Week of December 15th

We had a busy week working on our Holiday gifts for families.  We hope that you all enjoy these gifts as the children worked very hard on these to have something special for you at home!!!

I want to thank those parents who were able to come today to hear your child's Mo Willem's story and see their Book Creator project on the ipad.  If you were unable to come in, the stories will go home in January after we share them with other first graders.  If you would like to see the Book Creator project, I can e-mail you a video version of it.  Just let me know.  Enjoy the slide show below from our share.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Holiday.  I also hope your children enjoy their vacation and I look forward to seeing them in 2015.

Have a wonderful break,
Nancy

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Week of December 8th

It's been an interesting week with our Snow Day.  I hope everyone had a chance to have some fun!

Our team earned $184 at the Holiday Craft Fair this weekend!  A HUGE thank you to all the families that donated supplies, worked our booth and bought our candle holders and pictures.  We couldn't have done it without you!  The money we have earned will help pay for our Firefly field trips.

During Writer's Workshop we have been busy creating our own Pigeon or Elephant & Piggie stories inspired by Mo Willem's writing and illustrations.  Everyone is very engaged and doing their best work on these books.  We are looking forward to sharing these with our families next Friday.  Invitations to this event were sent home in Friday folders today.  We will also be sharing our work from our Mo Willem's unit with other 1st grade classrooms after the break.

We began a new Math unit this week and have spent a lot of time exploring the number line.  We have been developing stronger number sense through this exploration and have been learning about different ways we can use the number line to solve problems.

Thanks so much to everyone who has sent in tooth brushes, tooth paste and dental floss for the "Meet the Needs" food drive here at school.  This year we have many needy families and your donations will have such a positive impact on their lives during the holiday season.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

Week of December 1st

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Firefly enjoyed two field trips this week.  On Wednesday, we went to the Flynn Theater to see Charlotte's Web.  We enjoyed a great show that was very true to the book Charlotte's Web.  On Thursday, we spent our day at Shelburne Farms learning about solids, liquids and gases.  We made pizza dough, sauce and cheese, then combined them all with some delicious veggies to make pizzas.  We spent some time outside exploring the farm and playing games while we were waiting for our pizza to cook.  At the end of our time at Shelburne Farms we had fun singing songs and enjoying our homemade pizza.  Many thanks to all the parents who joined us to chaperone this field trip.

We also spent some time this week getting ready for the Holiday Craft Fair.  We have lots of sparkling candle holders and tea lights to sell. A big thank you to all the families who donated items for our candle holders and photo booth.  We hope to see everyone at the Craft Fair tomorrow.

Have a great weekend,

:)Deb 

Happy Thanksgiving

Today was another Mix-It Up Day.  Our 5th Grade friends joined us in our classroom at the end of the day to participate in some fun Red Ribbon Week activities.  It's such a beautiful thing to see first graders and fifth graders building friendships and having fun together!  We colored sneakers which will be spread around the school and pledged how we can be kind to others.  Next time you are in the school look for the sneakers.  Everyone who was in school on Friday made one.  

Please make sure you read the note that came home in your child's Friday folder. It has information about the first week we are back at school and information about the craft fair.  I want to thank parents who made donations for the craft fair and who have volunteered to help out on the day.  Also students will need to bring lunches from home on Wed. and Thur. the week after break.  We are also looking for parents to help out on our Field trip to Shelburne Farms on Thurs, Dec. 4th from 9:15-1:45.  

There will be no share in December because it is a short month.  Also there is no homework going home this week because of the holiday so there won't be any due the first week in December.  

A note from Miss Blair on our team:
There is a family on our team who is going through a difficult time and could use our support. I've seen how powerful this SCS community can be in rallying together to bring people in need faith. After much discussion with the whole staff, we feel the most appropriate way to give this particular family what they need right now is through visa gift cards/grocery store gift cards/gas cards. If you can, please help us to show this remarkable family what it's like to feel the love and support I know we're capable of. Thank you in advance for your kindness.


I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and a nice long break!!

Nancy

Week of November 10th

On Tuesday we had Hands on Nature.  The focus this month was; From standing snags to lying logs, dead wood is essential in a forest, though its importance is often overlooked. As wood decays, a succession of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria come and go, each furthering its decomposition. At every stage, snags and logs are hubs of activity, providing food, shelter, perches, travel corridors and many other functions in the forest ecosystem.  We watched a puppet show where we met some inhabitants of standing snags and rotting logs and learned how they contribute to the process of change and decay.  We had a visit from Dr. VanRottinglog and her time machine and witnessed what happens to a snag and log over a period of time.  We then got to go outside to investigate rotting logs and look for evidence of living things - plants, animals and fungi - that live on or in it.  We then recorded our observations in drawings and words in our Hands on Nature Science Journals.  I'd like to thank Janet, Marcella and Kate for helping us to learn all of this wonderful science.  Check out the photos from Hands on Nature.  

