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Sunday, June 9, 2019

Golf at the Barre Country Club

On Wednesday, May 29th, Ms. Gallagher’s and Mrs. Giammusso’s participated in a P.E. Lab at the Barre Country Club.  When we arrived, we toured the pro shop to learn about the equipment. We also learned how they take care of the grounds.  We had a great time golfing, using our collaboration and teamwork to help us throughout the morning.

A big thank you to Mike Blanchard and Mitch Thayer for leading our PE Lab and to the parent chaperones who helped make this special event possible!







                                

East Montpelier: Past, Present, and Future

We continued our East Montpelier:  Past, Present, and Future unit with visits from special guest speakers, a visit to Fairmont Farm, and our East Montpelier Tour field trip.  We are currently working on our “Wonders of East Montpelier” books which will be on display for Technology Night on June 19th.

We visited Fairmont Farm, which currently has about 850 dairy cows.  We toured the milking parlor, and the calf barn, which was a big highlight, as we got to meet some of the newest additions to Fairmont Farm.  Bonnie Hall taught us about current technology that the farm uses and how dairy farming has changed over time.


Erica Zimmerman from Center Farm visited us with two of her lambs to teach us about her sheep farm and the various products that her farm produces.


Bruce Chapell from Templeton Farm came to our classroom and shared information about his family run farm where they raise cattle and produce maple syrup.  He also told us about the history of the earliest permanent settlers in East Montpelier, the Templetons and Dodge families.

     

Lucy McGibney visited us and shared what it was like to attend the Four Corners Schoolhouse as a child.  It was interesting to hear how her school experiences were similar and different to our experiences at EMES today.

This week, we participated in our East Montpelier Tour field trip.  Groups of students traveled to many different sites around town, learning about their history and why these places are so important.  The sites we visited were:
  • Four Corners Schoolhouse
  • The Old Meeting House
  • The hangar building
  • Dudley's store (My former student was a tour guide!)
  • East Montpelier Fire Station
  • Morse Farm
  • The Town Clerk's office
  • U-32


A big thank you to all of the parent chaperones and site volunteers who helped make this field trip possible!

Monday, June 3, 2019

East Montpelier Field Trip on Tuesday Morning

 Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 4th, the 2nd and 3rd grade classes will be going on our East Montpelier Tour field trip.


We will head out from school by 9:10 am.  All chaperones should plan to attend a 9:00 meeting in the Makerspace.  

We will visit many different sites around town, such as the fire station, Four Corners Schoolhouse, and Dudley's. Our final destination is U-32 where we will have lunch outside before returning to school by about 1:00 pm.


Students should bring/wear:
  • Lunch (unless they have pre-ordered a bag lunch from the cafeteria)
  • Snack
  • Water bottle (no glass please)
  • Sunscreen (if needed)


Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

PE Lab Tomorrow: Golf at the Barre Country Club


Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 29th, Ms. Gallagher’s and Mrs. Giammusso’s classes will be participating in a P.E. Lab at the Barre Country Club.  

We will head out from school by bus by 9:30 am.  All chaperones should by about 9:05. We will return to school by about 12:40 pm.

Students should bring/wear:
  • Lunch (unless they have pre-ordered a bag lunch from the cafeteria)
  • Water bottle (no glass please)
  • Sunscreen (if needed)
  • Hat
  • Comfortable clothes that are appropriate for the weather

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Classroom News: East Montpelier: Past, Present, and Future

We kicked off our East Montpelier:  Past, Present, and Future unit this week with a special visit from Austin Cleaves on Wednesday.  He shared information about how East Montpelier became a town and what the early settlements looked like.  

On Thursday, we were visited by “Mrs. Bailey”, (also known as Sandal Cate), who brought in several paintings by Franklin Gilman that showed what life was like on East Montpelier farms in the 1800s.  Students worked in groups to complete an “I Spy” style sheet that helped them look closely at each painting.

We just finished our read aloud book, The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs, which got us ready for this exciting history unit.  This book tells the story of a boy named Eben who starts off thinking that there isn’t anything interesting in his town.  After talking with his father and aunt, he sets out on a challenge to find seven “wonders” in his town. We are starting a Wonder Journal in class to help us write and draw about wonders in the town of East Montpelier. It would be helpful if you could talk with your child about places, things, and/or people that are special to them or to your whole family.  Our current definition of a “wonder” is a person, place, or thing that:
  • Is interesting
  • Has a story behind it
  • Something has happened to it or them
  • Makes you feel wonderful, proud, and/or full of awe or empathy 
  • Is something special, not just ordinary
Next Tuesday, we have a walking field trip to Fairmont Farms and the site of the first permanent settlement in East Montpelier.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Upcoming Events


Friday, May 3rd:  Green Up Day activity at school

Saturday, May 4th:  Green Up Day

Monday, May 13th:  Stuart Little Performance at the Barre Opera House
Please return permission slips by Monday, April 28th.

