Friday, December 17, 2021

December 17, 2021

 


Monday December 20th will be our Polar Express fun day! Students can wear or bring their (school appropriate) pajamas, slippers, bathrobes, and a stuffed animal (as long as it will fit in their backpack). 


We will be reading the book: The Polar Express and acting out the scenes as they unfold in the story. We will continue to follow RSU1 protocol in respects to covid but we also will be having a lot of holiday fun! 

A reminder that Christmas vacation begins on Thursday December 23rd and we return on January 3rd, 2022! 

I want to take just a second to thank you all for making this year amazing for me. You are all so thoughtful, kind, and wonderful. I am honored and humbled to finish out 2021 with your children and I am so looking forward to a 2022 filled with so much love and growth! Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!!!

Sarah~

Friday, December 10, 2021

December 10, 2021

 

Thursday night at my house!

What a wonderful way to conclude our study on the solar system!There will be an AMAZING EVENT on Sunday night that I have asked the children to go outside after dark and witness. Please help them make this happen! Please read the attached link to see what all of my excitement is about! You might have already known this, but I just found out~ 
Happy Weekend!

https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/parade-of-planets-to-be-visible-in-the-night-sky-on-12-december-all-you-need-to-know-about-this-celestial-event-10200591.html

Friday, December 3, 2021

December 3, 2021

 


Dear Families, 


PLEASE remember that we are very busy at school and the sharing of toys, jewelry, hair accessories, and cash should not be something we are doing at school. It is confusing and distracting. Thank you.

We have been having so much fun learning about the solar system this week! We know what makes day and night and that the sun is our closest star. How exciting! 

Books Read: Out In Space, Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System, Stars! Stars! stars!, Eight Spinning Planets, There's No Place Like Space, Sun: Our Nearest Star, What Makes Day and Night?

Reading workshop is going very well. We are engaging in daily practice of reading books at our level as well as exploring picture books that we might not be able to read yet, but that teach us about non-fiction topics of interest and stories that we can follow through pictures- even if we can't read the print. 

During writing time they are; visualizing places and people to write about, adding words (letters) to their pictures, rehearsing what they want to say about what they wrote, take turns sharing their ideas and writing with partners, going back into their writing pieces and revising what they have written by changing or adding to what they wrote and continuing to build up their confidence as writers. Our learning target is: "I can write my story so my partner can read it." We also wrote a personal letter to Jan Brett and we are excited to get a letter back from her soon!

In math we are working with teen numbers, playing games with partners, formation of numbers, making pictures to match the number written, addition and subtraction practice and continuing our calendar routines. Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observations, tracking the number of days we have been in school and days of the week. 

As the weather is cooling down and the snow has arrived, remember we go outside on days above 10 degrees and as long as it isn't rain or ice. Fresh air is so important and I ask you to help me by sending your child with warm clothing and to make sure they have an extra set of clothing in case of emergency. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)


Upcoming Events: 

December 10- Report cards home

December 23-January 1-  Christmas Vacation

Friday, November 19, 2021

November 19, 2021

Hello!

Here are some reminders for you! 

Next Week:

Monday: 1/2 Day of school- Dismissal at noon. Lunch will be a bagged lunch. Parent Conferences from noon to 6 pm. Below are the directions for signing up. If you have trouble with any of that process, please contact: jpratt@rsu1.org and she can get you in. 

Tuesday: 1/2 day of school-Dismissal at noon. Lunch will be bagged lunch.

Wednesday: NO SCHOOL

Thursday: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Friday: NO SCHOOL 


PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AND SIGN UP 

ALL students, grades K-8 will have ½ days with dismissal at 11:55AM on both Monday and Tuesday 11/22 and 11/23. WCS conferences will only be held on Monday 11/22 from 12:00PM - 6:00PM. Once again, we will be scheduling Parent/Teacher Conferences online with PTCFast.com. On this site you will be able to schedule a conference for all of your children. If you do not have internet access, you can call the office (443-9739) and we will schedule the conference(s) for you, or answer any questions. ALL CONFERENCES WILL BE VIRTUAL. Once you sign up for a conference time, your child’s teacher will contact you to set up the virtual meeting. 

Click on www.woolwich.rsu1.org, then on the “Parent/Teacher Conference Schedule and Sign Up” link to schedule your children. 

- You will be directed to a screen with all the teachers listed. Click on your child(ren)’s teacher(s). If you have more than 1 child, select “...more than one student” on the next screen. - Fill in your child’s first and last name on the next screen and click “done” when finished. - Enter your contact information and click “submit.” 