On Tuesday we also had a visitor from CVU's Sport's Leadership group who read some books to the class.  They loved hearing her read.  

This week we have begun to create ebooks with our Small moment stories on ipads. Students are using a program called "Book Creator" to do this.  They are doing a wonderful job!!

In math we continue to focus on adding subtracting and using number stories to help us determine the difference between numbers.  

In Reader's Workshop we are reading lots of Mo Willems books, looking at characters, settings and story order.  

We are looking for help with the Craft Fair for our team.  Please check your child's Friday folder for information about this event.  

Just a reminder that Book orders are due next week.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy






 

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Week of November 3rd

This week we began a unit of study on Mo Willems.  He is the author of the "Knuffle Bunny" series, "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" series, the Piggy and Elephant series and many more.  We learned how he has only been an author for 10 years and was originally a screen writer for film as well as a Stand-up Comedian.  He was inspired by the "Peanuts" comic scrip when he was a kid.  He writes wonderful children's stories that are very humorous.  We will be reading lots of his books and doing various activities.  Below are some of these that we have done so far:

 In math we learned some new games that can be played over and over again in our work places.  This unit is helping us strengthen our strategies for adding and subtracting math facts.

In Writing we are working on editing our Small Moments and will be publishing one next week using an app called "Book Creator" on the ipads.  We will publish another of our small moment stories in December and will pick a date to share both of these with families.  Stay tuned for that invitation at the beginning of December.

In Fundations we finished Unit 4 on bonus letters.  Next week we will begin Unit 5 and be learning about the glued sounds "am" and "an".

I sent home our first Scholastic book order forms today.  You can use the link on the blog to order on-line or order from the paper order forms that went home in Friday folders.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

Week of October 27th

I can't believe this is the last week of October.


In math this week we finished up Unit 2.  This week we made a Sea Star quilt and talked about the patterns we could see and practiced counting by 5s.  Here is a picture of what we made:

Next week we will begin Unit 3 which is focused on more adding and subtracting and counting and comparing numbers.

We finished reading aloud the Red Clover books this week.  The winner for our classroom was the book, "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt.  Here is the graph showing our votes:

In Science we continue to learn about Material Engineering for those students in my room who will be looking at how to create mortar that makes strong walls.  In Mrs. KillKelley's room students are learning about, Chemical Engineering and are making playdough and then improving it so it is better.  In Miss Blair's room they are learning about Agricultural Engineering and will be making plant pollinators.

In writing we continue to learn about how to bring our stories to life.  This week we talked about how we can add how people feel or think to bring those stories to life.

I hope everyone has a nice and safe Halloween!!  Don't eat too much candy:)

Enjoy your weekend,
Nancy

Week of October 20th

This week we have continued to read Red Clover Books. The books we have read were "The First Drawing", "The Mighty LaLouche", "Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors", "The Mathbox Diary" and "Papa's Mechanical Fish". with each story we have done an activity. Some examples were creating timelines of Elizabeth Blackwell's life who was the first Women Doctor. This activity was from the story "Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors". We also did an art activity where we crumpled up a piece of paper and used the creases to create a piece of art. This activity was from the story, "The First Drawing". Check out some of the pictures of our work.


In Math we had a wonderful math talk on Wednesday.  It was not part of our lesson but was a great teachable moment.  We came up with our first Generalization of the year.  A generalization in math is "something that is always true".  A question from a student led to a discussion about the numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and which are the answers to our double facts.  We then talked about how they were a skip count pattern or count by 2s pattern.    Then it came out that they were "even" numbers and we talked about what it meant to be an even pattern and that is how our generalization evolved.  We came up with:  "Even numbers always have a partner".  Students were so engaged during this discussion and were proud of the outcome. 


In writer's workshop we are learning about bring life to our stories.  We talked about how we unfreeze characters using pictures and words.  We also talked about how we can use small steps to bring our stories to life. 


If you ordered pictures of your child from our last Photo day, they are in your child's Friday folder.  Picture retake day is on Monday, October 27th.  If you would like your child to have a retake, please send in their original picture packet.  Also if your child did not have their picture taken, this is an opportunity for them to have it done. 


Also I would like to thank parents for coming in and meeting with me for conferences.  It was wonderful to talk with each of you about your child. 


Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

Week of October 6th

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On Tuesday we had Hands on Nature.  We learned about soil.  We learned that it is made up of air, water, organic materials and rocks & minerals.  Students had the opportunity to examine worms.  They got to dissect soil and talk about the 4 elements that are found in the soil.  They then created a picture of the layers of soil and used mud like water colors to paint it.

In math we have been looking at fact families.  These are equations made up of 2 addition facts with all 3 of the numbers and 2 subtraction facts.  We learned that there was an exception though.  Double facts only have 2 equations in their fact family.

In Fundations we have started learning about digraphs.  Digraphs are 2 letters that make one sound.  They are sh, ch, th, wh and ck.  We also learned 4 new trick words.

In Reader's Workshop we talked about how good readers infer (use their schema, pictures and other words read to help them know what a word means) and how they use mental images to picture what they are reading or is being read to them.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

Week of September 29th

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On Tuesday we went to Shelburne Farms as a Team.  We broke up into small groups and went on a scavenger hunt and then met back at the Farmyard to play with the animals.  It was a lot of fun. 

In math we have been working with dominoes to help us with math facts and to compare numbers.  In Reader's Workshop we are continuing with lessons to help us become better readers.  In writer's workshop we are writing some wonderful small moments. 

On Wednesday we saw the movie "Born to be Wild".  A mother from Miss Blair's classroom came in to talk to us about being an activist and the importance of helping all animals.  She is an activist for elephantsdc.org.  Their logo is "E is for Elephants, Not Extinction!"

On Thursday we had a presentation from PTO for the giftwrap Fundraiser.  These packets were sent home in your child's Friday Folder.  Please help your child to remember to return their Friday folders every Thursday.

Next week we have Hands on Nature on Tuesday.  We will be learning about life in the dirt. 

Don't forget to sign up for conferences on Monday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 14th.

Have a great weekend,


Nancy

Hands on Nature - September 2014

This free slideshow customized with Smilebox This week we learned about ecosystems and habitats in Hands On Nature.  We talked about food chains and learned about herbivores and carnivores.  We ventured outside and created a food chain, and looked for leaves that showed evidence that insects had been eating them.  We discovered many different leaves that had been eaten by insects. In math, we are finishing up Unit One and will begin a new unit about math fact strategies using dice and dominoes next week.  In Writer's workshop we are continuing with the "Small Moments" unit.  Today we began writing our first stories.  Everyone is off to a great start.  In Reader's Workshop we talked about Characters and Setting and began to get our reading groups established and running smoothly. On Tuesday, September 30th, the Firefly Team will be going on a field trip to Shelburne Farms.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather that day.  I would also like to remind everyone to go onto our team web-page and sign up for an October conference. Have a wonderful weekend, Nancy

Fire Safety

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Fire Prevention and Week of Sept. 15th

This week the Shelburne Fire Department visited our school to teach us about fire prevention.  They talked to us about ways we can keep ourselves safe in a fire and the difference between tools and toys.  We practiced crawling through a smoke house and "Stop, Drop and Roll".  We also had fun learning about their fire truck and had an opportunity to climb in the back seat of the truck.  It was a great morning of learning for us.  Check out the photos on the smile box.

We began our first Science Units this week.  During this time all the Firefly classes have been blended together and regrouped.  We will be studying three units this year.  In my classroom, students will be learning about changes in the earth and Materials Engineering by using the engineering process to build walls. Mrs. KillKelley is teaching a unit called A Work in Process:   Improving a Play Dough Process.  Students will learn about solids, liquids and Chemical Engineering through this unit.   Miss Blair will be teaching a plant unit that will teach students about Agricultural Engineering and give them the opportunity to use the engineering process to create bee pollinators.  We will be switching units about every 12 weeks this year.

During Reader's Workshop we worked on finding "Just Right" books to put in our book boxes.  The class used the 5 finger test to find the books that would help improve their reading.  In Fundations, we finished Unit 1 which entailed learning how to write each of the lower case letters in the alphabet and reviewed letter sounds and key words to help remember those sounds.  Next week we will begin unit 2 which focused on practicing spelling CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words.  We will practice these words by tapping out the sounds we hear with our fingers, then writing them.

This week we also wrapped our "All About Me" collages we made on the iPads.  The students used an app called Pic collage to make these.  I will be exploring the best possible way to share these with parents soon!  They did a great job and were very engaged during this time.

Math continues to be focused on decomposing and recomposing numbers to 20.  We have been using number racks, tens frames, tally marks and other models to show numbers in different ways and find different ways to make numbers.  The Habits of Mind and Interaction we are working hard on right now are "Justifying Our Thinking" and "Listening to Understand".  We are practicing "revoicing" our partners ideas to make sure we are focused on these to habits.

