Ms. Nicky and Ms. Julie’s Class News
I hope you all had a wonderful and restful winter break! I have enjoyed the time off, but am ready to see all of your wonderful children again! Our next STEM Unit of Study will be Family and Friends. We are going to be talking about what a family is, who is in a family, how people’s role in a family change as they get older, what families do together and how they help each other, what makes a good friend, and what friends do together. We would like to do some special projects to go along with this unit but, in order to do so, we will need your help. First, we would like each student to bring in a picture of them when they were a baby and, also, some family pictures, including extended family, if at all possible. These can be emailed to me, as well, if that’s easier. Second, we are hoping that a family member who lives far away can send a letter to your child that he/she can share with the class. We would prefer good old-fashioned snail mail, but if that is not possible, an email would be great, too! We will mark where the relative lives on a map and discuss how family members can stay connected even if they live far apart. When we did this unit 2 years ago, the students LOVED getting a letter and thought it was so special to be able to share it with the class! Please get the pictures and letters turned in by January 24, at the latest. Thanks so much for your help with this!
Home-School Connections
We have started our 2nd round of GOLD assessments and are really excited about the progress we are seeing! One area that continues to be a challenge for most students is comprehending and responding to both fiction and non-fiction books. As you continue to read with your child at home, please make sure to ask questions about the stories (who the characters are, what the problems are, how the characters solve their problems, what happens at the beginning, middle, and end of the story, etc.), as well as have them “read” stories and retell familiar stories to you. It is also important to not only read stories, but also informational texts, as well. While these may not be as entertaining, it is still important for them to be exposed to this type of literature. Thank you for your continued support with this!
School Safety
Before school starts in the morning, please have your child wait in line with whoever is dropping them off. While we know that it is exciting for them to see their friends and they are eager to play with them, it is not safe for them to be running around with the parking lot being so close by. It is also hard for some students to settle down once they come into the classroom.
Important Dates
January 7: Return from Winter Break
January 17: PTO-Sponsored PJ Day-Bring $1 and wear your pajamas to school!
January 18: Parent Volunteer Training (9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.)
January 21: MLK Day–NO SCHOOL
Donation Requests: We are in need of rolls of paper towels and Expo Black Fine Point dry erase markers for our writing lessons. We need Fine Point because it’s easier for helping teach proper writing grasp, and Black because then nobody is upset because their friend got the color they wanted 🙂 Thank you for your help!