• May 22 Teddy Bear Tea, 1:00 pm
  Costa Rica Presentation Night, 7 pm in the JH.(NOTE DATE CHANGE)
• May 25 Formal Friday, Dress in your Best!
• May 28 NO SCHOOL
• May 30 Spring Concert and Art Show in the Outback, 6:30 to 8:00 pm
• June 05 Deerfield Valley Fitness Day
• June 06 Kindergarten Registration
• June 14 Eighth Grade Graduation 7 pm
• June 15 Preview Day
• David & Matt’s Class to Twinkletown Mini Golf
• June 18 Last Day of School. 11:30 DISMISSAL
• Aug 29 First Day of School

The week ends closer to home with Hogback Day. At this writing perfect weather is predicted. The view from the fire tower will be amazing. Check with your child to hear about the day’s activities – from hiking to kite making. Hearty thanks to Carol Berner and Patrick Johnson for planning the day and to the following activity leaders from the community: Lexis Atsalis-Gogel, Raven & Kate Averill, Mike Clough, Ron LaBrusciano, Mike Purcell, Dan Macarthur, and our own Jen O’Donnell & Patrick Johnson.

Our small school provides the opportunity to know our students very well and to plan learning with each child in mind. On Wednesday afternoon we did just that. We reviewed progress and needs of students and thought about how we can best address these next year. Erik, Christine, and Yvonne plan closely with teachers so that they can support students in the classroom as well as work with them individually and in small groups. It’s important that schedules enable them to be in classrooms during math and reading. This means that classroom teachers must also work together as they plan schedules so that everyone isn’t teaching the same subject at the same time. We got a good start on this on Wednesday.

Over the past month the 7th grade has gained and lost a student. Please join me in wishing Josh all the best at Leland and Gray and in welcoming Tom to MES.

For the past two months Julia Hampton, Julianne Mills, and Pam Burke have been running and walking and cheering on the girls in 3^rd-5^th grade. The culmination of all their work is the Girls On the Run 5k race/walk this Saturday at BUHS. Good luck, girls!

Francie

Dear Families,

There is a LOT happening these days! In school, out of school, celebrations, challenges – phew! We’re all a little tuckered this week! With longer days and very busy schedules, please help your child take responsibility for their learning by getting enough sleep.

The Week at a Glance:

William’s presentation:

On Monday, Linda’s friend William, from Kenya, presented a slide show of his life back home. The classes were mesmerized by his stories. William’s kind and gentle nature was evident through his manner with the kids and the way in which he talked about his life. One of the pieces of William’s presentation that made it real for all of us were the things that he brought. From wedding lecklaces to guards used as water bottles, to leaves of trees that he was describing and showing to the group. It was a wonderful follow-up to art for water. Our class has been very inspired by the penny drive and we look forward to hearing how much money we raised! We should find out soon. Linda took the coins this week! Thank you to Linda for the connection and organization of this presentation!

Hogback day:

We had a WONDERFUL time on hogback mountain. The weather was perfect, the moral was excellent, the groups worked well together, the reports of the activities were steller. I was very impressed with the hikers in my group and we climbed the fire tower without any tears. Thank you to all of the kids for their positive attitude and energetic personalities. Ask your child about the activity they were a part of for the first part of the morning! Please remind your child to do a tick check later today!

Image Making writing process

We are in writing mode! Hooray for an excellent job finishing collages and we are off and running with the writing process. Our room is swimming with descriptive language, creative beginnings to stories, and peers helping each other while they get a bit stuck with a part of a story. The computers are buzzing too. As we type the stories the editing will begin. Read below for your homework regarding image making!

Announcements, Calendar and Requests!

• Image making – In the making of the image making books at the end of the year, we are asking that you contribute $10 towards your child’s book. If you are unable to pay the money let me know, and if you are able to pay extra please consider helping other families out. Please send in image making money by May 31^st.

Calling Volunteers!

• Parent volunteers for poetry, if you can help out with poetry please send in a note with you child. June 6^{th –} 12:45 – 2:15, June 8^th 10:00 – 11:30

Play Date and Time!

• Our Abenaki plays will be performed on June 7th at 1:45pm

Please RSVP and let me know how many people will be coming from your family and friends so that we can prepare for the numbers expected. The play will be performed at the town house.

Have a great weekend!
Erica and Pam

The Art for Water program that came to our school was a marvelous whole school effort that engaged MES students in diverse ways.

In Rhythms, we were not short of ideas.  Water, Water, Water.  Ropes. Scarves.  We moved like waves, and whirlpools, and eddies.  And, we became still and balanced in order to float wooden dowels end-to-end between one another’s hands.

We watched the Vanuatu Women’s Water Snake Dance  that is performed waist-deep in the ocean and uses the ocean as the “drum” to make the music.

MES students were also introduced to rocks-in-water, an exploration that has traveled all the way from Auroville, India where students work with the five elements (fire, air, earth, water, wind) in their movement classes.

Put three differently colored sea stones in the bottom of a clear glass of water: watch, wait, touch the surface of the water, submerge, touch the rocks, pick up the rocks, hold the rocks, and slowly place them back into the water.

Observation & experience:

 induction/deduction

But the photos say it all.

Stay tuned for GLOBAL WATER DANCES to occur simultaneously in 58 countries and The Marlboro Elementary School: JUNE 15^TH, 2012.

Kate Tarlow Morgan

Rhythms Teacher

      Week of April XIV, MMXII

Notes:   An Astro due date to keep in mind:

May         18th        Off-Earth Colony project due.

May  16^th                  Wednesday: half-day for students.

May 18^th                  Hogback Day

Monday night            Vocab

         5/14                                    Work on your Off-earth colony.

Tuesday night             Work on your Off-earth colony.

         5/15                          

Wednesday night     Work on your colony.

5/16                                                Study for vocab quiz

Thursday night         Work on your Off-earth colony.

         5/17                 

 Last week…

Many thanks to Mirian (after-school) and Carol for taking over while I was in Brattleboro at a math workshop on Wednesday – “Mathematics as a Second Language”. What an inspiring class! I am excited to incorporate many ideas that were presented. Our focus in math from now until the end of the year will be mastering number sense– so important as a basis when moving into third grade.

Our mapping unit continues –  Moms – hope you loved your “heart map”. This week we will continue with mapping the world we know and focus on classroom mapping. Making 3-dimensional models is one of the best ways to introduce mapping skills.

Spelling word work continues. Older students will be focusing on the three sounds of –ed endings. Younger students will be focusing on ending blends –nd and –nk.

The end of the year schedule is filling up. Here are some things to put on your calendar.

