Mrs. Baker's Newsletter
March 1st, 2018
What is going on?
Reading: We continue to use context clues to help us determine the relevant meaning of unknown words. Specifically, we will learn how similar (synonyms) and opposite (antonyms) words can be helpful in finding that unknown meaning.
Writing: Students will choose a topic that they consider themselves an expert in , then write a procedural paper based on that topic. They will sequence instructions, use transition words, clear details, and diagrams.
Spelling and Grammar:
Spelling words this week: both, clean, eat, give, looked, please, sure, why
This week we will learn about adverbs and how they are used to support a verb. We will study adverbs for 2 weeks.
Science: We will observe recognizable patterns in the nighttime sky, such as: the moon and stars. Students will bring home a moon observation page for homework. Each evening, if students are able, they will draw what the moon looks like in the night sky. Students will learn that the appearance of the moon changes (but the moon itself does not).
Math: We are taking the week before Spring Break to review previously learned concepts. Graphing, place value, time and measurement, addition and subtraction will be touched on.
We will need 4 cartons of oreo cookies for a phases of the moon activity. ( Chloe donated all) Thank you!
Friday is Electronics Fun Friday-
Fraction Test and the Field Trip is 6.00 dollars. The bottom portion has a misprint from last year.
Thanks so much!
If you were at the APEX run, please send me your pictures- my phone went for a swim today.
It was an absolute blast! What a great fundraiser!
This and that
Dear Families,
After Spring Break we will begin a money review unit. We have found that plastic/school money is not quite as good as the real thing when practicing money counting skills. We would like to use real coins (pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters) for math this year. Please gather approximately 20 pennies, 10 dimes, 20 nickels and 4 quarters to send to school. We will use these coins for the rest of the year for money practice and will send them home at the end of the school year. Please send the coins to school by Friday, March 9th. Please send money in a small tupperware container labeled with your child’s name.
Thank You,
The Second Grade Team
"Patsy Sommer staff and students, come shop at the Third Grade Economics Fair on March 6th! We have some incredible upcycled items for sale. All proceeds will be going to the Round Rock Serving Center. Make sure to bring your money, preferably quarters, and a shopping bag to put your bought items in! Can’t wait to see you there!"
Thank you so much for supporting our Third Graders!
A note from the Principal:
Apex Information:
Our parents are incredibly generous and every donation to the PTA's fall "Stuff the Boots" campaign directly benefits the students on our campus. Although this is the one fundraiser sponsored by PTA, we have also held a fundraiser with the money going to our campus activity account each year. This fundraiser is not sponsored by the PTA and supplements our district budget allowing us more flexibility in purchasing materials, resources, technology and services for use in our classrooms. In the past, we have used the funding to supplement the PTA's purchase of technology purchases such as slates, ActivVotes and MiMio Teach systems as well as science lab consumables.
When I came to Patsy Sommer six years ago, the campus had been using the Sav-a-Lot fundraiser which we continued until this year. This program also began with an assembly and offered incentives to students for each magazine subscription/coupon book that was sold. The little frogs, ducks and emoji squishies were quite the collection! Having done this fundraiser many times, I wanted to try something different this year. I chose the Apex Fun Run because it goes beyond the typical fundraiser by providing a fun fitness component as well as a focus on leadership characteristics.
One thing I particularly liked about this program is that although individual prizes are awarded within the classroom, all students also earn class prizes whether they receive donations or not. Every student in the class will participate in the class prizes and fun run. They will also receive wrist bands representing each lesson and a t-shirt to track the laps they run next Thursday. In this way, all students receive equal benefits from the program and are not singled out for not receiving donations in any way.
For your information, 52-60% of the profit goes to our campus (10% of each class' portion will directly benefit their class), 31-35% goes to the students through the program in the form of prizes, equipment, t-shirts, athletes and leadership program materials, and 9-13% is retained by Apex as their profit and to cover training, insurance and reinvestment.
Calendar
Feb. 21-March 3 Apex Fun Run
Feb. 27 5th-STAAR Ready Science
March 6th Economics Fair
March 9 Field Day
March 12-16 Spring Break
The 2018 KLRU Kids Writing Contest is open for submissions until March 31st! If you have a K-5 writer in your family itching to share their work, head over to the KLRU contest website for more information. A few entry packets are also available in the library. http://www.klru.org/education/2018-klru-kids-writers-contest/
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Field Day Announcements
Schedule of Events:
2nd& 3rd Grades –8:00-9:45 am
4th& 5th Grades –10:00-11:45 am
K & 1st Grades –12:30 –2:15 pm
We need Parent Volunteers!
If you can donate any amount of time to help us run a station at Field Day, please visit our sign up genius link listed below. We appreciate you helping us make this day a success!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a44a5af29a1f85-2018
T-Shirts:
If you ordered a Field Day T-Shirt - Thank you!
T Shirts will be delivered to your student during the week before Field Day.
Our secondary RRISD Student Advisory Board this year actually is calling out for care and concern surrounding the mental wellness of their peers. Conversations around suicide and stress were the predominant themes. As a result, they have decided to take on as their community service project, the RRISD Campus Walk for American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). It will be held on Saturday, April 21 at Cedar Ridge High School. Check in and activities will be taking place from 9-10am, the walk will begin at 10am, and we hope to have some options of presentations immediately following.