After a year of passing journals back and forth, about 20 letters per student, we finally met our penpals in person. On a special Forest Thursday, a bus arrived with our 19 penpals from Sharon Elementary School. This idea began as a way to motivate my students to write in a variety of ways. Penpals have exchanged friendly letters, informational reports,...
The second grade has been working on their independence and group work skills through Book Clubs in Language Arts. Meeting two or three times a week, each Book Club session begins with the choosing of a group leader. This leader keeps the group on task and organized in their group discussions. Book Clubs have worked on several reading comprehension skills...
On Monday, May 10, the 4th Grade travelled to Mt. Olympus for their annual pilgrimage to honor the characters of Greek Mythology. For several weeks the 4th Grade read Greek Myths and learned about this historic Greek culture. This fascinating unit of study investigated Greek architecture, Greek City-States, the Olympics, fashion, and much more. Homer's...
The 5th graders spent the past couple of weeks learning about adaptations and different world biomes. Last week, they received a letter from the head of the World Wildlife Fund (aka Mrs. Burns) informing them that they have been tasked with discovering (creating) a creature well-suited to a given biome. Below is an excerpt from the letter they received.
Dear...
Each Tuesday and Friday, 24 middle schoolers have made a choice and a commitment to be part of Mrs. Damren's "Elite Fitness" elective. This is an 80 minute block, where students participate in activities that relate to several components of fitness, including cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility exercises.
Each student...
K-kids have been busy learning about seeds and the life cycles of plants. A recent visit to Billings Farm gave them the chance to visit baby animals as well!
K-2 Stanton Time
Kindergarteners have started their unit on careers/jobs! They are learning about what jobs are, why they are important, what kinds of jobs are in our school and community, and what our job is as a student and member of the Lyme school and greater community.
First graders have spent the past two weeks exploring Diversity/Celebrating Differences....
As part of our own Lyme School history and an integrative curricular effort between Mr. Dayno and Mrs. Damren, the fourth grade began their study of ancient Greece and the start of the Olympic Games in physical education. Each student was placed in one of 6 city states, learning about the culture of the Greeks, which includes their participation in various...
We would like to thank our wonderful moms, Krista Robbins and Maia Rutman, for planning and implementing the Four Winds program in second grade this year. We have learned so many new things and shown how engaged we are in learning about the natural world. The puppet shows are always top notch performances, and we have become more observant and appreciative of the...
Thank you to all who signed up for the Price Chopper points! We were able to use them and get two jumbo foam polyhedral dice packs and a box of pencils! These are going to be put to good use!
The 4th Grade just completed a multi-disciplinary unit that addressed an array of social issues using literature as the focal point to engage in discussions and activities. The book Fort by Cynthia DeFelice and the graphic novel Real Friends by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham were used to initiate reflection on issues such as social aggression, bullying, friendship,...
We are painting a mural at school over the next few weeks! As part of the PTO’s artist in residence program, we decided to create a large mural in the cafeteria. It has evolved into a “Wild Garden” theme, with a “day” wall (monarch butterfly and bee) and a “night” wall (luna moth and firefly). As with any community project, helpers are most welcome. Students will...
We want to offer a huge "Thanks!" to PTO and many other parents who helped make our week of conferences Delicious! We enjoyed the variety of foods offered and felt a huge amount of appreciation for being a part of such a wonderful community! Thank you, especially to Amy Ricker for her significant contributions in organizing the PTO Conference Luncheon Week!
Before April vacation, all middle school students took part in the second series of instruction of CPR. Once again, our local fast squad and EMT members, Aaron Rich, Lisa Rayes, and Kevin Lahaye donated their time to guide our students in life saving techniques. We were also joined by newcomer and Lyme alumni, Nick Balch who works for the Bradford VT fire...
Like so much in life, most of what is newly expected is an "and" versus an "or". That is to say, as things are created, they do not necessarily replace something else-- which may explain why the idea of a 40 hour week is a quaint, nostalgic memory. In education, this means as we respond to a changing world, we add to the expectations society has previously...
The seventh grade ELA classes just recently finished the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwambe. As a nod to the resourcefulness and creativity shown by William Kamkwambe in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and as an opportunity for the students to collaborate towards a common goal, small groups began working on a challenge project. Students were...
Lyme 8th Grade Career Exploration in the Upper Valley
On Tuesday, April 2, 450 eighth grade students from twelve schools shadowed different careers in our Upper Valley community. Careers CLiC helps coordinate Job Shadow Day for: Chelsea Public School, Cornish Elementary School, Crossroads Academy, Hartland
Elementary School, Indian River School, Lebanon Middle...
We had a fun writing activity with our third grade buddies recently. Each K-kid had a third grader for a partner and they were in charge of writing a comic that had to do with a squirrel. We had lots of fun and our partner teams were very creative! Teams also got a chance to snuggle up and read some great nonfiction books.
Kindergarten through 2nd grades has been investigating movement and simple machines. Beginning with the study of wind, students created pinwheels to understand how the warm spring winds transport certain types of seeds. Furthering our investigation of wind we created a wind tunnel using a box fan and tubing. Students then created a variety of objects out of paper...
We depend on electricity every minute of everyday and yet many of us take it for granted until the power goes out. Grades 3 through 5 have been learning about simple and parallel circuits to understand the basic principles of electricity. Students have been using their critical thinking skills and deductive reasoning to create electric circuits using a few simple...
The Cardboard Warriors (Abbene/Girdwood Advisory) had a successful Willy Wonka Candy Stand at opening night of the Willy Wonka Jr. play. We raised over $170 for the Lyme Drama Club by selling Wonka Bars with five golden tickets and goodies baked by advisory families. Willy Wonka Candy Stand slide show
Thank you to all of our chaperones who helped make our maple sugaring adventure possible. What a terrific program Thetford Acamdemy is offering. The high school students guided our tour as we saw the sugar bush and various ways of tapping trees. Then we went up to the sugar house for tasting and comparing. We are writing letters to our pen pals sharing our...
