Multiage Team Blog
October 14 - 25
Responsive Classroom
Morning Meetings continued this week. During Morning Meeting everyone has the right to fun, feel like they belong, and feel that they are in important. Students created guidelines for behavior to make sure everyone has those rights. This week students did things like: Mouse Trap, Suffle them Up, Bopper and Which Direction!
Math
Our October Calendar Grid focuses on identifying figures based on their side, top, and front views.
Students completed post assessments last week. We will begin Unit 2 with fifth graders which has a focus on fractions. Fourth graders will begin Unit 1 on multiplication. Unit overviews are linked below.
Math Stars
Students are working diligently to earn Math Stars. A reminder that students may not get help from others on Math Stars. We recognize that the problems can be challenging but it is important students learn perseverance skills.
Writing
Mrs. S. Mead's students continued working on their science writing. They began using a "Question-Answer" format to think about the information they have already gathered, and to see if more information is needed before it can be organized into paragraphs.
Mrs. K. Mead's class is also working on informational writing. Students are finishing up their first piece which was on a topic of their choice. They will then be moving onto a research piece on a topic of their choice.
Reading
Students are participating in realistic fiction book groups. Some of the books they are reading are Frindle, Lunch Money, On My Honor and Among the Hidden. They have assignments due every Wednesday and Friday. Their written responses are based on a choice board they have in their reader's notebook.
Read Aloud
Mrs. S. Mead's Class continued reading: Chomp. Mickey and Wahoo Cray decided to take the Expedition Survival job that has them traveling out into the Everglades with nonother than Derek Badger. They soon learned that although they (Mickey, Wahoo and Tuna) and the film crew would be camping outside, Derek and Raven would be choppered in each morning, after staying in a swanky Miami hotel. The whole group met up with a guy named Sickler, who owns a tourist trap deep in the Everglades, and his employee, Link, who is in charge of driving the airboat. Mickey immediatly angers Link when he claims that the alligator "sunning" himself on the log is stuffed, so Link throws him out of the boat, and drives away. Some of the passengers are worried, but Wahoo assures them that knowing his father, the water is probably safer than riding in the boat with Link.
Ms. Jeffrey's class is reading The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle. Mason and Calvin painted on the walls of the root cellar. Also while in the Swoof one day Mason noticed that Miss Blinny had newspapers covering the tables because she was doing an art project. One of the newspapers had a story about his friend Benny Kilmartin. Mason didn't know the newspaper was still doing articles about him because his uncle recycles the papers before he can see them. In addition, we learned more about Shayleen, who continues to show her online shopping addiction. The students think she does that because she has no family of her own so she is trying to find happiness in other ways.
Mrs. K Mead's class finished reading Space Case by Stuart Gibbs. Quickly after Kira and Dash returned from their unauthorized space walk, it was figured out that the person behind Dr. Holtz's death was Garth Grisan. Mr. Grisan was sent to MBA as a spy for the Pentagon and he murdered Dr. Holtz out of fear that he would reveal the existance of aliens who had made contact with Dr. Holtz. The final twist of the book was that the alien was actually Zan and she had also contacted Dash! This series continues in two more books Spaced Out and Waste of Space. We are just started The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor. This is from this year's Dorothy's List.
Science
Ms. Jeffrey's class started learning about the moon and the phases of the moon. They did a Mystery Science which was a great introduction to what causes the phases of the moon. As part of that learning they did an experiment with flashlights and white Styrofoam balls representing the sun and moon.
Students have a stargazing chart and it would be great if they could observe the stars and constellations on a clear October night. They have resources such as the constellation guide and Universe in a Box to help them. Once they have completed the star gazing chart they can return it to school and share their findings. Both of those documents are linked below.
Mrs. K. Mead's class focused on the Moon this week. We watched a video that taught us a lot of interesting facts about the moon that students were surprised to hear. We also modeled the phases of the moon using Styrofoam balls and flashlights. Students then completed a science probe to check for understanding.
Mrs. S. Mead's students completed some science probes on topics we've learned so far. These probes asked them to consider the thinking of 4-6 kids on a given topic, and decide which kid they most agreed with. Then, they composed a well-organized response supporting their answer.
Lunch Bunches
Allergy Free and Safe Settings
Allergy Free and Safe Settings
We have some students on our team with severe, life-threatening allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, and sesame seed and oil. That means foods containing those or foods processed in a facility with those ingredients will not be allowed in the classroom. Please read food labels, including the entire ingredient list, carefully. A safe snack list is posted on the team website for your convenience.
Please plan to pack your child's snack in a separate bag or container to keep the snack away from any lunch items containing tree nuts. Lunches do not have to be allergen-free, and may contain any foods. Everyday students will leave their lunch boxes in crates. Please let us know if you have any questions.
A note from the Odyssey of the Mind Coordinator:
Essex Town Odyssey of the Mind: Registration Open
This is our 9th year of Essex Town Odyssey. Odyssey of the Mind is an international STEAM based program that focuses on creative problem solving for students in kindergarten through college. Teams of 5-7 students work together to creatively solve a long term problem and to practice spontaneous problem solving. The team members must solve the problem--coaches facilitate and guide the group, but can not provide any answers or solutions. They present their solution in an 8 minute skit at the State Tournament in March. If you or your student is interested, please fill out the registration form.
Please follow the link to complete the registration form:
https://forms.gle/oM7dRCQtrdbCqhvn7
For more information about Odyssey, you can check out:
http://vt.odysseyofthemind.org/wp/ and https://www.odysseyofthemind.com
or contact Rachel Preston at preston6vt@gmail.com
Music Blog for Mrs. Ferris
Practice Superstars
Jeffrey: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
K. Mead: 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21
S. Mead: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22
Important Dates
October 31 Crazy Hair Day
November 25-29 No School for Students
December 23 - January 1 No School for Students
Contact Us
Karen Jeffrey: kjeffrey@ewsd.org
Kelsey Mead: kmead@ewsd.org
Stacey Mead: smead@ewsd.org
Kristi Goyette: kgoyette@ewsd.org
Website: https://www.ewsd.org/Domain/379
Location: Founders Memorial School, Founders Road, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: 802-879-6326