue for the weekend! Keep reading and getting plenty of rest.
Mrs. Bills
Fifth & Sixth Grade
Fifth and sixth grade students have been getting ready for MAPs testing which will take place next week. MAPs stands for Measures of Academic Progress. This district-wide test assesses students’ progress in the areas of math, reading, and language usage skills. Students practice by working with test preparation materials that review skills they have learned this year and help to remind them of the format used in standardized tests. Parents: Please help your children to do their best by seeing that they eat a good breakfast and a get a good night’s sleep for test days: May 24, 25, 26, and 27.
Students have also finished the last of their math portfolio problems which are required for fifth and sixth grade. The four Vermont Grade Expectations assessed were: 7.6: Arithmetic, Number, and Operation Concepts; 7.7: Geometry and Measurement Concepts; 7.8: Functions and Algebra Concepts; and 7.9: Data, Statistics, and Probability Concepts.
Guided Reading Groups presented character webs and story charts to the class on Friday. Books shared were:
· The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau
· Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
· Henry and Ribsy, by Beverly Cleary
· The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden
· Rascal, by Sterling North
· Crocodilians, by Anne Gordon (Book Poster Project)
Move-Up Day for 6th grade students to visit Leland and Gray will be on June 3rd. The students will go as a group, and I will be accompanying them. More details will be forthcoming!
Also, Dineen Bills will be coordinating a brief reception for the 6th graders and their parents for after the graduation on June 15th. Parents of fifth grade students, please contact her if you are able to help provide refreshments, etc. Dineen Bills: 896-9432 (home) 688-6386 (cell)
Yearbook information for sixth grade students was due to Mrs. Smith on Friday, May 21.
Wardsboro Elementary School
Memorial Day Observance
May 28, 2010
Families and members of the community are welcome to join us for this program.
8:45 Students get on the bus at school and leave for Fairview Cemetery
Fairview Cemetery
Students will be given flags at flagpole
Poem by PreK&K
Pledge of Allegiance
Presentation by classes – 5th & 6th grades and 3rd & 4th grades
Sing: God Bless America
America the Beautiful
Taps by Alan Bills
Children may put flowers on graves
Walk (or ride the bus depending on weather) from Fairview Cemetery to the bridge
At the bridge, drop wreath into the brook and sing My Country Tis of Thee
Walk (or ride the bus depending on weather) from the bridge to the Monument
next to the Town Hall
At the Monument, class presentations - 1st & 2nd grades and sing Grand Old Flag
Walk (or ride the bus depending on weather) from the monument back to school.
Friday, May 14
Newsletter 05-14-10
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 14 May 2010 11:07 AM PDT
Newsletter 05-14-10
Calendar
Tuesday, May 18 Teddy Bear Tea 10:00am for children ages 0 -5 and their parents
Friday, May 28 Early Release day
Monday, May 31 Memorial Day, No school
Tuesday, June 15 Sixth Grade graduation
Girl Scouts
Daisy Girl Scouts will meet at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday at the Town Hall for our field trip to Stonewall Farm in Keene, NH. Please remember to dress appropriately for being outside and getting dirty! Closed toe shoes are a must and don't forget your lunch (no glass please). Our regular meeting will be held on Monday, at 4 p.m. at the Town Hall. We will be going outside, weather permitting.
Softball
A fundraiser for the Girl's Softball Team
Sat May 29 11:00 AM CAR WASH at the Wardsboro Elementary School parking lot
The Principal’s Desk
Students who are reading, keep it up and don’t forget to send in your forms! We are half way to our surprise adventure. We have a special week long artist in residence program through our Connections program right after school gets out. Check out the flyer on this.
It was an exciting day at school yesterday. The School Club arranged for a visit from the Boston Aquarium. Two great aquarium teachers visited us with a variety of ocean creatures. They held three separate workshops so students could be engaged in the lesson and hands on activities. Ask your child/ren which ocean animals they got to hold or touch. Before our ocean teachers left they made a point of sharing with Mrs. Smith how impressed they were with the students – kindness towards each other, respect-fulness, their caring towards the animals, etc. Congratulations to our students for showing them the best ROARS we have to offer! If you are in school, check out the learning that took place on our bulletin board. Each child wrote about their experience. Here are a few things that were learned:
-I learned about the three different habitats. One of them has a sandy beach. It is hard to live there because people always go to the beach. Another habitat is the rocky shore. It is hard to live there because when the tide comes in and you are near a loose rock, you could get squashed. Another habitat we learned about is the marsh. It is hard to live in because if you are heavy you could sink.
-Elizabeth
-I liked the spider crab because it was light.
-Curtis
-I learned that starfish live in rocky spaces. I liked the horseshoe crab.
-Deirdre
-I learned that the horseshoe crab was alive when the dinosaur lived.
-Siyanda
-I learned about the starfish and the rock crab. The rock crab lives in the rocky place. The starfish too lives in the rocky place. I saw the starfish, rock crab, hermit crab, snails and moon snail. That is what I learned about the animals.
-Kayla
-The horseshoe crab has sensors on it’s arms that allow it to taste it’s food since it can’t see what it is eating.
-Kaie
-I learned that the moon snail can drill into the clam shell and take out the clam and eat it. And the moon snail can grow to be very fat and tall and their shell is huge and their body is really slimy like moss on a rock in the river.
-Olivia
STOP IN AND CHECK OUT OUR BULLETIN BOARD WITH LOTS OF GREAT INFORMATION WE LEARNED!
Greetings Pre K and Kindergarten Students,
From Letterland, we began to learn what happens when two characters go into words together. This week we focused on the “sh” sound. We learned that because Harry Hatman hates loud noises and Sammy Snake is always hissing in his ear, anytime you see them together in words, they will make the “sh” sound. During our word work time we learned about how a sentence is a group of words. Each student then drew a picture about a classmate and a sentence to go with it. Everyone did a fantastic job.
Students enjoyed the visit from The New England Aquarium. Thank you to The School Club for providing this enrichment opportunity to the students at Wardsboro. It was great.
In your child’s home folder, you will find a Pre K survey. This is part of our Step Ahead Recognition System, in which our school has earned four stars. Please take the time to fill these out and send back to school by May 28th.
The kindergartners finished up their unit on measurement this week. Some of the activities this week included testing containers to see which had a bigger capacity, comparing the weight of objects on a balance to see which object was heavier and using a thermometer to measure the temperature. Our last unit of the year will be Data, Graphing and Probability.
Next week kindergarten students will begin end of the year assessments. Students will complete the MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress), a state-aligned computerized test that reflects the instructional level of each student and measures growth over time. Students will also be taking the DIBELS (an assessment that measures basic early literacy skills), the end of year Fountas and Pinnell assessment (for leveled reading accuracy, comprehension and fluency) as well as some benchmark problem solving pieces in math. I am very pleased with the overall progress and achievement of all of the students. They have been working very hard.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs. Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
Even though it has been a bit chilly outside, the first and second graders and I had a wonderful week! I would also like to thank the Parents Group for the awesome symbols of thoughtfulness during Teacher Appreciation Week last week. It was nice having parents acknowledge us.
During word work first graders worked on recognizing short and long vowel sounds in words. Second graders explored words with the oo spelling patterns and summarized other contractions using am, is, will, are, not, have, and had.
The second part of writer’s workshop we have continued to work on poetry. I hope all mothers enjoyed their Mother’s Day poetry books. The few mothers I heard from seemed to really like them. This week we learned a new poem called an acrostic poem. An example of an acrostic poem is;
Reaching down to pick up a paper towel
Oh, I made a mistake
Always working hard at math
Really helping out each other
Standing still in line
By The First and Second Graders
For our Math workshop the first and second graders have continued their exploration of geometry. This week we have been exploring how figures change or not when they slide, turn, and flip. Also, students worked on locating points on a grid. We played a fun game called Don’t Fall Over where we used a large grid on the floor and followed directions to place our hands or feet on grid points without falling. This game reminded us of Twister. We wrapped up our geometry unit this week.
Therefore, please write a note to me about what the title of the math game was that we played this week. Once I get this note, from the parent, I will give your child a NO homework pass. This week I received the most notes from parents yet, six. Thank you for reading and supporting our class.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
5-6 Newsletter
May 13,2010
This week has been a busy one. All students have completed final copies of the required writing portfolio pieces. These pieces will be scored using the Vermont Department of Education Portfolio Writing Rubrics.
Students have also worked on finishing final copies of required Math Portfolio Problems which will also be scored with the state rubrics. We should be completely finished by the end of next week! On May 28th, all teachers in the district bring math and writing portfolio pieces to grade level meetings for scoring validation.
We were fortunate to participate in the visit from the New England Aquarium Outreach Program. Students were excited to be able to touch and observe the saltwater creatures. Drawings and writings about what they learned were shared on Friday.
Just a reminder to 6th grade parents! Graduation night is June 15th. Some students still need to get their yearbook information into the office!
Fifth grade parents who are interested in helping with the graduation reception (which takes place right after the graduation ceremony) should contact Linda Hescock.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, May 7
Newsletter 05-07-10
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 07 May 2010 11:24 AM PDT
Newsletter 05-07-10
Calendar
Thursday, May 13 New England Aquarium program
Tuesday, May 18 Teddy Bear Tea 10:00am for children ages 0 -5 and their parents
Friday, May 28 Early Release day
Monday, May 31 Memorial Day, No school
Tuesday, June 15 Sixth Grade graduation
From the Principal’s Desk
THANK YOU to the School Club and all of the parents who contributed to Staff Appreciation Week! We appreciate all that was done including the cut flowers, the muffins, the luncheon, the donation to the WES Arts and Enrichment and the perennials for planting! It is a true pleasure to work in such a supportive school environment. Additionally, we have the Boston Aquarium arriving next Thursday for three shows – again thanks to the School Club.
It is hard to believe that we only have 5 ½ weeks of school left. Reflection is an important part of any learning process. As we finish up our year, it is time to reflect on individual accomplishments attained with the help of ROARS (responsible, own-it, achieve, respect, and safety). To highlight and celebrate successes, each child has been given a 5-pointed star. Over the next 5 weeks students are challenged to use their ROARS skills to excel in each of the five areas of ROARS. When each one does something they are REALLY proud of, he/she will conference with their teacher. If the teacher agrees that the action or work is a good example of ROARS, the child will receive a metallic star to add to their star. The goal is to get a star for each one of the ROARS attributes. Parents, be looking for the stars as you walk through the halls or in classrooms.
Some students accepted my reading challenge – keep it up! I know those who participate will love the reading finale. Today I gave out bookmarks to anyone who has turned in a reading log so ask your children if they got one. Congratulations to those who did! Don’t forget to get a new log from the last page of the newsletter. On a personal note, we have started reading to our grandchild. She already loves books – looking intently at the pictures as we read. When I compare this to observing my children as they grew, I seem to notice much more about everything she is learning so either I have forgotten or I’ve gained some wisdom over the years.
Happy family reading!
Softball
A fundraiser for the Girl's Softball Team
Sat May 29 11:00 AM CAR WASH at the Wardsboro Elementary School parking lot
Baseball
Baseball news – The schedules are out! If you haven’t received one, please let your coach know. If you want to come out and enjoy a game and support our teams, here’s next couple of weeks schedule:
Baseball (grades 4-6) @ 6:00 PM – 5/5 & 5/7
Girls Softball @ 6:00 PM – 5/10 & 5/14
Baseball (grades 1-3) @ 6:00 PM – 5/11
Also, if you have baseball/t-ball uniforms from past years PLEASE return them to school or your coach. We are running VERY short on uniforms, and they must be turned in each year. The hat is yours to keep; the shirts and pants belong to Little League. Thank you for checking the closets for these items.
Spring Concert
The Spring concert approaches and the Cadet, District and Jazz Band, as well as the Chorus, are preparing for their performance on Wednesday, May 12th at 7:00 pm. in the Leland and Gray gym. Students should wear black pants/ white shirts for the evening concert.
