2D Newsletter
Week ending March 17th
I hope this newsletter finds you well and you are enjoying the beginning of the weekend with your family.
We have had a fun week which included readers theater performances, an opinion writing celebration, a visit from Sherry Parrish a math consultant who worked with 2D for two sessions, St. Patricks Day fun and a puppet show that some students in 2D wrote a script and performed!
2D continues to make me love coming to work and feel so proud to be their teacher. I am so pleased with how well they are all doing and how engaged and positive they are about school life. I can't believe we are into the final trimeter of the year! It really has flown by and we have had so much fun.
We now have 20 students in our class again, as a new student Marisol, joined our class on Sunday. The children have continued to display the ASD values by making sure she settles in well. Please join me in welcoming Mari and her family to ASD.
I hope you received the electronic report card yesterday. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Have a lovely weekend.
Kindly,
Penny
Curriculum Updates
- Math -This week students have been using math drawings to help with using the algorithm to solve addition and subtraction equations. They also have been using more than one strategy to check their work for accuracy. They are continuing to apply their understanding of place value and strategies when working on word problems at the beginning of each class and then sharing amongst their peers. Sharing with partners and in small groups allows them to use mathematical language and explain the steps and strategies they used to solve a variety of problems. They are trying to choose which strategy is most efficient when solving these problems, as well as being able to justify their thinking with specific mathematical language.
- Reading- Students continued noticing the lesson taught in folktales and fairy tales. This week students were asked to think about how the lesson might apply to their own lives. The children practiced 2 different readers theater plays and we set up an outdoor theater for them to perform on Thursday. It was wonderful to see them really stepping into their characters shoes with voice expression, action and costumes and props brought in from home! They all did an amazing job. 2D is made of many actors and actresses!
- Writing - This week was the last week of our Opinion Essay unit. Students were very excited to share their writing with their peers and even practiced some speaking and listening skills reading and recording their writing in various ways. We celebrated the end of our unit by having a writing celebration with 2E. Look for these writing pieces to go home next week before Spring Break.
- Social Studies - This week in social studies we began our new unit of study on maps and landforms. Students shared their previous knowledge about landforms and begin reading and making maps. Next week for homework students will have the option to create some maps at home. We will focus on creating map keys to go with our maps. We can’t wait to see what they bring back and share.
Pictures from our Qatar Then and Now project. These are on display above cubbies and will come home this week.
Taking notes while reading readers theater scripts.
The performances!
Our Celebration of Opinion Writing
Sherry Parrish having a number talk with 2D.
Performing the puppet show.
Well done girls and boys!!
A notice from the office about Dragonbands
Dear Parents,
Over the past few months, we have been keeping track of the amount of Dragon Wristbands that are coming back to us, broken. We have also been looking closely at the normal wear and tear of the wristbands and the actual damage that is occurring.
Closer inspection of the broken wristbands and observation in the classroom has revealed that a high amount of wristbands are being intentionally damaged. This happens when a student has been playing with it, chewing/biting it, picking at the back of the wristband where the magnetic disk is and removing it, cutting it with the clasp part of a lanier, cutting it with scissors, picking the top part of the wristband so that the magnetic disk pops out, stretching it until it snaps, continually snapping it or pulling it, playing with it with friends – a ‘tug of war’ type of scenario, etc.
With the sheer amount coming back to us damaged in this way, we have come to the decision to start charging QR 50.00 to the student’s Dragon Wristband account for a replacement. Of course, we will pre-inspect all bands prior to issuance to verify no faulty or material design flaw is present that has contributed to the wristband being torn or broken. And of course, if a wristband has simply stopped working, the wristband will be replaced at no charge.
The Dragon Wristband needs to be regarded and treated as school property – the same as a library book or school-issued computer/camera, etc. Students have been issued a first wristband at no charge and are expected to treat it with the same care a library book or piece of classroom property. We would like to ask you, as parents, to have a conversation with your child about the importance of taking care of their Dragon Wristband.
Thank you for your kind cooperation and understanding with this matter.
Upcoming Events
March 25-April 4 Spring Break
April Poetry Month
April 5 Full Day of School - Sunday Schedule
April 8 ASD Fun Day
April 11 AMA Bake Sale
April 14 LE Movie Night Fundraiser
Additional Information
Classroom Donation Request
If you have newspaper you would like to get rid of please send it in with your child during our Landforms social studies unit. We will be making papier mache landforms as part of our culminating project and would like to begin the collection now.