Weekly Newsletter

If you would like your child to receive dental services at school through CHCFC, please return the registration form that was sent home with your child by the beginning of next week (10/6). If you did not receive a packet or need another copy, please reach out.

mwhitaker@mtrsd.org / 413-628-4404 x 102

Barcodes and call numbers and research, oh my! In the library, younger grades have been reading books about BOOKS and identifying the parts of a book. They have learned that call numbers are like the address of a book, telling us where a book lives in the library. Older grades have been using our online library catalog, Destiny Discover, to practice locating various books in the library. They have also been practicing research skills using Britannica Kids, an online database that’s available on the Sanderson Library webpage. But why can’t we just google it?? They often ask. This has prompted discussions about the importance (and difficulty) of finding credible online sources, how ‘Google’ can’t be cited as a source, and that Google AI results are not always 100% correct. We will dive deeper into topics like these during our monthly Digital Citizenship lessons, which begin this month in the library across grade levels.

Also coming up:

• Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month (Sep.15 - Oct.15) will be celebrated in the library with read-alouds and book talks that honor authors/illustrators with Hispanic and Latinx heritage.

• MCBA Book Club: MCBA (Massachusetts Children’s Book Awards) Book Club begins this month! Fourth through sixth graders who take part can bring their lunch to the library each Wednesday and Friday to listen to an MCBA audiobook. Our first book will be Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller. Students who read 5 or more MCBA books by April 2026 can take part in a statewide vote for the favorite book and take part in a district-wide celebration!

• Virtual Author Visit: On October 7, 4th - 6th graders have the chance to attend a virtual author visit with Kate Messner in the library, who will be discussing her latest book about Ancient Egypt in her popular History Smashers series.

• Author Visit: On October 14, local author Megan Litwin will visit with K - 5 Sanderson students to talk about the “magic of making a book” featuring her newest book, Gather Grateful. She will also meet with 4th graders for a special poetry workshop.

• Book Fair: November 3 - 7. Mark your calendars!

We were very excited to release our butterfly last week. The kids enjoyed watching the caterpillar form a chrysalis and then emerge as a beautiful butterfly. As a class we then wrote a book about the process and added our own illustrations and photos to make it extra special.

This week they have been learning all about each other. They made silly portraits by tracing pictures of themselves and friends onto clear material. They made life-sized self portraits by tracing each other and then painting them and adding details. As they went through the steps we made sure to think about color choices and what colors were best for them as individuals. We used mirrors to help them pick out colors for their hair and eyes and sometimes we even had to mix colors to try and get the just right color.

We also introduced “Mat Man” and the kids loved using the different kinds of lines and pieces to make their own Mat Man along with the song. We then looked at all the different Mat Man that were made. The kids noticed that even though they all had “the parts in the right spots” they still all looked a little different. Just like us!

Preschoolers are noticing many seasonal changes. They are enjoying watching the leaves in the outdoor classroom change from green to orange, red, yellow and brown. The walk to the woods smells like fallen leaves and the sidewalk is blanketed with dry leaves. The leaves provide a rhythmic crunching sound as we walk along the path.

The sunflowers are still standing tall in the garden. They grew so tall this year. Even taller than the teachers! They have inspired the children to make paintings of them by using the leaves as stamps for the petals. This activity required a great deal of fine motor skills. The paintings are all unique, just like the flowers in the garden.

We have begun our unit on apples. The children have compared and contrasted apples in a Turn and Talk activity. They noticed that all of the apples we looked at had stems and skin. Some of the apples were red and others were yellow and green. They were all different sizes and two had stickers and one did not. Preschoolers also thought about how they like to enjoy apples best, plain, applesauce, apple pie, or apple cider donuts. They used their picture on a chart to indicate which one they preferred.

We said farewell to the last of our classroom Monarch butterflies. Three males hatched on Monday and were released in the garden in the warm afternoon sun. We wished them a safe trip to Mexico. The children are sure they saw them flying in the field as they waved good-bye!

New in our play centers: Our classroom library features books about apples & pumpkins, and fire safety; our science center features rocks & minerals!

We had a garden harvest party to pull up the carrots that last year’s kindergarten classes planted for us. The kids got to enjoy eating some for snack and we donated the rest to the kitchen to use for school lunches.

First graders just wrapped up the first unit in our EL curriculum! In our second unit we will learn about habits of character - perseverance, collaboration and initiative. They will complete a variety of challenges where they must use these habits of character in order to be successful at completing each challenge. The first challenge was the cup tower challenge which had children in groups to see who could build the tallest tower! First graders practiced a lot of skills such as patience, listening to others and being respectful of other children’s ideas. Other challenges will include a jump rope challenge and a name chain challenge! Check out some of the fun we’ve been having!

