Friday, November 10 - No School

Monday, November 13 - Original Works orders due

Wednesday, November 15 - PICTURE RETAKES

Wednesday, November 15 - All School Meeting at 2:15 (Fourth Grade)

Wednesday, November 15 - School Committee Meeting at 6:00

Friday, November 17 - Turkey Trot at 2:00

Saturday, November 18 - Local Goods Distribution - 9:00-11:00

Monday, November 20 - Local Education Council Meeting at 3:30

Wednesday, November 22 - 12:30 Release

Thursday/Friday, November 23/24 - No School

Wednesday, November 29 - All School Meeting at 2:15 (Third Grade)

Link to Sanderson Academy calendar.

This week starts the Original Works fundraiser for the PTO. This program prints student art on various keepsakes and gift items such as magnets, mugs, mouse pads, notecards, tote bags, etc. We have timed this fundraiser so that gift items will be delivered for the winter holidays. Students have completed artwork that will be sent home with the catalog and order form starting on Friday, November 3th. Order forms MUST be returned WITH THE ARTWORK by Monday, November 13th. There is one order form per artwork and multiple item orders for the same student should be on the same order form. To learn more about this program, please visit their website at originalworks.com/parents. You can substitute other artwork if you wish however it MUST meet the requirements listed on their website and it has to be labeled in pencil on the back with a T indicating the top, and student name, grade, and school. All student artwork will be returned after printing. If you do not wish to place an order, please keep and celebrate your student’s artwork. Any questions can be directed to Carolyn Hawthorne chawthorne@mtrsd.org.

The next PTO meeting will be virtual this coming Monday, Nov. 13 at 7pm. We will be discussing the Holiday Boutique. Here is the link to join. https://meet.google.com/neh-sabj-ypb. New members are always welcome.

Greetings from the health office!

We have a wonderful opportunity to have dental care provided at school - Please let me know if that is something that would interest your family by emailing me at lalmeida@mtrsd.org- I can then send home the information to register-thank you! Dental health is so important for overall health and having it accessible at school can help reduce missed days of school for dental care and keep your child’s smile shining brightly!

Heads up that we have had a few cases of strep throat and cases of influenza are also rising in the community. Thank you for continuing to reach out to me if your child will be home due to illness- it is really helpful for me to know the trends in our school community as well as get you the information you need to get your child back to school after an illness. Please keep your child(ren) home until at least 24 hours have passed fever free without the use of fever reducing medications. Strep throat will need at least 24 hours of antibiotic treatment before returning to school. Symptoms of strep throat can be a very sore throat with (or without) white patches in the back of the throat, fever, pain when swallowing, swollen tonsils and lymph nodes. There have been some colds and coughs going around as well. Please note that the health office does not stock cough drops anymore- however you may send in some with your child to be kept in the health office (not in their bag). Other ways to treat a sore throat or cough are increased fluids, herbal teas, honey and lots of rest. If your child is coughing very frequently or needing to blow their nose frequently, please keep them home-resting really does help with shortening the time that they will be sick.

Please let me know if you may need any help with holiday gifts for children, in collaboration with the Mary Lyon’s Foundation, I can help access the support you may need and it would be a pleasure to help support your family. Thank you!

This week we are busy working on fulfilling Local Goods orders. Preschoolers are eager to color peace signs and heart shapes for our peace and love rocks. They are also drawing on the back of the rocks to make each extra special. They are thinking of colors and things that would make someone happy. Thank you for the orders and supporting our classroom.

We are finishing up a unit on pumpkins. The children learned how pumpkins grow and many of the uses for pumpkins. For a culminating activity, they had to estimate the number of pumpkin seeds in a small sugar pumpkin. They were shown a pumpkin seed and asked if they thought a lot or a little bit of seeds could fit inside of the pumpkin. They decided that a lot of seeds could fit inside because the seeds are so small. The children each had a turn to estimate how many seeds were inside a particular pumpkin and then they got to see for themselves. The guesses ranged from 4 to 1,000 seeds.

Preschoolers then went to tables to investigate what was waiting for them inside of the pumpkin. The top was cut off and little hands reached in to scoop out seeds. Some of the children wanted to use a spoon, but we were practicing using our hands as tools for this activity. Children who were averse to pulling out slimy seeds, were assisted by an adult or student partner. The pumpkin was passed around and the children were instructed to dig out seeds and put them in groups of ten. When all of the seeds were counted we discovered that there were 298 seeds in one small sugar pumpkin!

