What's New?
Week #18 January 7-11, 2018

We began some new studies this week.

Dreambox Learning Math:  The South Burlington School District purchased this rigorous and highly adaptive online math learning system for RMCS for the remainder of the school year.  I introduced this to students this week.  Students will have time in school to complete lessons as they assume their avatar in Adventureland.  This learning system meets the educational needs of individual learners by adjusting in the moment as the student responds to lessons in the fun learning environment.

Reader's Notebooks:  We are now recording the title, author and date each day we read.  We'll also use this notebook to write about our own reading, our shared read alouds and our mini lessons.  This will be a great tool for us as we grow as readers and make the reading/writing connection.

Flat Stanley:  Our current read aloud is Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown.  This character will help us begin our study of United States Geography.  On Friday, 1/11/19, your child brought home a letter in their "Take Home" folder about sending a Flat Stanley to a friend or family member that lives in another state.  Please return this letter with the necessary information ASAP this week.  Along with mailing Flat Stanley to family and friends, we'll be mailing postcards to a second grade classroom in each of the 49 other states.  We'll receive postcards back from those 49 schools--wow!  We will be excited to check the mail for the next few months!

We are also collecting puzzles of the United States to complete in school.  If you have one that you are able to share with our class, please label the box and send it to school with your child this week.

Guidance:  Here is some information from Mrs. Wheeler and Ms. Bedell regarding our new guidance unit entitled, "Changing Perspectives".

Our school has chosen the theme of “Changing Perspectives” to help our students gain better understanding of differences and disabilities. We are collaborating with Sam Drazin, Executive Director of Changing Perspectives { www.cpne.org} and former teacher. He will be presenting to all our students in grade level meetings on Friday 1/18. Each week, Mrs. Wheeler and her intern Ms. Bedell will be incorporating their curriculum into their weekly class time with us. They will read a book with our class and discuss the importance of the uniqueness and value of each member of our school community. While we will be learning about various disabilities, our focus will be on recognizing each person’s strengths. To celebrate our learning, we will be organizing a disability awareness hands-on workshop. We will set up stations to simulate various disabilities and invite students to experience daily actives without being able to see, walk, hear, or use their fingers. In first and second grades, each student will create a booklet to demonstrate their learning.

Word Study:  We also returned to our word study routines.  Based on a winter spelling assessment, all students in second grade are working in "just right" word study groups.  Students work in their group to study patterns at their developmental spelling level 20 minutes each day.

Other things to ask your child about this week:
*Not Your Typical Dragon
*Cross country skiing in PE
*Reader's Notebook
*Kindness picture books:  How Full is Your Bucket?, A Sick Day For Amos McGee, Enemy Pie

Thank you!
Mrs. Hock