Wednesday, May 29th:  P.E. Lab- Golf at the Barre Country Club
Please return permission slips by Monday, May 20th or as soon as possible.

Tuesday, June 4th:  East Montpelier Tour Field Trip
This field trip form will be coming home on Monday.

We need some help to make this special event possible!  We will need parent volunteers to drive groups of students and play an active role in the tour process. In order to be a driver, we need to make sure you are a Level II Chaperone and that the appropriate forms are on file in the EMES office.  Please let me know as soon as possible if you can help us with this field trip.  

Thanks!

Friday, April 5, 2019

East Montpelier Field Trip in June! Drivers Needed!


We will begin our study of East Montpelier in May.  There will be many fabulous components to this project including interviews with guest speakers and walking  trips.


The culminating field trip will be a day-long field trip around East Montpelier.  We will need many drivers in order to accommodate the entire second and third grade classes.  In order to drive you will need to have your level 2 records check done through the office. If you need to get this done, please contact the front office ASAP.  

We have scheduled this trip for Tuesday, June 4th, with a raindate for the 5th. There will be much more to come!

Please let me know as soon as possible if you will be able to be a driver for this field trip. Thanks!

People Who Make a Difference Unit

Throughout February and March, we have been learning about people who make a difference in our world.  This unit addresses reading, writing, art, global citizenship, and technology standards. 

During literacy and writing workshop times, students began by reading a variety of biographies independently or with a partner.  After reading about several famous people, students selected one person that they would like to study in greater depth. Our research focused on the challenges, obstacles, and questions that the person was faced and how they made a difference in our world.  Students took notes on a graphic organizer to prepare for their final Book Creator projects.

We also read several Scholastic News articles which focused on famous people, such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and Katherine Johnson.  In addition, I read aloud several biographies of famous people, such as Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. As we read, we learned about how they made a change in the world.  We noticed that they had optimism and perseverance, which helped them keep working even when times were challenging. While reading about these important people, we also learned about the history of our country, including segregation laws, the Civil Rights movement, and how women worked to get the right to vote.  

During Technology Integration times, Arlyn, Mrs. Badger, and I helped students create information books using Book Creator on their computers.  Students learned how to insert and resize text boxes, type their text, add headings, and import photos and illustrations. They also practiced putting “expert words” in bold print and changing the color and size of font.

During Discovery times, students created their own portraits of their famous people for the covers their Book Creator books.  I gave students some tips for creating portraits and asked them to look closely at illustrations and photographs of the person they were studying.  We paid careful attention to their clothing, important objects that were important to their work, and other details about their surroundings.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the EMES Celebration of Learning last night! If you would like to view our Book Creator projects online, you can find them on the Giammusso Book Creator Link on the EMES LIbrary webpage.

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Can-struction Food Drive


It’s Can-Struction Time!


       What:
  • ●  A fun food drive, where classrooms compete to build the best, most 
  •     creative structure with the cans you collect. 
  • ●  The more cans you bring in to your classroom, the bigger your structure 
  •     can be!
  • ●  All cans collected will be donated to the East Montpelier Food Shelf.

  • When:
  • ●  Now until April 9th.
  • ●  Structures will be judged at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, April 10th.
  • ●  The Girl Scouts will deliver cupcakes will be delivered to the winning 
  •     classroom on Friday, April 12th.

Happy can-structing!

Brought to you by the Girl Scouts 

Questions? Email sara@red-garland.com.

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Classroom News



We had another action-packed week in second grade!  On Wednesday, we finally had beautiful weather for our P.E. Lab!  A big thank you to Mike Blanchard for organizing a wonderful hike to Mallory Brook!  I also greatly appreciate our parent volunteers who joined us for this special event.
During math class, we have been learning about fractions by dividing shapes and sets of objects into equal parts.  Each day, we have been talking about places where we have seen or used fractions, such as when baking, building, sharing food, and making teams at recess.  I encouraged students to continue looking for great examples of fractions at home. Feel free to email photos of your examples so we can share them in class.


In writing workshop, we are wrapping up our information writing unit by sharing our work with classmates and giving each other specific feedback.  In preparation for our student-led conferences, students are reflecting on their growth and setting goals for future writing pieces.


During Literacy and Discovery times, we have been putting the finishing touches on our “People Who Made a Difference” Book Creator projects.  I will post a longer blog post about this integrated unit very soon. We are looking forward to sharing these projects at our Celebration of Learning next week.


Have a great weekend!

Upcoming Events


Thursday, April 4th, 5:30 to 7:00 pm:  Celebration of Learning
Families are invited to visit classrooms to see some of the projects that we have been working on, such as our “People Who Made a Difference” Book Creator books.

