March Newsletter
Happy March! Spring is almost here and the 6th graders have been hard at work here in Room 34.
In Writing, we are working on non-fiction writing. We have been studying plastic and using this knowledge to create infographics to inform others of the harmful effects plastic has on our planet. We will then be using this information to help us write persuasive letters to businesses to encourage them to become more zero waste.
In Reading, we are reading articles on plastic and our planet. We have been working on taking notes and paraphrasing without plagiarizing. We have also started our last Book Club. Book Club projects are due April 3rd (see rubric).
In Social Studies, we are exploring South Asia! We will be diving into the unique culture of countries such as India, Nepal and Bhutan to name a few.
The 6th graders have also been assigned their last country project. This project is different from the original 3rd term country project, so students may disregard the old country project rubric and use the new country project directions. Country projects are due April 10th.
Be sure to check out my blog for some great pictures. vboyle.blogspot.com
Dates to Know: Classroom Wish List:
DARE starts 3/4 Tissues
Science Fair 3/6 Duct Tape
Optical Illusions Horizons 3/10
Book fair/School Store 3/23- 3/27
Conferences 3/25 3/26
PJ Day 3/27
ELA MCAS 3/31 4/1
Ask Your Child About:
Pen Pals
South Asia
Global Goals
One Room Schoolhouse book
Plastic Infographics
Book Club
School Store
February Newsletter:
It's hard to believe, but it's already February! Where has the time gone? The 6th graders have been hard at work here in Room 34 and we have been working on some really fun projects!
In Writing, we have been exploring persuasive writing. We started by practicing together by writing a letter to Dr. Morrison trying to persuade him to make Spofford a paperless flyer school. The kids found some shocking facts about paper waste that we were excited to pass on to him.
The 6th graders are now working on their own persuasive writing piece. They have each chosen one of the 17 Global Goals that they feel most passionate about. They are working on a persuasive letter to their 3rd grade Buddy trying to convince them to vote for their goal. Whichever goal wins, we will be making merchandise to sell at our upcoming school store and the profits from those sales will be donated to an organization that is helping reach the winning goal.
In Reading, we have been looking at a varied of debate topics such as homework and cellphone usage. The students have participated in their own mini debates in the classroom.
In Social Studies, we are continuing to explore the Middle East. The students have participated in many fun projects such as filming weather newscasts and designing a virtual field trip. We will soon be moving on to the region on South Asia.
Be sure to check out my blog for some great pictures! vboyle.blogspot.com
Ask your Child About Classroom Wish List
Paperless School BrainBreak Items:
Global Goals Coloring Books
Debate topics Clay
Middle East Puzzles (24 pieces or less)
One Room Schoolhouse project
Zero Waste
December Newsletter:
It's hard to believe, but it's now DECEMBER! Where has the time gone? The 6th graders have been hard at work here in Room 34.
Be sure to check out the bottom of this newsletter for information about report card grading.
In Writing, we have wrapped up our narrative writing and are now working on informational writing. The students will be writing non-fiction articles on a topic of their choice. These articles will be added to our short story dispenser we have donated to Cole school.
The students have also been studying topics of personal Development such as perseverance, empathy, kindness and grit. Together, they have created an inspirational video to share with the school to encourage personal development in all our students.
Checkout the Video here! https://www.wevideo.
In Reading, we have finished the book, Fish in a Tree. The students voted for our next class book and they have chosen to read my book, The Forgotten Forest. I was flattered they wanted to read it :-)
The 6th graders will also be starting their second book club. They will be placed into new groups and they will choose their own book. Each week, they will be posting and responding to discussion questions in their Google Classrooms.
In Social Studies, we are exploring Latin America and the ancient cultures that once inhabited these lands. The 6th graders will begin their next Country Project. They will research a cultural aspect of their country (see rubric). We will be doing many exciting things as we explore the region, such as creating a 5 day vacation tour in Google Earth!
