Newsletter Updates for the Week of March 19th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Mon., March 19th—Delayed Start, Mad Scientist Hair Day, Family STEM Night @ 6:30

-Thurs., March 22nd—Book Orders Due

-Wed., March 21st—Running Club Forms Due

-Fri., March 23rd—GREEN Giant & GOLDilocks Day (Wear Green & Gold) & Chicken Little

             Movie @ 9:00

-March 24th—April 1st—Spring Break

-Mon., April 2nd—School Resumes

READING MONTH:   

-Family STEM Night is this Monday evening from 6:30-7:30.  You’ll have the opportunity to:

· Walk through the hallways & classrooms and see the STEM projects we’ve been working on.

· Have your family picture taken at the photo booth with your ‘Mad Scientist Hair’ for $1.

· Participate in some hands-on STEM activities.

· Watch a short Science video together in the auditorium where door prizes will be drawn.

Hope to see you there—with your Mad Hair!

-This Friday is GREEN Giant & GOLDilocks Day—Wear your Green & Gold!

RUNNING CLUB REMINDER FROM MRS. SLUITER:

Please note that the deadline for turning in the running club forms (Road Runners for boys, Sole Sisters for the girls) is Wednesday, March 21st. Mrs. Sluiter will not be accepting any late forms, so be sure to get yours turned in by the end of the day on Wednesday, if you plan to participate.

READING:

This week our class will be reading stories about our country’s national symbols, monuments, & national parks. Here are some activities you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing:

· Vocabulary—country & travel—If you have any photos of family vacations where you have visited national parks, monuments, or landmarks(Washington D.C., Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, etc.) please feel free to send them in or email me a couple of photos to share with the class.

· Sightwords—what & his—Write sentences with these words and practice reading them together.

· Category Words—ordinal numbers—Line up stuffed animals, cars, or other toys and have your child practice identifying which one is first, second, fifth, last, etc.

· Phonics—Letters Yy & Zz—practice reading and writing words that begin and end with y & z.

· Take Home Reading Folders—I’ve reassessed the students and many have moved up 1-2 reading levels—Yay! We will take a couple of days to shop for new books and then begin bringing home our reading folders again. You should notice that these books are a little more challenging—please sit with your child and encourage them to use their strategies for figuring out tricky words. Also, please be sure to return your child’s reading folder so that they can continue to check out books and practice reading at home.

MATH:

This week we will continue to work on skip counting by 10’s, 5’s, & 2’s—those 2’s are tricky! We will also practice measuring weights using a pan balance and play some fun addition games with bunnies & eggs.

WRITING: 

This week we will begin a new unit—Opinion Letters. We will learn how to write an opinion letter and practice writing a couple together.

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES:

We are excited to share with you some of the STEM projects we’ve been working on this month! In Social Studies, we will be learning about some of the U.S. Symbols our Country holds dear—the American Flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner, the Bald Eagle, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, & the White House.

 Please be sure to return your library book on or before Friday!

Newsletter Updates for the Week of March 12th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Wed., March 14th—Weather Presentation by Weatherman Tom O’Hare

-Fri., March 16th—Donuts with Dad (3-5) - Fairy Tale Friday & Robotics Presentation @ 9:00

-Mon., March 19th—Delayed Start, Mad Scientist Hair Day, Family STEM Night @ 6:30

-Fri., March 23rd—GREEN Giant & GOLDilocks Day - (Wear Green & Gold) & Chicken Little

Movie @ 9:00

STUDENT OF THE WEEK:  

Our student of the week is Colton Pluger.  Colton loves Batman, riding his bike, and playing with his cousins.  He likes to eat pizza & spaghetti and his favorite movie is Justice League. His goals include: learning to tie his shoes and he wants to be a builder with his dad when he grows up—how cool is that! Congratulations to Colton on being our Student of the Week!

 READING MONTH:   

-This Friday is Fairy Tale Friday—Dress up as your favorite fairy tale character.

-Family STEM Night is next Monday evening from 6:30-7:30.  You’ll have the opportunity to:

· Walk through the hallways & classrooms and see what STEM projects we’ve been working on.

· Have your family picture taken at the photo booth with your ‘Mad Scientist Hair’ for $1.

· Participate in some hands-on STEM activities.