- You will receive an email within the next few minutes, with a link that will take you to the sign up screen, where you can choose what conference time is best for you. 

- We encourage you to leave time between conferences, so that the schedule will not get bogged down. (3:15 - 3:30 and then 3:45 - 4:00, e.g.) 

- Since there are limited time slots available, we are limiting conferences to one per child. Conferences are 15 minutes for K-5 and 10 minutes for 6th, 7th & 8th. Please adhere to the time limit. Feel free to email your child’s teacher throughout the school year to stay up to date. You can find email addresses of staff on the school website. Parents of students in grades 6, 7 & 8 can check their student’s grades and attendance all year, through the Infinite Campus Portal. Please contact the office if you did not receive sign in information.


Friday, November 5, 2021

November 5, 2021

 

My son, Patrick

Thank you Veterans!

A turkey project has come home with your child this week- wrapped as a scroll. Have fun creating together and please send it back in when finished~


A bit of help that I need... please assist your child by making sure there are no toys or other distractions in their backpacks or pockets. We have had many instances of students "giving, trading, sharing, lending" items and we honestly don't have the time for those distractions in our day. I really need your help with this and I thank you in advance. 


We are at letter Tt with our Alphabet Bootcamp! Only a couple of more days until we have visited every letter in the alphabet. Then the REAL fun begins!!! Reading and Writing workshop arrive.

In math we are working with sorting, ten frames, teen numbers, recognizing teen numbers through movement, formation of numbers, addition and subtraction practice and continuing our calendar routines. Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observations, tracking the number of days we have been in school and days of the week. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Don't forget that pesky setting your clocks back this weekend!!! Yikes~

Upcoming Events: 
November 11- Veterans Day Observed- No School
November 12- Teacher Inservice-No School
November 22 & 23- 1/2 Days of School-Parent Teacher Virtual Conferences (Please sign up if you haven't)
November 24 & 25 & 26- Happy Thanksgiving! 

Friday, October 22, 2021

Ocrober 22, 2021

 




Hello Families!
Our caterpillars----chrysalis----butterfly cycle has finished up! We have released 15 monarch butterflies into the world so they can start that long migration to Mexico! We ended up with 5 females and 10 males. Bye Bye, Butterflies! Safe travels~

We are steadily working our way through our Alphabet Bootcamp. 26 letters in 26 days. You have noticed their headbands coming home and the little readers that go along with the letters practiced. Often time we run out of time to add color and details to these readers. Feel free to have your student color and read these books to you. Maybe keep them all in one place and read them at night along with your nightly read aloud. Students will gain great independence when practicing books they are able to read. 

In math we are getting to know numbers 0-10, sorting, discussing a graph, using math manipulatives, 10 frames, positional words, finger counting, working with shapes and continuing our calendar routines. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Events:

11/11 - Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL

11/12 - PD Day - NO SCHOOL



Friday, October 15, 2021

October 15, 2021

 


Hello Families!
Our caterpillars----chrysalis----butterfly cycle is finishing up! We have released 11 monarch butterflies into the world so they can start that long migration to Mexico! Gotta go-Gotta go- Gotta go to Mexico! It has been an amazing length of time to make daily observations and to await their arrival! Bye Bye, Butterflies!

We are steadily working our way through our Alphabet Bootcamp. 26 letters in 26 days. You have noticed their headbands coming home and the little readers that go along with the letters practiced. Often time we run out of time to add color and details to these readers. Feel free to have your student color and read these books to you. Maybe keep them all in one place and read them at night along with your nightly read aloud. Students will gain great independence when practicing books they are able to read. 

In math we are getting to know numbers 0-10, sorting, discussing a graph, using math manipulatives, 10 frames,  finger counting, working with shapes and continuing our calendar routines. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Events:

11/11 - Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL

11/12 - PD Day - NO SCHOOL



Thursday, October 7, 2021

October 7, 2021

 


Reminder that there is no school tomorrow or Monday. I hope you all have a lovely long weekend!

We continue to wait for our butterflies to come out of their chrysalises. It is getting cooler and we want them to get safely to Mexico!

We painted our pumpkins that we picked out at Rocky Ridge and they will be traveling home today. They aren't meant to go outside, but instead to be enjoyed inside. 

I appreciate the open communication you are showing and am hoping my feedback is helpful. As always, please email me with anything you need to have clarification about. Thank you!


Friday, October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021

 


We are finishing our study of the life cycle of the butterfly. All but 1 caterpillar is in chrysalis mode and working on that fabulous metamorphosis! One little caterpillar is trying to grow big enough to move into that next phase...