Be sure to check out my blog to see some great pictures! vboyle.blogspot.com
Report cards will be going live tomorrow (Tuesday) and each year I get many questions about our grading system. To help alleviate some confusion, I just wanted to send out a brief explanation of each grading score.
1= Limited progress. This would be an area for concern
2= Progressing towards expectation. No concerns, this is just an area that is developing and not yet mastered.
3=Meets expectations. No concerns, expectation has been met. They are exactly where we expect them to be with this standard.
4= Exceeds expectation. They are beyond what we expect for a 6th grader
I hope this helps. I look forward to meeting with many of you later this week!
Dates to know Classroom Wishlist
Conferences 12/4 12/5 Tissues
School store opens 12/4
Museum of Science trip 12/17
Hat Day/Early Release 12/20
VACATION 12/23-1/2
Ask your Child About:
Latin America
Pen Pals
Personal Development video
Thankful Tree
Alina has been found!
Fish in a Tree
School Store
Wired for Greatness Grants
5 Day latin America vacation
Dear Parents,
This is Vanessa Boyle, I will be your child's homeroom teacher. I will be teaching English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies. I am excited to welcome your child into my classroom! We are about to embark on a fun-filled journey here in Room 34.
At the beginning of each month you can expect a Newsletter from me informing you of what we will be working on and any upcoming events. Communication from school to home is vital to our students' success, so I strongly encourage that read the month newsletters and have regular discussions with your child about what they are learning about in school.
As communication from school to home is important, communication from home to school is just as important, so please do not hesitate to reach out to me anytime. With that said, email is always the best means of communication as I can not check or respond to voice messages while I am teaching.
Another very important way I keep parents up to date is through my blog. Here is where you will find the nightly homework, upcoming projects and assignments, monthly newsletters, extra credit opportunities and fun pictures from the classroom. If your child is absent, I encourage them to check my blog to see if there is any homework they can do to stay caught up. As we are preparing our 6th graders for middle school and beyond, we ask that the students themselves check the teacher's blogs and check in with the teachers when ever they are absent. This is a key step in building effective responsibility and organizational skills.
Checkout my blog at: vboyle.blogspot.com
As promised, in this newsletter I will give you a brief overview of this month's happenings in Room 34.
In Reading, we will be studying the different genres and types of stories. We will also be starting a class book discussion on the book, Fish in a Tree. As we read, we will be discussing effective reading strategies.
The students will also be participating in a Book Club. As part of the Book Club, students will be asked to participate in weekly online book discussions along with many in class discussions as well.
In Writing, we will be exploring narrative writing. The students will be writing a "Based on True Events" story. Each student will get to interview a real person with a great story to tell. Some of these local celebrities may include teachers, parents, and local residents. After interviewing this person, the students will write a narrative story based on these true events!
In Social Studies, the 6th graders will be learning about world geography. We will begin the year off talking about culture, the 5 Themes of Geography and we will also look at some of the geography terms we will be using throughout the year.
You still with me? Don't worry not all the newsletter will be this long.
Lastly, I would like to let you know that Room 34 is considered a Green Classroom. As many of you may know, I run the Green Team here at Spofford and caring for the environment is a message I always try to spread. With that said, I would like to encourage my students to use a reusable water bottle instead of a plastic bottle, use a cloth lunch bag opposed to a paper bag and other more environmentally friendly practices.
Thank you for sticking with it and getting through this long newsletter. I hope you found some useful information here. You can expect a (shorter) newsletter each month!
Dates to Know Classroom Wish List
9/2 Columbus Day NO SCHOOL Tissues
9/5 Open House 6:30 Decorative edged scissors
9/20 DARE to Remember road race Duct Tape
Ask your Child About:
Class pets
Independent Thinking
Teach a Man to Fish quote
Change the Way you look at things
Knowledge is a Gift
Grandma's sweater
3rd Grade Buddies
Teacher emails:
English Language Arts/Social Studies-
Vanessa Boyle vboyle@boxfordschools.org
Science-
Lisa Stewart lstewart@boxfordschools.org
Math-
Wendy Burns and Kim Economos
March Newsletter
Happy March! Spring is almost here and the 6th graders have been hard at work here in Room 34.
