Weekly Newsletter
May 26, 2022
News from Principal Emma Liebowitz
Events/Calendar
Friday, May 27: Sixth Grade to Bug Hill Farm
Friday, May 27: Mosquito Presentation at 1:30 (grades 3-5)
Monday, May 30: No School
Wednesday, June 1: Mohawk Trail Graduates Visit Sanderson at 2:30
Thursday, June 2: Sixth Grade to Ropes Course
Friday, June 3: First Grade to Porter Farm
Tuesday, June 7: Field Day
Wednesday, June 8: 1:50 Release
Thursday, June 9: Field Day Rain Date
Friday, June 10: Kindergarten to Ms. Veronica’s Farm
Friday, June 10: Preschool and Third to Porter Farm
Tuesday, June 14: Preschool and Third to Look Park
Wednesday, June 15: Sixth Grade to Ashfield Lake
Thursday, June 16: Sixth Grade Graduation at 1:30
Friday, June 17: Last Day of School - 12:30 Release
Link to Sanderson Academy calendar.
Health Office News from Nurse Loranna
As we end the month of May I wanted to touch back upon mental health awareness and ways we can support our students/children. With the tragic unfolding events in Texas, we are in heartbreak and shock that so many innocent lives were lost, yet again. While these are incredibly difficult things to talk about, it is important that we address this heartache, in hopes of preventing any further tragedy. Firearm deaths have risen to the leading cause of death of children in the U.S in the year 2020 and the trajectory of this is alarming, frightening and preventable. (https://time.com/6170864/cause-of-death-children-guns/)
Keeping all firearms safely locked out of children’s reach is lifesaving and incredibly important as well as teaching about firearm safety and never allowing children to be around firearms of any type unsupervised. Accidents do happen, and when a firearm is involved, it can be an incredibly tragic, life altering event. Mental health matters- it is so important to treat mental health as we would any other health problem, I am hopeful that in the future there will be less stigma and more support for anyone dealing with a mental health issue. If you have concerns about your child’s mental health, it is important to reach out to their pediatrician and get support through counseling, therapy, medication, mindfulness, exercise and sometimes dietary or sleep changes can also help. Everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another, it is important to keep trying new things until you find something that helps. Here at Sanderson, we are so lucky to have multiple ways to support our overall mental and physical health in our children and staff. We have a beautiful campus to explore, we have an amazing mindfulness and yoga program that teaches children ways to feel calm, centered and provides tools that they can use for their entire lives, we have wonderful trained professionals and educators who care so much, and now we have our sweet pup Billie who will be trained to provide comfort to our children and staff! (https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-benefits-having-comfort-dog-school)
Preschool News from Ms. Freeman
We love watching our baby chicks! We hatched 4 and had a chance to hold them before they leave with Ms. Katie.
This week with Memorial Day approaching and it being the unofficial start to summer, we transformed our Pretending Area into a campsite! We look forward to sharing our personal camping experiences with each other and adding more props as we explore and play.
Preschool News from Ms. Melanie
Our outdoor classroom is a magical place. We have begun remodeling the fairy houses, building new roofs and replacing sides that had been beaten down by winter snow and ice. Many of the houses now have new walkways made from small stones and one even has a swimming pool made from a seashell that was filled with rainwater during one of our recent showers. How spiffy they look! We have begun bringing scarves, bells, and shakers with us most mornings for fairy dancing and pretend play–and the woods come alive with music and laughter.
Our garden is coming along nicely! The peas we planted are up and looking strong. We have tomatoes and strawberry plants coming along, soon to be joined by a variety of other seedlings that have been growing under the lights in our indoor classroom. We made special signs for the plants in our garden to help identify what is planted there.
One morning, we stopped on the way back from our outdoor classroom and picked some wild violets. We brought them inside and worked together to make candied violets. It was a two-day process and the result was yummy!
Kindergarten News from Ms. Sarah
In science, we are turning our focus to our tadpoles. We read a book about the life cycle of frogs. We are also observing the tadpoles daily and have started keeping a record of how they are growing and changing. (Still no legs yet!) We have a special magnifier container with a light so we can see the details of the tadpoles’ bodies. Students are working on including those details in their sketches so we can document how the tadpoles are changing over time.
