We have been very busy over the past week. On Thursday evening we enjoyed Parent/Child Night as children engaged in various lessons with their parents.  Thank you for stopping in to spend some time with your child in their classroom.

Monday was our second sandwich making event.  The students worked together for a worthy cause to provide food for those that are less fortunate. These individuals and families spend time at the St. Vincent DePaul Mission in Waterbury, CT.  We have so much to be thankful for. Thank you again for the donations of supplies and time.

Literature circle began on Monday.  Each group joined together to share their individual role sheets for the first assigned reading selection. Literature role sheets are due each Friday until we complete the book.

Lastly, Jayne, Max’s mother got us connected to a very exciting NASA science experiment.  On Sunday, a rocket was blasted into space to the International Space Station with supplies and experiments. Our classroom will host one of those experiments connected to plant growth.  We watched the video of the rocket launch on Monday.

We concluded our previous week with a community Walk-a-thon around the perimeter of the school to support relief efforts in Puerto Rico. It felt great to not only help a community in need, but to unite as a whole school in this process.

The students completed their self portraits or drawings for the Kageno cultural exchange. They put tremendous effort into their drawings and should be proud of their efforts. We look forward to seeing the drawings and writings from the children in Africa.

Our new class mascot (pygmy marmoset) arrived on Monday. On Tuesday the students provided names to vote on for our new mascot. Those names included, Walla-walla, Fursby, Jason, Ginger and Todd.  The majority of the students were fond of the name, Todd. Please join us in welcoming him to the classroom!  Each weekend a different student will take Todd home and write in his journal about the fun or interesting things they did together. On the following Monday the journal will be shared on circle.

 

Last week the students worked with a partner to design and carve their own pumpkin. We had parent support and assistance from a few Middle School students. Each pair came up with their own unique and interesting design. Once the seeds were removed we seasoned and baked them for a tasty snack.

Prior to the weekend we told the students that they would each have an opportunity to bring home Captain Nibbles at least once this school year.  I recall having an opportunity like this when I was in first grade, although it was a baby chick.  I still remember how excited I was and I will never forget the experience. We want to offer the students that same experience so please consider allowing your child to bring Captain Nibbles home for a weekend.

On Tuesday, we enjoyed a Halloween celebration with treats and great costumes! The weather cooperated so we could all enjoy the Halloween parade around the perimeter of the school.

In class the students began work on their drawing and writing for our cultural exchange with the students from Africa. We are looking forward to learning more about the students once their information and drawings arrive.

Last week we enjoyed speaking to parents about their child during parent/teacher conferences.  As we get to know our students better and build a relationship of trust, we do the same with parents. We were happy to share some insights about each child and receive parental insights which help to strengthen our home and school partnership.  Thank you once again for your time.

On Wednesday we had an excellent field trip to The New Canaan Nature Center.  The instructor, Chris presented an owl program. He showed us live owls and asked the students about the different owl adaptations.  Next, the students dissected owl pellets, which is regurgitated matter from owls.  Students discovered many bones and bone fragments from animals that owls ingested.  Our second program focused on biomes and the animals that adapt to live in these different regions around the world. They loved the live species, especially the hedgehog and chinchilla.  I was impressed with the depth of knowledge our students possess! Thank you, Skip and Deanna for assisting us on the field trip.

On Tuesday, October 31st the Lower and Upper Elementary and Middle School students are encouraged and have the option of wearing costumes to school (students do not bring costumes and change at school – students should bring a change of clothes or wear school clothes underneath their costume!).   There will be a parade starting at 9am which will begin on the field.   The parade line will begin with Lower Elementary and end with Middle School.  The parade will make one loop around the perimeter of the school (the same route as the 11/2 Walk-a-thon).  

Halloween parties will be in the classrooms; each level will have their own time and method for celebrating.  Below are some guidelines for costumes:

• No weapons or violent accessories
• No extra-scary clowns
• No costumes that denigrate a particular gender, culture, or religion
• No gory masks (e.g. blood dripping down)

 

 

One of the students’ favorite activities to begin the year is writing about an endangered animal of their choice. Next, the research is shared on circle with their classmates and then they vote on which one we should adopt. This year they chose the Pygmy Marmoset. The Pygmy Marmoset is the smallest monkey in the world weighing about 3.5 ounces!

During the beautiful weather last week we got outside to work on weeding the planting beds near the back entrance to the school. The students worked in teams of three to clean up the beds. Our next goal is to plant some fall flowers for everyone to enjoy.

In writer’s workshop the students worked on developing a character. They began the exercise by thinking about the external attributes of their character, and later the internal characteristics of their character. Once finished, they shared their ideas with a partner. The energy and enthusiasm during the workshop was enjoyable to observe!