International Festival

GRIT students had an awesome time at the International Festival in Essex last Friday. The festival was a great way to wrap up our culture unit, and explore crafts, foods and performances from around the world.

 Entrance to the festival

Lots of crafts to see and buy!

Soccer around the globe

Yum, gelato!

 African drumming and dancing

Local rap group A2VT

Scottish bag pipes

Ask your child what their favorite part of the festival was. Did they try delicious foods? Bring home some artwork from inspired by another culture?

GRIT Writing and Reading

GRIT students worked hard to write narratives during our writing unit. We celebrated by reading each other's work and providing feedback in their writer's notebooks--and enjoying some mini donuts, too! Great job, GRIT writers!

Finished narratives, with illustrated covers!

Now students are back in their reader's notebooks, learning the value of rereading. What can we learn from rereading a story? What do notice in a second read that we didn't notice before? It's the same as watching a movie again--new details reveal themselves once you understand the whole picture. 

Below are examples of some of the work we've been doing in our reader's notebooks. 

Looking for different perspectives in Bruno Mars' Grenade song

Exploring different perspectives looking at a text as a whole, and thinking about perspectives within a text

Noticing small details during a reread: what patterns do you notice when you reread that are actually important?

Ask your child what new information they are getting out of the story they are reading a second time. 

Friday's Celebrations

Last Friday, GRIT got to celebrate some of their hard work. Students did an amazing job back in October during our food drive, and brought in TONS of food to donate. Then, they constructed an amazing haunted house during the food drive sculpture contest, earning them 3rd place--and a giant bag of candy to celebrate! They were finally able to enjoy all the delicious candy from Mr. Carbone on Friday.

They were also celebrating their hard work from our wreath and poinsettia fundraiser, delivering wreaths and poinsettias around CHMS, RES, and organizing their orders to take home. Thank you to all who helped support team GRIT!!

Wonder Portraits

As part of our Wonder unit, students created self portraits in the style of the drawings in the book. Students reflected on why the portraits in the book might be drawn the way they are: why does each character's portrait only have one eye? Why are facial features missing? Then they thought about what their own portrait should look like: What features stand out the most? What should I include that people would recognize? Should I include color?

Here is the wall of Wonder portraits! What a great job they did!

Students also created their own precept postcards, just like the students at Beecher Prep in Wonder. Students wrote precepts, or important quotes or statements about life, on the front of their postcard, and the inside is like the back of their postcard. They wrote why the precept is important to them, why they chose it, and what it means to them. 

Look at all the wonderful statements our students live by!

GRIT fall camping trip!

Last Thursday and Friday, team GRIT went camping up at Grand Isle State Park with the help of our amazing guest speakers and awesome parent chaperones.

Our first stop was at the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge. Students watched an informational video in the visitor's center before heading out to the trails for some guided tours on the property.

Then we all headed back on the bus to head down to Grand Isle State Park. We headed down to the lake for lunch and some free time. Some played on the swings, and others practiced skipping stones on the lake. Students then learned about scientific sketching. Ms. Lindsey made some comparisons to writer and illustrator Beatrix Potter, who began her work as a naturalist. Students looked at a few examples, and then headed off with their science journals to begin their nature studies. As students were sketching, geese flew in formation overhead. So much to see!

After making scientific sketches, students went back to their lean tos to set up camp, play with friends, and then make dinner. At 7:30, the GRIT campfire began! Skits and singing games entertained everyone before lights out. 

The next day was much colder, and rainy for sure! Despite the weather, GRIT students were troopers when our guests from St. Mike's College came to discuss water quality and help students take samples. They found all kinds of interesting things to see under the microscope!

Waders for water samples!

The round tree trunk hanging on the bluff

Gil discovered the leaky pair of waders...

...while Braden wanted to fully submerge for warmth in his!

The St. Mike's group had waterproof paper! It formed droplets instead of absorbing into the paper. 

Our final stop was the Ed Ween Fish Hatchery where students learned about how fish are being raised to help stock the lake. 

Fish Eggs

So many fish!

At the end of the trip, students had worked hard and were definitely ready to head home for some warmth and drier clothes!