Adventurers Team

                                                     Team teachers Pam Wise/Joplin James

 

     Welcome to the Adventurers ParentLink message for September 19th. 
 Parent Information Night:
     Next Thursday evening is the Adventurers Parent Information Night.  Informed parents are fundamental to a successful school year, so we really hope each family will be represented.  This is your chance to learn about classroom routines and curriculum, find out how you can get involved, special events,  meet other Adventurers parents, and get your questions answered. There will also be representatives from the school board, music, art, and gym programs. We'll start promptly at 6:00 and promise to be done by 7:30.  Refreshments provided, (we would love to hear from you if you would like to help out with this).

   FYI: Unlike the monthly Adventurers ParentNight, this will not be a potluck dinner and childcare will not be  provided.


Math:
       This week in math, first graders worked on place value, using the 10's and 1's manipulatives, and identifying the digits in the tens place and the ones place.  We also  made some wonderful designs with geometric shapes and practiced number writing.  (Don't worry; it's common for first graders to reverse numbers (and letters) in first grade.)
       Second graders worked with place value, dominoes, thermometers, finding totals, and calculators.     We reviewed renaming numbers and played "Broken Calculator."  This is an easy game to play at home with a calculator. Just pick a key or two that you pretend is broken, for instance “1” and “0.”  Tell how you can show “10” without using those keys, Examples:  5 + 5 =, 35 – 25 =, etc. It's challenging and fun. 
Second graders are being very responsible for writing in their Math Journal each morning when they arrive. A comment about the homework, the previous day's lesson, or something mathematical they have noticed is all that is expected.  It should be brief. just a sentence or two.  It may help your student to process an idea with you at home before coming to class.


Literacy:
       This week Adventurers shared their writings about spiders, read together and independently.  We continued evaluating students in many areas.  We visited the computer labs to work on our “stumpers” lists in Spell Wizard.  Each student has several lists of sight words to practice at school and at home.  If you haven't had a chance to have your child show you Wizard Spell from the Adventurers homepage, we hope you'll take the opportunity.

 

"I Love to Read" records:
    Last week's  total of 4,442 reading minutes was surpassed with a total 4,902. We're confident Adventurers can do even better next week, as some were not turned in this week.  We hope you'll find the "I Love to Read" record a useful motivation for daily family reading.  Please help your child record their minutes each evening and total them up each Thursday, so they're ready to turn in on Fridays. 
   We expect each Adventurer to bring classroom books home each evening to read, and return with them to school each day!!

Friday Healthy Team Snack:
     For our Friday healthy snack, Lily’s mom treated us to freshly picked apples from Shelburne Orchards. If you haven't signed up to do a Friday snack at some point this year, we hope you'll check the schedule on the Adventurers homepage and let us know which one works for you.


Red Clover books:
      We continued reading the 2008 Red Clover nominee books. We hope to vote for our favorite by the end of next week.  We’ll let you know the class favorite, hopefully, next Friday. Ask your  student their favorite title and why s/he chose it. You can learn more about the Red Clover books at:  http://www.mothergooseprograms.org/lit_red_clover_nominees.php
 

Estimating Jar
   This week Eathan put animals in the jar. There was a three-way tie for the closest estimate; Ambu will fill it with something interesting for next week.

 

 Science Table:
    This week we explored pulleys.  We had a 60 lbs crate of sand that was impossibly heavy to lift but when we rigged up the pulleys everyone got a chance to show they could lift it. This is a difficult concept for first and second graders, but with some visual representation we tried to make some sense of how this works.  Ask your child about it!

  Don't forget to talk with your child about a topic s/he might be interested in exploring for the science table. Goto the  Science table Schedule link on the homepage and choose a week.

 

 Hike to Meach Cove:
We hope you heard all about the Thursday hike to the Labyrinth at Meach Cove. It was a three mile hike and we were so impressed with the endurance of the whole group. It was a beautiful day, a fun hike through the woods, and through the labyrinth.  We had looked at some labyrinths on paper before we left and it was quiet an experience walking through it in silence. Upon our return, Adventurers shared  their observations of things they saw along the way and their feelings about walking the Labyrinth.

