This is today's science vocabulary pre-assessment. We are continuing to work on our Animal Adaptations unit. Students will be choosing an animal to create a multimedia presentation on using Book Creator. Ask your child what he/she thinks might be a good wild animal choice for them.

Thanks so much for all the delicious treats you sent in today. We had a great Cube Party. Although the weather didn't cooperate, we had an  indoor game extravaganza! Great work, kids! 

Tomorrow (Friday) we will be having a Cube Party. These happen when the class has earned all 20 cubes through hard work, responsibility, kindness and general AWESOMENESS! If you would like to send in something (cupcakes, fruit, juice) for the class it would be greatly appreciated. Please do not feel obligated. We only need a few items. Thanks in advance. 

This week's Kid of the Week is Mic.

Here is what his friends had to say about him:

"Mic loves Pete the Cat books."

"He is a really good reader."

"Mic is Kind."

I hope everyone enjoyed the four day weekend. The class seems well rested and ready to rumble. Here is a pic of Journal time today.

 

 A HUGE "shout out" to Dean, Sebastian, Molly, and Kelly for letting us crash their farm. We had an awesome time. We saw a menagerie of animals, tasted some world class cheese and yogurt, and got a great farm tour. It was a beautiful day and I was reminded what a special place the von Trapp Farm is. Thanks again for your hospitality. Thanks also to Eileen and Jen S. for driving and helping out. Enjoy the pics.

 

Thanks to Emma's family for the new class chess set. My only question is, "Rob, why didn't you get the big set?!" 😳

OK, take 2! We will be heading to the von Trapp farm this Thursday (Oct 8th) at 9:30 and returning at 11:15. The weather looks like it should hold. Please dress for chilly weather. I'm looking forward to a great visit.  

Grade 2 math has been working with 100's charts and open number lines.

Scratch that!!!! Field trip this Friday postponed. Weather NOT good. I'll talk to Sebastian and look at a day that works. Stay tuned... 

This Friday (Oct 2nd) we will be visiting the von Trapp farm. We will be leaving at 9:30 and returning to WES at 11:15. Sebastian will be showing us around his milk/cheese operation, farm store, and we will definitely see some animals. I will make sure to take some pics for the blog. (If the weather looks bad we will obviously reschedule.)  

 This week's Kid of the Week is Apple

Here is what her friends had to say about her:

"Apple is so nice."

"She is very good at biking."

"Apple is very smart."

Today we had a presentation from Puppets in Education. The actors spoke about many of the things we work on at WES: kindness, empathy, being an individual, etc. We wrote about the presentation during writing prompt. As your child about 2 things he/she does very well and 1 thing he/she is still practicing. 

 

Here is a little Grade 2 math work from today. 

Venn Diagram Work Video

The above link will show what Grade 2 students have been doing in math for the past week.

Arlo's mom, Libby, gave an excellent presentation to the class on the significance of Rosh Hashanah. We even got to eat some delicious Challah bread with apples and honey. Thanks Libby!

 This week's Kid of the Week is Emma

Here is what her friends had to say about her:

"She's smart and kind to everybody."

"She's a good Kid of the Week."

"Rock on, Emma!"

 We started reading groups this week and, thus far, it has been a good, solid "A." Kids rotate through 3 groups: Read with me, Lexia, and quiet read. Each rotation is 20 minutes and groups are 4-5 students. Here is a group today.

 

I hope everyone had a great long weekend. It seems a lot of families took advantage of the beautiful weather to enjoy the outdoors. Kids are a bit tired, but we had a productive day nonetheless. Here is a pic of Friday's share.

 

We celebrated our first week of school with a writing prompt: "What has been your favorite thing about school thus far?" Lots of great answers. Ask your child what he/she wrote.

In Grade 2 Math we will be working on attributes for the first several weeks. We will be building attribute trains with differences of 1,2,3, and 4. We will also be doing some Venn digramming. 

Attribute Train Game Difference of 1

Big painting day today. We'll get these laminated, full of paper, and put to use next week. 

 Everyone enjoying our first Library class of the year with Eric.

Painting

Weather permitting, we will be painting our Reading Log, Journal, and Prompt covers tomorrow. Although the paint is water based, it can be hard to wash out. I would recommend sending your child to school in something he/she does not mind getting dirty. In other words, save the nice outfits for another day. Thanks. 

 Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Dear Parents,

I am writing to introduce myself to those of you I may not yet know. This will be my 27th year teaching first and second grade at Waitsfield. Prior, I taught first grade at The Taipei American School for four years and taught first and second grade in Worcester, Vermont for three years.  As well, I taught both first and fourth grades at an independent school in Boston, Massachusetts while pursuing my Master’s degree. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with your child and I am looking forward to an exciting school year.

One thing you will notice is that very little completed schoolwork comes home on a day to day basis.  Instead, student work remains in the classroom in portfolios and will be sent home at the end of the marking period.  You will, however, have a chance to view work at parent conferences.  

As far as homework is concerned, I would ask that you spend twenty minutes a day reading at home with your child. Other than that, ride your bikes, enjoy an organized sport, enjoy Vermont. It is a long day and the children need time to play and relax with their families.

Thank you for your time, and if I can answer any questions please feel free to contact me at school any time (thubbard@huusd.org). Please check the blog daily.

Let’s have a great year! I am very excited to have your child in my class.

Sincerely,

Taylor Hubbard