Mrs. Macmillan's 2nd Graders Present Owney Project

Today's school-wide assembly was presented by Mrs. Macmillan's 2nd graders. I write this post today to share about our collaborative efforts and express how proud we are of the 2nd graders.  How did the project begin? One day this fall Mrs. Macmillan went to the Post Office to buy some stamps and noticed the display of a dog stamp.  After inquiring with the postal clerk, she came to school to check out Mona Kerby's book, Owney, the Mail Pouch Pooch to share with her students..... from there the project snowballed!

    Mrs. Foley worked with the students to create original artwork from ten of the many places Owney visited.  Mrs. Macmillan and Mrs. Duggan guided students through numerous websites to research their locations. Working in teams of two, students gathered information regarding culture, language, food, famous landmarks and historical events.  Students then wrote postcards pretending to be at each location while sharing what they learned.  Mr. Davidson then introduced students to Google Earth while creating a tour by adding place markers along the way.  The assembly today shared the 3-D Google Earth tour, interspersed with a PowerPoint of the postcard artwork, while students presented their writing pieces.  Bravo to our 2nd Graders!  Job well done!

  

Creative Drama for Red Clover Nominee, Art & Max

Before the reading of David Wiesner's latest book, Art & Max, students participated in a creative drama.  Students developed a deeper understanding of Max's (main character) feelings and actions while also strengthening their understanding of the story.  Students felt like they noticed more details in the illustrations and were able to accurately recall/retell the story.  Have your child act out their favorite part of the story.  Perhaps it will be when Max was completely undone, or maybe when he was looking better than he'd ever looked before, or perhaps when he was feeling strange, angry, or annoyed.  These students are fabulously creative actors and actresses!

"Creative drama is an improvisational, process oriented form of drama where participants are guided by a leader to enact and reflect upon real and imagined experiences." (Words Come Alive, Flynn Center of Performing Arts).

Reading is an Inve$tment

         

         Summit Street School is participating in a statewide program to teach elementary-age children personal finance concepts. We are one of more than 120 Vermont elementary schools who will use the program this school year. The program is managed by the Vermont State Treasurer’s Office and is called “Reading is an Investment.” Participating schools are sent three new books each year that highlight a specific personal finance theme. Through grade-focused lesson plans, school library student activities, and personal reading, students are introduced to basic financial concepts. The 2011-2012 personal finance theme is “Earning and Saving Money.”

There are two parts to this program – personal reading and school instructional activities. As a parent, you have the opportunity to help your child complete a reading log that will then be entered into a yearly drawing for a $250 college savings plan account. There are ten prizes that will be awarded each year. In order to complete a reading log, a student must read three books from a recommended money reading list and complete additional free reading requirements. The reading logs and recommended money reading list are available at the Learning Center or you may print a reading log and reading list by going to www.MoneyEd.Vermont.gov. I will also be sending a reading log home in the Friday Folder.  The deadline for submitting a completed reading log is March 16, 2012.

The second part of the program focuses on library activities. The titles and authors for the 2011-2012 school term are: Give a Goat, by Jan West Schrock; Pitching in for Eubie, by Jerdine Nolen; and Rock, Brock & the Savings Shock, by Sheila Bair.  We have already read the first “money” book together.  Most classes read Rock, Brock & the Savings Shock.  This book lends itself to a great dinnertime discussion.  Students were alarmed at how much money could be saved in a 10-week period.  Ask your child about Rock and Brock’s spending and saving habits.

Students are motivated and off to a great start with their reading logs and books from the recommended money reading list.  The library owns most books on the list and they have been highly circulated this week.  Great Job Summit!  If you have any questions, please email me at kduggan@ccsuvt.org.

Internet Safety for Parents

Internet Safety for Parents

Tune in to a 30 minute session on October 26^th at 6 p.m.

Learn about steps you can take to keep your kids safer online, including tips for privacy settings,

passwords, safer searching, and more. This webinar is back by popular demand after it was presented in March.

To attend, go to the webinar link at www.e4vt.org on the listed date and time from any computer with a high speed Internet connection. No pre-registration required.

We encourage you to log in 5 min. before the session begins.

You will need to turn on your computers sound/speakers.

Webinar Date:  Wednesday, Oct 26th 6:00-6:30pm

Presented by the Vermont State Colleges as part of the e-Vermont partnership. 

Re-posted from an email from the VT Department of Libraries.

The Numbers Are In....

The numbers are in and a special thank you goes out to the Summit Community for another successful Scholastic Book Fair.  A big thank you also goes to Sathya Amouretti’s efforts in organizing and advertising the book fair this year.  The results were unbelievable.  Thank you. Thank you.

Scholastic Book Fair Statistics

*More than 50 books donated to Summit Classrooms

*60% of gross sales will return to the Summit Learning Center for Scholastic book purchases!

*6 Riddles read and solved by the entire school, resulting in 13 additional books donated to classrooms through the Rewards Program

*11 Parent Volunteers

*One for Books donations and Rewards Dollars were used to purchase books for students

*5% Sales growth from last year led to an additional $200 work of books!

Thank you to an amazing community!!

Third Grade Genre Survey

Each 3rd grade student is encouraged to explore different genres.  As part of our Information Literacy time together, we will be discussing many different genres this year.  Third grade students are encouraged to complete the 3rd Grade Genre Survey each time they finish a "free choice" book.  The survey is located to the right of the blog posts.   Mrs. Duggan will keep track of all the books and genres you've read this year as well as compile the information monthly for class discussions. All participants, be prepared for a surprise at the end of the year!

Vermont Standard 1.4. Reading Range of Text: Students comprehend and respond to a range of media, images, and text.  (e.g., poetry, narrative, information, technical) for a variety of purposes. (e.g. reading for pleasure as well as reading to develop understanding and expertise).

A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea

Guest reader, Principal Hughes, will be reading our third Red Clover Book, A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea, by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.  This humorous book explains why gathering numerous pigs to parade through your town is truly a terrible idea.  In addition to snuffling, refusing  to wear majorette uniforms, the lack of interest in floats (except root beer floats),  and their horrible taste in music, a pig’s desire to lie in mud puddles just doesn’t  add up to a fabulous parade!  However, the author leaves children wondering if a panda parade would be fantastic idea?  Through Learning Center time students will be continuing this idea through various activities.  Ms. Mahoney’s class will be working on the sequel A Panda Parade is a Wonderful Idea through a collaborative Art’s Integration project and the three 1^st grade classrooms will be conducting a news broadcast and posting a video for everyone to watch!  Ms. Comeau’s word of the week was ponder.  We pondered about pigs, which led to some great research questions!  A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea is a fantastic book, obviously enjoyed by the entire school!