In Writing, we are working on non-fiction writing. We have been studying plastic and using this knowledge to create infographics to inform others of the harmful effects plastic has on our planet. We will then be using this information to help us write persuasive letters to businesses to encourage them to become more zero waste.
In Reading, we are reading articles on plastic and our planet. We have been working on taking notes and paraphrasing without plagiarizing. We have also started our last Book Club. Book Club projects are due April 3rd (see rubric).
In Social Studies, we are exploring South Asia! We will be diving into the unique culture of countries such as India, Nepal and Bhutan to name a few.
The 6th graders have also been assigned their last country project. This project is different from the original 3rd term country project, so students may disregard the old country project rubric and use the new country project directions. Country projects are due April 10th.
Be sure to check out my blog for some great pictures. vboyle.blogspot.com
Dates to Know: Classroom Wish List:
DARE starts 3/4 Tissues
Science Fair 3/6 Duct Tape
Optical Illusions Horizons 3/10
Book fair/School Store 3/23- 3/27
Conferences 3/25 3/26
PJ Day 3/27
ELA MCAS 3/31 4/1
Ask Your Child About:
Pen Pals
South Asia
Global Goals
One Room Schoolhouse book
Plastic Infographics
Book Club
School Store
February Newsletter:
It's hard to believe, but it's already February! Where has the time gone? The 6th graders have been hard at work here in Room 34 and we have been working on some really fun projects!
In Writing, we have been exploring persuasive writing. We started by practicing together by writing a letter to Dr. Morrison trying to persuade him to make Spofford a paperless flyer school. The kids found some shocking facts about paper waste that we were excited to pass on to him.
The 6th graders are now working on their own persuasive writing piece. They have each chosen one of the 17 Global Goals that they feel most passionate about. They are working on a persuasive letter to their 3rd grade Buddy trying to convince them to vote for their goal. Whichever goal wins, we will be making merchandise to sell at our upcoming school store and the profits from those sales will be donated to an organization that is helping reach the winning goal.
In Reading, we have been looking at a varied of debate topics such as homework and cellphone usage. The students have participated in their own mini debates in the classroom.
In Social Studies, we are continuing to explore the Middle East. The students have participated in many fun projects such as filming weather newscasts and designing a virtual field trip. We will soon be moving on to the region on South Asia.
Be sure to check out my blog for some great pictures! vboyle.blogspot.com
Ask your Child About Classroom Wish List
Paperless School BrainBreak Items:
Global Goals Coloring Books
Debate topics Clay
Middle East Puzzles (24 pieces or less)
One Room Schoolhouse project
Zero Waste
December Newsletter:
It's hard to believe, but it's now DECEMBER! Where has the time gone? The 6th graders have been hard at work here in Room 34.
Be sure to check out the bottom of this newsletter for information about report card grading.
In Writing, we have wrapped up our narrative writing and are now working on informational writing. The students will be writing non-fiction articles on a topic of their choice. These articles will be added to our short story dispenser we have donated to Cole school.
The students have also been studying topics of personal Development such as perseverance, empathy, kindness and grit. Together, they have created an inspirational video to share with the school to encourage personal development in all our students.
Checkout the Video here! https://www.wevideo.
In Reading, we have finished the book, Fish in a Tree. The students voted for our next class book and they have chosen to read my book, The Forgotten Forest. I was flattered they wanted to read it :-)
The 6th graders will also be starting their second book club. They will be placed into new groups and they will choose their own book. Each week, they will be posting and responding to discussion questions in their Google Classrooms.
In Social Studies, we are exploring Latin America and the ancient cultures that once inhabited these lands. The 6th graders will begin their next Country Project. They will research a cultural aspect of their country (see rubric). We will be doing many exciting things as we explore the region, such as creating a 5 day vacation tour in Google Earth!
