Weekly Newsletter
June 13, 2024
News from Principal Emma Liebowitz
On behalf of the entire Sanderson Academy staff, we would like to thank all the caregivers and community members for your support this school year! We hope that you have a wonderful summer and see you in August!
Upcoming Events
Friday, June 14 - Last Day of School - 12:30 Dismissal - ICE CREAM CONES!
Link to Sanderson Academy calendar.
PTO News
Local Goods Fundraising Catalog!
Do you or someone you know want to sell your item(s) in our Local Goods catalog this fall? Email us at Sandersonlocalgoods@gmail.com by June 28th if you are interested. This is one of Sanderson Academy’s biggest fundraisers.
Ice Cream at the Lake!
Sanderson PTO is planning to serve ice cream cones at the Ashfield Lake beach to celebrate the end of the school year this Friday, June 14 at 4pm!
This event is rain or shine.
If thunderstorms are predicted for 4pm, a new plan will be shared on Friday at noon.
Get Involved!
The PTO is also looking for people who are interested in taking on a bigger role planning events for our students and our school. One of our biggest events is the Ashfield Fall Festival and we are looking for more help running this event. The planning starts this summer and if you can help, please email lindi.russell@gmail.com.
2024-2025 Calendar
We will send a paper copy home with summer letters.
Looking for Coaches!
Check out this opportunity!
Health Office News from Nurse Loranna
Wishing you all a happy and healthy summer! Remember to drink lots of water, wear your helmet and your sunblock and swim safely; and even more importantly have some ice cream, catch fireflies and enjoy the simple things of summertime. Have fun and be safe :)
Library News from Ms. Wilson
PLEASE RETURN ALL LIBRARY BOOKS BY FRIDAY
Last week, print-outs of missing library books were sent home with students who still have books checked out. Please check backpacks if you haven’t seen this print out, and reach out if you need another one. Forty-five books are still checked out to Sanderson students, and we would love to have them all back by Friday. Thank you for your help! rwilson@mtrsd.org
SUMMER READING
Click on this link to find summer reading recommendations from the American Library Association for grades K - 5, and information about how to access Sora, the online platform where students can read and listen to books for free!
3rd GRADE STORYLINE PROJECT
Over the course of this year, Sanderson 3rd graders created their own small library within the Sanderson library as they explored the question, What is a library for? Following a Scottish curriculum called Storyline, students took the lead as each “chapter” of the Storyline unfolded. They created characters, made the setting, encountered problems, and found resolution. This week, 3rd graders concluded by reflecting on their year and enjoying a final read-aloud in their library before dismantling the space for next year’s third graders.. Kids are naturally imaginative and curious, and this project was a great reminder that if we adults provide the framework and support, kids almost always rise to the task of leading their own learning. I am so proud of the way these students worked together this year!
Preschool news from Ms. Freeman and Ms. Becky
This week we are taking down our artwork and cleaning out our cubbies. We are enjoying each other's company, playing in our favorite learning centers, enjoying the beautiful weather outside, and reflecting on our year together. It has been a memorable year.
We also released our froglets back to the vernal pool where we first collected eggs.
Thank you for your help and support. Sanderson Academy is truly a special place. Have a happy, fun, and safe summer vacation. See you soon.
Preschool News from Ms. Melanie and Ms. Kylee
Preschoolers and 3rd grade buddies had a wonderful walking field trip to Porter Family Farm. We walked down to Steady Lane with such excitement and anticipation. Once there, the children ate a snack and learned about the rules of the farm. Next the children were separated into three groups and they got to learn about and interact with the animals. There were three stations: a chicken station with both meat birds and egg layers. The children enjoyed collecting the eggs and cleaning them off before putting them in cartons to be sold at the farm store. The next station had 2 sweet ponies and one gentle full size horse. The children were taught how to move their bodies around large animals and the importance of staying away from big feet. One of the horses weighs 1100 pounds! The children were taught how to use the various brushes and combs on the animals. They also had an opportunity to lead a horse or a pony. The last station had many different animals, including goats, calves, horses, kittens, a donkey and turkeys. The animals were all so friendly and calm and the children loved caring for them and giving them love. We ended our day with a hayride through the field to see the cows. As a special surprise, the wagon kept on going and brought us all the way back to school. It was such a magical trip full of smiling faces! We want to send a very heartfelt THANK YOU to Anne and Josh Porter for sharing their farm with us and driving us back to school and also to Anna Belval for teaching us so much about horses. It was a fantastic day on the farm and a delightful way to spend one of our last school days together.
