The K-2 has been having a great time at recess this week! After the first and second graders wrote, illustrated, and shared a book about recess rules with the kindergarten class, they have had many chances to practice those rules. Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Marzot, and other staff on recess have been noticing rules being followed, good choices, and students working through conflicts.

As we are practicing every day, they also remind us about the rules when necessary so it's safe and fun for everyone. We really value our time to play at Newton and enjoy the fun students have on the playground! 

Another week has flown by! We are settling into our routines and expectations in the 3/4 cluster. We have enjoyed starting our Outdoor Education, Writing and Art times this week! 

Third graders have been working on their addition and subtraction fluency as well as noticing number patterns. They have been learning about in/out tables. Fourth grade mathematicians have been working on using multiplication models to solve word problems, and figuring out the factor pairs using tiles and creating arrays. 

Third grader readers have been talking about and practicing ways our classroom library is organized, how to keep our classroom library organized, and ways to choose Just Right books! The fourth graders have been reading their just-right books independently while Ms. Coté meets one-on-one with readers to discuss their book. Students have been taking notes and writing about the Tunbridge Fair as well as revising an old hand paragraph together about the fair. 

In Outdoor Education we enjoyed our first sit spot experience of the year, and time to just be in and experience the classroom space! Please head to the Morrill Homestead for the Apple Fest to see your child’s apple paintings!

On September 20th, our 3rd and 4th graders headed to our local pocket park to spend time appreciating nature. They appreciated the fresh air, sunshine, crunchy leaves, leaves changing, the river, the chance to be outside, and many other experiences. This Sunday, climate change artwork made by Ms. Coté’s Wolves will be posted. Please consider attending the event from 2:00 until 5:00 pm.

The British are coming, the British are coming!  

Well actually, the students discovered that the British have been around the New World/America for a long time. The 5/6 cluster read a book titled Struggle for a Continent by Betsy and Giulio Maestro. The book is the history of the French and Indian War (also called The Seven Years War). While reading, we all gathered around a large map and marked the areas that were occupied by Indians (they weren't called Native Americans yet, because America had not been fought over yet), the British, the French, and the Spanish. It was a long war that was mainly fought over control of land; trapping of beaver pelts was a big cash crop, and everyone wanted in on the action. This war was the impetus for the colonists' war with Britain. (Oh, I shouldn't write that because we are a long ways away from that in our studies!)

The students have begun reading through a play, 13 Colonies, that they will be putting on in Barrett Hall on November 7th, which will further teach the kids about this time period. Please look for scripts coming home, and PLEASE help your child learn their lines.  

The last two weeks have been a busy time for the 7th and 8th graders. The Hulbert Outdoor Center hosted us for three days of team-building and cooperative problem solving. The 8th graders also had the opportunity to participate in the high ropes course, which put them 40 feet in the air in a challenge that truly tested our students' resolve. It was a joy to see so many students learning new skills and challenging themselves, something everyone appreciated.

In Social Studies, the students wrapped up their first unit, What Makes a Good Historian?, and in Reading they wrote a short story based on one of several famous works of art. Science classes have explored motion and physics, including several productive hands on experiments. Finally, in Math, the 8th graders have been making sense of data through exploring graphing, while the 7th graders are working on collaborating with each other and on proportional relationships (how tall would a tower of a million pennies be?).

StoryWalk and Book Signing in Norwich



Story Walk: Sept. 20 - 30 in the Norwich Square

Book Signing: Saturday, Sept. 28 10am - noon at the Norwich Bookstore 

To celebrate Autumn, the Norwich Public Library and the Norwich Bookstore have created a StoryWalk featuring Lawrence in the Fall, a picture book written by Matthew Farina and illustrated by Doug Salati. 

Doug Salati will talk about and sign copies of his books on Saturday, September 28 from 10am until noon. Meet the artist, have books signed, and explore the season with a craft activity!

In the story, Lawrence the fox accompanies his father into the forest to collect something to take to his school show-and-tell. While briefly lost and alone, Lawrence encounters the beauty of nature and finds exactly what he needs.

StoryWalk, an innovative program created by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library and the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition, is sponsored by the Norwich Public Library and the Norwich Bookstore with generous funding provided by the Norwich Women’s Club. 

