Blog

Mrs. Wilson: Metamorphosis

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

This week, we received our live caterpillars! The children have been observing them each day as they eat and grow bigger and bigger. We’re learning about the life cycle of a butterfly and introducing vocabulary such as egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and metamorphosis. It’s especially fun to hear the children confidently say “metamorphosis”! We’ve also been reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle—my favorite book from childhood—which adds a special touch to our exploration and helps bring the life cycle to life in a fun, familiar way.

On Tuesday, a special guest came in to read. Thank you to Taya’s mom for reading to the children. They sure did love seeing all the ocean animals!

This week’s food tasting was corn on the cob—a new item for our tasting experience! The children explored the different textures of the corn, from the husk and silk to the kernels themselves. It was fun to show them how to shuck the corn, and we even counted together as we removed each layer of husk—there were thirteen pieces on this particular cob! After our exploration, each child had the chance to taste their own piece of corn on the cob. Most of them enjoyed it!

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara

Middle School: Expert Presentations & Garden Party

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Announcements & Upcoming Events:

  • Fri., 5/23 @ 5pm: Spring Concert & Picnic
  • Tues., 5/27-Fri., 5/30: MS Trip (Click Here For Details on Trip, Packing List, & Balance)
  • Week of 6/2: Spirit Week 
  • Wed., 6/4 @ 5pm: Farewell to the Class of 2025 An event hosted by 6th and 7th grade students to honor their graduating classmates. Please plan on attending with your student(s)
  • Thurs., 6/5 @ 5pm: 8th Grade Graduation For 8th grade families and friends at the Newtown Meetinghouse
  • Fri., 6/6: Last Day of School/Dismissal @ 11:30 am

It was a special week for Middle School students, and they had feelings that the year was coming to a close.

First, 8th-grade graduates presented their Expert Project Presentations. The depth of their research, passion for their topics, and bravery in speaking to their audience were certainly impressive. Students spoke for 15-20 minutes about the following topics:

  • From Boneshakers to Mountain Bikes: The Evolution and Impact of the Bicycle
  • The Troubles in Northern Ireland: A Conflict of Identity, Politics, and History
  • Inside the Consumer Mind:  The Psychology Behind Advertising
  • The Use of 3D Printing in Today’s Modern World
  • The Manhattan Project: Building the Atomic Age
  • Leveling Up: The Evolution of Video Games
  • Fishing: Economics, Impact, and the Environment
  • Adventure Aesthetics

Thank you to all the middle school students and families who came to support their peers as they achieved this accomplishment.

Next, it was a fantastic end to the week with the Middle School Garden Party. This fun social event, organized by the 8th-grade Leadership class, had students dressing up, dancing, and playing games. The crowd was lively and on their feet for just about the entire party. Thank you to the parents for contributing to the snacks and treats. A special thank you to the class parents for decorating!

Only a few more weeks remain, and they will be packed with memories as we close the school year.

This Week in Upper El

Posted on by Karen Sankey

Upcoming important dates:

  • Friday, May 23 at 5:00: Spring Concert
  • Tuesday, May 27 – Thursday, May 29: Upper El trip to Nature’s Classroom
  • Monday, June 2: Field Day
  • Friday, June 6: Moving Up Ceremony and Last Day of School

The past week has been quite busy with a mix of math lessons and hands-on activities. We’ve been working hard on comprehension, spelling, and even fine-tuning our editing skills, specifically focusing on commas and capitalization. Plus, we wrapped up our final Novel Study meeting of the year, which was a great way to reflect on what we’ve read together. Our book, Fish in a Tree, provided many opportunities for great discussion and reflection. I was so impressed with how brave and willing many students were to share their own challenges during our conversations about the book.

I’m really impressed with how motivated the upper elementary students are! They’re diving into their lessons and pushing themselves to learn more as we approach the end of the school year.

We are looking forward to our upcoming trip to Nature’s Classroom in just over a week! If anyone needs another copy of the Packing List or has any questions about the trip, just let me know. I’ll be sharing pictures and updates through our WhatsApp chat group while we’re away. If you haven’t joined yet and need the invite again, just give me a shout!

Kicking Off Our Poetry Unit in Lower Elementary

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

Recently, we’ve launched our poetry unit, and the classroom is already buzzing with creativity! To ease into the world of verse, we began with “-ing” poems—a playful and accessible way for students to explore action, emotion, and imagery. These poems help students focus on verbs and vivid language, all while tapping into their own experiences and observations.

After experimenting with “-ing” lines like dancing, swirling, dreaming, we introduced similes—comparisons that bring writing to life by showing how one thing is like another. Students practiced using “like” and “as” to add depth to their poems, trying lines like floating like a feather or as loud as a thunderclap.

It’s been a joyful and imaginative start, and we’re excited to see where our poetic journey takes us next!

Ms. Marissa: Weekly Update

Posted on by Marissa Frisk

During the month of May, we’ve embarked on a magical journey into the world of pollinators and insects. The highlight? Witnessing the awe-inspiring transformation of caterpillars into butterflies—a real-life lesson in metamorphosis that has captivated every child.

Each day, the children observe our classroom caterpillars with quiet curiosity, noting changes in their size, movement, and habits.

