Dear Families,

We had a great week together in Kindergarten!

Students worked diligently in math this week, practicing teen numbers and participating in many fun games. They continued their practice that a teen number is made up of a group of 10 and some ones.

In literacy, we wrapped up our rainforest unit. Kindergartners really enjoyed this topic—though it’s hard to find one they don’t like with such inquisitive little minds! Next week, we will begin preparing for a fun tech project with Mr. Weber, where students will share what they have learned about ecosystems.

A note from Dave Marlow

It's hard to believe, but UCS will soon be starting the process for class placement for the 2026-2027 school year! This is pertaining to any child entering grades 1-4 for next SY. The goal of the placement process is to honor your child's unique strengths and needs as a learner, and to create balanced classrooms in which all students can be successful and learn from one another as dynamic individuals. Your participation in this survey gives us important, key information for determining placement. We appreciate your trust in our educators to provide a supportive and enriching experience for all students and thank you in advance for your thoughtful participation. Please find all the information in the two links below:

• Family Letter

• My Child as a Learner form (for students entering grades 1-4) If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out! 

 

Important Dates:

• April 13 - April 15: UCS Abenaki Garden Mural Project - very exciting!!

• April 20-24 Spring Break 🌷🌞

• May 8th @ 8:00 Our class will host the All School Morning Meeting - Parents welcome!!

• May 21 Art & Music Concert from 5-6:30! 

Maple Syrup, Planting, & Rainforests

 

Just like Artemis II, this week has flown by! What a wonderful week together. Students enjoyed watching—or rewatching—the clip of the space launch—what great inspiration! 🚀

This week, we began learning about the lush rainforest ecosystem. Wow, what a difference from the desert! Students are loving the variety of animals and plant life, from the canopy to the forest floor.

During our word work time, we reviewed digraphs th, sh, ch, and ck. Students enjoyed going on a word hunt to search for words with digraphs and did a lot of writing—wow! Students are also continuing to practice long vowel patterns in their small group work.

In math this week, we were immersed in teen numbers—recognizing them in different ways and practicing place value.

During ECO, our focus was on the legends of maple sugaring. I hope your student shared a story with you! We acted out three different versions and had a sweet taste of some syrup.

We ended our week with some seed planting and a garden parade featuring new tools for our garden shed! It felt good to get our hands into some dirt again. Planting season is on its way!  🌻

Important Dates:

Looking for donations of duct tape, please and thank you!!

• April 8th: Student 2-hour Early Release

• April 13 - April 15: UCS Abenaki Garden Mural Project - very exciting!!

• May 8th @ 8:00 Our class will host the All School Morning Meeting !!

• May 21 Art & Music Concert from 5-6:30! 

This week, I had the opportunity to attend the VT Kindergarten Conference in Burlington! The focus was on the importance of learning through play. When we play, we learn—and that learning becomes fun, meaningful, and impactful. Don’t forget to make time to play, everyone! 

In the classroom, we continued exploring the fascinating desert ecosystem. Through our reading, we are learning that this dry environment is home to many different organisms that have adapted to survive in harsh conditions. Books are helping us open our eyes to the world around us and discover new and interesting facts! 

This week, we also began discussing long vowel sounds, especially in words that have a “magic e,” such as take, Pete, kite, cone, and cute. Notice how the “e” makes the vowel say its name!

In math, we had fun playing games like Teen Bump, where students roll a die and add 10 to their number. Playing Bump with partners is always exciting, especially when we get to “bump” each other off a space!

In Social Studies, we focused on our town of Underhill. We brainstormed places that are important in our community, and students illustrated their neighborhoods—thoughtfully including details like neighbors, roads, trees, and other features of their surroundings.

This week felt busy, sorry for not taking as many pics!

Important Dates

Looking for donations of duct tape, please and thank you!!

• April 8th: Student 2-hour Early Release

• April 13 - April 15: UCS Abenaki Garden Mural Project - very exciting!!

• Our class will host All School Morning Meeting on May 8th @ 8:00!!

• May 21 Art & Music Concert from 5-6:30!

Desert, Leprechauns, & Maps!

Spring has certainly made its entrance like a lion; let’s hope the lamb arrives soon! Our sugar shack was busy this weekend, and we’re hoping it will continue for a few more weeks. I’ll be bringing in some freshly made syrup for the children to taste test this week!