I hope you all have a terrific summer filled with great adventures!
Kindergarten News from Ms. Sarah, Ms. Veronica and Ms. Beckwith
To help with saying goodbye to the classroom, we dismantled our quiet time boxes and took down our special art projects from the classroom. We created memory books and watched our slideshow from the year. We set up play areas in the Close Woods for the next kindergarten class and marked on a map where they can find them. We also cultivated our carrot bed in the school garden and planted carrot seed for next year’s kindergarten class to harvest. We looked at our memory slideshow and remembered how we had harvested the carrots that the previous class had planted for us. It’s like a kindergarten life cycle!
First Grade News from Ms. Wyckoff and Ms. April
In our last week of school, first graders have been wrapping up their learning and are now ready for a summer of fun! This time of year brings with it many different feelings, some excited for the next chapter, some sad to say goodbye to first grade and some feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. In these moments we pull out our second step skills to help us remember that people can have different feelings in the same situation and it’s important to be respectful of how others are feeling. We can use encouraging words, ask if they need something or just give space. This week we’re looking back at fun moments captured in our photo memory books and talking and writing about favorite memories. We played many rounds of trick word bingo, sang happy birthday to our summer birthday friends and had a great time celebrating our 6th grade buddies with an ice cream party! We thought about the past ten months and all the fun and laughter we’ve had!
It has been a joy to get to know your children this year in first grade. We’ve grown quite a bit, worked really hard and learned so much! I want to take a moment to thank first grade families for entrusting me with your children and to all the parent volunteers for driving and chaperoning field trips- without your support and dedication those trips wouldn’t have been successful. Wishing everyone in the Sanderson community an enjoyable, restful and fun summer! See you in the fall!
Second Grade News from Ms. Lilly, Ms. Laura and Ms. Taylor
Second grade has kept the good times rolling into this last week of school! In science, we used engineering skills to construct different ideas to stop landslides. We then conducted an experiment with different candies to determine which candies could tolerate high temperatures. This experiment focused on changing the state of matter from a solid to a liquid. In ELA, we completed our last week of school writing activity which if you remember from the first day of school we completed one too. If you hung on to it, you can see all the growth these kiddos have made this year! We’ve jam packed these last few days with ice cream parties, extra recesses, crafts, and fun. I hope you all have a wonderful summer!
Third Grade News from Ms. Carole and Mr. Luke
Third graders had a wonderful last week of school. On Monday the class got to visit with Jen Lagoy in the fourth grade and begin to think about what next year might be like for them.
On Tuesday we spent the day at the Porter Family Farm. We were treated to a menagerie of animals to enjoy including goats, chickens, horses, cows, turkeys, a donkey, and even kittens! It was a magnificent day with our buddies which was topped off with a hayride back to the school. We are so grateful to the Porter family for providing us with such a wonderful day.
On Wednesday we walked through the woods and came out at Bug Hill Farm, which is where Mr. Luke’s family lives. We were treated to a magnificent scavenger hunt to find many wonderful treasures around this special property. We also got to plant beans and potatoes in the food pantry garden, and we tasted two of the yummy jams the Perkinses make. Another surprise was waiting for us in the form of a sparrow’s ground nest with newly hatched babies. The simple joys of relaxing at the Perkins’ place was topped off with surprise goodie bags full of treats at the end of the visit.
For both of these trips we relied upon the generosity of local families and businesses, which is one of the many wonderful things about living in this close-knit community. We are fortunate to get to take advantage of these treasures.
On Thursday we spent the day with our buddies at Look Park, celebrating the end of the year. With a pot-luck barbecue lunch, spray park, climbing structure, and wiffle ball, it was a super end to the year.
Thank you to all of the families of third grade who helped to make this year special. We send our best wishes for a fun and safe summer, and best of luck in fourth grade!
Fourth Grade News from Ms. Lagoy and Ms. Upright
Fourth graders have maintained their stride this week. Some students are wrapping up their study of the West Region, while others have moved on to independent state research. Students are spending their last few math classes reviewing area and perimeter as they assume the role of lead architect designing a zoo. During ELA, we are finishing The City of Ember and look forward to watching the movie together on Friday. The students have really enjoyed reading this together. We have dug into some outside resources to learn more about why Jeanne Duprau wrote the story. We’ve also had an opportunity to discuss the theme of the story: curiosity leads to wisdom, just as apathy leads to foolishness.