• Early release day – 11:30 Wednesday, May 16
• Hogback Day – May 18^th, Rain date – May 25^th  Please make sure your child dresses appropriately. Some suggestions: hat, layered clothing, sunblock, extra water, good hiking shoes
• May 28^th – no school
• May 30^th – Poetry at Ann’s studio – half of the class in the morning, half of the class in the afternoon
• June 8^th – Judy out, Laura Dinwiddie subs with Carol
• June 15^th – Preview Day – Students spend a little time in their next year classroom

Have a great week!

Judy and Carol

The meeting was called to order by Jen Carr at 6:15pm.

The Board discussed with the public the of the work parents’ discussion group on social climate in the school and parental concerns.

Steven John came into the meeting at 6:55pm.

7:10pm Laura Berkowitz left meeting.

7:25pm Kate Morgan, Sara Kazemi and Heather Momaney left the meeting

Jen made a motion: “The Board recommends the administration implement a research-based, K through 8 structured approach to address the concerns of parents regarding the school’s social climate.” Gussie seconded the motion.

After considerable discussion, the motion was approved unanimously with the expectation of a report at the June Board School Board Meeting.

Jen made a motion to approve the 04/02/2012 School Board Meeting minutes be approved with correction of typo. Gussie seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

The Board discussed issues and processes for when pay order cannot be signed by two Board Members.

Jen made a motion to “Direct the Treasurer to process payroll as scheduled even in the absence of two School Directors signatures pending the signatures being recorded at the earliest opportunity.“ Seconded by Will. Motion passed unanimously.

Jen made a motion to “To adopt policies Ell and E12, Investment and Fraud Prevention.” Seconded by Gussie. Motion passed unanimously.

The Board signed contracts for professional licensed staff.

The Board discussed issues about filing and record keeping. We will schedule a work session in the summer to weed our files. This will be a public meeting.

Jen will contact the Town Office regarding archiving electronic versions of Agendas and Minutes.

Gussie moved, “To approve the Request For Bid for the roof re-shingling of the Outback.” Seconded by Will. Motion passed unanimously.

Will moved, “To approve the grant proposal for the bus replacement grant.” Jen seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

Gussie will attend the Opening of Bids for the roof-shingling on May 31st at 1:00PM.

Jen moved, “To direct the Superintendent to sign the Building Use form to approve the Tai Chi classes, in lieu of the Principal.” Seconded by Gussie. Motion passed unanimously.

The Board read the Principal’s Report.

The Superintendent’s report was presented.

The Superintendent led discussion of Principal evaluation process. Jen made a motion to go into Executive Session. Gussie seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.

The Board went into Executive Session regarding personnel contract at 9:52pm.

The Board left Executive Session at 10:03pm

Jen moved “To direct Superintendent to offer a contract for FY13 to Francie Marbury as recommended.” Motion passed unanimously.

Meeting adjourned at 10:10pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Will Brooke-deBock

Upcoming Meetings:
June 4th, Regular Board Meeting 6pm

Pay Orders: #21 4/06/12 $55,927.72
#22 4/20/12 $90,121.47
#23 5/04/12 $67,610.44

Our Guiding Principles:
Students will be at the center of our decision-making. We will keep to the agenda. The chair will estimate the amount of time necessary for each item and act as timekeeper during the meeting. Every voice is heard as discussion goes back and forth. Decisions will not be made hastily.
We will ask ourselves, “What other information do we need in order to make a thoughtful decision?” Decisions/discussion will be recapped before moving on to a new item. Items requiring action will be identified and we will note who is responsible for each action item. Follow through will occur before the next meeting. We will use e-mail judiciously to communicate between meetings.
Implementation Guidelines:
Meetings will be held on the first Monday of each month with the fourth Monday kept in reserve, if an additional meeting is needed.
The chair will send out the agenda the Thursday before the meeting. The meetings will start at 6 pm and go no later than 9 pm.

Marlboro School Board
Principal’s Report
Monday, May 7, 2012

Student Learning
I’m attaching the framework for Outside Works that we developed with the help of Kristina Weeks. This provides a good overview of this unique and important part of Marlboro School curriculum.

The parent meeting on school social climate on April 16 was very thought provoking. Gussie can fill you in – thanks for attending, Gussie. A lot of territory was covered. The two main themes that emerged were the parents’ desire to have a clearer sense of our whole school, K-8, behavior expectations and a more general sense that we would like a school culture where “it’s cool to be kind.” The social climate committee will work with this input at its upcoming meetings in May. I understand that parents will be attending the meeting to discuss this topic. I’m sorry not to be there and have asked one of the teachers from the Social Climate Committee to attend.

The state completed a review of the WCSU 21st Century Grant – our afterschool program, called both Marlboro Ventures and LAFTER. For the most part the evaluation was quite positive. The board may want to consider inviting Rose Watson, our site coordinator, to the next meeting. The 2012-2013 Action Plan will include some of the activities and goals from the Ventures program

Please take a minute to go to the school website and to each of the class’s pages (on the left). The teachers’ notes provide a great deal of information about the learning in each classroom.

Judy Jarzombek Lang will assume the role of teacher leader with regard to our continued work on Balanced Literacy. This means that she will work with other teacher leaders from WCSU and a consultant from Lesley University for four days next year and will bring back new information and strategies.

4th and 8th grade students will be taking the Science NECAP sometime during the window of May 7-24.

Policy or Regulation Implementation
Approval of the Fraud Prevention and Investment policies.

I’ve pulled out some policies which need updating as they were adopted more than 5 years ago. I will leave them in the board mailbox for you to review. Steven, can you help us to prioritize which ones to update? Perhaps you can make notes/revisions and I can have them ready to warn in June.

Building and Grounds
Ed McGrath will be consulting with us to plan summer work.

The Outback roof was put out to bid the week of April 28. Gail will contact you with the date of the bid opening so that you can set a date to approve a bid.

Thermal House is at work as I write. They are completing the EEBCG work in the JH and office areas over the April vacation.

Enrollment/Staffing
Student enrollment as of 4/2/12 89
Staffing
Teacher contracts are ready for your signatures. I have already drawn up and given out agreements for non-professional staff with the exception of assistants. We will wait until mid-May, when we have more information about student numbers and needs, to finalize classroom and Special Education assistant positions.

Informational items
Upcoming events:
4/23-4/27 Spring Vacation
5/1-5/9 Junior High to Costa Rica
5/18 Hogback Day
5/23 Costa Rica Night
5/30 Spring Concert and Art Show
6/5-6/12 8th grade Graduation Portfolios, after school
6/11 Consortium, 7pm
6/14 Graduation, 7pm

Marlboro Realms of Learning
Communication
Problem Solving
Personal Development
Civic and Social Responsibility
Knowledge

Outside Works: Learning in and from the world around us

Guiding principles:

● Quest for Knowledge: Students will gain the skills to observe and understand the world with a sense of curiosity and wonder.
● Connecting to Place: Students will explore natural and cultural heritages through excursions and field research.
● Belonging: Students will develop an active awareness of communities, from the classroom to the world.
● Agency: Students will develop a positive sense of self and actively contribute to their natural and human communities.