First Grade News from Ms. Wyckoff
This past Friday first graders had the wonderful opportunity to visit Great Falls Discovery center and the fishway in Turners Falls. This trip was made possible by a Title IVA grant and with support from Alia Woofenden. Upon arrival first graders got a lay of the land by identifying the direction of the river current and which way the migrating fish would be traveling. First graders learned all about anadromous fish which describes fish that are born in freshwater, live their life in saltwater and return to freshwater to spawn. First graders learned that each river has its very own scent and this is how fish find their way back to the river they were born in. To see if first graders could find “their'' river, they were each given a container with a specific scent. They then had to close their eyes and match their scent to one of the three rivers (the presenter- Merrimack river, Mrs. Wyckoff- Connecticut river & Ms. April - Charles river) We then moved on to the fish viewing area where we saw many shad fish in the final leg of their migrating adventure. Our next stop was to Great Falls Discovery center where children completed a scavenger hunt looking for a variety of fish found along the Connecticut River watershed. We ended our exciting trip with a relaxed picnic lunch overlooking the river. The day was full of so much laughter and smiles!
Second Grade News from Ms. Robertson
During our Second Steps lessons, we continue to focus on developing our skills for solving problems. The acronym STEPS is used to remind us what we can do to help solve problems when they arise with a peer.
We have also been discussing taking responsibility for our actions and how we can make amends when we have hurt the feelings of a peer. For example, in our Second Steps lesson, Ayako told her friend Estela something in private and asked her not to tell anyone. But Estela shared what Ayako told her with their classmates, and now the others are laughing at her. Estela then feels guilty and upset by what she has done. After going through the problem-solving steps above, Estela apologizes to Ayako and talks to her classmates to ask them to stop laughing at Ayako.
During our math block we continue our work with three-digit numbers. We have been investigating multiples of 10 by using clips and linking them together to make chains of 10. These chains of 10 were first used to make a number line from 0 to 1,000 that was strung across our classroom, which we then used to find multiples of 10, such as 450 and 770. We then connected our chains of 10 together to create chains of 100 and measured their length using unifix cubes. (See the photos below.) We will also use standard measuring tools, such as inch rulers, centimeter rulers, yardsticks, and meter sticks, to see how long chains of 200 are. We will end this lesson by linking the chains of 100 together to make a chain of 1,000.
This week we are also finishing up our science theme on how the landscape can change by doing an investigation that shows how wind erosion and water erosion can alter what we see when we look out over the land.
Third Grade News from Ms. Carole
Third grade gardeners have been busy lately. The grow light in our classroom has a jungle of new growth under it, which will all get transplanted outside next week. These include our squashes, cucumbers, herbs, and flowers. Outside they have already planted beets, onions, beans, carrots, and peas. Those are all emerging, and it is exciting to see the sprouts popping up. This groups has worked hard to move lots of soil, dig up weeds, prepare the beds, and gently tuck in the seeds for these garden beds. Here is a picture of some friends planting and working together to tie the strings on the trellis for the peas to climb up.
Fourth Grade News from Ms. Lagoy
Fourth grade geographers have been finishing their studies of the West Region. Some students have already chosen a state and begun their independent state research. Students will be putting all of the skills they have learned this year in geography to use as they read a book about their state, collect 2-column notes, and complete a scrapbook on their own, as well as several other projects to showcase their knowledge. Students will have a menu of projects to choose from that range in complexity and mode of expression. There should be something for everyone!
Fifth Grade News from Ms. Johnson
Fifth grade just recorded a radio show to report on events from the Civil War. They worked in pairs to learn about an event, write a script, and then did an audio recording. We put them together and listened to them. We’ll be reading more about the Emancipation Proclamation and Juneteenth and then will transition into our Civil Rights unit.
Sixth Grade News from Ms.Lilly
Last Friday we visited Bug Hill Farm in Ashfield and began preparing the community garden. The first part of this project involved the sixth graders spreading compost onto the garden to make fertile soil for the next step of planting vegetables. The sixth graders worked hard to fill buckets with compost, transport the buckets to the garden, spread the compost, and turn over the soil. The vegetables grown in this garden will be donated to the Ashfield Food Pantry to provide healthy options for our community members. After all of their hard work, we got to check out the beaver pond!
