Fun Friday

Students brought in creative fruit and vegetable creations today.  This afternoon we had the opportunity to visit all the fourth grade classrooms to see what others came up with.  Thanks to all who participated to bring some creative fun to our Friday!

Opinion Writing District Writing Prompt

Over the next three days fourth graders are going to research and write their opinions about a topic and use evidence to support their claims.  Students will watch a video and read two articles about school lunches and then decide: should students bring lunch from home, or should they eat lunch at school.

Students will research during reading and writing time (morning and afternoon).  Because of this, we will not have our regular mini lessons during Readers' Workshop.  We will continue to complete grammar work, read, and complete spelling work throughout the week.

A Halloween Message from the Principal

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  Halloween is coming this Friday, and it's time to be thinking about how we'll approach this special day as a school community.  As much fun as it would be to celebrate with costumes and parties, we believe that such revelry would be simply too disruptive to the learning environment for an entire day.  We ask that students keep the costumes and candy at home so they can be ready for the fun on Friday night.  Please help us maintain a healthy learning environment the following days as well; we ask that all candy remain at home when the children return to school on Monday.  If you have any questions or concerns, please call me or stop by.

From Chris Hennessey

Picture Retakes

This is a reminder that the class will have our group photo taken tomorrow morning.  Also, have your child bring in the envelope if you would like the individual photo to be redone.

Engineering Walls

For the past few weeks, students have learned about properties of rocks in science.  Over the next few weeks, they will apply what they have learned about the properties of rocks to construct walls. 

First, the kids are going to discover that different materials are suited for different jobs and test mortars of different compositions.  Then, they will design and build rock walls with mortar that can pass a demolition test.  Along the way, students will learn about and apply their knowledge of the engineering design process, which is depicted below:



Image Source:  http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/theengineeringplace/educators/

ECO on Monday

We will have ECO from approximately 9-12:45 on Monday.  Volunteers are always welcome!  

Last ECO, many kids realized that they were not wearing sufficient clothing for autumn.  Boots are better than sneakers for damp grass, and please pack multiple layers for your child.  Hats and gloves are a great idea to pack for times when we are not actively moving around in the park.

If you need help obtaining outerwear items, please let me know.

FIT Begins Today

For those of you who do not know, FIT stands for "focused instruction time," and it's an important part of our schedule.  For a half hour four times per week, students who need a double dose of instruction that has already been taught are able to work with teachers in small groups.  Meanwhile, students not needing interventions work with Instructional Assistants on enrichment work.

The focus of FIT for two weeks is place value and multi-digit addition with regrouping.  Students in the enrichment groups will focus on math problem-solving.

Please let me know if you have any questions about FIT.

Great Field Trip

We had a great field trip to Barre's Rock of Ages granite quarry and museum today.  Ask your child about what he/she has learned today.

Also, we explored the beautiful Hope Cemetery where we saw unique graves and sculptures made from granite and other stones.

This field trip links to our rocks science unit, and also to our social studies curriculum which focuses on all things Vermont.

ECO TODAY

This is a reminder that we have ECO today.  We will head out as close to 9am as possible, and will return to school by 12:45 in time for lunch.

Today we will head to Hubbard Park and apply what we know about the properties of rocks to build miniature rock walls.

Please make sure that your child has layered clothing to stay comfortable today.

A message from the school about playground fundraising

Our Union Elementary School/Community Playground Raising Begins----

But only with your help!

As anyone can see when they visit our school/city playground at Union Elementary, our two playgrounds are in dire need of repair and improvements. For the upper playground, building  a sun shelter and replacing our beloved, 20-year old amphitheater would be a terrific start.  As for the lower playground, our wish to build a Naturescape area for our younger children to engage in more imaginative, nature-based play, has been a dream waiting to happen.

We have just learned about the opportunity to receive matching funds, up to $25,000, from the state’s 2015 Recreational Facilities Grant Program. This means we have the potential to match dollar-for-dollar any funds we raise between now and Oct 10th. That’s right...Oct 10th, which doesn’t leave much time!

To make this happen, we need your help:

• People to work on completing the grant application.
• People to solicit letters of support (i.e from the City Council, School Board, community members)
• People to help develop a budget for the projects
• People to help get the word out about this fundraising event
• People to contact area agencies and donor organizations

We need donations in ANY amount from community members, friends, relatives ( payable to the UES Playground Improvement Fund)

If you are able to help out at all, please contact theresa@mpsvt.org