Outside Works is a developmental continuum of learning experiences outside the classroom. Through excursions and field research we foster a connection to place, beginning with our school and expanding to the world. Exploring natural and cultural heritages we help students understand the relationship between them and how they shape our lives.

In kindergarten, we begin with an emphasis on here and now, progressing to learning about long ago and far away as students grow. Lessons often go out of the classroom and into the world around us, while the classroom provides the space for reflection, deeper investigation and sharing of the experience.

Learning in and from the world around us is supported by strong relationships with various community individuals and organizations. Teachers get children outside and understanding where they are, which affects who they are and helps shape who they become. Themed studies and interdisciplinary projects provide the integration of curriculum in interactive and engaging ways. Students regularly carry out independent studies, as well as reflect on and assess their own accomplishments within the Realms of Learning.

We encourage students to be creative and express themselves, building a sense of agency to help them grow into a sense of environmental and civic responsibility.

Below is the K-8 Continuum illustrating the Outside Works experience.

Goals: Activities:
K ● Learning is infused into exciting activities.
● Foster a sense of curiosity and wonder.
● Be part of a social group and learn to work mindfully together.
● Empower to give things a try and take risks.
● Learn to rely on our selves and each other.
● Build a sense of community. ● Hogback Hike: To begin the year, K – 4 go on a morning hike at Hogback Mountain to get to know each other, play games, and build the school community.
● Community: Throughout the year we build a classroom community and school community. K runs a post office for the school, make their own stamps, receive and deliver mail. To learn about our wider community we visit important places people go to, such as the post office. We make models of our homes and add them to a map of Marlboro.
● Changing seasons: We learn about the seasons through observations of the natural world and visits to local farms, including apple picking and making applesauce.
● Insects: We observe the life cycle and metamorphosis of butterflies and go on bug hunts to see what we find, draw pictures, and compare our findings from different habitats.
● Farms: To get to know animals, we incubate chicks in the classroom, visit a veterinary clinic, and visit farms.
1-2 ● Encourage a love of learning and observation.
● Nurture respect for the living creatures around us.
● Learn about our neighbors of the forest to foster a connection to Vermont’s wildlife.

● Hogback Hike: To begin the year, K – 4 go on a morning hike at Hogback Mountain to get to know each other, play games, and build the school community.
● Birds: We learn about birds around the school and at Hogback. Students do research about birds and go on observation walks. We visit the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and they visit our classroom.
● Mammals: We get outside, explore, and observe what’s out there, and find things to investigate further back in the classroom. We learn about the classification of animals, their adaptations, characteristics, traits, and life cycles.
● Spring 2011: We reared salmon eggs as part of the CT River Salmon Project and watched the eggs hatch. We mapped the CT River watershed and released the salmon fry into our nearby tributary, the Rock River.
● Fall 2011: As a fundraiser for the Museum to help build a new enclosure for a bald eagle, we served lunch to the school and made a bird quilt to raffle. With a local quilter, students painted fabric squares and sewed them together.

Goals: Activities:
3-4 ● Build community within the classroom.
● Learn how to ask questions and find our own answers.
● Foster awareness, observation, and connection to the world around us.
● Cultivate appreciation and care for the world around us.
● Provide the tools to figure out what we can do to save our own world.
● Hogback Hike: To begin the year, K – 4 go on a morning hike at Hogback Mountain to get to know each other, play games, and build the school community.
● Garden: To learn about how our food grows, every year we plant in the spring, over the summer families care for the garden, and in the fall we harvest food for classroom meals and school healthy snacks.
● Compost: Our class runs the school paper and food composting, making sure every class has their buckets and knows what they’re for.
● Trees: Students adopts a tree at Hogback. We learn how to identify trees and watch them change through the seasons, document observations, make detailed sketches and write poetry.
● Soil: We learn what our natural resources are, why they’re important and how to take care of them. Through experiments and visits to farms we learn about the threats to soil and how to keep soil healthy. We also make a topo map of VT with salt dough, learning the main peaks and rivers through the state.
● Community: To relate where students live to the larger landscape we create neighborhood maps and place them on a larger map in relation to the school and other important features of our landscape.
● Local History: Looking at pieces of history we can still see, we try to discover what they were and what they were used for, to learn about life in Marlboro at different points in history. We visit the oldest cemetery of Marlboro and the town hall to look through records. Through student independent projects we learn about how the Abenaki used to live here.
● Sugaring: To learn an old art and a natural harvesting technique we tap maple trees and make our own syrup. This experience connects to learning about the Abenaki, present Marlboro farmers, tree studies, and food making.
● Spring 2011: Looking at Hogback as the old ski mountain we created a Quest around the natural and historical features of the mountain.
5-6 ● Build academic and interpersonal skills.
● Work collaboratively and independently on projects.
● Build appreciation of and familiarity with our surroundings.
● Through focusing on the micro students can begin to understand the macro.
● Work takes place outside the classroom, and the classroom becomes the laboratory.
● Understanding of our natural and cultural community extends to the regional scale.
● Woodford Overnight: At the beginning of each year we go to Woodford State Park to get to know each other. We hike around the reservoir, camp in lean-tos, play games about the web of life and explore nighttime ecology.
● Hogback Plot Study: At Hogback Mountain groups of students examine a 3 by 3 meter plot to discover who and what lives there. Students engage in observation, keeping a field journal, identification and classification, measuring and mapping, and detailed drawings. Students then consolidate their findings to create a field guide to their plot. Components of these are used for interpretive exhibits at Hogback Mountain.
● Work in Marlboro: We look at how people of Marlboro make a living now and into the past as part of an ongoing community history project. Students interview community members who live and work in Marlboro to create a collective document as a snapshot of Marlboro now for the historians of the future. The documentation is given to the Marlboro Historical society for their archives.
● Cape Cod field trip: We learn about the how the landscape changes by natural and human forces through exploring estuaries, oceanography, geology, and the history of initial explorers and separatist pilgrims. During the one-week field trip, students interview individuals connected to their individual research topic. Examples: cod industry, windmills, lighthouses. Back at school student create multimedia presentations for their class, school and community.
● NYC field trip: We learn about US immigration history and students take on independent research projects related to NYC guiding the direction of further investigation. During the one-week field trip, students interview a professional in their field of study. Examples: landscape design, taxidermy, theater, department stores. Back at school students create multimedia presentations for their class, school and community.

