Last week…

Thank you for coming to parent night. It was a pleasure sharing information about the class with you. Our second week is complete and students are getting into the routines. We began to brainstorm on what rules are important inside and outside the class and will continue to add to the list this week. While we continue to participate in activities to get to know each other, some work routines are being introduced. Students are writing in their journals (they love it!) and they are beginning to explore math materials in the room. Reading and math assessments will continue this week. We also began our bird theme – What do you know about birds? Different stations were set up around the room with photographs, books, nests, etc.  for students to peruse. If you want more information about what’s going on in the class ask these questions…

• What was your bubble map about?
• Who did you do a double bubble map with?
• What did you do in tech class?
• Who did you read with this week in David’s class?
• What do you know about birds?
• Is your self-portrait finished?
• Where do you put work that isn’t finished?
• What are some outside rules?
• Are you working on a fort? If you have a problem, what do you do?
• What chores are you doing?
• What math materials have you explored?
• What poem (song) did you read?

Reminders

No school September 28^th

October 5^th – K-2 trip to Scott’s Farm for apple picking

Poetry dates – Oct 17^th, 28^th, Nov. 4^th, 11^th (more details coming)

Judy’s room will be singing a song on Friday at all school sing!

Library books should be returned by Wednesday (2^nd graders) and by Friday (1^st graders).

Enjoy the week!

Judy and Courtney

In fact, mealtime conversations promote young children’s word development better than reading stories to them (Story & Neumark-Sztainer, 2005). More than half of teens having fewer than three family dinners per week actually wish for more (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2011).

We are all super busy and corralling our families after finding the time to prepare a meal can be very difficult. I also think it is worth it! Any small change can make a big difference. If your family already eats together most of the time—fantastic! If you eat together but with the T.V. on, turn it off sometimes. If you never eat together, try to add in one family meal each week. In addition to the research outlined above, family meals have been shown to increase bonding with our children. Bonding is a protective factor that when we have positive values and clear standards is shown to help our children develop healthy behaviors (Hawkins & Catalano, 1999-ongoing).

Lately Marlboro School has been noticing more social bullying and mean behavior. As parents we have an opportunity at the dinner table to model positive behaviors as well as to empower our children to participate in the family. Family dinner time conversations can promote warmth and trust, listening, respecting others’ opinions and can provide an opportunity to practice cooperation and positive conflict resolution.

Good luck! Family dinners are a challenge that is well worth it! Nurse Robin

At Gail’s urging I am hoping to periodically write a brief note in the newsletter with a pertinent “Health Tip”…

Given this week’s conversation about the internet facilitated by Pam, I thought that some facts and tips about screen time would be appropriate.

Did you know that:
• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children younger than two years and no more than two hours per day of quality screen time for children older than two.
• One in five American children is obese and that obese children are more prone to joint and bone problems, cardiovascular problems and are more likely to become obese adults with all of the associated health risks (CDC, 2011).
• Studies have found that obesity is independently associated with time spent playing electronic games, the time spent watching television has been found to be inversely related with physical activity, and that the association of electronic game use with obesity is significant, with a 2-fold increase risk of obesity by hour per day spent playing electronic games (Stettler, Signer, and Suter, 2004) and that large amounts of television viewing has been correlated with higher body mass indexes amoung children (Proctor et al.2003).

Parenting is really really hard. I know that it is by far the hardest thing that I do and that it regularly, “kicks my butt”. It can be helpful sometimes to take small steps toward healthier living. Reducing the amount of screen time that our children are exposed to is the goal. Take whatever step/s toward the goal that you can.

Healthy Tip: Reduce Screen Time

Steps:
1. Allow use of screens only in communal areas (e.g. keep the T.V. in the living room, use computers only in communal areas, limit access to hand held devices like gameboys and iphones).
2. Limit the amount of time your children are allowed screen time to <2 hours/day (possibly excluding homework time).
3. Encourage reading.
4. Play games as a family.
5. Encourage outdoor play.
6. Set a good example—limit your own use!

I’m sending today’s note from Cambridge, MA where I’m attending the first two days of a four day class on literacy learning and instruction in K-8 schools. There are two other principals from our Supervisory Union and other administrators from all over the East Coast and eastern Canada. I believe it’s important for educators to continue to improve their teaching abilities and my participation in this class is one way that I do this for myself.

