Weekly Newsletter

Welcome to a new school year; full of possibility, growth, and of course more literary adventures! I am excited to begin my sixth year as your children’s librarian. Students are already asking when they can check out books, and I am eager to get the books in their hands! The first couple weeks of library class focuses on library expectations and procedures, but there is much to look forward to as the year unfolds. Library time is about encouraging a love of reading, but it also encompasses additional topics that fit under the ‘information’ umbrella. Below are some framing questions to give you a sense of what happens during library time, all tailored to a variety of learning styles and developmental levels. You are welcome to stop by the library at Open House to say hello and look around, and as always feel free to reach out anytime at rwilson@mtrsd.org.

• How can we care for ourselves, others, and our surroundings while in the library?

• How can we find a book that we love?

• How do books help us learn and grow?

• How can a library help us find the information we need?

• How can finding information help us to learn about and help the world?

• How do humans use code to program computers?

• How can we be thoughtful, responsible digital citizens?

Our little learners had a wonderful first week of preschool, filled with new friends, joyful giggles, and exciting classroom adventures. The children spent the last few days exploring our classroom and school and learning our daily routines like circle time and handwashing. Thank you for sharing your amazing children with us as we kick off a fantastic school year together!

Our preschool is buzzing with happy faces, curious minds, and the joy of being together again. We are so happy to welcome back our returning students and warmly welcome our new friends. It is wonderful to see older students stepping into their roles as caring role models, offering smiles, helping hands, and gentle encouragement as new friendships begin.

We are busy getting to know one another, learning our routines and expectations, and settling into our days together. There is an exciting energy of reconnection, curiosity, and discovery all around.

We’re so happy to be together and can’t wait for a year filled with exploration, friendship, and lots of fun!

We have started our first science unit studying how monarch caterpillars grow and change into butterflies. So far, we have been reading books and observing the caterpillars as they are eating huge amounts of milkweed in their tank in our classroom. We have also started learning some songs and fingerplays to help us learn about the changes that happen to a caterpillar as it grows into a butterfly. Some of our caterpillars have already changed into chrysalises!

Welcome back Sanderson families! We are off to a great start together in first grade. First graders are getting to know each other through a variety of activities. One activity is called, “Mystery bag” where children were sent home with a paper bag and filled it with three items that help us learn a bit more about one another. We are learning expectations and routines that help us navigate our day. During our first week we have been reading many stories about the start of a new school year. Some of these titles are : A Letter From Your Teacher: On The First Day of School by Shannon Olsen, First Day Jitters by Julie Danneburg, Schools First Day of School by Adam Rex and Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen. After reading Our Class is a Family we made colorful beaded bracelets as a fun little art project and to celebrate the start of our year together. It’s going to be a fabulous year because first grade is the place to be!

We have had an amazing start to this new school year! This week we have been working on our classroom routines and expectations. They have caught on so quickly! We discussed positive attitudes this week and how that is showing good manners. When we share positive thoughts, it helps others feel good too, but when we share negative thoughts it can bring classmates down. We discussed keeping negative thoughts in our “thought bubbles”. We have already started to dive into some of our curriculum. We started our first ELA unit which focuses on why school is important and how different schools can look all over the world. We also started a fun math activity to get to know each other a little better. Thank you to all the families who I met with for intake meetings and I look forward to seeing you all again soon for Open House on Wednesday, September 23rd.

Third grade is off and running with many new routines and expectations this week. They are setting up their homework plan at home so that, when homework starts next week, they will be ready with a plan. We taste-tested two kinds of cucumbers from our garden, and also enjoyed handfuls of sungold tomatoes at snack time. Each student has shared their summer reading review and their photos doing something they love. Both of these are on display in the classroom. As we begin to learn about our classroom library, students are focusing on finding a “just-right” book for independent reading times. It is exciting to see how easily this class has settled into their new classroom routines and expectations. We are looking forward to having families / caregivers visit at Open House.

It is so wonderful to be back in school with all of these new fourth graders. I hope you all had an amazing summer. We have spent these first few days together writing our hopes and dreams and establishing classroom rules. Our first ELA module is underway where we will be learning all about poetry. We are reading Love That Dog and will read our first poem, “The Red Wheelbarrow,” by William Carlos Williams, soon. It was great hearing from your children about what poetry means to you, and I wanted to thank you for your participation in that assignment. Our STEM project for the month of September is designing and building Spaghetti Towers.

Ready, set, go! Fifth grade has quickly picked up on the routines and we are rolling up our sleeves and jumping into some of our curriculum. Alongside creating our hopes and dreams for the year, we are starting to review multiplication, discovering our first topic of study in English Language Arts, exploring our country starting from a thousand years ago, and working through Social Emotional learning with lessons on empathy, compassion, and skills for learning. We are looking forward to an amazing year of learning.

Also- Contact Alyson Patch to reserve your space for the Community Yard Sale (413-320-0893 or email at aly_dani@hotmail.com). We still need more vendors! Come to Sanderson on September 19th for the Pony Plop Bingo fundraiser! Look for the Flyer in Thursday folders and get your tickets! Fifth grade is looking for your support as we raise funds for Camp Keewaydin.

Happy 2026 - 2027 school year! My name is Alyssa Prew. The kiddos know me as “the math teacher". What an exciting time of year it is! I look forward to seeing all of our amazing mathematicians learn new problem solving skills. As the Title I teacher, I have many important documents to share with you. Please click the links to read more: Title I Information Letter, Right to Know, School-Family Compact. Additionally, I want to invite you to the upcoming LEC meeting where I will share more information about Title I. On Monday, September 21st at 3:15 you can join with this link. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns at any point this school year, please do not hesitate to contact me at aprew@mtrsd.org. Let's have a fabulous year! :)

WELCOME BACK! My name is Katy Morey, I am beginning my 18th year here at Sanderson. I am a Reading Specialist. My role is organizing and helping to facilitate literacy assessment, using data to coordinate and develop a small group plan with classroom teachers and to run small group literacy intervention in grades K-6. If you ever have questions, please feel free to reach out at kmorey@mtrsd.org. I am looking forward to a wonderful year!

We are off to a marvelous start in band, orchestra, and chorus! Lessons have begun for returning students and new students will begin as soon as their instruments arrive. This is an exciting time for all of us and it is so good to be back!

Band, orchestra, and chorus are open to all students in grades 4-6. If your 4th-6th grader would like to join us, it is not too late–we could, especially, use more flutes and percussion in the band, but all band and orchestra instruments are welcome.

The band & orchestra will be having a bake sale during our upcoming open house. Our bake sales are our main fundraisers and all the proceeds go to the music department to purchase supplies and new music. We hope that you will stop by!