Goals: Activities:
7-8 ● Foster awareness and appreciation of where we are and the greater world.
● Field trips get us outside the classroom to see something from a new perspective.
● Understand who we were, who we are, and where we’re going.
● Help them grow into a sense of environmental and civic responsibility.
● Understanding of our natural and cultural communities extends to the global scale. ● Mountain climbing: To get to know each other, at the beginning of each year we take a 3 day trip to Mt Mansfield or Mt Chocorua, camp out and climb the mountain.
● Mystery day: As a surprise for students, we go on a day of challenge and fun on the water at the Retreat Meadows, Sunset Reservoir, or South Pond. Activities can include paddling, journaling, building miniature boats, and building their own rafts.
● Class government: To learn the tools of how a small group can make decisions together students form their own class government. It is modeled after town meeting with rules of order and a moderator, but students decide how to make decisions and try out different methods, from direct democracy to constitutional monarchy.
● Revolutionary New England: With a focus on public life we explore politics, government and war. We look at the American Revolution, the Civil war and the history of human settlement, land use and ownership through New England. Visits to Hogback Mountain investigate the effects people have on the land, considering then and now.
● Energy: Studies span from the micro to the macro, investigating the atomic level to the generation of electricity and from our local energy use to the global impact. Students decide on a project that enables them to learn by doing and make a contribution. Examples: A booth at a local event providing information about energy efficiency and lighting. Applied for a grant and installed solar panels on the school. Participated in the trial of a wind turbine at the school. Looked at school energy usage and addressed lighting in all rooms.
● Washington DC field trip: Political and government studies prepare for the one week trip visiting museums and speaking with senators and representatives. Students learn how government works as well as how to have a voice in government. We also explore the difference between city and country life. Students decide on the trip’s agenda, questions, activities and goals. Examples: Addressing a bill at the House or Senate at the time, students have protested with a banner, made statement with a visual splash, created card handouts turning the bills acronym into a metaphor.
● Trade & Empires: With a focus on private life we explore relationships between different people, races and cultures. We learn about Mongolian and Chinese empires, silk roads, African slave trade and 18th century New England trade. A visit to the Hood Museum explores artifacts. Visits to the Bishop homestead at Hogback Mountain consider trade connections for someone living in Marlboro in the 18th century. A visit to Walmart looks at what is imported and issues regarding where things come from.
● Flora & Fauna: We learn about the ecology of our VT wetlands, woodlands and wildlife and their interdependence. Several studies are taken to Hogback Mountain to provide a practical and realistic way to look at what we’re learning while contributing information to conservation organizations. Examples: stream water quality monitoring and investigation of macroinvertebrates, amphibian studies and vernal pool mapping and monitoring, winter mammal studies with a focus on porcupines, fisher and snowshoe hares.
● Costa Rica field trip: Students raise the funds to make this trip possible by harvesting saplings and making rustic furniture and having a cider sale where they pick and press local apples. Investigations into our relationship and connections with Central America prepare us for this special experience. We delve into international trade, fair trade, corporations, coffee, climate change, cloud forest ecology, migratory birds, ecotourism and more. Students decide on their group and individual projects for the trip.

Superintendent’s Report for the Marlboro School Board
Monday, May 7, 2012 at 6:00 P.M.
Note: I will be arriving from Windham and may be late due to an executive session.
Student/Staff Learning
1. The Journey East student group returned home to L&G and performed their “road show” on Saturday, May 5 at 7 P.M.
2. Last Thursday, the Grade 5/6 teacher group met to establish Common Core standards for mathematics teaching and learning in the WCSU. Marlboro was not represented.
3. All the principals are working with Matt Martyn to develop school reports that briefly summarize student performance and growth over time. These reports will be shared and combined for WCSU grade level summaries at the WCSU Board Annual Meeting on May 23.

Policy/Regulation
1. E11 and E12 are still under your consideration.
2. All mandatory policies are properly adopted and in effect by your Board, the oldest are D10 in 1979, E08 in 1996, F13 in 1986, G07 in 1991, G06 in 1979. I recommend reviewing your oldest policies, a few at each meeting as we move forward. (This is a repetition from my previous reports.)
3. The WCSU Board Executive Committee met to review the Superintendent’s Evaluation without the benefit of a quorum. (I understand Marlboro was well represented.) This issue will require an executive session on May 23. Please plan to attend.
4. Assuming the legislature adjourned on Saturday, I will share a summary of acts related to education if available.
5. I will share highlights of the RED Committee Meeting on May 2. The committee will consider a second draft of articles of agreement on June 6.

Finance/Accounting/Operations
1. The Annual Auditor’s Report for WCSU will be reviewed at the Annual Meeting on May 23.
2. The WCEA and WCSU Bargaining Teams have returned to direct negotiations. The next session will be Thursday, May 10 at L&G.
3. Contracts for the WCSU administrative staff will be issued on or before May 15.

Enrollment/Staffing
1. I recommend an executive session for “personnel” (re: principal’s contract for FY13).

Calendar Dates
1. The WCSU Board’s Annual Meeting will be Wed., May 23, 7:00 P.M. at Dover.
2. The WCSU Board’s Summer Retreat will be Wed., August 22 at 5:00 P.M. Location TBA. 5/4/12 – sbj

The meeting was called to order by Jen Carr at 6:10pm.

Minutes of 3/12/12 minutes were approved as amended to correct date.

Jen Carr moved to warn Investment Policy (E11) & Fraud Prevention Policy (E12). Seconded by Gussie Bartlett. Motion passed.

Discussion of B03-R: School Board Code of Conduct. We will revisit this document at our next meeting so we can get further information from the WCSU Superintendent.

Administrative Discussions
 Discussion of WSCU Gmail and technology – Will continue discussion at next meeting
 New board packets from WCSU – New School Member, Will Brooke-deBock, did get his packet.
 Keys for school board members – Keys are available to School Board Members.
 Pay order process when members are out of town – Discussion will be held at next board meeting.
 Board calendar of meetings – Discussed calendar of the WCSU and the MES School Board.

Jen will be in touch with Frank, Francie and Will re: updating salary scale excel spreadsheet.

The Board plans to invite former school board Andy Reichsman to September meeting to discuss budget process.

Francie presented the Principle’s Report. Attached. Discussion ensued about a range of topics including social climate and quarterly finance and budget information.

Jen reported on the WCSU board meeting of 3/28/2012.

The board read the Superintendent’s Report for 4/2/2012.

The Board discussed Twin Valley’s offer of Tuition Agreement. The Board decided not to sign the Tuition Agreement with Twin Valley.

The Board read and discussed the “Social Climate Parents’ Group” letter. Francie will follow up with a letter to a group.

The Board read and discussed a letter from Marlboro resident Laura Berkowitz.

