Newsletter February 19, 2018

Hi everyone,

We had an amazing visit from Mr. Matt Liptak and his associate Ms. Ariel last Thursday. They showed the children the difference between dry ice and regular ice. The kids sketched the differences. Then he froze a flower and a banana with liquid nitrogen! He used the frozen banana to hammer a nail into a piece of wood.It was so cool! He also showed the children how fog is made by placing dry ice into water. The kids loved it! I heard many of them say they wanted to grow up to be scientists.

We will be wrapping up our study on winter with a week of winter sports and the Olympics. We will go "ice fishing" in the house area and have a "luge" in the block area. Pam will visit from the Burnham Library on Wednesday.

Our next study will be on Fairy Tales. There are so many concepts that can be taught through fairy tales- sequencing events and first/next/last, characters, counting, comparing and contrasting different versions of the same fairy tale and different fairy tales and much more. We will start with the Three Little Pigs after February break.

Dates to Remember:

Wednesday, February 21st- Pam from Burnham Library to visit

Friday, February 23rd- Pajama Day

February 26-March 2nd- February Break

March 5th- Inservice

March 6th- Parent-Teacher Conferences

March 7th- School Reopens

I hope you have agreat week off next week. Enjoy the sunshine and warm temperatures this week. I suspect our playground will be very wet. Please make sure that there are extra clothes in the backpack. Thank you!

Nancy

Clay Snow People

Growing Crystals with Borax and Water

Newsletter February 12, 2018

Hello Families,

This week we will be talking about snow crystals. We will study the photography of Snowflake Bentley of Jericho, Vermont. He was a pioneer in capturing images of snowflakes.  Matt Liptak will be joining us on Thursday for an exploration of crystals.

Valentine's Day is Wednesday. I have had several inquiries regarding if we will be celebrating or not. The Malletts Bay School does not celebrate Valentine's Day and therefore neither will we. If your child wants to bring in cards for friends, I am ok with that so long as they bring in one for everyone (15). I will have them pass out cards into cubbies and the children can open them at home. We will be talking about friendship and what it means to be a good friend on Wednesday if the topic of Valentine's Day comes up.

Parent teacher conferences are fast approaching. I have sent home a form for you to fill out if there are any topics in particular you would like to cover during our short time together. Please return it to me via the home-school folder.

I am missing many home-school folders. Please check around your home to see if it is there. I use these each week to transport important information and art projects home.

Important dates to remember:

Matt Liptak visit February 15, 2018

Burnham Library visit February 21, 2018

February Break: February 26- March 2, 2018

Parent teacher Conferences:Tues March 6, 2018 from 12:00-6:30

School Reopens: Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Art Inspired by Lois Ehlert's Snowballs

Newsletter

2/5/18

The kids had a great time creating snow friends with the influence of Lois Ehlert's book Snow Balls. Many chose to make a "snow mom" or a "snow dad". Others chose to make "snow babies" or "snow animals". They are all unique and beautiful.

This week we will continue our conversation on snow people. Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy the fresh snow and maybe build some snow people on the playground. I will be attending the Council for Exceptional Children's national conference in Florida this week. Meghan Mead will be my substitute teacher. Please contact the main office at 264-5900 if you need to call your child out for the day.

I am looking for borax and large quantities of baking soda for some upcoming activities. If you have any you would like to donate, I would appreciate it.

Have a great week.

Nancy

Newsletter 1/29/18

The kids had a great time building animal lairs out of marshmallows and toothpicks.

They worked hard at figuring out how to support and balance their structure’s second

floor. We will be building snow people and forts with them this week.

If you have not returned your “intent to return” slip for next year, please do so. They are

due by Friday.

We will be shifting gears and talking about snow people this week. We will spend a lot of

time with Lois Ehlert’s book Snowballs. The kids will be making snow people inspired by

the pictures in the book. We will also be sorting small, medium, and large snowballs, and

making a step-by-step guide book on how to make a snowman.

Arctic Block Area

Bear Snores On in the house area

Science Area

Full size bear and moose tracks and track cards for matching in the science area

Sent from my iPad

Winter Song Lyrics

Here are the lyrics to some of the songs we are singing this month:

Greeting: The Mitten in the Snow

The Mitten in the snow.

The mitten in the snow.

Help us please so we don’t freeze.

The mitten in the snow.

_____ squeezes in.

_____ squeezes in.

Help us please so we don’t freeze.

The mitten in the snow.

I'm A Little Groundhog

I'm a little groundhog

Furry and brown

When winter comes

I sleep underground.

I'm curled up

As cozy as can be.

When it's spring,

Please wake up me!

Grizzly Bears Are Sleeping

Grizzly bears are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.

Grizzly bears are sleeping in the woods.

Please be very quiet, quiet, quiet.

Please be very quiet in the woods.

Wake them very gently, gently, gently.

Wake them very gently in the woods.

Grizzly bears are ________, ________, _________.

Grizzly bears are ________ in the woods.

Actions: jumping, spinning, clapping, crawling, etc

I’m a Great Big Snowman

I’m a Great Big Snowman

Tall and fat

Here is my tummy

Here is my hat

Raisins for my eyes

And a carrot nose

I’m all snow

From head to toe!

SnowFlake, snowflake

Snowflake, snowflake

Twirl around

Snowflake, snowflake

Touch the ground

Snowflake, snowflake

Land on my nose

Snowflake, snowflake

Freeze my toes

Snowflake, snowflake

In the air

Snowflake, snowflake

Everywhere!

Newsletter January 22, 2018

The kids had a great time making animal tracks in playdough and paint last week.

We discussed the different ways animals get ready for winter. There are three things

that animals can do: hibernate, migrate, or adapt. We also enjoyed a visit from Ms. Pam

from the Burnham Library. She read several stories to the children and did movement

songs. The kids love it when she visits. It was so good to get back outside! The kids

missed the gross motor opportunities the playground has to offer. I can not replicate

them in the classroom no matter how hard I try.

This week we will explore more in depth what it means to hibernate, migrate, or

adapt.  The house area will be changed into a cave. The children will have the

opportunity to act out the book Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. This story is

about some animals who stop by Bear’s cave and what happens while he sleeps.

It is a great book! We will be making marshmallow and toothpick animal dens.

Thank you again to everyone who contributed supplies. I think the kids will really

enjoy this project.

Dates to remember:

Book Orders due Friday, January, 26th.

School is closed Weds., February 7th for teacher in-service.

Animal Tracks

The kids strapped on sponge animal footprints and made tracks across the paper. They could choose deer, Canadian goose, or bobcat footprints.