7th Grade Social Studies and Design Lab
Mrs. Officer and Ms. Abbene have teamed to create an interesting and fun project, while embedding relevant Social Studies content into the 7th graders' tasks. In social studies class, each 7th grader chose a 19th century inventor to research, and was assigned to give a speech about him and his accomplishments. This is...
Social Justice was the topic for Humanities class over the past few weeks. Students chose and read a book that dealt with an aspect (or often times, multiple aspects) of social injustice. They had to identify the issue in their books and then conduct research on the history of that issue over the course of the post-WWII era. Each student was tasked with...
One of the highlights of second grade is when we get to spend time with our fifth grade buddies. We often do projects and activities together to practice teamwork and solving complex problems. Our current Figure It Out Friday project is to create a space where any Lyme School student can take a brain or movement break. We practiced different ways to take breaks and...
Seventh grade students read a math-themed book during the month of March and then shared a summary of their book on FlipGrid. They were asked to include interesting facts about the author, describe the setting, main characters, story details, explain why their book was categorized as a math-themed book, and explain whether or not they would recommend it. All in...
The third graders have been working in pairs and small groups using jump bands. These bands are placed around the ankles and students have to jump in sync to a rhythmic pattern. This is a great activity for cooperation, learning the pattern of a beat, and of course, physical fitness.
The coordinated efforts of each group have been impressive! I am proud of the...
This month, fifth graders have been learning about ecosystems. For the last two weeks, we are learning why it is important to study populations within these systems, how we study populations, and what factors can change populations. In further exploration, we came across the idea of carrying capacity, meaning the number of organisms an ecosystem can support. This...
During February and March the eighth graders studied weathering and erosion. Weathering is an ongoing, usually slow, process that is part of the rock cycle. To observe its effects, we took a “weathering walk” through town to see how weathering is breaking apart the school, turning the iron cannon to rust, destroying old gravestones, and even splitting a giant...
As the third quarter of the school year began the seventh graders learned that many traits are not inherited through simple Mendelian rules. For example, even though dominant traits hide recessive traits, for a variety of reasons, they do not necessarily take over a population and eliminate recessive traits. The children observed their own fingerprints to learn...
The sixth graders studied weather and light energy during the winter months of January, February, and March. The kids learned to use cloud observations, pressure trends, wind direction, and weather maps to make short term forecasts. Most days the children used the school weather station to observe and record the weather conditions in Lyme. They compared these...
Lolos
Do you like restaurants with great food, a beautiful location, and lots of space? Lolos has that. In my opinion, Lolos is the best restaurant because Lolos has great food, a beautiful location, and lots of space.
Let's begin with the great food at Lolos. I have never been to a...
The First Grade had a busy time the past few weeks with our States of Matter Science Unit. We began by observing and recording how long it took for an ice cube in a cup to melt. Then we used what we learned from our observation to design a way to make an ice cube melt more quickly.
Many students were successful and everyone realized that heat must be added to...
K-Kids recently received a wonderful surprise from some middle school friends. At the beginning of the year, Mrs. Girdwood brought some of her middle school students to our classroom to draw monster pictures with our K-kids. Little did we know that our middle school friends then went off to work on creating stuffies that looked just like these pictures!
We have a problem in Spanish class. In each of our most recent stories we created in class, we ended up with a cat that bullies other people and animals. It's an epidemic that we can't seem to get away from! :) Our most recent story featured Mildred, the bully cat who stole a mouse from an elderly woman in Atlantis. The above picture shows Ryan playing Mildred and...
For the past two weeks in our adolescent health course, sixth graders discussed self esteem and self image and how to build one's self esteem based on intrinsic values and goals, rather than one's appearance. We watch a Ted Talk about a young woman named Lizzie Velasquez who was born with a rare syndrome that has left her blind in one eye and unable to gain...
Benefits of Boredom
By: Mary Crockett - Grade 3
Did you know when you come back from resting your brain, it might be easier to solve tricky problems? Being bored actually can be a good thing! The first reason is that we are most creative when we are bored. Boredom makes you want to do something and you may create something interesting. You also may end up...
We have been busy studying the Industrial Revolution and learning how the ingenuity of 19th century Americans changed the world forever. Your student took a test on this content last week, but we are extending this unit to include a project on inventions. Each student has chosen an invention to research to understand when it was created, why it came into...
The 6th graders began their penpal exchange with Lyme community members. The 6th graders wrote about themselves last week and yesterday received letters back. Their excitement to read the letters was like waiting to open a present. Each student shared something they learned about their penpal with the class.
In social studies, the students recently became the...
The 7th graders started reading the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwambe. For each chapter they read, they identify and jot down thoughts, questions and epiphanies they have about the book. These TQE’s the students bring to class form the basis of their student-run discussions about the book.
Students are learning about discussion norms,...
For the past month, the fifth graders have been learning about genetics in science class. Topics have included: inherited traits, dominant versus recessive traits, punnet squares, meiosis and mitosis, and how new technology is allowing genes to be modified and changed. The students discovered that the issue of genetic modification is a very controversial one. As...
Photo Courtesy of Jada Rich
The students in 8th grade Humanities have joined a ‘walking party’ of middle schoolers from around the nation and around the globe to study and learn from the Out of Eden journey of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Paul Salopek. Each week we read dispatches and analyze milestones from his journey thus far, complete a ‘footstep’ in...
In the second grade, we spent the last few weeks learning about different characteristics of cities, including types of housing, innovations, transportation, activities to do and diversity. We have used Google Earth to explore cities all over the world, noticing the languages spoken, famous monuments, architecture styles and more. We did a City Spotlight on several...
Third, fourth, and fifth-grade Lyme School students have just begun working on their very own music projects. Some students are working in small groups, some in pairs, and others have chosen to work individually. Projects include learning instruments, writing and/or performing songs, creating music using GarageBand, making homemade instruments, and writing mini...
