Week of December 19, 2016

Welcome to the last school week of the calendar year!  We hope you have a safe and wonderful break!

Week of December 5

It was a slow Monday morning, and then things went smoothly!

Upcoming events include: 

Hour of Code on December 12 (in the afternoon)

Interim SBAC Language test on December 13

     Students will take home information about

a canned food drive and a request to support

local families with household items.

     The Operation Happiness Food Drive

information is located here.  

     We hope you have a great and peaceful 

Thanksgiving!   Monday and Tuesday, November

21 and 22, students will:

•  enjoy a presentation to the entire school, 
• read with younger students, 
• write to and hear from pen pals, and
• take one of the interim SBAC tests

Week of November 7, 2016

On a rainy day, students enjoyed themselves in many ways inside during a "Full PAWS Bucket" celebration!

Each paper on this bulletin board represents a book that students have read this school year -- in about TWO MONTHS! 

 Below are some examples of students' work in Math Enrichment with Mrs. Montagne.  This is called a tessellation project.  Here's a short Youtube link to a tessellation demonstration:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxwY5VQR0LM 

Week of October 31

Happy Halloween!

Have a safe time Monday evening if you and your family are heading out for some candy!

Please remember that conferences are this week and that students do not have school this Friday!

Week of October 24

Hello!  We are attempting to include a video of the students' work.  If the video does not function properly, we will remove it and try to share it with you another way.

Week of October 24

We hope you had a very pleasant long weekend!

A few upcoming events:

This Friday, October 28, at school:  "Fright and Fun Night" from 5:00 - 6:30 for grades K-6 (papers have/are going home about this)

Next Monday, October 31: Our community will share a "Snack and Read-In" (papers have/are going home about this; the idea is to have a healthy snack and some time to enjoy a book at school before students' evenings get filled with sugar!)

Next week, November 2-4: Parent-Teacher Conferences; we have about 30 families out of 41 scheduled so far.  A few slots are still available!  Use the Pick-A-Time scheduling link from the SATEC main web page.

Week of October 17, 2016

We hope you have a great week!

Please remember that Friday, 10/21, and Monday, 10/24, are not school days.  In other words, this week and next week are 4-day weeks for the students.

Also, Parent-Teacher conferences are coming up on November 2, 3, and 4.  So far, we have had almost 25 families sign up.  Conference slots are still available for November 3 and November 4.  Thank you to all who have already signed up!

Students are presenting their Space projects this week in science.  For social studies students will look at articles about the process of an election and campaign.

Week of October 10, 2016

Greetings!  Picture day was a success!

It is hard to believe, but we are almost at the time of year for scheduling Parent-Teacher Conferences!  We would love to have you all come in to chat about your student.  Look for the announcement about "Pick-A-Time" very soon.

Homework assignments have been posted for Language and Social Studies.

Week of October 3, 2016

Picture day happens this week!  For our learning community, Friday is when the magic happens!

The Gleim students are scheduled to have their pictures taken around 8:30, and the Murphy homeroom follows at 8:50.


Thank you for your support with the book orders!  Mr. Murphy has been able to add about a dozen books to the class library because of points he "earns" from your orders.

Students will work on a science project this week, and they will complete a small project about a book they have read or have been reading this year.

Mr. Murphy will be doing a timed, short reading assessment with students this week.  It is similar to other assessments such as the Fountas and Pinnell (F&P) test your students may have spoken about in other years.

It is officially Autumn, and October is around the corner!

Happy fall!  Thank you to all who were able to make it in for Open House last week!  It was great seeing you and your families.  Your students have already completed two small projects and presentations this year, and we will finish our first "read-aloud" book this week.  Ask your students for some details about Freak the Mighty!  We hope to watch the film version "The Mighty" later this week.   Overall, it has been quite a positive start to the year!












Remember the dates: school pictures will be on October 6 and 7 (more details will come out soon).

Below is a link to a listing and description of this year's Dorothy Canfield Fisher books.  Mr. Murphy  has most of them in his room and is waiting for the last few to arrive.  Students have already begun or completed many of these titles for their individual reading work.
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?lid=5524&a=1&a2=1

Please note that when the web site appears, the left-hand margin shows the books broken down into their genres.  If you are a huge fan of "adventure" books, click on that genre on the left of the screen, and you will have a smaller list of "Dorothy's List" books to consider.

The First Full Week of School is Here! September 12-16

Here are some upcoming dates and events to keep in mind:

Monday, September 19: Book Order
Students will receive a Scholastic brochure this week in school, and you will see Mr. Murphy's code on it: MF3BM.  That code can be used when ordering on-line (where you also would see many more choices than in the brochure).  Search for "scholastic reading club" if you are interested.  Look for a section of the screen that says "Parents" and "Connect to your teacher" -- then put in Mr. Murphy's code.

