Jeffrey/Mead Team Blog
12/13 - 12/17
Math
Each day students participate in a Number Talk which are designed to help students become flexible, accurate and efficient when making calculations. The strategies we are teaching help students solve problems across all four operations. Right now Ms. Jeffrey's class is working on multiplication with partial products as well as halving and doubling. Mrs. Mead's class continuing to focus on multiplication but will also begin division before our next break.
Calendar Grid and Calendar Collector have also continued in classrooms. Students have been making connections between the work we do in Number Corner and the work we do in our unit lessons. This month the Calendar Grid focuses on classifying quadrilaterals. Students are looking at the number of congruent sides and angles to add the daily quadrilateral to a hierarchy.
Unit 2 has continued. Students continued working on adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators. They learned how to find common denominators and use models to show their thinking. We will continue this work with mixed numbers and then conclude the unit with multiplying fractions by whole numbers. Students who did not need this worked on some problem solving skills.
Math Stars
Read Aloud
Writing
Ms. Jeffrey's students are working on their final opinion writing piece. We finished our research on year round schools. Students read two articles and watched three short videos. They collected the pros and cons for this education model. They had to weigh those pros and cons and decide for which side they had a stronger argument. By the end of the week they wrote their introductions and began working on the body paragraphs.
Reading
Since we finished our work on the character analysis and quoting accurately essential standard we are moving onto theme and message.
Ms. Jeffrey's class are wrapping up their latest book groups, this time with a focus on analyzing characters. Students have independent work due Wednesdays and Fridays and are meeting to create a model of their main character in small groups. We have begun to work on identifying big ideas or topics in fiction books. This will lead into student learning on theme and messages.
Mrs. Mead's students have finished reading their next round of book groups. This round focuses on characters. Students are reading Save Me a Seat, Restart, Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, Because of Winn Dixie, The One and Only Ivan and Wish. Students are finishing up their models and writing reviews of their books.
Social Studies
School Wide SEL
UVM Student Teacher
Run Hide Fight/Resist
Remote Learning and Quarantine
In the event that a classroom is sent home due to a COVID close contact, the classroom teacher will provide remote instruction for their class. This can be a combination of synchronous (at the same time, through zoom or google meet) and asynchronous (self-paced) learning experiences. Students will receive special education and intervention services as schedules allow as well. In the event that a student is sent home due to close contact in school or on the bus, but their entire class is not quarantining, remote instruction will not be provided. Practice links may be provided. The student’s absences will be excused. In the event that a student is sent home due to close contact outside of school and school-related activities, the classroom teacher is not expected to provide remote instruction. The student’s absences will be excused.
Record of Covid Vaccination
Please share vaccination records with the FMS school nurse, Alicia Goodkind, after your student has received their COVID vaccination/s. Asymptomatic, fully vaccinated students will not need to quarantine if they are identified as a close contact. Furthermore, they will not need to participate in Test to Stay if they are identified as a close contact from an in-school exposure.
Student Technology Tools
The following is a list of online programs students may use this year. Others could be added as the year progresses. Individual student password documents will be shared with students. We will be send home a permission form regarding student technology programs in the first weeks of school.
Safari Montage
Scholastic News
eSpark
BrainPop
Spelling City
Book Creator
Typing Club
IXL
Khan Academy
Prodigy
Masks
Students will need two masks at school everyday. Masks will need to be worn on the bus to and from school. They should also be worn at school except during recess and when eating and during mask breaks, which we all need!
FMS Newsletter
Four Winds
Celebrations
Early Dismissal Procedure
IMPORTANT! Procedure for Early Dismissal
In the event that your child needs to be dismissed early, the following protocol must be followed:
On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday - you must pick up by 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday- you must pick up by 1:00pm.
Send your child’s teacher and Kim Kedzierski (kkedzierski@ewsd.org) an email first thing in the morning letting them know what time your child needs to be dismissed, the reason why and the name of the person picking them up. Or, you can also call the attendance line at 879-6326 and leave a message stating your child’s name, time leaving, the name of the teacher, the reason why, and the name of the person picking them up.
When you arrive to pick up your child, please pull up to the front of the building and call Kim at 879-6326 to let her know you’re here
Important Dates
December 22 Flapjacks and Flannel Day
December 23- January 3 Early Winter Break
January 17 NO SCHOOL (MLK Day)
Contact Us
Karen Jeffrey: kjeffrey@ewsd.org
Kelsey Mead: kmead@ewsd.org
Website: https://www.ewsd.org/Domain/379
Location: Founders Memorial School, Founders Road, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: 802-879-6326