ELMORE School News
September 26, 2026
Week 5
Dear Elmore School Families,
Happy Fall! And what a glorious week it was. The cool, foggy mornings gave way to beautifully sunny, warm afternoons. It's the time of year where you need to plan your clothing carefully with layers. With our 5th week of school and our 20th day behind us, the class is feeling prepared for the year ahead of. Rules have been established, routines have been solidified, Beginning of the Year (BOY) assessments have been completed (for the most part), and interpersonal relationships have formed. We have begun our first writing unit and we are working our way through our first units in math. We have started formal phonics instruction and spelling, and this week we began targeted reading instruction.
Next Thursday, October 1st, we welcome you to our Open House. Students will be eager to show you the classroom and some of their recent work. The doors will be open from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Please feel free to come anytime during the hour, leaving enough time time for your child to show you around (at least 10 -15 minutes).
Our first writing unit will be narrative writing. In this unit students will be writing a personal narrative (story) in response to a writing prompt about a favorite school memory. Over the next few weeks students will be taken through the writing process through a series of lessons that begin with brainstorming and planning, to drafting, editing and revising, and then publishing (writing a final, clean, copy).
In math this week, 1st and 2nd graders used picture graphs and bar graphs to answer questions about data, and then created picture and bar graphs about a set of objects. 3rd graders completed the first section in unit 1, and then began the next section which moves into concepts of multiplication.
Students have collectively read over 2,500 minutes at home so far this year! Starting next week 2nd graders should read 20 minutes each night and 3rd graders will move from 20 min. to 30 minutes. Thank you for your continued support in keeping kids reading. As I told them this week, the more time they spend reading, the more successful they will be in school. 3rd grade is the grade where students shift from learning to read to reading to learn. Of course, this starts sooner for some students. Those who have not met the benchmark on BOY assessments will be getting additional targeted instruction at school with a goal to improve their reading fluency and comprehension.
The highlight of our week was painting the mountain. This is an annual tradition that started long before I began teaching at The Elmore School. This is one of our favorite days of the school year and students start to anticipate the day as the leaves on the mountain begin to transform into shades of red, orange, yellow and green. They never know when the day will be, but Friday proved to be the perfect day for our "en plein air" (open air) painting experience. This year the sky was clear and the sun was bright, making the colors really pop in the morning light. As we have done for the past three years, we will make note cards of the students' paintings which we will sell for a fundraisers for The Elmore School. Look for order forms next week.
Our first day of ECO (Educating Children Outdoors) will be October 9th. Last week a letter and permission slips went home. Please complete the forms and return them to school next week. It is recommended that all students have water proof shoes/boots and rain gear (we do have rain pants to borrow but do not have larger sizes). As the days get colder, they will need warm layers, warm gloves / mittens and hats. Our first off sight ECO class will be October 16th, when the students will be walking to the Elmore State Park. We are in need of firewood. We welcome donations of dry, smaller pieces of seasoned firewood and kindling.
We will begin School Banking next week. Students who have a Union Bank account or have signed up for a new account can begin bringing deposits on Monday each week beginning September 28th. Students can deposit as little as 1 cent or as much as they like. Students can bring cash (including coins) or checks (made out to them). These will be deposited into their Union Bank Student accounts which will earn interest over time. This is a great way for students to learn about saving money.
Lunch: School Hot Lunch next week will be available on Monday and Wednesday . See the Menu below for options. Meat sandwiches or PB&J are available Monday-Friday. Please send me an email at mailto:diane.nicholls@lamoillesouth.org with your orders for the week by 6:00 pm on Sunday.
Announcements:
- School Banking - Monday
- PE - Wednesday - students need sneakers!
- Library is Thursday - please return books!
- Elmore School Open House - Thursday Oct. 1st @ 6-7 pm
- Field trip to the Elmore Fire Station - Monday, October 5th @ 9:00
- School Photos - October 7th
- October 9th - ECO begins
- No School - Monday - Oct. 12 (Indigenous People's Day)
- No School - Wednesday - Nov. 11th (Veterans Day) - Teacher PD
Have a wonderful weekend!
In Gratitude,
Diane Nicholls
