Weekly Update
September 2022
December 2022
Family Support!
Wegner Families -
We need your support and partnership as we work together to meet our building goals this year! This month's newsletter will focus on the importance of daily attendance at school. If elementary school children don’t show up for school regularly, they miss out on fundamental reading and math skills and the chance to build a habit of good attendance that will carry them into college and careers. Preliminary data from a California study found that children who were chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade were far less likely to read proficiently at the end of 3rd grade. Families are children's first and most important teachers! We cannot do the important work we do at school without your continued support at home!
Ms. Kenney
Attendance Matters
Holiday Parties
December 21, 2022 - 2:15-3:15
**PLEASE NOTE - ALL VOLUNTEER PARENTS ARE WELCOME, BUT THOSE WHO WISH TO ATTEND MUST COMPLETE A VOLUNTEER PACKET PRIOR TO THE PARTY AND HAVE A PHOTO ID ON PARTY DAY TO ENTER THE BUILDING **
**For safety purposes, NO CHILDREN will be allowed to leave at 3:15 with a parent. Parent volunteers will need to wait until regular dismissal - they can wait in the classrooms if desired**
1:45-2:15 - parent helpers arrive
2:15-3:15 - Holiday Parties
Parent Volunteers will be divided among the classes
Since children will be rotating through all grade level classrooms, there is no need for parents to stay in their child’s homeroom. Instead, parent volunteers will be divided among the classrooms. Parents will get to see their own children when they rotate through the room they are assigned to. This will allow more parents the opportunity to come to the parties and will help every classroom to have parent support!
Save the Date!
Upcoming Events!
Awards Ceremonies - Will be live streamed for families!
Monday, December 19th
2nd/3rd - 9am-10am
4th/5th - 1pm-2pm
K/1st - 2pm-3pm
Parent Teacher Conferences
December 21, 2022 - 2:15-3:15
Winter Break
December 22nd-January 4th - NO SCHOOL
What's Happening at Wegner?
Kindergarten
Kindergarten began our first exciting research unit in Literacy. Students have turned into Zoologists and are beginning their study of different animal groups. Each week we will be learning about a new animal group and finding similarities and differences in different animals.
In Math we began our study of shapes. Students learned how to describe and sort solid and flat shapes.
Kinder and First Grade Reading Together
Kinder and First Grade Reading Together
Kinder and First Grade Reading Together
Kinder and First Grade Reading Together
Kinder and First Grade Reading Together
Kinder and First Grade Reading Together
Kinder and First Grade Reading Together
Kinder and First Grade Reading Together
Kinder and First Grade Reading Together
First Grade
In math, we are taking addition one step further by regrouping with 10 and adding three numbers. In reading we are discussing main ideas of nonfiction texts and writing books about animals.
Animal Reseach
Students are using Pebble Go to research their chosen animals
Guided Math
Students use manipulatives to match numbers in different forms
Second Grade
Second Grade is working hard on researching bugs in our informational text unit - ask your child what bug they chose to write their book about! Our literacy unit ties in very well with our current science unit on plant and animal interdependency where students are working on researching habitats.
In math we have been working hard on place value strategies to help us add and subtract and we just learned the standard algorithm.
Third Grade
Third Graders have been focusing on informational text with reading and writing about weather and climate. Students are selecting a hazardous weather phenomenon to research and record what they have learned in a written format using technology. We have been Improving our writing skills by practicing Dictado. In Math we wrapped up our Module 2 and students took their unit assessment. Our next unit will focus on Multiplication and Division with numbers 6, 7, 8 and 9. Please continue daily fact practice at home.
Fourth Grade
Fourth grade had an excellent virtual reality experience. We went to the STEM lab with Ms. Barsotti and used our headsets to see what living/working on a ship would have been like in colonial times. It was an eye-opening experience for the fourth graders to see that living on a ship would be a difficult experience.
We wrapped up our Social Studies unit about history, and now we will learn more about Illinois. We will soon begin our research module for literacy. We will be studying animal adaptations.
Fifth Grade
This month, 5th grade students are finishing up their narratives on Book Creator. Look for your child’s amazing story and ask them to share with you. Next we are getting ready to spend time researching and learning about Ecosystems. Invite your student to share the new facts that they learn with you!
In math we are moving from Module 1 working on place value to Module 2, where we will spend a lot of time working on multiplication and division. PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD WORK ON THEIR MATH FACTS! Having some understanding of their math facts will help them be able to focus on the steps of solving longer multiplication and division problems.
We also honored our Veterans by having time to learn about Veterans Day. Our students were able to reflect on what it means to serve your country.
