The Schofield Scoop
May 12, 2024
Forestdale students were so incredibly lucky to have not one... but TWO author visits this week! Thank you to the Sandwich PTA and Sandwich For All for helping to sponsor Len Cabral and Peter Reynolds. Both artists are local (Rhode Island, and Dedham, MA), so we can truly say these artists live near us! Our students were completely enthralled with the storytelling, crafting and sharing of information.
There is one last Schofield Scoop coming your way this school year - and will be published next Sunday. Mr. Dintino will end out the year with a June newsletter, summarizing this amazing year we've had at Forestdale.
-Kara Schofield
Peter H. Reynolds, is the author of The Dot, Be You!, Say Something, The Word Collector, and so many, many more! He visited Forestdale on Friday via google meet, so all students in all classrooms could participate at the same time. Students learned how to create books, and got to hear strategies, experiences and of course some read alouds by the author himself. Mrs. Baxter's and Mrs. Connolly's class read The Word Collector at the beginning of the school year, and had been collecting words throughout their second grade year. Last week, the 2nd grade students shared those words with Mrs. Morgan and Mrs. Tarantino's 1st grade class by tossing them down from the 2nd floor to the students in lobby. 1st graders tried to collect as many words as they could, and then they sat down with the 2nd graders to learn about the words they collected. What a great activity for both grade levels, and a wonderful way to celebrate this author's visit.
I happened upon Mrs. Maki's class as they were headed out to release their butterflies. All kindergarten classrooms received baby caterpillars that had just released from their eggs. The students watched the caterpillars grow, grow, and grow, and then create the j-shaped chrysalids at the top of the container. Last week the butterflies completed their metamorphosis and emerged from their chrysalids. As soon as the butterfly cage entered into the warm sun, one last butterfly emerged from the chrysalid - for all the students, teachers and staff to watch and observe. That newly hatched butterfly needed to dry his wings, so he stayed in the habitat (in a shaded corner by the school) while the other butterflies flew away!
Len Cabral, a storyteller and word weaver graced us with a visit on Thursday and Friday last week. He presented to students in K-2 during the day as well as for families and caregivers on Thursday evening. This gentle and soft spoken man kept the enrapt students fully engaged and participating to stories, songs and chants for an hour! These pictures cannot fully capture the joy and energy felt during this author's visit. Ask your student to tell you about the monkey's face on the coconut, or the chant about "This is my head".
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