Friday, April 5th:  Student-Led Conferences  
Conference confirmation sheets are coming home today.  
Please remember that these conferences are student-led, so your child should come with you at your scheduled time.

April 13th to April 21st:  April Vacation

Friday, March 22, 2019

E.C.O.: Becoming White-tailed Deer

On Thursday, we participated in an E.C.O. lesson that focused on white-tailed deer.  Since it was the first full day of spring, we shared signs of spring that we have already noticed or that we are hoping to see or hear soon.  We played a Coyote Deer, a freeze tag game, in which we increased the number of predators each time to see the impact on the deer population. 

After that, we took a moment for a mindfulness activity called 5 Things in which we each pay close attention to 5 things we see, 4 things we hear, 3 things we feel (temperature, wind, etc.), 2 things we smell, and 1 thing we taste.  This is a great activity to try anytime, indoors or outdoors to help students be present in the moment and aware of their surroundings.

Next, we went into the ECO woods for snack and a story.  I read aloud the Sioux tale, How Fawn Got Its Spots. Students helped me act out the story with different hand motions for each animal.
For our main lesson, we played a deer adaptations game.  For each round, we chose a few students to be coyotes and the rest of the class were deer.  Students took turns using a white "tail" (a piece of fuzzy, white fabric) to signal danger to the other deer.  The deer started off by pretending to eat in the woods with their herd. When they spotted the coyotes approaching, the deer with "tails" signaled to others and the deer had to race back to the "home base".

Afterwards, we discussed the many different adaptations that help deer survive in their habitat, such as white tails, camouflage, speed, hooves, and the location of their eyes on the sides of their heads.  We also talked about how being a part of a herd can help deer survive.
Next, students worked together to complete a Signs of Deer scavenger hunt.  They noticed lots of deer scat and several footprints in the snow. They also found some evidence of deer nibbling on branches.
After the main lesson, we enjoyed some Forest Choice time, building forts, using the slackline, and enjoying the outdoor ECO “kitchen”.  The weather was beautiful!
 
During literacy time, we created a new entry in our ECO journals. Students drew detailed illustrations of white-tailed deer and wrote about the adaptations that help deer survive.

 

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Important Upcoming Events

Thursday, March 21st:  E.C.O. Lesson:  
Please help your child to come prepared to spend the morning outdoors.  Students should wear their winter jackets, snowpants, hats, waterproof gloves, and boots.  

Wednesday, March 27th:  P.E. Lab- Mallory Brook Trail
Please return permission slips this coming Monday, March 18th.

Thursday, April 4th, 5:30 to 7:00 pm:  Celebration of Learning

Friday, April 5th:  Student-Led Conferences  
Please return your conference sign up as soon as possible.

April 13th to April 21st:  April Vacation

Thursday April 25th:  E.C.O. Lesson

We are taking a short break from sharing so we can participate in some longer morning meeting greetings and activities.

Friday, February 15, 2019

Squishy Circuits and Paper Circuits!

I had been hoping to share information about this project with families at the Celebration of Learning.  Since we are rescheduling this event for April 4th, I will share some info about this work now.

Throughout December and January, we learned about electricity during our classroom Discovery times and our Technology Integration times with Arlyn.  This unit focused on creating simple, parallel, and series circuits.  The best part of this unit is that it is completely hands-on and minds-on!

First, we went into the Makerspace to create Squishy Circuits.  In pairs, students started by creating simple circuits using special salt dough that acts as a conductor.  We also had battery packs and LED lights. After they mastered the simple circuits, students had time to practice making parallel and series circuits that used additional materials, such as fans and buzzers.  Very exciting and action-packed!

After learning about circuits with the dough, I also asked students to demonstrate their understanding of the different types of circuits by drawing and labeling scientific illustrations.



  





 

 

 



Next, we switched locations to the Library to start making Paper Circuits.  This time, partners created simple, parallel, and series circuits using paper, special tape that conducts electricity, sticky lights, and batteries.  

For our final projects, students worked independently to create their own paper circuit projects.  This project used a variety of technology.  Students created a Google Drawing that shows a winter scene or object.  Then, they worked individually with Arlyn to decide which parts of the drawing would be cut out and used the Cricut to print and cut their designs.








In the classroom, we read a book called Winter: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Shnur and illustrated by Leslie Evans.  This book that shows wonderful examples of winter-themed acrostic poems and illustrations.  Then, we wrote our own acrostic poems that will accompany our winter design.  I was impressed with students' creativity and beautiful descriptions.

Finally, we put all of the different parts of this project together to create a light-up winter paper design.  We also used Book Creator to show our designs and poems.  This app also allows students to practice their fluency by recording themselves reading their poems.  Arlyn will print class books of these designs and poems.  We are excited to share these projects with you at the Celebration of Learning.