Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I may not remember. Involve me and I'll understand. — Native American Proverb

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Dear families--

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of preparations for NECAPs and for my untimely absence. Rest assured, I have worked tirelessly to provide rich learning experiences for your children, and I have left them in extremely capable hands. I am beginning to feel better now, and as I convalesce, I will maintain regular communication with Julie to manage lessons, activities, and assessments. I am still here.

Ask your student about our new unit on Native Americans entitled, "We the People." This is an exciting unit that incorporates Geography, History, Cultural Studies, Civics, Language Arts, Visual Arts, Anthropology, and Technology. Have them go over the expectations and timelines with you.

NOTE: There is a home piece included in the unit; students will need to create a shelter/dwelling of the tribe they have chosen to learn more about and have it completed in time for their PowerPoint/oral presentations in mid-November.

Below are some excellent sites that will be helpful to your students as they begin their research. Explore them! I will add any additional sites I may find to THIS one (to keep everything together), using a different color to make it/them easily visible.

Where to go to find information about your tribe:

NATIVE AMERICAN FACTS FOR KIDS --an enormous amount of information

KID INFO—NATIVE AMERICANS—Another huge site

MR. DONN – NATIVE AMERICANS IN OLDEN TIMES INDEX (Wonderful, kid-friendly site with lots of information on most tribes)

SOME PRINCIPAL TRIBES AND NATIONS: Native Americans in Olden Times for Kids

TRIBE COMPARISONS—Covers many tribes--worth checking out

LEARN ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS—Interactive site: (Covers Woodland, Southeast, Great Plains, Great Basin, Northwest, and Southwest Indians. Region names may vary, but information is still the same. Good general information!)

Online Native American Activities for Kids

Native American Memory

Spot the Lonely!

Interactive Coloring Pages

NativeTech's Online Interactive Games Virtual Wampum Belt Splint Basket Concentration Virtual Coloring Book Interactive Beadwork Designer Find His Acorns!

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace As I have seen in one autumnal face. ~John Donne

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Thanks to those of you who were able to make it to Open House last night. We had so much fun making the classroom colorful and welcoming for all of you.

Eric Bird from Digital Wish was here today, working with the students on cyber-citizenship. He will conclude this segment on October 13th (we don't have it next week due to NECAPS), then we're jumping right into our lessons. I can't wait! Friendly reminder: there are only a few permission slips still out; if you could sign and return, I'll pass them along to Eric. Thanks.

The DIGITAL WISH INFORMATIONAL MEETING will be held on October 27th so mark your calendars. I'll let you know as soon as the time is determined.

Until mid-February, Thursday afternoon's schedule will change a bit to accommodate Digital Wish. Sixth graders will have math (and fifth graders will have Language Arts) from 12:30--1:30. Both classes will then gather in the 6th grade classroom from 1:30--2:30 for lessons.

~

Tonight's work includes completing "Day 4" of DOL, Spelling, and Vocabulary independently since we didn't have time to work on these (short) assignments in class. Spelling and Vocabulary assessments tomorrow.

Thanks, everyone. Have a great (albeit rainy) evening.

R/
Teri

Hey fifth graders--to complete your survey, click here.

"I saw old Autumn in the misty morn stand shadowless like silence listening to silence." - Thomas Hood

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Welcome families-- Lovely picture of Peacham, isn't it? This is often what mornings look like as I drive to work. Nice way to start a day!

Yesterday's blog outlined this week's assignments; however, there are a couple sites I found that I think are SO COOL -- I wanted to share them with you. (Please check them out, students, dear.)

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• To check out this GREAT interactive website for reviewing the map skills we covered in class, click here. Try it; it's fun! (Go ahead, parents--you'll like it, too!)

• Click here to find the latitude and longitude for Addison (or any other place that interests you). On the left side of the screen, enter Addison, Vermont and click "submit." Write down those coordinates, it's extra credit on your last assignment! (You might want to explore this site a bit more, too. It's awesome!

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NECAP SCHEDULE FOR GRADE 6

• Monday, October 3: 8:05 - 9:40 Reading 1 -- 12:30 - 2:00 Reading 2
• Tuesday, October 4: 8:05 - 9:40 Reading 3 -- 12:30 - 2:00 Math 1
• Wednesday, October 5: 8:05 - 9:40 Math 2 -- 12:30 - 2:00 Math 3

Gum is allowed during testing. (Sugarless, mint gum is preferred--mint makes you more alert, believe it or not!) As always, please be sure your children get a good night's rest and eat a good breakfast before coming to school. Also, please provide extra healthy snacks for test days--my goodness they get hungry!

Check here for an article called "Fueled to Succeed." It has some helpful tips for parents about foods that help kids do well in school. This might be particularly worthwhile reading before NECAPS.

Thanks, parents, for all you do. I hope to see you all at tomorrow night's Open House (6:30--7:30)!

R/
Teri

" When the weather turns cooler and the leaves begin to change, it's apple picking time across the valley." ~from Apple Picking Time by M. Slawson

When Summer's heat gives way to crisper Autumn weather, many of us turn our thoughts to apple picking with family and friends. Local orchards provide a scenic backdrop for treasured memories. How lucky we are to live in a place where we can mark the seasons by traditions such as these.

~

It's hard to believe that we're nearing the end of our first full month of school; it's been a busy time! I think it's fair to say that routines are now fairly well established, and all of us are becoming more familiar with one another. Results of local assessments have helped your child's teachers get a preliminary "read" on their strengths, proclivities, and challenges, allowing us to plan curriculum that is engaging and meaningful to them.