Thursday, September 22: Open House
Here in 6th grade, our house will be open from 6:00-7:00.  All of grades 5-8 has that hour for open house.  The K-4 grades will have theirs from 5:30-6:30.

Thursday and Friday, October 6&7: School pictures will be taken.  A more detailed schedule will be included when the forms are sent home.

Friday, October 21: Inservice
Students will not have school that day, but your teachers will be here!

Monday, October 24: "Fall Break"
Students will not have school this day.


Also, fall soccer schedules were handed out to students last week (September 8 or 9).  That information is also available on SATEC's home page.

2016 - 2017: The School Year is Upon Us!

   


     We cannot wait to see you all, and we hope you had a fantastic summer break!   In our first couple of days we will review some policies, talk about any changes at the school, and catch up on how we have been passing our time.

    There will be a lot of papers going home in the first few days, and many of them will have to be returned to school.  

     See you soon,

      Mr. Gleim, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Gamsby, Ms. Corey, and Ms. Snay

Friday, June 3, 2016

It is our Colombian Exchange Day!  To all who could, thank you for supplying either an old world or new world food item!  Here are a few pictures from the morning -- students in each home room created a craft to trade with the other home room.  The drop-cloth turned into an unplanned piece of art for our walls.

Mr. Gleim's class is painting rocks to trade with the New World.

Mr. Murphy's class is making beaded bracelets to trade with settlers from the Old World.

 

           This afternoon we shared a movie, a meal, and some inspiring quotes like this one from President Dwight D. Eisenhower:  "This world of ours...must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect."

Week of May 31, 2016

Wednesday we go to the Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge - if possible, students may want to wear pants instead of shorts (to avoid sun and insect problems); hats are welcome, and sunscreen may be used. Weather should be partly sunny and in the 70s.

On Friday we will have our Columbian Exchange Day.  Thank you for your help in supplying an Old World or New World food item!

Week of May 23, 2016

Homework has been updated.

We have a regular week this week, and then next Monday is Memorial Day; enjoy your upcoming long weekend!  Also, On June 1 we have a field trip to the Missisquoi Refuge.  Students received permission slips already, and we would like to have those back as soon as possible.

The final Independent Reading deadline is June 2.  Please ask your student about his or her books and book projects!

Week of May 16

Students have received progress reports from the Unified Arts teachers.  Please ask them about their progress reports.

Our learning community will be going to the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday June 1.

Here are a couple of photos from our recent visit by Bird Diva Bridget Butler: students independently mapped the area around them as well as sounds, and they listened for natural and man-made sounds.

                               

                                            
(The video is grainy, but you can hear them try to make the sounds of a mourning dove.)

Week of May 2

Thank you for coming in for conferences recently!  If you were unable to schedule a conference, a progress review will be sent home.

This Thursday morning, we have a speaker coming in to talk with students about birds; you could view her web site at http://www.birddiva.com/

Please enjoy this "WeVideo" showing our students' recent work on explorers:

Week of April 25

Welcome back for the last few weeks of the 2015-2016 school year!  We hope you enjoyed yourselves over the break!

**Independent Reading folders are due this Thursday, April 28.**

In early May we will have a speaker from Bird Diva Consulting spend time with the students.  This visit is a "prize" our students won after submitting their waterfowl art work in a contest.  This is a link to the speaker's web page:  http://www.birddiva.com

Week of April 4

Events for this week:

- Jay Peak cancelled for Tuesday
- Author's visit on Tuesday instead
- Students will receive fluency testing this week
- Visitor on Friday during science (speaking with students about water conservation)
- Next week, April 11, 12, and 13 will be SBAC testing (using the Chromebooks)

Students have received paperwork to use in scheduling parent-teacher conferences!  The scheduling tool will become available this Wednesday at 9:00am.

Friday, April 1, 2016

There has been a change to our schedule of upcoming events for next week (and this is NOT an April Fool's joke).  Our trip to Jay Peak for next Tuesday has been cancelled.  We will not be going to Jay Peak next week.

Mrs. Branon has indicated that cash payments would be returned and that checks would be shredded.

On the positive side, this change of plans means that our students will be able to take part in an author's visit also scheduled for next Tuesday.

Thank you, and have a great weekend!

Week of March 28

The 3rd Jay Peak trip still is being planned for Tuesday, April 5; this is subject to change, but we are hopeful!

Students will be tested for fluency in April (many will be tested next week); these are short assessments that students have experienced before.

The SBAC testing is being planned for April (definite dates will be announced once they are determined).

Friday, April 8, our learning community will have a visit from a local nature enthusiast; Kurt Valenta will speak to students about water conservation and related issues.

Week of March 21

Happy Spring!

  

New homework assignments have been posted!

March 14

We are proud to show off a few of the students' waterfowl projects with this awesome picture:

Week of March 14

Homework has been updated.

Please note that the next Independent Reading deadline is Wednesday, March 16.

In the next week, a Health/Puberty class will be presented to the girls (on Thursday) and to the boys (on Monday, March 21).

