Dear Families,

So many wonderful events have happened in the last two weeks. It is difficult to know where to begin. I will start with the astronaut’s visit. It was truly inspirational and he spoke so well to the youngest children. His pictures were spectacular and if I were a young person I would definitely want to work towards traveling in space. The children were mesmerized.

We now have peer readers. They are the fourth grade students. There are several siblings in that grade but they are not paired for reading. Each fourth grader asked his or her first grade peer a list of questions. They then presented the answers in poster form and shared them on the second meeting. They are delightful and I hung them in the cubby area. I thought you might like to read them.

The children interviewed their grandparents during Grandparents Day. They were asked what they liked in first grade, and what did they like to play after school, and finally what do they like to do now when they visit. The children took that information and made simple biographies about their grandparent. We compared schools of then and now. Some things are the same and some are very different. The stories are published and hanging in the classroom.

The children are learning how to read and solve math word problems. They have been learning vocabulary for addition math problems. They have also made a few problems using numbers and pictures. Last week they each made an oil crayon picture of a haunted house that was filled with Halloween creatures. Then I asked each of them to write a word problem that matched the drawing. They are edited and posted on the wall. Second graders will be coming in next week to solve the problems. It was difficult and every child worked very hard, which yielded great success.

There is evidence of lots and lots of reading going on all day! The children seem to really enjoy reading at home and most of the book bags come back to school daily. Thank you for listening to your child read.

Next week is BUSY. Here are some important reminders:

-Monday- Homework is coming home in the book bag. Enclosed will be the annual Book Sale order form. Please look for it.

-Tuesday – Our trip to the Mission House in Stockbridge. We will leave at 9:45 and return by 11:25 for recess. Your child will need a car seat dropped off in the morning. We are participating in a workshop called “Mission Quest”, which concerns the Native Americans from Stockbridge. Much of it is outside so dress your child accordingly.Drivers please be at school by 9:30 and come inside to go over safety rules with the children. ( I know it is supposed to be bad weather but I am waiting until Tuesday morning to cancel.)

-Wednesday – HALLOWEEN! Your child should bring his/her costume to school in a bag. They will not dress until 1:00. Please do not send them dressed in costumes. Weapons and blood are not allowed. If you have volunteered to send in a goodie you can drop it off in the morning. We will be parading around the school at 1:30, then a sing along, and then back to class for goodies and possibly a few games. Ellen, Brenna’s mom, will be helping us.

-Thursday- We will be starting to make apple head dolls from our shrunken apples. My good friend and colleague, Mrs. D., will be in to help us with this craft on Thursday morning.

-Friday – Peer Reading and a Sports Assembly.

Thank you to all who were able to contribute to the Annual Outerwear/Coat Drive. We were able to fill an entire refrigerator box with coats, hats, and mittens. Distribution was this weekend and hundreds of coats were donated to those in need for the winter. The BCD community is very generous.

If you haven’t already, please sign up for a conference. I have extended the time from 15 to 30 minutes each. I hope to be able to share work and anecdotes with you. I also want to be able to answer any questions that you may have concerning your child. I look forward to sharing information.

Let’s hope that this storm passes without too much damage. Stay safe and dry.

Fondly,
Ms. Milani