Sept. 3, 2010

September 3^rd, 2 010

Dear Parents,

            Happy Friday!  Ok. I’ll give your children back.  For a couple of days.     I’d like to take this opportunity to, again, welcome you and your child to my class.  I’m looking forward to a happy, successful year.  We’ve had a great time at school this week getting to know each other.  The students have learned some of the procedures for using a variety of materials in the classroom. They’ve also helped to develop our classroom rules, and above all, we are learning that when we are kind and helpful, together we can do anything.

            This letter will encompass a variety of information to help the year go smoothly.  First, homework (which will be commencing  soon):   once reading groups are up and running, your child will be bringing home a book bag.  S/he should read on a daily basis for at least 15 minutes.  There will be a reading log to fill out on a weekly basis as well.

At the 1^st and 2^nd grade level, besides the 15 minutes of reading each night,  you can expect, 1-2 times per week, math homework that is part of the Bridges program.  This will come home in a math homework folder.  It will always be an extension of what we have done in class. It won’t be something that you are having to teach your child. Students  at this age should not be spending more than 30 minutes per night working on homework (reading + math).  If the time spent on homework consistently exceeds this, or if  you see that you child is struggling, please let me know and I will make some adjustments.  

            If your child would like to bring in a closeable water bottle to keep at his/her desk and fill up throughout the day,  I welcome that.  In addition, we will be having a short snack time each morning.  I am encouraging kids to bring (and trying , myself,  to bring, ) a healthy snack.  Some snack ideas are: fruit, vegetables, cheese and crackers, string cheese, yogurt, granola bars, hard boiled eggs, apple sauce, or pretzels.  One of our students in this class is allergic to tree nuts (if he eats them) --  but not allergic to peanuts , so peanuts are a great snack choice. 

Please also send in a change of clothes in a plastic bag that your child can keep on the top shelf in his/her locker in the event that he or she needs to change. 

**** There has been a change in policy this year, and the school nurse can no longer provide  extra clothing. 

Important Dates:

September 6^th- No School (Labor Day)

Sept. 22^nd  - Field Trip to Shelburne Farms

Sept. 22nd - Class picture taken at 8:00 a.m. sharp

Sept. 22^nd – Curriculum Night
Sept. 24th - Our first Four Winds  Lesson

Sept. 28^th – Early Dismissal

Reminder: If your child is leaving school at dismissal time in a way other than their typical daily transportation (bus, walk, or pick-up) please be sure to send a note to school.  You may email  your note, but please do so the day before, since I often do not have a chance to check my email during the day.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime.  We’re off to a great start, and  I look forward to getting to know you all better across the  coming  months.

Onward!

Mr. Bolger

Sept. 1, 2010

Dear Parents and Friends,

What a great first day of school. We began with Morning Meeting  Greetings and sang "This Little Light of Mine."  We also read a book called, "My First Day of First Grade."

In Math, we found seats for our 22 second-grade math students and we did a categorizing activity (ex: Everyone who is wearing white stand over here. Everyone who is not wearing white, stand over there..." )  We practiced "Circling Up" outside with Mrs. Powers' class, and we can now circle up  it in 10 seconds! Someone had the smart idea of everyone holding hands and then taking a step backwards.  We drew self-portraits to hang in our classroom, and we practiced secret hand signals for asking to get a drink or going to the bathroom. We learned other important routines like closing our lockers quietly, "signing out" to go to the bathroom, and pushing our chairs in and picking up our areas.

Later in the day, we composed our list of good classroom rules, and we ended with Afternoon Meeting and Compliments.  I think these kids are going to sleep well tonight. It's hard work creating a civilization :)

We are encouraging students to bring in water bottles and leave them here. Also, if your child brings something for snack or lunch that requires being ripped open, I'd like to suggest that he or she keep a small round-tipped scissors in their lunch box to be able to cut the item open.

Shhhh: Mr. Bolger is bringing in some class pets, but everyone is going to have to wait 'til tomorrow to see what they are.

Sleep well, everyone, and celebrate your successful first day back at school!

Mr. Bolger

August 27, 2010

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome back to school.
Welcome to Horizon House.
Welcome to your new classroom!

Friends of yours are here, and they can't wait to see you.
There are other kids who haven't even met you yet,
And boy, will they be glad when they do.
You will make so many new friends.

There are four teachers in Horizon House. They are Mrs. Rodliff, Mrs. Powers, Ms. Schwartz, and me, Mr. Bolger.  We all teach first and second grade.  And we all love teaching.

Your classroom will be a mix of twenty first and second graders.  Here you are: Amanda Li, Grant, Harley, Adia, Samantha,Olivia, Carlie, Nico, Kyle, Sean, Luna, Ruben, Wayne, Kayla, Alyssa, Evan, J.J., Cutter, Amanda Gagne, and Jagger.  And don't forget that many old friends and new friends will be right next door in Mrs. Powers', Ms. Schwartz's and Ms. Rodliff's classrooms.

I hope you will be able to come to our open house next Tuesday, 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. right here.  Then the first day of school is Wednesday, starting at 7:50 a.m.!

Thank you, in advance, for helping to make this fall the best ever.