To better prepare, there is a staging rehearsal on Wednesday, May 12th beginning at 3. Each group will have thirty minutes of "stage" time. This is the following schedule:
3:00-3:30- Cadet Band
3:30-4:00- District Band
4:00-4:30- Chorus
4:30-5:00- Jazz Band
Please pick your child up promptly following the end of their rehearsal time. Car pooling among parents is encouraged!
If you have questions, please ask.
Michael McKinney
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Families,
Happy May. I am amazed at how quickly this school year has gone by. Yet, when I look at how much growth my students have made since September, I am very proud of all of them. This week we learned about The Vowel Men form Letterland. We discovered that they are the only Letterland characters that say their name in words. Ask your child if they can tell you more about them. We learned a new song to help us remember the names of the vowels. It is one of my favorites. During our center time, at ABC center children were able to practice listening for their sounds in words when they played Vowel BINGO.
During our word work time this week, our Pre K and Kindergartners worked with the song/poem Rain, Rain Go Away. Students looked for words that have the –ay ending, cut out the poem and drew a picture to go along with it. The Kindergartners learned about plural words this week and discovered that for most words, you can add an –s to a word when you mean more that one. They also learned that you can change the last letters of words to make new words. For example you can change the word cat to cap and hot to hop.
For theme, we have started a mini unit on physical science. We will specifically be investigating force and motion of objects. We have tested out different objects and how they roll down ramps. We also predicted how a group of different balls would bounce and which ball would bounce the highest. When we tested our predictions, many of us were surprised by the results. Next week, all students are looking forward to The New England Aquarium visit. They will be coming on Thursday and I am happy to report that our class time will be at 10:00 am, so that preschool students will be able to attend! We will then begin our last theme of the year which will be ocean life.
During math, kindergartners continued to work on measurement. This week we measured classroom furniture with yarn and compared the yarn to see which was the longest and shortest. We also measured objects with non-standard measuring tools such as crayons and unifix cubes. We also touched on capacity and tested out how much certain containers would hold.
Thank you to the School Club and parents who helped make teacher appreciation week special. I loved the flowers, muffins, lunch and other goodies. It is a great feeling to teach in a school where you are appreciated.
To all mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, have a wonderful Mothers Day!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
The first and second graders had a great week!
During our Reading Workshop students have begun new books. Please remember to have your child reread their book and return it the next day in their Book Bag.
During word work first graders worked on recognizing short and long a and e sounds in words. Second graders continued summarizing consonants that they know that make two sounds.
The second part of writer’s workshop we have continued to work on poetry. This week we learn a new poem called a shape poem. We are publishing the three types of poems we have learned so far in a book for our mothers. Once again, I am hoping that ALL families are reading this newsletter. Therefore, mothers please write a note to me about which poem you liked the best. Once I get this note, from the parent, I will give your child a NO homework pass.
For our Math workshop we learned a new math problem solving strategy called a tree chart. This helps us show our math thinking when we need to make combinations. Also, the first and second graders have continued their exploration of geometry. We have been exploring congruent shapes. Next, we will explore symmetry and how shapes look if we flip, turn or slide them.
Our science theme is Simple Machines. This week we discussed the purpose of machines; to make work easier. Scientists define work as having two elements; effort (pushing or pulling) and distance. We explored this by making butter. First, we shook a container with heavy cream in it. We shook it for 15 minutes before it became butter. The first and second graders then discussed what might make this work easier. Some students suggested a blender or a mixer. I of course brought a couple. It took 6 minutes to make butter with the mixer. The students and I then discussed why machines are so important to us. They make work effort less, but distance greater.
Thank you for your support. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
This week we have been very busy working on making predictions and then comparing our predictions to the results of experiments or activities. The students have been practicing collecting and using data to prove or disprove their predictions. These are all skills that are important in the scientific process, and they will be useful to the fourth graders when they take their Science NECAPs the week of May 17th to the 21st. I am very proud of the work the students have been doing on this science work.
The next couple of weeks we will be doing several end of the year assessments including the NECAPs, MAPS, Fountas and Pinnell benchmark reading assessments and Dibels fluency assessments.
In math we have continued working on computation skills with Mrs. Sebastian and problem solving with me.
In reading we have, been focusing on reading to gain meaning and understanding of nonfiction text including articles. We are getting ready to read and complete responses to nonfiction text next week.
Enjoy the spring weather, and remember to have kids come to school with a sweatshirt or other layer so they will be warm enough. Keep reading and getting plenty of rest.
Mrs. Bills
5th and 6th Grade
The Wardsboro Sixth Grade had a wonderful time at Camp Keewaydin. The director told us that we are the only spring/summer group in the history of the camp to ever have been caught in a snowstorm! In case you haven’t heard, we were hit with an all day blizzard. Temperatures reached 31 degrees Farenheit and we were pelted with freezing rain and 7 inches of snow. The whole group of students from four schools worked together as a community and shared dry socks and extra layers of dry and warm clothing. Wardsboro students were extremely well behaved. Parents and school community members can be very proud. At the end of the week a difficult math trivia question award was given out to the three students from the entire group of approximately 70, who had answered the question correctly. All three students were from Wardsboro Elementary School
From all reports, the Wardsboro Fifth Grade enjoyed a great trip to Montpelier last week. Again, reports came back that our students represented our school and community, well. Our substitute teacher, Ann Allbee, guided the students through the Vermont Historical Society Museum as well as the State House and other places of interest in the state capital.
Students have been working on a variety of projects as we work to bring this school year to a close. This week students wrote narratives and personal essays about their experiences on the two class trips. Thank you letters should be finished by next week. We will be working on finishing up math portfolio pieces during the next two weeks. Both fifth and sixth grade students are also continuing their study of fractions. We have also completed the reading of The Call of the Wild, by Jack London. Sixth grade students are writing about favorite elementary school memories to prepare for graduation, June 15th.
Have a great weekend!
Connections News
Session V of the Connections program finished its' first week. If you stop by the school, please glance at the raised beds in the front of the building; after only one hour, the Gardening group made noticeable progress. They carted away wheelbarrows full of dead stalks and weeds that were choking the healthy flowers. It looks better already! The After School Bloggers have also posted some news and pictures on their website, so be sure to check that out. A couple of students have expressed an interest in joining this group, but the class size is at its' limit and we will not be accepting any more bloggers.
In the Medal Winners Book Club, we read "A Tree is Nice," by Janice May Udry, and made our own bookmarks. We will also be ending each class with a brief story time, during which I'll read "My Father's Dragon." A Newberry Honor book, it is the fun and silly tale of a young boy who travels to "Wild Island" to rescue a baby dragon who has been forced to become the ferry service for the fierce beasts that live there. Two of our upcoming Caldecott Medal-winning books will be "Black and White" and "The Little Island."
Parents and other Significant Grownups, please send notes with your children anytime they will be taking the bus when they usually don't, or when you will be picking them up when they would otherwise take the bus. It will make dismissal from the Connections program smoother. If a child does not have a note that they are to be picked up, I will put them on the bus! I can't rely on word-of-mouth, no matter how responsible and charming your child is.
Enjoy your weekend! -Kerstin Kjellberg
Friday, April 30
Newsletter 4-30-10
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 30 Apr 2010 01:56 PM EDT
Wardsboro Update 4-30-10
Calendar
Saturday, May 1st GREEN UP DAY
Thursday, May 13 New England Aquarium program
Tuesday, May 18 Teddy Bear Tea 10:00am for children ages 0 -5 and their parents
Friday, May 28 Early Release day
Monday, May 31 Memorial Day, No school
Softball
A fundraiser for the Girl's Softball Team
Sat May 29 11:00 AM CAR WASH at the Wardsboro Elementary School parking lot
Baseball
Baseball news – The schedules are out! If you haven’t received one, please let your coach know. If you want to come out and enjoy a game and support our teams, here’s the next couple of weeks schedule:
Baseball (grades 4-6) @ 6:00 PM – 5/5 & 5/7
Girls Softball @ 6:00 PM – 5/10 & 5/14
Baseball (grades 1-3) @ 6:00 PM – 5/11
Also, if you have baseball/t-ball uniforms from past years PLEASE return them to school or your coach. We are running VERY short on uniforms, and they must be turned in each year. The hat is yours to keep; the shirts and pants belong to Little League. Thank you for checking the closets for these items.
Girl Scouts
Daisy Girl Scouts will meet at the Town Hall on Monday, May 3rd from 4-5:30 pm.
School Club
School Club Reminders – Calendar orders are due back – please return to school on Monday, May 3rd. May 3rd – 7th is Teacher/Staff Appreciation week, we will be celebrating our staff all week at school. Feel free to join us.
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
We quickly got back into the routine of school this week. I hope you take the time each week to read over the week’s activities in school. I always find the teacher overviews interesting. All classes participated in the fourth annual National Walk @ Lunch Day this week. It is meant as a good way to celebrate spring, take a break and have some healthy fun! Each participant received a blue knapsack and activity book. They will also be receiving certificates of achievement. Two years ago we received money from the Bears in the Valley Art Project. Both Ms. Lauterbach (art teacher/ librarian) and Ms. Becky (music teacher) have been investigating uses for this money. Ms Lauterbach recently ordered enrichment materials for art and Ms Becky was able to purchase a keyboard with these funds. This week it was used for the first time in all of the music classes. Our 6th graders were at the Keewaydin Environmental Camp this week. Mrs. Shakespeare, their teacher, called us on Wednesday to give us an update on her students’ progress. She reported they were having a great time in spite of the cold weather and the snow. She was impressed with their positive attitudes and willingness to help each other. Even the staff there had been commenting on how great our students are!
Don’t forget to look for the family reading log at the end of the newsletter. This should be filled out each week and returned to school. Those students who meet the goal are in for a special surprise treat! Also, if you didn’t have time to bake cookies or send candy for the latest student council project, there is still time – look for the article update in the newsletter. THANKS and have a great weekend!
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Parents,
We had a welcoming week back at school. Students seemed well rested and ready for learning. We were surprised to see the snow that came on Wednesday, as we painted spring flowers and butterflies on the windows inside our classroom. We continued learning about letters and their sounds. From Letterland, we met Zig Zag Zebra. We learned that she is shy and does not face the reading direction. She is also the fastest animal in Letterland, as she zooms around the Letterland Zoo. Next week we will be learning about the Vowel Men. During word work time Pre K and Kindergarten students learned about stretching words out to listen for all of their sounds. We learned some strategies like turtle talk, ghost talk and bubble gum talk and listened to the order of sounds in words. The kindergartners have been learning about word families. This week, we learned about the –ake word families and built several words in the –ake word family.
Measurement is our new unit in math. We worked with some new measurement vocabulary including longer, longest, shorter, and shortest. We also compared and ordered objects from shortest to longest and used non-standard units to measure classroom objects. Please find the family involvement activities in your child’s home folder.
On Wednesday students walked during our lunch time, as we celebrated National Walk at Lunch Day. This week on Thursday afternoon, the kindergartners joined Mrs. PJ’s class for Four Winds. The topic this month was song birds. Thanks again to our fantastic volunteers for an informative class. On Friday kindergartners took a trip to Leland and Gray to see The Journey East performance. Although I was unable to attend, I am sure it was a great experience.
Have a great weekend.
Mrs. Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
The first and second graders had a wonderful week! It sounded like many of them had a fun and relaxing week off. Thursday we participated in our Four Winds program that focused on songbirds. This Friday we traveled to Leland and Gray to watch the Journey East group from L & G perform. It was really great, and the students had fun!
During our Reading Workshop students have begun new books. Please remember to have your child reread their book and return it the next day in their Book Bag.
During word work first graders were exploring how changing the ending sound of a word can make another word they know. Later in the week they were noticing word parts that can help them read words. The second graders reviewed consonant diagraphs like th, sh, ch, and wh, and where we can find them in words. Next they explored letters that can make a hard or soft sound like g and c. Usually when a g or c comes before an e, i, or y it makes its soft sound. Ask your second graders to tell you the Letterland story of why the g and c sometimes makes a different sound.
The second part of writer’s workshop has been devoted to poetry. Before vacation we read and wrote couplet poems; poems with 2 lines that rhyme. Since returning from vacation we have read and wrote cinquain poems; a word count poem with 5 lines that doesn’t rhyme. Once again, I am hoping that ALL families are reading this newsletter. Therefore, please write a note to me about the two types of poems we have learned so far. Once I get this note, from the parent, I will give your child a NO homework pass.
