Balls and Ramps!

We began our Balls and Ramps unit in math this week and it has been quite a hit in our class.  We are working with partners to explore different variables such as ramp length and marble mass.  This unit also gives students practice in measurement and data collection as well as finding average distances.
We have been moving into an opinion writing unit during Writers' Workshop and began Unit 13 in Fundations which focuses on "oa", "oe", and "ow".  We are also reviewing basewords and suffixes.
Yesterday we enjoyed a wonderful performance by the Vermont Youth Symphonia Orchestra.  They played a variety of music pieces and talked about the various instruments they play. 

Personalize your own slideshow design

Shelburne Farms Field Trip-May 10th

The Firefly team will be going on a field trip to Shelburne Farms on May 10th.  If you are interested in chaperoning this field trip, please send me an email.
:)Deb

1/2 Music Concert Information

                                                                        March 19, 2012

Dear Parents of all 1^st and 2^nd graders:

Please join us on Tuesday, April 10^th, at 6:30PM in the large gym for our concert,

“Music is Always There.” Please have your son/daughter arrive in the cafeteria at 6:00PM. (Please, no earlier)

Please have your child dressed appropriately. (No shorts or loose fitting shoes please)

If your child would like a CD of the songs to practice at home, please send in a new, blank CD no later than March 30^th. CDs should be in a case or envelop to avoid dirt and scratches, and labeled with your child's name/team. (Please, no DVD’s)

I will need 2 parents from each class, to assist with lining up the children on the 10^th. The concert begins promptly at 6:30PM, and I will need volunteers to arrive in the cafeteria at 6:00, to line up students, and assist them to the proper placement on the risers. Also, if you are willing to assist students in leaving the stage after the program, it would be appreciated.  Students will be lined up by team, and by height. (I will have directions printed up for you when you arrive, as well photos of each class’ placement on the risers)

As an incentive, I will reserve a seat for you, in the appropriate viewing area of your son/daughter. I will reserve seats for the 1^st two responses from each class.  (Please e-mail, call, or send in the form below) I will call/e-mail you to confirm your volunteering. If you do not hear from me, please accept my apologies, for all positions are filled.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Diana Burritt

K-2, 4-5 Music Educator

dburritt@cssu.org

383-1271

Hands On Nature

We had a wonderful Hands On Nature lesson this week. We learned about twigs.  We learned that all twigs are different.  We can tell what kind of a tree it is by the twig and we can also tell about the past and the future from looking at a twig.  Ask your child what they learned about twigs today.  A huge thank you to Amelia, Kim, Zynnia, and Fiona-our Hands On Nature parents.
It was so nice to meet with everyone this week and celebrate your child's progress.  I feel so fortunate to have been a part of your child's life these past two years, and to have had the opportunity to get to know all of my students' remarkable families!
I will be working on some professional development this Wed., Thurs., or Fri. and will not be in school on those days.  I will be checking email regularly so if there are any concerns please send me an email.

This photo slideshow customized with Smilebox

Unified Arts Conferences

K-5 Unified Arts Teachers, as well as 6-8 World language teachers will be available in their classrooms, on Monday, April 16th, from 3-5PM for Parent Conferences. Please feel free to schedule a conference, or simply stop in. We look forward to seeing you.

Dr. Seuss!

SCS was welcomed back from vacation on Tuesday with a Read Around America Celebration.  We celebrated the birthday of Dr. Seuss with a K-5 assembly, a school wide 7 minute "Drop Everything and Read" time, guest readers throughout the day and a bunch of Dr. Seuss activities.  Sue Schaefer, Patty Spagnolo and Vasanthi Meyetter were all guest readers in our classroom.  This was a terrific way to get back into the swing of things at school.
Mira shared her Discovery Table about Hip Hop Dance this week.  She shared about the history of Hip Hop and showed us videos of some of her dance classes.  She also showed us a video that taught us some dance moves.  What an amazing dancer Mira is and what a terrific presentation she gave!
Firefly Second Grade completed our CSSU Science Inquiry Assessment this week.  This was a very rigorous task that took a very long time to complete. This assessment required students to complete an experiment that compared how water drains through clay and sand.  Everyone did a fantastic job with this and had fun in the process.
We also completed the CSSU Spring On-Demand Writing Prompt this week.  This prompt required students to choose a healthy snack to write about and provide reasons as to why it is healthy.  Once again, everyone worked hard and did a terrific job on this assessment.
We began Unit 11 in Fundations this week.  This unit focuses on vowel teams "ee", "ea" and "ey" and the long e sound.  We will also talk about exceptions to this rule when using "ea" such as in the word "steak" and the word "bread".
Next week will be the final week for this Social Studies/Science rotation.  Our new units will begin the week of March 19th.  Mrs. Nakhleh will be teaching "Changes in the Earth and Sky".  I will be teaching "Physical Geography".
We will also be having some visitors from Charlotte on Tuesday to observe a math lesson.  This is not a studio day, just something extra we've been asked to do.  If your child comes home on Tuesday and talks about there being a bunch of people in our classroom for math, you'll know what's going on!
A reminder that conferences begin Monday.  They will be taking place after school Monday through Thursday.  Please check the wikki schedule on the Firefly webpage to confirm your time.  If you have not signed up yet, please do so before Monday.  I have also included a copy of the sign up list as of Thursday in this week's Friday Folder.  I am leaving it up to families to decide who attends the conference.  Students are welcome, but if it works better for your family to come without your child that is fine too.  I look forward to meeting with everyone to celebrate your child's learning!

This slideshow generated with Smilebox