  

FEED: "Food Education Every Day"
          It's that time again when our gardens are overflowing with things like tomatoes and zucchini!  With that in mind the SCS FEED (Food Education Every Day) committee is planning an event called "Harvest Pizza" during the week of September 22. 
    We will be making a vegetable pizza using local vegetables donated by SCS families and from our school garden, homemade sauce, cheese donated from Shelburne Farms and a healthy crust.
     We want this to be a community event so we need your help.  Here 's how:
  On Monday, Sept. 22 and Tuesday, Sept. 23 we will be collecting donated vegetables either from your garden or a local farmer's market.  Please either send them in with your child or drop them off in the baskets outside of the cafeteria.  We need:  tomatoes (lots!), zucchini, summer squash, peppers, onions, garlic and herbs.
   On Wednesday, September 24 we will be prepping and chopping the vegetables, making the tomato sauce and grating the cheese.  We need parent volunteers to help us do this.
    On Thursday, September 25 we will be making "taste test"  Harvest Pizzas that will be delivered to each classroom for all students to taste.  We also need volunteer help with this.
   On Friday, September 26 Harvest Pizza will be the lunch menu item for the day in the cafeteria.  Encourage your child to buy lunch that day and come enjoy Harvest Pizza yourself!
 

 ParentLink Homework:
    This week we enjoyed sharing maps of our escape route and our safe meeting place in case of a fire.  The homework for this weekend is for each Adventurer to bring in a piece of produce for the “Harvest Pizza.”
 

Music:
      In Music this week, Adventurers sang a variety of rhyming songs, where students are encouraged to create their own verses. These include "Down by the Bay," and "The Corner Grocery Store." We've also learned a round, "Bottle Pop," and have done well singing in 2 parts. To connect with the Adventurer's study of the life cycle of a butterfly, we have been singing 2 songs: "The Fuzzy Caterpillar," and "The Butterfly Song." These are Piggyback songs, as they are sung to familiar tunes. I have sent a song sheet home with your child this week.

    We are also discussing the tempo of music. (Speed) I have been telling the adventures of a clock, asking students to show me the way the clock moves, and encouraging them to move their bodies according to the tempo of the tone block. It's always rewarding to see the variety of ways students use movement to follow this story!

    Please feel free to contact Diana Burritt, if you have questions about the music program DBurrit@cssu.org.

 

Adventurers Parents:

 We would like to update our FAQ's on the Adventurers homepage.  If you have the chance we would greatly appreciate it, if you could look over these and tell us some questions that remain unanswered.

 

Bike Clinic:
     On Saturday, September 20th, at 10:00 or 11:00 at there will be a free bike Clinic. Have fun learning how to check if your bike is safe to ride learn how to wear your helmet safely and some rules of the road. There will be gifts, unicycle shows and more!! All Welcome.

 

HARVEST FESTIVAL  

This Saturday at Shelburne Farms is the 30th annual HARVEST FESTIVAL from 9 Am to 4 PM. 

 

Coming Up: 

-September 23rd: Visit from the Shelburne Fire Fighters.

-September 23rd: Return "Innisbrook" gift wrap orders. *
     * remember: if you would prefer not participate in fund raising sales, you can support Adventurers Field trips
        by making a direct contributions to the "SCS Adventurers (Field Trip Fund)."  Limit $50 max. per student.

-September 24th: "Picture Day", return forms if  you would like to get a student portrait.
-September 25th:   Harvest Pizza Day!
-September 25th: Adventurers Parent information night. 6:00-7:30pm.

 

If you ever have any questions, suggestions, or concerns, we hope you will contact us by email or voicemail.
- Pam 985-3331 #167. Email: PWise@cssu.org

- Joplin 985-3331 #168.  Email: JJames@cssu.org
Adventurers homepage: http://www.scsvt.org/TEAMS/Advent/index.html

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                                - Joplin and Pam

Return to the Adventurers Team Homepage

 Home Page maintained by Joplin James & Pam Wise
JJames@cssu.org or PWise@cssu.org
Last updated: September 19, 2008