Breaking News From Mrs. Brinks

Pajama Day—Friday

We took a vote and the majority of the students wanted to wear their PJ’s to school on Friday (tomorrow).  Those who would like to are welcome to do so!

Popcorn & Movie—Friday

We will also be watching The Lorax this Friday afternoon.  Popcorn will be available for purchase—25 cents!

Spring Break Memories

Several of the students have been asking to bring in ‘Show & Tell' items from their recent Spring Break adventures.  They may bring in a special item, photo, postcard, etc sometime in the next week and we will let a couple of students share each day.

 Report Cards

Report cards will be sent home this Friday.  As indicated on the report card, any areas that your child receives a -- or √— are areas that they need to work on.  As the year progresses, the expectations continue to increase.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me; I am always happy to discuss your child’s progress with you.  Everything in your child’s report card envelope is yours to keep—PLEASE return their empty envelope to school and they will receive a treat! :)

Book-It

March was the last month for Book-It; please be sure to return your child’s Book-It calendar so that I can issue their Pizza Hut coupons.

Reminders

**Summer Baseball & Softball forms are due in the office by this Friday.  The office has extra forms if you need one.

**Mrs. Kelley is looking for parent volunteers to help with Mileage Club. You can contact her at ckelly@mcbain.org

Techy Students

The students are doing more of their work on ipads each day.  We have learned to take photos of our worksheets and upload them into Show Me, so you will notice less papers coming home.  Students are also learning how to email their work to me and their parents.  Check your email—You just might have mail! :)

3rd Grade Bookstore

Next Tuesday, April 15th, we will be visiting the 3rd Grade Bookstore.  As part of their economics unit, they bring in gently-used books for the younger students to purchase.  Books are very minimally priced—if you send your child with $1-$2 in change they should be able to purchase several books.

Greetings from the Grand Canyon

A windy but beautiful day at the Grand Canyon.

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!