Weekly Newsletter

It’s hard to believe with the weather we’ve been having, but supposedly winter is around the corner! If you could use some assistance finding appropriate cold-weather gear or clothing please reach out to me and I’d be happy to connect your family with local resources.

ATTENTION PRE-K - 3RD GRADE FAMILIES!

Local author Mk Smith Despres will be visiting our younger Sanderson students on Wednesday, November 20th to share their beautiful book, Night Song, which is a 2024 New England Book Award Finalist! Families and caregivers are welcome to attend this event which will take place in the library. I will be sending flyers home with a QR code link to the Imaginary Bookshop in Greenfield if you would like to purchase a discounted copy of Night Song ahead of time to have it signed by the author. I hope to see you at your child’s presentation:

• Kindergarten and Ms Casey’s Pre-K Class: 9:00 - 9:45

• Third Grade and Ms. Melanie’s Pre-K Class: 10:00 - 10:45

• Second and Third Grade: 11:00 - 11:45

Preschoolers have been learning all about pumpkins. They first learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin, and then about all of the parts of a pumpkin. They know that pumpkins have skin, pulp or flesh, fibrous strands (goop), stems, seeds and even a belly button (blossom end). The children were fascinated by exploring sugar pumpkins in small groups. They were able to use their hands as tools to scoop the fibrous strands and seeds out of sugar pumpkins. Some of the children were excited to pull out the “goop”, while others were not ready to touch the cold and slimy inside parts of the pumpkin. The children discovered that even small pumpkins store a large amount of seeds inside for new pumpkins to grow the next year. There was a lot of counting going on!

We ended our pumpkin study with a turn and talk game about the parts of a pumpkin. For the game, each child was paired up with another student. They re-examined the sugar pumpkins that they had previously explored and talked to each other about what they remembered. Next, they shared with the whole group, one pair at a time. They had amazing recall for all of the parts of the pumpkin, they even referred to the goop as fibrous strands! It is fair to say that they are now pumpkin experts!

In social studies, first graders learned how groups make decisions and the responsibilities of citizens. Voting is a fair way for large groups to make decisions. We read I Voted - Making a Choice Makes a Difference by Mark Shulman and Serge Bloch. First graders headed to the voting booth to vote for either an oreo or a chocolate chip cookie! First graders got to meet (sample!) each candidate before casting their vote. Each received an “I voted!” sticker. We tallied up votes, talked about the winner of the election and what a runner up is. It was a tasty and exciting outcome! Yay Oreo! Check out the results in the photo below!

At the end of October, Second grade students had the opportunity to meet with two teachers from The Hitchcock Center to learn about beavers. We went outside and pretended to be beavers by learning about the different features beavers have that make them unique. We did some skits and got to learn about the amazing lodges that beavers build in the wild. The two teachers from The Hitchcock Center will come to Sanderson again in winter and once more in the spring. We had so much fun learning and playing that day!

Last week third graders took the end-of-Unit 1 math test, and they did rather well. They have been learning how to use tens and ones, number lines, and “The W” technique to solve multi-digit addition and subtraction problems. Some students still prefer to solve problems in their head but are seeing how, by writing their work on paper, we can help them if there’s an error. We are onto the next unit now, which starts out with rounding to the nearest ten and hundred. If you find yourself doing some rounding (how long it will take to get somewhere, how much items will cost) do it aloud and discuss that process with your third grader.

In Language Arts the class is working on writing informative paragraphs. In small groups they first read about a place far away that struggles to access books. Then, as a group, they crafted a paragraph about that topic. Now they are working on paragraphs with a partner with whom they have read another nonfiction book about accessing education.

Third Graders continue to do fabulous work learning how to care for their preschool buddy. Last week we went for a nature walk with them and collected items to work with on a craft project. This week they used those items to create woodland fairies. The care that the third graders take to make sure their buddies are happy and successful is beautiful to witness. They understand that their buddy is a big responsibility, and they clearly enjoy them. The fairies came out gorgeously, each quite unique, and are flying above us from the lights in the classroom.

In ELA, students are continuing to think about what inspires people to write poetry, first focusing on poet William Carlos Williams as a class and then studying another poet in more depth. The poets for this study are poets Jack learned about in Love That Dog: Robert Frost, Valerie Worth, and Walter Dean Myers. Students are working in expert groups to learn about their selected poet and to read and analyze his or her poems. They will then use the Painted Essay structure to write a four-paragraph informative essay about what inspired their selected poet to write poetry and where we can see evidence of this in their poetry.

In our SEL curriculum, students are identifying their interests and strengths and are learning how to build on them. They will reflect on their own positive qualities and character strengths, as well as those of role models in their lives. They will be learning about and practicing positive self-talk. Students will also identify an area for growth and complete a personal improvement plan.

In our science unit, students are investigating the science of sound. Students will construct physical devices to feel the vibrations that allow us to communicate across distances. Students will also use digital devices to visualize the characteristics of different sound waves that cause us to hear different things.

Our STEM project this month is learning about stop-motion. Students will create a stop-motion parade for Thanksgiving.

Fifth grade has been studying the American Revolution. They have been enjoying watching and discussing Johnny Tremain as we wrap up our unit. Students have also finished unit 2 in math about adding and subtracting fractions. In addition, students have wrapped up the second unit in our first module in ELA about Human Rights. We made yarn dolls in class to celebrate finishing our ELA book, Esperanza Rising. Fifth graders read with their second grade buddies yesterday which was amazing to see a room full of students enjoying books together. Finally, fifth grade also lead our All School Meeting. They did an amazing job and received a lot of compliments on their maturity and leadership skills.

Check out this Ignite video from Graham Fletcher called There IS a Difference. It explores the idea that memorization is not a skill we prioritize, however knowing basic facts from memory is an important aspect of being an efficient mathematician. Let me know your thoughts! :) aprew@mtrsd.org

Instrumental students have been learning several new pieces for our upcoming concert on December 18th. With new and more challenging music, home practice is more important than ever. Consistent practice establishes the muscle memory that we need to play an instrument, and knowing a piece of music very well makes it more fun! Even just a few minutes of daily practice works wonders! Consistent practice is the key–or as the sign on our music room door says, “Practice, you must!”

Our third-grade recorder class has been practicing–and it shows. They are learning several pieces that include Orff instruments (xylophones & metallophones) taking turns either playing the melody on recorder, or playing accompaniment on the Orff instruments (ask a third-grader to describe ostinato). Good work everyone! Concert time is coming soon–keep practicing and have fun!

It’s time for the Original Works Art fundraiser. This year we are offering a new direct online ordering program. Your students have worked very hard on their art projects and their drawings have already been scanned. You will soon receive ordering instructions to go to the Original Works website, see your child’s artwork and available products, and place your order directly online. The deadline for orders will be 11/21/2024. Orders will be shipped to the school in time for the holidays. We were not able to have all of the preschoolers complete art for the online ordering program this year. Families of preschool students can still submit their own piece of student artwork with a paper order form. Please contact the coordinator for instructions and a paper order form:

Carolyn Hawthorne, Art Teacher, chawthorne@mtrsd.org

All original artwork will be returned to the students.

Students have been continuing to meet in groups, and individually with me, to practice kindness and respect while they meet new friends, this year. We have added a sewing project and a mini pool table, for Lunch Bunch and individual meetings. These have helped students with coping mechanisms for stress. The students have been great with teamwork, sharing and good sportsmanship with each other-whether in the gym, using the pool table, or playing other board games in my office.