Mountain Day, our all school hike, will take place tomorrow, Friday, October 7th. We will leave Sanderson Academy between 9:15-9:30. We will hike together and stop for a snack at Bug Hill Road. Some classes will return back to school after snack and others will hike on. Each classroom teacher will communicate their plan with caregivers. Please make sure your child(ren) are dressed for hiking with the appropriate footwear. Students should bring a snack and water bottle. Bagged lunches will There is no rain date for this event but if it canceled we will seek an alternate day. Everyone is welcome to join us!!

The PTO would like to thank everyone that has signed up so far to help with the Ashfield Fall Festival. We still need more help with the Walking Taco and Seltzer booth. Please click on this link to sign up. All money raised goes directly to our students, their teachers and their classrooms.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F44AEA929A3F49-fall

Local Goods orders are due Friday October 7, 2022

Sanderson Academy is proud to present our 14th annual LOCAL GOODS 2022 fundraiser. Many hands went into making this wonderful catalog which offers locally crafted gifts and products.We hope you shop from this catalog and enjoy the items that our local area has to offer. Not only does a portion of the proceeds from every product go back to Sanderson Academy, all of the dollars spent will stay in our community and support our local artists, farmers, and business owners. We know from seasons past that the wonderful community support for The Local Goods Catalog has the potential to bring incredible vibrancy and programming to Sanderson Academy.

Thank you,

The Sanderson Academy Local Goods Fundraising Committee

Friday, October 7: Mountain Day

Monday, October 10: No School

Tuesday, October 11: Building Evacuation Drill

Wednesday, October 19: 1:50 Dismissal

Thursday, October 20: Bus Evacuation Drill

Wednesday, October 26: 1:50 Dismissal

Monday, October 31: Sugar Rush at 10:00

Monday, October 31: Costume Parade at 2:00

Link to Sanderson Academy calendar.

Please see the following message from the nurse leader, there were a few things that needed to be corrected such as the link to check the expiration dates. Thank you!

COVID-19 TESTING REMINDER

Just a reminder that we are NOT allowed to test students or staff for Covid-19 this school year. We were informed at the very end of the last school year that the State would no longer cover our district for testing. We had an abundance of iHealth test kits at the end of the school year that the State said we can give to people for self use as long as we have them. We will not be getting any more. The school nurse is not allowed to perform, supervise, or advise on the use of these tests.

The expiration date on the kits says they are expired but the expiration date was actually extended. To check expiration dates, please go to https://ihealthlabs.com/pages/news where you can entire the lot number to find out when they will expire. Once expired, all iHealth test kits obtained through the school should be thrown away. You can obtain 8 free antigen self test kits, per person per month, from your pharmacy that will be charged to your insurance. Some people can pick them up for free. Others may need to pay upfront and be reimbursed by your insurance company. It really depends on your insurance. Call your pharmacy with any questions.

You can also call your local Board of Health. Many of them have antigen self tests free of charge for their citizens.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Donna Weber, MSN, BSN, RN

MTRS/HRS District Nurse Leader

dweber@mtrsd.org

413-625-9811 ext. 1334

We have been learning about how apples grow–from seed to fruit. We talked about three differently colored apples: red, green, and yellow and chose which one we thought we liked the best. We colored a small paper apple in the chosen color. Later, we had a chance to taste some apples: red, green, and yellow and we talked about which one we actually liked, then colored in a new paper apple with the new (or sometimes the same) color. It was a yummy activity!

In literacy, we are continuing our focus on toys and play by learning about describing words that we can use to tell about our toys. We are focusing on the attributes of color, size, shape, and texture. And we are using riddles as a way to think more carefully about the attributes of our toys.

During ELA one of our challenges was to build a tall tower using cups. First graders began by making a plan- discussing each other's ideas and what they felt would be the best way to build a tower. Each team member was given 4 cups and all cups needed to be used. After the challenge was complete we talked about what was fun about the challenge and what felt hard. Many first graders said although it was fun, it felt extremely frustrating to build the tower only to watch it fall and have to rebuild it. Another classmate added that he loved building it but having it fall and have a timer counting down at the same time made it even more frustrating! This challenge showed first graders the importance of working together, agreeing and disagreeing respectfully and how to persevere when faced with a challenge.

