The First Branch Newsletter
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A bi-weekly newsletter from Principal Mark Blount and Principal Michael Livingston featuring photos, stories, and updates from the Chelsea and Tunbridge schools. |
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To be sure you are staying up to date:
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Upcoming Dates to Note:
May 2nd -13th: SBAC Testing Window.
May 2nd and 3rd: Hulbert Outdoor Center - Grades 4-5, all day.
May 6th: Half Day, noon dismissal.
May 6th: Green Up Day.
May 6th: Kindergarten Registration.
May 6th: Mid-Trimester Progress Reports Sent Home.
May 9th: Art/Music Switch. Art to Chelsea. Music to Tunbridge.
May 9th &10th: Hulbert Outdoor Center - Grades 6-7, all day
May 11th: FBUD Board Meeting, 6:30pm.
May 16th - 20th: SBAC Make-Up Window.
May 16th: Hulbert Outdoor Center - Grade 8, all day.
May 20th: Half Day, noon dismissal.
May 30th: No School, Memorial Day.
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An Update From Incoming Principal Janet Cash |
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On April 26th, the Associate Principal finalists visited the Chelsea and Tunbridge campuses with Mrs. Cash. Faculty, staff, and students immediately made each candidate feel welcomed! The candidates enjoyed their visit, answered questions, and participated in-class activities. Before their arrival, a newsletter was shared with staff outlining the agendas, biographical information, and an opportunity to provide feedback.
Photo: One of our amazing experiences yesterday K students at Chelsea reviewing a class book authored and illustrated by Chelsea first graders.
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Spring Musical: Save the Date for June 6th and 7th
We are pleased to announce that in just over a month the Chelsea and Tunbridge 7th and 8th-Graders will be performing the musical Mary Poppins. There will be two community performances: Monday, June 6th at the Chelsea Town Hall and Tuesday, June 7th at Tunbridge Central School. Both performances will be at 6:00pm.
Families of 7th and 8th-Graders, we are hoping to schedule two Sunday dress rehearsals before the show. Please stay tuned for another email soon!
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Wednesday April 27th was Administrative Assistant Appreciation Day and each school took the opportunity to show how much Myra Hudson in Tunbridge and Wendy McCullough in Chelsea mean to the school community. |
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In Chelsea: This month, Ms. Crocker's students have been working on a measuring unit that includes: length, weight, capacity and temperature. They have been measuring the length of items around the school building using links, inch worms, and foam feet. They have been using a balance scale to compare the weight of smaller items, and have been using containers and cups to compare capacity. Every week they check the temperature at their outdoor classroom. This week they used rulers to measure and compare the length of sticks outside.
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It was a wet Woods Wednesday visit this week! Pictured, kindergarteners are enjoying a few quiet moments at their sit spots before heading inside for lunch. They are staying dry with the frogg togg rain gear that the Friends of Chelsea purchased many years ago for our outdoor program!
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In Tunbridge: Caitlyn MacGlaflin's second grade students continue to learn and practice spelling rules to help them reach their goal of reading and writing longer words. Students use shaving cream as a multisensory tool to practice spelling patterns that have r-controlled vowels.
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Third & Fourth Grade News |
In Chelsea: Christina Depoian's 3rd and 4th graders are detectives at work trying to figure out the polygon being described from a set of clues. They are practicing their geometry skills in preparation for the SBAC test coming up!
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3rd and 4th graders in Chelsea and Tunbridge have started writing letters to each other, to become better acquainted with their future classmates before next year.
They are so excited to meet each other!
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In Tunbridge: After an amazing brainstorming session, 5th and 6th graders have begun a science unit about BODIES! One student question was, what are bodies made out of? We began using microscopes to look at different specimens from different types of bodies to see if there were any commonalities. Students are now learning how to prepare their own slides.
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When Tunbridge/Royalton state representative, John O'Brien, recently reached out to invite students to visit the state house, teachers, Walt Garner and Emily Marshia, jumped at the chance to organize the first field trip in nearly two years. Last week, 7th and 8th graders were greeted by O'Brien in the House chamber, where he answered questions and explained his work. Students also toured the Vermont History Museum, sat in on Senate proceedings, took in the state house history and art, and ate lunch on the capitol's steps. It was a truly great day!
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The 7/8 Humanities class in Tunbridge recently invited Yuliya Ballou, of South Royalton, to visit the classroom and share her experiences as a Ukrainian/ Russian Vermonter. Students prepared questions for Yuliya and she spent 90 minutes answering every one with honesty, compassion and a deep personal knowledge of the region that has now been torn apart by war for nearly two months.
Yuliya brought photos of her family members, some who have fled as refugees from Ukraine; her parents, who are still in Belarus, and others, like her grandparents and great grandparents, who are no longer living. Yuliya spoke of her recent conversations with relatives and friends in Vermont, Ukraine, and Russia with candor and offered a unique point of view for students to connect with their current event studies.
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5th graders preparing for our Poetry Cafe planned for May. |
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