Vermont Energy Education Programs

Laura from VEEP spent the day with us on Thursday!  In our VEEP workshop we reviewed what we knew about energy and how we can use steam, water, wind and sunlight to produce energy!  We witnessed the power of steam as it produced 10 volts of electricity!  We saw how height has an impact on the amounts of volts produced in a hydropower set up!  We spent time sorting energy sources and talking about the similarities and differences, but also about the cost, efficiency, environmental impact, and sustainability of these sources.  Finally, we got to experiment and play!  We used mini solar panels and mini wind turbines to produce energy.  We tested variables that could increase or decrease the amount of energy produced.  With the solar panels we mostly experimented with distance between the light and the panel.  With the mini turbines we tested blade angles, number of blades, and wind speed.  Hopefully, through these experiments and through the discussions your children are thinking about energy, how it is produced, how to lower our consumption and what sources they should be supporting so that our environment can stay healthy! 

5th Grade Read-a-Thon and Hour of Code Week

Our cozy Read-a-Thon was a huge success!  So much reading and sharing of books went on this afternoon!  Thanks for supporting this positive behavior celebration!

We spent a hour a day this week coding!  We had an amazing guest speaker on Wednesday!  She told us how she became interested in coding and how it led her to study physics and computer science through college, her masters degree and her doctorate!  She supported us as we teamed up to do an coding activity!  I wonder who in this classroom will be studying computer science in college in a few years!

First few pages of our books with our Book Buddies!

Another successful Book Buddies!  We added 2 or 3 pages tour books!  The illustrations are detailed and beautiful!  The text is so interesting!  Way to 5th grade mentors!  Tomorrow we will connect with other 1st Graders and teach them how to code!  Hour of Code 2017!

So much learning during this last week of November!

Don't forget to put in your order for Shelburne Bay Bread Company Bread!  We sold all our loaves today!  The Cinnamon Raisin is so yummy toasted with butter!  New Hidden Cheese flavor, too! Thanks for all your donations and your support!  We are so grateful to you, our students and to BOB for taking on this business!

This week with our Book Buddies we designed the covers to our non-fiction books!  They are amazing!  Super team work and mentoring modeled by our 5th Graders!  We will publish and celebrate these books before the Winter Break!  I'll have our students post them to See Saw!  They will go home with our 1st Grade Buddies!

Becky's River Trail gave us a lot of math to do this week.! Together in partnerships we had to find fractions of the whole number 30!  Once we found these fractions (1/2, 1/5, 1/6, etc), we had to mark locations along the math that would be found at these points.  There were inner tube rentals, rest rooms, picnic areas, shuttle bus stops and camping sites.  The team work was phenomenal, the math was accurate and precise, and the creativity was beautiful!  Check out the process and the products below!

In Science and Social Studies we have jumped int World Geography!  Mrs. Crowther is getting students ready to embark on a trip around the globe, continent to continent.  Reading non fiction, taking notes, taking map quizzes and writing short thoughtful responses!  In science we are figuring out how much fresh water is in the world and looking at pollution and the tragic endangerment of the ocean due to plastics!  We are writing and supporting our scientific claims and opinions.  We are using math to analyze our data!  Look in your child's homework folder for this month's share theme!

  

Here are some photos from our Cat Coin Kick Off a few weeks ago!  So far our team has gone above and beyond to be Safe, Responsible and Respectful!  On 11/17 we delivered handwritten thank you notes to the many adults around our school building that support us in our learning every day!  It was such a fun way to celebrate our positivity and to show gratitude!  Our next team celebration is around the corner!  We plan to do a Cozy Read In!  One hour of blankets and pillows and our favorite books:)

Stargazer Joe Comeau comes to 5th Grade!

Join us tonight at Shelburne Farms! 7:30-8:30PM to Stargaze with the Astronomical Society of Vermont!  See your email for more information!

Book Buddy Research Project!

EarthKam!