Monday is picture day!  Please check this week's Friday Folder for the picture paperwork your child needs to bring back to school on Monday.  Tuesday is Hands On Nature day.  We will probably be going outside for part of this lesson, so make sure your child comes to school prepared to do so.

It was nice to see so many families at Curriculum Night!  If you were unable to attend, there is a Curriculum Packet in this week's Friday Folder that includes any curriculum information you need to know about first grade.  I have also posted the Powerpoint from the evening on our Team Webpage.  Also the link for signing up for October conferences is live so you can go on and sign-up.  It can be found on this page as well as our Team page on the SCS website.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

PTO Notes and News for Sept. 2014

PTO NOTES & NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 2014

PLEASE HELP!

Visit the following link and sign up to volunteer for something that fits into your schedule!    This on-line sign up has replaced the paper sign up that we have used in the past. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AlIV5TlL1TUvdDA0MXhsUDNqbnNuYUFNOS1XU1o2TXc&usp=sharing

Stay up to date with PTO happenings by:

•   'Liking' us on Facebook (Shelburne Community School PTO)

•   Joining our list serve (a place to post announcements and help wanted--think of it as Front Porch Forum without the discussions).  Contact Courtney Tharpe to sign up: ctharpe25@gmail.com

•   Visit the PTO page at scsvt.org.

Mark your calendar

10/3 - Fall Fundraiser begins--packets will go home with every student

10/8 - Walking Wednesdays begin!  Meet on the town green by Church Street and walk to                        school.  Sponsored by the Wellness Committee

10/11 - Newberry Cup Bakesale--please contact Dawn Fragola dawn.fragola@vtmednet.org if                 you can donate baked goods and/or help staff the table

10/21 6:30-7:30pm -  Unified Arts curriculum night

Help wanted

•   Flower gardens--contact Lisa Williams lisawvt@hotmail.com if you are interested in helping to maintain the flower gardens

•   CY Mentoring Program.  Meet once a week with a 5-8 grader and build a friendship throughout the year! Contact Alice abrown@cssu.org

•   Everybody Wins! Literacy mentoring program.  Read and talk with a 2-5 grader Tuesdays at lunchtime.  Contact Jen jmarx88@yahoo.com

•   Help shelve books in the library!  Very flexible.  Contact Fran Brennan fbrennan@cssu.org

Highlights of Principal's report

•   Thanks to custodians for their hard work over the summer--moving 39 rooms!!

•   Thanks to PTO for helping to fund middle school team building event (UVM ropes course)

•   Strong turnout for middle school sports! 

•   Part2 was a great success last year, and is going strong.  4 Part2 staff members are now supervising recess for all students during the school day. 

Fundraising updates

•   Soccer concessions:  The PTO will be selling coffee, water and Gatorade at some soccer games.  If it goes well we will do more next year.  Want to help?  C:  catecdesign@gmail.com 

•   Fall Fundraiser - This will include Genevieve's gifts and gift wrap, holiday and all occasion custom photo cards, Boston Coffee Cakes, Vermont-made food items, and much more!  80% of the proceeds that each team raises during this fundraiser go directly back to that team.  The remaining 20% is split between the Unified Arts programs and the PTO.  Please look for packets to come home on 10/3!

•   School Directory - This will be distributed to each SCS family in mid October.  Local businesses pay $35 to be listed in the business section of the directory.  Please thank these businesses and let them know you appreciate their support! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE DIRECTORY, OR IF YOUR INFORMATION WAS LISTED INCORRECTLY OR HAS CHANGED FROM LAST YEAR, PLEASE EMAIL CORRINE!  corrinel@usa.net

•   Direct donations are coming in, and total $1,425 so far. 

•   Price Chopper Tools for Schools--If you shop at Price Chopper, please register your card, and a portion of your purchases are automatically donated to the PTO (funds raised in the past have helped purchase supplies for the library)  To register go to:  http://www.pricechopper.com/savings/tools-for-schools    School Code: 15260

•   Hannafords Helps Schools--Now through 12/6, for every 4 participating products purchased in one transaction, you will earn a certificate worth $3.  Put those certificates in the Shelburne Community School slot in the kiosk (on Shelburne Road) or bring them to the main office.  For more information and a full list of participating products, go to: http://www.hannaford.com/content.jsp?pageName=HHS&leftNavArea=AboutLeftNav

•   We love to shop local, but if you also shop at Amazon, please enter the site using this link: http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=shelbcommusch-20 and proceed as you normally would.  When you do, a portion of your purchase will automatically be donated to the PTO.  You must enter Amazon's website through this link each time.  The link can also be found on the PTO page of the SCS website. 