You may have heard that a leprechaun visited our classroom and left clues for us to discover. It was very exciting to say the least! We also enjoyed reading several books featuring tricky leprechauns, which was a fun break from our nonfiction reading.

This week, we ventured into the dry desert, learning facts about how plants and animals survive in such harsh conditions. For example, cacti store water for later use, and a camel’s hump contains fat that helps it survive for long periods without water. It’s amazing to learn about the adaptations these organisms have developed.

In math, we played partner games like Race to the Sun and Fill the Treasure Chest, where students practiced solving addition and subtraction problems to move forward in the games.

We also had fun working with maps. We finished creating our classroom maps and then began exploring a map of our school. Students loved connecting what they saw on the map to real places in the building. Next, we’ll continue expanding our thinking as we learn more about mapping our town.

Important Dates

• Conferences begin on Monday. If you have not signed up, I will assume you would prefer to receive a progress report, which will be sent out within the next week or two during the conference window.

• Friday: Trip to Brown’s River Middle School to watch the Vermont Youth Dancers’ performance of Mary Poppins. 💃

Maps 🗺, Ocean 🌊, & Music 🎸

 

This week flew by! Thank you for continuing to send your child to school prepared with clothing for all kinds of weather. I think we experienced just about every type this week! ☔❄️☀️

We began a new social studies unit on Geography. Students have already shown great interest as they explored maps, practiced finding the four cardinal directions, and began learning what it’s like to be a cartographer—a map maker! We even mapped our classroom and talked about which important objects and places in the room should be included on our maps.

We wrapped up our Ocean topic with a deep dive into our ocean book collection. Each student chose an ocean animal to draw and paint. I am always amazed by how beautifully talented everyone is—what wonderful artists!

During math, we played several partner games such as Roll, Add, and Find, and 7 Snakes. When we work with partners, students practice math skills while also learning important social skills like playing fairly, taking turns, being patient, and helping their partner when needed.

Lastly, we were so lucky to have Buddy Dubay join us for a spring sing-along. He always brings so much joy and laughter to our classroom! We were also happy to see that Ms. Neeson has migrated back to Vermont after spending the winter in Florida.

Conference Info here!  

1) Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp: https://signup.com/go/LyYvTaZ

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.

Welcome Back

 Welcome back!

It was so nice to hear how everyone spent their winter breaks! Over the past few days, we’ve spent time reconnecting, sharing stories, and diving into our Ocean Literacy topic. The ocean is an endlessly fascinating ecosystem to learn about, and we can’t wait to continue exploring it together!

We also began discussing how some one-syllable words with a short vowel sometimes have a bonus letter at the end when they end in s, l, f, or sometimes z. For example: will, fluff, bass, and buzz.  We will continue to practice this new spelling rule this week. 

Upcoming Dates:

Correction:  Our class will be doing an All School Morning Meeting in May, not April!  Thank you.

3/9 Buddy Dubay visit

Later this month we will be offering a Spring Conference sign up. If you can't make it there will be a progress report option.  Look for the sign-up soon!

Final Cochran's, Tree Friends, Dog Sled Visit

Another busy and joyful week in kindergarten is in the books! From dog sledding to skiing and all the laughs of Spirit Week, we packed in so many special moments. We were lucky that the weather cooperated, allowing us to participate in all four Cochran sessions at Cochran's Ski Area! A huge thank you to Amanda Cowan for organizing such a wonderful experience. We are also incredibly grateful to all of you who volunteered your time to support your own children and others. And thank you to everyone who lugged ski gear to school and helped pack your child's bags with all of the necessary supplies — your support truly makes this program successful!

Math
This week in math, we focused on breaking down subtraction (also known as “takeaway” or minus). Students played a game called Build It, using ten-frames to practice subtraction and create equations. They also continued solving word problems by showing their thinking with both a picture and an equation.

ECO & Literacy
We connected our forest studies in literacy to real-life exploration during ECO time. After reading a story about food chains in the woods, students ventured to meet a “tree friend,” marking it with a ribbon. We then created bark rubbings and observed the unique designs and textures of different trees in our forest. We will watch for changes in our trees in the coming months!

Have a great break!

Important Dates:

3/3 Voting Day!

3/4 Back to school

4/3 Our class runs the All School Meeting!! You are welcome to come for this from 8-8:30.

