Congratulations, Musicians!

It's amazing how for the children have come since September!

Thanks for Mrs. Troy and Mr. C for the excellent teaching!

Friday Update

       It's a happy HAT DAY!

The class is getting ready for visits from second graders. Next week, they will share their reports and presentations with our younger schoolmates. On Thursday, we will have a pajama day to celebrate our informational writing unit.

After vacation, we will begin a persuasive writing unit. It's always inspiring to watch the children pick an issue that expresses their passions and concerns.

We've been moving right along with partial quotients and will dive into geometry and angles for the remainder of our math unit. Thank you for supporting your children with our homework assignments.

Book clubs are working hard and displaying lots of teamwork. I hope the children are doing lots of independent reading at home every night, too! Are able to find time with your child to discuss her/his book club book?

On Monday, we will go on a Google Expedition with Mrs. Wolinsky. It will be exciting to virtually explore the Seven Wonders of the World! We are fortunate to have access to these experiences!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Yarmouth's Got Talent

What a treat this morning!

Congratulations to our classmates on their super performances!

Happy Friday!

Our week of MEA testing is done! If your child missed any days this week, make-ups will take place next week.

We had a lot on our "to-do" list to balance all of this testing with some fun! Something new for me was a BreakoutEDU activity. Mrs. Wolinsky helped set things up and guide us. It gave the children a taste of working as a team to solve problems. It was exciting!

We managed to watch "The Sound of Music" with lots of singing along. The movie fits in perfectly with our study of historical fiction and the students' love of music.

We were able to finish Counting on Grace which has a very satisfying ending. We will do some written work on the book next week. Ask your child about this wonderful book!

Pumpkin bread was on out baking list and the children enjoyed working as a team and sampling their results.

As shown in the photos, we made Oobleck and read the book that goes along with it. You've been warned- it's coming home with your child today!

We should have met as book clubs more than we did, and we never got to read all about maple sugaring in New England (Snoopy waffles included), but we will get to that next week. Don't forget that it's Maine Maple Sunday this weekend!

If you sent in supplies for these activities, thank you very much! Thanks, too, for sharing your fantastic children. Their creativity, enthusiasm and kindness are inspiring! Enjoy the weekend!

  

News & Updates

Welcome back after our snow day!

We've begun a new unit that focuses on division, and the family letter went home today.

The children are wrapping up their reports and working on revisions.

Life cycles and natural selection are the next topic for our salmon study.

Book clubs are going strong with lots of focus and conversation.

It was a beautiful day and the children enjoyed the snow, sunshine and fresh air.

Tomorrow we will have a special cooking activity with Mr. Currier!
Have a wonderful week!

Mr. Monkey's Memorial Service

Ask your child about how we remembered Mr. Monkey, our class stuffie who was eaten by Penny.

News & Updates

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful vacation!

Here's what's happening at school:

Morning Meeting: We've begun to have a vocabulary word of the day which will be incorporated into our daily greeting. We're using a great book that puts the words in an engaging context.

Writing: The children have finished researching a chosen topic and have begun crafting a report. Once first drafts are done, revised and edited, the children will create presentations. Many wanted to skip right to the presentation, but the hard work must be done first.



Math: We continue to work on fractions in Unit 5 of our math books. I hope the Home Links are giving you a good idea of what has been happening in class. This is our second unit on fractions and it's great to see the progress in the students' understanding.

Reading: Counting on Grace is our current read aloud. Ask your child about Grace's struggles. We also have three book clubs going and you can see which book your child is reading on the log. The teamwork I am seeing is fantastic! There is also time for independent reading and these books should be going to and from school every day.

Science: The salmon eggs have hatched in alevins! Out next focus is on how environmental factors affect organisms. Students will be testing the PH of different types of water in our next lab.

We also welcome a new student, Moses. Our class has been welcoming and kind which is a joy to see!

If you have any questions or concerns, please be in touch. Enjoy the weekend!

Read, rest, draw.....maybe?

      Read, rest, draw has morphed into something different. We have stuffies dancing, a Hamilton Club, and students creating their own board game, among other activities. It's nice for them to reconnect after a busy lunch, recess, or a band lesson. This time eases the children back into learning and listening to our read aloud. We've just begun Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop.

News & Updates

Freedom Train- The class began to work on blocking today. It's great to see our play coming alive! We look forward to seeing you at the YPAC at 10:00 on the 24th.

Math- We're working on the partial products algorithm and checking problems with estimation.

Writing- Students researched a person related to "Freedom Train" and wrote a diary entry from her/his perspective. Reaction to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was the focal point.

Social Studies- Through our read aloud, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, Maine Studies Weekly and a documentary about William Still, the children are deepening their understanding of slavery and the Civil War.

Reading- In the upcoming weeks, our focus is non-fiction reading. Students are expected to read a non-fiction book in addition to their regular partner reading. This work leads us to our upcoming report writing unit.

Science- A tank will be set up in our classroom soon for the salmon eggs that will be arriving. Our unit on Life Cycles, Traits and Inheritance will be here before we know it.