For our Math workshop we continued working on the math problem solving strategy making an organized list. Students took important math information from the problem and created an organized list to help them solve the problem. Also, the first and second graders began their chapter on geometry. We have been exploring solid shapes throughout the unit. This week students looked at solid shapes. We discussed how solid shapes might have a face or faces, and like the plain shapes they may have vertices. Students sorted shapes by the number of faces or vertices. Students also used the overhead to give clues to the rest of us about what solid shape they were thinking of. Next, we went on a scavenger hunt looking for solid shapes that we can find around the classroom and school.
Our new theme is Simple Machines. We made a list of jobs that we do, and then discussed if these chores included force. Students were surprised to find out that all of their chores they do include force. According to scientists force is either pushing or pulling something. Even feeding a fish involves force. Also, we explored ways to make work easier.
Thank you for your support. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
We seem to have worked many of the bugs out of our new math schedule, and I think the kids are learning and enjoying math. I know I’m enjoying having the opportunity to work on problem solving with small groups of students.
In literacy we have begun really focusing on nonfiction text. This week we had some vocabulary words that were all some of the features we would find in nonfiction text like glossary, index, table of contents, italics, bold print and headings. We will have a vocabulary quiz on Friday. We have also begun individualized spelling lists. The students were given an assessment of sight words. Their lists for the week are words that they made errors on. For those students that made only a few or no errors their lists are words taken from the district spelling bee list. Since students have individualized lists I will no longer be posting their words on Spelling City.
We had to return our science kit to the learning collaborative in Dummerston, but we will be continuing our study of change over time in the environment and rocks and minerals. In social studies we worked on reading and presenting information from our reading to the class about rivers. We will continue with this study of geography, and focus on the Vermont geography. Soon students will be making salt relief maps of Vermont.
Enjoy your weekends, and please remember to get plenty of rest and take time to read!
Mrs. Bills
Sweets for Local Soldier
Thanks to those families who made or bought sweets over vacation to support a local soldier (home baked goods have been frozen). We are giving those families who might have been busy or just forgot another week to send in goodies for Adam Perkins, brother of Kristen and Christopher Perkins. He is in the army and stationed in Iraq for the second time. As a family project the student council would like each family to bake or buy and donate a dozen cookies or other kind of sweet. Chris and Kristen told us the soldiers love getting any kind of cookie. They also like toothbrushes. They said Adam especially loves chocolate chip cookies, brownies and blueberry muffins. The soldiers also love any kind of candy, lollipops or M&M’s. Please send anything your family makes or buys into school by next Friday. The student council will package them up and send them to Adam in Iraq. We know he will share them with the other soldiers there. We have helped others this year around the world. This is a chance to support someone from our community who is helping others. Thank you for your help!
WES Student Council
Greer, Elizabeth, Sarah and Chaston
West River Prevention Partnership
May 2010
Over the last couple of years the WRRVP has collected information from students in grades 5-8 on their awareness and involvement with alcohol. Now we need it from the adults to help us see where we can bridge the gap. Our latest project is to gather information from parents of students in grades 5-8 regarding what they think their children's level of awareness or involvement is when it comes to alcohol.
I am looking to each town to have a night of discussion with a group of 6-10 parents that have children in grades 5-8. We would like each evening to have a very relaxed and open environment that allows sharing of opinions. If you would like to host an evening you will receive a $25 stipend and just be asked to invite other parents. The night will have talking points and will finish with an optional survey.
If you would be interested in participating hosting a night or would feel more comfortable participating in a night held at your school please contact abby_hadden@hotmail.com or Abby at 365-7511. We are looking to have the evenings in the first 2 weeks of May.
Abby Hadden
Cadet Band Rehearsal
Cadet band will begin rehearsing for the Spring concert on Wednesday, April 7th at Townshend Elementary School. Rehearsal will go from 3:00-4:00 pm. Students will be ready for pick up at 4:00 pm. Please car pool if possible and promptly pick up your child at 4.
Rehearsal dates are:
May 5th and 12th.
The Spring Concert is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12th, at 7:00 pm, in the Leland and Gray High School gym. Students should wear dark pants/ white shirts for the concert.
Friday, April 9
Newsletter 04/09/10
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 09 Apr 2010 11:10 AM PDT
Calendar
April 19 – 23 Spring Break – No school
Daisy's will meet at the Wardsboro Town Hall on Monday, April 12th from 4-5:30 pm.
Baseball News…Sign up has been held for the 2010 baseball season, if you missed it but your child(ren) want to play, don’t worry – still plenty of room. You can get a sign up form at school, the cost is $25 per child to participate. Practices will begin next week. Children in grades 4-6 (Little League) will be coached by Jeremy Finaldi; grades 1-3 coach (Pee Wee) Mike Bush and Pre-K-Kindergarten (t-ball) will be coached by Greg Dykes.
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
Thank you to those parents who have taken the time to fill out our survey. So far we have received about 20 responses. We included the survey again this week for those families that weren’t able to fill one out yet. Thanks for taking the time to help us learn what we can do to better serve our families and students.
We have several initiatives in place to improve our facilities. Energy audits completed last year indicated that our energy costs are high (heating costs are the highest per square foot of any of the schools in the WCSU) so two steps have been taken to address this. Upgrades were recently made to our heating system to improve heating efficiency. We also wrote and were awarded an Energy Efficiency Comprehensive Block Grant for $61,000 to increase the insulation in our attic – having foam insulation blown in at the roof line. We will receive $50,000 from the American Recovery and Investment Act (ARRA) to support the project with the district responsible for the remainder. Both of these efforts should dramatically decrease our energy costs and reduce the icing problem on our roof. This summer we will have the exterior of our building painted. Also, two of our classrooms will be painted to begin a scheduled rotation for yearly interior painting.
Additionally, the School Club has purchased picnic tables and will be improving the fencing on our front ball field. You may have noticed that our flower beds are in need of attention. Jen Finaldi will be working with students in our Connections program during May and June to upgrade these. Funds from a garden grant will be used for the garden framing. If you are a gardener and would like to help, she would appreciate it.
Have a great weekend!
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Parents,
What a great week. Students have been pleased to enjoy outdoor recess time on the playground. I am happy to report that all of the snow on the playground has melted and students no longer need to bring their snow clothes, unless of course we get another storm.
Inside the classroom students have been busy practicing their early literacy skills during our literacy center time. This week students put letters in alphabetical order at the ABC center, practiced using scissors at the fine motor center and continued drawing and writing in their journals. During our word work time, students learned a new number poem and matched numerals with number words. From Letterland students were introduced to Fix It Max. Ask your child what his role in Letterland is. We also learned a new spring song about popcorn on a cherry tree. See if your child is able to sing it to you.
We are continuing to practice new skills during math time. Our current focus is money. Students have learned the names of coins, their value and are learning how to count money. This week we played a new money game and also worked with me on trading coins. I am very happy with everyone’s progress. Next week we will begin learning about telling time to the hour.
We had three special activities during the afternoon hours this week. Mrs. FitzSimons surprised us with a special activity on Wednesday for being the most responsible class about remembering our bowls on Hot Soup days. On Thursday afternoon, our music teacher, Becky Graber had a special story telling class. Friday afternoon brought the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. We certainly had our fill of the arts this week. What a great experience for all.
Hope you all have a fantastic weekend.
Mrs. Bates
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
It has been another very busy week. We have been working on our Change Science unit including building some models that will show change over time. Ask your child to describe what we have built, and then next week check in with them to see what the results of their experiments were. Thursday while I was at the Professional Learning Communities course the students worked in groups to complete an experiment about forces needed to move objects. Friday in class we discussed the results and answered questions about the experiment using the data in a similar format to the NECAP science questions. The fourth graders will be taking the science test in May.
We have had our first complete week of math centers. The first week we focused mainly on learning the routine, and reviewing our computation skills. The students seem to feel that this is a positive change to our schedule. I am looking forward to continuing this and working with Donna Sebastian on a daily basis.
During our literacy time we have been working hard to complete our Famous Vermonter reports, reading and discussing stories, then responding to them in writing. Students have been getting the opportunity to think about, discuss, and even disagree politely about different aspects of the story. Their written responses have been very well written.
Enjoy your weekend.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bills
April 7 Newsletter for 5-6
Earth science projects will be completed and ready for presentation next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Parents are welcome to stop in to see the fifth and sixth grade earth science projects. Students will know what their confirmed presentation dates are, by Friday, April 9th!
Students have also completed their political atlases and will be displaying those along with the physical geography atlases which were completed in the fall.
Please get forms and permission slips into the office for Camp Keewaydin! If you have questions about any items needed for camp, please feel free to contact me or let Laura know in the office. Parents should not have to go out and buy a lot of stuff for this camping experience. A form was sent home on Thursday with 6th grade students. Please add any items you would be willing to lend, to the list, and send it back to school on Friday or Monday.
If you have extra ponchos or rain gear to lend to campers, please let us know. Also, if you have an extra sleeping bag, to lend, that would be good to know. Hiking boots are great, but not necessary. If students have two pairs of sturdy sneakers, those will do. One pair of waterproof boots for your child would be great. Again, if anyone has items to lend, please let us know by Monday at the latest. I would like to be able to send out a list of items that are available to borrow, to parents on Tuesday. If you offer boots or rain gear, giving the size would be helpful.
Fifth grade students are gearing up for the week after vacation and their trip to Montpelier. Ann Allbee will be taking them to Montpelier on Friday, April 30th. We currently have enough drivers and chaperones for that trip. Permission slips will be going out to parents on Monday, April 12th!
Connections News
Our two science classes are going well. While Jeremy Schrauf's small group meets in the kitchen these days to cook up all sorts of interesting things like plastic, the VINS naturalist group continues their indoor study of birds. Tuesdays just seem to be the designated "Rain Day" of the Connections program!
Homework Club keeps a handful or our students busy working on writing and other academic pursuits. The Girls on the Run group really seems to be having fun and enjoying the chance to talk about topics important to them in a safe and supportive environment.
Mrs. PJ'S Theatre Group is working hard, and the end result of all that diligence can be seen next Friday at the Town Hall at 6:00. Mark your calendars for the performance of "The Emperor's New Clothes!"
Our next, and final, session, will begin the week of May 1st. Homework Club will be included again, and our hope is that we will also have some type of journalism class for the older students. Keep your eyes open for more detail about the last Connections program next week!
- Kerstin Kjellberg
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Join the cast and characters of the Wardsboro theater group
Friday, April16th at 6:00 – Wardsboro Town Hall
SPONSORED BY THE CONNECTIONS AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM
DONATIONS APPRECIATED TOWARDS FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
Cadet Band Rehearsal
Cadet band will begin rehearsing for the Spring concert on Wednesday, April 7th at Townshend Elementary School. Rehearsal will go from 3:00-4:00 pm. Students will be ready for pick up at 4:00 pm. Please car pool if possible and promptly pick up your child at 4.
Rehearsal dates are:
April 7th, 14th, 28th
May 5th and 12th.
The Spring Concert is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12th, at 7:00 pm, in the Leland and Gray High School gym. Students should wear dark pants/ white shirts for the concert.
Friday, April 2
Newsletter 04/02/10
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 02 Apr 2010 03:30 PM PDT
Calendar
Friday, April 2 Early Release Day, Professional Development
Tuesday, April 6 School Board Meeting 6:30pm
Friday, April 9 1:30pm Vermont Symphony Orchestra presents "FANFARE", A Brass Trio
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
So How Are We Doing? Two years ago we sent out a survey to get feedback from you on the quality of education we provide. 26 of the 51 families in the school at the time responded. The results of this survey may be reviewed on our school’s website – www.wardsboroschool.com. The following changes have taken place as a result of your input:
· One copy of the newsletter goes home to each family, instead of all students - saving paper. The newsletter is also posted online for any interested families.
· Need for afterschool opportunities - We were able to secure a 21st Century Learning Communities Grant. Connections provides afterschool and summer programming for interested students and families.