Dear Families,
Last week we had a crash course with Mr. Miller about the International Space Station, Latitude and Longitude and World Geography!  For 4 days we located spots on the globe that we wished to have photographed by the ISS.  We sent the ISS detailed information about the longitude and latitude of places from Australia to Africa, from Mt. Everest to Ireland!  We had to use special maps with orbits, these orbits told us when the ISS would be flying over the places we wished to photograph!  The photographs started coming in on Thursday!  Next week in science class, we will view our images, caption them and throughout the year we will return to these photos as we think about the world and how it looks in different places!  Your child will share some of their images with you at our Open House on November 17th, 8am - 9am!  Way to go 5th Graders!  Team work and persistence!

What's been happening in 5th Grade Science and Math?

Dear Families,
It was wonderful to meet with all of you during the week of October 16th!  I felt like together we created some attainable goals for your children and for me in teaching them!  Please do not hesitate to still reach out if their is something that I need to know about your child and their social, emotional and academic needs.   

8:30 AM Shadow

10:30 AM Shadow

In Science class we have been looking for the answer to these two  question-Why do our shadows change throughout the day? and Why is the sun so bright?  With question one we have collected data about shadows on our campus.  We marked and measured the shadow of a lamp post and graphed the data.  This data proved to us that shadows start out long when the sun is just rising, they begin to shrink as the day goes on, the shortest shadows can be found at noon and then shadows begin to lengthen as the sun has hit its highest point on the horizon and is heading towards setting.  Students are also using a model to explain this real world situation and using their data, photos, books and activities to strengthen their models and how it explains the relationship between  the Earth and the Sun and the patterns this relationship creates in the way we see shadows.  To explore the relative brightness of our sun we have been reading books and taking notes.  Some of the numbers are just so large, we cant seem to grasp them!  The sun is 93 million miles away (our closest star) and if we could get close enough to it, it would take us 4 years to get there!  The next closest star is about 25, 000, 000, 000, 000 miles away!  Ask your cild what interesting facts they have learned about stars!

12:30 PM Shadow

In Math class we are finishing up unit one and our practice of important multiplication strategies.  We have made posters for our notebooks on varying strategies, listed, defined and explained important math vocabulary and used our number sense to practice decomposing numbers. By decomposing numbers, we can use strategies like partial products and the ratio table to be efficient, accurate and precise mathematicians.  We have explored volume and area.  We will end the unit thinking about division and how we can use ratio tables, and the area model as strategies.  Next, we head into FRACTIONS!  

Lastly, Allan Miller, our former principal, has been supporting us through an EARTHKAM mission with the International Space Station.  Along with a partner, students are locating places on the Earth that are of interest to them.  These places are than found along the ISS's orbits around EARTH, we then request a photo of these places on a certain day at a certain time.  AS these photos are ordered and received (24 hours in between) we will begin to find answers to our questions.  We are asking questions such as:

• Does every place along the Equator look the same?  
• What similarities and differences do places in the Arctic Circle ?  
• Do all major cities look the same?  
• What similarities and differences can we see among tropical islands? 

As we explored maps and globes are questions grew! Today we will send our first photo requests to the ISS!  We can't wait!  Thank you Mr. Miller! This has been a great connection to our Earth Systems Unit.  These photos will show the Earth from 250 miles away! 

Thanks for all your Shelburne Food Shelf Donations- we will be collecting until Thursday morning!  So please send more if your'd like!

A note from Mrs. Sanders in Music

Dear Families,

I am so excited to introduce myself as a new part of the Shelburne community! I have met a few parents from SCS (particularly those who also have kids at Heartworks!) but for many of my students, I have not yet had the chance to meet you!

I am the new K-5 music teacher at SCS. Prior to being at SCS, I was K-6 music, band, chorus and all other things musical at Hardwick Elementary School. I have degrees in music education and clarinet performance from UVM and I am entering my 16th year of teaching! I live in Bridport with my husband, Brian, and our almost two year old, Adeline. In my spare time, I play clarinet with the Champlain Philharmonic and love to crochet.

I would love to meet you and say hello! If you would like to drop in and say hi, please do so- I’m usually in my room before and after school. You are always invited to sit in on a music class if you would like (just let me know!)  If you would like to have a more in-depth discussion about your child’s work in music class, please schedule a meeting by sending me an email (or sign up for a conference time below…)

I will be at school in my music room (room C-5) during the following times. My schedule is posted at https://tinyurl.com/SandersConf  You will need a Google account to access the appointment calendar and to schedule an appointment (only needed if you want a sit down meeting about your child - not needed for just dropping into say hello!) You can also email me at jsanders@cvsdvt.org  to make an appointment.

