October 17

October 17

Quest students display their endangered species posters to members of the Waterbury community at the library.

Sunset Rock

Next Friday (October 20th), we will be going on a field trip to Sunset Rock (see link for details).  We will be passing out permission slips on Friday, October 13th.  A copy of the permission slip can be found here.

Bake Sale for Puerto Rico

Please send in your baked goods, napkins, or beverages either on Thursday, October 19th, or for the beginning of the music concert.  We will run the sale before the concert, and afterwards.  Our proceeds will go to the community where our penpals live.  

Writing Warriors

Students are writing independent pieces and are submitting them for feedback.  Students will have a piece "due" at the end of each month (like rent, I've been telling them :)  If your student ever seems bored at home, they can be writing!  The pieces are of their own choosing for topics, and they get instruction and feedback based on what they need, each week.  They can also submit pieces to the Writing Warriors part of Google Classroom.

Conferences
Quest will be having their conferences on October 26 and November 2.  Look for sign up information in Cougar Comments. We will meet with you and your student for fifteen minutes.  Before or after this time, there will be space for you to look at your student's work with your student.  If you had a student on Quest last year, this will look a little different for this conference.

October 3

Skyler and Mia preparing an unusual carrot from the Quest garden!

Field Trip to Sunset Rock
We are planning a field trip to Sunset Rock in Stowe on Friday, October 20th.  We will walk to the Upper Overlook and participate in activities regarding our ecosystem study.  On the way up, we will stop by Cold Hollow Cider for a doughnut and cider to eat on our trip.  We will leave the school at 8:00 and plan on returning for lunch at 12:20.  Rain date is Monday, October 23rd.  If you would like to chaperone, please contact Central Office for paperwork regarding fingerprints.

Picture Day
Picture Day is tomorrow, October 4th!

Quest Clothing
Order forms due Thursday, October 6th!

Endangered Species Event at the Waterbury Public Library
On Wednesday, October 11th, Quest students have been invited to take part in an Endangered Species event at Waterbury Public Library.  Steve Faccio, a conservation biologist with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies will be sharing his studies of the decline of Vermont forest birds.  Quest students have been working on posters to bring awareness to their endangered species and the library has invited students to attend the event and display their poster.  The event takes place from 6:30-7:30 and we would love to have students there by 6:15 to set up and answer questions about their species.  If your student is interested in this opportunity, please make sure they have transportation.

Bake Sale for our penpals in Puerto Rico
We have not heard from our pen pals in Puerto Rico since hurricane Maria hit two weeks ago.    We would like to have a bake sale to help the people in Puerto Rico, and for our friends and their families. Dan Liptak and Molly Dubois have given us permission to have a bake sale during the concert on October 19th.  Cider and cups, napkins, cupcakes, savory treats, all are welcome. Your student can sign up either on team, or you can email Mrs. Williams with your information.  Please have your student bring in their treats either at the concert itself (5:30 / 6:00), or on October 19 during the day.  If your student can help out at the bake sale, please let Mrs. Williams know.

September 15

Preston, Lincoln and Tanner finding out what lives in the Crossett Brook

Project Based Learning - first unit  There has been a lot of interest about endangered species on our team.  We will begin a Project Based Unit next week with this topic as our focus.

Google Classroom
Within the next few days you will be receiving an email from Google Classroom.  Sign up for parent alerts if you would like to know about POW assignments or other writing assignments being assigned in class.

Independent Reading at Home  
Students will be required to read a book in class, and a book independently each month.  Students will record their books and their reading in school on a "workshop schedule."  If your student is struggling to meet this requirement, please email Mrs. Williams, and we can figure out strategies for helping.

Math Homework
Today, we sent home a packet regarding Math homework.  Over the past two weeks, all students were assessed on their understanding and fluency with multiplication facts.  The results of that assessment are included in the packet that was sent home.  Please look over these results as it suggests specific multiplication facts that your student should be practicing at home.  Based on the results of the assessment, students were assigned one of two homework worksheets (included in the packet).  If students have a solid understanding of most of their facts then they received a mixed review worksheet.  If students were identified as needing more practice with their multiplication facts, they received a recording sheet.  If they received the recording sheet, please have your student practice their multiplication facts at least four times per week for homework.  Directions on what they can do for practice is included in the packet.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Taylor.