· Student behavior concerns - We sought out resources and have implemented Positive Behavior Supports, (ROARS) our schoolwide behavior system.
Your input does make a difference so please take a few minutes to fill out this year’s survey located at the end of this newsletter. It would be great to hear from all of you. Please have one of your children return the completed survey to the office by April 15th. THANK YOU!
Yesterday, April lst, was Census Day. Have you taken the time to fill yours out? This is our chance to stand up and be counted. This count will affect the services that communities will be able to provide.
In an effort to be a greener school we had a challenge in each of the classrooms while the School Club was supplementing lunches. Congratulations to the kindergarten class as they did the best job of remembering bowls and spoons! This cut down significantly on our waste. Hopefully, your child is in the habit of remembering silverware they might need with his/her lunch and will continue this. It is a real waste to use a plastic spoon once and then throw it away.
Have a wonderful weekend – enjoy the holiday and the weather.
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Families,
Students enjoyed a variety of new literacy centers this week. These included unscrambling letters in plastic eggs, stringing alphabet beads in ABC order and writing about their favorite spring activities in their journals. Our word work this week included making a class ABC book. Each student chose a letter of the alphabet and had to illustrate and label three things that begin with their letter. This came out fantastic. From Letterland this week we met Walter Walrus. We discovered how much he likes to tease other Letterland characters when they pop up in words together and gets them all wet. The other Letterland characters are not so thrilled about it.
Parents of kindergartners should have received the family involvement packet for our next math unit, which is Money and Time. We will be learning to identify coins, name their value, count coins as well as tell how many pennies equal one nickel or one dime. We will also be learning more about times of the day, the calendar and to tell time to the hour. Please use the family involvement packet for ideas on how to support your child’s learning at home.
Our earth science unit on rocks and weather has been going well. Students have enjoyed the hands on activities that came with our science kit. Students have been invited to collect rocks as a homework assignment to add to our rock collection for us to observe at school.
Just a reminder that school starts at 8:15. I understand that certain circumstances yield early/late arrivals. However, school begins at 8:15 and for preschool ends at 11:15.
Have a wonderful weekend with your family. I hope this weather pattern continues throughout the weekend.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
The first and second graders had a super week! Thursday we enjoyed our Four Winds program about galls. Ask your child about what they learned.
Our Reading Workshop was full of reading and writing about what we read. We are working on using a variety of reading strategies, comprehension, and fluency when reading. Fluency is reading smoothly, reading the punctuation, and reading with expression. Please practice this at home with your child. Have him or her reread a passage from a book fluently.
First grade word work explored words with spelling patterns –ate, -ake, & -ike. Also, they worked more with high frequency words. The second graders worked with words that have double consonants and double vowels. The student’s narrative stories are shaping up. Many of the children have moved on to publishing their stories, other are revising and editing their stories using a rubric that helps them check that their story includes all the traits of good writing.
For our Math workshop we have finished up our unit about fractions. We explored fractions of a whole like a pizza, and fractions of a group like cupcakes.
The first and second graders are now studying Dirt and Rocks. We have been exploring with the Kindergartners. This week we read Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and then wrote stories about what we would do if we found a magic pebble. Thank you to the families who sent in the collections of rocks. We have quite the collection going in our classroom.
Once again, I am hoping that ALL families are reading this newsletter. Therefore, please write a note to me about something that your child learned in Four Winds on Thursday. If they were absent, write me about that. Once I get this note, from the parent, I will give your child a NO homework pass.
Thank you for your support. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
Spring is here! Time has flown by and it is hard to believe that it is April already. We have continued to be very busy.
During our literacy time we have been working together reading the story Master Cat by Charles Perrault. We have been doing a lot of thinking about, discussing and responding to this story. To wrap up this short story everyone has written an Answer Sandwich Response telling whether or not they would like to have a pet like the Master Cat. Look for a copy of this piece of writing to come home next week. We have also been working on learning about plurals including irregular words that change when they are made plural.
In math we have been working hard to wrap up our unit on measurement. The students have also completed an assessment that will help us to put them into groups for our math instruction. Mrs. Sebastian and I will be working together to instruct math. Students will be put in to small groups based on their needs. Each day they will meet with a teacher, and have an independent work time to practice their new skills. To start off Mrs. Sebastian will be doing skills instruction, beginning with a review of computation. I will be working with students on problem solving skills. They will meet with us on an alternating daily schedule. I think that we will all enjoy this change and find it to be very helpful.
In science we have been studying change as you have read in the notice sent home last week. We will be continuing to study this for the next few weeks. It would be helpful if they come dressed appropriately to go outside for the next week.
I hope that you all enjoy your beautiful spring weekend! Happy Easter!
Mrs. Bills
Fifth & Sixth Grade
Students have continued work on their earth science projects. We should be right on schedule for completing the labels and information for presentations beginning at the end of next week.
We hope to complete the reading of The Call of The Wild, by Jack London, over the next two weeks. Students will be asked to compare elements of this story with those of the books they have been reading independently.
Excitement is growing for the sixth grade trip to Camp Keewaydin. We will begin previewing science content materials for the trip, next week. Please get forms and permission slips in as soon as possible. Thanks!
Fifth grade students will begin preparations for their trip to Montpelier, Vermont, during the week before the vacation break.
Happy April!
Girl Scouts
Daisy's Girl Scouts will meet at the Wardsboro Town Hall on Monday April 5th from 4 pm to 5:30 pm. Weather permitting we plan on going outside so dress appropriately.
Little League - PreK – Sixth grade
Sign up for all Little League teams will be Wednesday, April 7 at 6:00pm at school.
Cadet Band Rehearsal
Cadet band will begin rehearsing for the Spring concert on Wednesday, April 7th at Townshend Elementary School. Rehearsal will go from 3:00-4:00 pm. Students will be ready for pick up at 4:00 pm. Please car pool if possible and promptly pick up your child at 4.
Rehearsal dates are:
April 7th, 14th, 28th
May 5th and 12th.
The Spring Concert is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12th, at 7:00 pm, in the Leland and Gray High School gym. Students should wear dark pants/ white shirts for the concert.
Rehearsal dates are:
April 7th, 14th, 28th
May 5th and 12th.
The Spring Concert is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12th, at 7:00 pm, in the Leland and Gray High School gym. Students should wear dark pants/ white shirts for the concert.
Monday, March 22
Newsletter 03/19/10
by
Laura Smith
on Mon 22 Mar 2010 06:44 AM PDT
Calendar
Wednesday, March 24 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Thursday, March 25 VINS program
Friday, April 2 Early Release Day, Professional Development
Tuesday, April 6 School Board Meeting 6:30pm
Reminder:
Little Caesars Pizza orders are due back by next Friday, March 26th.
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
We had a successful Crazy Hair Day this Wednesday. Check out the pictures on the main hall bulletin board. I was impressed that students were creative with their hair and followed ROARS expectations during the day. On Thursday, we celebrated Music in Our Schools Month. We were treated to a contra dance presentation from the 1/2 and the 5/6 classes during All School Meeting. In the afternoon, students were treated to an instrumental concert along with more contra dance presentations from the kindergarten and 3/4 class. It was fun to see the children sharing their learning.
Our third afterschool Connections is up and running – again, it is great to see and hear students extending their learning in a variety of settings. Connections has allowed us to increase after school opportunities and provide funding for some previously offered opportunities. This year we were able to provide a portion of the money needed towards registrations for the girls involved in Girls on the Run. Each year we search for a way to fund the school play that has become a tradition. Making it part of the Connections program ensures we will be able to continue this tradition by having a continuing funding source for the director’s stipend and materials. Summer Connections News - for the last two summers we have had a jump start to learning program just before school begins. This summer we are extending this to two weeks – tentatively scheduled for 8/9/10 – 8/20/10. The morning sessions will again be broken into primary and intermediate classes. Jill Dean received a Winnie Belle Grant to scrapbook Wardsboro history with a group of students. The intermediate students will be engaged in this project during the Jump Start Program. There will be several enrichment sessions available in the afternoon, as well. If you have a skill and interest you would like to share by teaching a class, contact the school.
Have a good weekend!
Greeting Pre K and Kindergarten Families,
Spring is in the air. What a beautiful week! Students were able to get out and enjoy the warm spring like weather. Students seem to be back into the routine of a five day school week although the time change seemed to leave many of us, including myself, a bit sleepy at the beginning of the week. From Letterland, we were introduced to Uppy Umbrella. It’s hard to believe that we have met almost every character from Letterland. The children enjoyed having the opportunity to act out being Uppy Umbrella. Next week we will meet Vicky and her vase of violets. During our “word work” time, students learned about number words. Our theme work has included more earth science investigation. We have been learning about all of the different types of weather. Also, kindergartners have taken a closer look at rocks and some of the different characteristics of rocks.
We have been learning and reviewing shapes. At the math center this week, we used geoboards and rubber bands to create shapes with three, four and five sides. In the afternoons, kindergartners have continued working with shapes and also learned about splitting things into equal parts.
On Thursday afternoon, kindergartners were able to show off some of their moves on the dance floor at the band concert. What a great performance. I hope you all are able to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather this weekend.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bates
The first and second graders had a great week! We have really enjoyed the sun and warmer days. My greenhouse was 112 degrees on Wednesday afternoon! On Wednesday we were a little crazy, well at least our hair was. Thank you to all the families who met for conferences. It is always great to share children’s successes.
I have finished up all of the first and second graders March reading assessments. Many of the students have moved up in levels. I love seeing this progress!
For our writer’s workshop we have begun another narrative writing piece. We have been reading stories that demonstrate good organization, such as an interesting beginning and end. Reading stories that don’t simply end with “the end.” First grade word work has included exploring beginning consonant clusters in words, while the second graders have been identifying consonants in the middle of words.
The first and second graders are now studying Dirt and Rocks. We will be exploring with the Kindergartners. Students are welcome to bring in rock collections or books on the subject to share with the class.
I am hoping that all families are reading this newsletter. Therefore, please write a note to me about what temperature my greenhouse was on Wednesday. Once I get this note, from the parent, I will give your child a “NO homework” pass.
Thank you for your support. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
5th 6th Newsletter
Thank you to parents for productive and helpful parent conferences! This week students have been working on math portfolio problems with math partners and on their own. Students are learning to write clear, step-by-step explanations of how they went about solving the problems and to explain their thinking along the way. We are trying to improve our use of math vocabulary.
Students have also been reading in independent chapter books and keeping a reading log as well as writing responses to what they have read.
In social studies we are continuing the work on our political atlases of the world.
We were fortunate to have a special visitor this week. Leyeyo, a 12 year old student attending school in Vermont, came to speak with the class about his native country of Tanzania. Students enjoyed the picture show of animals and people from his home. He answered many questions about life in Tanzania and also gave us a book about his country. The book will be available in the Wardsboro School Library.
Please watch for news and information about Camp Keewaydin for the 6th grade students. We will be at the camp April 26-30. As soon as information comes to me, I will pass it on to parents and students.
Graduation Thinking: Any parents from the 5th or 6th grade who are interested in helping with the arrangements for the 6th grade graduation, should send in a note to let me know. I am planning to have a meeting in April to set up work groups. I would like 5th grade parents to be thinking in terms of the reception which will take place right after the graduation. I would like the sixth grade parents to be thinking of photographs of your child that you would like to add to a digital collage to be shown during the reception. Also, any 6th grade parents who are interested in being part of the work group to put this digital collage together, should let me know. Please send a note in with your child if you are interested in helping. I will come up with a meeting date soon!
Thank you,
Mrs. Shakespeare
Friday, March 12
Newsletter 03/12/10
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 12 Mar 2010 04:53 PM PST
Calendar
Wednesday, March 24 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Thursday, March 25 VINS program
Friday, April 2 Early Release Day, Professional Development
Girl Scouts
Daisy Girl Scouts will meet on Monday, the 15th, from 4-5:30 at the Wardsboro Town Hall. Weather permitting we will be spending a short time outside, so wear your boots.
Cub Scouts
Den Meeting at School on Tuesday, March 16 at 6:00pm. Bring your books.