This past week the 4th Grade presented their persuasive essays to the 3rd Grade to "persuade" them to come their state. For the past several weeks each 4th Grader researched their individual state to gather information to "convince" an audience of 3rd Graders to visit. A five paragraph persuasive essay was drafted, props and costumes were gathered, and after...
As 6th and 8th graders are working over the past month with Mrs. Abbene in the design lab, 7th grade has been diving into time management as both classes identified this as an important topic to explore. We watched a really entertaining and relatable TED TALK about procrastination. Ask 7th graders about the dynamic relationship between the “rational thinker”, “the...
3rd graders have been focusing on the Lyme School Value of “Integrity” - students decided on the definition as “doing the right thing, even when no one is watching”. We worked through some scenarios and options people have for making choices. We read “The Empty Pot” which is a wonderful Chinese parable about the importance of honesty and doing the right thing....
We’ve been busy and having fun in K-Ville talking about manners and what makes a good friend. Kindergartners read several books highlighting the importance of including others, giving friends space, being kind, listening, and how it is OK to play with other friends and let our friends play with other friends, too. We are now starting a unit on “Expected and...
We have been learning all about manatees in first grade. Here are a few examples of informative writing that students wrote after we read many books about manatees, learned about gathering facts, and wrote an informational piece.From Olive in Mrs. Fleming’s class: Do you know about manatees? Manatees breathe air. They stay under water for 2-3 minutes. They are...
This week in PE, the fourth graders paired up to work in a multi-faceted activity combining eye-hand coordination, setting in volleyball, and working with a partner, all domains of learning (psychomotor and affective).
Students practiced the skill of setting using a foam ball with the goal of using two hands and setting the ball back and forth over a cone with a...
The seventh graders observed how diffusion can cause cells to lose rigidity when they placed carrots into salt water. They learned about selectively permeable membranes when they saw that tiny iodine molecules could pass from a water solution through plastic bags to react with the starch within. The children then learned about the four main types of molecules...
The sixth graders enjoyed a variety of activities during the late fall and through the early winter. November began with a chilly morning visit to Grant Brook where the kids each hid a grape in the hopes that it would “survive” the cold or predation over the ensuing weeks.In early December, we went back to Grant Brook to retrieve our grapes. Only four survived! ...
6th Grade French
Students are preparing for a unit test on Wednesday, February 13th, that will cover leçons 4,9,10, 11, and 12. They can go online to classzone.com to practice the material and study for the test.
7th Grade French
Students are learning another new verb to add to their verb repertoire. The new verb is “aller” which means “to go”,...
The kindergarten class had a fun-filled day of counting objects from home by grouping them by 10's. We also did 100 exercises, stacked 100 cups, jumped for 100 seconds, and enjoyed many delicious snacks! Being in K for 100 days is the best!
The 3rd Grade Class will be hosting a bake sale this week on Valentine's Day. Please join us during snack or lunch to buy a sweet treat! Our sale will be set up in the cafeteria. The money we earn will go toward our 8th Grade Class Fund. Thanks for the support!
The sixth grade has just finished writing mini memoirs and you can now read them on display in the meeting room at school. Students worked on the descriptive language in narrative writing by sharing key sensory details and choosing strong verbs to describe an important moment in their lives. Another goal of the writing assignment was to show the reader what was...
The history of the Last Great Race on Earth is our classroom’s focus for the next five weeks. We are using a variety of resources to learn about the historical race, and the magnificent state that carries on the history. Through poetry, short articles, and chapter books, we are exploring the history of the Iditarod, all the way back to 1925, when a Diphtheria...
Second grade has been learning different reading strategies that help us understand and talk about literature. We even completed a stamina challenge in which we tried to read as long as we could without stopping. On our first day we read for almost 9 minutes, and we finished our three week challenge reading for an uninterrupted 31 minutes!
Some of the strategies...
Last week, seventh graders in Ms. Pratt's math class worked on their problem-solving skills while solving the Werewolf Riddle on TedEd. See Rosie's explanation of how she solved the riddle.
Recently, with the help of our tech guru, Ms. Abbene, the seventh grade is using a new web tool called "Noodle Tools" to investigate issues that are specifically related to teens. This tool utilizes electronic note cards to help students organize their notes, paraphrase the facts, and and finally create summary sentences to engage in research toward answering an...
On January 23, Dr. Bill Hudenko discussed suicide and suicide prevention with parents and community members at the Lyme School. Several important points were in reference to the fact that the highest rate of suicide occurs in individuals between the ages of 18-25 and while males are unfortunately more successful at attempting suicide, females have a higher rate in...
The 8th grade Humanities class displayed their Genius Hour projects last Tuesday night to rooms full of parents and students who were willing to brave the snowstorm to see what the next generation has in mind for solving the current generation's problems. Students' projects addressed a myriad of issues; plastic in the ocean, animal cruelty, wildfires,...
The 7th grade recently finished a short story unit. They read six different short stories and found the characters, plot, conflict, setting, and theme in each. Using these story elements, they made a concept map of their six stories and found connections using any of the five elements that make up a story. Students not only made literal connections, but abstract...
The first grade recently studied the moon. We observed and recorded the moon daily in our journals. We were lucky to see a full moon this month that was a SUPER MOON (the closest to the earth), a BLOOD-RED MOON, and a LUNAR ECLIPSE! What a treat!
As part of our study, we created craters in our moon, used a styrofoam ball to simulate the changes in the shape of...
Inspired by the "Elements", the 4th Grade composed haikus during a wintry visit to their Weather, Water, and Woods (WWW) location on a cold Friday afternoon. Nature provided a beautiful backdrop as each student used their senses to describe their experience and wrote their thoughts into their WWW Journal. They worked with the traditional Japanese haiku form of...
The 8th grade started working on a graphic design unit in collaboration with the Art. 8th graders have been tasked with designing the graphics for our upcoming Willy Wonka play. This includes the play t-shirt, poster and playbill. Students began by analyzing minimalist movie posters and then brainstormed ideas using the Thinking Routine; Color, Symbol, Image to...