Meeting adjourned at 9:35 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Will Brooke-deBock

Upcoming Meetings:
May 7th, Regular Board Meeting 6pm

Pay Orders: #20 3/23/12 $65,092.95

Our Guiding Principles:
Students will be at the center of our decision-making. We will keep to the agenda. The chair will estimate the amount of time necessary for each item and act as timekeeper during the meeting. Every voice is heard as discussion goes back and forth. Decisions will not be made hastily.
We will ask ourselves, “What other information do we need in order to make a thoughtful decision?” Decisions/discussion will be recapped before moving on to a new item. Items requiring action will be identified and we will note who is responsible for each action item. Follow through will occur before the next meeting. We will use e-mail judiciously to communicate between meetings.
Implementation Guidelines:
Meetings will be held on the first Monday of each month with the fourth Monday kept in reserve, if an additional meeting is needed.
The chair will send out the agenda the Thursday before the meeting. The meetings will start at 6 pm and go no later than 9 pm.

Marlboro School Board
Principal’s Report
Monday, April 2, 2012

Student Learning
At this time of year there are many opportunities for students to demonstrate their progress and learning. Student Led Conferences were held Monday, March 26. Students spent time in advance selecting work, reflecting on the learning it represents, and organizing it into a presentation for their parents. Attendance at these was quite high – over 90%.

Junior High parents met with Rachel, Tim, and me to learn more about the itinerary and curriculum for the trip to Costa Rica. Studies in preparation for this trip are in full swing. Students will make presentations about their trip after they return in May.

Social bullying among girls continues to be an issue that requires attention. Tom Hudak and I are offering an informational and sharing meeting for parents on Monday, April 16, 7pm.

Several parents met informally to discuss their vision for social climate at school. They crafted a letter which includes appreciations, concerns, and recommendations. The social climate committee is considering how to follow up on this.

Kristina Weeks, Marlboro resident and Antioch student, has worked with us to develop a framework for all of the learning and study that takes place outside of the classroom. We are referring to this as Outside Works. This process has helped us to examine what we’re doing carefully, to see how work in classrooms builds, and to tease out overarching principles for what we want for students. I’m attaching the documents we’ve created thus far.

Please take a minute to go to the school website and to each of the class’s pages (on the left). The teachers’ notes provide a great deal of information about the learning in each classroom.

I will be attending a workshop on the Common Core implementation on April 11.

Policy or Regulation Implementation
The auditors have approved the Fraud Prevention and Investment policies we sent for their review. I am including these policies as attachments. They are ready to be warned.

Prior to our meeting I will pull out the policies which Steven recommends updating.

Building and Grounds
Consultant – We are contacting Ed McGrath at Leland and Gray to see if he can act as a consultant/coordinator for some of the more complex work needed on the building. ($35/hr) His services will be particularly useful with complex situations such as the septic.

We’ve received an estimate of $37,280 to replace the Outback roof. This will need to be put out to bid.

Thermal House will complete the EEBCG work in the JH and office areas over the April vacation.

Finance/Accounting
Please see Revenue and Expense, Budget vs. Actual, July 1, 2011-March 23, 2102
I will hand these out at the meeting.

Enrollment/Staffing
Student enrollment as of 4/2/12 89
Staffing
No changes

Informational items
Letters to next year’s kindergarten class are bing sent out this week. They will be informed of registration on June 6 (after Ellen has returned) and the partial day (every day until 12:45) schedule for next year.
Upcoming events:
4/3 Art for Water – artist residency and installation with Christine Destrempes
4/11 Learning Fair, 6:30-8
4/23-4/27 Spring Vacation
5/1-5/9 Junior High to Costa Rica
5/18 Hogback Day
6/5-6/12 8th grade Graduation Portfolios, after school
6/11 Consortium, 7pm
6/14 Graduation, 7pm

Marlboro Realms of Learning
Communication
Problem Solving
Personal Development
Civic and Social Responsibility
Knowledge

Superintendent’s Report for the Marlboro School Board
Monday, April 2, 2012 at 6:00 P.M.
Note: Sunday through Tuesday I will be learning at the New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS) Annual Conference with five teachers from Leland & Gray.
Student/Staff Learning
1. On April 11 all principals, Frank, Abby, Matt will attend a second information/Q&A presentation on the Common Core Standards at the NewBank Center in Chester. The SE VT Superintendents Association sponsors this conference to enable all administrators in our region to collaborate on the implementation of the Common Core and SBAC (replacing NECAP).
2. The last student instructional day for Windham is projected to be Monday, June 18th, followed by a teacher day on Tuesday.
3. The eighteen Journey East students at L&G left for China last week. Dr. Dorfman recently returned from her educational/diplomatic mission with memos of understanding establishing sister school relationships for L&G with three schools in Zhejiang Province – Yunhe H.S., Yuhang H.S., and the Jinhua (Performing) Art School.

Policy/Regulation
1. Board Reps. from ten districts attended the WCSU Board Meeting, 3/28, with only Wardsboro missing. Thank you Jenn for representing Marlboro.
2. The WCSU Board approved (with one dissenting vote) a letter to Vermont Senators urging them to vote no on H.440, the bill empowering the Governor to appoint a Secretary of Education.
3. E11 and E12 are still under your consideration.
4. All mandatory policies are properly adopted and in effect by your Board, the oldest are D10 in 1979, E08 in 1996, F13 in 1986, G07 in 1991, G06 in 1979. I recommend reviewing your oldest policies, a few at each meeting as we move forward.
5. (This is a repetition from my report last month.)
6. The next RED Study Committee Meeting on April 4. The primary focus of this meeting will the possibility of constructing a new elementary school to serve the towns of Jamaica, Townshend and Windham.
7. The legislature bears watching as a number of significant education bills are being debated this session. I refer you to the latest VSBA Legislative Brief – 2/28/12, emailed directly to all school boards recently. Your opinions can have a constructive influence on our legislative representatives.

Finance/Accounting/Operations
1. On March 28, the WCSU Board unanimously approved both the Agency Fund and Grants Budgets for FY13. The former was adjusted from the Dec. 7, 2011 proposal to reflect a reduction in music instruction at Marlboro and the transfer of contracts for Sp. Ed. paras from the local district to the WCSU (same financial commitment).
2. The Board also voted 15 to 5 to continue to assess EEE expenses for FY14 by the same method as we have for FY13. The case manager and SLP services for EEE will continue to be shared by the school districts based on ADM % of all elementary students in WCSU. Additional costs for equipment and special services, e.g., 1:1 para, as stipulated in the student’s IEP will continue to be billed directly to the school district.
3. Frank provided copies of the Annual Auditor’s Report for consideration at the WCSU Annual Meeting on May 23.

Enrollment/Staffing
1. The WCSU Board unanimously approved extending Mike McKinney’s contract to provide instrumental music instruction for Windham students this spring.
2. Five additional out of district students have requested to attend L&G as 9th graders this fall under provisions of VT’s public high school choice law. I have contacted the superintendents involved to confirm that no money follows these students.

