Making Gingerbread Houses

We made amazing foam gingerbread houses last Friday! I am sure you have already seen your child's house come home.  Here are some photos from all of our fun!

Gingerbread Fred!

We have read some great gingerbread books and we are so excited to have a new friend that has joined our class! Gingerbread Fred is our new classmate in Room 9 and he loves learning with us!  Each night, Gingerbread Fred is invited to go home with one lucky student.  While Fred is at your house, your child has to write a summary of what he/she did with Gingerbread Fred and return it to school the next day.  One perk to receiving Fred, is that your child doesn't have to do their regular homework that night (but they are welcome to because Fred loves doing homework!)  Every child will get a chance to take Fred home before the holiday break.  Meet Fred!

Gingerbread

We have been reading many gingerbread books and comparing the similarities and differences between the various texts.  We have talked about a Venn diagram and had lots of practice filling one out.  We have also had some great discussions about what a strong comparison is verses a weak comparison.  After we read each book, we filled in a big grid that we referred to often! Here is a picture of our hard work!

 This is just SOME of our Gingerbread Books!

Look at this amazing grid comparing all of the gingerbread books that we read!

Hamburger Writing

We have been learning a new type of writing this week!  We have been learning to write a constructed response after reading a book.  This is a very regimented writing style.  The first paragraph has an opening sentence with the title of the book and the author as well as the most important sentence, the focusing sentence.  The second paragraph has 3 examples from the text that support the focusing sentence. The last paragraph has a personal connection and the closing sentence.  I use a picture of a hamburger to visually teach this writing skill.  This is something that we will work on all year.

• the top bun is the opening sentence and the focusing sentence
• the tomato is the first example
• the lettuce is the second example
• the burger is the third example
• the bottom bun is the connection and the closing sentence

Here is an example of a constructed response I wrote about the book Amelia Bedelia.

     I read the book Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish. Amelia is very silly!  One example that shows Ameila is silly is she changed the towels in the bathroom by cutting them into pieces!  Another example that shows Ameila is silly is she put dusting powder all over the furniture instead of wiping the dust off.  The last example that shows that Amelia is silly is she sat down and drew a picture of the curtains instead of closing them to keep the sun out.  I am sometimes silly when I tell jokes with my daughters.  I have shown you three ways that Amelia is silly.

Burnham Library Visit

Last week, we walked to the Burnham Library to meet with Hannah, the children's librarian.  She gave us an amazing tour of the library, read us a great book, showed us how to use the computer to locate books, and then we are able to browse through the books.  Everyone's behavior was amazing and we had a fabulous time!  Here are some photos from our adventures!!



We walked very safely to the Library with our partners!





We all found successful seats and waited for Hannah to read us a story.





Hannah was doing a book talk on the book she was going to read. Look at the amazing listening ears!



Hannah is such an amazing and entertaining reader!



Students had a really great time browsing through the books and finding one to check out!



Three Brothers/UMS PTO

Today, Monday, November 5th is Three Brother's Night.  If you order dinner and either eat in or take out, a percentage of the profits are donated to the UMS PTO.  Three Brother's Pizza is located in the Sunny Hollow dip near Costco.  Let Three Brother's make your dinner tonight!

Conference Time/No School

Conferences are being held on Monday, November 19th from noon until 8:00 p.m. and Tuesday, November 20th from 8:00 a.m. until noon.  I will be sending a reminder notice home this week with the time of your conference.  I look forward to meeting with you and discussing your child's progress.

There is NO SCHOOL Monday, November 19th through Friday, November23rd.  School will resume on Monday, November 26th.  Enjoy your holiday break!

Burnham Memorial Library Field Trip

On Friday, November 9. 2012 we will be walking to the Burnham Memorial Library.  We will be leaving at 8:50 and walking the short distance.  While we are there, we will meet the Children's Librarian, take a tour of the library, listen to some stories, and maybe even browse through the books.  Reading is an imperative skill and we want to encourage children to read, write, and enjoy the process.  We will return in time for lunch. 

If there is a light rain, we will still walk so make sure that your child is dressed appropriately with hat, mittens, rain coat or winter coat, and boots if it is wet.  If the weather is too severe, we won't go.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me!

Harvest Celebration

We had a great Halloween Harvest Celebration on Wednesday, October 31, 2012.  We had a great day full of fun and surprises and we ended our day with yummy treats and a spooky story.  Believe it or not, I DID HAVE MY CAMERA!! Here are some pictures of us celebrating!