For Quarter 3 grades 6 and 7 students will be tasked with writing and producing short films or movie trailers. In groups of 3-5 students will write, storyboard, film and edit a movie. They’ll have the opportunity to use dollies and tripods, the green screen wall and cloth, and iPads. They’ll be introduced to several iPad apps like DoInk for those utilizing the...
Grades 3-5 have been enjoying studio time in The Design Lab. Students are offered the opportunity to use the skills and tools they’ve been introduced to during semester one; Design and Build, Computer Programing and Robotics with Ozobot Evos. Check out our Open Studio slideshow.
Second grade began their Robotics Unit with Ozobot Evos. Students are writing binary code using red, blue and green markers to program their robots to complete assigned functions. Check out our 2nd Graders here.
The mercury was barely at 10° F on Tuesday. Nonetheless, the sixth graders bundled up and tromped out for their monthly visit to their Weather, Woods, and Water study site on Grant Brook. They made many amazing discoveries about water, the woods , and snowy weather. On the way to the brook, the children stopped by the Great Stone to hear a story about the origin...
We had a special guest visit our classroom last Friday. Michael Caduto, an author and storyteller who focuses on environmental awareness, spent the afternoon with us and even taught us a new game in the forest! We were able to enjoy this experience with the third grade class.
In changing the name of our lost and found this year to “Not Found Yet…”, we did so with a hopeful spirit! We believed the repurposed cubbies and permanent location in the stairwell by the gym would make it easier for students and parents to find their lost items. Please stop by and take a look through our ever-growing collection of lost items waiting to...
For many Lyme School families our outdoor classroom lessons (which we refer to as Kinderforest in K and Forest Friday in the 3rd grade ) is one of the ways that we are working to utilize our town's vast natural resources in a way that supports the innate investigative curiosity of children and our values for environmental stewardship and ecological awareness. ...
The eighth graders finished their study of minerals at the beginning of this quarter. They completed an interesting lab during which they used physical and chemical characteristics to identify a group of minerals. Eighth graders learned about the law of conservation of matter as they saw how all three types of rocks are related, interconnected, and can become...
The seventh graders finished the first quarter with a microscopic study of viruses. They began the second quarter by learning about cell structures and cell processes. Important processes they studied were osmosis, respiration, and photosynthesis. They observed osmosis in several ways. First, the children soaked carrots in salt water and saw how increases in the...
The sixth graders investigated changes in matter at the beginning of the second quarter. They dissolved sugar cubes in ice water, tepid water, and hot water to see how increased temperature affects the rate at which substances dissolve. After that the children explored solvents and solutes by trying to mix food coloring, water, and oil. Data loggers were used to...
Recently, the seventh grade was involved in a unit which focused on the study of HIV/AIDS, where they learned about what exactly these viruses are, the cells involved, how they impact the overall immune system and one's health, the means of infection, protection, and most importantly, prevention.
We did an activity called "See, Think, Wonder" where students were...
With each New Year, we often set goals that allow us to challenge ourselves to achieve things that will benefit us. Sometimes, to reach those goals, we need help. Recently one of intermediate students set a goal of climbing the traverse wall backwards. After a hard fought first try, she was not met with success. Luckily, three of our middle school students...
You know you are in education when you are working to discourage idling cars because of the cold and simultaneously reminding others that they should wear warm clothes. However, I understand it can be difficult at times for adolescents to recognize appropriate winter clothing so here are a few tips which may be helpful to provide them: Generally, if the words...
Grade 8 spent Quarter 2 building and programming Lego Mindstorms EV3 robots. With our fleet of robots -a puppy, a conveyor belt, a grabbing arm, and a boy- students began setting goals and programming their robots. Check out June’s video which includes an explanation of her programming and then the robot boy completing its programmed operation.
8th Grade French News
We just completed another unit in our texts and are being assessed this week on leçons 13, 14, 15, and 16. Students will be tested on reading, writing, listening and speaking on this unit assessment. After this test, we will be preparing for the Hanover High School French placement test that will occur on Monday, February 4th. In the next...
This quarter grades 6 and 7 completed many tiers of the Design Thinking process. First they participated in the Egg Drop design challenge. We had several eggs make it safely to the ground from 12 feet. We moved from dropping eggs to tossing wooden balls using handheld and table launchers. Then students learned about the Upper Valley mouse infestation from a...
Grades 3 through 5 spent the first half of Quarter 2 working on coding using blockly. Blockly represents coding concepts as interlocking blocks. After students practiced programming for several weeks we segued into a Robotics Unit with Ozobot Evos. For the first portion of the robotics unit students practiced controlling their Ozobots using color codes in binary....
Grades Kindergarten through 2nd have been working on projects that focus on improving their communication and collaboration skills. Design challenges included designing and building a table that could hold the weight of a textbook using only eight sheets of newspaper and one sheet of single ply cardboard. Students were also challenged to design the tallest tower...
The Humanities class just completed the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. We use this book as a lens to begin to understand the Jim Crow era in our nation's history. The storyline of this novel provides ample opportunity for deep, insightful discussions about race, class, gender, and stereotypes of the 1930's era, as well as a chance to reflect on the...
The 7th grade has been engaged in an inquiry into the experiences of refugees. This study was centered around three essential questions:
1. What is home?
2. How do critical incidents reveal character?
3. What themes are universal to the refugee experience?
This inquiry included reading informational texts, analyzing a famous photograph, reading comic strip...
6th grade LA/SS
The sixth graders had the opportunity to create their own “perfect world”.They came up with how their society would be structured, what holidays they would celebrate, the laws and rules, and what everyday life would be like in their utopian society.
Recently, the students met in book groups every other week to discuss a book they read ...
The First Grade was successful in saving the Gingerbread Man in a Design Thinking Challenge! The First Grade spent the month of December comparing and contrasting different versions of the Gingerbread Man Story. Then, as a culminating activity, the students designed ways to save the Gingerbread Man. The students either designed a way for him to cross the river...
