Conferences Anyone?

Lauren creates a simple machine!

    Greetings!  Seems like another week or two has flown by, a snow day here or there, and now conferences are upon us yet again!  Today, Friday is a half day for conferences, and Monday as well, which is a full conference day.   I sent conference times home last week with your children.  I have received a few responses or emails back, and hope that your conference time actually made it out of a backpack.  You may want to check that.   Emails are the best way to let me know if the time works or not, or returning the actual slip with other times as needed.  Hope to see you all soon.

    Our current studies are focused on Vermont’s early years, and why people chose to migrate and live here from afar.  We are merging a few subjects as we do literature readings, social studies concepts, and even work on simple machines and their role in helping people during that age.  Our science work with simple machines is evolving as part reading about simple machines and part investigation/experimenting with the machines. 

Emily and Maggie:  successful scientists!

We will also do some exploratory sessions in which we take apart various machines to see how they incorporate simple machines into their workings.
    Writing sessions have been around creating a persuasive piece.   The topic was school uniforms for PCS.  Students had to write about whether or not it was a good idea or not, and then document why in order.
    The social studies component is focusing on individual people we have found in history that were early settlers, reading about their lives, and using maps to record when and where they traveled in New England as they migrated to the Vermont area. 

Max works on his creation using wheels and axles!

    Our math studies are focused on fractions and decimals for the next few weeks.  Students are working with rectangles and combinations of fractions, some adding and subtraction of fractions, and concepts of decimals as they relate to the fractions we are using.


Thanks,   Mr. B and Ms. Deb