Adventurers Team
Adventurers Team
Team teachers Pam Wise/Joplin James
Welcome to the Adventurers Parentlink message for September 15, 2006
Perhaps you have found your way here because you did not receive the Plink by email. We appreciate your persistence and resourcefulness. The SCS email system is down and we could not send it.
Included in this week's message are notes from the PTO, thanks to Luke's mom Randy Sweeney.
The first 5-day week of school has seemed long, but busy. New Adventurers have settled into their new routine and returning Adventurers are enjoying making new friends. On Wednesday, Georgene and Rachel, from the planning room, put on a skit and led us in a discussion about bus safety. We hope your student has shared what they learned with you.
On Wednesday
one of our helpers, Lucy, brought in a monarch caterpillar that she had found.
By Thursday the caterpillar had begun spinning right up close to the front of
the aquarium where it can easily be seen. How nice! Hopefully in another week
and a half we will see the butterfly emerging. Harken has told us how to tell
if the butterfly is a male or female. See if your student can tell you.
This week the Art Project was to create a design with the pattern
blocks and put them on a piece of contact paper. If you happen to be at school,
please stop by to see all the wonderful designs.
The Challenge for the week was for a returning student to partner with
a new student to use a computer program called “Kid Pix.” The challenge was for
each student to draw a picture of their new friend while learning about the
program.
Demetri filled the Estimating Jar. There were 103 in the jar and Sam
was right on with on the number. We’ll let you know next week what he puts in
the jar.
The song for the week was “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.” We
need more practice, but everyone is learning the tune and the lyrics.
Luke volunteered to do the Science Table this week. The topic was
maps and he had all types of maps on display, including one of the universe. He
also had a fun activity to match items on a world map. Talk to your child about
a topic .
This week we began to read the “Red Clover” books. We read “Nora’s
Ark,“Terrific,” “Mudball,” and “The Hello-Goodbye Window.” Ask your child to
tell you about these wonderful books.
In math this week, Kindergartners worked with pattern blocks, learning shape names and making designs. You can help your child practice the names of the shapes Square, triangle, hexagon trapezoid, rhombus., 1st graders worked on place value using 10’s and 1’s blocks and their number grids. 2nd graders worked on number patterns, calculators, and <, >, =.
This week we began discussing the “rules” students wrote for homework. Respect and safety seem to be the important topics. We will vote on the final set of rules and everyone will sign them. By creating them together students take ownership in the rules and live by them. We hope that this will help make our classroom a successful and friendly learning environment.
Many thanks to the parents who have volunteered to drive for field trips. If your schedule would allow you to drive and you would like to, please let us know. Again, we are trying to get some indication of the number of parents that could drive before we commit ourselves to some possible trips. We’ll discuss this further at the Parent Night on September 21st.
On Monday, we are looking forward to the first “Hands on Nature” lesson (formerly E.L.F). The Adventurers' parent volunteers have been trained and are eager and ready to go! As many of the activities will be outdoors, please dress your student for being outside and doing some walking. In preparation for this the ParentLink homework for this weekend is for each Adventurer to make a list of as many insects as s/he can think of and bring it to share with the class. Please remember, we expect each Adventurer to complete the ParentLink homework and to have it ready to share by Wednesday at the latest (full disclosure: this is our way of making sure that parents read the ParentLink, since we do not tell them the assignment at school).
This is the final week for Sally Foster fundraising project. Remember, to tell friends and family that they can order online at www.SallyFoster.com and Adventurers still receives the same benefit. Be sure to tell them our school number is #0372986. All orders need to be returned by next Friday September 22nd.
We understand that there are some families that are not interested in having their child selling things from a catalog, even though you might want to support the team.
We have learned that during this fundraiser you can contribute directly to the Adventurers. Send a check made out to Shelburne PTO, with a notation that the funds are to support Adventurer Team trips and special events. This way 100% goes to the team instead of 50%.
On Thursday we sent home the first book orders of the year. There was a note attached that explains the process if you wish to order any items. Is there someone who has the time to fill out the order forms for us and get everything ready for mailing? You can do this at home…only a few times a year.