We had a FABULOUS trip to Rocky Ridge Orchard and had a delicious apple and doughnut. We picked up a small pumpkin we will be painting in art class and bringing home soon! The hay ride was so much fun. We also brought home a bag of apples and concluded the week with a warm applesauce to end our Friday. We all helped peel and core the apples and are bringing home the core and seeds with directions on how to plant an apple tree. Fun!

Books Read: Pete the Cat Falling for Autumn, The Big Apple, and the song-A-P-P-L-E
 (which is sung like "Bingo)

In math we are getting to know numbers 0-10, sorting, discussing a graph, using math manipulatives, 10 frames,  finger counting, working with shapes and continuing our calendar routines. 

We began a letter of the day series this week and we have completed A, B, and C! You might see headbands coming home with a picture that represents that letter and sound we are working on for the day. This is a very quick review of 26 letters in 26 days and is a whole lot of fun!

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Events: 
October 8- NO SCHOOL- Teacher Professional Day
October 11- NO SCHOOL- Columbus Day

Have a wonderful weekend! 
Sarah


Friday, September 24, 2021

September 24, 2021

 


Happy Birthday to our friend, Brooklyn!

PICTURE DAY ON MONDAY!!! (Rain Date Tuesday)

In science we continue to learn about the life cycle of the butterfly. We currently have 12 caterpillars still munching. Hopefully they will think about becoming a chrysalis soon so we can release them for their flight to Mexico before the cold weather sets in! We have learned so much about the caterpillar life cycle! We also began learning about apples and their life cycle.

We are also working through our Go2Science mission about Maine and its history. We are in search of evidence for our hypothesis: Is there evidence that indigenous peoples lived year round on the islands off the coast of Maine. We have learned so much about artifacts and have seen a lot of marine life on our adventures. We also did an experiment with "phytoplankton" and observed how difficult it is to see through. Fun!

Books: Cont. re-reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar,  Gotta Go! Gotta Go! (a book about a little caterpillar and her journey), and some fun ABC books. We also have started using our book boxes and developing good reading skills. 

In math we are getting to know numbers 0-10, sorting, discussing a graph, using math manipulatives, using 5 frames, practicing with quick looks at collections of dots, finger counting, working with shapes and continuing our calendar routines.  

We are still learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Dates:
Monday Sept. 27-PICTURE DAY!
Thursday Sept. - Field Trip to Rocky Ridge
Friday Oct. 8- No School- Professional Day
Monday October 11-No School Columbus Day


Friday, September 17, 2021

September 17, 2021

 


Dear Families,


It has been a very busy week. We are continuing our procedures and community building. We have enjoyed going to the different specials classes and meeting many new faces and doing fun activities.

Please make sure all paperwork that came home this week is returned as soon as possible. I'm working on getting computers home with students next week. We are still waiting on a few. Directions for use will accompany the Chromebooks. 

Thank you for all of your emails and continual patience with me this week. It is a lot to keep these little ones safe and happy and if somehow I have left you with more questions, please reach out to me and let me know. I am trying! 

Books Read: A variety of Pete the Cat stories, Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten, and Franklin's First Day of School, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar

We have also begun our science adventure with Go2Science that we will be talking about as time goes on...we are on the hunt artifacts off the coast of Maine. You might hear the word "hypothesis" floating around!  

In math we are getting to know numbers, introducing attributes of shapes, sorting, graphing birthdays, and our calendar routines. Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observation, and the days  of the week.

 Many reading and writing assessments have taken place these first few days of school. We will begin a more structured approach to reading and writing beginning soon. 


We have begun to be scientists and use our observation skills to watch caterpillars grow-and grow-and grow! Most of them are still in the very hungry stage! 


We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)


Tuesday, June 15, 2021

A Fond Farewell~

 


It is so hard to believe school has come to an end! What an interesting and strange school year it has been. I hope I have served your child and your family well. In a time when building relationships was super tricky, I know in my heart that we all did the very best we could do and that was more than I have ever dreamed of! This group of children are incredibly special to me and I hope they will continue to stay in contact as they travel through the years~

During summer, please continue to look for learning opportunities to help your child continue their progress. Doing a few of these activities 2 to 3 times a week will help them be ready to start first grade successfully. Here are some ideas:

***write letters to family and friends.

***practice reading the books they have brought home throughout the school year. 

***practice writing words in both upper and lower case letters, their numbers, and their first and last names.

***practice sounding out words orally. Such as, "I am thinking of an animal" and say the sounds C-A-T.

***look for sight words such as (the, is, and, like, etc.) in printed materials like magazines and newspapers. Play a game where they need to circle all the words on a page that they know. 