Second grade has had an adventurous last few weeks! Last week after learning about different environments that frogs can live in and requirements they need to survive we took a short hike out to the vernal pool behind Sanderson. Unfortunately, even with the rain we received last week it wasn’t enough to replenish the vernal pool, but that didn’t stop us from finding all sorts of amazing things! We found very small frogs, salamanders, and salamander eggs. Then on our way back, we found a large frog under the foot bridge. The class was so gentle with all of the animals and interested in their environments. In ELA we took off to Brazil! Each student received a passport and boarded an “airplane” to take off and learn about a school in Brazil. We then read a book called “Off to School” and listened for the problems the school in Brazil faced. We also listened for the solution to the problem and how the school benefited the community. Next, we’ll take off to Haiti to learn about a school there. This unit is helping us to think about writing problem and solutions paragraphs. We will continue to do this over the next few weeks in writing. We’ve also been challenging our brains during morning meeting doing math challenge questions with partners. This is allowing the class to work together on difficult math questions with no pressure on getting the right answer. We have so far noticed a lot of great collaboration and unique problem solving skills.

Third grade had a wonderful day visiting Mount Greylock last Friday. We drove through drizzling rain and started the day at the visitor’s center. Here we watched a short movie about the history of the area and how and why the Mount Greylock State Reservation was formed. Then we perused their huge topographic map of the area with Park Ranger Mike. Then Ranger Mike led us on a walk on the Bradley Farm trail, where he explained about the history, geography, flora, and fauna of the area and showed us lots of examples along the way. As the clouds were breaking up, we drove to the summit, which put us back into the clouds. We had lunch in the Thunderbolt Ski Shelter, and then explored the Veterans’ Memorial Tower and Bascom Lodge in smaller groups. The students enjoyed touching the clouds as they walked around the summit. Ten minutes before we had to leave, a brisk westerly wind kicked up and pushed the clouds away from the summit. The kids were all thrilled to finally see the view from the highest point in Massachusetts! We had just enough time to check out the distant sights and snap a class photo.We are extremely appreciative to the chaperones who donated their time and their vehicles for the day so we could all share this fabulous experience.

Students are really enjoying poetry writing with Mrs. Upright. They have learned about, and written, 16-word poems, and are finishing up poems using rhyme and meter.

In geography, we are reading about products and natural resources of the Northeast Region and will begin exploring some famous landmarks next. Be sure to ask your kiddo to tell you about a place they’d like to visit.

In math, we are finishing up our first unit of study. Students will be taking the Unit 1 Post-Test shortly, so be on the lookout for their test results. You will receive a sheet that lists all of the standards assessed and an indication of your child’s progress towards mastery of each standard.

During SEL, we have been talking about how emotions affect our behavior and are starting to think about our triggers. We will do this by watching an anchor video. Then students will take a survey to help them identify things that really upset them, not just things they dislike. We will use the language, “Things that make you flip your lid.” This is language from the video that we watch and language that we will come back to throughout the year.

Students loved our first STEM Challenge. They were given 30 pieces of spaghetti, 30 mini marshmallows, a yard of tape and a yard of string and were asked to build a tower that would hold a large marshmallow for ten seconds. Mrs. Upright and I observed thoughtful planning, teamwork, and perseverance. Students are really looking forward to our October STEM Challenge: Candy Pumpkin Launchers. In this challenge, they will be given craft sticks, rubber bands, a plastic spoon, a small paper cup and tape. Their goal is to build a launcher, catapult style, that will launch a pumpkin candy up the ramp outside our classroom. Please encourage your kiddo to do some research and planning at home for this exciting project.

Fifth grade has been studying properties of matter in science. Students have explored what properties of matter are and put some descriptions into categories. Then they have been experimenting with various properties to understand them further. They have observed changes in state, magnetism, insulative and conductive materials, physical and chemical changes, and measured matter in various ways. They have learned that matter has a unique set of properties. They will be using this concept to identify four white powders that look alike, but have different properties when they react to water, vinegar, and iodine.

Our amazing Sanderson kiddos call me the math teacher! To better understand my role here, check out more information from our District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP). Tier 1 represents the core curriculum and instruction provided to all students. Tier 2 provides students with research-based interventions through targeted small group work or extra instructional time. Tier 3 provides intensive interventions to students who are at substantial risk of not meeting grade-level expectations. My job is to focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 instruction. Students may work 1:1 or in a small group for a short period of time or all year, two days per week or four, 10 minutes to 40 minutes - it is completely based on student need. My goal is for all students to enjoy math learning and see themselves as strong mathematicians! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out! :) aprew@mtrsd.org

Teachers have been busy collecting and analyzing literacy data for the beginning of the year. This information will guide ALL Block/Small Group time. The purpose of this block is to provide ALL students with practice in the skills they need to support their reading. Students in these groups are regularly monitored for progress. Teachers meet regularly with intervention staff to ensure the groups are the best fit.

Happy Fall Everyone!! That was our theme this week as we get ready to enjoy some nature while hiking on Friday! Older students did a Grounded yoga sequence and younger students we read the book The Hike by Alison Farrell. So, lots of yoga poses were done by all! The 100 Mile Club is off to a great start, we have 27 students signed up so far! Only children who have signed up will have miles tallied from all the events at school, Tuesday/Thursday mornings (these are optional) and hopefully miles done with your families on weekends! Again please email me with questions sfuller@mtrsd.org