Writers' Workshop

Teachers at the Sweetsir School participated in professional development with a coach, Kate Donelin, from the Teaching & Learning Alliance. These coaching and training sessions, which took place over a span of two years, focused on developing writing skills using the "Writers' Workshop Model."

At the kindergarten level, Writers' Workshop begins with oral story telling, and then drawing.  Horn & Giacobbe's book, Talking, Drawing, Writing  Lessons for Our Youngest Writers, served as a good resource for teachers. Throughout the year, teachers provide mini-lessons and model elements of writing.  Focusing on oral story telling first, helps young writers learn the skills to provide information in an organized manner, in order (beginning, middle, end), with enough details for an audience to understand.  Talking about their stories develops 'thinking strategies' which are an essential precursor for putting ideas on paper.  Kindergartners then begin to draw stories in their own special drawing pad. The mini-lessons expand to include adding words and sentences to tell the story.  

 As you can see from these photos, students are fully engaged during the writing block. Many describe 'Writers Workshop' as their favorite part of the day because they love the creative process.  Teachers' have found the lessons are easily differentiated, enabling students to move at their own individual pace.  As you can see from these pages, taken from three students' drawing pads, there can be quite a range of skills among kindergartners.

Kindergartners Visit Pumpkin Patch

Enjoying a hayride and view of the farm.

Learning what animals eat.

Finding pumpkins in the patch.

Mrs. Richard and Ms. Ruest brought their kindergarten students for a field trip to Spring Hill Farm. Students enjoyed walking through a real pumpkin patch.  As you can see in these pictures, they each selected a sugar pumpkin to bring home. The farm visit brought to life information they had studied about plants as part of a science unit.  The tractor trailer hayride and chance to see animals close up added to the experience.

Selecting the perfect pumpkin to take home.

Parents' Report Card

Arrive by 8:30am.

       It is essential parents realize the value of every moment in the school day. Curriculum demands have dramatically increased since we attended elementary school. To cover the depth of material, teachers must carefully plan ways to make maximum use of time.  For this reason, it is so important children arrive on time for school and stay until dismissal.

       Those first few moments of the school day help ease the transition from home to school as children settle in and greet one another.  They love to share the latest news with teachers and their classmates (loose teeth and stuffed animals seem to be the hot topics).  Having time to connect with each other, creates a sense of belonging to a classroom community.  Teachers also use the beginning ot the day to set a positive tone as they review the daily schedule and expectations.

      

       Students should be in their classroom and ready for instruction to begin by 8:35am. If not, the entire class is impacted when someone arrives late, even if it is just by 2-3 minutes.  Teachers must stop teaching to greet the child, help them unpack, order lunch, and turn in homework.  Time is also lost repeating information for the late student.  This can be very uncomfortable for the tardy child, and is unfair to students whose learning time has been disrupted.  Likewise, early dismissals can cause a similar interruption, as the teacher must gather homework, help pack up materials, and devote time to catching the child up on missed information.  

       It is understandable that dismissals and late arrivals are sometimes unavoidable due to life circumstances.  However, the most common explanation for tardiness tends to be oversleeping or loosing track of time.  If your family is having difficulty arriving on time, then it is time to review your morning routine.  Is the TV causing time loss?  Are bedtime routines early enough?  Are clothes laid out and backpacks ready in advance?  Our Guidance Counselor, Sarah Angell Pond, is a wonderful resource for any families looking for ideas and strategies to make morning routines smoother.  Please feel free to contact her at (978) 346-8319.  

      Note: Tardiness, dismissals, and absences are recorded on students' report cards.  ( I was inspired to write this blog post after a parent wisely stated she considers the attendance section her report card).

Stop, Think, Stay Away

Ray Gouley, from the Merrimac Light & Water Department, gave safety presentations to students in grades k-2 on November 27th.  "Stop, Think, Stay Away," is the key phrase students learned to help them remember what to do if they encounter potentially dangerous situations.  

Students enjoyed watching a video featuring the character 'Mr. Ouch'.  We hope you will ask your child to tell you about 'Mr. Ouch' and review these tips Mr. Gouley covered during the presentations:

• Texting while driving leads to distracted drives; so cross the street with caution. 
• Do not play on or near electrical boxes (often they are green).
• Never go near a downed electrical wire.  Stay away and tell an adult to report it immediately.
• You should call the Department for help if kites, or other objects, get stuck in the wires.
• Do not put anything in a light socket. 
• Never put a utensil in the toaster.
• If cords are worn, tell a grown up so they can be replaced.
• Keep hair dryers, and other electrical appliances, away from water. Stay away from cords in the bathroom.  
• Curling irons are one of the most common cause of house fires.  They should be placed on a ceramic plate to cool.