***play "I Spy" with words, numbers, letters, and shapes.

***practice telling time, counting money, and recognizing coins.

***continue using the school Chromebook to keep up on their favorite skill building games. They have access to them for the summer. 

Most importantly, read with your child. Use a variety of literature that is of interest to your child, point to the words, let your child make predictions by looking at the letters and pictures, break long words into short chunks, ask them what would make sense, use silly voices and HAVE FUN!

I will truly miss them~ Best of luck and have an amazing summer break! Sarah

Friday, March 19, 2021

March 19, 2021

 


Spring is coming this weekend!!! Hip! Hip! Hooray! 

We sure have had a busy week with St. Patrick's Day and our 100th day of school celebration! I have also been assessing your children so much and their growth makes me both want to cheer and cry tears of joy. I am so incredibly proud of them all!!! 

We have been working on a tour of the San Diego Zoo and studying many animals that live there. We are creating a book that tells a new fact we have learned and get to watch the animal of the day on a web cam in real time from the zoo. It has been a lot of fun! 

We also have a new Promethean Board in our classroom and it has made learning better than ever! We are able to do so many activities in an interactive way that was not available to us up until now. I will share more about what we are doing with that in a separate post. 

Reminders: 

March 25- Parent Teacher conferences (virtual). Distance learning day for students. (Please sign up if you haven't yet) 

March 25 & 26- Distance learning day for students. Please see today's email for our class meeting time that day. 

April 2- Report cards come home

April 19-23 April Vacation 

Friday, March 5, 2021

March 5, 2021

 





 Happy March, Everyone! In like a lion! This winter certainly has been an odd one!

It has been such a fun week filled with many activities for Read Across America Week! Ending the week with pajama day was a great finish! 

We have been spending a great deal of time on reading non-fiction books and writing about the animals we are learning about. Our next Go2Science Mission won't begin until April. 

Animated Alphabet is our approach to phonemic awareness and spelling. The letters are taught through a multi sensory approach of music, dance, characters and signs which help the students hold onto that information. The character this week was Kimmy Kangaroo. Next week will begin daily characters as well as a deeper dive into our spelling and writing practices! 

 In math we have been using dice to play a probability game, working with shapes, using teen numbers, finding combinations of 10 and continuing our calendar activities. 

It is a good time of the year for reminders about having an extra set of dry clothes for your child (the ones from the fall might not fit us anymore). They can leave them in their backpack or in their cubby. There is nothing worse than getting wet or muddy and sitting in them for the rest of the day. 

Upcoming Events:

March 25- Parent/ Teacher Conferences- Virtual 12am-6pm

April 19-23  April Vacation

Friday, February 26, 2021

Friday, February 5, 2021

SO MANY THINGS!!!!!


 My goodness...there are so many things to share and so few days for them to happen in!

First, THANK YOU for your continual support to me as well as your home structures that are allowing so much to happen in the classroom!!!

Second, we are not allowed to bring in Valentine's to exchange this year, but we will be having a Valentine workshop on Friday (2/12) where students will have time and materials to create one of a kind cards for their friends. 

Third, speaking of Friday (2/12) I thought, "What better way to celebrate our last day together before break than a pajama party?" SO... pajamas and stuffies (must fit in their backpacks) for Friday. 

Fourth, next week is Eat the Rainbow week where we will wear clothing that matches the color of the food for the day. The following is the schedule:

Monday: Green Tuesday: Orange/ Yellow Wednesday: Blue/ Purple Thursday: Red Friday: Rainbow

Fifth, It is my fervent hope to get the student cookbooks home by vacation. I am waiting on a couple of more recipes and then I can get them printed and sent! 

Sixth, Gingerbread projects can come in anytime before or after vacation. The ones that have come in so far are awesome! 

SO MUCH STUFF!!! Sorry about that but we are trying to have fun and keep focused until vacation! 

Questions? You know where I am~ ssample@rsu1.org



Monday, January 11, 2021

Distance Learning 1/11/21

 


Well, we are at home for the week and I will miss being with your child at school! We are in the beginning of our mission in Go2Science to the Galapagos Islands to test our hypothesis about the penguins who live there. I want to continue the mission as distance learners and I hope your child will join us! 

We also have been enjoying an author study of Jan Brett and have read many of her books and plan to read many more this week! 

Remember your Chromebook has got apps that your child is proficient with and they should be spending time each day on those. Fall and winter paper packets can also be utilized during this time away from school. 

I will be sending an email for specifics for the week and look forward to being back with your delightful children on Tuesday! Please contact me with any individual questions~ssample@rsu1.org