•   Box Tops for Education--You will find box tops on various General Mills products.  See boxtops4education.com for more details.  We earn 10 cents for every box top collected, which helps fund the Hands On Nature program (PTO pays for 1/3, school pays 1/3, box tops 1/3).  Please cut them out and drop them in your child's team collection box or in the main office.

Fund spending update

•       Visiting Artist program - We voted to contribute $3000 towards funding the Flynn Arts Words Come Alive program which will benefit teachers and students in grades K-8.

•       The PTO contributed $2000 towards a Middle School Team Building Event which each middle school team is participating in at the UVM ropes course this month.

•       The PTO is contributing $5000 to the new playground which will be installed next summer.

Thank you to:

-Lori Roberts for designing the Shelburne Community Days flyer, as well as the PTO web page!

-Sherry Senior for the awesome back to school bulletin board outside the main office!

-Valerie Richardson, along with all who contributed food and help, for coordinating a much                        appreciated Teacher's Breakfast!

-All of the first day/week greeters who helped students feel welcome and find their way

Week of September 8th

We finished our first full week of school.  We are continuing to get to know each other and learning the expectations in the classroom.

This week we finished our "All About Me" butterflies and our excited for our families to see them at Curriculum night.  They are hanging around our classroom.  They are beautiful and colorful.  We have also been sharing our "Me"museums at share time to get to know each other.

In math we are learning about number sense and looking for structure on ten frames and double ten frames to identify numbers and addition facts.

In writing we have been working on a project to help us come up with ideas that we will be able to write stories about through the year.  We are also continuing to learn about routines for writer's workshop.

In reader's workshop we are also learning about routines and choosing "Just Right" books.  Hopefully we will be able to begin using our book boxes next week and choosing books from the library instead of the pre-chosen books in the baskets.

Next week we are beginning our first Science units.  Students in this class will be divided into 3 groups and mixed in with the rest of the Firefly Team.  Each teacher will be teaching a science topic and children will rotate through the 3 classrooms throughout the school year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

Week of September 1st

We have finished our 2nd week of school and we are starting to get to know each other a little better.  We have started following our regular schedule for the most part.  We began math, writer's workshop and reader's workshop along with our "All About Me/Community" unit.  In reader's and writer's workshop we are in the beginning stages of getting used to routines and what it means to read and write.  I have begun assessments in reading so that I can begin reading groups in a few weeks.

In math we are working on the first unit which focuses on numbers all around us.  We made a popsicle graph of our favorite flavor of a twin pop and counted by 2s to see what the total number of popsicle sticks were in each row and total.  We have also been practicing making tally marks and counting by 5s.

In our "All About Me/Community" unit, we are beginning to make butterflies that will tell information about each of us.  When they are finished, they will hang in our rooms.  Next week we will begin making collages on ipads to tell about ourselves.

Please remember to return your student information sheets and health forms to the front office.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

Welcome to a New School Year!

It has been so wonderful this week beginning to get to know each of your children.  They are a fabulous group!

This week we did some activities to begin learning about each other.  We drew self portraits which you can see right outside of our classroom on the bulletin board.  We created a "Classroom Promise" together and made hands with our names to sign it.  We also came up with a hope or dream for this year in school.  These are displayed on the line in our classroom.  We also got together as a whole team several times and heard stories, played games and had various greetings that we did as we try to learn names and get to know one another.  Students are excited to be able to go between rooms for Choice Time that we will begin slowly next week.

Friday folders went home today with our class schedule and September share in it.  Folders are due back by next Thursday.  They may bring them back to school sooner if they would like as there is no homework to be returned.  Homework will begin after we have had our Curriculum night which is Wednesday, September 17th.  It will begin in our team space at 5 pm and then we will head to the cafeteria with all other first and second grade parents.  This date is incorrect on the school calendar.  It had to be changed and was never updated on the calendar.

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend.  I look forward to seeing all of your children again on Tuesday.

Have fun,
Nancy

Happy Summer!!!

I can't believe the year is over.  I want to thank all of you for letting me have the opportunity to teach your children this year.  I am sad that I only got to spend this year with them.  You have wonderful children and I will miss them very much!

There is a CD with a slideshow of pictures from our year together in your child's Friday folder.  Please enjoy this.  I showed it to the class today.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer.  Please make sure to keep in touch.

Wishing You All The Best,
Nancy

Summer Reading Ideas

Click on the link below for Summer Reading ideas:


Summer Reading

Field Day 2014

This digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox Field Day was a huge success.  The weather held out and it didn't rain.  I'd like to thank our parents

 who came to help out.  We couldn't have done it without you!!  The class had a wonderful time.