· Watch a short Science video together in the auditorium where door prizes will be drawn.

Hope to see you there—with your Mad Hair!

READING:

This week our class will be reading stories about the transportation used to take people from place to place. Children will learn about how families in the past traveled and how these vehicles compare with what is used today. Here are some activities you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we will be practicing:

· Vocabulary—transportation & vehicle—discuss the different kinds of transportation you take from place to place. Then invite your child to draw pictures of each type of transportation.

· Sightwords—here & me—Write sentences with these words and practice reading them together.

· Category Words—vehicles—Play ‘guess the vehicle’ - give clues about different kinds of vehicles and encourage your child to name them.

· Phonics—Letters Jj & Qq—practice reading and writing words that begin with j & qu.

· Comprehension—character, setting, & plot—Have your child choose a favorite story and then read it together. Ask your child questions about main characters, setting, & plot (story sequence, problem, etc.)

WRITING:

This week we will wrap up our small moment stories and take some time to edit and revise them, so that they are ready to share with you at our Family STEM Night next week.  We will also complete a fun journal about tricking a leprechaun.

MATH:

This week we will continue to work on addition and subtraction; we will use number lines and dominoes to help us visualize the process. We will complete a graph using Lucky Charms cereal and analyze the data.

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES:

This week we will be constructing new chairs for Baby Bear & beds for Golidlocks which we will share with you at our Family STEM Night. In Social Studies, we will continue our unit—Me on the Map—as we learn about maps, globes, and our place in the world—Country, State, & City. We will also read some narrative and informational texts related to St. Patrick’s Day.

Newsletter Updates for the Week of March 5th

DATES TO REMEMBER:

-Mon., March 5th—Community Bond Proposal Meeting @ 6:00 in the Auditorium

-Fri., March 9th—Donuts with Dad (K-2) - Math Day

-Wed., March 14th—Weather Presentation by Weatherman Tom O’Hare

-Fri., March 16th—Donuts with Dad (3-5) - Fairy Tale Friday & Robotics Presentation @ 9:00

-Mon., March 19th—Delayed Start, Mad Scientist Hair Day, Family STEM Night @ 6:30

-Fri., March 23rd—GREEN Giant & GOLDilocks Day (Wear Green & Gold) & Chicken Little

Movie @ 9:00

READING MONTH:   

We are Off and Reading!

-Reading with Safety Goggles—students can bring in safety goggles from home to keep in their book boxes for the month OR purchase a pair at school for $1.  They can also bring in a teddy bear to keep in their locker to read with.  You may send glasses and teddy bears in anytime.

-Friday is Math Day—wear clothing with numbers.

ASSESSMENTS:

The end of the marking period is fast approaching! We will be assessing many skills in Math, Reading, & Writing over the next few weeks.  Please continue to work on reading and writing sightwords at home, as we have learned almost 30 now! :)

SNOWPANTS & BOOTS:

Please continue to send snowpants and boots for recess.  I am still having the kids wear their boots because the playground is muddy; snowpants is a day-by-day decision based on wet equipment, mud, and temperature.  I check the temperature before each recess and then tell them what they have to wear and what is a choice:)

READING:

This week our class will be reading stories about different kinds of animals and the habitats in which they live. Children will discover that animals live in caves, dens, burrows, trees, forests, deserts, and oceans. Here’s a brief overview of our skills this week:

· Vocabulary—habitat & wild

· Sightwords—said & want

· Category Words—animals homes

· Phonics—Letters Xx & Vv

· Comprehension—cause & effect

WRITING:

This week we will begin a new small moment story; taking an event that happened to us and stretching it across the pages—adding details, feelings, & speech bubbles.

MATH:

This week we will play several games involving addition and subtraction as we practice using various strategies to solve these equations—number lines, manipulatives, counting on, counting backwards, drawing a picture, using our fingers, etc.  We will also work on sorting according to various attributes—shape, size, color, & thickness.

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES:

This week we will be reading The Three Little Pigs and have different materials to construct houses out of.  This Friday we will be making porridge as we talk about chemical changes and conduct a fun experiment with temperature.  In Social Studies, we will begin our unit on Maps & Globes.

Please be sure to return your

February Book-It Calendar &

your library book on or before Friday!