Weekly Newsletter
October 27, 2022
News from Principal Emma Liebowitz
We are looking forward to the Sugar Rush 5Kish (10:00) and costume parade (2:00) on Monday, October 31st. If you would like to attend or help with the Sugar Rush 5Kish, please contact the school. Please take a moment to read the November Events/Calendar which outlines early dismissal and no school days.
Events/Calendar
Monday, October 31: Sugar Rush at 10:00
Monday, October 31: Costume Parade at 2:00
Tuesday, November 1 - No School for Students
Wednesday, November 2 - Full day of school
Wednesday, November 2 - Virtual PTO Meeting at 7:30 (see link below)
Thursday, November 3 - 12:30 Dismissal for Conferences
Friday, November 4 - 12:30 Dismissal for Conferences
Friday, November 4 - Pizza and Movie Night at 5:30
Monday, November 7 - Local Education Council Meeting at 3:30
Wednesday, November 9 - Full day of school
Friday, November 11 - No School
Wednesday, November 16 - 1:50 Dismissal
Friday, November 18 - Third Grade to Sturbridge
Saturday, November 19 - Local Goods Distribution (9:00 - noon)
Monday, November 21 - Picture Retakes
Tuesday, November 22 - Turkey Trot at 2:00
Wednesday, November 23 - 12:30 Dismissal
Thursday, November 24 - No School
Friday, November 25 - No School
Wednesday, November 30 - Full day of school
Link to Sanderson Academy calendar.
Picture Retake Date Change
The picture company had several staff member out sick and it has delayed the picture delivery. Pictures will arrive at least a week before retakes. Picture retakes will now take place on Monday, November 21.
Join Us!
PTO News
Health Office News from Nurse Loranna
Getting a flu immunization is a great way to stay healthy during the school year, and cold and flu season is upon us. We all know how troublesome it can be when children become ill and have to miss school, it can be quite burdensome for families and if you have more than one child it can feel endless when an illness hits a household. So one way to meet that challenge is through prevention and getting a flu shot can help! Getting a flu shot can also help our most vulnerable in the community as it can decrease the amount of flu circulating; influenza can be deadly for those who are immunocompromised or elderly. Another common seasonal illness that can cause severe respiratory symptoms is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This is a highly contagious and common virus that can cause cold symptoms and sometimes can result in wheezing or a bark-like cough due to bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung). While most children can have their care managed at home, it is important to watch for any trouble breathing or signs of dehydration and to contact your pediatrician promptly with any concerns. Infants and immunocompromised children are at a greater risk of severe symptoms. It’s important to continue to stay home when unwell-especially in the beginning of an illness- to protect those more vulnerable. See below for more guidance regarding RSV and where you can get a flu immunization. Wash hands frequently, get plenty of sleep and stay home if unwell! Be well~ Nurse Loranna
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends influenza vaccination
Preschool News from Ms. Melanie
Pumpkins have been a popular topic during the last couple of weeks. We have learned about how a pumpkin grows–from seed to pumpkin. We read and acted out Five Little Pumpkins, and tried to guess the number of tiny pumpkins in a pumpkin-shaped bowl. Our guesses ranged from 4 to 77! We made a graph to display the results of our guesses and soon we will be counting out all those pumpkins to see how close our guesses were. We had a “turn and talk” to share what we know about pumpkins and we were thrilled at the long list of things we knew! We have done a variety of art projects with a pumpkin theme: we painted paper bags bright orange and cut out shapes to make faces; we decorated small paper pumpkins with glitter to hang in our classroom and we made “fairy pumpkins” with glue and glitter–they look magical! We would like to thank Arcadien’s family for donating the pumpkins for this fun project!
Preschool News from Ms. Freeman
Preschoolers are talking about Halloween and the costumes they will wear. Some are sharing experiences of decorating their homes or waiting for their costumes from the UPS driver. Using this excitement and interest, we changed our Pretending Area into a Costume Shop. The children love browsing the shelves looking for costumes to try on, then looking at themselves in the mirror. They also enjoy the role of a sales clerk, using the cash register to collect payments for costumes or taking orders over the phone. The creativity, imagination, and language skills have been amazing to see as the children cooperate, share, and interact with each other. Below are photos from this learning center.
Kindergarten News from Ms. Sarah
This week in math, we practiced writing numerals to 10--our goal is to become smooth and automatic. We also played a game where we were racing to make 10 in different ways (such as 2+8 or 6+4) and a comparing card game where we sorted 10-frames into greater than or less than piles. The kids had fun playing the games as they were becoming increasingly skilled in their understanding of the numeracy of 10!
Second Grade News from Ms. Robertson
During our reading block our focus has been on story comprehension with the learning target of responding to questions using details from the story to support our answers. Using the book, The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, we have identified the feelings of characters and the events that caused them to feel as they do. We have also practiced the strategy of “turn the question around,” where we use words from the question to help us write our answers in complete sentences.
