Hands On Nature

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This week we learned about ecosystems and habitats in Hands On Nature.  We talked about food chains and learned about herbivores and carnivores.  We ventured outside and created a food chain, and looked for leaves that showed evidence that insects had been eating them.  We discovered many different leaves that had been eaten by insects.
In math, we are finishing up Unit One and will begin a new unit about math fact strategies using dice and dominoes next week.  We are beginning a "Small Moments" unit in writing and continue to work on getting our reading groups well established and running smoothly in reading.
Our class will be blogging with Miss Niles' class this year.  Today, we talked about blogging and created "paper blog" posts about Fall.  We visited our Kids' Blog on-line and learned how to log in and out.  Over the next month we will meet our blogging partners from Miss Niles' class and will begin blogging with them.
On Tuesday, September 30th, the Firefly Team will be going on a field trip to Shelburne Farms.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather that day. 
I would also like to remind everyone to go onto our team web-page and sign up for an October conference.
Have a terrific weekend!
:)Deb

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PTO NOTES & NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 2014

PTO NOTES & NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 2014

PLEASE HELP!

Visit the following link and sign up to volunteer for something that fits into your schedule!    This on-line sign up has replaced the paper sign up that we have used in the past. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AlIV5TlL1TUvdDA0MXhsUDNqbnNuYUFNOS1XU1o2TXc&usp=sharing

Stay up to date with PTO happenings by:

•   'Liking' us on Facebook (Shelburne Community School PTO)

•   Joining our list serve (a place to post announcements and help wanted--think of it as Front Porch Forum without the discussions).  Contact Courtney Tharpe to sign up: ctharpe25@gmail.com

•   Visit the PTO page at scsvt.org.

Mark your calendar

10/3 - Fall Fundraiser begins--packets will go home with every student

10/8 - Walking Wednesdays begin!  Meet on the town green by Church Street and walk to                        school.  Sponsored by the Wellness Committee

10/11 - Newberry Cup Bakesale--please contact Dawn Fragola dawn.fragola@vtmednet.org if                 you can donate baked goods and/or help staff the table

10/21 6:30-7:30pm -  Unified Arts curriculum night

Help wanted

•   Flower gardens--contact Lisa Williams lisawvt@hotmail.com if you are interested in helping to maintain the flower gardens

•   CY Mentoring Program.  Meet once a week with a 5-8 grader and build a friendship throughout the year! Contact Alice abrown@cssu.org

•   Everybody Wins! Literacy mentoring program.  Read and talk with a 2-5 grader Tuesdays at lunchtime.  Contact Jen jmarx88@yahoo.com

•   Help shelve books in the library!  Very flexible.  Contact Fran Brennan fbrennan@cssu.org

Highlights of Principal's report

•   Thanks to custodians for their hard work over the summer--moving 39 rooms!!

•   Thanks to PTO for helping to fund middle school team building event (UVM ropes course)

•   Strong turnout for middle school sports! 

•   Part2 was a great success last year, and is going strong.  4 Part2 staff members are now supervising recess for all students during the school day. 

Fundraising updates

•   Soccer concessions:  The PTO will be selling coffee, water and Gatorade at some soccer games.  If it goes well we will do more next year.  Want to help?  C:  catecdesign@gmail.com 

•   Fall Fundraiser - This will include Genevieve's gifts and gift wrap, holiday and all occasion custom photo cards, Boston Coffee Cakes, Vermont-made food items, and much more!  80% of the proceeds that each team raises during this fundraiser go directly back to that team.  The remaining 20% is split between the Unified Arts programs and the PTO.  Please look for packets to come home on 10/3!

•   School Directory - This will be distributed to each SCS family in mid October.  Local businesses pay $35 to be listed in the business section of the directory.  Please thank these businesses and let them know you appreciate their support! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN THE DIRECTORY, OR IF YOUR INFORMATION WAS LISTED INCORRECTLY OR HAS CHANGED FROM LAST YEAR, PLEASE EMAIL CORRINE!  corrinel@usa.net

•   Direct donations are coming in, and total $1,425 so far. 

•   Price Chopper Tools for Schools--If you shop at Price Chopper, please register your card, and a portion of your purchases are automatically donated to the PTO (funds raised in the past have helped purchase supplies for the library)  To register go to:  http://www.pricechopper.com/savings/tools-for-schools    School Code: 15260

•   Hannafords Helps Schools--Now through 12/6, for every 4 participating products purchased in one transaction, you will earn a certificate worth $3.  Put those certificates in the Shelburne Community School slot in the kiosk (on Shelburne Road) or bring them to the main office.  For more information and a full list of participating products, go to: http://www.hannaford.com/content.jsp?pageName=HHS&leftNavArea=AboutLeftNav

•   We love to shop local, but if you also shop at Amazon, please enter the site using this link: http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=shelbcommusch-20 and proceed as you normally would.  When you do, a portion of your purchase will automatically be donated to the PTO.  You must enter Amazon's website through this link each time.  The link can also be found on the PTO page of the SCS website. 

•   Box Tops for Education--You will find box tops on various General Mills products.  See boxtops4education.com for more details.  We earn 10 cents for every box top collected, which helps fund the Hands On Nature program (PTO pays for 1/3, school pays 1/3, box tops 1/3).  Please cut them out and drop them in your child's team collection box or in the main office.

Fund spending update

•       Visiting Artist program - We voted to contribute $3000 towards funding the Flynn Arts Words Come Alive program which will benefit teachers and students in grades K-8.

•       The PTO contributed $2000 towards a Middle School Team Building Event which each middle school team is participating in at the UVM ropes course this month.

