Mr. Madden's Class - Harmony Team

Dear Parents, I wanted to say thank you for sharing your awesome children with me all year long. They have been a real pleasure to learn with and I'm a better person for having relationships with each one of them. I hope everyone has a great summer and finds time to read with your kids. If you need resources to keep them reading please don't hesitate to contact me! Starting today they will be bringing home school materials that should stay at home. Please help by making sure to send them with an empty backpack Thursday and Friday - I'll send it home full! Report cards will go home Friday in their backpacks. They will know their 2nd grade teachers on Friday morning so check in with them about that when you see them Friday afternoon... Hope to see some of them in 5th grade... a few short years from now!!!! John Plenty of pictures in the shared folder ...

June 7th - Picnic at Shelburne Beach 5:00-7:00. Hope to see everyone there for some fun! Very much a "on your own" evening of socializing. Just food for your tribe, playing and no structured activities. June 8th - Button Bay State Park field trip: All day play time with a few activities like a nature hike, fairy house building, kickball, playground time, etc....  Kids should dress for being outside all day, bring a lunch, water bottle and sunscreen. No swimming will happen. June 15th - Last day of school, kids are dismissed at 11:45. Lunch in classrooms but bagged lunches are available. There are some great pictures in our shared folders .

March 31st  - last trip to the library, please send kids in with all library books or they might hunt you down... June 1st - Jog-a-thon is at 9:40. Sunscreen, water bottle, sneakers. June 6th - Nearby Nature walk at 1:15. All are welcome! June 7th - Picnic at Shelburne Beach 5:00-7:00. Hope to see everyone there for some fun! June 8th - Button Bay State Park field trip, chaperones are welcome! Let me know... June 15th - Last day of school, kids are dismissed at 11:45. Lunch in classrooms but bagged lunches available.

We are working to finish strong here in Mr. Madden's classroom...end of year assessments, field trips, year-end activities, and reflecting on our year. These students have grown so much - there is much to celebrate! We are going to finish our Nearby Nature series with a walk in the woods behind the museum (access from the end of School Street) on June 6th from 1:15-3:00. All parents are welcome to join this walk - please email me if you are planning to come along. EOY picnic at Shelburne beach - bring your own food. June 7th, 5:00-7:00. EOY field trip to Button Bay on June 8th, 9:00 - 3:00. We could use some chaperones to help on this trip. Please email me if you are interested. Last day of school is June 15th - dismissal at 11:30am.

Thursday, June 7th, 5pm-7pm  - Shelburne Beach Family Picnic. We invite families to join us at Shelburne Beach for a picnic dinner. Please bring your own food and drink -  come anytime between  5pm and 7pm. . The purpose of this event is to celebrate all the hard work your 1st graders have accomplished this year.  Friday, June 8th, 9am-3pm  - Button Bay State Park. Our team will be traveling to Button Bay State Park in Vergennes for an end of year field trip! If you would like to chaperone to help supervise groups of students - please let me know. You will need to contact Esther if you have not been cleared to supervise students independently (forms and fingerprints). Looking forward to a strong finish! Thanks, Stef, John, and Abby

Thursday, June 7th, 5pm-7pm  - Shelburne Beach Family Picnic. We invite families to join us at Shelburne Beach for a picnic dinner. Please bring your own food and drink. The purpose of this event is to celebrate all the hard work your 1st graders have accomplished this year. Please come anytime between  5pm and 7pm. Friday, June 8th, 9am-3pm  - Button Bay State Park. Our team will be traveling to Button Bay State Park in Vergennes for an end of year field trip! If you would like to chaperone to help supervise groups of students - please let us know. More details to come.  From our wonderful Paraprofessional who brought these in for students to try this week: Sunflower Nutella Brownies Ask your kids about what we are growing in our classroom.... veggies to be planted in the school's raised beds and crystals as a reward for filling out Cat Coin bucket once again!

