Weekly Newsletter (September 30 – October 4)

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Posted by MrLynch | Posted in Weekly Newsletter | Posted on September 27, 2013

The Egg Drop went very well for students on Friday. I was quite the failure, destroying only three eggs. In the thirteen years I have done the Egg Drop, this is by far the most eggs that ever survived. This is quite the class of engineers this year.

On Tuesday, students will learn about the JDRF Walk, which is a walk for diabetes that our school participates in each year. With students at TBS impacted by diabetes on a daily basis, it’s a great charity for our school to get involved with.

Egg DropEgg Drop (September 2013)

Upcoming Events

Sturbridge Village – Friday, October 25

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Thursday, December 5 and Friday, December 6

Weekly Newsletter (September 23-27)

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Posted by MrLynch | Posted in Weekly Newsletter | Posted on September 21, 2013

Permission Slips for the Sturbridge Village field trip went out last week. Homework Slips will start this week. Up until this point I have allowed students to make their homework appear if they forgot to turn it in or forgot to put their name on it. Starting Tuesday morning, Homework Slips will be sent home to be signed if homework is not turned in during the morning or if forensic handwriting analysis is needed to determine who the homework belongs to. We had a couple great adventures last week. The Bike Ride to School was one of the most widely attended ever and many adult riders joined us too. It wouldn’t be possible to have this without all the adults so thank you to everyone who attended.

We also went to Winding Trails on Friday and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. We did some activities as an entire class and then the class was broken up into two groups. They completed several challenges, some on the field below and some up in the woods using the low ropes course. I jumped back and forth between the two groups and I was very impressed with the great teamwork. As I said to students, the main things I cared about was seeing teamwork and positive support for one another.

A little over three weeks ago I introduced students to the Egg Drop. A detailed packed was given to each student. On Friday I will be dropping the eggs off the roof of Thompson Brook School to await their fate on the hard ground below. Parents/Guardians/Children (who are not in school yet) are all welcome to come watch the festivities. It will take place around 9:40 AM near the South Entrance (where drop offs occur in the morning). If you are coming just meet us by the South Entrance and you will know where to go when the students come outside with Mrs. Pooler. I will magically appear up on the roof.

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Upcoming Events

Egg Drop – Friday, September 27 (about 9:40 AM near South Entrance)

Sturbridge Village – Friday, October 25

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Thursday, December 5 and Friday, December 6

Place Value Games

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Posted by MrLynch | Posted in Math | Posted on September 16, 2013

As you may know, our school district has switched from using Everyday Math to more of a homegrown approach. Like many districts nationwide, we are writing curriculum throughout the course of the school year as we transition our curriculum to match the Common Core State Standards. The first math unit of the year is called Understanding the Place Value System. Below are some of the games we tried out on our Smart Board in class. Students could also practice Place Value by playing these games at home.

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Place Value Games

Football Math – Decimals Place Value

Math Racing – Place Value Game

Gamequarium Place Value Games (includes 39 Place Value Games)

Mystery Picture – Place Value game

Place Value Hockey

Place Value Pirates

Place Value Game (Logic Problem)

Weekly Newsletter (September 16-20)

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Posted by MrLynch | Posted in Weekly Newsletter | Posted on September 15, 2013

This is the first full week of school for Avon students this year and it’s a busy one. On Thursday I will be taking students on a Bike Ride to School (before school) from the Avon Free Public Library. This is optional, but as of this writing most of the class will be participating. This could be a record setting year for the most kids to ever ride in the fall! I would love some parents or siblings (18 and over) to come along that morning. Please let me know if you can join us. The ride is mostly flat and easy. Just an FYI, students will have a sub on Thursday (after the bike ride) because I will be pulled to work on math curriculum for the day.

We are headed to Winding Trails on Friday. All students at Thompson Brook go to Winding Trails in the fall for a low ropes course and team-building activities. Students should dress in layers (since the morning is often chilly this time of year) and bring both a water bottle and a lunch. Lunches should be in sturdy bags since students will need to carry them around. They do not need to be disposable bags for this trip, but if they are I recommend plastic grocery bags with a handle. Not paper bags.

Two weeks ago I introduced students to the Egg Drop. They were given about three and a half weeks to work on this project and a detailed packed was given to each student, too. Last week we went out to the actual site where I will be dropping the eggs and we did a little estimating to determine the height. Students figured out the eggs will be dropped from a height of about 45-feet. On Friday, September 27 I will be dropping the eggs off the roof of Thompson Brook School to await their fate on the hard ground below. Parents/Guardians/Children (not in school) are all welcome to come watch the festivities.

