The Newton News

17 January, 2023

Five students dressed to go out to recess stand in their classroom doorway behind a German shepherd.
January Lunch Menu

Upcoming Events


Roadrunner Day

Early Release

Friday, January 27


PTA Meeting

Tuesday, February 7 at 6PM


School Board Meeting

Tuesday, February 14 at 5:30PM


Roadrunner Day

Early Release

Friday, February 10


Winter Break

February 20 - 24

PRINCIPAL'S CORNER

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On Friday, February 10th the School Board will host a table with coffee and a few simple baked goods from 8:00 - 8:45AM in the library. We’re hoping to hear what parents and community members have to say; what questions and thoughts you may have; or just share some coffee, conversation and connection. Come share your thoughts and ask questions about the budget in advance of Town Meeting Day on March 7. We'll have copies of the minutes from the last meeting, the proposed 2023 budget, and the agenda for the meeting on February 14. Principal Thompson and a member of the PTA will join us as well.  


Mike Kell, Newton School guidance counselor, finished his last day at Newton on Friday, January 13th. I wish him the best in his new position. We are working to reorganize the responsibilities of this vacancy. If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Thompson.  


Newton’s Winter Enrichment is off to a wonderful start. Approximately 70 students and staff head to the Dartmouth Ski Way on Friday afternoons. The remaining students are offered opportunities for exploration. These include art, basketball, gym games, STEM, maker space, snowshoeing, and board games. No matter the location, the excitement can be seen and heard.


Newton apparel orders have arrived and will be sent home with students Wednesday. One more congratulation to Rosie Dotter for having her design selected for this year's merchandise. Well done Rose!

CLASSROOM NEWS

Kindergarten

Ms. Kicza

We had three lessons on Growth Mindset and the “Power of Yet”. We sorted scenarios into what would be a fixed mindset and what would be a growth mindset (showing that we can get better through practice, learning from mistakes, persevering, trying another way, or getting help).


The class liked the book Giraffes Can’t Dance, in which a giraffe thinks it can’t dance and finally ends up being a great dancer once they find the right music. Everyone made their own drawing showing what they can't do YET, but will after more practice. Their ideas ranged from skiing to reading and even doing backflips. They definitely got the idea, and now we can talk about it in class as it comes up. We don’t say “I can’t do this,” but say “I can’t do it, yet,” then make a plan for how to accomplish a goal. 

READ MORE
A bulletin board with kindergarten's Power of Yet work.
Kindergarten students climb a snowy hill in front of the school. The sky is a brilliant blue, and you can see the school building above them.
Three kindergarten students are sitting together. Two are reading a book together, and the third is reading on their own.
A student holds a flashlight toward a small paper figure. They are observing the shadow it makes.

First Grade

Ms. Fisk

During our new EL module, we read

Summer Sun Risin' and Papa, Please Get

the Moon for Me. We have talked about

the sun's movement and we are now

beginning to talk about the moon and its

phases.


During Science and Outdoor Ed, we have

made observations about our shadows

and how they change throughout the day.

We have also talked about the months of

the year and what each season with bring.


During math, we have begun talking about odd and even numbers as well as

variables in an equation.

READ MORE
In the distance, a student in an orange cap sits on the snowy ground beneath two large trees.

Second Grade

Ms. Denney

Happy New Year!


During writing we came up with our own

new year’s resolutions that we would like to accomplish in 2023.


In math our focus has been on using different strategies to solve two-digit addition word problems. We spent time this week reading different Jan Brett books and studied what her texts always have in common.


Ask your child what they thought about the ending of our recent chapter book read aloud, The Wild Robot!

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Student artwork from their trip to the Hood Museum.

Third Grade

Ms. Coté

The third grade visited the Hood Museum to see the Assyrian reliefs. They were very inquisitive and asked good questions. Their ability to infer looking at art was fantastic, and they were thoughtful and polite. Back in the studio, they etched on foil their own interpretation of the relief as well as adding some contemporary symbols.

 

The Abenaki unit has wrapped up and students worked very hard on their four paragraph essays. It is always wonderful to hear them share their new knowledge. 

We are now starting to learn about the different types of rocks and the rock cycle. Students will have the opportunity to bring in their own favorite rocks to share during science for the next few weeks. Luckily, we are fortunate to have plenty of rocks here to hold and investigate. 

Music

Ms. Brooke

We started the new year by looking back to pre-holiday break and our time with the Artist-In-Residence. Different grades watched clips of Cuban Comparsas and Ruedas de Casino, depending on what their respective dances were, as well as some other modern Afro-Cuban dance. 


Lower grades have been having fun with parachutes--finding the rhythm by interacting with a prop while working as a group. Some classes are working on a routine to set music. 


Throughout the week leading up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we talked about the power of music during the Civil Rights Movement and listened to various notable songs of the era. All experienced "This Little Light of Mine", either through actually singing it or by learning the history of it. 

SCHOOL & COMMUNITY NEWS

Lunchroom News

Ms. Gret

Congratulations to Hoyt Grossman, our December Clean Tray Club Winner! Awesome hat choice and so proud of you for trying new things!


Also, a shout out to Joey Maclay-James who was our winner for guessing how many snowflakes we had in our Newton Cafeteria Snow Storm. Joey's guess of 499 snowflakes was just 8 snowflakes off. Thank you to all the students and teachers who made the 507 snowflakes and created the best snow storm ever for our holiday cafeteria decorations this year!

A student wearing a french fry hat shows off their empty lunch tray in the cafeteria.

The Media and Health Behaviors Lab at Dartmouth College are looking for participants, ages 9-12 years old, for a study of how screen media affects children's health behaviors.

LEARN MORE

The Newton School

South Strafford, VT 05070

802.765.4351