Ms. Nicky’s and Ms. Sydney’s News

Happy February! We are working on our STEM Unit of Study on Weather, and students are loving all of the season-themed dramatic play choices. We are learning about the characteristics of each season, which they seem to already know quite a bit about, but the concept of seasons, in general, is kind of confusing for them. We have finished our second round of GOLD assessments and I will be sharing the results with you at parent-teacher conferences.

STEM Profile of the Month: Cooperative

“I work with others and am willing to lead or follow as needed.”

Books to encourage cooperation: Stone Soup​ by Marcia Brown Swimmy​ by Leo Leoni

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Please don’t forget Parent-Teacher Conferences February 5-7. You should have received a confirmation note indicating the day and time that yours is scheduled. If you didn’t, please let me know. I look forward to speaking with you about your child’s progress!

Valentine’s Day Celebration

We will be having a Valentine’s Day Celebration in our class on Wednesday, February 14. The morning celebration will run from 10:30-11:10, and the afternoon celebration will be from 2:25-3:05. If you would like your child to give out Valentines in class, please leave the “To” portion of the Valentines blank and just have your child sign their name on their Valentines. ​We request that each child bring a box or bag that they have designed in order to collect their Valentine cards. ​ I will be sending out a Sign-Up Genius if you would like to contribute to our Valentine’s Day snack.

Working With Your Child At Home

While doing assessments, I noticed 2 areas, in particular, that most students had difficulty. One area that students struggled with was being able to identify important elements from text, including characters, story-related problems,

events, and resolutions. As you read with your child at home, take a few minutes to pause and ask your child questions about the book to ensure that they are comprehending what they are hearing. Another area where students struggled was understanding ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.) You can work on this while reading with your child, and asking them questions about events in the book. For example, if you were reading ​The Very Hungry Caterpillar​, you could ask, “What did the caterpillar eat first?” “What did the caterpillar eat third?” You can also line objects up and asking what position the different objects are in. We will be working on these concepts more at school, as well.

Library

We seem to be having quite a few students forgetting to return their library books. We visit the library on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month. I try to send out an email the day before, as well as put it on the events calendar that I send home each month, but if you are having trouble remembering (with all of the other things that you have to think about :)), feel free to send it early.

Thank you!

Thank you for working with your child to help them learn how to put on their coats and zip them up! It’s working! Almost all students are able to do it now, which really helps us get out the door more quickly when going out to recess or heading home.

Important Dates

February 5-7: Parent-Teacher Conferences
February 8: PBIS Award-Superhero Day (no masks or weapons)
February 14: Valentine’s Day party
February 19: NO SCHOOL-President’s Day
February 21-22: Whole-Class Picture Day (more information to come)
February 26-March 2: Dr. Seuss Reading Celebration-Read Across America Week