End of the year!!!

Can you believe it’s the end of the year already?  I know I can’t believe it!

For the last day, the students decorated their own visor, watched a school-wide slide show, got a Lei, and blew bubbles in the courtyard.  We shared our favorite memories with each other, as well!

Thank you so much for all your support throughout the year.  Your children have grown so much this year!  They have blossomed as an individual and as a student.  Have a wonderful, safe, and healthy Summer!  READ–READ–READ!!!!

Week of March 29th:

Our Mystery Readers have come to a close.  It has been a wonderful experience for all of us.  Thank you, once again, for the volunteers!  It was especially nice to have siblings as Mystery Readers this week!

We continue to learn about time, money, and measurement in math.  This week, the children loved using the balance scale!  We weighed teddy bear counters with other objects to make the scale balanced.  It was fun estimating how many it would take to balance the scale.

The children continue to incorporate all six traits in their writing now.  This trimester’s focus is using conventions (periods, capitals, etc) and sentence fluency.  Although these traits are the focus of this trimester, the children are responsible for all writing traits.

Please continue to read nightly with your child and practice all math facts!  Enjoy the long weekend and beautiful weather!

Week of March 22nd:

Another week of Mystery Readers!  Again, the children are loving this!!!  They are always quite surprised and excited to see who is arriving!  Thank you, again, for volunteering!

The children have been learning about money in math this week.  They are learning the coin names, the value of each coin, and beginning to count a “pocket full of change”.  It is more challenging to count the coins when it is a combination of coins.  It would be great practice for the children to count change at home.  This could be done as they get their ice cream money ready, lunch money together, or even as they add their spare change into their piggie banks!  In addition, please continue to practice all math facts at home, as we are continuing to practice in class, as well.

The children are in the process of publishing one of their stories in Writer’s Workshop!  They are so proud of their stories as they are added to the Reading Corner.  Praise your child for a job well done!

We are beginning to run low on tissues!  If you could donate some, that would be great!  Thank you, once again, for all your support!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Week of March 15th:

This has been a “Mysterious” March week!  The children have been full of excitement as we await our Mystery Readers!  It has been a wonderful experience for the students!  We even had a Community Mystery Reader today…Mr. Joe Messina!  The children and I were very excited to be chosen for this special guest!  Thank you, Mr. Messina and others, for taking the time to come into our classroom!

The children have learned about Symmetry and have created their own Symmetrical Robots!  They are displayed in our hallway and the children are very proud of their work!  They loved this math activity!  We also went outside to practice our math facts this afternoon.  It was beautiful weather and the children loved the courtyard!

This trimester, we will be focusing on Conventions and Sentence Fluency in their writing.  Not only will I be teaching the children these new writing traits, but they will be expected to be using all Six Traits in their writing now!  It is amazing to see the development of their writing at this point of the year!

As the Spring weather approaches, please be aware that some parts of the playground can be a bit muddy.  Please make sure that your child has an extra set of clothes, including socks, in their locker.

Report cards go home today!  Please praise your child for all their hard work!

Have a wonderful weekend…Enjoy this amazing weather!  :)

Week of March 11th:

Hello to all!  Goodness, it has been a little bit since the last posting.  With February vacation, power outage, and me being out sick with the family last Friday, it has been challenging to update on the last couple Fridays!

We have been very busy assessing in our classroom!  As you may know, marks closed today and report cards go home next week!  Your children have been working very hard during their assessments.

In math, we have been focusing on Symmetry.  The children have learned that what is on one side of an object, needs to be identical on the other side, like looking into a mirror.  In addition, we continue to learn about Place Value.  The children have learned the “ones column, tens column, and hundreds column”.  For example, the number 145:  The 5 is in the ones column, the 4 is in the tens column, and the 1 is in the hundreds column.  We have been using Base Ten Blocks and the children are having fun trading and practicing!

In Writing, the children continue to use four of the six traits.  So far, the children have learned about Ideas, Organization, Word Choice, and Voice.  When writing, the children are doing their best to use “razzle dazzle” words and to put their “voice” in their writing, like they are talking to a friend!  They love being able to talk in their writing. One student even said, “It’s like letting the pencil do the talking!!!”  That was fabulous!!!

March is Mystery Reader Month!  I am still taking volunteers.  Thank you so much if you have volunteered!  The children love the mystery and are truly enjoying this month!

Trimester 3 begins on Monday.  Our new Specialist Schedule is:

Monday:  Music

Tuesday: Computer Lab

Wednesday: Gym

Thursday: Library

Friday:  Guidance

Please continue to read from the book bags and other books of your choice at home!  Thank you again for all your support.  :)

Week of February 8th:

The children have worked very hard this week, once again!  We had our closing Olympic Ceremony this afternoon, which the children truly enjoyed.  Again, we are representing Spain… Did you ask your child the color of the Spain Flag?

In math, the children have been working hard in their centers.  The focus this week was Geometric Solids.  They have now learned about edges, corners, and faces.  In addition, time and greater than/less than/equal to, were also in the centers.

In Writer’s Workshop, the children continue to write personal narratives, focusing on good word choice and voice.  In addition, they are still using good organization and writing clear ideas.  Eventually, when their writings are complete, they will be published into books for them to keep.