Monday, October 16th, 3:05 - 4:15pm

Tuesday, October 17th, 4:15 - 5:00pm

Thursday, October 19th, 7:15 - 8:00am

Monday, October 23th, 3:05 - 4:15pm

Tuesday, October 24th, 4:15 - 5:00pm

Wednesday, October 25th, 3:05 - 5:00pm

Thursday, October 26th, 7:15 - 8:00am

Monday, October 30th, 3:05 - 4:15pm

*** Please do check the calendar to make sure there isn’t an appointment scheduled if you hope to just drop in.

You can also find more information about music in my classroom by accessing my blog:

https://sandersscsmusic.blogspot.com/  (also accessible through the new, beautiful SCS website!)

I look forward to meeting you.   ~ Jodi Sanders, music

More Solar Ovens and Natalie Kinsey Warnock

Mrs. Crowther's class tested and retested their solar ovens, too!  As a team we have realized that time of day and weather have an impact on the performance of our solar ovens.  Some students noticed that by lowering their impact score they did not always increase the temperature.  Some student noticed that insulators that also behaved as conductors helped raise the internal temperature of the ovens!  Wow! 

Natalie Kinsey Warnock spent Wednesday and Friday inspiring us to tell the stories that can be found in our family histories!  As writers she engaged us in developing characters and scenes based on small details of family history that we know!  Our imaginations were alive as we thought about important decisions family members made in the past!  We hope our work with Natalie will keep us motivated and engaged as we prepare to write personal narratives! 

Now You're Cooking-Designing Solar Ovens!

The Endeavor Team had the exciting opportunity this week to test our solar oven designs.  As scientist we have engaged in many activities that have pushed us to respond with wonderment as to how these solar ovens were going to cook our s'mores! Students spent 2 days designing their ovens and calculating the impact their supplies had on our environment.  Not only were they hopeful that the designs would cook a s'more, but they had to adhere to Green Engineering Practices and use resources that were local and available, hopefully recyclable and or reusable!

We captured our current understanding of "How the Solar Ovens Work" in detailed diagrams and today we will revise these drawings to add any details that we observed while testing them in the bright warm sun!  We also will test each oven, one more time!  We will make adjustments to our thermal insulators so that we can improve our oven's score!  We scored our ovens based on Heat (highest temperature reached), Cooling (slowly cooling to 5 degrees within shade temperature) and impact on environment!  Ovens ranged from 16.5 points to -11 points!  Our Green Engineers are working hard to learn from any mistakes and to tap into their Growth Mindsets and understand that the improvement step is always in action!

News From Mrs. Crowther!

In literacy, we continue to think about and work on our stamina in both reading and writing.  Additionally, we're focusing on word meanings - using context clues to help us understand our reading more deeply, and also some explicit vocabulary instruction using words from our class read aloud: Wonder by RJ Palacio.  

As a way to support developing reading and writing stamina at home, please be sure your child is reading for at least 20 minutes 5x/week.   Another good idea is to have them journal or write in some form at home regularly.  Maybe you want to start a dialogue journal with them?!!

Next week we are lucky enough to have Vermont author Natalie Kinsey Warnock visiting SCS as an artist in residence!  She'll talk to the students about her life, how she gets her ideas for her writing and being an author!  This will be a fantastic way to start our October focus of narrative writing!  Expect the students to come home asking about family stories!

Walking Wednesdays!

Please join us for Walking Wednesdays!

October 2017

October has arrived, and you know what that means...Walking Wednesdays!  This year we thought we’d continue an opportunity for more students to participate in this wellness activity.  

Beginning October 4th, all K-8 SCS students and families are invited to meet at the “parade” green on the corner of Church Street and Route 7 (Farmer’s Market location).  We will meet up with buses,E, D, G and H at about  7:45-7:50.  Any students who want to get off the bus and walk to school are encouraged to do so.  There will be cones set up on the right (north) side of Church St. with the Shelburne Police there to assist.  Teachers, staff, and community members will supervise students as they cross Route 7, walk down the sidewalk by the library and coffee shop, and head west on Harbor Road.

