First Grade Independent Projects

Please help your child choose a topic to explore independently. We had discussed possible topics in March at our conferences, and your child might still want to pursue that topic, or may choose a new topic to explore. Please help your child plan a project to share the new learning about this topic.

We will be devoting Writer’s Workshop time in the afternoons, to independent project work time after the Memorial Day weekend.

Please complete the lower portion of this sheet, and return to school by Tuesday, May 29^th( or earlier).

Remember, there will be time at school to work on the projects!

Please help your child be sending in any supplemental materials to school to assist with exploration and research.

Name:

Topic:

How I plan to explore: (books, computer research, interviews, consult experts, videos,  etc.)

How I plan to share my learning: (poster, song, presentation, diorama, dance, skit, report, poem, etc.)

 

SPIRIT WEEK

Mrs. Parker's fifth graders have designated next week as "Spirit Week".

Each day has a theme:
Monday- Super Hero Day- Dress as your favorite- real or made up
Tuesday- Inspiration Day-Dress as someone who inspires you
Wednesday- Mismatch Day
Thursday- Crazy Hair Day
Friday- Stripes Versus Polka Dots Day- Wear all stripes or all polka dots, not both

ECO needs you!

Please help us support Educating Children Outdoors, formerly known as Nature Adventure. This incredible program is partially funded through donations and fundraisers. We need your help with a fundraiser at NBNC on June 8th. Your chance to support this program is here!

 

When: Friday, June 8, 2012   5:00-8:00pm

Where: North Branch Nature Center

What: A Family Picnic with Live Entertainment

Pack a picnic and a blanket and come join us for an evening of family time.  

We still need:

1. Volunteers (yourself, friends, family) who would like to perform (music, magic or something else)? 

2. Donations for a silent auction

3. Baked goods for a bake sale

4. People who can help out at North Branch Nature Center before and after the event 4:00-5:00 and 8:00-8:30.

Thank you!!!

Lettuce Planting Field Trip

Our class will be traveling with Ms. Closter's class to the high school for the annual lettuce planting event.  If you are to join us (we'll be walking over), please let me know or meet us around 9:30 on Wednesday! We should be back to school by 11:00.

ECO

Our next Nature Adventure/ECO outing in Hubbard park is coming right up on  MONDAY,May 7th.
We will be merging Mrs. Koch’s and Ms. Closter’s first grade classes for a whole day learning experience. (9:00-1:00)
We will be spending most of the day outside  Please make sure your child is prepared for the outdoors with the following:
·         Sturdy Shoes- no flip flops
·         Layers
·         A sun hat/sunscreen
·         Lunch
·         Water bottle


We will be bringing backpacks with lunches from home (unless we hear you would like us to order a school lunch- let us know ASAP)
Chaperones are welcome for the whole day, or even a portion. Please let us know if you are planning to join us for this adventure. We will be in a  variety of locations, with a variety of stations.

Ways to help:
Walk with class
Help at a station
Be a lunch angel
Bring extra water

Thanks for all you do to support this outdoor learning experience.

Birthday Breakfast and Four Winds

On Monday morning, we will celebrate all April birthdays with a birthday breakfast. At 9:00 we will have our Four Winds lesson on Birds, Bird Calls, and Sound Mapping. What a lovely way to return to school after a vacation week!



We found each other on the bike path on Sanibel Island in Florida! What a coincidence!



Thanking Mr. Keller

Union School appreciates all of the hard work done by Mr. Keller. At Friday's assembly, Mr. Keller is honored by the school! Click on this photo for a larger version. Our class has many reasons to be thankful to Mr. Keller.

A Visit from an Author

Jessie visited our class today to share a draft of a book she has been working on. She was able to describe the process she uses in developing a story. We all enjoyed listening to her story, told from the perspective of her grandchild, Ian! The story is realistic fiction because it is based on Jessie's house sitting experiences, and Ian's visits with her. We all tried to determine which parts were fiction though. The class listened to create images in their heads, and used their schema to create illustrations for Jessie's story. 

 The class listened to create images in their heads, and used their schema to create illustrations for Jessie's story. Everyone shared their illustrations, and we got to hear another story about Azair and her Hair.

Thanks so much to Jessie for a wonderful morning which inspired the first graders to spend the afternoon writing!

Pre- Kindergarten Screening Days

Several days this week will be devoted to pre-kindergarten screening. On these days, Tuesday, April 17th and Wednesday, April 18th I will be working with all first grade teachers to conduct these screenings for each incoming child (we will all be K teachers again next year). While we are 
working with these pre-k students, the current K team will be the guest 
teachers for the first graders (K's have 2 days off).Our class will have a guest teacher since we have an uneven number of classes.  The guest teacher  will be working with our class, following the routines of the day and continuing our study of geometry, reading groups, writer's workshop, etc.  
I will check in periodically throughout the day.
If you are willing to volunteer for an hour or 2 to answer 
questions, chat, help ease the stress of new Kindergarten 
families during these days, please contact me. We are looking 
for parent volunteers to guide discussions/answer questions 
while their children work with us. 
If you'd like to help, please let me know ASAP!

