Mrs. Hamilton's Newsletter
April 6, 2019
A Note from Global Studies...
¡Hola!
My name is Stacey Zimmerman, and I am the Spanish teacher for the Global Studies Program. I am excited to be back at Thorpe Creek and working with your children!
During our time together, the students actively learn the Spanish language through whole group and small group games, hands-on-activities, songs, rhythm, stories, and movement. Material is taught through activities that stimulate a high level of student involvement.
First grade students have been working on the numbers 1-10 in Spanish. They have learned greetings such as good morning, good afternoon, good night, hello, and good-bye. They have learned how to ask “What is your name?” and respond to that question.
Second, third, and fourth grade students have been working on numbers to 20. They have learned how to ask “Where do you live?” and respond to that question. They are currently working on identifying shapes in Spanish.
We are having a great time in Global Studies! It is wonderful to see the students’ enthusiasm and excitement to learn about new languages and cultures!
Sincerely,
Stacey Zimmerman
FOOD BANK DRIVE!!!
Dear TCE Families,
We want to inform you about a food drive we are planning. It is during the week of Pancake Dinner (April 8th through April 12th). We are collecting food for the Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank. Items that can be donated include Peanut Butter, Mac & Cheese, Cereal or any non-perishable food items. Students can bring in donations anytime during that week or families can bring items during the Pancake Dinner on April 10th.
Thank you for your donations.
Mrs. Gibson’s First Grade Class
Mrs. Pugel’s Fourth Grade Class
BOOK FAIR THIS WEEK!!!!
Daily Snacks
WE ARE STILL IN NEED.....Please consider sending a snack to school with your child each day. Our approved list (to keep all of our Cardinals safe - especially those living with food allergies) include:
fruit
veggies
cheese
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
Skinny Popcorn
We appreciate donations for our students that are without a snack, as well. Thank you for considering!
Background Checks & Anti-Bullying Video
Mark Your Calendar!
March 29th - April 7th: No school - Spring Break
April 10th: 5:30-7:00 PTO Pancake Dinner, Book Fair is open, and young author books are on display in our gym
April 18th: Service Study Trip to Hamilton Trace Senior Living Center
April 25th- Flat Fork Creek study trip
*Just a reminder that we have early dismissal every Monday so that our teachers can continue their learning.
Related Arts Schedule for Next Week!
Monday, April 8: Day 2: P.E.
Tuesday, April 9: Day 3: Global Studies
Wednesday, April 10: Day 4: Music
Thursday, April 11: Day 1: Art
Friday, April 12: Day 2: P.E. and Book Fair Shopping (no Library due to this)
We are Learning
Reading
This week, we are reading to get more ideas on how to become a better writer. We have been focusing on voice, vocabulary and different perspectives. We are working in small groups, partner reading, Lexia, RAZ kids, reading to self and writing about our reading on a daily basis in reading rotations! We will also focus on how authors have an opinion and how we can find an"opinion" while reading and figuring out the difference between an "opinion" and true facts (this goes along with our opinion writing)...
Writing
During our mini-lessons we have started to focus on Opinion Writing!!! We will be reading "I wanna and Iguana" and "I wanna a new Room" along with many of the Pigeon books!!! Once our YA books are completely finished we will begin to write our own opinion books! We will also do some "Would You Rather" writing. The kids will choose a "would you rather" prompt or make them up on their own. They will use a graphic organizer to help them plan and organize their writing!
Lastly, we will be writing back to our PenPals at SCE! So, we will be re-visiting our letter writing!!
Word Study
Repeated Sort: Students will sort their words. Then check their words using the answer key. Then sort their words again!
Draw and Label: Students choose 10 of their words. Then they will draw a picture of each world and label it.
Blind Sort: Using given guide words, or headers, students spell or write in words in the correct category as a partner calls each word aloud without showing it.
Writing Sort: Students write their words under the correct category.
Speed Sort: Students sort words quickly under the correct categories (use a timer to see how fast they can do it!) Students love to beat records and to set goals for themselves.
Word Hunt: Students hunt through their own reading and writing for words that are additional examples of the sound, pattern, or meaning unit they study!
Buddy Sort: Using the given headers, students sort their words with a partner, then discuss. They will then check their work with their answer key.
Math
In math, we will continue working on Geometry!!! We will talk about 3D shapes and how many sides, vertices, and faces they have! Next we will begin working on our study of measurement. We will focus on using inches, feet, and yards to measure. We also talked about the difference between centimeters and inches as well as the difference between yards and meters.
Science
We also made root beer floats before break! The kids were able to observes what happens when the solid (ice cream) and liquid (root beer) when combined forms a gas. We had some good discussion about this. We then graphed whether we liked the float or disliked it. The majority of kids with the exception of one student liked it!
Sarah Hamilton
Email: shamilton@hse.k12.in.us
Location: 14642 East 126th Street, Fishers, IN, USA
Phone: (317) 594-4310
Twitter: @Hamilton2TCE