On Tuesday morning the Kindergarten class was once again priveleged to have the opportunity to vote on the dog tag shape and color for the coming year. Jen Peterson, Waitsfield town clerk, generously came to school and set up a formal vote for students, including the locked ballot box. After a brief explanation of the voting process, each child was invited to check in with Jen before casting their vote. Once all ballots were securely in the box, we counted the votes. The next round of dog tags will be blue daisies. Thank you to Jen for involving our class in this hands on civics experience.

We have enjoyed watching our caterpillars rapidly grow and change as they go through their metamorphosis.  This week we have had the great fortune of watching several butterflies emerge from their chrysalises. When the butterflies first come out they are extremely delicate, wet, and shriveled. As they slowly pump the fluid from their abdomens into their wings, their wings expand and straighten out, and in several hours they are ready to fly. This week, after thanking them for being our guests and giving them quiet wishes for a safe journey, we have released 8 butterflies.

One classroom routine that is well established already is math, which takes place each day right after our morning recess. During this time students typically work in small groups, rotating through stations. The stations tend to be hands on and almost always include manipulatives for children to use. The groupings change regularly, providing students an opportunity to work with different peers. One tool we use often is ten frames, which are 2 X 5 rectangular frames. Representing numbers on ten frames  helps students develop visual representations of numbers within the context of ten, and they are an integral part of our curriculum.  

We have also played several partner games, something we will do a lot of during math. Children know that the games are intended to be a fun way to practice essential math skills. We have talked a lot about the importance of being a good sport and what that looks like for both the person who wins the game and the person who doesn't win. We always end our games by shaking hands and saying "Good game!" 

We had a fantastic hike today! Kindergarteners should be very proud- they all made it all the way to the Nature Center, and some parts of the trail were quite steep! Thank you for sending your child prepared for a successful day and thank you to parents who joined us. Ask your child what their favorite part of the hike was.