Be sure to check out my blog to see some great pictures! vboyle.blogspot.com
Report cards will be going live tomorrow (Tuesday) and each year I get many questions about our grading system. To help alleviate some confusion, I just wanted to send out a brief explanation of each grading score.
1= Limited progress. This would be an area for concern
2= Progressing towards expectation. No concerns, this is just an area that is developing and not yet mastered.
3=Meets expectations. No concerns, expectation has been met. They are exactly where we expect them to be with this standard.
4= Exceeds expectation. They are beyond what we expect for a 6th grader
I hope this helps. I look forward to meeting with many of you later this week!
Dates to know Classroom Wishlist
Conferences 12/4 12/5 Tissues
School store opens 12/4
Museum of Science trip 12/17
Hat Day/Early Release 12/20
VACATION 12/23-1/2
Ask your Child About:
Latin America
Pen Pals
Personal Development video
Thankful Tree
Alina has been found!
Fish in a Tree
School Store
Wired for Greatness Grants
5 Day latin America vacation
This is Vanessa Boyle, I will be your child's homeroom teacher. I will be teaching English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies. I am excited to welcome your child into my classroom! We are about to embark on a fun-filled journey here in Room 34.
At the beginning of each month you can expect a Newsletter from me informing you of what we will be working on and any upcoming events. Communication from school to home is vital to our students' success, so I strongly encourage that read the month newsletters and have regular discussions with your child about what they are learning about in school.
As communication from school to home is important, communication from home to school is just as important, so please do not hesitate to reach out to me anytime. With that said, email is always the best means of communication as I can not check or respond to voice messages while I am teaching.
Another very important way I keep parents up to date is through my blog. Here is where you will find the nightly homework, upcoming projects and assignments, monthly newsletters, extra credit opportunities and fun pictures from the classroom. If your child is absent, I encourage them to check my blog to see if there is any homework they can do to stay caught up. As we are preparing our 6th graders for middle school and beyond, we ask that the students themselves check the teacher's blogs and check in with the teachers when ever they are absent. This is a key step in building effective responsibility and organizational skills.
Checkout my blog at: vboyle.blogspot.com
As promised, in this newsletter I will give you a brief overview of this month's happenings in Room 34.
In Reading, we will be studying the different genres and types of stories. We will also be starting a class book discussion on the book, Fish in a Tree. As we read, we will be discussing effective reading strategies.
The students will also be participating in a Book Club. As part of the Book Club, students will be asked to participate in weekly online book discussions along with many in class discussions as well.
In Writing, we will be exploring narrative writing. The students will be writing a "Based on True Events" story. Each student will get to interview a real person with a great story to tell. Some of these local celebrities may include teachers, parents, and local residents. After interviewing this person, the students will write a narrative story based on these true events!
In Social Studies, the 6th graders will be learning about world geography. We will begin the year off talking about culture, the 5 Themes of Geography and we will also look at some of the geography terms we will be using throughout the year.
You still with me? Don't worry not all the newsletter will be this long.
Lastly, I would like to let you know that Room 34 is considered a Green Classroom. As many of you may know, I run the Green Team here at Spofford and caring for the environment is a message I always try to spread. With that said, I would like to encourage my students to use a reusable water bottle instead of a plastic bottle, use a cloth lunch bag opposed to a paper bag and other more environmentally friendly practices.
Thank you for sticking with it and getting through this long newsletter. I hope you found some useful information here. You can expect a (shorter) newsletter each month!
Dates to Know Classroom Wish List
9/2 Columbus Day NO SCHOOL Tissues
9/5 Open House 6:30 Decorative edged scissors
9/20 DARE to Remember road race Duct Tape
Ask your Child About:
Class pets
Independent Thinking
Teach a Man to Fish quote
Change the Way you look at things
Knowledge is a Gift
Grandma's sweater
3rd Grade Buddies
Teacher emails:
English Language Arts/Social Studies-
Vanessa Boyle vboyle@boxfordschools.org
Science-
Lisa Stewart lstewart@boxfordschools.org
Math-
Wendy Burns and Kim Economos