Quest Clothing
Every two years, Quest students participate in a logo contest to try and design our Quest logo.  Congratulations to Ella M for designing the winning logo.  We will be ordering t-shirts and sweatshirts with that logo on it to show our team pride.  Here is the link to all of the information.  We will make our final order after the first week in October.  If this is a financial hardship for you and your family please let us know.  We would love for every member of our team to have a shirt.

Scholastic Book Orders: Scholastic Book order forms are available. See Mrs. LaRock to get one. Book orders will be due by 9/22

September 2017

Students write down questions they have regarding ecosystems

Welcome to Quest!

   
     We have had a fabulous two weeks with your students.  This blog is a way for us to communicate important information to you.  As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email us.  Email is usually best.  We are printing this newsletter as well, to make sure everyone receives this information.  We are asking that you either sign this paper copy or email us to assure that you have received this letter.  Quest Website can be found at https://sites.google.com/wwsu.org/quest/home.  This will provide you with more information about the team.

First Unit  Our first unit is a study of ecosystems.  On our first Friday of school, we presented the students with short videos about ecosystems.  Students then wrote questions on sticky notes.  We gathered these and organized them to co-create our first unit.  We will be covering the basics of food chains, photosynthesis, and interdependence.  We will study these through a study of our outdoors at CBMS, through a study of endangered species, and a focus on wetlands.
     During the reading part of our day, students are reading independent books.  Many of our students may finish within the next week.  We are requiring that every student finish at least one book by September 28th.  For our next book, students will be able to choose a book which focuses on the connection of people to animals, or people to their environment.  This will connect with our overall theme.
      We are working with multiplication and have applied it to populations of crayfish, and will continue to apply it throughout our first unit.  Students will also be writing a piece about an endangered species, and will focus on a piece of artwork on this endangered species throughout the month of September and early October.  As you can see, our work is integrated.

Homework Your child will have homework each week.  This includes silent reading and any additional math facts practice your child needs.
      They will also have a POW or Paragraph of the Week.  The purpose of the POW is to give students writing practice.  All research says the best way to become a better writer is to write.  This assignment will be posted on Google Classroom.  The topic will be given each Friday, and will be due the following Friday.  You are welcome to sit with your student to help him / her with work.  We will provide feedback.  Thank-you for your support with helping your student finish these.
     We are working with our tech department to find the best way for you to access Google Classroom.  When we have this information, we will email you through Blackboard Connect.  For now, you can have your student show you their account.
     They will also have a math assignment.  This will also be a week long assignment.
     Both assignments should be written in their planners.  We will work with students with their planners each Monday during CPR in the morning.

Quizlet - Students have signed up for a Quizlet account.  Quizlet is a study tool which we use on Quest for studying vocabulary words and sometimes spelling.  You may have received an email regarding this account.  This is to let parents and guardians know about the account for students under 12.  If you did not receive an email, you should within the next week.

Penpals - One part of our curriculum is to learn geography, the other is to learn writing, and so we write to penpals.  We are working with schools in Puerto Rico, Texas, Tennessee, and South Korea at this time.  Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this.  We have not written to our penpals yet, as two of those schools are having difficulties with the recent hurricanes.  We hope for their safety, and that we will be able to write to them soon.

Chaperones / Fingerprints  The Washington West Supervisory Union has mandated that all chaperones have background checks which includes fingerprinting.  We are hoping to schedule a short hike for sometime in October.  We are looking at the marshes up by Lake Champlain as a possibility, as we are studying wetlands as a part of our unit on ecosystems.  Please contact Central Office to find out further details if you are interested in chaperoning a field trip sometime this year.  Refer to Mr. Drake's Cougar Comments for more information.

We are very excited to have your student on Quest.  Please sign below (if this is a paper copy) or email us so we know you have received this.

Guardian / Parent Name ____________________________________________

Your student's name __________________________________________

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