Winter is here!

January 19, 2024

The week started off a bit dicey with the weather, but ended much more smoothly. I want to thank you all for your support in rough weather. I saw some parents helping to brush off staff cars at the end of the day. Please know that was seen and appreciated. Calling snow days is a tough job and one I don't envy the superintendent in making. Regardless of the decision, you are prone to be second-guessed and to second-guess yourself. Please remember though, the staff here don't have any say in these decisions. It's not Tracy's fault. They all have to drive those same roads home at the end of the day too. I'm just glad we got everyone home safely. Looks like more weather is on the horizon so keep your phones on in the mornings.

Speaking of weather, 2nd grade found some inspiration in it this week and Mrs. Hacket agreed to share:

"Inspired by the snow and cold weather, second graders experimented with making snowflakes following a read-aloud and Scholastic News magazine about Wilson " Snowflake" Bentley. Bentley lived in Vermont in the 1800's and was known for his magnified photographs of snowflakes and love for snow! Guided by this inspiration, the second graders embarked on a hands-on experience using glue, salt, and watercolors. Through this creative process, they observed the fascinating phenomenon that salt wants to be near water and pigment molecules. This attraction led the watercolors to gravitate towards the grains of salt. As a result, some of the water was absorbed into these salt grains, while a portion remained, generating a unique and textured outcome.The children were in awe, just as Snowflake Bentley must have been when he first looked at a snowflake under a microscope.

This project is easily done at home with only a few simple supplies! What will you create?"

It's great to be such a small school and it is great that we have a focus on STEAM. They both provide us great opportunities such as the one 3rd grade and 5th grade shared this week. Mrs. Chapalonis agreed to write about it. "Grades three and five had the opportunity this week to join forces in completing a Project Lead the Way unit together, all about the very important and vital honeybee! Fifth graders led the way with their knowledge about the life cycle of a honeybee, the various jobs that bees have within a hive, as well as Colony Collapse Disorder. Both third and fifth graders worked within a small group to gain knowledge of the honeybee and from there, created a honeybee “hotel” to help attract honeybees to build their hives within our own local ecosystem. Finally, with the help of Canva, students created a Public Service Announcement together promoting the importance of the honeybee to the world as a whole and how we as humans can help increase their overall population. It was a terrific collaboration between grade levels!

The 8th-grade parents have asked me to let folks know that they are hosting a Movie Night on Friday1/26! Staff and students alike are invited to come watch Elemental in the TPS cafeteria. Specifics and Venmo can be found on the flyer. There is a reduced rate for reserving in advance and for large families. Families are welcome to drop their students off to be supervised by 8th graders and their parents. Please return promptly at 8:30 to pick them up. The arrival and dismissal procedure will have parents park in the lot and walk their students into the building. At the end of the event, we ask that you park and walk in to retrieve them as well. It promises to be a fun night with all proceeds going towards the 8th grade graduation celebrations (Dance, Trip, etc.)