NAP/ ECO in Hubbard Park on Monday

We will be using MAPS to navigate our way to new parts of Hubbard Park. We will create sound maps, have a quest, and will also explore new sections of the park. Please help your child to wear sturdy shoes(no sandals or flip flops) and to dress in layers. We will bring lunches and water bottles with us. We plan to leave UES  with MS. Dostie's class around 9:00 and return by 12:50 to make it to music class. Please let me know if you would like to join us. We will be moving throughout the park, and will have lunch at the shelter. We will be taking the Course street route into the park.

Updates from Room 7

1. We are visiting the Scholastic book fair at 2:00 tomorrow.(Thursday) Your child may browse or shop at this time. The book fair will also be open on Friday, but we will not be going as a class. Families can visit on Friday evening as well.

2. I AM IN NEED  OF HELPERS FOR NAP/ECO on Monday the 16th. We have an excellent lesson involving mapping, and a  mystery quest. I will need some help with small groups in Hubbard Park on that day. Please let me know if you can join us.

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The "Power of Three" and" Vermont Strong"

We had an "All School Assembly" on Friday morning. We learned how Casella Waste management and Foley are closing the loop with paper recycling. We will recycle paper towels, which will then be made into new paper towels.Mrs. Pierces class accepted a national award on behalf of UES, for excellence in recycling efforts.For more information click here :

Union Elementary School’s power of three: Times Argus Online

We also met our State Commissioner of Education, Armando Vilasec. He complimented our school on our recycling efforts, and great assembly behavior too.

We ended the assembly with a song written by our own third graders. What a catchy tune!

Click the link below to hear "Vermont Strong".

Vermont Strong c by Kid Pan Alley

Sight Word Practice

Click here for first  set of 100 words.

Click here for second set of 100 words.

Click here for third set of 100 words.

Click here for fourth set of  100 words.

A Bird's Eye View

As we continue to learn about maps, we are exploring different points of view. Here is a "Bird's Eye View" of the class on the lower playground. The photo was taken by Mr. Koch, who works up the hill at VEDA. He is not a bird.

Please Don't Tiptoe through the Tulips

We went out this morning to search for emerging buds in the gardens surrounding UES. Imagine the dismay upon finding footprints in our tulip bed. Of course the fabulous first graders went right to work to solve the problem. After consulting with Mr. Keller, a blockade was created using caution tape. Signs were created to inform readers. Most importantly, emerging tulips were protected.

At North Branch Nature Center

AMPHIBIAN MONITORING PROGRAM
Free Training Session, Wed., April 4     

 

Wednesday, April 4, 6:30 p.m. at the North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier 

Learn how you can assist amphibians on their annual migration as they attempt to cross roads from overwintering sites to breeding pools. In addition to saving frogs and salamanders from oncoming traffic, volunteers will be trained to monitor their populations.

It's been a strange migration season so far, with some amphibian movements during our March heat wave - but there's likely more to come. Please come get involved! 

Bridges- Unit 5- Shapes, Reflections. and Fractions

We have been learning about shapes this month. Our geometry unit has led to some deeper thinking about dimensions, reflections, sides, bases and angles. We have expored  spheres, cubes, rectangular prisms, pyramids, and triangular prisms. We have been enjoying the work places with this unit.Today, we talked about sharing pizzas. It was interesting to see the creative strategies that first graders used to share 3 pizzas between 2 friends. Most groups chopped up each pizza before sharing!

Maps

We are learning about maps! Please send in any maps you can spare for our growing "Map Wall." We already have a map of Sea World, and a map of our route to Hubbard Park. It will be fun to see a variety of maps.

NAP/ECO and Mapping

We traveled  to Hubbard Park via Court St. to Course St. to get a bird's eye view of Montpelier. We spent time finding landmarks in our city on the way. We could see UES looked from the top of the hill and also recognized the North Branch river, bridges and Kellogg-Hubbard library.  Upon arriving in the park via steep and curvy hills, children enjoyed a story and song with Amy. Then students engaged in three centers that introduced them to mapping. Students learned how keys were useful in reading maps, discovered landmarks around the park, and did some creative drawing of maps to their debris shelters. What was your child's favorite center? 

Many thanks to Berenice,  Scott and Michael for their  extra help on this blustery, Vermont spring day!

REMINDER

Animal Research Projects

REMINDER

Please send in your child's animal research web to school THIS WEEK. We will need this information to begin our report writing unit in writer's workshop.  If you need clarification, more information, or are having trouble completing this project, please let me know via email. Thanks for your support with this at home!