how winter should be

I like to read this picture book and visit not only the rituals of winter, but those of all the seasons here in Vermont. The snow has not been heavy lately, but the chore of filling the wood box has been steady. The moon that appeared on the horizon last Friday night was bigger than any moon I remember, but that is probably because it is a rare event to see it so large. The crunch of snow underfoot, and the instant freezing of the linings of your nostrils, let you know that the
temperatures have plunged and that the time you spend outside should perhaps be more abbreviated.

Students at Barstow proudly donated over $900 to the Red Cross to put toward relief efforts in Haiti. A simple Hat Day with a small fee managed to grow an enthusiastic participation, and it encouraged some extra donations from folks who prefer not to be caught wearing any kind of hat as well. In the shadow of disaster, it is always rewarding to see the outpouring of generosity to help the people in need.

listen to the wind

Third grade students read a book called Listen to the Wind, which is a picture book adaptation of the book Three Cups of Tea. Having been impressed with the fact that a penny would buy a pencil in Afghanistan, they quickly volunteered to share some of theirs with the pennies-for-peace project. Their contribution will help build new schools for children who have never had the privilege of attending one.

Visit the website to learn how you can help with this outreach that gives people the tools to determine their own futures:
http://www.penniesforpeace.org/

Welcome to the new Vtdigger.org design

Welcome to the new Vtdigger.org design

I've just discovered this new online journal resource for fresh voices
in Vermont news and opinion. Journalists wishing to preserve traditional
values in reporting have put together a site that offers a fresh look and
strong news content. Take a look!

season of shadows

First grade has been reading about the science of shadows and the imaginative offspring that literature provides. We shared in the fun of Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, and read two books by Paul Fleischman - one that reinterprets city shadows, and one that imitates a shadow puppet play. Having tried our hands at hand puppets, we use paper cutouts to tell shadow puppet stories with the overhead projector.

Second grade will move from biographies to an author study. Reading a variety of books by one author allows students to recognize the elements that are shared due that authors style of writing and approach to storytelling. They understand that it can be fun to look for more books by the author of a story that they love.

Third grade is done with their Native American celebration and are learning some basic tools for accessing information in non-fiction books: table of contents and index, then on to online catalog and database use.

Fourth grades will enjoy a short novel read-aloud that encourages some critical analysis. They will be learning to make their own interpretations rather than answering questions with the "right" response. It requires risk-taking to take a point of view and support it with evidence from the story.

beyond apples

So here we go, passing from apples and foliage to deer hunting and the flight of the Canada geese. The real blessing of November is in the sky - amazing sunsets and dramatic dark clouds on a late afternoon horizon.
So far this month, there's been nothing to hate about November as we experience day after day of mild Indian summer days.


We had another great book fair this week. Older students scooped up copies of the Hunger Games and The Leanin' Dog, while younger students
looked for Fancy Nancy and Skippy Jon Jones. Parents found some interesting cookbooks, and teachers bought new supplies of gloved pointer hands on dowels to make the Smartboard taps a bit more fun. It was a lot of fun working with parents who volunteered their time to make it all happen. We are fortunate to have such a supportive community of families who join in so many fun events at school - bravo to all!


Sixth grades are doing research for their survival fair after reading the book Hatchet. They are learning how one can be prepared for severe weather, lack of shelter, wild animals, finding wild edibles, and more. They will prepare displays that cover all the hazards of a northern boreal climate, and that demonstrate preparedness for wilderness survival. Look for the display boards at parent-teacher conferences!

spooktacular night and the outdoor classroom

Volunteers work on the outdoor classroom

Friday, October 30, will bring another spooktacular evening to Barstow. We will start at 6:30 in the library with some mildly scary stories for the K-4 crew, with parent and older student accompaniment. The fireplace will be lit, and the candles aglow, and we will have student, parent ,and staff storytellers on the roster to share a tale. At 6:55, young er students will proceed to the Hall, while students in fifth grade and up(along with parents) are invited down to the new trail off the right corner of the lower parking lot to walk to the newly finished outdoor classroom. There, we will be treated to another story from our annual guest and school board member, Jeff Spaulding. We always come away with new things to think about as we walk to halls and trails of Barstow. It will be a great way to "christen" the new trail and open-air classroom!

Online subscription databases

To supplement the Internet searching for students and public patrons, the school and the Chittenden Public Library jointly subscribe to the Vermont Online Library. This is a diverse collection of database (indexed) resources, focused largely on magazine articles, but including image collections, maps, newspapers and basic encyclopedia entries.

In order to access these, you should acquire passwords from the librarian that will allow their use from both school and home. To find the login page, you should go to the Barstow web page, click on Launch Pad, then enter the appropriate password in the box, varying according to your location - home or school. Once logged in, you can search across all database collections at once, or choose one database to search in. You will usually want to choose to search for "full text" articles, so that your results include only complete articles and not simply the title and location of an existing article.

This database is a great supplement to the initial look-up in an encyclopedia and search for Inernet sites. The magazine articles can be much more specific in their focus, and offer another authoritative source of information. Call the library (773-6926, x. 12) or e-mail agallivan@rnesu.org to receive the password for home and try it out! Practice at using it will make you a proficient researcher in no time.