We had a great trip to Mt. Greylock last week. Our day started at the Visitor’s Center where we gathered around the large topographic map of the Mt. Greylock Reservation and learned about the various sites. Then we watched a video about the history, both geologic and human, of Mt. Greylock. After that we got back into the cars and took the beautiful drive to the summit. Up there we ate lunch, checked out the view, explored the Veterans Memorial Tower and Bascom Lodge. We were also lucky to get to watch hang gliders take off from the summit while we were there. We want to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the parent chaperone drivers who joined us and made this wonderful day possible!

What an amazing time we had building spaghetti towers during STEM in September. Everyone showed AMAZING resilience and perseverance! Students are anxiously awaiting the news about what our October project will be.

Griffin made our most structurally stable tower, and Emerson and Maisie constructed our tallest tower.

This week fourth graders met their first grade buddies and led them through a glyph coloring activity.

Students also finished their collaborative poster celebrating Hispanic Heritage month. They really enjoyed seeing “their” colored tile become part of the larger picture. As we were hanging up the poster, Ms. Wilson popped out so the kids could display books they had been reading during their library time.

In fifth grade, students are diving into the world of fractions. They are using money and clocks as tools to add or subtract fractions. For example, if they have a problem of 1/20 plus 1/4, they could translate those fractions into money and add 0.05 + 0.25= 0.30 which is 30/100. Or if they had a problem that is 1/3 plus 1/2, they could add 20 minutes plus 30 minutes to equal 50 minutes which is 50/60.

Sixth grade has been working on eclipse projects over the last few weeks. The students had different options on how they would like to present their work from posters, to pamphlets, to a Google Slide presentation and more! The projects are really coming together and we can’t wait to share them with each other. We’ve also been continuing to fine tune our booth for the Ashfield Fall Festival. We’ve gathered information on what the best distance is to toss dimes and are finally working on prizes for each spot on our board. Make sure to stop by when you visit the fall festival and take your chance at winning some fun prizes, while helping us to raise money for field trips and end of the year activities.

I hope you all had a chance to check out the Math at Home website. It really has a ton of wonderful resources and conversation starters for you and your kiddos! This week, I want to share another resource with you. Our Sanderson students have access to an awesome math site called DreamBox. On this site, students work at their own pace to complete various math tasks and games connected to Massachusetts state standards. The site is designed much like a video game so it is incredibly interactive and fun for the students. Check it out! Ask your kiddos about it! If you or your students need support logging in, please send me an email. Enjoy! :) aprew@mtrsd.org

This week in the Library, we have been talking about Hispanic and Latinx Heritage month and reading books that celebrate Hispanic and Latinx culture and contributions. In the younger grades, we talked about what “heritage” means and the differences between the terms Hispanic and Latinx. We also read Let Me Fix You a Plate: A Tale of Two Kitchens by Elizabeth Lilly and played “musical books” with music by José-Luis Orozco, where students explored fiction and nonfiction books celebrating Hispanic and Latinx Heritage month. Upper grades will read Side by Side/Lado a Lado by Monica Brown, which is about the work and achievements of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez. Upper grades will finish their Profile of a Reader projects next week. They are looking fantastic!

I am still looking for Library volunteers! If you have a spare 30-60 minutes per week, I would greatly appreciate some help with shelving and book repair. Thanks for your consideration!

MTRSD STEAM Fair is coming this fall for students in grades 6-8, and we couldn’t be more excited! We are hoping to recruit caregiver and community members to our cause: to connect our students with a diverse range of new and interesting hands-on experiences in the Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Volunteers needed to run sessions or help with logistics. Tentatively scheduled for Wed., November 9, we would love to have you join us; click here for more information.

Immediate Openings

School Bus Driver Part-time - School Bus Drivers for sports, field trips and afterschool activities September to June. CDL Class B with School Bus and Passenger Endorsement license required. Watch your favorite sport, free admission to local museums for field trips and involvement in your school community programs, all while being paid.

Pay Rate: $19.51 per hour.

Forward cover letter, resume and recommendations to: ktotman@mtrsd.org.