Friday, March 18, 2016

Highlights 3-18-16

Greetings families,

It's been another fantastic and busy week! Our young scientists have been creating intricate models of various landforms and bodies of water. The ingenuity in use of our materials is impressive! Thanks to everyone who sent in modeling clay--having so much and such variety has made our experience much more enjoyable! We presented our models (so far) to our 6th grade buddies on Friday. We also  did some writing about our experiences visiting different landforms of bodies of water during Writer's Workshop this week.

We finished reading a few more science related read aloud books this week, Volcanoes by Franklyn M. Branley and The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top. Next week we'll  begin a new chapter book series together!

In Literacy students have been more focused on using comprehension strategies as they read. Understanding the literal message as well as inferring between the lines are very important as you progress as a reader. Students continue to do more writing about their reading, either responding to prompts or completing a "Book of the Week" booklet.

We had a great 4 Winds on Tuesday about animal tracks. There was even enough snow left on the playground to go out and find some examples right in our yard! We'll have another 4 Winds on Tuesday the 29th--let Honi know if you'd like to help out!

Second grade mathematicians have been working in stations for the past two weeks, having small group instruction about "efficient addition" -- teaching the standard algorithm for addition with concrete models (cuisenaire rods), pictorial models (base ten drawings), and then moving into the abstract and demonstrating understanding of the concepts by completing standard algorithm equations on paper (while showing work, explaining the steps, saying what everything means, and telling why you do that). However we still continue to do addition on a number line too, since manipulating numbers and doing mental math require flexibility with the number line strategy, composing and decomposing numbers! We also learned a new game on Friday, Math Tic Tac Toe!

On Thursday we were excited to see our new cubbies installed in the classroom. There are finally enough for all of us! We also visited the Rumney Sugar House after lunch to take in the sweet smell of sap boiling. We finished off the day with an All School Meeting.

If you haven't yet signed up for a conference, and need to, please see the post below this one for the information!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Pie Breakfast if you make it to Rumney for this great PTO event tomorrow morning!

Dates to Remember
Tuesday March 29 -- 4 Winds 2:30-3:20 p.m.
Parent/Teacher Conferences: Thursday 3/31 and Friday 4/1
Friday April 1 -- No School for Students; Parent/Teacher conferences all day
Thursday April 14 -- All School Meeting 2:30 p.m.
Monday April 18 - Friday April 22 -- SPRING BREAK
Monday April 25 -- School resumes
Friday May 13th -- Field Trip to the Flynn Theater to see Henry and Mudge

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