Upcoming Events at School – All programs will take place during the school day.
Thursday, March 25 VINS program sponsored by the School Club
Friday, April 9 Vermont Symphony Orchestra presents "FANFARE", A Brass Trio 1:30pm
Thursday, May 13 New England Aquarium program sponsored by the School Club
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
Communication between home and school is important for optimum student learning. I hope you took full advantage of the opportunity to conference with your child/ren’s teacher/s. Conferences are worthwhile as they provide a time for parents and teacher to focus on the individual. It is a time to celebrate growth and establish goals. Children sometimes benefit from extra support. Homework help during Connections can provide the support that may be needed. This is one segment of our Connections After School Program that is under used so take advantage of this. There was some confusion over sign-ups for Connections so a sign-up sheet is part of this newsletter and may be used for any class not already signed up for – with the exception of the play. To save time and paperwork, please submit money with the sign-up sheet. For those who have signed their child up previously, please submit payment if you haven’t already done so. Make checks out to the 21st Century Grant. Again, we have scholarships available. We don’t want anyone who is interested to miss out on these opportunities.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to Hearts for Haiti. We collected $173.15 so we can have our CRAZY HAIR DAY NEXT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17TH. In All School Meeting we came up with several guiding rules:
· nothing gory
· nothing wet or messy that could end up on someone else
· crazy hair needs to be done before school
· check with your family before doing anything to your hair
We want this to be a fun day but remember this is a place of learning so choose something that will be fun and not distracting to you or others.
Remember the Vermont Reading Challenge and if you like poetry, submit a poem for the poetry contest sponsored the Wardsboro Public Library and Friends of the Library. Most of all have a great weekend!
Greetings Pre K and Kindergarten Parents,
Thank you to those families who came to meet with me about the progress of your child. It is a great opportunity for home/school communication.
It was nice to get back into a somewhat “normal” routine this week. During our morning literacy centers students enjoyed matching beginning sound pictures and letters, at the fine motor center students explored making different shapes using wikki sticks and at the writing center students wrote in their journals about their favorite seasons. Our trip to Letterland this week introduced us to Talking Tess. We learned she is in charge of fixing all of the telephones and televisions in Letterland. One student suggested we ask Talking Tess to come here to help us make our cell phones work.
The Kindergartners began a new math chapter this week. We will be learning about Geometry and Fractions (shapes and parts). This week we were introduced to solid shapes. Some new vocabulary words that we learned include sphere, cylinder, cube and cone. Last week I sent home a family letter and some family involvement activities for you to do at home to reinforce the math concepts we will be learning.
Please make sure that your child has a change of clothing that is weather appropriate. You can either put them in your child’s backpack or keep them here at school in their cubby. Also, with the warm weather we have been having this week many students came in unprepared to go out for recess.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bates
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
Thank you to the parents who signed up for parent conferences! It is great to get a chance to talk with you about your child! For those of you who didn’t sign up for conferences, progress reports will be sent home with your children next week. If after reviewing them you have questions please feel free to contact me.
W e have wrapped up our Martin Luther King Reports, and now we are beginning our research on our famous Vermonters to write a report and create a poster of for the State Poster Competition. We have also continued our guided reading groups. Students have been doing lots of reading, thinking about their reading and writing about what they have read. This week our focus during word work has been reviewing homonyms, synonyms and antonyms.
In math we have been working on learning measurement. The majority of this week has been spent on linear measurement with a small amount of practice in other areas of measurement. We will be continuing this for a few weeks.
Next week I will be out of school on Tuesday and Wednesday for a course that I am taking. This class is a Professional Learning Communities course which is part of the district initiative. This course helps us to be better able to look at student work, and collaborate with team members to better meet student needs. It should be a very interesting course.
Enjoy your weekend! Don’t forget the March Reading Challenge. Also, a reminder that a new round of Afterschool programs begins next week including a great science class taught by VINS instructors. It should be a lot of fun! It is not too late to sign up!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bills
March 10th Fifth – Sixth Grade Newsletter from Mrs. Shakespeare
· Students have begun reading for the March Reading Challenge!
· We are also finishing up our research reports and projects.
· Our Political World Atlases are half way done!
· We finished our read aloud book, The Light In The Forest, by Conrad Richter.
· Our new read aloud book is another American literature classic, The Call of The Wild, by Jack London.
Have a great weekend! Don’t forget to turn your clocks ahead, and don’t forget to read!
Exposing Children to a Variety of Careers
Donna Sebastian
Children may not consciously think about a career path for themselves without some guidance from adults, but they certainly become aware of some of the occupations of adults around them. As children grow and learn, building their skills, and realize their activity preferences, they could be exposed to many more career possibilities. This could better enable children and teenagers to see more options for themselves. It could also help them discover occupations suited to their own individual interests, skills, and goals.
There are many ways children and teenagers can learn about careers. One way is through books and magazines. Libraries usually have career related books. Some television programs are about jobs people do. The Internet is another way to learn about career possibilities. Here is the URL for one website related to this topic.
http://careerplanning.about.com
When teenagers begin to narrow their choices for a career, it could also be helpful for them to talk with adults already in those careers, about their jobs. They may even be able to shadow an adult on the job. These opportunities could give young people more insight into the occupations they consider for themselves.
Winter Poetry Contest
Attention all students in grades one through six! If you love nature and the beautiful outdoors, you’re invited to write an original poem about the winter wonderland all around you. Look out your own window, listen to the sounds you hear, or tell what you love about the outdoors and put those thoughts and feelings into a poem. It can be as long or as short as you like, written with or without rhyme, but it must be your very own poem.
Hand in your completed poem at the Wardsboro Public Library on Main Street (next to the park) no later than Monday, March 15th. Please include your name, grade and the title of your poem. Two winners will be chosen, a boy and a girl. The winning poems will be published in the April issue of the Bucketville News and prizes will be awarded. The winning girl will receive a 3 piece hand-knitted outfit for an American Girl doll or any doll of that size (18 inches). The winningboy will receive the game, “Pictureka!”
This contest is sponsored jointly by Friends of the Wardsboro Library and Wardsboro Public Library
Friday, January 29
Newsletter 01/29/10
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 29 Jan 2010 10:34 AM PST
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
We have three goals in our school’s action plan. The first two are focused on math and literacy improvements. The third one states “Use communication with students and families to improve student responsibility for learning”. Communication between school and home comes in a variety of ways – this newsletter being one. Report cards are a critical communication tool. I hope you were able to take time to review your child’s report card with him/her. Were you able to discuss areas that showed growth? Areas that need additional attention from the student? Children are here to learn so we want to celebrate success and support areas in need of continued improvement – continuous learning is what school is all about. Help your child set goals for the next report card. This will help them to understand their responsibility for learning. Parents play a critical role in this. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have questions about the report card.
We have completed three of our five winter sports afternoons. Thank you again to parents who are able to help out at Mount Snow or Stratton Rec. Thanks also to the paras and Bill Scarlett, guidance counselor, for their role in this. The snow shoes have been used weekly at Stratton Rec this year. Primary and intermediate students trade off using them on different weeks. Some students who were reluctant to try these in the past, have discovered they are fun.
Any questions, call or stop in the office. Have a good week – read a book with the family!
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Parents,
This week we celebrated learning about one of the favorite Letterland characters, Peter Puppy. The highlight of the week was Friday when we had our pajama party. Students enjoyed eating pancakes for snack and playing with the parachute in the gym. See if your child can tell you why Peter Puppy has a problem. Next week our trip will include meeting Quarrelsome Queen.
On next Thursday February 4th (provided there are no more snow days), we will be celebrating the 100th day of school. In celebration of 100 day, we will be making a special trail mix snack. I am asking families to participate by contributing 100 items of one type of snack item. For example 100 chocolate chips, 100 cheerios, 100 pretzels, 100 pieces of chex mix, 100 goldfish, etc. Please do this as a home learning activity to do with your child, by counting out the snack item with your child.
The kindergarteners began learning about Subtraction this week. We will be working on the concept of taking groups of objects and making them smaller, or “taking away” and counting how many are left. A Family Involvement Letter along with activities for you to practice was sent home in home folders.
Please join us on Friday February 19th at 1:30, where Kindergartners, First and Second Graders will be sharing their recent study about dinosaurs at The Author’s Tea. Students will recite dinosaur poems, sing songs, share their dinosaur reports and dinosaur projects will be on display. Please see the attached letter, for more information on the home project.
I hope you all were able to read and review your child’s report card. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to set up a time to discuss them with me.
Sincerely,
Tammy Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
The first and second graders had a great week. A lot of hard work and achieving happened in our classroom despite the short week. I was surprised to see my thermometer reading 52 degrees on Monday. I am sure that temperature won’t last long. Once again Hot Soup program; offered by our School Club is up and running on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Students are to bring their own plastic bowl and spoon. I will not be supplying these items. In addition, this is a SUPPLIMENT to your child’s lunch. Therefore these items are NOT to replace lunch, but are to be in addition to lunch. Please send in a regular lunch on these days. There is ALWAYS a chance that the Soup Program is cancelled due to some scheduling conflict. The final reminder is really a suggestion. Send in a water bottle with your child’s name on it. This way it can be kept in the classroom, and less time is spent going to the fountain. Thank you for the help with this.
Last week and this week I have been pulling students to complete reading assessments to show their growth so far this year. First graders should be reading at an H level by June and second graders should be at an L/M level by June. Also, Mrs. Sebastian has been assessing students reading fluency. First graders should be reading 50-80 per minute by June and second graders should be reading 80-100 words per minute.
Our Dinosaur theme is going great. The students are very excited about what they are learning about or will be learning about their dinosaurs. Students should be planning for or working on their AT HOME PROJECTS, which are based on the student’s dinosaur. Information about the dinosaur can be sent home to help families with the projects if needed. Once again, family members may assist the projects, but your first or second grader should do most of the work. Grading is based on creativeness, neatness, and timeliness. These projects are due Monday February 15th. The reports and projects will be displayed at our first Author’s Tea on Friday February 19th at 1:30pm.
Thank you for your support with this. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
Thank you to all the Third and Fourth Graders for being so cooperative last week during MAPS testing. I will get the results out to families as soon as we have the official scores.
This week we have continued our work on fractions, our guided reading groups, cursive, our plant studies and writing and editing our rough drafts of our responses to literature.
In addition to the regular work we had our Winter Sports on Tuesday and then Wednesday morning we had Four Winds with Jenn Finaldi and Jeremy Schrauf. During Four Winds we learned about birds and their winter habits including how they survive in the cold weather and about migration.
Please continue reading nightly and getting plenty of rest. Next week we will be back on a regular spelling homework schedule.
Enjoy your weekend!
Mrs. Bills
Grades 5-6
This week’s Four Winds Program was an interesting study of bird migration. Students used snowshoes and explored areas around the school that showed evidence of birds that stay in our area during the winter.
Students also completed individual drawings of the interior parts of a volcano in their science notebooks. We learned about the causes of erupting volcanoes. We will continue our study of the earth’s shifting plates and earthquakes.
In current events we are focusing on international events and on oral presentation skills of news article summaries. Students are specifically working on voice tone and increased eye contact.
Our MAPs testing schedule has changed a bit due to the ice day last Monday. Students will complete MAPs testing on Monday, February 1.
Thursday, January 21
Newsletter 01/21/10
by
Laura Smith
on Thu 21 Jan 2010 09:31 AM PST
Calendar
Wednesday, January 27 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Tuesday, February 2 School Board Meeting 6:30 pm
Thursday, February 11 Early Release Day, Professional Development
February 22 – 26 No school, Winter Recess
Winter Activity Dates
Tuesdays - January 26, February 2 & February 9.
Cub Scouts
Sunday, January 28 at 6:00pm at Wardsboro Town Hall. Bring your books please.