Finally, we would like to remind everyone that reading is really important. YOUR CHILD SHOULD BE READING EVERY NIGHT! Even if you haven’t read the book, invite your child to share what they have read…who are the characters and what are they like? Would you be their friend? What problem is your character facing? How would you solve it? Sharing what they are reading with important adults at home helps children understand how important and fun reading can be
Art
This month, students in grades 2-5 will be starting to use our 3D sculpture center. We practice how to safely use sculpture tools and create art with recycled materials. Students will learn and practice ways to attach cardboard together without using glue. Kindergarteners and first graders are learning about the color wheel and how artists use shapes to make art.
Innovation Center
I am using an application called Novel Effect with my classes whenever possible. This application follows along while I read with interactive music and sound effects that match the story. Students are enjoying this new addition to books we read aloud. Kindergarten-3rd grade students have started reading Monarch nominated books. Our lessons and the books read aloud this month have focused on being thankful. Afterward, 1st grade students used Keva Planks to build something they were thankful for like a tree, house, bed, etc. 2nd grade students used Building Blocks to make an animal they would disguise a turkey as to save him from becoming Thanksgiving dinner after reading the book, Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano and illustrated by Lee Harper. 3rd grade students used Building Blocks to show something they are thankful for this year or something they like to do for fun. 4th grade students learned about narrative nonfiction text features reading stories about Día de los muertos, Veteran’s Day focusing on a story about the Vietnam Wall Memorial, and Thanksgiving. 5th grade students learned about narrative nonfiction text features and made text to text connections reading stories about Mary Shelley, the writer of Frankenstein, Veteran’s Day focusing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Thanksgiving.
Music
This month students are refining their instrument playing skills. Students learn a simple song through singing. Then, they learn the note names associated with the song by singing and saying those very note names. Next, the students move to the instruments and play the song easily because they sang it first.
Physical Education
As the weather turns to winter, more students will be wearing boots to school. Please remind your children to pack gym shoes in their backpacks so they can change into them before they come to PE.
We have been working on throwing and catching this month as well as continuing to work on our fitness and general movement skill.
Social Emotional Learning and Health
In SEL/Health, students have been learning about different ways to keep their bodies healthy. We have discussed things like washing their hands, showers and brushing teeth. In the upper grades we have also been discussing nutrition and making healthy food choices. We also learned about what each of the food groups can help our body with and why it’s so important to choose foods from all of the groups.
Technology
Kindergarten students practiced their counting skills on the iPads with the Osmos.
First Grade classes finished up their green screen community helper videos, saw animals in virtual reality and practiced their describing skills by playing animal guess who on the iPads.
Second grade visited different ecosystems using the VR headsets.
Third grade made digital postcards with the help of the green screen.
Fourth grade explored replica explorer ships on the VR headsets.
Fifth grade finished their digital books using BookCreator.
STEM club programmed the Finch 2.0 robots to travel the maze that Ms. Barsotti made.
Kindergarten
Using Osmos to practice counting
1st Grade
Animal study using Virtual Reality headsets
1st Grade
Playing Animal Guess Who
3rd Grade
Using the green screen to create postcards
3rd Grade
Using the green screen to create postcards
4th Grade
Using VR headsets to investigate ships
Special Education
During the school day we are working on helping students access the curriculum and achieve as much independence as possible. Below are suggestions for how to help your child at home.
Focus on the child's strengths, not the weaknesses. Every child is unique; all can contribute to the joys of family life. ...
Set reasonable expectations. ...
Provide the guidance needed for independence. ...
Maintain consistent discipline. ...
Foster intellectual curiosity. ...
Help children classify and categorize objects.
For younger students, read above-level books to your child and listen to them read the books they bring home at their independent level to you for at least 15 minutes as part of your nightly routine.
For older students, help make reading a routine by listening to your child read to you, a sibling, a pet or stuffed animal, etc. Reading 20-30 minutes per night is important for continued reading growth.
Gifted and Talented Education
Kindergarten students have been working on poems and sight words during literacy and playing math games during guided math. First graders have been discussing characters in literacy and working on subtraction in math. Second graders have been reading “The Whipping Boy” in literacy and working on multi-digit addition in math.
5th Graders are reading "Among the Hidden" and are learning many things including "mood and tone" and "point of view" from our novel. 4th Graders presented their state reports. 3rd Graders shared their character traits with evidence from the book "Clementine."
Related Services
Speech students are working hard on parts of speech and finding them within sentences. This is a skill for all grade levels and all kids need repeated practice. Kindergarten students need to keep working on letters/sounds and developing those skills for reading. Please keep reading with your students to give them the model of your reading and building vocabulary.
Interventionists
Math Challenge: Name one thing in our world/lives that has nothing to do with math. If you think you have an answer please notify Mrs. Szul.
Wegner School
1180 Marcella Lane
West Chicago, IL 60185
630-293-6400