Our Number Corner time finds us looking for patterns on our daily calendar, using the markers that show palmate leaves and pinnate leaves. Looking at the calendar below, can you find the pattern that skip counts by threes? Can you figure out the pattern that skip counts by fours? As part of our Number Corner time, we have also been practicing telling time to five-minute intervals, as we collect five minutes of time for each day we are in school during the month of October. Another focus during our math period has been on story problems. Our focus has been on “add to” and “take from” problems, and when we solve such problems, we have been using the following steps:
First, we read the problem, decide what numbers we will use, and review the question that is being asked.
Then we ask: Are we solving for an unknown partner or an unknown total?
Next, we write the equation and solve it to find the unknown. As we solve for the unknown or missing number, we show our work. (We have been showing our work by drawing a picture and by using a number line.)
Finally, the last step is to write the answer with a label.
Math has also been a part of our units on maps. After using a world map to familiarize ourselves with the seven continents and five oceans, we are currently learning about the compass rose. A recent activity we completed involved using a compass rose to find a mystery number on a one hundreds chart. As an example, if we started at 25 and made 2 jumps south and 3 jumps east, we landed at the mystery number 48.
Next Monday we look forward to the 5k Sugar Rush and our costume parade. Conferences will also be held next week. Please reach out to me at jrobertson@mtrsd.org if you have not yet scheduled a conference. Thank you!
Third Grade News from Ms. Carole
As part of our studies of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, third graders had a wonderful trip learning about Boston’s drinking water on Friday. The day started with the knowledgeable ranger at the Quabbin Visitors Center, complete with introductory video and mounted animals from the reservoir and its watershed. Then we went for a hike across the mighty Winsor Dam to its spillway, along the base of it, and finally back to the start via a quick climb through the woods. Then we headed over to the Observation Tower for beautiful views and lunch. Next stops were the Enfield Overlook, which gives a great view of the southern part of the reservoir, and lastly to Hank’s Meadow to visit the Powers family house ruins and to attempt to skip a few rocks at the water’s edge. The weather was absolutely perfect for our big day. Many thanks for the ongoing support of our third grade families for driving and making experiential, place-based learning do-able!
Fourth Grade News from Mrs. Lagoy
This week, fourth graders made pumpkin launchers during our STEM time. Students were trying to launch a pumpkin candy as far as they could using popsicle sticks, rubber bands, a plastic spoon, a paper cup, and tape. Students were so invested in making improvements to their pumpkin launchers that they have asked for another launch day. Students will be able to make final modifications on Monday, after our costume parade, and see how much further they can launch their pumpkin candy. The record, as of today, is a 309 inch improvement! Be sure to check out the fourth grade section of the newsletter next week for photos.
Fifth Grade News from Ms. Johnson
Fifth grade has been using ratio tables to find common denominators in order to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. This is like the way most of us adults learned, but it looks slightly different on paper. Fifth graders are also learning about the American Revolution. Pairs of students each have a subsection of a chapter, are reading that section, and are creating a slide in a Google slideshow to display the information in their section. They will then share and teach each other about the sections of the text.
Library News from Ms. Wilson
THE BOOK FAIR IS NEXT WEEK!
The book fair will be held in the library from October 1 - October 4. Students will have the opportunity to purchase books with their class during the school day, and the fair will open for families on Thursday from 12:30pm - 4:30pm and Friday from 12:30pm - 7:30pm. Click here for the flier. Check Thursday folders for information about your child’s in-school shopping day. Would you like to volunteer to help your child’s class shop? Click here to volunteer! Thank you for your support with this important event, and I look forward to seeing you there!
Belding Library Events:
LGBTQ+ Book Club this Saturday, 10/29 from 2pm - 3pm. The book is ¡¡Manu!! By Kelly Fernández (We have it at the Sanderson Library!)
Halloween Hangout, Oct. 31, 6pm
MTRSD Library Newsletter: In this newsletter we include updates and information from our elementary libraries, public libraries, and other community events.
News from Ms. Prew
Looking for math games to play at home? All you need is a deck of cards! Check out this link for 28 Math Games that you can enjoy together using just a deck of cards. Two of my personal favorites from this list are Go Fish (in this version, you are searching for pairs of numbers that add to make 10) and Close Call (get as close as you can to 100, but don’t go over!). Enjoy! :) aprew@mtrsd.org
Mindful Movement News from Ms. Sue
This week we had fun with skeletons! Younger grades were able to take their skeleton aka Mr. Bones and create yoga poses and follow along on a created story. Older students put together a life size skeleton floor puzzle and then named a body part based on the 1st letter of their name (first or last) then we would all do their favorite yoga pose! The purpose of this is understanding how amazing our bodies really are!
Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts
Basketball!
Input Requested for the future of Elmer's
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