On Friday morning, December 14th, the entire first grade had a great time making dog bones in the cafeteria. Mrs. Wilcox and Mrs. Fleming were happy to have many parents and a few grandparents helping with this delightful hands-on activity. The dog bones will be delivered by several family volunteers to the Humane Society. What an enjoyable math/science activity...
SEASON’S GREETINGS!
So much good stuff has been happening during Stanton Time, from Kindergarten through 8th grade!
Currently, grades K-4 are working with WISE educators during Stanton Time and 5-8th during their health classes. We’re so fortunate to have this organization working with our students! Mrs. Stanton will continue to share information with families...
I am pleased to announce several upcoming Lyme music events. This Saturday, December 15th from 4-7pm is the CCL Jingle & Mingle Holiday Party at the Lyme Center Academy Building. There will be music, holiday movies and stories, a kids gift shop, refreshments and more! Music will be provided by volunteer community members and Lyme School students are invited to...
Recently, Mr. Valence spoke to our school population about three of our Lyme School values: compassion, respect, and responsibility. These values could not ring more true as our 5th graders learn the technique of belaying one another on the climbing wall recently in PE.Students understand the level of responsibility inherent in belaying someone to make a climber...
Algebra students have been applying their knowledge about systems of equations in a variety of ways. This week they are designing products and calculating cost and profit. Last week they were challenged to solve a system with 3 variables and share their step by step process in a Google Slideshow. One example of a slideshow can be seen by clicking on the link...
The Top Secret Monster Project
I can’t say much...but the big kids are up to something AMAZING. This Fall, a group of Middle School students learned about drawing and child development. We practiced asking questions and discovering stories in kids’ drawings. We paired up each middle school student with a kindergarten student and read two stories about a boy and a...
Recently, the sixth grade health class learned the lifesaving technique of CPR. This was the first of a two part series. Led by instructors and members of the Lyme FAST squad, Aaron Rich and Lisa Rayes, students learned about the appropriate hand placements for performing CPR on children and adults.
The second part of the series will include learning how to...
The Lyme School’s first Decades Day was November 20, 2018. Grades were paired up and would dress like they were in the era they are assigned. We saw a lot interesting outfits, especially from the teachers who were from the future. On the morning of the 20th all grades gathered at Morning Meeting to show off their amazing outfits. Paired grades would stand up and...
The seventh grade recently wrapped up a unit on sport injuries and sport injury prevention. In small groups, students did investigative work on different types of sport injuries, including concussions, collar bone breaks, wrist sprains, ankle sprains, and hamstring pulls. Students explored how these injuries occur, why they occur, the common sports they occur in,...
Last Friday in the forest classroom, our team of third graders cut back approximately 4,500 square feet of non-native Japanese Knotweed. This is a collaboration project with the Lyme Conservation Commission and has been a highlight of our forest learning so far this year. We used a measuring wheel to estimate length and width of our eradication area, calculated,...
This year Forest Friday will bring Kindergarten and Third Graders together once a month out in the Big Rock Nature Preserve. Our mission is to promote multiage learning through placed-based exploration. The focus of our time together will learning about tree squirrels in New Hampshire forests. We have a lot to discuss this year regarding squirrels and know that...
The eighth graders developed a better understanding of matter and learned how physical properties can be used to determine the identity of minerals. Several lab also focused on measurement activities. The children measured the density of clay of different shapes and sizes to discover that these changes have no effect on the density of a substance. They did some...
The seventh graders learned about cells and cell parts during the month of October. The kids developed proficiency in the use of the microscope. As they examined letters cut out of the newspaper, threads, and their own body hairs, the kids learned about the proper use and care of microscopes and how to make wet mount slides. This was followed up by labs during...
The sixth graders spent October studying changes in matter. They began the unit by investigating how solutions form, exploring ways to increase the speed at which to create a solution, and experimented with mixing liquids that do not form solutions. After experimenting with solutions of water and other solutes, the children learned about chemical reactions by...
This week in Spanish class, we talked about and celebrated El Día de los Muertos - The Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and many other countries during which people celebrate and honor loved ones that have passed away. This week, 8th graders in Spanish class made sugar skulls:
and discussed scenes from a documentary about...
In 6th Grade French, your student has been learning how to have a short conversation with friends and family. They now know the French terms for all the members of their immediate and extended family, and how to ask their ages and nationalities. Also, students know the numbers 1- 100 in French, so we have been playing a lot of BINGO in class. Of course, they love...
What’s happening in 7th Grade Social Studies?
Since the last installment of our class news, your student has been immersed in early American politics and the foundation of our government. They actively participated in a class activity where they assumed the roles of either Federalists or Antifederalists. Our students now understand how the arguments of our...
It has been a busy few weeks in the Humanities classroom as we continue in our inquiry about the purpose of government. In looking at different forms of government, we learned about the differences between the economic systems of capitalism, socialism and communism, which we did the hard way--with Hershey kisses and rock/paper/scissors.
Students then...
7A Language Arts
The seventh-grade class finished reading The Outsiders last week. Along the way, we read and then composed poetry that connected to the book's theme. We have just started to write a persuasive essay on whether Johnny is innocent or guilty in the killing of the “soc”, Bob. Throughout the “outsiders” unit, we kept coming back to our two essential...
During Language Arts, we have been busy reading our class novel, The Giver, with the students writing a paragraph that compared the Lyme community to Jonas’s community. In addition, the students are also about to finish their independent reader. With this project, they have been writing and answering emails back and forth with a partner about “signposts” that they...
Greetings from your Student Life Coordinator/School Counselor!
Here is what is and has been happening in Stanton Time K-5!
Kindergartners have started working on an Active Listening Unit - they have been introduced to a fun new song and are learning about the importance of listening: so others feel heard and cared for, so that we can learn new things, and so we...
Reflections of a Mzungu
February 2018
When John Carroll came to the Lyme School in the spring of 2017 proposing a vision for Upper Valley Educators, I was “curious”. His idea: a trip to Kenya to exchange pedagogy, share experiences, and witness a culture so vastly different than our own. As the organizational meetings continued, my curiosity...