I also want to send a heartfelt thank you to all of the parents that were able to come and celebrate with us! It made our afternoon even more special!  I would also like to extend a HUGE thank you to Jenn Kerner and Kristin Allard for organizing the food for us!

Lake Champlain Watershed

We had Colleen Hickey come today from the Lake Champlain Basin Science Center. She taught us all about pollution and run off from the land that can pollute Lake Champlain.  Some of the major lake pollutants are:

• soil
• animal feces
• oil
• pesticides
• grass

She used an amazing model of the Lake Champlain Watershed and each student had a turn to "pollute" different areas of the map.  Then we had an amazing rain storm that showed how pollutants are washed into the Lake.

Lastly, we talked about all of the animals that rely on the lake just like we do! Everyone had so much fun with the presentation and our behavior was amazing!  This was a great presentation that really help us to understand how our actions can effect the lake!

Fire Safety Week

On Thursday, October 18th, the Colchester Fire Fighters came to UMS to talk about Fire Safety week!  We had a great discussion on the signs that we would see if there was a fire as well  as what to do if you are in a building that is on fire. We also talked about what to do if our clothes catch on fire.  It is a little different than what I learned in school years ago. Now the firefighters taught us to stop, drop, cover your face, and roll.  One of our students even demonstrated this for us.  One of the best parts of the presentation was watching a fire fighter get dressed up in all of his proctective fire gear.  When a fire fighter is fully dressed, they can look a little scary so it was good for the students to watch the process.  The fire fighter even showed how he would crawl around the room and call out to see if anyone was in the house. We ended the presentation by going outside to look at and sit in a real fire truck!  We received coloring book, pencils, and a notepad from the Colchester fire fighters! It was a very informative and important presentation.  Thank you Colchester Fire Fighters!

Lake Champlain

After we left Mazza's, we traveled to Bayside Park to talk about and observe Lake Champlain.  We have been busy learning all about Lake Champlain and how it helps our community of Colchester. We have talked about 6 ways that Lake Champlain helps our town.  They are:

• exercise (swimming, kayaking, triathalon, parasailing)
• food (fish, rice)
• transportation by boat or ferry or kayak to NY
• water (our water in Colchester comes from Lake Champlain)
• visitors/tourism (triathalon, boat races, ice hockey tournament, vacation)
• fun (swimming, boating, picnics, just looking at the lake)

After talking about the ways that Lake Champlain helps us, we talked a little bit about Samuel de Champlain, who discovered and named Lake Champlain. Lastly, everyone was given time to look at and sketch the Lake. We noticed boats, bouys, birds, sand, and the beautiful mountains of NY from across the lake! We had a great time and we had a wonderful discussion about our lake!  We were then lucky to have a few minutes to burn some energy at the playground!

Again, I will post these pictures when I figure out how to do that!

Mazza's Pumpkin Patch

Last Monday, October 15th, we traveled to Sam Mazza's farmstand to pick pumpkins and eat a cider donut with cider.  I forgot my camera at home (which has been the story of my life all week!) so I was able to capture some amazing pictures using my telephone! However, I have no idea how to pull the pictures from my phone and add them to my blog. My husband has promised to help me but we have been busy getting ready for a family wedding this weekend.  That being said, I decided to tell you about some amazing experiences we have had in room 9 and just add the pictures when I am able to!

When we arrived at Mazza's, two classes went  to pick pumpkins while we were invited to sample delicious cider donuts and cider.  We even all received a sticker!  The donuts were a BIG hit, and the cider was liked by most.  Once it was our turn to pick pumpkins, the hayride through the "spooky woods" was a definite highlight.  Everyone picked  great pumpkins and everyone was so respectful and kind to every adult at Mazza's.  I was so proud of everyone's behavior and everyone had a great time!!

Open House

This Thursday, October 4th is Open House at Union Memorial School!  It will start at 6:30 and run until 7:30.  It is very informal so you can come and go at your leisure.  The students have been very busy completing projects to share with you during Open House!  Each student will have a scavenger hunt full of items to show you!  I hope to see everyone there!

Open House 

Date: Thursday, October 4th

Time: 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Where: Union Memorial Elementary School

Visit your child's classroom as well as other specials like library and art!

Book Fair

Mrs. Flangan will be hosting a book fair in the UMS library during the week of October 29th.  Each class will get an opportunity to "book browse" and look at all of the books in the book fair.  There are hundreds of books at many different levels that the students can purchase, if you are interested.  More information will be coming home soon!

