Notice from Principal Bradley

Dear Kindergarten Families,

         
It’s that time of year again!
We will be inviting our incoming kindergarten students and their families to UES for Kindergarten Screening on May 18 and May 19.Because the current kindergarten classrooms will be used for this event, there will be no school for all kindergarten children on those days. Grades 1-5 will have school.


You are receiving this information now as we know that many of you will need to make special child care arrangements. Please note that the Community Connection staff will be offering childcare during the school day on May 18 and 19. They have a limited number of places. If you are interested in that option, please see the attached form.

      
Our team has found the screening days to be extremely valuable in providing an opportunity for us to get to know the new students and in helping all of them make the best possible transition to UES. We appreciate your understanding.

                                      Sincerely, 

                                      UES Principal Owen Bradley

Field Trip This THURSDAY

We will be traveling by bus to the Barre Opera House on Thursday April 28th. We will leave Union School at 8:30. We are looking forward to seeing a live production ofthe play,"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD ARRIVE IN THE CLASSROOM NO LATER THAN 8:15. We hope to have a quick snack, use bathrooms and board buses! We are allowed 2 chaperones, and Nora and Debra will join us for this trip.The play is about one and a half hours long. We plan to return back to school right at lunch time.

A New Unit of Study and Amazing Images of Earth From Space (Slideshow) : Planet Green

We are beginning a new unit of study, "Taking Care of the Earth". We will be learning about planet Earth, our home. We will be exploring ways to take care of the earth by reducing, recycling and reusing.Additonally, we will explore compost, worm composting and worm castings, soil, and will learn about the life cycle of plants. Today we wondered why there was much more blue on globes and maps, than any other color.

You may want to view this amazing slideshow with your child, as you begin to have conversations about taking care of the earth.
Amazing Images of Earth From Space (Slideshow) : Planet Green

KinderArt Night

Mrs. Scudder-Chase helps everyone get ready for the show.

Art inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe.

Story quilts inspired by Faith Ringgold.

Many thanks to all who helped with the kinderart show!

Everything To Know About Kindergarten Performance Night

Thursday, April 14^th 2011

1.  What time is the show? 6:30 p.m.

2.  When should the children arrive and where? 6:15 p.m. at their own classroom( a light supper is helpful- nervous tummies can be challenging)

3.  My child has a UES shirt I sent to school. Should s/he wear any other special clothing?  Dark pants – navy blue or black

4.  Will there be refreshments? We will offer popcorn, apples and juice while viewing child’s artwork. Thanks UES Parent’s Group and the Co-op!

5.  Should we take the artwork on display home with us?  No. Your child’s artwork will be sent home at a later date.

Nature Adventure Program-Trees and buds

We will head outside for Nature Adventure tomorrow. Please help your child to choose waterproof pants and boots. We should have some nice warm temperatures!!

We are learning Spanish!

Wendy is visiting from Nicaragua and has been helping in our classroom for several weeks. She is from San Ramon and is a college student. We have enjoyed learning Spanish words and phrases. We are even learning a song about chicks! Ask your child about the "Piyo,Piyo,Piyo"song.

KinderArt Show- Coming Soon

Next Thursday, April 14th, you will have an opportunity to come to the school in the evening to see your child perform on stage. Each kindergarten class will join together on stage for songs and dance which represent the themes and artists of kindergarten. After the show, we will move to the big gym for an art exhibit featuring kindergarten artists. You are invited to enjoy the art show and enjoy a snack as you gather with kindergarten families. Please bring your child to  the classroom school no later than 6:15, then hustle into the auditorium for seats. Our class will be center stage for this production! Please call me if you have more questions.

Dirty Dirt Brains and Hawaii

The class asked me to write a special post to you here on April first. We enjoyed dirty dirt brains for snack today. Also wanted to let you know that we will be taking a field trip to Hawaii next week. Enjoy your April first. Tee-hee

NAP Fundraiser- Help Needed

Mark your calendars for our 2nd Annual Nature Adventure Program Garage Sale:

This will take place on Sat. April 30th in the big gym at UES from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. This gives you time over the spring break to clean out those closets (and to make room for some new-to-you items)! Donations  are greatly appreciated.  Please bring any donated items to the main hallway (outside of the big gym) between 3:00-6:00 pm on Friday, April 29th.  

Parent volunteers are needed for both Friday (3:00-7:00pm) and on Sat.(7:30am-3:00pm).  Even an hour or two will help a great deal. Please email Theresa Giffin at theresa@mpsvt.org.

We are also looking for donations of good quality outerwear (all seasons)---jackets, fleeces, hats, mittens, etc., for children aged 5-7 1/2 years old that may be used to help supplement our additional clothing supply.  

Hope to see you there!

Nature Adventure at Harrison Field

We enjoyed the balmy weather this morning as we traveled to Harrison Field for our Nature Adventure Program. Temps in the 30's felt lovely! The sun was out, we had many parent volunteers and Amy Butler led some games which helped us to understand our Vermont animals even better. After snacking in the sunny field, we headed into the forest to explore, slide, and look for "stories'". Some children found tracks, others found scat(poop) and others looked for signs of animal life. Some  folks found gigantic holes, water below the snow, and buds on trees. Kathy, a writer, joined us and her photographer friend, Jeb, came too. Best of all, we got to shush and slide down the big hill. It was a great day!!

Is the circle ready yet?

Whose track is this?

Kathy is taking notes.

The same size legs?

Jeb is taking photos.

Up the big hill!

Updates from Room 7

**We have Nature Adventure Program tomorrow. We will go to Harrison Field this time! Please help your child dress in layers. We will leave UES at 8:45 and return at 10:30.

** We visited the Scholastic Book Fair today. Your child made a wish list with one book title that they are wishing for. They were told that a wish list is not necessarily a promise to purchase. Please feel free to visit the book fair with your child or to send in money to

cover the cost.