Weekly Wrap-up April 14, 2017

I can't believe how quickly this month has gone by and that we are already at April break.  I enjoyed seeing everyone at conferences.  Everyone did a great job presenting to their families.  I'm sure you are as proud of your child as I am.  Progress reports are in envelopes in today's Friday Folders.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

ECO
We had another beautiful day for ECO on Tuesday.  If anything, the children were complaining about being too warm and wanting to get out of the sun.  Personally, I thought the weather was perfect!  Angie led a lesson on the snowshoe hare that included both camouflage and adaptations.  We also had time to explore using a slack line in the forest.

finding creatures in decomposing logs

building fabulous forts

the slack line in action

Author Visit

Reading to the K-2 classes

Friday afternoon we had a school assembly with Amy Mcdonald (Tessa's grandmother). She shared some of her books and discussed the writing process.  She emphasized the importance of writing and rewriting to turn average writing into amazing writing.  We also learned that it takes a long time for a book to go from draft to the type of book that you see in a store.

Ask your child where the idea for Rachel Fister's Blister came from. As a reminder - the book is dedicated to Emily.  :D  

A book before it is cut into pages

A book before it is sewn together.

Class Configuration Clarification
In the EMES school newsletter, Mrs. Lyford listed the teaching teams for next year.  I've had a few parents ask if we were moving to a multi-age model for first and second grade next year.  At this time, the actual class configurations have not been determined.  There will be 3 classes for first and second grade students.  Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Giammusso and I will each be teaching a class in that grade level range.  We are currently considering a variety of configurations and working to create class configurations that will best meet the needs of all students. Parent input forms will be sent home in May.