Week of March 7

The day at Jay Peak was beautiful!  So many of the students were more comfortable and had a great time challenging themselves! Many made it on, up, and off the lifts for the first time!

Week of March 7

New homework has been posted for the week!

Our Jay Peak trip is on for Tuesday, March 8!!

Week of February 15

                                  Theme Day: Loggers & Lumberjacks!        

                        Go 5th grade!!
                                                    (Wear blue on Friday!)

Week of February 15

It was career day here for Spirit Week!  Here is a picture from this morning, after many new employees arrived.  They looked great!

Tomorrow is theme day, and we are trying to work with the theme of lumberjacks or loggers.  There is a lot of flannel in our future, and maybe some pretend tools.

     

Week of February 15

The week of February 15 will be Spirit Week at SATEC!  These are the themes of each day:
Monday: dress patriotically in red, white, and blue, or in stars and stripes, etc.
Tuesday: find someone to be a twin with (dress similarly)
Wednesday: "when I grow up..." What will you dress like when you grow up?  PLEASE remember that this is the day that our learning community goes to the Flynn Theater!
Thursday: our learning community's theme is "dress like a lumberjack/logger"
Friday: 5th grade needs to dress in something BLUE


Here are some recent photos of student work:
the first moccasins are done -- and cozy!

 Students made patterns of their feet, cut out the pattern in fleece, and sewed around most of the edges.

A sewing machine was used to finish off the heel area, and...voila!

 

Students make the frame of our easily-moved teepee.

Afterwards, they draped the "hide" over the frame.

It comfortably fits 3 students, but it's big enough for 8 fifth graders!

Week of February 8

New homework assignments have been posted.

This Friday, students should be bringing home their report cards.

Next week, we go to the Flynn to see a production of The Giver.  Most students have turned in their permission forms by now; we will return to school before lunch time.

Week of February 1

Students have received new forms for the next Jay Peak trip.  We would like the forms returned, completed, as soon as possible, with a deadline of February 17.

February 17 also is the day when our learning community has a field trip to the Flynn to see a stage production of the book The Giver.  We will leave after morning announcements, and we should be back by lunchtime that day.

Welcome to February!

For the first week of February, our learning community has the MAP tests to look forward to.  This is the basic schedule:
Monday, February 1, 9:30 - 10:30 Language
Tuesday, February 2, 9:30 - 10:30 Math
Thursday, February 4, 9:30 - 10:30 Science

She is starting to make a pair of moccasins in enrichment class!

He seems to think he is Mr. Gleim!!

Week of January 25

We were pleased to welcome author Terry Lynn Johnson today.  The spoke with students about her experiences as a writer, musher, and game warden.  For more information, please see her web site:  http://www.terrylynnjohnson.com/ice-dogs.php

Students received Scholastic book orders today.  If you are interested, Ice Dogs may be found in one of the orders.  Book orders may be placed on-line (Mr. Murphy's code MF3BM) or by returning a book order with check made out to Scholastic.

Students will have a vocabulary test tomorrow (Friday) and should bring in a note or signature from home indicating that they studied for at least 10 minutes.  In Science, there will be a quiz on The Atmosphere.

January 26, 2016

Jay Peak was fantastic today!  We tried something new, or we improved a little bit, and that's a great day!

 

Even the bus knows that Jay Peak Rocks!

Thank you to all of our chaperons for helping watch our students, the nurse's office and the Abbey for providing supplies and lunches. Our next scheduled trip is Tuesday, March 8.  If you were not able to make this one, please try to attend the next trip!

Week of January 25

Things look really good for our first trip to Jay Peak on Tuesday, January 26.  Please note a schedule change for Jay Peak: we will return to school for normal end-of-day bus travel.  All students should plan on a normal school dismissal time.  Thank you!

Things look really good for our first trip to Jay Peak next Tuesday, January 26.  Please note a schedule change for Jay Peak: we will return to school for normal end-of-day bus travel.  All students should plan on a normal school dismissal time.  Thank you!

Positive Behaviors School Celebration in the cafeteria on Friday 1/22/16: 

Our learning community will join the second graders for a shared dance time from 2:00-2:15. There will be a "black light" for added fun.

Students should wear white and/or clothing with white letters, or images. All neon and florescent colors work well too. It can be anything, shirts, pants, hair bands, accessories, shoes, socks, etc.

Week of January 18

Week of January 18

New homework is posted.  Although it is a shorter week, we will still have homework.  Things look really good for our first trip to Jay Peak next Tuesday, January 26.

Positive Behaviors School Celebration in the cafeteria on Friday 1/22/16: 

Our learning community will join the second graders for a shared dance time from 2:00-2:15. There will be a "black light" for added fun.

Students should wear white and/or clothing with white letters, or images. All neon and florescent colors work well too. It can be anything, shirts, pants, hair bands, accessories, shoes, socks, etc.