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
As I write this it is a beautiful Vermont morning with plenty of sunshine, blue sky and white snow – one more reason to be glad to be here. Of course, the students, parents and community provide plenty of reasons. ROARS continues to be a strong component in our school. Respect and responsibility for others are important components of PBS. We had a link to this on Thursday in All School Meeting. Sarah and Kaylah , students from Mrs. Bills’ room, talked with the group about their interest in doing a fundraiser for Haiti earthquake victims. To help everyone learn a little bit more about Haiti, I shared a You Tube clip of a school before the earth quake. In our follow-up discussion, I was impressed with the depth of student comments such as I noticed how beautiful it was before the earthquake, People looked happy even though they didn’t have much, the school was like a tent – no sides. The school then voted on fundraising for Haiti. I am meeting with the student council to explore what we should do. More news to follow on this.
Report cards were sent home today. Hopefully you will find time to discuss these with your child/ren. I always found time to review the report card individually with each of my two children. This helped both of us to understand problems or concerns so positive steps could be taken for continued growth. Please contact your child’s teacher with your concerns. Our after school Connections program is a great resource for families of students who would benefit from additional support and/or homework help. Call school if you are interested in more information.
We continue to have children coming down with a stomach bug so if your child feels sick, please keep them home. As reported previously, we have had several cases of head lice this year. Parents should continue to check frequently for signs of this.
Our newsletter is short due to the shortness of our week. Have a great weekend – take some time to read a good book with your family!
Mid-Year Assessments
In addition to the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests that students in grades 1-6 are taking this month, some students in those grades will also have other assessments. One of the other assessments that will be administered to some children is the DIBELS assessment of reading fluency. Another is the reading benchmark assessments that we refer to as the F & Ps, from the authors, Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell.
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Daily Connections and Enrichment Program, Session III
The second week of our program has passed, and I am happy to mention that we have been joined by a few new students. The snowshoeing and speedstacking continued on Wednesday, David Broussard's computer class met on Thursday. Vivian Francy's chorus was cancelled due to illness this week. The Homework Club meets on Thursdays from 3-4:15. If your child is in third grade or up and needs some extra help, feel free to send her/him to me at this time.
In Book Club News...
What would you do if you dug up an old brass pot in your garden, and then discovered that whatever goes into it, comes out doubled? Mr. and Mrs. Haktak confront this wonderful problem in the Chinese folktale, Two of Everything. The group read this and another book involving numbers, A Remainder of One. Poor Soldier Bug Joe always ends up at the end of the lines, without a partner - an oddball remainder of one in the 25th Bug Army Corps. The queen is unhappy with her army's uneven lines, and Joe puzzles out a way to divide the 25 bugs into various lines until he gets it right with five rows of five. After our reading, we played with fingerprint drawing. We inked our own fingerprint creatures to make "two of everything:" two butterflies, two cats, two balloons..." Our fingers were multicolored, but we had fun.
Speaking of remainders - there are four more weeks remaining of Session III. If you have any questions regarding it, or would like your child to join, please let me know.
-Kerstin Kjellberg
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Friday, January 8
Newsletter 01/08/10
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 08 Jan 2010 11:32 AM PST
Calendar
Monday, January 18 No school, Martin Luther King Day
Tuesday, January 19 No school, Teacher Professional Development Day
Tuesday, January 19 School Board Meeting 6:30 pm
Wednesday, January 27 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Tuesday, February 2 School Board Meeting 6:30 pm
Thursday, February 11 Early Release Day, Professional Development
February 22 – 26 No school, Winter Recess
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
HAPPY NEW YEAR! It has been a busy week with the beginning of our winter sports. The students were excited about this event. Please remember to send your child with scarves, snow pants, mittens and hats. We need them to be prepared for the weather. Thanks to all parents who are able to support this and volunteer their time.
New Year’s resolutions and we have ours – to become a greener school. The School Club is once again providing a supplement to student lunches several days of the week. This year we are cutting down on waste by reusing bowls and silverware. The School Club purchased bowls that will be coming home for washing and returning for the next lunch. I have also asked them to stop purchasing plastic silverware. I know your children are used to being able to get these from the kitchen when needed but…. Be sure your child has the silverware needed for their snacks and lunches as we are also seeking to cut down on breakfast waste. The frequency of the soup program depends on volunteers to heat and serve. There is more information from School Club and a sign-up sheet within this newsletter.
Connections News – We currently have 26 students signed up for the various offerings. There is availability in all sessions (some limited). Let us know asap if there is an interest. I am teaching the Speed Stacking (along with Charlie Cummings). Charlie Cummings and the students will probably be teaching me! One opportunity that is underused is Daily Connections. This is the opportunity for your child to get homework help or extra support in one or more learning areas. Think about needs that teachers discussed at parent conference time. We have one more session planned after this one.
Enjoy the winter season!
Dear Families,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and restful vacation. Students came back well rested and ready for learning. This week students were excited to learn that we would be starting a new unit on dinosaurs. We have been reading new books to learn new facts, singing new songs as well as poems and finger plays. If your child has anything related to this theme, they may bring it in for their sharing day.
Our trip to Letterland introduced us to a noisy nine year old boy. See if your child is able to tell you his name and the sound that he makes at the beginning of his name.
During math, Kindergartners started Chapter 11 on addition. Some new vocabulary words that we are learning are plus, equals, in all, sum, add and addend. We will be working on how to put two groups together and find out how many in all. I have sent home the Family Involvement letter for this Chapter. These are activities for you to do at home with your child to reinforce concepts that we are learning at school.
We have started up our guided reading groups. Please make sure that if your child comes home with a book bag that they reread it to an adult, sibling, pet or even a stuffed animal. Also please make sure the book bags are returned to school the following day.
Tuesday was the first winter activity day. I heard from students that they had a fantastic time either sledding or skating at the Stratton Rec area. What a wonderful way to come back from vacation.
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Mrs. Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
It was great to welcome back the first and second graders. I must say that I too was happy to be back at school. It sounded like everyone had an enjoyable holiday and week off. Now, we are back and ready for some new learning.
If you have not picked up your child’s Now and Then project please do so. I think we have 3 left outside our room.
Guided reading groups are back up and running. We are reading many books and focusing our learning around what is in the text, beyond the text, and about the book structure or authors craft. First graders began spelling this week, and will have their first spelling test on Friday.
During word work first graders have continued learning new activities to work on their high frequency words. Also, first graders practiced strategies to recognize words quickly. Second graders have been exploring vowels with an r, or as WE call them the Vowel Stealers. Also, second graders began to explore the y sound in words.
Our new theme is Dinosaurs. Students will be learning about how a particular dinosaur survived, and will be writing a report about that dinosaur. Also, there will be another AT HOME PROJECT assignment based on the student’s dinosaur. The reports and projects will be displayed at our first Author’s Tea on Friday February 19th at 1:30pm.
During our Math Workshop we finished learning addition and subtraction strategies. We will be diving into our measurement unit, which will be fun with our dinosaur unit.
Thank you for your time and support. I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
Happy New Year and welcome back! I hope that you all had an enjoyable vacation and holiday.
We have quickly jumped back into our regular routines, with a few exceptions. You have probably noticed our biggest change. The assignment notebooks that were used in the fall only had enough pages to get though January. We found that they did not hold up very well, so to replace them for the remainder of the year we will have an assignment page in their assignment folders. Please continue to sign these pages nightly as you signed the assignment books. The other change with assignment books is that the students will not be bringing them home on winter sports days so that they don’t get lost up at the Mountain. It would be a good idea for the students to pull their spelling words out of the folder Monday night and leave them at home so they can complete a spelling activity Tuesday night.
We are back to doing our guided reading groups most days. On Thursdays I don’t meet with all groups because we have an extended writing workshop time. This week we have begun to work on writing a response to literature.
In math we have begun to study fractions as many of you have noticed from this week’s homework.
The final change is that we are working hard to help kids stay caught up on work on a more regular basis we are sending home unfinished work during the week. If you notice that your child has a lot of homework it may be that they are not completing enough during the day at school. Hopefully this will encourage students to use their time wisely and complete work in a more timely manner.
Please remember that next Wednesday grades 3 through 6 will be going to see the Little Prince in Weston. The show starts at 9:15 so we will be leaving as soon as second bus arrives. Please make sure children are on time Wednesday or they will miss the show!
Enjoy your weekend!
5th and 6th Grade Newsletter from Mrs. Shakespeare
January 7, 2010
Welcome back! Here is a brief synopsis of what we are up to!
Just before the break, fifth grade students learned about using Roman Numerals and shared what they learned with the sixth grade students. Sixth grade students reviewed Roman Numerals at the beginning of this week also.
Students in the fifth and sixth grade are learning about place value and decimals.
We have also begun comparing different aspects of early civilizations such as the: Olmecs, the Mound Builders, the Anasazi, the Mayas, the Aztecs, and the Incas.
Continuing our study of the world continents, students completed political maps of South America.
Next week we will join the third and fourth grades on a field trip to see a production of, The Little Prince. On Thursday we began reading the English version of that story.
MAPS testing, (Measures of Academic Progress) will take place for the fifth and sixth grade students during the week of January 25th.
Stay warm!
Tap Dance Lessons
Registration for Tap Dance lessons will be held at school on Thursday, January 14 at 4:00pm. Lessons will be at the Wardsboro Town Hall this year. Lessons will begin on January 21st. Call Kathy Meeks at 896-6013 for more information.
School Club Soup Program
The following dates are planned for Supplemental Hot Soup (free to all children!). We need volunteers to assist…if you can commit to any of the days below, please include your name and phone number. We would need you from approximately 11:30-1:30.
At this time we are planning to serve three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday – however we can do Thursday if you are available. Please indicate below what dates you are available to keep this program going.
Name:
Phone Number:
Email Address:
Friday, December 18
Newsletter 12/18/09
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 18 Dec 2009 03:00 PM PST
Calendar
Monday, December 21 H1N1 Clinic for students needing second dose
December 24 – January 3 Holiday Recess – No School
Tuesday, January 5 First day of Winter Activities Program
Tuesday, January 5 School Board meeting 6:30 pm
Tuesday, January 19 School Board meeting 6:30 pm
Wednesday, January 27 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Girl Scouts
Daisy's will meet Monday, December 21 from 4-5:30 at the Town Hall. Bring your books.
From the Principal’s Computer
Rosemary FitzSimons
What a great winter concert! It takes a lot to put this concert on from the choosing of the songs, to teaching of songs (in music class and in classrooms), bussing to and from the rehearsal, the development of the written program , set up and take down by Jim Hescock and most importantly – student enthusiasm for their learning. It is a great schoolwide event. Thanks to those who were able to attend. The audience means a lot to our students .
A reminder to parents who drop off and pick of your children that you need to park at the bottom of the hill in the mornings and afternoons. I appreciate that so many of you continue to do this. Some parents have forgotten. On Thursday morning this week, the bus driver was not able to back out because of the cars parked in the parking lot. This made the second bus students later than usual. Mrs. Smith has contacted the town and requested they push the snow back more at the bottom so there is additional room for parking. Thank you for following this procedure.
The next three days of school will be busy as we prepare for the vacation. It is hard to believe that we are looking at the new year, 2010. On our first Tuesday back, please be sure you child/ren come to school prepared for the winter sports afternoons. To those parents with children involved in the Stratton Rec program we need your help. Please sign up for one or more days when you can help. We appreciate the ongoing weekly support from Kim Lazelle and Scott Francy, along with other parents who are able to attend on a part time basis. This year school personnel involved include Bill Scarlett, guidance counselor, along with our 4 para professionals. We met this week to discuss strategies for improved safety – too many children on the sledding hill has always been a concern. This year students will be rotating through activities. All children will be sledding and snowshoeing. Those with skates will also be able to skate, depending on the weather.
This week brings an end to the 2nd Connections session. It is great to see so many students taking advantage of this opportunity. Our next session starts on January 11th – you should have received the sign- up sheet for this yesterday. For this session there is no Tuesday Connections because of winter sports. There is no bussing available on Mondays so parents will need to make other arrangements. Parents, remember there are scholarships available if there is a need. We don’t want students left out for this reason! We receive 100% grant funding ($22,000) for the first three years of the program. Then 75% grant funding for year four and 65% funding for year five. At the end of five years we can reapply for the grant but would not be eligible for more than 50% funding. To ensure this program continues and ensure we have local money for year four and five, we need to begin to plan now. I am looking for interested parents to become part of a new committee for this reason – The Wardsboro Arts and Enrichment Council. If you have an interest or skills that would help us, please contact me – we need you! We are planning a meeting in January.