Library News from Robin Wilson
Summer is approaching! This is the final week that students will be able to check out books from the Library. The next two weeks will be spent rounding up the books that need to be returned before summer vacation. I will be sending notices home about missing or late library books, so please look for them in Thursday folders.
Looking for a summer reading list? The Massachusetts Children’s Book Award nominees for 2022-23 have been selected and would make for wonderful summer reading. The Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (MCBA) honors books that promote reading for pleasure among grades 4-6. Each year, the MCBA Committee works with MA libraries and schools to nominate 25 books from which MA students pick their favorites! Nominees must be of interest to middle grade students and published within the last five years. The 2021-22 winner is The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. The 2022-23 list is not officially posted on the MCBA website yet, but I am sending lists home with students.
Stay tuned for summer program information from Ashfield’s Belding Library!
Looking for a FREE fun activity for kids and family this weekend? Check out singer/songwriter Carrie Ferguson, who will be doing a solo show outdoors at the Wendell Free Library this Saturday at 10 am! (...you can also check out some books while you’re there…and they have a playground, too…)
News from Ms. Prew
Mindful Movement News from Ms. Sue
We have been doing Mindful Movement outside on these glorious days!! When we walk or sit quietly we often see and hear things that we otherwise might miss! So far this week, 3rd grade saw two green frogs sitting side by side, 5th grade was so quiet as we hung out in the woods doing some yoga poses that a bunny hopped along by us, we also heard so many of the Red-Winged Black birds that use our Sanderson Academy school property as their home…I sure hope you and your families can be mindful observers to all the wonderful nature around us!
New Curriculum, Next Steps and Communication - We need your feedback
The Literacy Leadership Team is happy to announce that a decision has been made regarding our new English Language Arts program. Grades K-6 will be adopting the EL Education curriculum. Grades 7-8 will be adopting the Wit & Wisdom curriculum. Staff have already begun to unpack these new programs that will be rolled out in phases beginning next fall. For more information about the curricula and our selection process, please visit this summary report from the director of curriculum, Sarah Jetzon, that was presented to the school committee in May.
While staff are implementing a new literacy curriculum, they will continue to work on improving their knowledge of reading instruction as well as ways to make implementation more effective through data cycles, professional development about the science of reading and small group instruction, and adhering to a new schedule to address all components of literacy instruction. Stay tuned to learn more about these exciting developments.
The Literacy Leadership Team is looking for your feedback about our effectiveness in communicating important information about literacy in the district. Please take a few minutes to respond to this survey, so we can improve.
MTRSD Drama and Musical Planning for 2022/2023
Thanks to everyone who helped our students put on the show, Bits of Broadway last weekend; it was fantastic to see students singing and acting on the stage at MTRS after almost two years of silence!
We would like to continue to build out our drama and musical program in the district and are tentatively planning to run a play in the Fall of 2022 and a musical in the early Spring of 2023.
We would like to ask families of students who will be in grades 5 and 6 if their student would be interested in participating in an after-school drama activity on Wednesdays in the fall and in rehearsals for the musical on Wednesdays in the Winter/ Spring. Please complete this survey to help us plan.
Swim Lesson Reminder
A flyer went home a couple weeks ago regarding swim lessons at the Ashfield Lake. If you are interested in signing your child(ren) up for summer sessions, please return the form as soon as possible. If you have questions, you can contact Helene Leue at 413-628-4768.
Summer Opportunity (Ages 10+ or 7+ with Adult)
SEPAC News
Do you have a question about your child, their services, or resources specific to your needs? If you or someone you know would like to be added to the private list and receive emails and event notifications, please send an email to: MOHAWKSEPAC@gmail.com Please indicate your email, title (such as the parent of a student with IEP/504), District, Interested Party or other)
About Us
Email: eliebowitz@mtrsd.org
Website: https://sanderson.mohawktrailschools.org/
Location: 808 Cape Street, Ashfield, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 628-4404
Facebook: facebook.com/SandersonAcademy