Conferences- Some of you have already signed up for a Winter Parent/Teacher Conference. You will receive your child's report card at this meeting. If you have not scheduled a time, here is the information:

            DATE:  February 1, February 2, February 3 and February 8.
            PLACE:  YES, Room 301. 
            REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  End of day before each conference day

To pick a time slot, enter this link in your internet browser:

             www.ptcfast.com/reg1

At that link, you will be asked for your Entry Code, where you should
enter 9RY111355

If you do not have internet access, please send me a note with requested times .

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Renee

Friday Update

We were busy this morning highlighting our scripts for the many choral pieces, echoes and actions in "Freedom Train". We will begin rehearsing next week!

Our math lesson today was easy- converting milliliters to liters, so there was plenty of time to play math games and practice math facts.

Next week will bring work with partial products multiplication. We'll also discuss narrative versus expository non-fiction. In addition to regular partner reading, the children will read a non-fiction book. This will be the case for a few weeks as we delve into our non-fiction reading unit.

Have a great weekend!

Freedom Train

Ask your child about our work with Mr. K (Kent Pierce). We read through the Freedom Train script and tomorrow we will cast the play. We also worked on voice projection which I'm sure is no problem at home. They will be performing in about three weeks, and I will get the exact date/time to you ASAP.

Our Virtual Field Trip

We got on boots and overalls, hopped on the bus, and headed to Portland Harbor!  Lobsterman Chris taught us all about lobstering while Lobster Bob provided some comic relief.


The children diligently answered questions in their notebooks while we were on the journey. Probably their most important learning was how the lobstering industry stays sustainable.

Our Week

 We've had another busy week. The weather was gorgeous and children were allowed to read outside on their share days. We visited the book fair, did a lot of work with factors and multiples, and have been left in suspense in our read aloud.

 Some of the children's stories have been published and we have gathered around to hear them read aloud. They are all different and equally delightful. When the children have time after finished assignments, they are able to research a topic that interests them. We saw a puppet show that shared some of this learning.

Enjoy the weekend! I look forward to seeing you next week for conferences!

Weekend Update

     We had a wonderful week! Friday melted my heart as I saw kindness all around. One student gave a special Pokemon card to a classmate, another ran to fix a frustrated friend's ripped paper with tape, children rallied quickly to celebrate a student's lucky firetruck ride win with cheers and a card, and we heard thoughtful letters written from the perspective of Aaron, a character in our read aloud.
     Speaking of Aaron, he is also a trumpet player and often expresses his feelings through music. Our trumpet players missed their lesson, and wanted to honor Aaron with some trumpet music as a way to ease their disappointment. The players ran our end of the day celebration time, and although it was chaotic, it was genuine and joyful!
     Children have also begun to bring in knitting supplies! They inspired me to order some yarn this morning. If you know how to knit, and can come in during the 12:15-1:15 window, please let me know. Any extra help getting kids started is greatly appreciated.
     On the academic front, we have begun a new math unit with a multiplication theme. The Unit 2 Family Letter provides extensive details. The children have are finishing up their personal or fiction narratives, and I will begin conferencing with each child next week. Social studies brings a study of Maine's government. Reading partnerships are going strong and our focus is thinking deeply about characters. The end of our read aloud time usually ends with desperate pleas to read another chapter which is delightful. Touch Blue is an amazing book on many levels. Our word study program, "Words Their Way" begins this week.
     Thank you for sharing your kind children. And, thank you for supporting our classroom by checking in on homework/announcements and encouraging reading. If you've hosted Pup-Pup, thank you for your hospitality- I hear he doesn't eat that much and is quiet during sleeping hours. I look forward to meeting with all of you in a couple of weeks for parent teacher conferences.   Enjoy the weekend, Renee

A Healthy Break

When the children were done with their MAP testing this morning, we headed out to the garden to harvest beans, tomatoes, kale and cucumbers. The fresh air suited us just fine!

Fairwinds Farm Trip

Our Trip Photos

Thank you to Blair Currier, our school nutrition director, for arranging this trip. We are also grateful to the parents who came along to help. Have a great weekend!

Fresh Garden Pesto

We visited the garden to gather garlic and herbs to make pumpkin seed pesto.

All the children helped Mama Mia, our guest chef.

Ask your child about this yummy cooking experience.

Pup-Pup & Mr. Fishykins

We had a special delivery today from Floria. We're thrilled to welcome Mr. Fishykins, and he's thrilled to be reunited with Pup-Pup.

Good Things

1. Resting in trees

2. Time in the garden harvesting mystery beans and solving sunflower mysteries

3. Books about apples, enemies and a boy eating books

4. Ladies in russet gowns gathering children

5. Birthday dance parties

6. Unpredictable microphones

7. Summer reading conferences

Making Applesauce

We are grateful to Chester's mom from leading the charge with applesauce. The smell from our crockpot is amazing! We plan to mash & taste tomorrow!