• October 4th, Bus E,      Driver~PJ
• October 11th, Bus D,    Driver~Diane
• October 18th, Bus G,    Driver~Damian
• October 25th, Bus H,    Driver~Lucy

Although, we would love to have everyone participate, this is an optional activity.  Any students remaining on the bus will continue on to the school.

Rocketry At SCS!

Students in 3-5th grade - come join Bob for the Fall Model Rocketry Class! Build test and launch the Estes Photon Disruptor. Class begins Monday 10/23 from 3:00-4:15pm, and runs for five weeks - completing the week after Thanksgiving break. Cost is $91 and includes the model rocket and supplies. Sign Up here.

So much to tell you!

This morning we totaled up our donations and we have over $200 to support hurricane victims world wide.  We have decided to share 1/3 of the money with a 5th Grade class in Houston, Texas!  The classroom Teachers are Ms. West and Ms. Fowler.  We will send the money in the form of a Gift Card to Amazon so they can get needed supplies for their classroom.  The rest of the money will be donated to the Red Cross in hopes of supporting victims of Hurricanes Irma, Maria and Jose! 

We built our classroom norms last week and landed on an amazing collection of actions we hope to participate in on a daily basis here at school!  We signed these norms by leaving our mark as Vashti does in the story The Dot!  Ask your child about it!

We continue to be engineers in science class! We have focused heavily on the vocabulary we will engage in as we build our solar ovens!  We will be using different materials, thinking about their properties, finding ways to create a sustainable solar oven that is efficient and inexpensive.  We will design and redesign our ovens in hopes of improving their success in making s'mores!

Ask~Imagine~Plan~Create~Improve~Ask~Imagine~Plan~Create~Improve

In math class we have been focusing on our multiplications strategies while discovering volume and what it means to our friend Brad who is running a baseball business!  He sells baseballs in packages of 12 and 24 and we are designing multiple ways in which he can box up his baseballs!  We are keeping track of our models by noticing the lengths and width and height of of the boxes we design. We are generalizing the formula for volume while also discovering the congruency between some of our designs.  As a bonus we have also been focusing on strategies for addition and subtraction!  I am most proud of our dedication to multiple pathways, perseverance, mathematical representations, critique and debate and accuracy and precision!  Way to go efficient mathematicians!  

Don't forget on Friday, we are headed to Shelburne Farms!  Your students will need comfortable clothes appropriate for the weather, sneakers, snacks and a lunch, as well as a water bootle!  Thanks!

Vasanthi 

Donating to Harvey!

Here we are counting our donations!  How much money will we raise for Hurricane Harvey?Changing our mission next week to support citizens affected by Hurricane Irma!  Please continue to send in your spare change, every penny counts!

Habits of Mind, First Goal Sheet and Reading!

Dear Families,

I hope you have all had a great first full week of school!  The weather has been phenomenal and the learning has been so engaging and exciting!  Our weekly reflections showed me this week that our students valued having time in both classrooms focusing on math, reading and writing, attending an assembly on Bullying Behavior Prevention, starting band instrument lessons,  and working on our Photo Wall Project as well as Habits Of Mind posters!  Please talk more about these exciting topics with your students! 

Today I will be sending home our first Goal Sheet of the year!  Students will be returning goal sheets on FRIDAY this year.  Homework is starting light with just reading and focused reflection on a chosen habit of mind.  Below is a graphic that has been shared with your student in hopes of supporting all of us in simply reading for 20 minutes a day!  I know that schedules are busy with extra activities and family time, but reading is a simple and highly beneficial way to stay curious, engaged and excited about learning.  We can learn about the history of the world, travel to exotic places, gain empathy through the perspectives of other characters, widen our vocabulary and improve our writing fluency!    

Your students have been engaging and reflecting on these 16 Habits of Mind for over a year!  This year we want students to be aware of all 16 and make choices in which habits they wish to focus on and practice!  Teams researched and presented these habits to the whole team.  Posters (that they created) will soon be visible in our classrooms and will engage students in understanding these habits, how to practice them and reflection on how this focused work can support them in being successful in school and life.  