Students in grades K-2 have been learning about dynamic (moving) and static (still) balance in P.E. Dynamic balance involves the ability to keep the body balanced with and without the use of equipment to help. Students used bean bags balanced on their arms, heads, and shoulders as they moved around the gym. They walked around and over obstacles such as cones and...
Students in grades 3-5 have been learning about the various components of fitness. In the past few weeks, we explored the components of cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and the importance of incorporating those into daily physical activity.
Students worked in two activities to learn firsthand how these components work together...
Students in grades 5 and 6 are learning about the social and emotional component of the Wellness Wheel. Compassion and empathy are two important concepts students explore as young people learning to navigate their world. During class, we discussed why compassion and empathy are important in one's life. With compassion as one of our Lyme School values, we...
The seventh graders quickly settled into the science routine at the beginning of the school year. They were given the seventh grade science book called Glencoe Life Science, yellow science folders, and little blue spelling books to use for notebooks. After relearning how to cover their science books the children learned what science is and what scientists do. ...
This week a number of the 7th graders practiced their problem solving skills by solving the TedEd Bridge Riddle. The students watched a short animation describing the task (link provided), were asked to identify the important information, record the question, make a plan to solve, use and adjust their plan, share the solution, and reflect on their answer and the...
The eighth graders settled in quickly to the science routine during the first weeks of school. They were given the eighth grade science book called Glencoe Earth Science, yellow science folders, and little blue spelling books to use for notebooks. After relearning how to cover their science books the children reviewed the scientific process and learned how...
The sixth graders were introduced to the routines of middle school science in their first science classes of the year. They were given the sixth grade science book called Scott Foresman Science, yellow science folders, and little blue spelling books that fit nicely into the pockets of the science folder to use as science notebooks. They learned how to make a...
The internationally renowned folk band, Windborne, is coming to the Lyme School! They'll be conducting a 2-day workshop on October 16th and 17th. Windborne will teach each grade and perform from their repertoire of songs from around the world. Windborne studies the authentic vocal styles of singing traditions from Corsica, South Africa, the United States,...
It was probably a good thing that we had a long weekend for students and staff to recuperate after a truly memorable, exciting, and intentional day! Advisory Challenge Day was a FULL day all about BUILDING. Through facilitated advisory team challenges, students and staff built connections, trust, resiliency, problem-solving skills and of course, CHARIOTS! Through...
One never knows what may happen during a story in Spanish class. In our first story of the year, we ended up with a blue cat dancing in Greenland because there was no music anywhere else. We use common words and phrases to create and tell the stories, and those few words and phrases (or structures) are the building blocks that lead to increased proficiency. For our...
Using the timeless classic The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton as our anchor text, we are embarking on a unit that centers around the theme of identity. The students have created identity charts for themselves and we have read short stories and analyzed poems looking at how we see ourselves and how others might view us. Last week we created identity charts for each of...
All students are equal, but are some students more equal than others?
The 8th grade Humanities class has been busy grappling with the big ideas and themes in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. Reading and analyzing this novel gives us a tremendous framework from which to approach the global history of the 20th century over the course of this academic year. ...
The 7th grade was introduced to the 1960’s, as they prepared to read The Outsiders. We discussed identity and the students made their own identity chart. Students paired up and without knowing what others wrote, they gave their partner four words they thought their partners used to describe them. As we began reading The Outsiders, groups made identity charts for...
In Social Studies the students have started to learn about the English coming to settle in the New World and their arrival to Jamestown. We took this opportunity to talk about the settlers that were chosen to go and whether they would be considered a group or a community. Through an activity with statements about communities, the students moved around the room to...
7th graders have been studying the Middle East, or the crossroads of the world, and learning about its rich history, geography and culture. Students now understand that middle-eastern countries are united by the religion Islam, and they appreciate how this faith transcends every aspect of life in this region of our planet.
The foundation of Islam, its rapid...
Grades 6-7 are experimenting with robotics, mechanics, electronics, 3D design and coding using the Design Thinking process. Students started the year with the challenge of Improving a Partner’s Morning Routine.Grade 8 began with two Design Thinking challenges: Design a variety of chairs for a Simpsons character and Design a Shoe for a classmate. These challenges...
Grades 3-5 will be participating in a Cardboard Arcade Challenge. Throughout the fall students are developing an understanding of motion & mechanics, springs & linkages, cams & levers and basic electrical circuitry. Students will then design and create a cardboard arcade game for the Arcade Night at The Lyme School (date TBD -possibly End Q2).
K-2’s kicked off the year with a collaborative project between the Design Lab and Judy Russell at The Converse Free Library. In an effort to promote New Hampshire's Ladybug Book Award, students are creating Book Trailers of the 2018 LadyBug Award List using the Design Lab’s Green Screen, iPads, and video editing apps. Students will finish the unit in November by...
The seventh graders have been learning about the most common sport injuries and means of prevention. This week, we were fortunate enough to have Lyme newcomer, Mr. Kevin Stanton, PT DPT as a guest speaker in our health class. He shared the nature of his job, the education needed to be a qualified and licensed PT DPT, and the different exercises that can be done in...
I am pleased to be teaching two middle school electives in the first quarter. Students in the Improv class are letting their creative sides show through a variety of games and exercises. We are learning how to take risks, say “Yes”, and let ourselves be silly! The combination of hard work and laughter make Improv a highlight of every week. We plan on performing...
The third graders are taking part in various fitness activities to learn about the different components of fitness. Our discussions include: how being physically fit not only helps your body, but also helps your brain learn and how choosing to participate in fitness activities that involve a friend (or two, or three, or more) can also help keep you motivated and...
Last Monday, Mrs. Collins and I had the privilege of joining our 8th graders on their field trip to Hulbert Outdoor Center on Lake Morey in Fairlee, VT. Students were divided into two groups and spent the morning participating in cooperative games and working through dynamic group challenges presented to them by their facilitators. It was quite special to see...
