Ms. Hartshorn’s Classroom News
May 5, 2011
Dear Families,
Mothers' Day Gifts: Your children have been so excited and involved in creating their gifts for Moms on Mothers' Day. They will arrive home all wrapped and packaged either today or tomorrow (Friday) depending on who needs to finish what. I hope you know the love and care that each of your children put into their gifts for their Moms---their supporters, caregivers, primary teachers, nurturers, cheerleaders, and “best” friends.
Four Winds (Birds' Nests): Once again Sharon Stafford, Jack's Mom, led us in a wonderful lesson about the designs of nature found in birds' nests. We discovered the form and function of many styles of nests and how they met the needs of different birds. Do you know what the smallest nest of all is that we saw a slide of in the slideshow? (hummingbird). You can ask your child, "What do all birds' nests have to have, or have in common?
We were actually able to see what it was like to build our own bird nests with a partner using natural (twigs, mud, hay, grass) and man-made materials (string, yarn, paper strips) to build our own nests in branches using only our "beaks" (thumb and forefinger on one hand). At first, this looked quite easy---"easy peasy," as one child announced…..AND then reality hit in. Not so easy to use only one hand and those two digits only. We needed to depend on our partners to hold the branches still as we took turns building sturdy nests that would hold up to Sharon's "wind" storm. Thank you, Sharon, for your leadership and knowledge about designs in nature, i.e. birds' nests, you shared with us.
Our upcoming Four Winds topic will be "Bees," with a continuing focused theme of Designs in Nature.
Jars for Japan: I'm very proud to report to you that your children led the school in a PreK-6 grade fundraiser last week in and effort to raise money to help Japan's recovery after the recent tsunami. $140.82 was raised in five days! Mostly coins with a few bills, were donated and collected at the end of each school day was counted by second graders, and recounted by first graders during math lessons. A cashier's check has been issued and is in process to the American Red Cross to be used for Japan's 2011 Tsunami Relief efforts. This was the idea of one student in our classroom who came to school one day about a month ago and shared at morning meeting, "It just seems to be the only thing you see on t.v. You can't get away from it….so I was thinking that maybe we should have a bake sale or something to help the people in Japan who are going through so much tragedy." Due to the latest concerns among parents about nutrition at school, I steered clear of the bake sale idea, but I knew this child so desperately wanted to find a way to make a difference. Her classmates also wanted to make a difference after she shared her concern and desire. We pondered several ideas from Jammies for Japan another school in the district had initiated (I found out from another faculty member), and then we thought about putting cans or jars in each classroom for a "coin drop" idea….thus, "Jars for Japan" was born. We've since heard that other schools and businesses have also had this idea, and we are very proud to be a part of this. Mrs. Puffer's 5th/6th graders helped us decorate the decoupage glass canning jars, we made posters, presented the idea to each classroom, and had the support of Moretown teachers and students, along with Ms. Scheffert, WWSU Superintendent and acting MES Principal.
Your children showed compassion and empathy for children in another part of the world, whom they have never met, but knew they needed help. How proud I am of them—and how grateful I am that you are raising children who are aware of someone else's needs and then wanting to be of help in some way. THANK YOU! And, thank you so much Shannon, for bringing this idea to your classmates a few weeks ago. You and your classmates have truly made a difference in the world—for people you will most likely never get to meet, but can imagine making their lives a little bit better in such tough times.
Earth and Sky Unit Completed: We completed our science unit of study on Earth and Sky, focusing mostly on moon phases, the placement and size in space of the Sun, Earth and moon, along with some exploration of the other planets and stars in our solar system. Each child completed an individual assessment requiring him/her to show moon phases at different times of the month, placement and relative size of the Sun, Earth and Moon, and discuss reasons why someone might not be able to see the moon on any given night.
District-wide Report Card: On Tuesday I attended a district-wide meeting to develop a common report card for first and second grade. This is a district-wide expectation set by our Superintendent and Curriculum Coordinator—to have a common report card for each grade level from kindergarten through grade 8 in Washington West Supervisory Union. It was a very productive and informative meeting. You will receive further information in the fall about the common report card. We will be moving from a 5-point scale to a 4-point scale. Further information/education about this will be forthcoming to parents prior to November, 2011. It appears there will no longer be narratives provided as part of the reporting system, but rather comment sections will be provided throughout the online report card format that will be printed and sent home each trimester.
Cory Stephenson and Plant Identification: We have postponed our "Mossy Moss" lesson with Cory until next week due to the prediction of yucky, cold, wet weather that was supposed to occur today. It will be more enjoyable for the children, and they will have a better opportunity to take in new information, if the weather is less harsh and uncomfortable for them. We will keep our fingers (and toes) crossed that next week will bring better weather for another trip into the woods.
Parent-sharing Night: June 6th at 6:00 pm at Moretown School. More information to follow, but this is for first and second graders along with their families. It will be a culmination of the Plant Identification work we've been doing with Cory Stephenson, Naturalist, this spring, focusing on Trees, Fungi, and Moss.
On a personal note: My daughter turned 23 years old today (Cinco de Mayo!) She has recovered since her accident and is looking at returning to graduate school in the near future. My 28 ½-year old son will be getting married this summer, and I get to be the Mother of the Groom AND the Justice of the Peace!
Thank you to each of you who has shown support for me personally and professionally during this past school year. I am truly grateful to be a teacher in such a loving and compassionate community.
I hope this coming weekend will give you the joy and hope spring promises with new beginnings.
Wishing you a festive Cinco de Mayo!
Peace~
Brenda