Metamorphosis offers more than a science lesson—it invites reflection on patience, change, and the beauty of nature’s rhythms. Through this process, our young learners are not just discovering biology—they’re developing empathy, observation skills, and deep respect for living things.

We can’t wait to release our butterflies into our flower garden in the next few weeks, adding a meaningful moment to our study of pollinators and their role in the ecosystem. What a beautiful way to learn and grow together!

We hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend. We really enjoyed creating the children’s Mother’s Day surprises for you – each one is more precious than the last!

Marissa & Sue

Ms. Handibode: Fun at Flanders

Posted on by Michelle Handibode

 

On Monday, the Kindergarten children spent time at Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury. We began by taking a hike through the woods to the Botany Pond. The children then had the opportunity to catch and identify amphibians, reptiles, and insects. We found tadpoles, beetles, newts, giant water bugs, leeches and salamanders. We observed turtles resting on a rock and fish swimming but this year we searched in vain for those elusive frogs. When we were done, we released any living thing we had collected and climbed aboard for a tractor ride. We were able to get up close to a beaver lodge and get a peek at a hawk flying back and forth to it’s nest.  It was informative and impressive to speak with a Flanders volunteer, who explained how and why the beavers dam up a culvert each night. Walking back, several children shared what a great day it was! Flanders is open to the public, and we encourage you to take advantage of this amazingly beautiful nature center.

Wishing you all a week filled with much peace and love.

Michelle & Maria

Mrs. Lopes: A Look at Our Week

Posted on by Amanda Lopes

On Monday, the Kindergarten children spent time at Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury. We began by taking a hike through the woods to the Botany Pond. The children then had the opportunity to catch and identify amphibians, reptiles, and insects. We found tadpoles, beetles, newts, giant water bugs, leeches and salamanders. We observed turtles resting on a rock, fish swimming, and one person even caught a frog.  When we were done, we released any living thing we had collected and climbed aboard for a tractor ride. We were able to get up close to a beaver lodge and get a peek at a hawk flying back and forth to it’s nest.  It was informative and impressive to speak with a Flanders volunteer, who explained how and why the beavers dam up a culvert each night. Walking back, several children shared what a great day it was! Flanders is open to the public, and we encourage you to take advantage of this amazingly beautiful nature center.

Wishing you all a week filled with much peace and love.

Amanda & Hema

Mrs. Hood: Welcome to the World of Insects!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

This week, we took a closer look at some of the tiniest but most fascinating creatures on Earth—insects! We began by exploring the anatomy of an insect, using large models to help us see all the important parts up close. The children were introduced to the three main body parts of all insects: the head, thorax, and abdomen. We also learned that insects have six legs, antennae to help them smell and feel the world around them, and most have wings as well.

To help reinforce this new vocabulary in a fun and memorable way, we learned a new song set to the familiar tune of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”:

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen
Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen
Eyes, antennas, wings, six legs
Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen

The children loved singing and moving along, pretending to be their favorite insect and it helped solidify these big words in a joyful and age-appropriate way!

With a strong foundation in insect anatomy, we zoomed in on a specific insect: the ant. We learned about the ant’s life cycle, discovering the stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult ant. These were exciting new words for the toddlers, and many repeated them throughout the week as we worked, sang, and played.

We also made exciting real-world connections as  some live insects visited our classroom—what perfect timing! The children were eager to observe them carefully and point out their body parts, matching what we had learned in our lessons.

Although spiders sparked a lot of interest too, we learned that they are not insects because they have eight legs and only two body segments. Still, spiders became a fun part of our exploration, and the children enjoyed watching them closely.

During outdoor time, we continued to observe and discuss other insects such as grasshoppers, ladybugs, dragonflies, flies, and bees. Using models and real sightings, the children are beginning to recognize patterns and characteristics that help them classify what is (and isn’t!) an insect. Next week, we will focus our studies in the majestic butterflies… the children are eager to see the live caterpillars finally arrive (they got lost in the mail) and watch their life cycle right before their very own eyes! We can’t wait!

For food tasting this week, we offered something fresh and juicy: kiwi! The children were curious about the fuzzy brown exterior and the bright green inside with its tiny seeds. Some dove right in, while others took cautious little nibbles.

We also had the joy of celebrating a very special birthday this week as one of our friends turned three years old!  The birthday child beamed with pride, and the whole class joined in singing and sharing in the joy of the moment, as always!

Finally, a heartfelt thank you:

  • To all the parents who took time to meet with Patty and me during Parent-Teacher Conferences—we loved connecting with you.
  • To the wonderful grandparents and special friends who joined us for Grandparents’ Day—your presence meant so much to the children.
  • To all of you for the love and appreciation shown during Teacher Appreciation Week—your kind words and thoughtful gestures truly touched our hearts.
  • And to all the amazing mothers in our classroom community—Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for your endless love, strength, and the beautiful energy you bring into your children’s lives. We hope you feel celebrated and appreciated this weekend and always.

Warmly,

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Patty

Reminder: Please make sure your child bring rain boots and rain jacket/suit on rainy days! We will take advantage of outdoors adventures in all type of weather as much is possible.