Lastly, on a personal note, my mother suffered a heart attack on Monday afternoon.  I was out Tuesday to support her in the hospital.  She came home Wednesday!  At home I have been so impressed by my mother's bravery, persistence and thoughtfulness.  She knew the symptoms, got help and is grateful for the care that has put her back on her feet again!  Your children were so kind and thoughtful on my return Wednesday.  They asked questions, gave me hugs of support and continue to check in on her healing!  So with a grateful heart I wish you and your families an awesome weekend!   

Up, Up and Away!

Ask your child about this Team Work activity!  SO many great skills practiced!  We focused on consensus building!  

Hope for Houston Coin Drive

Hope For Houston Coin drive to help our fellow Americans affected by Hurricane Harvey! Who: 5th grade students at Shelburne Community School How: Bring in spare change! When:9/11-9/22(2 weeks) Americans united to support hundreds!

Week 2 off to a Super Start!

This  morning we took charge and created our classroom job chart, cleaned up our classroom library, planned our 5th Grade Coin Drive for the citizens affected by Hurricane Harvey, and created a A teamwork poster based on the phrases and words we have been collecting every day!  Our first 5 days of school have been heavily embedded with team work!  Together as a team we kicked off a Habits of Mind Design Challenge today...stay tuned for more updates.  Here is a photo of the 16 Habits of Mind!  

We began swapping classroom for short time periods this week!  It has been this highlight of the day for many!  Ask your child about Math with me and writing and reading with Mrs. Crowther.  Your child may want to  play Total 25 with you!  All you need is two pencils and a piece of paper!  

Mr. Badillo visited the team this afternoon to roll out our Chromebook Agreement!  These came home in your child's HW folder, please read it and sign it and return it to school tomorrow!  

SCS Beginning Band Roll Out

SCS BEGINNING BAND (Concert Band) ROLLOUT SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY, 8/31:  Instrument Demonstration, 8:30-9:15.  All 5th graders attend

FRIDAY, 9/1:  Beginning Band meeting, 10:20-11:00.  Interested 5th graders attend.

TUESDAY, 9/5:  Beginning Band enrollment forms due by the end of the day

WEDNESDAY, 9/6:  Beginning Band meeting, 10:20-11:00 (enrolled students only)

THURSDAY, 9/7:  Beginning Band meeting, 10:20-11:00 (enrolled students only)

Ellis Music Instrument Delivery Night, 6:30pm, cafeteria (all enrolled students attend)

FRIDAY, 9/8:  Lesson groups and schedule begin (students have two quick lessons in 6 school days, then a lesson approximately every two weeks.

MONDAY, 11/27:  Concert Band rehearsals begin (Monday, Tuesday, & Fridays, 10:20-11:00)

1st Day of School! Welcome to 2017-2018

Dear Families,
     Welcome tot he 2017-2018 school year!  5th Grade had a collaborative start to school today!  As a 5th Grade we spent time in our own classroom as well as in our new learning commons, at Lunch and Recess and at our Essential Arts Classes.  Our class had Art with Mr. Boardman and were amazed to see his new organized and cleaned out space!  It looks amazing!  We spent the class drawing ourselves as CATS!  We are all SCS CATS!  It was intriguing to see the different perspectives we all took to draw our cats ( side view, head on, with a body, just the face)  These will be displayed in the hall and is a project being done by grades Kindergarten thru 5th Grade!





5th Graders spent the morning participating in many team building activities that reacquainted us with one another!  We played Rock, Paper, Scissors and crowned three team champions, Tamiyah, Ella and Isaiah!  We worked to respect our new learning commons by "Leaving No Trace."  Spaces should be kept as clean as we see them upon arrival each day.  Look at how beautiful our new cubbies and hooks are!  We practiced Leave No Trace in the cafeteria today, too.  Students cleaned up all their trash, checked the floors and listened respectfully to all of Principal Celmer's directions and requests!  Outside at recess 180 students listened to Principal Sivo's expectations for the playground and had one of the best recess I have seen in a while.  New boundaries were explained, students made wise choices and many adults were there to walk around and engage the students in Safe, Responsible and Respectful play!