SWR - Spelling, Writing, and Reading

Hello!  Now that we have started the second grade curriculum, I wanted to take some time to fill you in on some of our academic subjects. I will start with our spelling block, also referred to as our SWR time.   We have SWR time for 30 minutes a day.

I begin each week with a pretest so I can check which students already know the skill and which students need more support.  I use this information to tailor my instruction for the week. After our pretest, the entire class completes a worksheet and talks about the rule.  We brainstorm words that fit in this rule and we spell them together.  We practice for 20 minutes so that everyone knows and understands the rule.

Once I have looked at the pretest, I arrange the students into one of three groups, depending on their familiarity with the current spelling rule.  On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the students rotate through various activities.  One day, your child will meet with me to review and work on the spelling skill, another day they will independently complete a worksheet or word sort that reviews our skill, and lastly they will play a game that reinforces the skill that I am teaching. They will receive LOTS of practice with their spelling skil throughout the weekl. 

Lastly, on Friday, I give a spelling check-in to see who has mastered the spelling skill and who still needs to pracitce it.  The information I gain from the check-in helps me plan my instruction for the coming week.

Every Monday I send home a spelling homework sheet introducing the spelling skill and giving multiple words that fit the spelling rule.  You will also notice a list of red words that we have worked on so far.  Even though there is no homework to return to me, please have your child practice the skill for 5-10 minutes a night.  Some suggested activities are playing "I Spy" and look for words the fit the rule in a book.  You can give your child a spelling test with various words each night.  Your child can pick 3 words from the list and spell 4 rhyming words.  They can write sentences using their red words (look for capitals and periods!).  You can create a word unscramble or a crossword puzzle.  The sky is the limit for ways to practice spelling!  Thanks for your help with this!!

Working Hard!

We have been working very hard and settling into the second grade routine for the last two weeks.  We have created our classroom rules and started to decorate some of the bulletin boards.  I think the children are finally getting used to the fact that I have to talk a lot to explain and review second grade expectations!!

We have started the Everyday Math series and our first math homelink (homework) will go home on Wednesday, September 19th.  Spelling and reading homework have already been sent home.  We are easing into our Reading workshop routine and our current social studies theme is Friendship/Community.  We have been busy little bees for the last 12 days!

Here are some pictures of us learning and having fun!

Small group work with me!

 

 



Playing a sightword game!

 

 



Playing a rhyming game and practicing our partner skills!

 

 



 

Everyone looked amazing on picture day!

 



The First Three Days

Our first week of school was wonderful!!  We were blessed with beautiful weather and 19 excited kids!!  We spent the first three days getting to know each other as well as  learning to work together.  We earned a highly anticipated ice cream sundae party on Friday to cap off all of our wonderful behavior and effort! Here are some pictures!  Everyone was so excited and full of sugar by the time the party was over!

Mr. Antonicci even came to enjoy the fun!  We had a GREAT first week!

News From Mrs. McCleary

Here is a link to Mrs. McCleary's blog with some important information!

http://umsschoolcounseling.blogspot.com

The First Day of School!

Tomorow, August 29th, is the first day of school and I am so excited!  I have so many fun things planned for our first three days together!  We will take time this week to get used to being back in school, learn some new routines, and practice being respectful.  It was so wonderful to see many familiar faces during Open House this morning. I definitely feel less nervous now that I can put a face with each name.  Enjoy your last day of summer and I will see you tomorrow!

Time To Think About School

School is just around the corner so I hope you and your family have enjoyed a relaxing and fun summer!  I have been busy getting our classroom ready for an amazing year!  I wanted to take the time to remind you of two second grade activities happening soon!

1.  Second Grade Curriculum Night for Parents :  The Second Grade Team (Tammy Davis, Debbie Howard, Sherry Thibault, and myself) is hosting a curriculum night on Thursday, August 23rd at 6:30 p.m.  Please meet in my classroom, Room 9.  There will be a brief power point presentation on the curriculum requirements of second grade and then there will be a chance for parents to ask questions.  This is an informal evening for parents, there is no childcare available.  If you can not make it, I will be sending home the same information in your child's green folder on the first day of school.

2.  Second Grade Open House for Students:  On Tuesday, August 28th, there will be an Open House for all incoming second graders. It is from 8:00-9:00 in the morning. This is a very relaxed event. Students can come to our classroom (Room 9) and find their seat, hug friends, and get a little gift!  This is a chance for the students to get familiar with their classroom before the first day of school, which is Wednesday, August 29th!  Hope to see everyone there!