Ms. Wilson, our fabulous librarian, has started leading our technology lessons. First, we talked about all the ways we use technology to help our lives, from checking the weather, to playing games & movies, to Facetiming with far-away family members. Then we explored how being on the internet is like being in a big city, with similar safety rules (ex. don’t talk to strangers, stay on your planned route, etc.) We also learned about the different parts of the computers (computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse). This week, we learned about how passwords are used to protect our information about ourselves. We also learned that passwords at school can be simpler because we are part of our teacher’s account, and they have a much trickier password to protect us.

This week first graders are learning all about Veterans. As a way to connect this to our community and families, first grade families were polled to see if there were any family members who had served in the military. Kids were surprised to learn about uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins who had served! Families were invited to send in photos of these family members so a display could be created. First graders were excited and proud to see their family members displayed for all to see! First graders read a nonfiction story about Veterans, the different branches they serve in as well as some of the jobs they have. In our ELA lessons we’ve talked about habits of character - perseverance, initiative and collaboration - Three things all veterans proudly exemplify. Thank you to all the families who sent in photos! Thank you to all who have served! We appreciate you! On Wednesday we spent time with our 6th grade buddies creating an American flag craft and played some bingo!

Next week 1st graders will begin making their magnificent thing for our classroom! We are in need of recycled materials for these projects. We are looking for smaller Amazon type boxes/tissue boxes & paper towel/toilet paper tubes. Thank you for your support!

This week in math third graders learned how to use two different techniques to solve three-digit addition. We used the technique we call “The W,” and we also used number lines. They each made a problem for their classmates to solve, and they confidently tackled the problems. They also accepted openly any mistakes they made and quickly analyzed their work and corrected their errors. Soon we will find ways to solve three-digit subtraction problems as well.

We are moving into our next module in ELA. In the first unit of this module, students will be researching to build background knowledge about animal defense mechanisms. In unit 2, students will work in small groups to build expertise on a selected animal (springbok, armadillo, ostrich, or monarch butterfly). In the final unit of the module, students will create a choose-your-own adventure book about their chosen animal. Students will prepare these books for others to read for pleasure and to learn more about how the animal defends itself. Students will write an introduction that describes the animal’s physical characteristics, habitat, predators, and defense mechanisms. In the narrative, they will describe an encounter with a predator and two possible defense mechanisms for survival. Students will be expected to use details and examples from their research to develop their narrative, including concrete words, phrases, and sensory details to describe the animal’s experiences and events precisely. We have started building our vocabulary wall for this module:

During math class here at Sanderson, you are going to see and hear students engaged in meaningful mathematical problem solving and discourse. One activity that promotes deep thinking is called Which One Doesn’t Belong? Check out the example below. :) aprew@mtrsd.org

Multiple meaning words can lead to great discussions with your child. Choose some words that they may often encounter and see if they know the different meanings of that word. Here are some to try vet (an animal doctor or a veteran), mesh (fabric or wire criss crossed or when a gear or cog fits together), zip (pull a zipper on a coat or to go fast), lug (carry something heavy or a nut that holds a tire)

We had our first orchestra rehearsal! It was wonderful to have all the stringed instruments together: violins, viola, cellos, and bass. We played Toss the Rhythm with each player making up a rhythm on their instrument and “tossing” it to another player so they could echo it–great fun! We worked on holding our bows and phrasing (ask your string player what a “retake” is). Then we played a piece together, finding various ways to play–with bows and without bows–and we took turns playing specific measures by section eg: the cellos played measure 1, then the bass followed with measure 2, the viola played measure 3 and the violins played measure 4. It was challenging to follow along and know just when to play and when not to play–trickier than one might think! The rehearsal was fun and productive and we are looking forward to the next one! We will be alternating weeks between the orchestra and the band–so next week will be our first band rehearsal. Here we go! Our Winter Concert will be here before we know it (December 15) and the excitement is beginning to build. Keep practicing!

Winter is fast approaching. The Friends of the Belding Memorial Library is organizing an emergency collection drive for essential items to help people living at the St. Joe's Emergency Shelter in Pittsfield. There is an urgent need for warm winter coats (adult sizes), gloves, hats, hand warmers, socks, twin bed sheets, pillows and pillowcases etc. The collection drive will be from November 6th to the 22nd. Collection boxes will be at the Belding Memorial Library, Sanderson Academy and the Ashfield Post Office.

We appreciate your donations. If you have questions contact Tiertza-leah Schwartz tschwart@smith.edu, 413-214-8022.