Kids are right back to the hard work of learning and growing each day. They continue to make amazing progress on literacy skills and mathematical thinking - a strong foundation for life-long learning! Important dates and news: Nearby Nature was another awesome afternoon of learning with our classroom's volunteers: Amber Deng (Ella's mom), Ashley Prout (Reid's mom), Andrew Everett (Chance's dad) and Jane Grayson (Summer's grandmother).  They make science come alive and provide a monthly learning experience that is fantastic and engaging.  Thank you all so much for giving your time and energy to our classroom!!! Tomorrow (May 3rd) we will attend the Flynn Theatre to see Machine de Cirque . We will be back in time for lunch so no need to do anything differently. This show ties nicely into some of our work in science and engineering...and it will be FUN! Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 7th. We are planning an end of year celebration with all the Harm...

It has been another productive week in our classroom! Students are reading longer and stronger, building even better reading habits (proof can be found on our hallway bulletin board.) Please try to get your kids to read every day for 10-20 minutes. Next week we start Unit 6 in math and we continue to strengthen our use of structure when adding and subtracting. Read more here. Students are writing opinions in writing and you can support them by asking them to justify what they say with reasons.  They can use the words from this checklist when talking to you about their opinions. This verbal practice will help them when it comes time to write! Don't forget to check out all the pics and videos in our shared folder . There are some gems...

News items this week: As we begin a new unit, I need students to bring in a collection of items from home as fodder for opinion writing. These can be placed in a shoebox or paper bag but some kind of collection will help to engage students in convincing others (and themselves) of their opinion. These could be legos, barbie dolls, hair ties, rocks, stickers, erasers, cards, etc. Family Math Night   - Thursday, April 12th - 6:00-7:30  If your child does not know by memory (automatically) their "make 10 facts" please encourage them to practice at home.  Here are some resources: https://mathgeekmama.com/pyramid-fun-and-easy-math-card-game/ https://www.mathplayground.com/number_bonds_10.html http://www.snappymaths.com/addition/make10/make10.htm

This week your children: Published at least one chapter book! Have them read it to you this weekend as it will come home in the Friday Folder. Please send it back in on Monday so we can add it to our classroom library. Attended a fun assembly on Wednesday with NED - ask them about it...  The theme was a review of the work we have been doing all year long on the ideas of Growth Mindset .  Yo-yo sale for the next 5 days pays for the assembly... Took an imaginary trip to Antarctica and measured penguins and ourselves in inches. Kids are not expected to measure accurately with inches or feet but it is their first exposure in school so talk it up at home if the chance arises! Earned another reward for following expected behaviors - being safe, responsible and respectful.  We will go outside for an extra recess on a warm day. There will be a food drive at SCS over the next few weeks to help stock the Shelburne Food Shelf. Here is the flyer .

Nearby Nature the study of Owls  - was AWESOME!!  Wrapping up Unit 4 in Math - Check out the resources for Unit 5 when you get a chance. If you would like to start having your child use RAZ kids at home please let me know and I can add them back into the program.  It allows them to access just right* books to read anywhere there is internet access - for free! Check out the Resources and Links page of this blog for more information...

If you would like to request a parent/teacher conference with me, would like to stop in to say hello, or would just like to stop by and jam on some instruments, please let me know! Face-to-face, phone, Google Hangout are all options.  I am available at the following times to meet:  Friday, March 23rd :  11am - 3:30pm Wednesday, March 28th :  3:00-4:00pm   Wednesday, April 4th :  3:00 - 4:15pm Please email me at  jsanders@cvsdvt.org  if you would like to set an appointment.  Happy Spring (if it ever stops snowing!) and I look forward to seeing you at the K-3 Informances in the coming weeks. Best wishes, Jodi Sanders, music  

We are having a great week in our classroom! Kids are working so hard to follow expected behaviors and spirit week has been fun. Don't forget to sign up for a conference!! Sign-up sheet We are working to follow expected behaviors and the group plan - when someone is not following those I'm using the language of "unexpected" with kids.  They are working to find the "hidden rules" in social situations by starting to look around and figuring out what is expected by paying attention to others. Keep them reading each night to continue the awesome progress they are all making as readers!! Don't forget to take a peek at the class photo and video collection: Madden Class Photos & Videos

Please sign up for a conference - same as last time, sign up for a time or let me know an alternate time that works better for you...     Here is the document   Bringing students to the conference is encouraged but not necessary - it is up to you and your family as to what works best. Another "Stuffy and Engineering" day will happen this Friday to include kids that were absent the Friday before break. They will have time to create something that helps them in some way and then share it with the class. They can bring a stuffed animal to school to help encourage them when thinking as engineers do...fail, fail and fail again while improving and learning from those failures! Please help make sure kids are reading each and every day - this is the single most important work they should do outside of school.  If you want to use online resources that include just right books, I can help make that happen...just let me know.