Calendar Dates
1. WCEA negotiations will next continue with a Fact Finding Panel, the date and time TBD.
2. The Voluntary RED Study Committee will meet Wed., April 4, at 7:00 P.M. in L&G’s Library.
3. The WCSU Board’s Annual Meeting will be Wed., May 23, 7:00 P.M. at Dover. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.

3/30/12 – sbj

Now we launch into the last month of school. We’re all looking forward to Teacher Appreciation Week. Wednesday will be an early release day for students. Teachers will meet to begin planning for next year and to look at students’ progress over this year.

On Friday, our 3^rd annual Hogback Day takes place from 9-1. Carol Berner and Patrick Johnson have planned a full day of activities from kite making and flying to hiking the fire tower. Please be sure to send your child with sturdy walking shoes, water, lunch, and sunscreen. It’s also likely to be cooler and windier there, so extra layers are good.

Off we go!

Francie

Dear Families,

To welcome in the May we are hoping for some more sun! We have enjoyed blustery time outside and sunshine in between the rains. We planted onions and dug prepared the raised beds for planting.

SPECIAL NOTICE: No Garden Work Day Sunday. THANK YOU to those of you who committed to coming and we will be in touch about rescheduling the work party. Please pass this word along to others you think might have wanted to come!

The Week at a Glance:

Abenaki Study:

We are well into our Abenaki research, working in small groups. We are studying Abenaki tools and gathering, hunting and fishing methods, canoes, snowshoes and other transportation, houses, medicinal plants and cooking. We are also learning songs from the works of Joseph Bruchac, am Abenaki author, storyteller and musician.

We are turning three legends into plays: How the Rabbit Got its Dinner, How the People Got Fire and The Raccoon and the Standing Stone. We’re working with Linda to make masks and Charlene on the music for the plays. We are in the process of confirming the location and time of the play performances and will let you know as soon as we can. We’re very excited!

Image Making:

We are almost completely finished with collage making and are all underway with the writing of our stories. We have growing lists of descriptive language to help us brainstorm silver dollar words to make our stories come to life. They worked together to brainstorm ways to hook the reader at the beginning and worked silently creating their very own hook. We enjoyed sharing the first sentences of the stories and I can’t wait to hear more as the stories grow! Everyone is doing a great job.

NECAPs:

The fourth grade has completed the science NECAP tests with time to spare, they did a great job! Thank you to all who kept quiet upstairs this week

Calendar of Events:

• Monday, May 14^th: Linda’s friend William presents in the afternoon
• Wednesday, May 16^th: half day of school. 11:30 dismissal
• Friday, May 18^th: HOGBACK DAY – whole school adventure on the mountain! Let’s hope for no thunder storms this year!

Have a good weekend and happy mother’s day!

Pam and Erica

May 11, 2011

Dear Families,

Rain, rain, rain!  I hope you all enjoy the return of the sunshine over the weekend and spend lots of time outside.  We didn’t let the rain get to us this week and kept ourselves busy writing in our journals, playing math games, reading Frog and Toad, observing the tadpoles, transplanting plants, venturing out with our scout staffs and making a phonebook for our class.  It was also a sad week, as we had to say goodbye to Sapphire who will be finishing the year at Dummerston school.  Sapphire and her family recently moved to East Dummerston and making the trek to school and home again each day was becoming too much.  We will miss her dearly and sent her off with many appreciations and well wishes.  Ask your child these questions to get more information:

-       Who was the shining star this week?  What were some things s/he shared with us?

-       How did Rocket learn to read? Who was his teacher? (youngers)

-       What new stealth game did Patrick teach us?

-       What was special about George the dog?  What happened when he tried to bark?

-       How did Frog trick Toad into waking up for spring?

-       Who was our Junior High Intern this week?

-       What is your favorite story that we have read of Frog and Toad (Spring, The Story, The button, A Swim)

-       What are you reading in your reading group? (olders)

Updates and Reminders:

-       This Wednesday, May 16^th, is an early release.  School ends at 11:30 and there is NO MARLBORO VENTURES!

-       Friday, May 18^th is Hogback Day!  The whole school will be participating in activities at the mountain for the whole day.  Students should be prepared for the weather and have good walking shoes.  Please make sure they have a portable lunch with any necessary utensils.  Please make sure they have a water bottle!

-       There has been a recent increase in the amount of “potty” talk in the classroom and school.  There are times when it is an NBD- the problem is that it often becomes contagious as students resort to it as a way to get a laugh and rise out of their classmates.  Please help Patrick and I by reinforcing appropriate language!  Thank you.

-       No School Monday, May 28^th- happy memorial day!

-       Wednesday, May 30^th is the Spring Concert and Art Show from 6:30-8pm.  Artwork from most classes will be on display, please save the date!

Short note this week, be in touch and have a great weekend!

Best,

Jen

]]> http://marlboroschool.net/jen/8102/feed 0 http://marlboroschool.net/jen/8100 http://marlboroschool.net/jen/8100#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 15:45:22 +0000 Jen http://marlboroschool.net/?p=8100 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/jenod/Documents/marlboro%20k-1%202011/notes%20home%202011-12/spring/May%204.doc

May 4, 2012

Welcome back families!

It has been great fun hearing about vacation adventures and what students spent their time doing away from school.  We had a good first week back as we settled back into the classroom and our time together as a group.  The week featured a scavenger hunt, math problems involving peppers, working with reading buddies to make posters advertising the May vegetable-of-the-month, kittens, transplanting seeds, making letter stamps out of potatoes, illustrating classroom rules, working in ABC books, salamanders, reading stories, visits from Africa…the list goes on and on! Ask your child some of these questions to get some more information:

-       Who was the Junior High intern this week?

-       Whose birthday was it this week?

-       Where is William from?  What animals live where he is from? Do you remember any of their sounds or calls?

-       What kind of tree did we cut down to use for a project?

-       If I ate five peppers, a combination of orange and red, how many of each could I have eaten?

-       Who was the shining star this week?  What were some things s/he shared?

-       What did we use to make letter stamps with Michelle?

-       What do salamanders eat?  How did we figure it out?

-       Which number is bigger, 9 or 15? How do you know?

-       What two animals did we watch playing together? Not what you would expect!

We spent some time this week reminding ourselves of our classroom guidelines and how we want to treat each other and be treated.  Students drew pictures to accompany the rules to help us remember what they mean.  Having this common language and agreement allows us to quickly check-in and give reminders to get ourselves back on track.  Have a conversation with your child about them and what they mean.

