Weekly Newsletter
September 1, 2022
News from Principal Emma Liebowitz
It has been great to have everyone back together again! Students are learning and practicing the routines and procedures of their new classroom and outdoor spaces. As we start the year, we ask students to think about their Hopes and Dreams for the year. These Hopes and Dreams will be the foundation that classroom and school rules are built upon. We follow the rules so everyone can learn and work towards their goals. Take some time to talk with your child(ren) about their Hopes and Dreams for the year.
News from School Office
Beginning of the year paperwork was sent home today. Please return the required documents promptly. The green form is the Student Handbook Acknowledgment and Permissions Form. The Student Handbook can be found at this LINK.
Events/Calendar
Monday, September 5: No School
Wednesday, September 14: Open House - 6:00 - 7:00
Wednesday, September 21: 1:50 Release
Wednesday, September 28: PICTURE DAY
Wednesday, September 28: 1:50 Release
Link to Sanderson Academy calendar.
Health Office News from Nurse Loranna
It has been so great to see all the students! I noticed lots of smiles and positivity this week. Please be sure to look over the letter sent home regarding when to keep your child home from school, if you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out, my door is always open! Please let me know if your child is not feeling well, if you have any questions about our covid policies, or are in need of any antigen tests. Don’t forget to send in their updated physicals if you have not done so already. A current physical is mandated by state law in pre-k, Kindergarten, grade 4 and for any new students. I look forward to a great school year and building relationships with students, their families and our amazing staff!
Kindergarten News from Ms. Sarah
For our first week of school, we have mainly focused on the basics—our morning routine of unpacking our bags, bathroom procedures, snack and lunch procedures, using the playground, and packing up at the end of the day. Tomorrow we will put on our boots and visit the Close Woods. We have started our morning meeting with just a warm-up movement song and a greeting. Tomorrow, we will also be creating and sharing our Hopes & Dreams for fall at school and we will use these to create our class promise, so that everyone’s dreams can come true!
First Grade News from Ms. Wyckoff
Welcome back Sanderson families! We are having the most wonderful start to our year together in first grade! First graders are getting to know each other through a variety of activities. One activity is called, “Mystery bag” where children were sent home with a paper bag and filled it with items that help us learn a bit more about one another. Although many first graders have been in the same classrooms since they started at Sanderson they often said “Wow! I didn’t know that about you!” We are also learning expectations and routines that help us navigate our day.
Second Grade News from Ms. Robertson
Welcome back to school and to second grade! Our class has spent the first few days getting to know each other better and establishing expectations and routines in our new classroom. When we arrive in the morning, we have a list of responsibilities that we need to do, such as passing in notes, taking our snacks and water bottles out of our backpacks, and making a choice for lunch. After we complete our “Morning Business” items, we review our schedule for the day and read the daily letter. We then gather on the rug for our morning meeting, where we do a daily greeting and a sharing. This week our sharing questions focused on sharing a little bit about ourselves, so questions such as “What is your favorite animal?” and “Why is this animal your favorite?” were asked. Our morning meeting time also has an activity element. This week one of our activities was called “If You Like.” The group was asked if they liked something, such as a certain food, and if they did, they did the accompanying action. For example, if they liked apples, they picked apples from a tree or if they liked pizza, they tossed the pizza dough above their heads. We ended our week with our “Packing a Bag” activity. We put items that told about ourselves into a bag and then shared them with the class. For example, if someone packed colored pencils, it meant they enjoyed drawing and coloring. It was a fun week getting to know the second-grade students and we look forward to working and learning with them during the upcoming school year!
Third Grade News from Ms. Carole
It has been fun getting to know and work with this new class of third graders this week!
They are happy to be together again, and they bring a lot of enthusiasm for learning. We have been setting goals for the year, and we have also been working on setting expectations and making agreements about what needs to happen so those goals can be reached. I would like to remind families that we have snack every morning, and healthy snacks are more helpful than sugary ones. I also want to make sure everyone has sneakers for a fun and safe recess each day.
Fourth Grade News from Ms. Lagoy
What a wonderful first week back we have had. It has been great welcoming this new group of fourth graders to our classroom. We have spent the week refamiliarizing ourselves with school routines and figuring out how we will work together in fourth grade. As we have embarked on this new school year, we have watched several inspirational video clips of children overcoming challenges, talking about dreams, and the importance of never giving up. This got us in the right frame of mind for developing our hopes and dreams for the year. Many students are thinking about math and how learning their multiplication facts with automaticity will help them solve problems more efficiently. Some students are thinking about how to improve the quality of their recess by expanding their friend circles and arguing less. Others are thinking about how they can improve their reading and a few want to work on typing. These hopes and dreams will help us establish our classroom rules next week. Enjoy the long weekend.
