Newsletter Updates for the Week of March 24th

I have a training at the ISD this Monday and will be out of the classroom:)

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Friday, March 28th—Jammie Day + Popcorn

-March 29th-April 6th—Spring Break!

-Monday, April 7th—School Resumes

-Wednesday, April 9th—Fundraiser Delivery

-Friday, April 11th—Report Cards Home

-Friday, April 18th—No School—Good Friday

-Monday, April 21st—Delayed Start

READING:  

Our focus text for this week is Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash, which we will use to practice sequencing and retelling a story in order.  We will wrap up the letter Ee on Monday and Tuesday and then we will begin working on the letter Hh.  Our sightwords for this week are up & where.  Please continue to practice reading and writing sightwords at home.  Also remember that your child can access Raz-Kids on your home computer or mobile device and read ‘good-fit’ books anytime, anywhere!  Many of the students are trying hard to complete all of the books at their current level, so they can move up to the next level. :)

WRITING: 

This week we will begin writing a new small moment story, using all of the skills and strategies that we’ve been learning about.  Students will wrap up their February/March Journals and edit them before bringing them home to share with you over break.  We are learning how to take screenshots on our ipads and how to import photos into different apps so that we can do more of our work digitally.  The students are having a great time writing letters and using our classroom post office.  Please feel free to send in letters to your child; we will sort them and deliver them daily—they LOVE getting mail!

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES: 

This week we will begin our new Science Unit on Motion.  We will be learning about different forces—pushes, pulls, gravity, wind/air, and their effect on objects.  We will conduct many hands-on experiments related to motion and forces this week!

MATH:  

This week we will continue to work on identifying 3D/Solid Shapes.  Students may bring in 2-3 shapes from home (see attached note); on Thursday we will be sorting and graphing their shapes.  We will also be experimenting with different 3D shapes on a ramp/inclined plane to see which items slide and which items roll.  Students will be creating their own 3D solid shapes using playdough and they will be conducting several surveys.  They will have to collect their data, using tally marks, interpret the results, and analyzing their data.

 **Please remember to return your library books on or before Wednesday!

 

**I will send blankets home to be washed over Spring Break!

Have a fabulous Spring Break!!!!

Green Eggs & Ham Photos

Mobile Zoo Photos

Wacky Wednesday Photos

Wacky Clothes, Wacky Hair, Wacky Faces, Wacky Fun!!

Newsletter Updates for the Week of March 17th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Friday, March 21st—My Many Colored Day (wear all of one color) + Popcorn

-Monday, March 24th—Crazy Socks Day

-Friday, March 28th—Jammie Day + Popcorn

STUDENT OF THE WEEK: 

Our student of the week is Drew Bode.  Drew enjoys many outdoor activities—hunting, fishing, off-roading, and football.  His favorite place to go is to the Great Wolf Lodge.  Drew is adventurous all around, which will serve him well, as he aspires to become a Dirt Bike Racer when he grows up! Congratulations to Drew on being our Student of the Week!

READING:  

Our focus text for the beginning of this week is Shoes Like Miss Alice’s; later in the week we will be reading Corduroy, as we work on drawing conclusions using Iggy the Inferring Iguana.  We will wrap up the letter Ww by reading some funny stories about Mrs. Wishy Washy, then we will begin working on the letter Ee.  Since Ee is a vowel, we will be using Chunky Monkey to practice reading and writing words with the et, en, ell, & ed word families.  We will also use Flippy the Dolphin to practice flipping the vowel sound from long to short while trying to figure out tricky words.  Our sightwords for this week are here, she, to, & get.

WRITING: 

This week we will complete a journal about our favorite patriotic symbol and another journal about our favorite storybook.  Students will also work together to create a class book, predicting what they think Mrs. Wishy Washy will wash next.  I am excited for you to read their completed small moment stories—I will be sending them home with report cards in a couple of weeks.

 SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES: 

This week we will wrap up our ‘Me on the Map’ Unit and our study of maps and globes.  We will also be reading several books related to Spring—yes it officially begins this Thursday!  We will be reading about all of the exciting changes we can expect to see in the coming weeks.  We will also read some narrative and informational texts related to St. Patrick’s Day.

MATH:  

This week we will work on finding numbers and identifying patterns on a number grid.  We will also create some fun graphs using Skittles and Lucky Charms and then interpret & analyze the data.  We will continue to work on addition and patterning this week.  We will also introduce the Penny and the Nickel and practice making fair exchanges.

 ASSESSMENTS: 

It is that time once again!  We’ve been diligently working on assessing the students for upcoming report cards.  Special thanks to my faithful parent volunteers who help me complete many of these assessments—it is a time consuming task!  As the year progresses, the expectations continue to increase as we prepare for first grade.  Report cards will go home the week following Spring Break!

 **Please remember to return your Fundraiser Forms ASAP! - Thanks so much for supporting the PTO!

Newsletter Update for the Week of March 10th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Wednesday, March 12—Wacky Wednesday (wear a variety of colors & patterns)

-Friday, March 14th—Popcorn

-Monday, March 17th—Delayed Start & Irish Dance

-Friday, March 21st—My Many Colored Day (wear all of one color) + Popcorn

-Monday, March 24th—Crazy Socks Day

-Friday, March 28th—Jammie Day + Popcorn

 READING:  

Our focus text for the beginning of this week is On the Go; which will tie in nicely to our new sightwords for the week: on & go.  Our focus letters this week are the letters O & W.  Since O is a vowel, we will use Chunky Monkey to help us read and write words with o word families—ot, op, og, ock.  We will also use Flippy the Dolphin to help us read and write long o words.  Later in the week we will be reading several Mrs. Wishy Washy books as we introduce the Letter W.  We will also introduce a new Beanie Baby for Accuracy—Tryin’ Lion—he reminds us to not give up and to keep trying as we use our strategies to figure out tricky words.  The students are doing a super job with their Take-Home Reading Folders; they will shop for new books this week!

WRITING: 

This week we will continue writing our own Small Moment stories—as we practice zooming in, adding details, and making sure our stories have a beginning, middle, & an end.  We will also be doing some writing based on the Dr. Seuss books—If I Ran the Zoo and Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  In addition, students will complete a Type 3 writing where they have to make a prediction about what they think will happen next in a story.  It is so exciting to see their enthusiasm and confidence for writing grow!

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES: 

We’ve just wrapped up our Social Studies Unit on Patriotic Symbols and this week we will begin our new unit—Me on the Map.  We will be learning about maps & globes and our place in the world—Country, State, & City.  We will be opening up a Post Office in our dramatic play area for students to practice writing and addressing letters, as well as sorting the mail.

MATH:  

This week we will be working on measuring length using feet, rulers, & measuring tapes.  We will practice making fair trades using base 10 blocks and continue to work on addition.  We will practice counting by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, & 10’s in preparation for report cards and work on identifying and naming 3D solid shapes—cone, cylinder, sphere, rectangular prism, & cube.  We will also do some graphing, completing a class graph of our pets and analyzing the data together.

**Please remember to return your library books on or before Wednesday!

**Please remember to return you February Book-it Calendar as well!

Photos with Smokey the Bear

Changes Due to Snow Days

Hello,
Due to our recent snow days I'm adjusting the Snack Calendar:
-Monday, March 3rd - Grayson & Ayla - we will celebrate their birthdays (each brings in 1 snack)
-Tuesday, March 4th - Aubrie & Carlee - each brings in 1 snack

I am not planning on sending out a newsletter this week because most of the things I planned to cover last week will now be bumped to this week :)

We have a lot of special days for reading month, this week remember . . . .
-Monday - Family IMax Movie @ 6:30 - The Lorax
-Friday - Hat Day, Mobile Zoo, Popcorn (25 cents)

March Lunch Menus are in your child's mailboxes :) If they keep it as planned, Monday's lunch will be . . .
Chicken Quesadilla, Romaine Salad, Refried Beans, Orange Slices, & Cake