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.