If you haven’t heard about the food in the Thompson Brook cafeteria yet, ask your child. Clean Food author Terry Walters and Rizzuto’s Restaurant Executive Chef Tony Camilleri teamed up to start a new food pilot program at TBS this year. Along with the kitchen staff, Walters and “Chef Tony” are creating freshly made dishes for the students and staff.

terry walters

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Day 1 started with oven-roasted herb chicken wraps, roasted broccoli with a citrus dressing, and a gluten-free peach cobbler (made with locally grown peaches). Day 2 was whole wheat ziti with Bolognese sauce and Day 3 was Caprese Sandwiches with fresh mozzarella and basil, sweet potatoes with fresh rosemary, and a homemade apple crisp for dessert.

For someone like me, who loves food, this is one of the greatest things to ever happen to Thompson Brook. Last week I showed students the gallery of pictures on the Rizzuto’s Restaurant website along with the short Clean Eating video (below). By 8:35 AM they were drooling and ready to storm the cafeteria. You could also visit the Terry Walters website for more information on her or Clean Food. Bon Appetit!

 

 

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Upcoming Events

Bike Ride to School – Thursday, September 19 (7 AM) OPTIONAL

Winding Trails – Friday, September 20

Egg Drop – Friday, September 27

Sturbridge Village – Friday, October 25

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Thursday, December 5 and Friday, December 6

Weekly Newsletter (September 10-13)

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Posted by MrLynch | Posted in Weekly Newsletter | Posted on September 7, 2013

It was great seeing so many of you at Open House last week. If you have any additional questions for me do not hesitate to ask. The first week of school we did two-days, the second week we did three-days, and this week we’ll give it the ole’ four-day attempt. On Thursday, September 5 I sent out a test e-mail to all parents using an e-mail database I created. If you did not receive this e-mail (and want to be added to this list) please let me know.

On Thursday, September 19 I will be taking students on a Bike Ride to School (before school) from the Avon Free Public Library. This is optional, but as of this writing a little over half the class will be participating. I would love some parents or siblings (18 and over) to come along that morning. Please let me know if you can join us. The ride is mostly flat and easy.

A permission slip for Winding Trails went home last week. All students at Thompson Brook go to Winding Trails in the fall for a low ropes course and team-building activities. I will be sending out an e-mail soon asking for a couple of volunteers.

Last week I introduced students to the Egg Drop. They were given about three and a half weeks to work on this project and a detailed packed was given to each student, too. We’ll discuss this more in school this week. On Friday, September 27 I will be dropping the eggs off the roof of Thompson Brook School to await their fate on the hard ground below. Parents/Guardians/Children (not in school) are all welcome to come watch the festivities.

a_aaa-Cool-bike-Mike

Upcoming Events

Bike Ride to School – Thursday, September 19 (7 AM) OPTIONAL

Winding Trails – Friday, September 20

Egg Drop – Friday, September 27

Sturbridge Village – Friday, October 25

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Thursday, December 5 and Friday, December 6

Weekly Newsletter (September 3-6)

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Posted by MrLynch | Posted in Weekly Newsletter | Posted on September 1, 2013

Students survived their first two days with me last week and on Tuesday we’ll continue the adventure. It’s definitely a choppy week with Monday off for Labor Day and Thursday off for Rosh Hashana, but it will certainly ease us all in as we edge closer to a full week.

Tuesday night is Parent Open House. While I like my new students, they are not invited to the Open House. Parents only. Open House starts at 6 PM. I will talk about what your child will be doing in class over the next ten months as well as what can be done on my end and the parental end to make this a great year for everyone. I would tell you to also come because there will be a raw bar, hot & cold appetizers, and a coffee station, but if I told you that, I’d be lying. Maybe hard candy. Nah – probably not even that.

The Supply List you received came with a disclaimer about the supplies being recommended, but not mandatory. This is absolutely true, but there are certain items that I will pick up for students if they are unable to provide them. Just let me know and I will be happy to get them. For example, the tennis balls prevent the chairs from making the most horrific screeching sound every single time they are moved. For the sanity of both myself and the students, if students cannot bring in tennis balls I will just buy them myself.

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Upcoming Events

Parent Open House – Tuesday, September 3 (6 PM)

Bike Ride to School – Thursday, September 19 (7 AM) OPTIONAL

Winding Trails – Friday, September 20

Egg Drop – Friday, September 27

Sturbridge Village – Friday, October 25

Parent/Teacher Conferences – Thursday, December 5 and Friday, December 6

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