The Daily Special: Last Post of the School Year

We did it! We made it to the end. Congratulations! 

For our last video of the year, we made one last Daily Special video to celebrate all we accomplished.
Have a great summer! 

VIDEO LINK HERE

Mrs. Clayton's last day at UES was last Wednesday. Things happening in the world seem tough and weird and maybe even a little scary. She created one last message for you to remember when things feel bad. Enjoy! and Goodbye! 

VIDEO LINK HERE

Lastly, we do not want to leave you empty-handed for the summer. We want you to know that The Daily Special will stay active over the summer, and you can come back ANYTIME to do the activities we posted. We have included links below to make searching by subject a little easier for you: 

Movement Monday          Tuneful Tuesday          Wellness Wednesday

Terrific Technology          Artful Thursday            Freybrary Friday
Note: You can also use the labels on the right hand side of the page. 

HAVE A TERRIFIC SUMMER!!!! 

Week of June 1 - 5,

The Day You Begin and

The One and Only Ivan (#5)

Hello UES Friends and Happy Friday,

Guess what?  This year's Red Clover Award winner is ... (drum roll please)  

POTATO PANTS!  That was last week's picture book read aloud.  If you missed it, I'll post it at the bottom of this entry or you can check out last week's post.

This week there are two books available for you to listen to and discuss.  Our picture book this week is another one of this year's Red Clover Books, The Day You Begin. It's written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael Lopez.  Our other book is the next reading installment (#5) of The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate.

The Day You Begin

This week's chapter book read aloud is the continuation of The One and Only Ivan, written by Katherine Applegate, read by Mrs. Frey:

The One and Only Ivan, #1

The One and Only Ivan, #2

The One and Only Ivan, #3

The One and Only Ivan, #4

The One and Only Ivan, #5

For more connections, information, activities...

Artful Thursday #8 - Let's Play!

Welcome to our final Artful Thursday! Please watch this short video with Michelangelo and Mrs. Kane to start:

Then, choose from the following art projects:

• Make a Sock Puppet! Materials: a sock, cereal box, scissors, hot glue or craft glue, some cloth (an old t-shirt or pants will do!) Click HERE for directions, click HERE for a video demonstration
• Make a Board Game! Materials: cardboard or paper, drawing materials. Click HERE for directions, click HERE for a video demonstration
• Make an Art Puzzle! Materials: thick folder paper or cereal box, drawing materials, scissors. Click HERE for directions, click HERE for a video demonstration
• Make a Salt Dough Sculpture! Materials: Measuring cup, bowl, cling wrap, baking paper, oven, rolling pin, cookie cutter, 1 cup flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup boiled water, a small drop of cooking oil. Click HERE for directions

FOR PARENTS & CAREGIVERS - PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A LETTER FROM MRS. KANE ABOUT HOW ART AND PLAY CAN HELP WITH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACIAL JUSTICE

Here is the "Grand Finale" slideshow of never before seen student artwork from at-home art class! 

Wellness Wednesday Week of June 1-5 Hopes and Wishes

Hi everyone,
Wow, can you believe we made it to June!  Amazing!

I have two read alouds for you this week.  The first is from a book called I am Human by Susan Verde.  This is one in a series of books that talk about empathy - looking at things from another persons point of view and compassion - a strong feeling of sympathy and a wish to be helpful.  Both are topics we work on together all year long at school and are especially important right now.

After the read aloud which you can find here, complete the Roll and Respond activity below shared by a school counselor I really admire, Counselor Keri.  You will need a pair of dice to complete it and you could write your answers down.

Find our Human Connections with Each Other:
Roll the dice and respond with someone else or write your answers down.

1.  Share a unique quality about yourself.
2.  Share something you learned recently.
3.  Share one of your big dreams for the future.
4.  Share something that you are curious about.
5.  Share a time or situation when you feel or felt afraid.
6.  Share a time or situation when your heart feels or felt heavy or sad.
7.  Share a time when you moved on from a hard situation or experience.
8.  Share a time when you showed compassion to another human.
9.  Share a time when you helped someone get what they needed.
10.  Share a time when you listened to another human's fears, concerns, or feelings.
11.  Share a time when you apologized to another human.
12.  Share why you are full of hope for the humans of the world.

The second read aloud is all about my wishes for you as the school year winds down.  Please check out I Wish You More, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld here.  You can also complete this activity which we often do at the end of the school year.  Have a grown up take a photo and share it with me over email @ suzannef@mpsvt.org.  Check out the final lessons from Kids Yoga with Ms. Winters on the UES Social Emotional Learning site as well.

I wish you more sunshine, laughs, fun, time with friends and creativity this summer.  I hope to see you all very soon!  Be kind to each other and yourself.

Week of June 1-5 Technology #8

Please note that I will not be having office hours this week due to a medical procedure and recovery. -Jeffrey Jarrad

Caregivers: I encourage you to watch the Digital Citizenship video with your young buddies and answer any questions they may have!

GOOGLE EARTH PROJECTS: When the School closed and we had to stay at home, we lost that great part of talking with our friends. On Google Earth, you can at least map out where they are! You'll need to know their addresses, or how to find their homes from the map. Have fun! CLICK HERE or on the picture.
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP (Grades 2-4): Students, as you grow, you'll naturally start to connect more online. But some of what you read and see might not be nice. Learn what to do when this happens, including TAGU....Tell A Grown Up.
And of course there is MYSTERY DOUG! This week, a student asks Doug, "Are unicorns real?". CLICK HERE.

Week of June 1-5: Tuneful Tuesday #8

Hello everyone! This is the last week that I get to be your music teacher. I have had such a great time preparing these lessons for you!

Please remember to come day hello, share your favorite music activity, sing a song, or play a music game with me during office hours today, from 11 am- 1pm.

Thank you for such a wonderful time creating for UES! Love, Mrs. Clayton

All activities are below!

Awesome Owls at Home:
Will in Kindergarten has been playing a drumset that his grandfather made him. Check out his picture: Will on drumset

Week of 6/1-6/5 Movement Monday #8: Strong Muscles and Nutrition

Hello Owls!

 This week we are excited to share with you 2 new lessons:  

1. Nutrition with MJ, Part 2 (grades K-4)
2. Fitness with Mr Williams, Part 2 (grades K-4)  
We hope you enjoy the videos. Feel free to send us a video or photo of yourself playing fitness dice or your drawings of the healthy foods you are eating! We would love to see, just make sure to check with your families first. 

Just a friendly reminder that our virtual office hours on google hangout are every Monday from 11 am-1pm. Please come on by and talk about anything from outdoor adventures to new games you have created.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Google Hangout link: https://meet.google.com/wja-ufgd-bas

Check out this week's BONUS videos: 

Strong Muscle Movement Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhCM0C6GnrY&feature=youtu.be
Nutrition Activities: 1) Nutrition Word Search: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/audiences/HaveFunWordSearch.pdf
2) My Plate Snack Tips: https://choosemyplate-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/audiences/Tipsheet1_MakingGreatTastingSnacks.pdf

Stay active and have fun,

MJ & Mr. Williams