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

Sixth Grade:

Spelling and DOL

Unit 3. This is kept at school; we do a page each day, some of which is done as a whole class. I will provide spelling lists so everyone can study at home for Friday's test. (Packets are due in the drawer by 8:00 AM Friday.)

Vocabulary

Unit 3. This is an independent packet that can be taken home to complete. There's a Vocabulary Check aka quiz on Friday. (Packets are due in the drawer by 8:00 AM Friday.) If students need help, it is there responsibility to ask for it. I'm here!

Language Arts

• We had Art on Monday, so there was no assignment.
  
• Tuesday through Friday we will familiarize ourselves with the format for NECAPS and look at released tasks. By "getting our feet wet" in a relaxed way, we can help allay some of the fears students may have about these upcoming assessments. This will involve practice in short answers and constructed response.
  
• We will also begin work on our Mission Statements.

Social Studies

• Monday's class discussed lines of latitude (parallels) and lines of longitude (meridians), and created a visual to help us remember. We also discussed N., S., E., and W. hemispheres, and labeled them on a map. Assignment: complete map worksheet, "The Dream Team."
• Wednesday--We will draw a map based on written directions, incorporating the six parts of a map (title, compass rose, grid, scale, legend/key, and symbols). This is a fun activity, and it serves to show what kids remember about maps. it'll be due Friday.
  

Fifth Grade

Language Arts

• Monday--we finished up our Autumn poetry project.
• Tuesday through Friday we will familiarize ourselves with the format for NECAPS and look at released tasks. By "getting our feet wet" in a relaxed way, we can help allay some of the fears students may have about these upcoming assessments. This will involve practice in short answers and constructed response.

Social Studies

Same as grade 6 (see above). Fifth grade classes are on Tuesday and Thursday.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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Pictures will be taken at school on the morning of September 28th. Please make every effort to be at school by 8:00. Hopefully your child has given you the information long before now. . .

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Open House will be held on the evening of September 28th from 6:30 to 7:30. The first half hour is for touring the school. At 7:00, fifth and sixth grades will meet in their respective homerooms for a grade-level meeting. At 7:15, both groups will reconvene in the 6th grade homeroom for a chance to discuss what's in store for this year.

Autumn begins with a subtle change in the light, with skies a deeper blue, and nights that become suddenly clear and chilled. . .

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Hello families--

Eric Bird from Digital Wish came today, and the students are psyched! We are one of only twenty-four Vermont schools participating in this innovative program!

We were all surprised to hear that Digital Wish will become a weekly, rather than a bi-weekly event for the first half of the year. Learning in the 21st century is continually evolving to meet the changing needs of our students; with technology advancing exponentially, it is more essential than ever that they be given the opportunity and the tools to explore its amazing potential. We are fortunate to have both an expert available to facilitate this learning, and personal laptops at our disposal.

Speaking of laptops, students have now been provided with their own computers for classroom use, "bugs" are being worked out, and programs are being readied for their use (ALEX is one example.) We will soon announce a parent night (different from Open House) so that you can meet Eric and learn more about Digital Wish. It will be necessary for at least one adult from each family to attend and sign the needed paperwork before students can bring computers home. We'll make every attempt to give you enough lead time to clear your calendar for his presentation. There will also be a rain date for those unable to attend.

Homework for tomorrow:

Grade 6

• Book projects are due.
• Vocab./DOL packets are due.
• "How I Learn" final drafts are due.
• No Social Studies (woo-hoo!)
• There will be a Vocabulary test.
• If Digital Wish surveys aren't done, please complete them. (See last Friday's blog for the link.)

Grade 5

• We had our Social Studies test today -- no assignment.
• Language Arts: We have been working in class on a poetry activity. No assignment.

Well, it's beginning to get dark; I guess it's time to head home. Have a good night everybody--

Teri

P.S.: If you get a chance, check out yesterday's blog: I wrote it, but forget to click "publish" when I was done.

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." ~Emily Bronte

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Good evening, everyone--

Sixth graders have spent the last few days talking about the ways in which they learn. Discussions about right brain/left brain dominance and visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning preferences have been rich and have provided an opportunity for the students to consciously identify both their challenges and their strengths in learning. Their second writing piece, entitled "How I Learn," incorporates all that they have discovered and presents a "shapshot" of how they see themselves as learners. They're quite interesting to read. You'll see them at Open House.

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Sixth graders took their first test in Social Studies today as part of their map skills/geography unit. They will bring them home to show you--please sign and return. (Students are required to keep all paperwork in their folder until the end of the unit.) There were some pretty impressive scores! FYI: You will notice that some students got a point taken away for misspelling a word. As sixth graders, they must get into the habit of copying accurately--it matters!

Fifth Grade will take this test tomorrow. Same test, same expectations.

We've done Vocabulary instead of Spelling this week, and have quickly discovered that we can easily do both. From this point on, after we go over the words, Vocabulary will be more independent and can go home for homework and we'll go back to having a weekly "packet" that includes Spelling and Daily Oral Language (DOL), which we do here as a class activity. It should never need to make its way home. (Spelling words can be provided for studying, of course.) The DOL, for example, is discussed and completed together. It will eventually involve developing and diagramming pretty sophisticated sentences! Occasional assessments will be given to insure that everyone understands the concepts. First assessment is on Friday -- Nouns and Verbs.

Book projects will be due on Friday, also. We've been working on them here since yesterday. Two students did not complete their books; please encourage your child's reading whenever possible. Remember, they are required to read two books per month as part of their Reading grade.

I guess that's it for now; I hope everyone is home and unwinding by now. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

R/
Teri