Mrs. Sword

This week the students had a blast participating in the SPIRIT days.  They have been reading many different types of poetry.  We have been learning about a variety of poets along with creating poems of our very own.  The students continue to research information about their continents.  They are compiling information within their continent group to create a non-fiction book and write an individual postcard related to their information.  The students have just finished up our math unit on “Putting Together Taking Apart”.  They have learned a variety of strategies to combine and take apart numbers along with learning the traditional algorithm using trading.  Within the area of science, the students are learning about the three different components of soil (sand, clay and humus).  They have worked hard with a friend to create posters for Earth Day.  As you can see we have had a very, very busy week.

I hope you have a great break.  Enjoy the wonderful weather.  Don’t forget the read-a-thon packet during the week.  This is a great way for your child to continue to read during vacation.

Have a great vacation!

This week the school is offering spirit week.  Participation in any one day is optional.

Monday-Crazy Hair Day

Tuesday- Pajama Day

Wednesday –Backwards Day

Thursday- Crazy Hat Day

Friday- Favorite Sports Team Days

Just a reminder that Friday is an early release day.

 I look forward to a great week.

March Mystery Reader month is off to a great start.  I would like to thank Mrs. Hartigan (Kelsey’s grandmother), Mrs. DeFronzo (Jenna’s mom) and Mrs. Bovill (Abbey’s mom) for coming in to read to our class this week.  The students look forward to the Mystery reader time during our day.  If you would like to schedule a time feel free to write me a note or email me and I will set up a time for you to come in to read to the class.

This week we have begun our new unit in science.  The students will be learning many new facts about soil.  The first two lessons in our soil unit focus on examining soil and making small compost bins in our room.  The students were excited to see live creatures in their soil ranging from bugs, a centipede, ants, a spider to even a small tiny worm.  The students then made a compost bin using their soil sample and some left over food (lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, orange and banana peels, and some leaves along with real live WORMS!   The students had a blast examining the worms and eventually placing them in the compost bin.

Please see the updated dates to remember and specialist schedule page.  Take a look at the new wish-list page.  It has a variety of things we could use in the classroom.

Have a great week,  THINK SPRING!

This week the students have taken part in a variety of activities to earn Olympic medals during the T.E. S. Winter Olympics.  The students took part in several events; the Great Hoop Challenge, the Snowball Toss, the Disc Throw, the Big Jump along with a Spelling Bee, and Math Minute Challenges.  The students have played many events with their classmates and have developed sportsmanship and have had fun taking part in our Olympic games.  The students are proud of their accomplishments and medals!

Please continue to have your child practice their flash cards daily along with reading during vacation.  The Six Flags reading logs from the library are due after vacation.

I hope you and your family have a great vacation.

Our class has been learning about the Olympics.  The Tyngsboro Elementary School (TES) will be taking part in a Winter Olympics celebration.  Each class will represent a different country.  Our class will represent the country of India and the children have been bringing in information about India and the Olympics.   The students have made a banner and a flag for India.  Today we had a parade of nations throughout the whole school.  The children were excited and proud to take part in the opening Olympic activities.  Next week, the children will have the opportunity to earn medals for a variety of events, in the areas of academics and sportsmanship.  I’m sure it will be a very exciting week!

On Friday, February 12^th the students will be exchanging Valentines cards with their friends.  A class list was sent home on Friday.  The students will deliver their Valentines on February 12^th.  Please make sure your child has a Valentine for everyone in the classroom.  Valentines cards should not contain candy or food items per school policy.   The students’ will be sorting and completing some fun activities using their Valentine cards on Friday.

This week we have begun testing retrieval of subtraction facts.  Please make sure your child practices subtraction facts nightly.   Nightly practice will build confidence and improve their retrieval rate.  The students have done a good job retrieving addition facts during timed math minutes. 

I look forward to a very busy week before vacation.

 I hope you and your family had a great winter break. This week the students have been working on getting back into the routine of the classroom.  We will be beginning to learn about fossils and dinosaurs during our reading/writing block.  Within the area of math, the students are learning about time and measurement, along with practicing their math facts during timed assessments. 

The students had author Valeria Giogas visit on Thursday.  She spoke about the writing process and shared her published book with the class.  Thank you PTO for this enrichment activity.

As you can see we had a very busy week!

November Update

This week the students have been learning about the first Thanksgiving.  They have taken part in a variety of activities related to this historic holiday from creating poems along with making an A to Z book about things the students are thankful for.  The students also worked in small groups to act out a play about the First Thanksgiving in class and we went to Mrs. Goulet’s third grade class to watch their play.  The children also compared their own Thanksgiving traditions to the first Thanksgiving using a Venn diagram.  We have had a very busy short week!

Next week we will be having new specialist.  Please, see the specialist schedule page on this website.  Take a look at the educational game sites on the website.  The ABC link has great math games that will develop math facts skills.  There is also an area for the students to work on letter writing.  This would be a fun way to firm up skills that have been taught in the classroom.

I have sent home the conference form.  Please, fill out the form and indicate when you will be able to meet with me to discuss your child’s progress.  I would like to thank you for all your help throughout the year from helping your child remember their homework to reminding them to wear sneakers on gym day and trying their best to stay green.  Your assistance and follow through is a critical part in a comprehensive school experience.  Thank you for all you do!  I hope you have a happy, healthy and restful Thanksgiving.