K-2 started their Star of the Week celebrations this week. This week’s stars are Reed, Elva, and Mila. Students had a chance to be interviewed by their homeroom, share pictures and a special object from home, be complemented by their homeroom, and have chants sung to them at closing circle on Friday. They also have lunch with Ms. Thompson on Thursday and pick from the Star of the Week box on Friday morning.

Today the K-2 joined together for a book and discussion about Dr. Martin Luther King. After reading Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo, and some great questions and discussion, the K-2 children, using a dove outline, wrote about their dreams for the world. It is interesting to see what is near and dear to their hearts. Next week there will be a whole school assembly in celebration of his birthday.

The 3rd graders have been busy practicing how to decompose 7’s multiplication facts into 5’s and 2’s. Learning to break down harder multiplication problems into manageable chunks is very important. Fourth grade mathematicians have been working on decomposing numbers larger than ten for multiplication. To build our number sense, we find if students can begin solving multiplication problems like 15x7 by thinking about decomposing 15 into 10 and 5 they are able to solve (10x7) + (5x7) efficiently. This allows them to better understand the numbers they are using and will have less confusion and errors when they learn the standard algorithm for multiplication (in 5th grade!). We also began our work with fractions by ordering fractions, thinking about equivalent fractions and changing improper fractions to mixed numbers. 

Third grade readers have been busy writing letters to show their thinking about their reading! We thought deeper about different kinds of fiction books: fantasy, realistic fiction, and folklore, and what the characteristics are of those kinds of fiction. The 4th graders have been learning more about fiction and nonfiction genres. Mostly we look at the texts we are reading in small groups and try to identify traits of each genre. 

In geography, students have been learning how to read population density maps of the United States, as well as natural resource maps. They are beginning to make some comparisons between the Northeast and the Northwest regions. 

In science, we have been having fascinating discussions about the select parts of the book The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (young readers edition). Students are really enjoying learning about the food chain that food takes to get to our bellies! In outdoor education we used a key to identify various conifer samples of branches and cones. 

Please continue to send in your child with a pair of sneakers for inside as well as seasonally appropriate clothing for outdoors. Thank you!

Our students are solving problems in creative ways! They are creating earbud cases in order to organize their electronic tools for easier access. Students begin by researching, brainstorming and then choosing a design. They start the hands on work and redesign as they go. Communicating the designs that didn't work and collaborating on new solutions is an essential part of makerspace. 

In reading, students are learning about genres. We are focusing on biographies and autobiographies this month. They are reading at least three and are learning how to summarize all types of information. 

As a cluster, the students are thoroughly engaged with their upcoming production of Grease. Practice has started, roles have been cast, and students are really throwing themselves into their preparation.

Academically, in Social Studies we are focused on developing an understanding of the early stages of American slavery. Students have defined the concept of diaspora, learned about the development of racism as a product of the expansion of the slave trade, and watched the first episode of the 2016 adaptation of Roots. In literature, as part of our unit on surrealism and creative writing, students have begun to keep a dream journal, and are studying scientific explanations for dreaming as a way of better accessing surrealist poetry and art. 

Science class has started to learn about the atmosphere and how sensitive it is to changes, what it has been in the past, and what it could be in the future. Seventh grade math has started working with algebra tiles, a great manipulative to help students understand the beginning ideas of algebra. Eighth graders are at the end of chapter 4, and have a test on Wednesday regarding the different ways to move between representations of a pattern.

Library & Technology News

Simone Pyle

Our kindergarten and 1st grade classes will be connecting with students from Ms. Huestis' library classes at the Charlotte Central School, using Flipgrid, over this year's Red Clover Award nominated books. So far, we have introduced ourselves by sharing our favorite thing about our schools!

Meanwhile, 2nd graders have just created their first Google Forms, and surveyed each other about things like their favorite breakfast foods, favorite animal, and favorite holiday. Third graders are embarking on a tour through reference sources, starting with atlases, while 4th graders will be learning a little more about the Dewey Decimal System, starting with the Dewey Decimal Rap!

Lunch Room News

Gret Hewes

Winter is back! Wahoo!

We have been working on making our salad bar a bigger and better feature in the cafeteria these past couple of weeks, and the work and love that Sharron puts into it really shows.

Have a wonderful weekend, and remember to have those fruits and veggies on those dinner plates too. They are so delicious and so good for you!

Basketball Updates

Newton basketball teams had a busy week of practices and home games. The 5/6 team had their first victory against Thetford, and a close game against South Royalton this week. Our 3/4 team lost a close game against Bethel in the highest scoring games of the season. Excellent work roadrunners!

The complete game schedule for January and February is on the school website.

Next week our 5/6 team hits the road and takes on First Branch at Tunbridge at 5:30 p.m.on Thursday, January 23. The 3/4 team has a home game on Wednesday, January 22 at 6:30 against South Royalton.

As always, please always have your players arrive one half hour before game time. Thanks again to our dedicated and supportive coaches! 

Valentines Workshop

We are hoping to offer a Valentine Card-making workshop in February, but we are looking a coordinator. This is not a big time commitment but it's a fun way for kids to make heartfelt valentine cards for loved ones. If you are interested or would like more information, please be in touch with Christine Bailey-Kellogg at christine.bk@gmail.com or 802-765-4161. Thank you!

Winter Carnival

Friday, March 6th and Saturday, March 7th

Kira Campbell and Amy Huyffer will be heading up this year's Winter Carnival. It promises to be lots of fun as always, with well-loved traditions like a Friday night movie, and loads of winter fun on Saturday! We'll have more details and volunteer sign-up sheet soon.

Town Meeting Lunch

Tuesday, March 3rd

The town meeting lunch is one of our biggest fundraisers, and we need lots of volunteers to make it successful. We'll share more details and opportunities to help in next week's newsletter.

Next Meeting

The PTA will meet Tuesday, February 4th at 6:00 p.m. at the Newton School Library.

Strafford Stompers Are Back!

Middle Schoolers will once again be helping out at the recycling center to raise money for their upcoming school trips. Read more about the Stompers and to sign your middle school student up to volunteer, click here.