News From Mrs. C
Our class news for the week of April 8-9th
Tidbits From the Teacher
Hello Everyone!
I feel like I just wrote last week's newsletter and suddenly it's time to check in again. Where has the time flown? We had a long, quiet, and wet week around here so it's nice to see the sunshine and feel the warmth on our cheeks at recess again! We have a nasty virus going around our classroom so please listen carefully to your child if he/she says something about having an upset or aching stomach. I won't go into details but know there could be "attic" or "basement" issues with this nasty germ (ask your child what those words represent if you aren't sure...).
There's a lot going on around the school right now. I hope you can come on Tuesday for Dr. Seuss night. I'm going to be reading a story with Mrs. Daniel and we'll be playing a dangerous game involving lava and disappearing islands! (6-7:30 pm)
**Check out the media literacy example in the picture above!!**
Things to Return/Remember:
-HW due Monday
-Last Math Super Stars papers are due by April 10th
Dates to Remember
Apr. 9th: Mrs. C out all day, Dr. Seuss Night @ Sommer 6-7:30 pm
Apr. 10th: Ride to Recovery (cycling group ride by school in show of support for veterans) + Math Super Stars are due today!!
April 18th: Mrs. C out for the afternoon only
Apr. 22nd-25th: No visitors on campus due to STAAR testing
Apr. 26th: Kona Ice day!
Apr. 27th: Round Rock Express Baseball Game
May 1st: Early Release day
May 3rd: Carnival 5-8 pm (Parent volunteers are needed!!)
What We'll Be Learning...
**What you can do at home: Ask your child to measure the area or length of an object using approximations of inches/feet or square units. Ask your child what object would make the best unit to measure a long space: a paper clip or an adult shoe? (Hopefully the shoe will be the answer because it's more efficient for the larger job!!)
Science- We have been observing the growth and needs of plants and seeds for the last 10 days. Since we've studied and experimented with what external characteristics help animals, we'll look at the external characteristics of plants. We'll learn what spines on a cactus do and what usefulness can be found from stickers and burrs. We'll also study and learn about food chains!
**What you can do at home: Look for plants with unusual external characteristics and find out how the characteristic helps the plant to grow or be protected.
Writing- We have been working on our persuasive writing techniques and are almost to the polishing stage. Look for persuasive letters to begin arriving sometime in the near future....
What you can do at home: Ask your child to explain what a persuasive letter should contain.
Reading- The class LOVES media literacy experiences. We've looked at cereal boxes, advertisements from the internet, magazines, and even on our own clothes for examples of media. We're learning about how colors, sizes, word choice and pictures make us want things we didn't know we wanted or needed!! (Hopefully this will help you the next time your child is shopping with you and wants something....)
What you can do at home: Look for examples of media literacy while at the grocery store, watching t.v., in magazines, and on the internet.
Spelling/Handwriting- We created an anchor chart of reasons why good handwriting is important to use all of the time. Students said it helped to make their thoughts understandable, made them feel good, and kept teachers from being worried. Ha Ha!
What you can do at home: If you notice your sweetie not gripping a writing tool correctly, gently tell them to "check your grip." I have other tricks if you need help with this. Just email me and let me know!
Spelling is also coming along. Students should really know what vowels and consonants are. They should be able to point out patterns studied in words read during reading times.
What you can do at home: Ask your child what spelling rules he/she is studying. Can he/she talk to you about the words being sorted?
Class Wish List
The class has requested:
-smelly stickers (Mardel and Lakeshore carry these.)
-We'll take gift cards in small amounts too! Those add up and can buy lots of things for us.