 This afternoon we used our new white board tables to find Uncommon Commonalities!  I overheard the most thoughtful, polite conversations for over 30 minutes!  Not only did we find out our commonalities, we came up with some expectations for team work! Students demonstrated these expectations:     1. Take turns 2. Listen to the speaker 3. Find consensus 4. Respect every idea 5. Stay on task 6. Compromise 7. Take care of materials 8. Celebrate decisions 9. Keep a positive attitude 10. Support everyone in the group! This was a great way for us to get to know our new friend Tessa and for us to teach her all about us!  Lastly, I hope that your students shared about their day with you!  I look forward to learning and growing tomorrow!      



   

Meet Vasanthi!

Summer Reading!

Dear Class and Families,
    I hope your first 2 weeks of Summer Vacation are off to a great start!  I just wanted to write to say I finished two really good books!  How to Speak Dolphin by Giny Rorby and ECHO by Pam Munoz Ryan.  Both of these books were recommended and passed on to me by Gigi.  That's enough to let you know they are both really good books.  Just a quick gist on each book.  How to Speak Dolphin is book similar to Rules and tells the story of a young girl and her autistic half brother.  ECHO tells 3 stories in one an you must read to find
out what connects all three main characters.  Full of adventure and suspense! The book is thick, but the font is pretty big and you can get through it quick! I hope you have all visited the library and are enjoying some good outside play time!
Vasanthi

Summer Reading!

Dear Families,

It is hard to believe that fourth grade is almost over. Your children have worked hard this year and have grown in so many ways. As you look ahead to summer, I hope that your calendars are filled with rest, relaxation, and fun. I also hope your summer is filled with reading!

As we close out our school year, the fourth grade will be hosting a book exchange to encourage, excite, and get new titles in the hands of kids. Over the weekend, please help your child look through their shelves to find gently used books that they are no longer interested in, but would be a great book for a friend.  Have them bring them into school by Wednesday, June 14th. On Thursday June 15th, kids will exchange them!  

As an added layer of excitement, we will be helping children create summer book boxes.  In it will be new books acquired from the book swap, a calendar, and a list of 4 titles they would like to read over the summer.  Please send in one empty shoe box ASAP that your child can use for this purpose.  Over the course of the next week we will have book talks to build excitement around new titles.  We hope to get everyone energized and organized about summer reading!  We will even have a visit from Katie, the Pierson Library Librarian!

Please let me know if you have any questions. I am looking forward to the exchange and summer reading!

Fondly,

Vasanthi

Dates to remember:

ASAP-- a shoe box

Wednesday, June 14 - All books that will be exchanged should be at SCS

Thursday, June 15th- Our book exchange!

Did you know…?

• The best predictor of summer loss or summer gain is whether or not a child reads during the summer.  And the best predictor of whether a child reads is whether or not he or she has access to books. (Allington, McGill-Franzen, 2003)
• Children who read four or more books over the summer fare better on reading-comprehension tests in the fall than their peers who read one or no books over the summer.  (Kim, 2004)
• The two largest contributions to reading achievement are access to interesting books and student choice of the books they read. (Guthrie and Humenick 2004)
• Check out this article!

A few lessons on sound waves! How does sound travel? Can I make a paper cup telephone?

Summer Math Ideas

Summer Math Ideas

Summer Math Ideas for Students:

K-5 Bridges Student Resources Organized by Grade Level - online and great for K-6!

Youcubed - Look under “ideas and tasks” to find all you need...all summer long!

NCTM Classroom Resources - a collection of online resources from the authority

Illuminations - another collection of resources from NCTM, mainly online apps and games

More ideas from Bridges - summer math fun at home (including a link to Bedtime math)

More from Bridges - parent reading & games

Bedtime Math - a fun problem per day….everyday!

Parenting Ideas To Promote Lifelong Learning:

An article for Parents to read about the feedback we give children:  Growth Mindset Feedback

Here is a Document with research based articles, websites, and videos that support children’s learning.

Math Support for Parents K-5 - parent letters about the math we do with all K-5 students

Questions, comments, ideas for improvement?  Please contact John Madden - jmadden@cssu.org