Sixth Grade News from Ms.Lilly
Sixth grade has had a fantastic start to the school year! We have spent the first few days refreshing ourselves on how to be responsible and respectful students in school. I have loved getting to know each one of your children. Thank you all for signing up for intake meetings as well. It was great to start the year off by meeting all of the new sixth grade families. “With great power comes great responsibility” - Winston Churchill originally made that statement but most kids recognize the quote from the Spider-Man movies by Uncle Ben. As these sixth graders embark on their last year at Sanderson Academy they have the power of being the oldest students here, with this power also comes a lot of responsibility. As this year continues, we will be stressing the importance of the sixth graders taking responsibility for their actions, their work, and their role as the school leaders and role models. I am looking forward to a great year!
Library News from Ms. Robin Wilson
Hello, everyone! I’m so excited to start my second year at Sanderson in a new role, as the Library Media Specialist! This means that in addition to read-alouds, check-out, and centers, I will also be teaching students about digital citizenship, media literacy, online tools for reading and research, and even some coding! Over the summer, Stacey, Sue, and I worked hard to create a classroom space that is shaping up beautifully. We also expect to have a smart screen installed in the library in September. You are always invited to stop by and take a look around.
Announcements:
Folders: This year, I will be giving each student a sticker to put on their take-home folders that indicates their “books due” day. The due day for grades that bring books home are: Monday: 3rd and 6th/ Wednesday: 4th and 5th/ Friday: 1st and 2nd.
The Belding Library has some great events for kids happening in the month of September, including an art lab, zine workshop, diary comics workshop, and an LGBTQ+ book discussion. Here is a link to the calendar.
Calendar:
September 14: OPEN HOUSE! This year we will welcome Belding Library Director Sarah Hertel-Fernandez to our Open House. She will be hosting a library-card drive for anyone who would like one. Stop by the library to browse, do an activity, or get a card!
September 17: In case you haven’t heard, our own Mindful Movement teacher Sue Fuller has published a book! It’s a beautiful book called Big Words for Little Hearts. The Belding Library is celebrating her success by hosting a book reading and mindful movement workshop for kids and caregivers. The event will be held on 9/17 at the Belding Library from 11:00 - 11:45. Way to go SUE!!!
October 31 - November 4: BOOK FAIR! This year’s book fair will be hosted by Best Book Fairs, a Massachusetts-based book fair organization. More details to come!
Music News from Mr. Ben Green
Hi Sanderson families,
Welcome back to another exciting year! I just wanted to remind everyone that Gerry’s music will be hosting their musical instrument rental night at Buckland Shelburne Elementary school on Friday, September 16 at 6:30 pm. Just in case you are unable to attend, I’ll include some additional info here:
3 Easy Ways to Rent!!
1. Come to the rental meeting on September 16th, at 6:30 pm at Buckland Shelburne El! 2. Visit us online at www.gerrysmusicshop.com. Click on the Rental Link.
3. Call 1-800-724-7402 for assistance.
Thank you, and have a great year everyone!
Mr. Green
News from Ms. Prew
Welcome back Sanderson families! I hope you all had a restful, joyful summer break. If I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting you, I am Alyssa Prew - Mrs. Prew to the kiddos. Most of our students refer to me as the math teacher as much of my role is working in classrooms during mathematics learning. I also work with students during reading instruction. I will put an entry in the newsletter each week to offer resources and general support for connecting math learning from school to home. If you ever have any questions, concerns, or ideas regarding mathematics learning here at Sanderson, please email me at aprew@mtrsd.org :)
Reading News from Mrs. Morey
Hello All! Welcome back to a new school year. This year our district will be implementing a new literacy program EL Education. Staff have been working so hard leading up to the school year to learn this new program for this school year. I can’t wait to see it in action! A new initiative to support this program is carving out time in each day to provide literacy instruction and support in small groups. To prepare for this we will be administering DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) This assessment is comprised of one minute substests that vary by grade level that provide information about your child’s literacy learning. It is given to all students in K-6th grade either by their classroom teacher or an interventionist. If you have questions feel free to contact me at kmorey@mtrsd.org
Mindful Movement News from Ms. Sue
It has been WONDERFUL seeing all the returning students and their families! A BIG welcome to all the new families joining our Sanderson community! We are back together after a beautiful summer here in New England (although we need a bit more rain!) Mindful Movement this year is growing even more…Which means all students Pre-K - 6th grade get to have time on a yoga mat! So I am asking again if anyone has used yoga mats or is interested in purchasing one or two to donate to our school, please reach out to me sfuller@mtrsd.org if you are able to help out. We GREATLY appreciate your support!
Instrumental News
Community Engagement and Enrichment
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