Please help keep our rivers and tributaries clean and join us for the annual Source to Sea Cleanup sponsored by the Connecticut River Conservancy. We will meet at the Lyme School Playground at 9:00 AM on Saturday, September 29th. Be prepared to hike the Grant Brook Trail, get messy, have fun, and help a great cause. Thank you!
We welcomed sixth graders to middle school math with an introductory problem solving challenge. The task was to arrive at their assigned seat while avoiding the lava pit (carpet), using only red circle mats and available furniture in the room. Obstacles were added, criteria adjusted, and students needed to remain flexible in their thinking. A variety of innovative...
Middle School is in full swing now with a new schedule that offers more choice to our 6th-8th grade students. Students choose their Academic Clubs and Electives each quarter. In Academic Clubs teachers work twice a week for 30-40 minutes with a small group of students on extensions, enrichment, and investigations connected to their subjects. Here students can...
The Middle School art electives have gotten off to a great start. Having more choice in their art classes has allowed our middle school students to learn more through curiosity, exploration, and discovery.
(Dan and Joe painting with yardsticks, JJ’s painting, Jada’s painting)
In our first few painting elective classes, we began to think about painting a...
At our first Friday morning meeting of the year, the students were introduced to all of the Lyme School staff through a rap song written by our very own Thomas Chapin. We want parents to enjoy the introduction as well! Thanks, Mr. Chapin for that memorable music moment!
Dear Parents,
For years we have been trying to figure out the safest procedures for drop off amid the influx of commuters who are sharing the Route 10 at the same time we are dropping our kids off at school. We have also been trying to figure out the best way to communicate these procedures.
This past long weekend I decide to throw myself into creating my...
The longer Middle School periods were well received by students who had physical education this week. With beautiful weather and students who were motivated to move, students chose from a variety of fitness options using the area and equipment from our own playground. The fitness components of cardiovascular endurance, upper body muscular strength, abdominal...
A curious mind is one of the greatest assets to becoming a lifelong learner. With a curious mind you’re more likely to question, ponder, explore, and extend what you might already know. Being a lifelong learner allows you to see the benefit of failure while holding the drive to keep trying, and eventually persevere.
In Fall 2018, the Lyme Early Education...
The week of July 9-13 teachers and students gathered to learn and put into practice "Design Thinking." This is the kick off workshop to the new Design Lab which will be launched this year 2018-2019. The goal of this effort is to encourage instructional practices where emphasis is placed on the student learning experiences being:
authentic relevant original...
During the final week of the 2018 school year, Third and Fourth grade students visited the Chesley School House, out on Baker Road, and experienced what days in a one room school house might have been like. On behalf of the Lyme Historical Society, Lara Dwyer waited outside the schoolhouse as the bus pulled up bustling with energetic students. Alongside of a...
It is both exciting and sad to see the school year come to a close, as sad as I am to be saying goodby to our 8th grade class as well as Steven Smith, Maria Squire, Noelle Gorman and retirees Meg Franks, Helen Skelly and Judy Barton (a big collective *sniff) , I could not be more excited for what lies ahead for us as a school. We will be welcoming back Jen...
As you may be aware, the levels of
childhood anxiety and mental health needs have dramatically increased in recent years – so much
so that former NH Supreme Court Justice John Broderick is campaigning with NH Education
Commissioner Frank Edelbrud to raise awareness of this concern, which some have categorized as an
epidemic in schools. With the mental health...
The Lyme School band (and a few community members) treated us to an outdoor concert Friday afternoon. 8th grade musicians returned to play a final time with the 5th and 6th grade band members. Thanks, Damaris, for the musical afternoon!
After exchanging letters since the beginning of April, our 6th graders finally got to meet their community penpals on Tuesday, June 12. The students and guests were excited to finally meet the person they had been writing to for 9 weeks.
As the pairs shared cookies and conversation, some made plans to continue to correspond over the summer. As part of the...
For those thinking of summer vacation, here is a list of programs available in our Lyme Community. If you have a camp you would like mentioned please contact us with the information.Spanish Camp with Señor Harkins- One SessionJune 25th - 29th$125 12-3 $200 All-day option Open to Current 1st to Current 4th graders (rising 2nd - 5th graders) Have fun with Spanish!...
Lyme School Band "final fling" will be a marathon concert Friday afternoon from 1:30-2:30 p.m. The middle school band will play almost everything we played this past year; the fifth-grade band will play "Cool It," their debut piece at last Friday's Assembly; and several solo players taking private lessons on various instruments will offer their songs as well....
With beautiful weather to greet us, children in grades K-5 took part in our annual field day. This year, to allow for more leadership opportunities for our middle school students, the sixth and seventh graders planned, organized , and led 10 activities through which the lower school students rotated. I could not be more proud of our middle schoolers and how they...
The Lyme middle school students are working together to create Sierpinski's Pyramid. It all started with a 2D net folded into one tetrahedron. Then we put them together to create similar figures in a continuous pattern. How tall can we get this by Friday the 18th? Stay tuned...
Each year the Lyme School invites graduating high school seniors back for a breakfast at the school. 10 students returned today to share stories and breakfast with their past teachers and Mr. Valence. The seniors joined morning meeting and even led us in the pledge to the flag. It's great to see the strong connection many alumni feel to our school!
The Lyme School recently had its 28th annual Celebration of Spring on the Lyme Common. The program included the Lyme School band, the first, second, and third grades singing songs of sunshine and spring and the fourth grade treated the guests to a traditional English Morris Dance. The celebration was the result of creativity, cooperation, and community support....
Recently, students in grades K-2 took part in a unit of miniature golf . Thanks to the help from the fifth grade, a 10 hole course was designed to help students work cooperatively with a partner, further develop their eye-hand coordination, and practice aiming a small object at a target at a low level.
