News From Mrs. C
Our class news for the week of March 4-8th
Tidbits From the Teacher
Hello Everyone!
This is the last week of classes before spring break sets in! Woo Hoo!!
There will be no homework this week in preparation for the holiday. Please feel free to visit my website and have your child play games from there. Reading is also a great academic exercise so everyone should have something to do.
This past week I started something new. I'm holding 'office hours' on Mondays and Fridays. Students can come and chat with me about nothing or something very important. I feel like I never have time to be available for just a chat so this is my way of connecting with my education partners. It was really fun on Friday. One student practiced coming to me with questions and concerns. Another came and told me she wanted some different work music. A third shared that she was afraid to move on because she didn't want to forget me. I had an inspiring chat about being a leader with a fourth friend. It was a productive morning!
We'll start having friends be social role models for Pre-K this week. I'm planning on having helpers go Monday-Thursday on a rotating basis.
One last thing to know-spring pictures are different from class pictures. If you paid for a class picture, that will come in at a later time. Spring pictures are paid for only after previewing.
Things to Return/Remember:
-Homework on Monday, March 4th
-No New Homework
-Send pictures or money for spring pictures by Friday, March 8th
Dates to Remember
Mar. 5th: Kinder Round Up-pass the word along to parents of wee ones!
Mar. 6th: Early Release @ 12:45
Mar. 11-15th: Spring Break!!!
Mar. 20th: Mrs. C has an afternoon sub
Mar. 28th: Field Trip & Report Cards
Mar. 29th: Spring Holiday
What We'll Be Learning...
**What you can do at home: Please practice addition then subtraction math facts. The more familiar students are with these facts, the quicker they see the relationship between larger numbers (7+3 relates to 70 +30 which relates to 700 + 300).
Science- We are starting to do more experiments to help make strong connections about the parts of the water cycle. This week we'll be studying condensation and precipitation. In fact, we'll be making it rain in our room later this week. Too bad we can't make it rain outside!
**What you can do at home: Talk about what kinds of precipitation can be seen in each season. You can extend this by researching how seasons are different across the world. It depends upon where you are living as to what kinds of weather/precipitation you will see.
Writing- We will continue working on small moments this week PLUS finish our color poems using similes, metaphors, and idioms. Several students are trying to add figurative language to their stories too! This week we'll work heavily upon revising our work with a partner. That means we'll be listening closely to the story to see if it creates a mental image and checking for understanding.
What you can do at home: Ask your child if he/she revised anything that day. Adding even one word or taking out a word can make a story so much stronger!
Reading- The class has loved hearing the Cinderella fairy tale told from the point of view of different cultures. Each one becomes a favorite. Students will move into the study of tall tales next. We'll read and create our own tall tales. While studying this genre, students will have the chance to apply their new information while using a reading menu of activities to solidify concepts.
What you can do at home: Ask your child to retell you the folktale heard that day at school. Ask what made the tale a fairy tale or a tall tale.
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.
**Thank you to everyone who sent in styrofoam cups!
Just a Few Snaps this week...
Students are starting to reach the last page of their math notebooks!!!
Collaborating on a tough math question
Team 3 won the Mystery Motivator on Friday! Flip Flop Friday: they traded work spots with me for the day!!