100th Day, Cochran's, and Dance Parties!

❤

Greetings, Families!

We kicked off the week celebrating our 100th day of school with lots of fun activities! Students counted all the way to 100 and explored what it means to think of 100 as 10 groups of 10. We’ve been sneaking in place value practice whenever possible, and the kids are really starting to make those connections!

Later in the week, we had our third visit to Cochran’s. The snow was a bit tougher to move through this time—especially on the bunny hill—but the children gave it their best effort and are making wonderful progress. Their perseverance and growing confidence on the slopes have been awesome to see!

On Friday, we wrapped up the week with a joyful celebration of friendship. Students enjoyed games and an afternoon party filled with laughter and connection. A huge thank you for supporting your child with this special day—and thank you for the delicious treats! They were very much appreciated.

During literacy time, we explored forest ecosystems. This is a biome many of us are familiar with in our everyday lives—from dappled sunlight through the trees to the sounds of birds, and sometimes even spotting animals or their tracks. The students loved making connections between what we’re learning and what they’ve experienced outside.

In literacy groups, we continue to strengthen: letter and sound recognition, CVC words, digraphs (sh, th, ck, wh), & blends.  We are also practicing our growing Power Word list. Some new words we’ve added include: are, want, here, have, and for. Your continued support with reading practice at home makes such a difference—thank you!

Upcoming Dates

Spirit week this week!!

2/18 Vermont Sled Dogs and Adventures

2/19 Final Cochran's 

Another chilly weekend greeting! ❄

What a fun-filled week we’ve had! Students have been resilient, chugging right along through these busy days. The whole school headed to the Flynn this week to see Cirque Mechanics: Tilt, a mesmerizing act of skill and strength. A huge thank-you to the UCS PTO for supporting this trip—students were on the edge of their seats the entire time! 🎡

We also wrapped up our second week of Cochran’s. Each week, students grow in skill and bravery on the hills, pushing themselves to go farther. It’s wonderful to see the quick progress that happens every year. ⛷

In the classroom, we began a short science unit on Force and Motion. We use pushes and pulls throughout our day, and this unit is filled with experiments and hands-on activities that reinforce these concepts. It connects nicely with the Olympics and our whole-school Iditarod mini unit this month! 

In literacy, we continued exploring the toasty savanna. Students loved learning about the adaptations animals use to survive—such as camouflage, long legs, and sharp teeth and claws. This week, students wrote about the savanna, pushing themselves to add more details and facts while tapping out sounds as they wrote. 🦒

In math, we started the week with some Groundhog Day math. On the following days, students counted items from mystery bags and played a caterpillar counting game. Their goal was to reach 60 by coloring in circles and tallying as they moved along the caterpillar.

We have another busy week ahead—rest up! 🌞

Upcoming events:

• Tuesday: 100th Day of School

• Wednesday: Buddy Dubay 🎸 & early dismissal

• Thursday: 3rd Cochran’s Ski/Ride

• Friday: Friendship Party 🎉

This week, we jumped into the biome of the savanna and its ecosystems—though it felt more like the Arctic outside! We learned that savannas are grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs, a wet season and a dry season, and they are home to many incredible animals. We took a closer look at the African savanna and its amazing wildlife.

Some students brought home their Zoology Unit 2 writing this week. You’ll spot lots of scientific thinking, including detailed animal illustrations and thoughtful comparisons. The rest of the students will bring their work home on Monday.

Math time was full of hands-on fun! We played games like Build 20, where students added pennies to a 20-frame and stopped to think: “If I have 3 pennies, how many more do I need to make 20?” Students also loved measuring their legs and arms with cubes—and comparing their measurements with friends.

Snow Motion was incredible! Students with skiing experience found their rhythm right away, while first-time skiers impressed us all with their bravery and determination as they took on the hill. We can’t wait to head back next Thursday!

                                                 Enjoy some fun clips of the week!

Upcoming events:

2/4   Flynn Trip

2/5   2nd Snow Motion Ski/ride day

2/6 Book orders due

  SHOP OUR CLASS PAGE:  https://orders.scholastic.com  

Then click connect to teacher.

Class Code: V4R4N

SHOP FLYERS: https://clubs.scholastic.com/all-flyers

2/13 Friendship Party   This info will be printed and sent home on Monday.