Hello Families!
Happy Friday! We've had a wonderful week here at JES -- I'm so pleased with the work the students have been doing this week!

The highlights of the week both happened on Tuesday. We had our dragon dance, which was short but made the students very proud! I heard many compliments about the dragon itself and about how poised and perfect the kids were as they marched through the gym. I hope I can make this a tradition at JES! Then we headed to the State House, and I think the class got a lot out of this day. It was lovely to walk through the building and see where our lawmakers do their work, and it was particularly great to sit in on the House in session! I was incredibly proud of the control and restraint the kids showed during this time. It wasn't easy to sit still and be silent for 30 minutes, but they did it!  The museum was also a lot of fun, although it was not as meaningful since we haven't studied Vermont history yet. That comes next!

Students have mostly finished their books and are beginning to plan their public service announcements. They are considering what issue they want to make an announcement about, what data they need, and what they want their message to be. We will film these over the next 2 weeks. I'll be sure to share! In writing, they are drafting their persuasive pieces -- some are hoping JES gets a pool, others are working on making it okay to wear hats at school, and still others are writing about friendship. They certainly have a lot of opinions!  Today they started writing a letter to their legislators, either recommending a new bill or supporting/opposing an existing bill. I love seeing their passion and their awareness that their words can matter!

Finally, today we started working on making a 10,000 chart. This means making 100 100's charts!  The class is thinking hard about what this means, how to make it, and how to move around the number system. Making sure they have a solid understanding of place value is imperative, and they are proving again and again that they do!  Next week we will finish our chart and then begin adding and subtracting these huge numbers!

I have a volunteer to help on Valentine's Day, and 2 or 3 people have offered to send in treats. Feel free to send in a treat even if you haven't signed up. We could use some drinks and cups/napkins.  I appreciate the help!

That's all for this week. Happy Weekend!