This is our last newsletter of 2009. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Families,
Thank you for joining us at our wonderful winter concert on Monday evening. The kids looked great. I was very proud of how well they did up on the “big stage”.
This week the featured character from Letterland was Munching Mike. He was definitely one of our most anticipated characters of the year so far. The kids enjoyed learning about the things that Munching Mike likes to eat and drink. See if your child can tell you what Munching Mike’s favorite food is. During our word work time, students practiced listening for beginning sounds in words. They each chose 4 pictures and had to decide the letter that makes the sound at the beginning of each. At the ABC center this week students played a letter hunt game. Most of them are becoming letter experts.
During the afternoons this week kindergartners took the MAP assessments. MEASURES OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS (MAP) are state-aligned computerized adaptive tests that accurately reflect the instructional level of each student and measure growth over time. I am very proud of how hard the students worked, despite some technical difficulties. I will be sharing the results of these at our next conference.
Next week is a short week. There will be school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday only. Hope you are all able to enjoy the holiday season with your family.
Yours truly,
Mrs. Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
Our week started off with a great holiday concert. As many of you know I love seeing kids up on the stage! All the first and second graders have been working hard, especially at not being excited about the upcoming holiday. Since students are now wearing winter boots to school please make sure that SNEAKERS are either left at school or brought in backpacks. They are ALWAYS needed on Tuesdays and Fridays for P.E.
This week we have been making some holiday decorations. Many of which include the student’s personal touch. I hope families are enjoying them as they come home. Please pick up your child’s interview project next week Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
Students have continued working on their diaries, which include facts that students learned about school long ago.
During word work first graders have continued learning a new activity to work on their high frequency words. Second graders have been making connections between words including their beginning parts (i.e. stop-start, spray-spring, chin-cheese). Also, second graders explored vowel controlled-r words like star, corn, turn, fir, and runner.
During our Math Workshop we began our chapter on subtraction strategies to help subtract numbers quickly. This week we worked on the count back strategy and relating facts (i.e. 4+2=6, 2+4=6, 6-2=4, 6-4=2.) The entire class completed their first addition mad minutes and will be working toward beating their goal each week.
Thank you for your time and support. I hope everyone enjoys the snow.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
The holidays are quickly sneaking up on us! I hope that you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday break.
Next week we will be wrapping up many different things we have begun. As of today we have finished doing the facts for 1 through 9 on our Wrap-Ups. Monday we will complete the 10s. On Wednesday afternoon we will be having a Wrap-up Party with some friendly competition. Please encourage your students to practice their facts.
On Wednesday the students got a chance to participate in a Japanese Tea Ceremony to wrap up the Vermont Reads Grant and our study of Japanese American History. It seems that most of them enjoyed themselves. We want to offer a huge thank you to Jill Dean and Amy Dix for their hard work in getting this grant for us and planning the activities.
We have also been working hard practicing our constructed responses or Answer Sandwich responses as the kids know them by reading well known fairy tales and then finding details in them to respond to a prompt. Then they are expected to write a response to the prompt. They are getting quite good at these!
I will not be sending home homework during the Holiday break, unless your child has a lot of unfinished work. Please encourage them to continue to use their time wisely so that this won’t happen. I do hope that children will do plenty of reading during the break.
Happy Holidays,
Mrs. Bills
5th and 6th Grade Newsletter from Mrs. Shakespeare
December 16, 2009
Hope you all got to hear our wonderful singing at the concert on Monday night!
This week we learned about the ancient people of North America. We will soon be learning about other early civilizations such as the: Olmecs, the Mound Builders, the Anasazi, the Mayas, the Aztecs, and the Incas.
Fifth and Sixth graders continue to add information to their Math Language and Concepts notebooks. Fifth graders have begun a short unit on Roman Numerals, and sixth graders are continuing their study of geometry.
On Thursday Jill Dean from the Wardsboro Library presented us with a Japanese Tea Ceremony. The third and fourth graders shared information about the rules of behavior for the ceremony. Jill Dean made us some interesting treats to go with our tea! We thank her for her efforts and for the information provided by the third and fourth grade students.
Have a happy winter break!
Friday, December 11
Newsletter 12/11/09
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 11 Dec 2009 03:36 PM PST
Calendar
Wednesday, Dec. 9 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Monday, December 14 6:30 pm at Wardsboro Town Hall
School Winter Concert & Basket Raffle drawing
Tuesday, December 15 School Board meeting 6:30 pm
Monday, December 21 H1N1 Clinic for students needing second dose
December 24 – January 3 Holiday Recess – No School
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
We are all set for our winter concert on Monday night. Don’t forget to invite family and friends to join us! Just a reminder, in case you hadn’t noticed on Wednesday, that winter has arrived. Be sure your child/ren come to school with the proper clothing to go outside at recess time. No one can sled without the proper clothing.
WINTER SPORTS PROGRAM NEWS
We are ready for our winter sports program that starts after Christmas vacation. This means early dismissal for our students each Tuesday – 1/5, 1/12, 1/26, 2/2 and 2/9, with a make-up date on 3/9, if needed. There are two choices for families depending on ages and interests. Students with an interest in skiing or snowboarding at Mt. Snow, have signed up with Jody Perkins and Lucas Bates. All other students will be able to participate in the Stratton Rec activities. While there, students will have an opportunity to do a variety of outdoor winter fun activities. Bill Scarlett, guidance counselor, will oversee the program with the support of our paraprofessionals. Kim Lazelle will serve as the parent facilitator again this year. The teachers and myself will be engaged in professional development around literacy and math. To ensure another safe and successful season, we need parent volunteers. Parents, please sign up to help out for one or more of the dates shown above – THANKS.
Yes, I can volunteer to help out at Stratton Rec on the following dates: _____________
_____________________
Parent Signature
Band News
The District Band, Cadet Band and Jazz Band will give their Winter Concert on Thursday, December 17th, at 7 pm. in the gym at Leland & Gray High School. Students should wear black pants/ white shirts (with collar), for this event.
There will be stage rehearsal on Wednesday, December 16th, in the gym at Leland & Gray. The schedule for stage time is as follows:
3-3:30-Cadet Band
3:30-4 District Band
4-4:30 Chorus
4:30-5 Jazz Band
Please pick your child up promptly following their stage time. Please carpool with other parents.
Thank you,
Michael McKinney
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Families,
We had a great week! From Letterland we met and reviewed Lucy Lamplights shape and sound. We learned that she has many animals who love her. See if your child is able to tell you which animals they are. During our word work time we learned a new song using the beginning letters in our names. Students had fun marching along to it around the classroom and taking turns sitting down when the beginning letter in our name was called.
Thank you to those of you who remembered to send your child with snow clothes. We will not go outside every day. However, it is great to be prepared. We will be sending home all snow gear unless you let us know otherwise. Please provide a pair of shoes, slippers or sneakers and a pair of extra socks that can stay at school.
We have been practicing all week for our winter concert. Students have done a fantastic job learning the words to our songs. The rehearsal at The Town Hall also went well. Please remember the concert is on Monday night, December 14th at 6:30. Plan to arrive at 6:15. The snow date is on Tuesday December 15th in case of inclement weather.
During math time the kindergarten students continued to study number patterns. This week we practiced counting by 2s up to 100. Some of us could still use some more practice with this skill. Another word that we use for this is “skip counting”. Try to practice this at home. We also practiced counting by 5s as well as 10s. We figured out that 8 eyes are on four children, by counting by 2s, we figured out that 15 fingers are on three hands by counting by 5s and we also figured out that 20 toes are on two children by counting by 10s.
Hope you can enjoy the newly fallen snow over the weekend.
Mrs. Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
All the first and second graders have had a great week. Winter is finally here, and most of the students are dressing for it. PLEASE send your child with an extra pair of shoes or slippers. Boots will be worn outside, but inside students will need shoes that are not cumbersome and track in slop. Also, SNEAKERS are needed on Tuesdays and Fridays for P.E.
This week we finished sharing the Now and Then projects. We are now using them to create a diary about our interviewees. We read several books using the diary writing format, and are writing rough drafts about ten days in the life of the person we interviewed.
During word work first graders have been sorting words by their ending parts, like –est, -ell, -at, and -an. Also, first graders learned a new activity to work on their high frequency words. Second grader’s word work included new high frequency word activities to practice reading and writing words that we read and write a lot.
During our Math Workshop we began our chapter on addition strategies to help add numbers quickly. This week we worked on the make ten strategy, adding ten & adding 9 strategy. Next week we will finish up our chapter and move on to subtraction strategies. After Holiday break we will begin mad minutes which will be assessed on Fridays. More information about what mad minutes are and what is expected will come home after break too.
Thank you for your time and support. I hope everyone enjoys the snow.
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
Homophones/ Homonyms
Have you seen the most recent scene of the newest movie advertised on television that will be in the movie theaters soon?
Sometime during the school year, students in grades one through six will study homophones (homonyms). While not all dictionaries give the exact same meaning of the terms homophone and homonym, they are often used to mean words that sound the same, have different spellings, and have different meanings.
Homophones can be great fun if you like to play with words and their meanings. Many puns, riddles, and silly sayings use homophones, such as the following.
What do you call a naked grizzly? (a bare bear)
I’m on a seafood diet, every time I see food, I eat it.
When the glassblower accidentally inhaled, he ended up with a pane in his
stomach.
What do you call an uninterested plank of wood? (a bored board)
There are several Internet websites with jokes, activities, and information about homophones that children could use. The URLs for some sites are included below and are geared toward different age levels. Parents should preview any website prior to their child using it to determine if it is suitable and acceptable for their child(ren). These sites may include advertising and/or links to other sites.
URLs for websites about homophones:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/english/homonyms/
http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/frog/frog.html
http://www.funbrain.com/whichword/index.html
http://www.mikids.com/Jigwords/1/Homonyms/h1.html
http://www.fun-with-words.com/nym_homonyms.html
http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html
http://www.firstschoolyears.com/literacy/word/other/homonyms/homonyms.htm
Friday, November 13
Newsletter 11/13/09
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 13 Nov 2009 10:57 AM PST
Calendar
Tuesday, Nov. 17 School Board meeting 6:30 pm
Wednesday, Nov. 18 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Friday, November 20 Family fun Night – Crafts 6:30 pm
Monday, November 30 Basket Raffle items due at school
Wednesday, Dec. 9 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Monday, December 14 School Winter Concert & Basket Raffle drawing
at Wardsboro Town Hall
Cub Scouts
Den meeting – Tuesday, Nov. 17th 6:00 pm at the Wardsboro Town Hall. Bring your books!
Basketball
Practice for the 5-6th grade basketball team will be Friday from 4-5:30 in the WES gym.
Practice for grades 2, 3, & 4 will be Monday and Wednesday next week 4:30 – 5:30pm
Book Fair
Last day for students to purchase books from the bookfair will be Monday, November 16 during Library class time.
Food Pantry Collection
We are off to a great start on our goal to collect 160 items for the Wardsboro/Jamaica Food Pantry. So far we have collected 80 items. We will continue to collect items until Monday, November 23rd.
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
We hope that you found parent conferences valuable this week. Read over the following pieces of information. Have a great weekend. Don’t forget some family reading!
· Thanks to all who have donated items at school to be given to the food pantry. We currently have collected 80 items towards our goal of 160 food items. If your family hasn’t contributed, help us reach our goal. We will accept contributions through 11/23/09.
· Our music teacher, known as Ms. Becky to the students, has begun preparing for our winter music concert. To honor and respect all families in our school community, this concert will not have a Christmas theme. Our theme will focus on “Keep America Singing”.
· H1N1 – We have had students and staff with flu like illnesses. Most doctors are not testing for H1N1 so we will probably not be reporting diagnosed cases. We will continue to follow the Health Department recommendations for the procedures put in place early in the school year. Please refer to the Student Handbook for at home procedures.
· At All School Meeting on Thursday, Ms. Becky taught us a new Veterans Day song. I copied this and had all members of the WES community sign it. It is included in our newsletter. I asked the students to pass this out as a thank you to a veteran they know.