Mr. Bolger

May 28, 2010

Calliope Weekly Update
May 24-28, 2010
Week Thirty-five

Reading & Writing: Students tried their best to ‘cool down’ with good books this week during the heat wave.  Students have begun work on their benchmark reading assessments for the last time this year.  We will be sharing student instructional levels in reading with you come report card time.  Mr. Bolger's class began a new read aloud: The Time Warp Trio's book -- It's All Greek to Me. Ms. Schoolcraft’s class began a new read aloud too: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.

Math: Both third and fourth graders exclaimed ‘we have the same homework!’ Thursday afternoon (their geometry work looked similar with dot patterns)…as both grade levels are studying geometry.  Third graders’ math work is on display outside the main office in the lobby…our work included rotating designs using polygons from an earlier problem.  Come check it out!  Third graders also began to explore elements of area and geometric solids during an activity called “boxes” on Friday. Fourth Graders are hard at work studying the world of fractions.

Word Study: Mr. Bolger's Spelling Class took home their second-to-last spelling list for the year. The kids are ramping up for a year-end spelling bee covering all the spelling words and rules they have learned! Ms. S’s group began unit 10 this week, examining syllables with double vowel teams.  Students learned that vowel teams are either vowel digraphs (two vowels making one new sound) or diphthongs (pronounced diff-thongs; where the first vowel glides into the succeeding vowels). 

Science:  Tuesday marked the final NECAP assessment of the year.  Fourth graders worked in pairs or trios and then independently to complete an inquiry task.  The assessment took about 90 minutes (on arguably the hottest day of the year)…  and third graders “chilled out” in the [air conditioned] computer lab during testing, brushing up on keyboarding skills and enjoying spellingcity.com.  As for a chick update…at the writing of this update, we have hatched 1 chick.  This, although incredibly exciting, was a disappointing turnout from the 28 eggs we set on May 5^th.  We have decided to leave the incubator running over the long weekend, in the hopes that we will have a late hatch, to join our first chick, “Early.”  The eggs that are not successful will be laid to rest in the woods on Tuesday by our class.

Responsive Classroom: The heat may have played a role in both student and adult behavior this week -- cranky, cranky, cranky :)

Ask me about:  

·        How we problem-solved soccer play at recess

·       Mrs. Wirsing’s hatch

·        Vista’s Performance

Other:  Please help your child remember to bring a water bottle to school these last few weeks.  Our classroom can be quite hot, and it is easy to get dehydrated in such warm weather.  As always, thank you for keeping consistent home routines (even throughout May Madness © The Warren Family).  Please see the note in the School Bell regarding parent feedback surveys (found online).  Please complete these as soon as possible, as your feedback informs our practice and is greatly appreciated.  Finally, we look forward to several Calliope events in June!  Have a fun, relaxing and safe Memorial Day weekend!

 -- Sarah and David

May 21, 2010

Calliope Weekly Update
May 17-21, 2010
Week Thirty-four

Reading & Writing: The Reading Restaurant was a huge success!  Thanks to all families for your support with the restaurant itself, and for being kind and generous patrons!  In the upcoming weeks, students will be completing end-of-the-year assessments in reading and spelling in preparation of June report cards.

Math: Fourth graders worked on dyads and problem solving this week, as well as, participated in the fourth and final ‘studio’ class of the year.  Third graders are working with geometry; specifically attribute blocks and lines, line segments, and rays.

Word Study: Both classes maintained a consistent spelling routine despite the reading restaurant preparations this week.  Ms. S’s class completed unit 9 in Fundations, including the application of the 1-1-1 rule for adding vowel suffixes to 1-1-1 words with r-controlled vowels.

Science:  Fourth graders completed the first two sessions of the Science NECAP on Tuesday.  Fourth graders will finish with the inquiry task next Tuesday.  A good night’s sleep and breakfast prior to testing helps students start off on the right foot.  In other news, our expected hatch day is Wednesday, 5/26.  Students are eagerly anticipating the hatch of our chicks.  On Thursday, we visited Mrs. Wirsing’s classroom to view an embryo that has been developing without its shell.  We were able to see what our embryos look like and identify body parts…the eye, egg tooth, feathers, and feet.  Science is amazing! 

Responsive Classroom: I continue to be impressed and amazed at the manners and kindness I witness between students.  Much of this came to fruition at the reading restaurant; students remained calm and were incredibly polite not only to our guests, but to each other.  That is a success to be celebrated by all of us.  On Thursday, both classes were able to ‘serve’ each other as we visited one another’s reading restaurant.  How wonderful to see the excitement as students visited each other’s core classes and experienced the reading restaurant as a guest.

Ask me about:  

·       Art Show

·       Reading Restaurant Rehearsal!

·        Discovery’s Reading Restaurant

·        Science necap – 4^th grade

Other:  With the Reading Restaurant behind us, we have the final four weeks of school fast approaching.  As we prepare for many endings – Calliope House, Allen Brook for all of us, the completion of another grade, 4^th grade graduation (to name a few…) let’s take a deep breath and slow down.  We have much excitement planned in the upcoming weeks…let’s enjoy every minute with each other, practicing respect and kindness.  You are all an amazing group of kids and parents and I am so thankful to be a part of the house that is Calliope.

- David and Sarah