Enjoy the last few days of summer and I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

UMS Field Days

On Wednesday, June 6^th, the entire school will be traveling to Airport Park for our annual UMS Field Day!  We will leave school at 8:45 a.m. and return after lunch.  We will play lots of games and have a picnic lunch.  Parents and siblings are welcome to attend.  Please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately for this event. I recommend sneakers, sunscreen, a sweatshirt, a bottle full of water, and a bag to put it all in! Your child can also bring a towel to sit on if he/she would like.  Many parents bring their child home after this event, and that is fine.  If you plan on bringing your child home after Field Days, please just send me a note!

Second Grade Ice Cream

The second graders will be walking to the Village Scoop on Monday, June 4^th.  The students will have a choice of a small cone with vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, or vanilla/chocolate twist with sprinkles.  There is no cost to you! Yummy!

Fly Up Day at MBS

On Friday, June 1^st, your child will be traveling to MBS to meet his/her new teacher!The second grade classes are leaving UMS at 8:45 a.m. for MBS.  When we get there, everyone will spend some time in their new classroom with their new classmates and teacher.   A note from MBS will be going home with your child on Friday afternoon.  We will return to UMS in time for lunch. This is an exciting day full of new friends and experiences!

Four Winds Day

Last Friday, we had an amazing day!  Laura Labrie and many volunteers created a special science day for the students at UMS!  Each class had the opportunity to rotate through 4 stations that taught us all about ferns! I have never realized how interesting a fern can be!!  Check out our pictures from this fun morning!

 We are learning that there are three types of ferns: once cut, twice cut, and thrice cut ferns!

Everyone had a fern to examine and decide which kind of cut it was.

 We learned a great song about fiddleheads (new fern plants) that goes to the tune of "5 Little Pumpkins".

 Everyone cut a part of a fern and we put them all together to make a beautiful big fern!

Watch the dedication as her fern piece is carefully cut out!

 Everyone is working hard to cut out his/her fern piece.

Then we took a "hike" through the trees behind UMS looking for ferns. 

We found lots of ferns!

 Here is a tiny baby fern, called a fiddlehead!

 Our last station involved painting ferns!

 Everyone is hard at work!

I love how amazing these prints came out! Everyone's print look so different and unique!

Lots of testing

We have been so busy in Room 9 taking tests and writing papers from our third grade teachers! We took a break earlier in the week and just played. Here are some super creative pattern block designs that students created!

 A symmetrical dancing man

 Symmetry

A T-Rex (he's even labeled)

Evan's 50 Miiles

Every recess, the children have an opportunity to run/walk around the playground.  Four times around our playground equals 1 mile.  The current group of second graders have been participating in the running program for 3 years now.  Each year, we keep track of the miles that the students have walked and they can earn a "foot medallion" for each mile.   Last week we had a big celebration in Room 9!  Evan has run every time he participates and this has really helped him rack up the miles! He is the first student in UMS history to have walked/run 50 miles!  He received a special medallion and kudos from Mr. Antonicci!  Way to go Evan!!

Here is Evan holding his BIG foot after running around the playground to reach 50 miles!! We are so proud of you Evan!

Guidance News From Mrs. McCleary

Mrs. McCleary has just finished with the personal safety unit in guidance.  Please check out her blog for more information about what was covered!     https://csdmail.csdvt.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=c934c28fd9d44c638d85e631e2eb568e&URL=http%3a%2f%2fumsschoolcounseling.blogspot.com%2f

Ms. Fournier's last day

4 months seemed to go much more quickly than anyone in Room 9 thought that it would!  Ms. Fournier's last day with us was on Friday, April 20th (which was also her 22nd birthday!).  We celebrated the end of this wonderful experience with a party and a gift for Ms. Fournier. We were also lucky to spend some time with Ms. Fournier's grandparents! They came and spent the afternoon reading with us and Ms. Fournier's grandmother even made everyone cupcakes!  Yummy!

We worked hard all week on making a special bag with everyone's signatures for Ms. Fournier to take to her first job. We filled the bag full of wonderful books and we know that wherever she ends up, she won't forget all of the wonderful students in Room 9!  We will miss her!

Good luck Ms. Fournier!! :)

Pajama day picnic

Friday, April 20th was the last day of spirit week.  We ended the week wearing our favorite pajamas and having a picnic outside.  It was definitely chillier than we thought but we braved the cold for some outside fun. Here are some pictures from our picnic!  Everyone had a blast!