· Thanks to all who contributed to the School Club bake sale last Saturday. The School Club raised well over $100 for future initiatives. Their next big fundraiser to support our students is the Basket Raffle. Information on this is included in this week’s newsletter.
· ROARS is off to a great start. This morning we had one of the PBS coordinators from VTDOE here to interview staff and some of the students. He was impressed by the student (and adult) responses. He told me “we passed” with flying colors. It is great to have this additional layer of support. Parents, last week we sent home a parent survey. We only received a few back. Please take some time to fill this out and share your thoughts with us.
· THANKS for all you do to support our school!
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Families,
Thanks to all of you who took the time to meet with me about your child for Parent/Teacher conferences on Wednesday. It was great to meet with you to update you on the progress of your child. I hope you found the time worth while. Please remember, that any time there is a question or concern, do not hesitate to contact me.
In the classroom this week we continued our study about “long ago”. We read a story comparing things people did long ago to things people do today. We discovered that some things have changed while others have stayed the same. At the art center, students weaved paper placemats. They look fantastic. At the ABC center this week students enjoyed playing a fishing for letters game. At the writing centers students wrote things they enjoy doing with their families. From Letterland this week we met a colorful character. See if your child is able to tell you about him.
On Monday November 23rd, kindergarten students will be taking a filed trip to Billings Farm, in Quechee, VT. I will be looking for a few parent volunteers. Please let me know if you are interested. I will be sending more information to follow. Mrs. Mehner will be staying with the preschool group on that morning.
Kindergartners started Chapter 6; numbers 10 – 30. This week we learned about a “ten frame” and the strategy of counting on from ten. The teens are still proving to be tricky for some of us as we practiced using numbers 13, 14, 15 and 16.
On next Monday and Tuesday, I will be attending the NE Kindergarten conference in Nashua, NH. Mrs. Mehner will be here and there will also be a substitute.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Mrs. Bates
First and Second Grade
Mrs. Parker-Jennings (PJ)
It was great meeting with so many parents during our conference time. This is a very important time for me to share the student’s growth and accomplishments. Thank you to all the families for taking their time to meet with me.
Our new theme is Now and Then. We have begun with a home project that is due on Monday, which includes an interview of someone who was born around 1950. Students will be sharing what they learned by this interview through projects that are due Monday. We also have been reading about how different the first Thanksgiving was compared to how we celebrate it today. On Monday, November 23rd the kindergartners and our class will be taking a field trip to Billings Farm to learn about what a child’s role was on a family farm long ago. If any family member would like to join us please let me know. I have one chaperone that can be paid for, and others will need to pay $6. This will be an all day field trip. However, more details about time will come home next week.
Thank you for your time and support. I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!
Yours Truly,
Cris PJ
2009 Wardsboro School Club Basket Raffle
Handmade Basket (Basket #1) – Sponsored by the Wardsboro School Club. This basket will feature several handmade items including knit items. Items include several scarves; a ladies purse and neck warmers.
Chocolate Basket (Basket #2 ) – Donated by the Pre-K and Kindergarten students. Be creative – any kind of chocolate will do…hot chocolate; brownie mix; white chocolate – you name it; it’ll fit!
Christmas Basket (Basket # 3) - Donated by the 1st and 2nd Grade students. Anything works in this basket – it could be a small item for a gift, an ornament, tape, wrapping paper, tags, etc. Let’s make Christmas easy for whoever wins this basket!
Kids Activity Basket (Baskets #4 & #5) - Donated by the 3rd and 4th Grade students. Think kids of all ages – and simple things to keep them busy – card games, board games, puzzles, arts and crafts, books, snowman kit, etc. Again this year we will split the items into 2 separate baskets!
Bakers Basket (Basket # 6) – Donated by the 5th and 6th Grade students. Any item related to cooking/baking would be great here; geared towards adults or children. Cookie cutters, sprinkles, parchment paper, baking pans, etc.
Wardsboro Harvest Basket (Basket #7 ) – Sponsored by the Wardsboro School Club; this basket will feature items such as locally made jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, etc. This is going to be one delicious basket!
We ask that every student donate at least one item for their classroom basket if possible. If you have more than one item or items that you would like to donate to other baskets as well, please do not hesitate to do so. You can drop items off at school – just put a note as to which basket you want it in. We must have all items in by November 30th in order to get them together for the display at the Holiday Bazaar on December 6th.
The winners will be drawn at the Wardsboro Elementary School Winter concert; scheduled for December 14th; in the event this concert is postponed – winners will be drawn on the new date.
The following information is from the Vermont Department of Education website. http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_adulted.html
PROGRAMS & SERVICES:
ADULT EDUCATION & LITERACY
OVERVIEW
Vermont's adult education and literacy programs are offered through Learning Works, Vermont’s Adult Education & Literacy System, which is made up of 10 full-service centers and 3 satellite centers across the state. Full-service centers provide a full range of services, from beginning to advanced literacy in math, reading, writing, interpersonal skills, workplace skills, general educational development (GED), adult diploma programs (ADP), English to speakers of other languages (ESOL), commercial driver's license (CDL) and basic computer instruction.
The goal of adult education and literacy programs is to provide opportunities for adult learners to transition to a better place in their family, work and community life by getting a high school credential or diploma, preparing for college, or sharpening skills for current or advanced employment. Programs are student-centered, placing the learner at the center of their own education setting goals and meeting them with guidance, support and academic rigor from our trained and talented staff.
If you are an adult learner or an adult educator or staff, use the links below to view information about programs most pertinent to your needs:
Adult Learners
· General Educational Development (GED) Credential
· Adult Diploma Program (ADP)
· High School Completion
· English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English Language (EL) Civics
· Foundational Skills (Reading, Writing, Math & Life Skills)
· Family Literacy
· Workplace Skills
· Other Skills and Services (Computer, CDL, Other)
· Center Locations
CONTACT INFORMATION
Adult Education & Literacy
Kay Charron, Assistant Division Director
(802) 828-5133 (P)
(802) 828-3146 (F)
kay.charron@state.vt.us
Tom Alderman, Work Group Coordinator
(802) 828-3134 (P)
(802) 828-3146 (F)
tom.alderman@state.vt.us
Assessment/Adult Diploma Program (ADP)
Sharon Parker, Adult Education Assessment Coordinator
(802) 828-0077 (P)
(802) 828-3146 (F)
sharon.parker@state.vt.us
Professional Development
Kate Nicolet, Adult Education Professional Development Coordinator
(802) 828-5144 (P)
(802) 828-3146 (F)
kate.nicolet@state.vt.us
GED Testing & Information
Sharon Parker, Adult Education Assessment Coordinator
(802) 828-0077 (P)
(802) 828-3146 (F)
sharon.parker@state.vt.us
Friday, November 6
Newsletter 11/06/09
by
Laura Smith
on Fri 06 Nov 2009 06:42 AM PST
Wardsboro Update
11/6/09
Calendar
Tuesday, Nov. 17 School Board meeting 6:30 pm
Wednesday, Nov. 18 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Friday, November 20 Family fun Night – Crafts 6:30 pm
Monday, November 30 Basket Raffle items due at school
Wednesday, Dec. 9 School Club Meeting 6:00pm
Monday, December 14 School Winter Concert & Basket Raffle drawing
at Wardsboro Town Hall
Cub Scouts
Den meeting – Tuesday, Nov. 17th 6:00 pm at the Wardsboro Town Hall.
Bring your books!
Basketball
Practice for the 5-6th grade basketball team will be Friday from 4-5:30 in the WES gym.
Practice for grades 2, 3, & 4 will be Monday and Wednesday next week 4:30 – 5:30pm
From the Principal’s Desk
Rosemary FitzSimons
Happy November – how did it come so quickly? As a school this month, we are focused on community service. Read over the three opportunities students and families will have for this:
· Energy Fair at the Town Hall, tomorrow 10-4pm. We can use student help any time during the day. Come as a family and check out what’s there. Have your child see me – THANKS! This is their future. (free homework passes awarded to all who help out!)
· Food Pantry Donations – with so many families in need, the shelves at the Wardsboro/Jamaica Food Pantry are getting empty. As a school, we set a goal to bring in 160 food items. I did remind the students to check first – we don’t want your family’s supper donated. We are collecting until Thanksgiving vacation.
· School Club Basket Raffle –This raffle supports the club’s initiatives. Having students involved in the donation of basket items provides an opportunity to participate in their fundraising efforts.
Also, don’t forget conferences are next week. This is an important opportunity for parents and teachers to meet to discuss student growth, along with identifying strategies for continued improvement. The conferences will provide valuable information for teachers, parents and, most importantly, students. There is no playground supervision during conference so if your child/ren need to come to school with you, please have him/her sit outside the classroom. Feel free to stop in and see me if you have questions or concerns. DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BOOK FAIR – Thank you to Jennifer Densmore for organizing and running this for us.
Our second set of Connections afterschool classes started this week. Two of them have openings if your child still has an interest. Mad Science is full. I’ve heard great things from the students about them.
Dear Pre K and Kindergarten Families,
We had another great week. During our Literacy Center Time students at the ABC center played a new Letterland Lotto game with Mrs. Mehner, at the Writing Center students drew and wrote about their families and at Reading Center enjoyed reading poems from their new Poetry Folders. During our “word work” and “phonics” time kindergartners and preschoolers paired up to play an ABC matching game. From Letterland, this week we met the famous Harry Hatman. See if your child remembers, why you have to be quiet around him and what color his hairy hat is. Next week we will meet Impy Ink.
We started a new unit this week. We will be comparing life “long ago” to now. This week we began by taking a closer look at families. Each student drew a picture of their family and shared it with the class. We discovered that each family is unique. Next week we will take a look at family life long ago. We will then compare school life long ago to now. During your students sharing time, it would be great if they could bring in an object in to share that related to our theme. While this is not required, it might spark up a good conversation and learning opportunities. For example, a family photograph, an old quill pen or a story about when their parents or grandparents went to school.
This week kindergartners finished up our unit on numbers 6-10. I think we can officially call our kindergartners number experts. Students this week used number lines, practiced counting backwards and used the numbers in our phone numbers to create a class graph of the most common number. We found out that the number 9 is the most common. Next week, we will begin learning about numbers 10 – 30. We will first concentrate on the “tricky teens” and then move on to the 20s and 30s.
Kindergartners began guided reading groups this week. Each student should have come home with a reading bag with a parent letter explaining it as well a book to read. Please make sure that your child rereads the book to a family member and returns their reading bag to school the next day. Everyone is doing a fabulous job!
Thank you to our Four Winds volunteers for a great class this week. Students enjoyed the puppet show and the hands on activities that the class demonstrated the Life Cycle of a Tree.
Finally, I have heard back from most of you regarding Parent/Teacher Conferences. If you have not sent in your form, there is still time. I look forward to meeting with all of you.
Sincerely,
Tammy Bates
Dear Third and Fourth Grade Families,
Thank you to everyone that quickly returned their conference sign-up form. Those of you that have returned them will be receiving your original form back with your assigned conference time written and circled on it. If you have not returned your form there is still time, please return them as soon as possible.
I am looking forward to meeting with you all next week! I have lots of information to share with you, and I hope to answer any questions that you may have.
Enjoy your weekend! Please make sure that your children continue to read every day, and if you get chance talk with them about what they have read.
Sincerely, Mrs. Bills
5-6 Newsletter for November 6, 2009
On Wednesday, 11/4, parents should have received confirmation of a time and date for a conference to discuss their child’s progress. Because there are 24 students, I have added three days to the 5-6 conference schedule. At this time, it looks like I will be meeting with parents on November 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th.
Conferences will last for 20 minutes per student, with a five minute time in between for me to put away materials and reorganize for the next meeting. Please plan to be on time.
Also, let me know of any concerns you specifically want me to address, right at the beginning of the conference. It will help me if you have your concerns written down, so I can determine whether or not we will need to plan for another follow-up conference. I have information I need to share with you, and I will do my best to cover it during the 20 minutes. I expect to have time for discussion and qu |