Sharing our Learning of Long Ago vs. Today

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Garderning at SCS

A slideshow design by Smilebox This week we had the opportunity to plant in the garden with Vicky.  We planted summer squash and zucchini.  They are located in the boxes closest to the breezeway.  Hopefully we will see them begin to sprout sometime next week.  We got to water the gardens as well.  Everyone had a great time doing this. They also got to taste chives from the garden if they wanted to.   Please check backpacks for a letter that went home about next week.  I can't believe it is our last week together:( Have a wonderful weekend, Nancy

Jog-a-thon Day!

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Enjoy our Jog-a-thon Day Slide show!  Everyone really enjoyed this day.  It was so much fun.

I can't believe we only have 2 more weeks of school left together.  Don't forget about our Team Picnic on Tuesday, June 3rd at 4:30 pm.  Bring your own picnic dinner.  We will provide dessert for everyone and celebrate our Summer Birthdays.  Mrs. Garvey will be joining us on this evening.  

Have a wonderful weekend,

Nancy

Shelburne Farms Field Trip May 23rd

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First Two Weeks of May

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1st Two Weeks of May

The school is hosting Movement May this month.  There is an emphasis throughout the school to incorporate more movement into our classrooms.  Each day our class has been doing Just Dance videos to get up and get moving so our minds are ready to learn for math.  On Thursday of this week, we had the privilege of doing Zumba with Miss Niles.  The class really enjoyed this activity.  The day of the Jog-a-thon we will be learning how to hula hoop.  The students are looking forward to this added activity each day. (Check out some of our photos in the smilebox.)

Last week on Tuesday we had Hands on Nature.  Students learned about the life cycle of a frog, toad and the red newt.  We also learned that each of these animals is an amphibian.  They saw a puppet show, heard different frog calls, broke up in to groups to put one of the amphibian's life cycles in order and then headed outside to see if they could find frog eggs.

We are on our last unit in math.  This unit focuses on change.  In our first module we looked at elapsed time and how long a second is, a minute and an hour.  Then we looked at how numbers change through a homemade change container and looked for the rule of how the numbers were changing.  Now we are moving on to looking at how paper gliders change position.  The last section we will cover at the end of the month is how we have changed since we were a baby. 

In writing we finished our opinion pieces last week and shared on Friday in small groups.  They did a nice job on these pieces.  You will see them in their portfolios when they come home at the end of the year.  This week we began a unit on poetry.  Write now we are learning about how it is written.  Next week we will begin writing some of our own poems.

Next Friday, May 23rd,  we will be going to Shelburne Farms to learn about things from long ago.  This is the unit we have started in Social Studies.  Students will need to bring a lunch on that day as we will be eating at Shelburne Farms.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

May PTO Notes & News

Join the PTO List Serve - think of this as Front Porch Forum specific to Shelburne Community School, a periodic digest of announcements, help wanted and other topics. It can allow for more timely, easy managed communication within the school and parent community, for key subjects such as upcoming happenings (budget forum, school play, soccer tryouts, get out the vote, etc.),  as well as help wanted (‘we could use a hand with International Pot Luck cleanup’, mentoring volunteers wanted, etc.), among other relevant topics.

The list serve is available for everyone to post to.  If you would like to be added to the List Serve, please e-mail Courtney Tharpe at ctharpe25@gmail.com.

Fundraising Update      

▪ Red Wagon Plant Sale – we had more than 100 families participate and we raised over $1,600!!

▪ Amazon – the PTO has made almost $600 so far this year.  So please remember, if you shop on AMAZON please take an extra step and enter the site through the link on the PTO page.  The PTO will earn up to 15% of your purchases!  Please remember that you need to use this link each time you shop for the PTO to benefit.

▪ Comedy Night – was a great evening with roughly 75-80 in attendance from Shelburne and Charlotte!

▪ Shelburne Community Night at the Lake Monsters Game – Friday, June 27^th.  Come celebrate the summer with Shelburne Community School students, family and friends!   Tickets will be available for purchase at the end of May.


Help Wanted                                                                                                                                                 
▪ Red Wagon Plant Distribution – help with unloading and distributing the Red Wagon plant delivery on May 22^nd at the school.  Contact Courtney Tharpe at ctharpe25@gmail.com if you are able to help anytime between 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm.

