May 28, 2013

Dear 2nd Grade  Parents and Guardians,

On Tuesday, June 4th from 8:30-9:40 a.m., the Allen Brook School current grade 2 students will be visiting their new 3rd grade classrooms.  Those in multi-age classrooms will be meeting with their new 4th grade classmates and teacher, and those in looping classrooms will be meeting with their teacher and their new 3rd grade classmates. 

That night (Tuesday), for second-graders' parents, there will  be  a parent/guardian information session from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at WCS. 

Families will be receiving placement letters with your new teacher by June 1st. 

We recognize that moving on is a bittersweet time for students and families.   Feelings of sadness in leaving the comfort of their class and teacher, mixed with the excitement, joy and uncertainty of a new classroom (teacher, friends and responsibilities) and school are all healthy and normal.   We are confident that this planned visit to their new 3rd grade room will help them with this transition.  Please help us by making sure your student is here on time on Tuesday.

Thank you!

Carolyn Tatlock

Jen Tumilowicz

ABS School Counselors

May 24, 2013

May 24, 2013

Hello Parents!

I think the kids are ready for a long weekend!  We accomplished a lot this week in spite of the restlessness ;)  We learned about lightning and thunder. We invited Mrs. Powers' class to read their Animal Research books to us, and we wrote new poems for our KidBlogs.
Please take a look and leave a comment or two. If your child hasn't yet finished his or her poem, they may finish it up if they have a moment over the weekend.

Happy Birthday this week to Kali and to Chloe.

Take care everyone.  See you on Tuesday.

Mr. Bolger

May 9, 2013

Dear Parents,

First, please consider running in the Williston Runs 5K race on June 1st. It's a great reason to get together, a great way for a community to earn money, and a great incentive to get up and get in shape. I've sent everyone a registration form via email.  It's just three weeks away. Now or never!

Also, we had a GREAT time at the Annie play today. Of course the kids got squirmy, but it was really-well-presented, and had all that good, upbeat singing and the funny antics that the orphans play on the head of the orphanage.

Why not talk with them about integrity. We've been talking about that word. Annie had integrity because she told the truth and she was kind to other down-and-out people. Daddy Warbucks had integrity because he helped Annie out of the real goodness of his heart. He also talked to Annie about how having a billion dollars isn't as good as having someone to love. So he recognized the difference between the strength of money/power and the strength of integrity/happiness/love.

You could talk with them about the crooks who lie that they are Annie's parents and they nearly get away with it.

Finally, you could take with them about The Great Depression and about Hoovervilles and about Roosevelt (and his polio/wheelchair)  and the New Deal. These were all alluded to in the show, and probably went over the kids' heads. But I had a chance to talk about it with a few students and they were very interested.

Anyway, it was a great show. Consider taking your child to see it again in the coming days. Well worth a second look. 

 

Reading Logs: due tomorrow. Sorry I didn't get one out to the kids this week. Most parents have been printing up reading logs I have emailed in the past.  Do the best you can. Estimating is good. :)

 

Last, Home School Journals went home today. The kids are particularly working on their handwriting and on responding to things that you have written to them. 

 

Have a nice weekend, everyone.

Mr. B.

May 9, 2013

Hi Parents,

1) Tomorrow we will be taking the bus over to WCS at 12:00 to see the play, Annie.  The kids will be dismissed from WCS. If you pick up your child, please do so there. The Live Y'er students will take Bus A back to school.

2) Monday  we started our new countries workshops. Ask your child which workshop he or she is attending this week and what they learned. 

3) Charlie Jennings brought in a solar powered car today, and we took it for a test drive. 

4) We have four sheets that were kindly loaned to us for our Reading Restaurant. We have a blue one, a flowered one, a heavy white one with nice stitching in it, and another heavy white one with stitching and "embroidered holes."   Please email me so I can get them safely back to you. 

5) We got a good start on our Home School Journals this week, but we ran out of time --- we decided to stay outside for a little longer with Charlie's car. Sorry. 

6) Thank you to Karen Allen for her surprise popsicles today. That was  a real treat. 

Take care, everyone. 

Mr. Bolger

April 30, 2013

Hi Parents

We have had two great days back at school. The kids seem well rested and ready for the final stretch. How about this warm weather?!

Next week we will be doing workshops for Social Studies. I will be teaching about Canada and Mrs. Powers will be teaching China. Mrs. Rodliff will be teaching about Kenya and Ms. Schwartz will be teaching about Greece. The kids will stay with each teacher for a week and go through all classes.

Note about Gym: For the last trimester, my class will have Gym on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursday.  Please help your child remember to bring sneakers on those days.

Students will be seeing the show, Annie put on by students at WCS next Thursday, May 9th. The show will run from 12:15 to the end of the day.

Thanks. 

Mr. Bolger

April 3, 2013

Dear Parents,

Reading Restaurant is coming up: mark your calendars, reserve your seats, and help your child plan a simple costume.

Mark your calendars!:  we will have our Reading Restaurant on Thursday, April 18th. It's an evening event where parents, brothers, sisters, and grandparents can reserve a seat and then come to "dine" on your child's writing from this year. The students come dressed up as an animal (you can bend a coat hanger, stick some cardboard ears on it, and  draw some facial whiskers if you want to be a fox, for example). They all have a job such as cook, maitre d', waiter, busperson, etc. and it will be their pleasure to serve you!

We chose our restaurant name today: The Northern Lights Cafe.
We also chose our jobs and our shifts. Your child will be in the first shift or the second shift
(tentatively, the shifts  go: 6:00-6:45 and 7:00-7:45). I will notify you in the next couple of days with the exact times.

Reserve your seats by email: how many people from your family -- aside from the child I teach -- will be attending? Please email your number to me so we can plan our table  arrangements.

Help your child  plan a simple costume. Students can pick any animal that inhabits the Arctic Tundra
(ex: Arctic Fox, Reindeer, Polar Bear, Grizzly Bear, Snowy Owl, Lemming, Goose, Wolverine, Penguin, etc.)

More info to come...

Four Winds is this Friday. Please Dress Warmly.

... a note from Kim Jennings, our Four Winds coordinator...

Good Morning,

Just a reminder that we will be presenting the 4Winds program this coming Friday from 8:30 - 10:00.  This month's lesson is called, Galls Galore, and in it, we'll be looking at how some insect species spend most of their life cycle inside a gall - which is a growth on plants that provides the insect with food, shelter and protection.

Kids, please dress appropriately as we will be going outside on a "gall hunt".

- Kim Jennings

That's all for now, Folks. 

Mr. B.