Those rascally kids of yours are working hard, learning to work together, and following our expectations of being Safe, Responsible & Respectful so much that they have earned another celebration! Tomorrow will be STUFFED ANIMAL and ENGINEERING DAY. Please let kids bring in a stuffed animal with them to work on a creative, collaborative project that will require some building.  I know that some folks will be out of town for this celebration and so we will do it again after the break so that all can participate. I hope everyone enjoys some time off doing what you love to do. Your kids are all so awesome to work with each day - I feel fortunate. Mr. Madden

Valentine's Day is Wednesday and we will take some time to decorate a bag that can serve as a valentine collector. New rule at SCS - notes or cards only and no candy please. Please make sure your child is reading each and every day - they can read independently in a just right book or you can read with them...but try to get 15-20 minutes every day. What Parents Can Learn From a Town That Produced 11 Olympians Yesterday was Puppets in Education and we saw a program that included understanding emotions and diversity. Last week's day of play was awesome and you can find photographic evidence in the shared picture folder .

Wednesday, February 7th is Global School Play Day  and we will celebrate with some maker fun in the afternoon.  I'll be providing very unstructured play with kids  building and playing together. Some kids asked to bring in some materials and I agreed they could as long as they know that they will become property of the classroom and be up for grabs. Please don't let them bring anything you want back. Thursday, February 8th is our 100th day of school!  This is the current line up: Kids can dress up as if they are 100 - should be cute but don't go spending any money on costumes. This is optional!! Students are encouraged to bring 100 of some kind of food to share - goldfish, nuts, raisins, cereal pieces, pretzels, etc.  We may combine some of these to make a 100th day snack. Some activities at school to celebrate such as making a paper link chain, reader's theater, etc. Don't forget the book fair purchasing happens tomorrow morning at 8:30. They are also...

Next week is the book fair - we will preview books on Monday and go shopping on Wednesday morning if you want to send your child with money to buy - that will be the day we shop. There is information in the Friday folder about the book fair. Next Thursday is the 100th day of school! We will celebrate in the classroom with a visit from Zero the hero! Don't forget to check out the shared picture folder - updated regularly by me. From the Math Center: Math Tips and Resources for Parents . We are just starting Unit 4 in Math - Here are the online games and parent letters  that go with it. From the PTO: After such a great response last year, the PTO is once again coordinating Team Raffle Baskets in conjunction with the Winter Family Fundraiser at Gonzo’s HD Sports on March 18 th  and we need your help! Each team has been assigned a “Theme Basket” and we are asking for families to help us fill the baskets with donated items.   ...

Students have earned another special treat and have chosen  Crazy Hair Day for tomorrow, January 26th .  I will have some safe green and gold hair spray paint if they want to participate and don't have crazy hair resources at home. Progress reports will be in backpacks tomorrow - January 26th. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything regarding your child's progress please let me know and we can set up a time to talk. This month we explored skulls with the awesome Nearby Nature volunteers and kids were enthralled for over an hour!  Here is a folder with some Nearby Nature news if you are interested in talking about this with your child. Please make sure to send your child in with appropriate snow and outdoor gear for this time of year.  Kids need winter boots, snow pants, hats, mittens and jackets.  

We are starting a new science unit and I'm including a parent letter in student's Friday folder along with a phases of the moon recording sheet.  You can easily google websites that will show the moon if there is cloud cover. Please make sure to send student with enough snack as many students are running out and asking me for food in the afternoon. I've just completed another round of reading assessments and am psyched to report that everyone is growing like crazy!! To continue this trend please make sure kids are reading each and every night! You can help them by "doing something" at the end of each book or chapter: review what was learned in the book, summarize, reread the favorite page, ask questions about the text...something is better than nothing.  I'm trying to get kids to read each night and then think about the reading. Our Latest Scholastic Book Order Class Code -  RN4NH Order Due Date -  01/31/18 Dear Families, This is a frien...