Gingerbread

We've been reading various versions of The Gingerbread Man and comparing them. We've shared time with Gingerbread Fred and we've even made a class book of our adventures. Check out our pictures!

Burnham Library Visit

Fort Day in Room 9

We filled TWO buckets with champ bands by being safe, kind, and doing our best!! As a celebration, the students decided they wanted a fort day! Here are some photos from our fun!

We’re Learning About Balance!

We've started a new science unit on Balance and Motion! I've introduced the vocabulary words balance, stable, and counterweight. We've had so much fun trying to balance paper "crayfish" on our fingers and we've even started writing and illustrating our learning in our science journals. Check out some of our fun!

Lake Champlain Slide Shows

The students worked in groups to create a google slide show of all that they've learned!  Check these out!

Harvest Party Sign-Up

Here is a link to the Room 9 Sign-Up Genius for our Harvest Party on Wednesday, October 31st. Everyone is welcome to attend this low key event! We will eat some goodies and read a Halloween story!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c48abaa22a13-harvest1

Watershed

We have been busy learning about how Lake Champlain helps our town of Colchester. Yesterday, Stephanie Larkin, from the Lake Champlain Basin Program at ECHO, came in to teach us all about our watershed. A watershed is basically a piece of land that drains into a river, lake, stream, or ocean. We talked about ways that we inadvertently harm Lake  Champlain and ways that we can fix it. Stephanie brought a watershed model and the students were able to sprinkle various environmental hazards on the model.  A few of the ways that we were able to “act out” on the watershed model were animal waste, harmful fertilizer, soil erosion, grass clippings, litter, excess winter salt, and oil. Ways that we talked about to fix these issues are scooping up animal waste, composting, planting grass, shrubs and building fences, picking up litter, using salt sparingly during storms and finding more “earth friendly” ways to melt snow and ice, and fixing leaks in cars.  The kids LOVED the hands on experience and they really learned a lot!! We’ll be making a google slide presentation next week! 

Harvest Celebration

We are having a Harvest Celebration on Wednesday, October 31st from 2:00 - 2:50.  Click on the sign up genius link to help bring a treat!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C48ABAA22A13-harvest1

Fire fighters

October is National Fire Safety Month. Yesterday, The Colchester Fire Department came to UMS to review fire safety with our students. We talked about having a family meeting spot outside of the house if we have to leave fast, how to crawl under smoke, and what to do if your clothing catches fire -stop, drop, cover your face, and roll. We were also able to see a firefighter dressed up in all her gear and hear what it sounds like when she breathes, which sounds like Darth Vader. Take a look at some of our fun!

Conference Sign Up

Here is the link for parents to use to sign up for conferences in November.  Please remember that each child is allowed one time slot, so please plan accordingly!  I look forward to talking about all of the wonderful successes that your child has had so far this year!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c48abaa22a13-mscollins

Reading

We've started our reading groups in earnest this week. Students have been busy picking "Good Fit" books, working independently, and practicing our reading strategies. I'm so proud of the growth that these kids have shown in such in short amount of time!

UMS Book Fair

The UMS Book Fair is coming next week!  Students will preview the books on Monday and Tuesday, and they'll have a chance to start buying books on Tuesday evening from 4:30 -6:30.  Here is a link that you can use to buy items online or to set up an ewallet account so your child can buy books without having to bring money into school. Have a great day!

http://www.scholastic.com/bf/unionmemorialschool1 

Guided Discovery of the School Bus

Hi Families!! We have had a great start to school!!  One of the ways that we "kick off" a new school year, is Mrs. McCleary comes in and talks to everyone about expected and safe behaviors on the school bus.  My computer was acting up on Friday morning, so Mrs. McCleary had to be flexible and she ended up drawing a school bus to explain her key points.  The kids did a fabulous job listening and answering questions.  We even took a short ride around Village Dr. to practice our safe bus skills! Here are some pictures from our fun lesson!

Welcome to Room 9!!!

Room 9 is almost ready for the school year!!!  Come and check out our classroom at Open House on Tuesday, August 28th from 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.! I look forward to seeing everyone!  School starts on Wednesday, August 29th!  Enjoy the last few days of summer!

Fill A Bucket with Compliments and Kind Words!

Today and Monday, we are spreading feelings of friendship!  Each student has their own bucket and classmates are writing kind words to "fill" their bucket!  We had SO much fun on Friday and I can't wait to continue on Monday!  Remember, the last school day is Tuesday and students will be dismissed at 12:45!  Have a fabulous summer and please come back and visit!!

The Village Scoop Celebration!

We did a great job the last few weeks of being safe, kind, and doing our best so we earned a classroom celebration at the Village Scoop! Today was the perfect day for ice cream! Take a look at our photos!

(It's really hard to tell when everyone is looking the right way!)

Four Winds - Bees!

Today we had a great Four Winds Science lesson on Bees! We learned all about the three types of bees - queen, worker, and drone.  We were able to take a close-up look at deceasedworker and drone bees with magnifying glasses.  We were fascinated that the worker bees have stingers but the drone bees don't. We also sampled some honey and honeycomb!  I'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Bevill for teaching these amazing science lessons all year!  Here are some pictures from our explorations!