September 16-20

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS!

We got approved for our field trip the Cumberland Fair!  We will be going on Tuesday, September 24! Permission slips went home with students today.  Please sign and return them by Wednesday!  If you would like to chaperone, make sure you fill out the volunteer paperwork and let me know as soon as possible!

I will not be at school on Wednesday.  I will be out of town for a professional development workshop.  If you have any changes for dismissal for your child, please email them to Connie Holland at cholland@sad15.org or write a written note!  I may not be able to check my email throughout the day.  If you have any questions, please let me know!

Specials Schedule:
Monday:  P.E.
Tuesday:  Music
Wednesday:  Art
Thursday:  Spanish
Friday:  Library

Please do not bring any snacks that contain STRAWBERRIES, PINEAPPLES, PEANUTS, OR PEANUT BUTTER! Thanks for helping us keep our kids safe!

Please do not send juice or soda for snack.  They can make an awfully sticky mess in the classroom!  Students are more than welcome to bring water bottles to school.  They can fill them up in the morning and leave them on their desk all day.  

This week in...

Phonics:   We are studying the short /a/ and short/i/ sound.  Here are the words we are practicing:  has, sat, wag, bad, fix, him, six, will, and if.  

Vocabulary:  Here are our vocabulary words for the week:  tomorrow, different, groan, excited, carefully, and whisper.  We'll discuss these words, figure out what they mean, use them in a sentence, and build connections to them.  Then, we'll search for them in the short story called School is Starting by Josh Singh.

Comprehension:  This week we will focus on analyzing character and setting.  Characters are the people in the story.  When we analyze them, we look at what the character says and does to figure out what they think and feel.  Setting is where and when a story takes place.   When we analyze the setting it helps us to understand how the place and the time affect what the characters do and say in the story.   We'll practice this skill while we read David's New Friends by Pat Mora and again when we work in our small reading groups.

Grammar:  We will be working with questions and statements.  A questions is a sentence that asks something.  Questions need to start with a capital letter and end with a question mark.   A statement is a sentence that tells something.  Statements need to begin with a capital letter and end with a question mark.  

Writing:  We are working on creating our first classroom movie!  Students are working on writing about themselves.  They must give me their name, age, birthday, hobbies, and their goal for this year.  We'll use this information in the movie.  They are also checking to make sure each statement starts with a capital letter and end with a period.  Later this week, we'll also begin to brainstorm ideas four personal narrative.

Social Studies:  Today we unveiled our tokens, "B" bucks, and classroom store approach to behavior!  After unpacking our Code of Cooperation, we now have very clear expectations for our behavior.  See the lists below for more information.  As for tokens, students have three tokens each:  one green, one yellow, and one red.  These are visual "chances" throughout the day.  If a student is showing an unexpected behavior, they will receive a warning first.  If their behavior does not turn around, they will lose their green token.  If behaviors continue, students may lose their yellow or red token respectively.  For each token students keep or lose, there are specific rewards and consequences.  At the end of each day, students will keep track of where there behavior fell on our behavior charts.  This week, students will simply practice filling in the chart.  Next week, the chart will begin going home.    More detailed information about this system will be sent home at the end of the week.  

Be in control of your body and your words: 

We will be good listeners, sitting criss cross applesauce hands in our laps, looking with our eyes, thinking with our brains, and listening with our ears and our hearts.

We will use walking feet in the classroom and the hallway.

We will keep our hands to ourselves.

We will raise our hands before we speak.

We will think before we act.

We will keep our voices at an appropriate sound check level.

We will use kind words and a kind tone of voice.

We will be bucket fillers!

Everyone has to do their part:

We will do our classroom jobs.

We will encourage each other to make good choices.

We will always do the right thing without being asked, even when no one is watching.

We will take care of our own materials.

We will take care of ourselves by eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep.

We will take responsibility for our own actions.

Stay focused and never give up!

We will put first things first!  Work, then play!

We will ask for help when we need it.

We will begin with the end in mind.  We will make goals for ourselves and plans to help us get there!

We will participate.

We will ignore distractions.

We will accept challenges. 

We will use mistakes as learning experiences.  Mistakes are ok!

Treat others the way you want to be treated:
We will listen without interrupting.

We will celebrate our similarities and our differences.

We will apologize when necessary.

We will use our manners. 

We will use kind words.

We will make everyone feel like they are a part of the team.

We will be honest. 

Science:  Today we talked about the different parts of a plant:  roots, stem, leaves, and flowers.  We then discussed what each of these parts do for the plant!  Roots hold the plant in the ground and soak up the nutrients from the soil.  Stems hold the plant off of the ground and transport the nutrients to the rest of the plant.  Leaves soak up the sunlight to make food for the rest of the plant.  The flower makes seeds so that there can be even more plants!  We're looking forward to seeing lots of plants at the Cumberland Fair!

Math:  This week we are learning all kind of math games that will help us practice our math facts.  Today, we introduce +1 or 2 bingo, make 10, and tens go fish!  Not only are we practicing our math facts but we are also practicing what it looks like to be a good partner.  Math time is going to be tons of fun this week!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!