• Be Safe

§       with bodies and feelings

§       don’t throw things

§       stay within the boundries

§       Be Kind-

§       listen to each other

§       cooperate

§       use friendly words- say it in a friendly way

§       Be Respectful-

§       use appropriate words (no potty talk!)

§       don’t tease each other

§       stop, means stop!

And don’t forget: Let it Go, Joe!!!

Updates and Reminders:

-       For the girls: We have rhythms on Mondays and students are barefoot in the outback.  Please no tights with feet (footless is fine!), it is too slippery.  Thanks!

-       Tuesday- pizza day!  Cheese is 2.00/slice, pepperoni and veggie is 2.50/slice.

-       Early release Wednesday, May 16^th. Students will be dismissed at 11:30.  There is no Marlboro Ventures programming on that day.

-       What is your child doing this summer (hard to believe it is only 6 weeks away!)? Gail has a put together a sample of summer camps and other programs- if you might be interested be sure to check it out!

-       No school Monday, May 28^th. Happy Memorial Day!

That is all for now, have a great week!

Jen

      Week of April XXX, MMXII

Notes:   Some Astro due dates to keep in mind:

May  ____11th_____            final draft due and classroom presentations begin

May         18th                   Off-Earth Colony project due.

Monday night            Vocab

         5/7                                    Work on your astronomy research.

Tuesday night             Response journal writing after reading

         5/8                           The City

Wednesday night     Work on your astronomy research or colony.

5/9

Thursday night         Study for vocab quiz        

         5/10                  Response journal writing after reading

                                    Zero Hour               

Dear Families,

Welcome back from vacation!! It already feels like a long time since vacation. It has been a very high energy week. There is a lot of excitement in the air – people arriving back from long trips (Welcome back Eliza, Alice, and Pam), the full moon waxing, and rainy cold days all making us a bit antsy!

The Week at a Glance:

Hogback Clean-up!

Thanks to Carie Kowalski, Kindergarten through fourth grade went to Hogback on Monday to help clean up the place where our whole school spends time throughout the year. I was very impressed by the focus and cooperation during our clean-up and thanks to the snacks that were provided as well! I apologize for not communicating beforehand about the trip. It was a very last minute plan before vacation.

Garden Work Day – Mother’s Day – May 13^th

As some of you may have seen in Friday notes there is a work day to jumpstart the garden next Sunday, which is also mother’s day. Please consider spending a coupld of hours with your family here at the school, digging in the ground and making it possible for us to have a successful growing season here at MES. The attached page gives you more information. Hope to see you there!

Abenaki Study

We are launching back into our Abenaki study. After focusing on food and agriculture before vacation, we are now focusing on legends and the role stories play in the Abenaki culture. We have chosen a few legends to turn into plays to perform this spring. Every child has an animal and the each animal has a role in a story. The plays will incorporate songs and instruments from music class as well as masks from art. Each child starting making an animal mask that will be the defining part of his/her costume for the play. We will keep you updated as these plays progress! Expect some line memorizing to be coming home for homework in the near future. Performing plays is an excellent way to increase fluency in reading.

NECAPs

On Monday, the fourth graders will start science NECAP testing. These standardized tests in the spring are for 4^th grade and 8^th grade only. This particular test is three sessions that they will do over the next couple of weeks. If you have any questions or concerns please let us know.

Have a good weekend and happy May!

Erica and Pam

On Wednesday we visited the world famous Monteverde Cloud Forest, toured the Bat Jungle, a creation of bat researcher, Richard Laval, enjoyed ice cream from the local cheese factory, climbed a strangler fig tree, and went on a night hike at the Ecolodge San Luis where we’re staying. Thursday morning began with pre-breakfast bird watching and cow milking (yes, by hand!) and was followed by touring a local coffee farm and coffee roaster, as well as planting trees to offset our carbon emissions.

By the time we return next Wednesday, we’ll have many more adventures under our belts and will look forward to sharing them all with you!

Many thanks to Carie Kowalski for pulling together our Green Up outing at Hogback on Monday. What an excellent way for the students to give back to the Marlboro community and to take responsibility and stewardship for a place where we can learn and play. I saw the picture in the Reformer online. Way to go!

Congratulations to Rose for a successful evaluation of Marlboro Ventures by the state department of education. We are so lucky to have this grant for high quality after school activities. The final session is up and running. Have fun!

I’m able to stay in touch via e-mail and am glad to know that the week is going well. Thanks to the wonderful staff for keeping everything on track and to your children for engaging so positively in the serious business of school.

Francie

(April 30, May 7, 14, 21, 28, June 4)
1. Masters of the Yearbook w/ Pam Burke. Calling all students with photography, layout, computer and sales skills to help put together the best MES yearbook ever. We’ll be working until the end of the year to produce a beautiful, professional yearbook that the class of 2012 will cherish! This venture will be a student-driven, student-designed program.
Open to all 7&8th Graders

2. Kidz on Bikes w/ Mike Purcell & Jeff Burt Maybe you have had a chance to see us hopping rocks and small fallen tree limbs out on the MES backwoods trails. Come join the fun as we work on the skills that will take us on an adventure beyond the hills of our school.
Grades 1-8 Max 10 kids

TUESDAYS
(May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, June 5)
3. Fire and Stone: For beginners w/Patrick Johnson. Play Jedi and Ninja adventure games and wilderness stealth games using natural camouflage; carve throwing sticks, scout staffs and beads; learn about animals in the forest and most of all have fun and enjoy being outdoors! Grades K-2 Max 10 kids

4. Bubble-ology CANCELED 

5. Indoor Badminton w/Yvonne Laseter
Jump in to learn the basics or continue learning more about this fast paced game of of skill and wits. We will have brand new rackets and fast paced birds. Join the fun and find out more about the game that’s not just for the backyard anymore! Grades 5-8 Maximum 8 kids

WEDNESDAYS
(May 2, 9, 23, 30, June 6)

6. Dr. Seuss and Puppets Alive CANCELED 

7. On Belay w/Aaron Walsh Learn the ups and downs of the rock climbing wall. Specially designed for Grades 3-4 Max 10 Kids

8. Fire and Stone w/Patrick Johnson. Keep learning all the lessons that the outdoors has to teach! And yes, even more about skills like carving and fire building. You know Patrick always has more up his sleeve to teach, including Ninja skills! Grades 3-8 Max 10 kids

9. Guitar Club w/Joel Eisenkramer CANCELED 

THURSDAYS
(May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, June 7)
10. Fairy Tale Fantasy w/ Paula Lavender Bring some of your favorite fairytales to life! We will read several versions of a tale and talk about what the important elements and characters in it are, then develop our own way of telling the story making sure everyone has a role and a chance to perform. In class we’ll do theater games, theater warm-ups and learn basic theater skills as well as performing our very own renditions of fairy tales.
Grade K-3 Max 10 kids