•       The PTO is contributing $5000 to the new playground which will be installed next summer.

Thank you to:

-Lori Roberts for designing the Shelburne Community Days flyer, as well as the PTO web page!

-Sherry Senior for the awesome back to school bulletin board outside the main office!

-Valerie Richardson, along with all who contributed food and help, for coordinating a much                        appreciated Teacher's Breakfast!

-All of the first day/week greeters who helped students feel welcome and find their way

Fire Prevention Day

The Shelburne Fire Department visited our school to teach us about fire prevention this week.  They talked to us about ways we can keep ourselves safe in a fire and the difference between tools and toys.  We practiced crawling through a smoke house and "Stop, Drop and Roll".  We also had fun learning about their fire truck and had an opportunity to climb in the back seat of the truck.  It was a great morning of learning for us.
We began our first Science Units this week.  During this time all the Firefly classes have been blended together and regrouped.  We will be studying three units this year.  Mrs. KillKelley is teaching a unit called A Work in Process:   Improving a Play Dough Process.  Students will learn about solids, liquids and Chemical Engineering through this unit.  During Mrs. Nakhleh's unit, students will be learning about changes in the earth and Materials Engineering by using the engineering process to build walls.  Miss Blair will be teaching a plant unit that will teach students about Agricultural Engineering and give them the opportunity to use the engineering process to create bee pollinators.  We will be switching units about every 12 weeks this year.
We continued to learn about what good readers and writers do during Literacy this week.  We have been working toward using more writing in our stories and "fancying" up our writing so we can publish our work.  We have been talking a lot about story elements during reading and started reading groups this week.  We have been focusing on what it looks like and sounds like to be in a reading group.  In Fundations, we have begun to practice spelling CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words.  We are practicing these words by tapping out the sounds we hear with our fingers, then writing them.
Math continues to be focused on decomposing and recomposing numbers to 20.  We have been using number racks, tens frames, tally marks and other models to show numbers in different ways and find different ways to make numbers.  The Habits of Mind and Interaction we are working hard on right now are "Justifying Our Thinking" and "Listening to Understand".  We are practicing "revoicing" our partners ideas to make sure we are focused on these to habits. 
Monday is picture day!  Please check this week's Friday Folder for the picture paperwork your child needs to bring back to school on Monday.  Wednesday is Hands On Nature day.  We will probably be going outside for part of this lesson, so make sure your child comes to school prepared to do so. 
It was nice to see so many families at Curriculum Night!  If you were unable to attend, there is a Curriculum Packet in this week's Friday Folder that includes any curriculum information you need to know about first grade.
Have a terrific weekend!
:)Deb

Curriculum Night This Week!

Our class has had a terrific week learning about our classmates through all our friends'  "Me Museum" shares.  During our literacy time we have been working hard reviewing letter sounds and letter formation.  We have been learning more about what readers and writers do and have spent some time practicing quiet reading.  In math, we have been getting used to Number Corner routines and have been using number racks to find all the different ways we can make numbers.  We have been focusing on "Listen to Understand" throughout our school day and practicing "Revoicing" of others' ideas to strengthen this Habit of Mind.  We  also continue to work toward building a strong classroom community where everyone feels safe to take risks and make mistakes.
During the next week we will begin our science units.  For our science time we will be mixing students from the three classes on our team.  Each group will go to one Firefly teacher during that time and stay with that teacher throughout this first cycle of rotations.  The units we will be using are aligned with the new science standards that have just been released.  Our team has been piloting these units for two years and find them to be very engaging for students.  They are inquiry based and include an engineering component.
Wednesday, September 17th is both Fire Prevention Day and Curriculum Night.  We will begin our curriculum presentation in our Firefly classrooms and will move to the cafeteria at 5:30.  Our classroom time will be spent going over routines, explaining homework (which will start the following week) and answering any questions you may have.  We look forward to seeing you then.
School photos and class photos will be taken on Monday, September 22nd.  We will have our first Hands On Nature lesson on the Wednesday, Sept. 24th. We could still use another parent or two to help out, so if you are interested and have the time, please contact Brian Fina or Zynnia Seidita. This program requires that you attend a training once a month and then teach a lesson one time a month to our class.  It's a wonderful learning experience for students and a great opportunity for parents to get into our classroom and get to know everyone.
Enjoy the weekend!
:)Deb

Fun Fall Activities From FEED

(1)    “The Biggest Veggie Contest”- students, K-8 are asked to bring in the largest vegetable from either their family’s garden, community garden or neighbor/friend/relative’s garden.  They will have from Monday 9/15 to Wednesday 9/17 to bring ONE to school. There will be a box in each classroom for them to place it in. I've asked for parents to label both child's and teacher's name. If not, I'm asking that teachers to use masking tape and label. There will be a few winners and they will be announced on Friday 9/19. Prizes will be from Shelburne businesses. All veggies will be used in school lunch selections.

(2)    Shelburne Farmers’ Market Scavenger Hunt- this has been done in the past with great success. It is a great way to encourage the kids and their parents to have fun at the market before the season ends! It is also a great introduction/reminder for them to know where their food comes from. The kids will need to communicate with vendors to find the answers to the questions. PRIZES FROM THE VENDORS WILL BE AWARDED- 1 PER GRADE LEVEL! They have Sat, 9/20 and 9/27 to attend the market and complete the scavenger hunt. They have until  Wed, 10/1 to turn their sheets in to their teacher or front office. Winners will be announced (and parents emailed) Friday 10/3. Winners have Sat 10/4 and 10/11 to redeem their prize at the market!