▪ Breezeway Gardens and Grounds – we could use some help tending to the breezeway gardens and grounds.  If you are interested, please contact Lisa Williams at lisawvt@hotmail.com

▪ Jog-A-Thon –lots of different ways you can be involved from 9:00 am – 1:30 pm on May 27^th.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Randy Sweeney at sweeneyrs@gmail.com

Highlights from Principals Report
▪ Anti-bullying Middle School Art Display throughout the hallway between Winton and Symphony.  Over 200 individually decorated puzzle pieces represent how we are all unique and yet can come together to play a role in creating a strong, unified community.
▪Cabaret night was a great event, lots of great participation and raised money for the wind ensemble to go to Montreal and for the chorus to travel to NYC
▪Movement May!  Lots of great activities: walk to school Wednesdays! Bike to school Thursday. Zumba before NECAPS
▪Great trip to Montreal for Wind Ensemble: performing in 2 schools and Notre Dame Cathedral
▪ Chorus also traveled to NYC to a festival

Mark Your Calendars     

▪ Walk to School Wednesday’s in May – meet at the Parade Ground

▪ May 22^nd – Red Wagon order pick up from 3- 6 pm
▪ May 27^th – Jog-A-Thon (rain date May 28^th)
▪ June 27^th – Shelburne Community Night at the Lake Monsters Game  

Our last meeting of the year will be held on June 3^rd @ 3:00 pm where we will gather with teachers and peers to celebrate the end of the year.  Feel free to bring some goodies to share with everyone. 

Week of April 28th

Welcome Back to everyone! I hope everyone had a relaxing and fun vacation.

This week we are wrapping up Unit 7.  We were looking at place value this week using dimes and pennies.  Next week we will begin our last unit, Unit 8.  We will be learning about time, and measurement in this last unit.

We are finishing up unit 11 in Fundations where we learned about multisyllabic words and the ending -ic.  Students will be assessed on this unit Monday and then we will begin Unit 12.  In Unit 12 we will learn about the suffix -es.

On Thursday we went and saw "Pilobolus" at the Flynn Theater.  A sheet with questions to talk to your children about the show went home in their Friday folders.  It was a very interactive show of different kinds of unique dance.  Talk to your child about the show.  They really enjoyed it.  Ask them about the table camera and screen dance.  They really loved that one.

In science we finished up our Mechanical Engineering unit.  Students designed windmill blades and tested them to see if they would turn.  If they didn't they would go back and modify them until they did work and then tested how strong they were by adding washers to the cup to see if the blades would still turn with the wind blowing on them.  These windmills went home today.  Check out some pictures below.

Have a great weekend,
Nancy

Seussical Companion Workshop and Testing our Sails in Science

This photo slideshow made with Smilebox

Week of April 7th

This week on Tuesday we had "Hands on Nature". A huge thank-you goes out to Roxanne, Lynn and Trish for coming in and teaching the class about animal disguises. The class saw a puppet show which taught them about the different types of animal disguises. Some animals have colors that help them blend in to their environment. Other animals have special colors that warn animals that they do not taste good or they might be stung. We went outside and participated in two activities. Both activities taught the students that it's easier to find things when they don't blend in to their environment.

This week in math we have talked about Hansel & Gretel and discussed paths and how to identify 2 digit numbers efficiently on the path.  Their were 3 types of markings along the paths.  Pebbles marked every 10 steps, pine cones marked every 5 steps and bread crumbs marked every step.  Ask your child to explain how they identified the various steps along the different paths. 

In writing this week we talked about how people don't always have the same opinion about things.  Students looked at each other's collections  and found a collection to write about where they did not agree with the owner's choice in the best object.  They wrote about which item they thought was the best and why. 

Next week we will be going to the Flynn on Wednesday to see "Seussical".  On Friday the Flynn will come to us and do a little workshop that connects with the play we will have seen on Wednesday. 

Next week will be our last week of homework for the year.  When we come back from vacation there will be no more homework assignments.  I believe it's important as the year is winding down and the weather becomes nicer, that students have the opportunity to get outside and play.  I want to thank the class for being so diligent about their homework and turning it in each week. 

This will be the last blog post until after vacation as well.  I will be leaving directly after school on Friday for vacation and will not have the time to post until we return.  I hope that everyone has a wonderful break!!

Have a great weekend,
Nancy

Hands on Nature

Another free picture slideshow by Smilebox

April PTO Notes

Join the PTO List Serve - think of this as Front Porch Forum specific to Shelburne Community School, a periodic digest of announcements, help wanted and other topics. It can allow for more timely, easy managed communication within the school and parent community, for key subjects such as upcoming happenings (budget forum, school play, soccer tryouts, get out the vote, etc.),  as well as help wanted (‘we could use a hand with International Pot Luck cleanup’, mentoring volunteers wanted, etc.), among other relevant topics.

If you would like to be added to the List Serve, please e-mail Courtney Tharpe at ctharpe25@gmail.com.