For more information please contact the Norwich Bookstore at 802-649-1114 or by email.

Health HUB

Newton School Student Flu Clinic 

No HHUB enrollment is required to participate!

Where: Newton School – Nurse’s Office

When: October- exact date to be announced - watch for date(s) in Newsletter and ListServ. All parents of Newton students are getting vaccination consent forms sent home.

Who: Contact Kerri Rainville, RN at Newton School for more information/questions 765-4351 x2003. 

Here is a list of Flu Vaccine Clinics happening this fall

A FRIENDLY REMINDER TO K-2 PARENTS ABOUT NUT-FREE SNACKS

We thank you for your help in this matter! It all helps in building a safe space for our kiddos- and helps us to do things effectively!

There are still spaces available in the One Planet afterschool program! if you are interested in enrolling your student, please contact Erin Masteller. Subsidies are available through The family Place in Norwich; contact them at 802-649-3268.

Please let homeroom teachers know what days your student(s) will be attending One Planet, and send in a note if there will be any changes to their schedule! This helps us make sure all students get to where they need to be after school. Thank you!

Our first Farm to School (FTS) taste test will be held this coming Tuesday, September 24th during our lunch periods. We will be sampling honeydew melons!

If you would like to join your child(ren) for lunch and our taste test on Tuesday, the lunch periods are as follows:

5/6 11:00 – 11:30

7/8 11:35 – 12:00

K-2 12:00 – 12:30

3/4 12:30 – 1:00

On our lunch menu is beef tamale pie.

If you would like to join our FTS team, please don’t hesitate to meet with us on the second Thursday of every month (unless otherwise posted). These are generally “working” meetings and you will get dirty. We meet in Narwahl Nook at 3:15.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, October 10th. We hope to see you there!!

Join The Sharon Academy (TSA) for an informative gathering to learn more about how students at TSA are known, valued, and challenged to reach their potential. Our Information Program begins at 3:30 on Sunday, October 6th, at TSA's High School.

 

TSA's Information Program is an opportunity to learn about TSA's approach to providing an engaging education, and to meet current TSA students and ask questions. We will also explain our Open Enrollment Policy. Students are encouraged to attend. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please call Amber Wylie - 763.2500 x220 or visit our Facebook page or our website.  

Soccer Updates

K-2 continues practice on Wednesdays at the Field of Dreams from 3:15-4:30 in preparation for the first game in mid-October, details to come!

The 3/4 team defeated Sharon Elementary School this week, 2-1, in their home opener. Tonight they take on First Branch at Tunbridge Elementary School at 5 p.m. Next week, 3/4 battles Bethel at the Bethel Rec Fields on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. The 3/4 team will practice on Thursday, Sept. 26 after school from 3:15-4:45.

The 5/6 team started their season this week with two hard fought games against Sharon and Thetford. Next week, 5/6 takes on First Branch at Chelsea on Monday, Sept. 23 at 5 p.m. and travels to Barnard Academy on Friday, Sept. 27 for a 5 p.m. game. Practice will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 25 after school from 3:15-4:45.

Go Roadrunners! As always coaches request players arrive 20-30 minutes before game time.

FALL BULB SALE DEADLINE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH

We have only one week left in our fall bulb fundraiser, so please order now! There are two ways to place an order:

Place an order online (which will be sent directly to your address for a $6 shipping fee). Friends and family can order too, so feel free to share the link!

Submit a paper order (the order form came home with the catalog) by turning that in to the school, along with a check made payable to the Newton School PTA. You must include full payment with your order, but there is no shipping charge. All paper orders will come as one big shipment. PTA volunteers will sort the shipment into the separate orders and will be in touch with you regarding your order.

Both online and paper orders are due Friday, September 27th. If you have questions, contact Deanna Race at [email protected] or 765-4169.

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

We are also in the home stretch for our PTA membership Drive. Thanks to everyone who has already joined the PTA, stepped up to coordinate or volunteer for an event, or attended our September meeting. You can still join the PTA and/or just let us know how you'd like to help with events. You can find the form here.

NEXT MEETING

Next meeting is Tuesday, October 1st at 6:00 at the Newton School Library. Please join us if you can!