 |
| Chance counts out his pebbles. |
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
Winter has arrived with a vengeance. While we welcome the recent snowfall’s blanket of snow on our playgrounds the extreme cold weather has sadly limited our access to outdoor recess. It has been a short week but we have settled right back into our routines. We came back from school ready to tackle our new lessons from social studies, science and english language arts.
Math: We picked up where we left off with counting and learning to put objects in groups of ten when learning to identify and recognize a group of objects. We are learning to write our numbers greater than ten by counting the number of groups of ten and then writing the number that is left over. Our focus is on numbers between 10 and 20, but as we develop more confidence we will be writing numbers greater than 20.
Phonics: We learned two new important sounds this week: on Thursday /ng/ and Friday, /oo/. The sound /oo/ can make two different sounds, so we are learning how to try both sounds to see what sound makes sense. This is an important strategy as they begin to learn to read as letters can make different sounds. They need to remember that reading needs to make sense.
 |
| Kwanzaa mat making. |
Social Studies: As a follow up to holiday traditions and celebrations we re-read a book about Kwanzaa,. We wove a harvest mat using the Kwanzaa colors, red, black and green. In an effort to investigate our own family traditions and celebrations we are beginning a new unit of study, My family and Me. Enclosed in this week’s folder is a packet to be completed with your child. Please send in a shoebox next week for your child to decorate. They should put in a few objects to help create your child’s memory box. Their memory box can recall an event or an important person in their life. It is open ended. They should choose something that they feel comfortable sharing with the class. The family tree homework will be preliminary to creating a 3-D tree in class. If you have family pictures that they can use in the project, I will be making copies and will return the original photos in their folder.
Share: Next week’s share is something that begins with the sound /n/. Please help your child choose something that begins with the sound /n/. It can be something they find outside or treasure from nature they already have.
 |
| Building Buddies. |
CALENDAR:
- I will be out this coming Monday attending a supervisory union assessment meeting as a follow up to our ELA assessments this fall.
- In the next two weeks I will begin mid-year assessments for writing and reading as the end of our second quarter comes to a close the end of the month.
HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:
- Group Snack: Thank you to Isaac’s family for contributing this week’s healthy snack! We enjoyed excellent healthy snacks throughout the week with berries, yogurt, and banana bread and crudites of carrots, celery and tomatoes!
- Lucia’s family is signed up to contribute next week’s snack. Attached to the newsletter you will find the 2013 Snack Sign Up sheet. Please make a first and second choice in case your first choice is taken. Please return it next week. Thank you!
- T-Shirts/sweaters and sweatshirts: With the colder weather comes the need for layers. Please send your child to school wearing additional layers. T-shirts under shirts are especially helpful in keeping them warm as the room tends to run cool during the winter months.
- Thank you for all the delicious and thoughtful holiday gifts. I am sorry I was absent the last day of school, but I finally to succumbed to the virus that was going around the classroom before the holiday break. The talented and very capable Mrs. Spaulding and Mrs. Lancaster were able to cover for me with the help of other support personnel during the last day of school. Many thanks to all!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Bodnar