Fundraising Update                                                                                                                 

• Red Wagon Plant Sale – order packets have gone home and orders are due back Friday, April 11^th.  The plants can be picked up on Thursday, May 22^nd from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm.  If you need a copy of the order form, you can find it here:
• https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1IV5TlL1TUvRjNwWXlPN0psYm8/edit

▪ Amazon – the PTO has made over $500 so far this year.  So please remember, if you shop on AMAZON please take an extra step and enter the site through the link on the PTO page.  The PTO will earn up to 15% of your purchases!  Please remember that you need to use this link each time you shop for the PTO to benefit.

▪ Comedy Night  – Back by Popular Demand – The Comedy Divas are sponsoring another comedy show to benefit the Charlotte and Shelburne PTOs.  The event will be held at the Old Lantern in Charlotte on Friday, May 9 at 7:30 pm. The show will feature local Comedy Divas, Josie Leavitt, Tracie Spencer, Autumn Engroff Spencer and Sue Schmidt.

This is an adult only event and tickets are $20 and can be purchased:
                - online at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-night-of-comedy-tickets-6632962369
                - at The Flying Pig bookstore or at the door the night of.

▪ Shelburne Community Night at the Lake Monsters Game – Friday, June 27^th.  Come celebrate the summer with Shelburne Community School students, family and friends!   Tickets will be available for purchase at the end of May.

Fund Spending
▪ March Grant Meeting – The PTO Spring Grant Committee met and distributed $5000 in grants to teachers and staff!  Some of the great things we've funded are:  new choral microphones for the music department, a new camera and lenses for the art department, a theatre-in-action workshop on bullying for all students in 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grades, and new eBooks for the library.

Help Wanted                                                                                                                                                 
▪ Red Wagon Plant Delivery – help with unloading and distributing the Red Wagon plant delivery on May 22nd.  Contact Courtney Tharpe at ctharpe25@gmail.com if you are able to help anytime between 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm.

▪ Gift Wrap Fundraiser Co-Chair – if you are interested in helping organize the Gift Wrap fundraiser next October, please contact Randy Sweeney at sweeneyrs@gmail.com

▪ School Directory – if you are interested in helping with the school directory (entering/editing data), please contact Randy Sweeney at sweeneyrs@gmail.com.  This is a job that can be done at home and doesn’t require you being at school.

 

Highlights from Principals Report
▪ VT Writes Day Celebration: everyone in the school wrote for 7 minutes and shared them all over the building. Quite a sight! 500+ pieces of writing
▪ Winter Band Concert and Stage Band and Cabaret night in the last month were fantastic
▪ Wind Ensemble off to Montreal on 4/9-10
▪ School received an award for energy efficiency from the Vermont Legislature
▪ Joplin James awarded Aw Shucks award for his selfless dedication to the school
▪ Book Fair was a huge success, selling $17,000 in books
▪ End of year schedule: graduation on Thursday 12 June, last day for K-7 13-June
▪ Facilities: new plans are being put in place to hire an architect firm to develop a rough plan to improve the school facilities in a major way.  A presentation will be made on May 13^th at 7:00 pm after PTO meeting from the facilities committee. 

Mark Your Calendars

▪ April 11^th – Red Wagon orders due

▪ May 9^th – Comedy Night Fundraiser @ 7:30 at the Old Lantern

▪ May 13^th – Staff Appreciation Luncheon

▪ May 22^nd – Red Wagon order pick up from 3- 6 pm
▪ May 27^th – Jog-A-Thon (rain date May 28^th)
▪ June 27^th – Shelburne Community Night at the Lake Monsters Game 

Walk/Bike to school Wednesday’s in May – meet at the Parade Grounds

We look forward to seeing you next month at the PTO meeting on May 13^th at 6:00 pm in the Alpha Space.  Pizza and Babysitting are provided!

Week of March 31st

This week in Science we looked at simple machines and talked about what mechanism is used to operate and what the advantages to using the machine are and what the disadvantages are.  The machines we looked at were a can opener, glue stick, mechanical pencil and a hand held beater. 

In math we started a new unit this week.  We are using popsicle sticks to help us add 2 digit numbers together.  We used unifix cubes to help us subtract tens from a 2 digit number.  Next week we will focus on counting (by various jumps such as 2s, 5s, etc.), reading and writing to 120. 

In writing we are continuing to write about our collections.  I hope to wrap of this portion of our opinion writing next week and then move on to writing reviews about their favorite places in Shelburne. 

Next week is our 1/2 Music Concert.  The date was changed to April 10th at 6:30 pm in the gym.  We have been practicing singing the songs this week during Morning meeting.  We will continue to practice next week and I look forward to hearing all of the first and second grade classes singing together.  I hope you can make it to the concert. 

Have a wonderful weekend,
Nancy

Petting Zoo, Concert and our Penguin Pairs

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