11. Everything with Rope w/Haley DiMarino
Jump Rope, Chinese Jump Rope and Cat’s Cradle, just to name a few. Learn the rhymes, the moves and the style!
Grade 2-5 Max 10 kids

12. Ultimate Frisbee w/ Erik Schickndanz and Gorden Morse Erik and Gordon will be facilitating the fast paced, super fun, high energy, most awesome game of Ultimate. Using a flying disc – often referred to as a “frisbee” – Ultimate is a competitive game that resembles football, but without the ball or intentional contact. Pass the disc to your teammates in the end zone to score. Learn the throws, the rules, how to play safely, & variations on the game.
Grades 2-8 Max 10 kids

FRIDAYS

13. DJ Dance Party & Planners w/Joel Eisenkramer and Rose Watson

DJs meet June 1, & June 8, 2:45-4:45pm
Planners meet Thursdays 2:45-4:45
Dance on June 14 after Graduation

We have been given a new challenge of planning the 8th grade graduation! A Top Secrete planning Assignment!!!!!
Grades 6-8. Max 6 kids

            Astro-Colony ‘12    

The year: 3039

The design project:

You and/or your partner have been invited to submit a proposal for an off-earth colony which will support human life.

You will need to submit (meaning, turn in) the following,             in order:

1.         Create a design-team name and logo.

2..            You / your team will need to establish written criteria for human needs for life off-earth.   Consider the following human needs:  water, heat / cooling, air to breath, food, shelter, recreation, wastes, transportation.  Are there more needs to consider?  Take into account the location in which your colony will operate: no gravity or tremendous gravity, on a moon with temperatures that would kill a human instantly if exposed to them, heat that would vaporize humans, long periods with no sunlight, etc.            How many people will need to live on the colony?            What is the purpose of the colony?  What do the people who live there do?  Why are they there?  How long will they remain … how long is their mission?

Keep a bibliography of resources you use to figure out your colony;

books, internet, experts, etc.            You will need to turn this in at the end.

3.         You and your team will need to make sketches of several different views of the outside of your colony in its environment and a floor-plan map of the inside.  From them make finished drawings of one view of the exterior of the colony in its habitat and one finished drawing of the floor-plan map.

Be sure your colony’s design meets the needs of human life and the purpose of the colony.

4.         You will need to build a small-scale model of your colony proposal.

It should fit on a desk top.

5.            Your team will present your colony ideas (criteria, finished drawings and model) as a design company to the class.  When you do you will need to explain where the colony will be placed, the conditions of that place, and how your design will support human life and activity there.

6.         Your team will turn in to me all sketches, drawings, your list of criteria and your bibliography of resources used to design your colony.

 Presentations to the class begin:  May  ________

      Week of April XXX, MMXII

Notes:   And away we go !!!

Some Astro due dates to keep in mind:

May  _____4th____            rough draft due

May  ____11th_____            final draft due

May         16th                  classroom presentations begin

Monday night            Vocab

         4/30                                    Work on your astronomy research.

Tuesday night             Response journal writing after reading

         5/1                           Last Night…., The Exiles, and No Particular Night…        

                                    Choose only one story to write about.

Wednesday night     Work on your astronomy research.

5/2

Thursday night         Study for vocab quiz        

         5/3                  Response journal writing after reading

                                    The Visitor and  Marionettes Inc.

                           Choose only one story to write about

 Welcome back! We are in the final stretch and we have lots of things to do! We began our mapping theme before vacation with the reading of Penny Maps the World”, a story about all the important places a dog might map. The students loved it! We also talked about looking at things from a bird’s eye view perspective and played a matching game looking at pictures from the side and from above.

We are planning on getting outside to do more science observations, head up to Hogback on occasion and do some mapping of the playground and beyond.

Don’t forget the reading log that is on the back of the letter. Please try to read with your child a little bit every night.

Spelling words for older students are “er”, “ir”, and “ur” words.

Spelling words for younger students are “ay” words.

We will continue with a variety of measuring activities in math. Older students will also continue to work on number sense and math facts. They have been playing a game called get to $1.00. Game rules will be sent home this week. Play the game with your child when you have time! It’s fun!

Our last V.I.P. was Jeremiah. It was great fun getting to know him better! If your child has not been V.I.P. it will happen soon!

I hope you had a restful vacation!

Judy and Carol

Dear Families,

It’s nice to look around and see the trees blooming and nature waking up. Spring has sprung and the enthusiasm in the 3/4 class is contagious! You can tell that April vacation is upon us.

The Week at a Glance:

Abenaki Study:

This week we began our study of the Abenaki and talked about some aspects of life for these native Vermonters.  Through research, reading legends and interactive activities we learned a lot about what the Abenaki hunted, gathered and grew.  One of the main staples in the Abenaki diet was a form of companion planting referred to as ‘The Three Sisters’. Be sure to ask your child about corn, squash and beans, they may have some new and interesting information to tell you!

Garden Time! Where does our food come from?

This week we welcomed back Meredith from the Co-op.  Meredith gave a great talk on the benefits of local food.  We looked at many different kinds of food and the kids had a great time trying to guess which was local and which was shipped from far away.  With a map of the USA on the floor and toy truck on top, we saw just how far some of our food had to travel to make it to our tables.  The class learned about what food could be grown and bought locally in the Northeast and what we need to import from other climates.  In each group we looked at photos of farmers in the area, and some children were pleasantly surprised with how many of those people they knew! It’s really nice to make those connections and realize how important it is to support our local businesses when we can. Keep the money local! Here are some terms that we talked about with Meredith: Organic, conventional, produce, local. We will continue to learn about these terms as we enter into the growing season!

Brattleboro Art Museum:

On Thursday we went to the art museum in Brattleboro to visit their exhibits about trees. The entire museum has a focus on trees until July. Susan, the education curator at the museum, and Linda, our one and only art teacher, toured the class thoughtfully through the museum. The class had good questions, and were respectful with their energy! It is a great exhibit that can be enjoyed by all ages. You should check it out if you have the chance. The museum is always free on the first Friday of the month.

A Note from Liz:

As many of you know this was my (Liz’s) solo week, a culminating experience in my internship when I step into the role of the teacher for a few days. It was a great experience for me to take over all aspects of the class and I appreciate Erica’s willingness to step back and let me give it a go!  It was pleasure working with this class for the past few months. I have learned a lot from the children and appreciate you all allowing me to become part of their lives.  I could not asked for a better group of students, it will be hard to leave, however I plan to come back and visit and lend a hand in the garden. Thanks again for contributing to my internship, each of the children in this class have a special place in my heart.

From all of us: thank you to Liz for all of her hard work! We bid her an appreciative goodbye as she moves on to finish her semester at Antioch.

Have a restful vacation!

Liz, Erica and Pam (in absentia)