The children have learned about Abraham Lincoln.  We learned that he was the 16th president, where he was when he was hurt, and where he went after when he died.  After vacation, we will be learning about George Washington.

Please continue to read with your child over vacation.  It is amazing how much a child can regress in just one week.  They have come so far this year… Let’s keep up the great work!

Have a wonderful vacation!

Week of February 1st:

Happy Groundhog Day!  Of course, Phil saw his shadow…6 more weeks of Winter!  Also, today is the 100th Day of School!

February is a very busy month for us.  We have:  Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Winter Olympics, The 100th Day, and February Vacation!  Phew!

In addition, the students that were GREEN for the month of January celebrated in the Go Green Celebration!  DJ Silly Kelly came and played some fun music.  The children danced up a storm and had a blast!!!  I enjoyed dancing with them, too!

Today we took part in the Winter Olympic Ceremony.  Our class represented Spain!!! The ceremony consisted of marching thru the hallway for a parade.  We picked up other classes/countries along the way. We ended in the Cafetorium for the ceremony.  The children enjoyed the dances, doves, and speakers!  Our children colored the flag of Spain. We talked about where Spain is, the language spoken, the Coat of Arms on the flag.  Lauren and Mollie did a fabulous job in the ceremony!

In Math, we are learning about time, greater than/less than, and patterns and shapes.  We are continuing with the Math Centers, as the children are really enjoying them and are really focused on the skill of their center.  Also, please continue to practice the math facts that we sent home with their homework.  We will be playing “Around the World” next week!

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.  I will be sending home a class list if you wish for you child to pass out Valentines.  Please remember that food/candy is not allowed to be distributed.  In addition, please have your child decorate a tissue box to collect their Valentines.  This should be decorated at home!

We have begun our At Home Reading Program!  Your child will choose a book at his/her reading level from their classroom Browsing Boxes.  Please read the book with your child nightly.  Your child will choose a book on Monday and return the book and signed log on Thursday… so we will be using the same schedule as homework.  Please take great care of these books.  They belong to the school and need to be used for many years to come!

Enjoy your weekend!  Stay warm!

Week of January 25th:

First, I would like to apologize for not updating our website last week.  I have been recovering from the flu and pneumonia so I was not in a couple of days.

In Math this week, the children have been focusing on shapes and patterns.  They have all completed a quilt square to add to our class quilt.  They really did a nice job with this.  In addition, we started Math Centers this week.  This gives me the opportunity to meet with small groups for focused instruction.  The children we so excited to begin this!  We have also been learning about time to the hour and half hour.  It would be helpful to ask your children if they know what time it is if the clock is on the hour or half-hour.

In Science, we are still learning about weather.  The students completed an accordion book of seasons.  Although this was a little difficult, they worked very hard on this project!

We have been studying Penguins in our classroom!  The children have learned about their habitats, what they eat, different species, and many other interesting facts.  Did you know that there are 17 different species of penguins?  Wow!

Next week, the school will be celebrating the Winter Olympics!  Our class will be representing Spain.  They will learn about about various sports in the olympics, some facts about Spain, and other olympic activities.

CONGRATULATIONS to Nicholas for being our Star Student!  We are looking forward to seeing your poster!  Great job, Nicholas!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend with your families!  Do your best to stay healthy!!!!

Week of January 11th:

This week was another busy week of learning!  In Social Studies, we learned a lot of interesting facts about Martin Luther King, Jr.  There is NO school on Monday to honor him.

We continued learning about geometry throughout the week.  The children are enjoying filling in and creating their own designs using pattern blocks.  They are taking pride in “challenging their brains” and creating complex designs.  Be on the lookout for packets coming home with your child’s hard work!  I may see some future architects in here!

Writer’s Workshop is up and running and we have some very creative writers in our classroom!  Currently, we are working on Narrative writing.  I am enjoying reading about certain adventures your children have experienced.  We are working on good word choice and voice when writing.  The children are working hard on not beginning their sentences the same way each time.

Just a reminder:  Homework (along with folders) are due every Thursday!

Have a wonderful weekend!  :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I can’t believe we are now in the year of 2010!  I hope you all had a fabulous holiday season with your families.  Thank you, again, for all your generosity towards our classroom!

This week we have been learning about Geometry.  Geometry is about shapes and the way shapes are related.  We began talking about 2-D shapes, and we will continue onto 3-D shapes over the next couple of weeks.  This week, the children have also used pattern blocks to fill in empty shapes and count the number of blocks they used, also including the total number of blocks.  You can help your child with Geometry by looking for patterns or designs made from different shapes, taking walks with your child to look at the shapes of buildings, and you can also look at boxes you have at home.

Today, we created a snowman and completed a Four Square writing and final copy to display in our hallway.  The children did a fantastic job with these!  They are truly understanding how to organize their thoughts and remembering to use “juicy” descriptive words for word choice!  Their vocabulary of adjectives is expanding!

Congratulations to EMILY for being our Star Student!!!  We look forward to seeing your poster!

Also, our entire class was GREEN today!!!  :)

Please have a wonderful, safe weekend!