As many of you know, Celena is expecting a baby and will be leaving us after the April Vacation. On Tuesday, she and I will be interviewing several people to run the Healthy Snack Program. Please feel free to send me your ideas for making this program as good as it can be. The program is in a great shape
under Celena’s well organized and creative guidance. This will be such a help to our new person. Thank you, Celena!

Celena has also been working as an assistant in David’s room during the hours she’s not in the kitchen. We will be hiring another person for this part of her position and it will become a full-time 35 hour/week job. David and I will interview applicants after the February Vacation. Please pass this on to anyone you know who is well qualified!

This week we welcomed Charlie to the 3rd/4th grade. Sam G, his brother, started right before the holiday vacation and we’re delighted to have both boys at MES. Next Tuesday Brooke will start in Erica’s room, joining her brother Sam B who came into David’s room several weeks ago. Please welcome these new students to our MES community.

Francie

was initiated in 2000 as a cultural, artistic exchange between Leland and Gray High School and the Arts College of Inner Mongolia University in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. Leland and Gray’s Journey East was recognized by the Asia Society as a national model and “an outstanding example of teaching and learning about Asia.”

In the Asian Studies Academy, a semester-long program, students spend their day focused on an in-depth study of Chinese history, geography, philosophy, literature, culture and language. All students are enrolled in Chinese language classes. Each afternoon is spent working on the creation of a music/theater/dance piece aimed at limited English-speaking audiences for whom they will perform during a month-long study/performance tour throughout China. The highlight of the program in China is an extended stay in Inner Mongolia where our American students collaborate in music and dance with students from the Arts College.

A number of Marlboro students including Nick Shakespeare, Korin Hasegawa-John, Amy Van Loon, Maggie Bernhard and, most recently, Ferne Johansson and Jackson Batchelder, have participated in Journey East Programs. These students have been great additions to the program and they have benefited significantly from the experience.
We invite interested students from this year’s 8th grade class to attend one of the two upcoming information sessions to be held at Leland and Gray: Interested parents are encouraged to attend, as well.

Monday, January 24 in the Music Room at Leland and Gray: 6:30 to 8:00 P.M.;
Wednesday, January 26: same time and place
Contact Tom Connor at Leland and Gray for more info. 802-365-7355 or email tconnor@wcsu46.org

Thus, the hat ban is abolished. Let all the assembled who wish to don their hats with the firm knowledge that said hat will not be cast into exile. In summation, to quote the orator and statesman, Yul Brenner as Ramses II in The Ten Commandments “So it shall be written, so it shall be done.”

At All School Sing today, David’s Class preformed an enactment of, as David read from a gigantic copy of the classic book “Caps For Sale” Thereafter he read the above true and valid pronouncement which was greeted with delighted smiles, clapping and an All School Mexican Hat Dance!

In Winter Shelter and Tracking,

students worked on burn bowls and spoons in our shelter, protected from a cold winter rain. They also cut and carved their own scout staffs after learning about knife safety. We appreciated having access to tools in the Down under art room. Thank you, Tim and Francie! Scout staffs were used in the Jedi scout-training center that we began to create in the forest where we practiced Robin Hood style games and pole vaulted over obstacles and off of the side of trees. These challenges explored balance, awareness and teamwork strategies and skills. In the surrounding woods, we discovered a well-worn coyote trail with tracks of a single coyote that came very close to the school building at night. Deer tracks and scat were also spotted and additional animal signs that we have yet to identify. Students are also learned about tree identification. Finally, we played scout awareness games such a Leapfrog Eagle Eye, while exploring the forest.

The Carving a Longbow students have made rapid progress this session. They roughed in a quick bow on their first meeting. While selecting a sapling for their bow, they learned about tree identification. The acronym, MAD, stands for maple, ash and dogwood, the three types of deciduous trees with opposite branches. The students learned that a very large group of trees could be eliminated by first noticing the branching pattern, making tree identification that much easier. They roughed in a sapling bow on the second meeting, just in time for the December break that will allow plenty of time for their work to season before we tiller, or bend and shape, the bow in January. On our third meeting, we split two ash logs into bow staves after the students oriented the the bow, including the handle and nocks in the log. They then removed bark to the outer growth ring that will become the back of the bow, the side under the greatest amount of tension when shooting the bow. Once again, the tools and resources in the Down under were extremely helpful.