As a teacher, nothing brings greater pride than when former students return to our school and offer their wisdom and knowledge. This was the case on May 18. Former Lyme Student and recent graduate of U Mass Amherst's graduate program in Social Justice, Eric Barthold, came to speak to our seventh grade boys about the "mask of masculinity" and how boys are...
Children learn science by doing science: observing the world around them, asking questions, and using all their senses to explore and investigate. The lower school science program is just now culminating a second year of partnership with The Four Winds Nature Institute. Last year students in grades K-4 learned about patterns within nature, insects, animal tracks,...
Grade 2 went to the Grant Brook on Friday, May 18. The students practiced measurement skills as they measured the width and depth of the brook and the water temperature. They also observed the speed of the water current and the new spring life in the forest. Observing and Measuring are two of out science standards you can read more about here. The children used...
Our 6th graders are well into a penpal project with the Lyme community. Read more about it in an article published in the Valley News on May 15.
There will be a School Safety Forum at the Lyme School Gymnasium on Wednesday May 23rd at 6 pm. Childcare will be available.**
The forum will be addressing what is being done to enhance and promote school safety in the State of New Hampshire, the Town of Lyme and at the Lyme School.
Topics to be discussed include state wide school safety protocols,...
In 5th grade, students learn the important responsibility of belaying one another on the vertical climbing wall. Once each student demonstrates competency in putting on a harness, effective communication between climber and belayer, and rope belaying technique, students are then asked to act as leaders and mentors by belaying children in the younger grades. This...
The Lyme School is very fortunate to have community members with many talents. On May 11, Andy Miller, Lisa Rayes, and Aaron Rich, members of the Lyme Fast Squad, worked with students in grades 6-8, teaching them techniques in first aid specific to bleeding. This was a mini class of our larger course called "Stop the Bleed". Students rotated through each...
On Friday, May 4, the Lyme School hosted its second talent show of the school year. It was impressive to see the range of talent from our students in all grades. We were treated to everything from magic tricks, to solving a Rubiks cube while jumping on a pogo stick, a brother-sister duet, and many beautiful voices.
It was a treat to watch the 6th graders run...
The sixth graders investigated ocean currents this month in anticipation of their trip to the New England Aquarium on Friday, May 18. The students confirmed that most of our Earth is ocean by using inflatable globes. The sixth graders drew worldwide ocean currents onto the inflatable globes. We also compared humans to the Earth and discovered many...
It was a great day to visit our Lady of Liberty in New York Harbor.
The Lyme School's beautiful backyard holds an abundance of fitness opportunities. On a snowy, but warm day in March, several classes took part in a walk about around the land behind the Lyme School. Students were partnered up, as we walked the property behind the school. We spotted many natural phenomena, including animal holes in the melting snow, animal...
Following a study of major historical events in the 20th century, 8th grade students drew editorial cartoons to demonstrate an interpretation a major historical event, such as the Russian Revolution, Mussolini and the rise of fascism, the Holocaust, the Korean War, the decision to drop the atomic bomb, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the unit, we looked at...
The 8th graders spent a class period in the Lyme School’s outdoor classroom writing poetry on May 2. The students analyzed Robert Frost’s oft-quoted (and misquoted) poem, “Mending Wall.” The poem includes the line, "Good fences make good neighbors." Mending Wall
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the...
As American citizens, we must study the dark stain of slavery on our historical record in an effort to understand the underlying framework, or infrastructure, of racism in our country. Through education, we can expose the legal and social systems of slavery that subjugated African Americans, and illuminate how slavery led to the discrimination and prejudice of a...
The 5th graders at the Lyme School have spent the past couple months learning about adaptations and different habitats and were tasked with creating a creature well-suited to a given environment. They have worked enthusiastically to research a habitat, to understand the challenges it poses to survival, and to create a species that has special structural and...
On April 6th at Morning Meeting we gathered as a school and community to celebrate Paddy Caldwell's return from his 1st Olympic Competition in Nordic Skiing. We are mostly proud of who he is, and how well he reflects our school values. The fact he is a really great nordic skier is also something that is true about him. The 9 years he spent as a student earned...
Human beings are naturally inquisitive. It may be the reason we survived as a species despite our lack of sharp teeth, thick fur, or claws. Somewhere along the way, we took this for granted. In education, we have long ignored this fundamental asset under pressure to emphasize content knowledge which is far easier to measure. In my own experience, the casualty...
On the March 30 inservice day, our teachers became students again and experienced a hands-on introduction to design thinking, a mindset and approach to learning, collaboration, and problem solving. Using empathetic design thinking along with ideating, prototyping, and testing, Mr. Valence led the “students” through a challenge to create the best container to...
Even though we are heading into spring and the five snow days may soon be forgotten, it's Mr. Valence's snow day humor that will stay with us!
Here's a reminder of what kept us smiling through the winter:
Our First snow Day
Dear Parents,
Now that we have snow on the ground, it is a good time to discuss the snow process and what you, as a family, should prepare...
Thirty community members and our 6th grade students have begun a penpal partnership in a letter writing project. We are excited to build new relationships within our community and promote the art of letter writing across generations.
The weekly letter exchange will run from April 3 until June 12. At the end of our letter project, we plan to have all...
On March 14, students, teachers, parents, and community members gathered outside of the Lyme School to recognize the recent loss of life in Parkland, FL and to express our concerns for school safety.
Mr. Valence shared this earlier at Town meeting to the wider Town community to invite them to our recognition of the Events at Parkland:
"It is frequently helpful...
From the Counselor's Office:
Recently NPR’s All Things Considered interviewed Anya Kamenetz about her new book, The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life. Her advice is “Don’t panic!”
The decision as to whether or not to allow your children screen time and/or how much screen time, is a decision that is facing all parents....
This November and December the 5th-8th grade students at Lyme School participated in the Cyber Robotics Coding Competition. During "Boot Camp" students spent 3 weeks coding up to 54 missions each. Next the students were challenged to complete 21 more challenging missions during the Week of Code. Five Lyme School students, Dylan Wilcox, Spencer May, Jack Lange,...