At the Parent Night next Thursday, we will have some sign-up sheets for parents who wish to volunteer at home or in school. Some of the sign-ups will include PTO representatives, Kindergarten Emergent Reader Program, phone tree callers, field trip drivers, listening to 1st and 2nd graders read aloud, helping occasionally with special projects at home and at school, Math Night organizers, Craft Fair organizers, creators, and workers.
There were 15 nice jackets and sweaters on the hooks in the classroom at the end of school today without names. Please take a moment and label your child’s things. So we don’t have to use valuable school time matching up clothes to kids.
This weekend is the Harvest Festival at Shelburne Farms. It’s a wonderful celebration of the autumnal traditions of Vermont’s farms and forests with musical performances, hay rides, workshops, exhibitions, demonstrations, ethnic and traditional foods, and more for the whole family.
We look forward to seeing
you next Thursday evening at 6:30 for the Adventurers Parent Information Night.
We will go over routines, classroom expectations, curriculum, etc. Hopefully we
can answer your questions. And there will also be representatives from the
unifed arts teachers and the school board to speak.
It would be great to have some refreshments for the meeting. Is there
anyone interested in coordinating this? Cheese and crackers?, cider?, etc.
Please let us know.
Reminders:
- make sure your child
dresses appropriately for school and for the playground e.g. sneakers (no
flip-flops, Heely’s, please).
- take some time this weekend to label all jackets, sweaters, backpacks,
lunchboxes etc.
- help your child remember to bring in his/her binder each morning with
reading books in the plastic sleeve.
- Parent Information Night: Thursday, September 21, 6:30 p.m. – PARENTS ONLY
Pease remember, if you
have questions, suggestions, or concerns, email or give us a call.
-Voicemail: Pam 985-3331 #167. email:
PWise@cssu.org
-Voicemail: Joplin 985-3331 #168. email:
JJames@cssu.org
Adventurers’ homepage: http://www.scsvt.org/TEAMS/Advent/index.html
Greetings from the PTO! My name is Randy Sweeney, Luke’s mom, and I have volunteered to be a PTO team representative this year and will try to keep everyone updated on PTO events and news.
The opening of school went very well and everyone seems to be getting into the swing of things. The school is working hard to replace the classrooms that were destroyed in the fire. Continued school safety, configuration planning and a new visiting artist program for 5th graders are just some of the things that the PTO, principals and the school board are currently working on.
Our fall fundraiser through Sally Foster is underway. The students seem to be excited and are busy selling. All of the order forms need to be turned in by September 22 and the orders will be ready for pick up in the gym on October 26. This is our big fundraiser for the year with 80% of the profit going directly to the teams!
Get a jump on holiday or birthday shopping! From Thursday, October 5 - Sunday, October 8 Baked Beads will be holding a sale of it's popular jewelry and accessories. Earrings are $2, bracelets are $3, and necklaces are $4. It's being held in Waitsfield, VT (Route 100 @ 46 Carroll Road next to the Big Picture Theater). If you go PLEASE bring your receipt back and put it in the PTO box in the main office. We will receive a percentage of all sales from those receipts.
Please remember to cut box tops from General Mills Cereals and other General Mills Foods. The box tops can be brought in to school and put in the BOX TOPS boxes that are in each team and in the main office. This easy and successful program helps to fund Hands-On-Nature (formerly ELF). Also please remember your Hannaford's Helps Schools receipts. When you buy certain amounts of certain foods at Hannaford’s you will get a coupon along with your receipt that tells you how much you have earned for our school. Please bring those receipts to the main office or drop in the box at Hannaford’s
HELP WANTED: The library needs our help re-stacking books. If you can give even 1/2 an hour a week please see the library ladies.
Our gardens in the breezeway need some TLC and Charlotte Albers (985-9064) is organizing that effort. Please contact her if you're interested in helping.
The PTO is busy putting together the School Directory which is an invaluable resource for all SCS families. Betty Winget (985-4060) needs help inputing data for the directory. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Hope everyone is enjoying school and getting settled in!
Randy Sweeney (sweenvt@aol.com or 985-8190)
Return to the SCS Teams Homepage
Home Page maintained by Joplin James & Pam Wise
JJames@cssu.org or
PWise@cssu.org
Last updated:
September 15, 2006