The Compass, Optimism, & Math Game Fun!

This week we explored the theme of optimism.  Some students thought of little skits to act out that practiced looking on the bright side of things.  This little video was shared at All School MM on Friday.  

We are moving right along with our Geography unit.  Students learned about the cardinal directions.  We can use tools like a compass and a compass rose on a map to help us navigate to places.  We discovered that the Coyote Den (outdoor classroom) is in the North, the Owl's nest is in the West, the playground is in the South, and the start of the bike path is in the East.  Later students colored a compass rose to add to their classroom map.

This week we looked at the glued sound an again and noticed it is included in many words like our latest heart word - can.  We also looked at the word said and noticed the tricky center that makes the /e/ sound. This word is found in most books that have a dialogue.  

If you celebrate Easter, wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend!

Notes:

There are a couple of cases of strep throat in our classroom in case you notice symptoms along with some itchy heads. We have put our pillows and blankets away for now, FYI.  

                                         🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

The sun is out, and the snow is asking to be played in! I hope you had some fun this weekend!

This week, kindergartners were surprised when they arrived at school on Monday to find out that a Leprechaun had visited our classroom and left clues behind for us to follow! 

Students enjoyed a math game that had them playing competitively with a partner.  They also had opportunities to play versions of the game called "I have... who has...?" with numbers and letters. 

Buddy Dubay came by and shared some fun spring songs with us.  He is so kind to come and visit us every few months. He captures our attention with his warm and playful spirit!

Kindergarteners enjoyed creating a map of our classroom in Social Studies this week.  The challenge was to think about why we make maps.  How can we make maps easy for others to understand? What important features of a map must we consider when creating a map?  In the next week or two we will explore the cardinal directions using the compass rose and begin to think about creating a school and town map. 

IMPORTANT DATES

3/29:  Weather At Your School, 4:30 am-8:00 am (parents must be 

3/29:  Silly Weather Day - Dress for the weather you love the most. You'll see a range of outfits, from summer sunglasses to hats and mittens.

3/29   Guest teacher

4/8:    No School

5/13:  UCS Art/Music Night (rain date of 5/14), 5:00-6:30, more details coming soon

 

As I sit and write this post the Tufted Titmouse's song is loud and clear.  Here is a fun fact: The titmouse has been known to sneak hair for their nest off a squirrel, woodchuck, or even a man's head! Though we still have a few inches of snow on our land, spring is arriving this week and signs of life are beginning to show! 

This week students had fun with leprachaun-themed math games and challenges. They also practiced showing ways of solving story problems.  Next week we will begin to play games that will get students thinking about subtracting from a group of numbers. 

Kindergarteners are enjoying expressing their ideas and opinions in our latest writing unit.  This week they shared some creative responses with the writing prompt, should the pigeon drive the bus? 

 

Notes:

Conferences are being held this week.

3/22:  Early Release, 11:20 dismissal time (buses leave UCS around 11:25)

4/8:    No school - Solar eclipse 

Welcome Back!

Welcome back after winter break!  It has been fun hearing stories of far-off places, sugar houses, and visits to grandma's house! 

March came in like a lamb and may be turning into a lion at the start of this week.  If you live on a dirt road like myself you know mud season has made an enthusiastic arrival! The signs of spring are quickly upon us.  This week we began our mini study on Maple sugaring because it is such a large part of living in VT.  Those who don't know much about it are learning quickly with our new "sugar house" dramatic play area in our classroom, along with the books that we are reading!

This coming week, we look forward to diving into some new units, Geography in Social Studies and a new Opinion Unit in Writing. 

We welcome the Chamberland family to our UCS community!💗