Fourth grade would like to thank everyone who has supported our various fundraisers to support the Ocean Conservancy, ServiceNet, and the MSPCA these past few weeks. A huge shout out to Matt, the bus driver, for getting involved in our Penny War Fundraiser and a big congratulations to kindergarten for their victory! We will be enjoying some popsicles together on Thursday. The Penny War Fundraiser generated over $1,000.00. Combined with the bake sale and the fundraising efforts students posted on Facebook, we raised almost $2,000.00!!
What a tremendous year we have had together. During a sharing at morning meeting last week, we were reflecting back on all the things we have accomplished this year. The students couldn’t get over just how much we got done this year. They were feeling incredibly proud of how much they have grown this year and in awe of how much they are capable of. I have enjoyed getting to know all of your children so much this year and will miss them terribly. I hope you all have a wonderful summer.
Fifth Grade News from Ms. Johnson and Ms. Shero
The learning hasn’t stopped even though we are in our last week of school. Students played The Game of 99, explored pentominoes, hosted a gathering with their senior citizen pen pals, had a lot of reading time, and created posters to educate about wasting water, among many other things. It has been an amazing year with this incredible group of students! I am going to miss them so very much. They will always hold a special place in my heart.
Below are some photos from our pen pal gathering. This was a project done in collaboration with Ms. Wilson, Chief Bezio, and myself. After exchanging letters throughout the school year, pen pals met in person on Tuesday. We had a very nice gathering which included snacks, a ‘getting to know you’ activity, and a card game. There were stories, laughter, and hugs to accompany the connections that have been built over the year.
News from Ms. Prew
Happy Summer Sanderson mathematicians! If you are looking for ways to keep your math learning going this summer, check out this link. Looking forward to seeing you all again next year! Enjoy! :) aprew@mtrsd.org
Mindful Movement News from Ms. Sue
Happy SUMMER to everyone in the Sanderson community…may you enjoy time with family and friends, time outside in the sunshine and doing some fun activities. Look forward to hearing all about it in September! Be well 💙
Instrumental News from Ms. Julie
As our school year comes to a close, I’d like to thank all of our amazing instrumental students for all of their hard work, good humor, and flexibility–especially during these last few weeks when we had so many concerts to perform–it was a whirlwind! Congratulations to the Third-grade Recorder Class, the Fifth Grade Orff Ensemble, our wonderful school band and orchestra, and to all of the students who performed in small ensembles throughout the year. It was a busy year for sure!
Congratulations to our band and orchestra members who have graduated into middle school! You have been an inspiration and you have set the bar high–thank you to each and every one of you. I hope that you continue your musical studies in middle school and beyond.
A reminder that all instruments need to be removed from the music room for the summer. Keep practicing everyone–and have a wonderful summer!
Beauty and the Beast Jr. News from Ms. Julie
My, what a time that was! Sanderson Academy’s performance of Beauty and the Beast Jr drew a huge and enthusiastic crowd. It was a magical night!
How did it all begin? Well, a handful of sixth-grade girls had the idea to perform Beauty and the Beast many months ago. The idea grew and grew, and by late April, we had twenty-nine students in our cast and crew and rehearsals began. The students worked very hard to bring this production together in a very short time--and they did it! Congratulations to all–you were amazing!
Many thanks to our production team who worked tirelessly behind the scenes–making costumes and props, building sets, directing the cast and crew, and teaching the wonderful choreography. It was a team effort and we had a great team. Thanks too to families who provided costumes, props, and support–we are grateful for your help and the costumes were stunning! A big thanks to the Sanderson Academy PTO for all of their support and the Sanderson staff and students who came and pitched in to help out on our performance night. And the biggest thanks of all goes to the original group of sixth-grade girls who started the whole thing. You left a legacy that will resonate for many years to come–and we thank you.
District Library News
Information can be found at this LINK.
Community News, Events and Summer Opportunites
Check out what is happening in our area!
About Us
Email: eliebowitz@mtrsd.org
Website: https://sanderson.mohawktrailschools.org/
Location: 808 Cape Street, Ashfield, MA, USA
Phone: (413) 628-4404
Facebook: facebook.com/SandersonAcademy