Update October 28, 2016

In preparation for Halloween;  please don't send your child to school with or in a costume.  We will do an art project Monday afternoon with our 1st grade buddies but I do not have plans for a party or food of any kind.  

Monday morning, October 31st, we will do an activity to recognize Day of the Dead.  Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday for family and friends to come together and remember loved ones who have passed.  If the children want, they can bring a photo of their loved one (human or pet) to school and we will hang it in the classroom.  I'll send it home with them on Friday.  Students are welcome to share a favorite story or two about their loved one if they want.  We will create skeleton masks out of paper plates and decorate them with markers in the typical ornate and vibrant patterns that are associated with the holiday.

We finished up our first narrative writing piece.  They have worked very hard on their story and I'm very proud of them.  They will begin a second piece for publishing next week and will get very little help from me to write it.  

In math, we have been playing games that revolve around manipulating double digit numbers up to 100 requiring regrouping. We've also spent a good bit of time on clocks and rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and 100.  We will finish up Unit 2 next week and begin shapes, perimeter, and area in Unit 3.

I am loving Unit 2 in literacy.  It's a focus on how to read and utilize non-fiction texts.  Currently we are spending a lot of time on text features, recalling prior knowledge, questioning the reading.  The focus has been understanding how an expository text is organized and why that's important to us as readers.  

I'm still waiting on my Rocks and Minerals tub to come from the district.  I ordered it 2 or 3 weeks ago and was supposed to get it right away.  I emailed them this morning to see what is the hold up.  We'll start that as soon as the kit arrives.  I've spoken with Mrs. Allen about the curriculum and it sounds like a lot of fun.

Candy has been coming to school and I'm sure you are telling your children it's for after school.  It's coming out before class, before and after recess, basically any time they are allowed to get into their backpacks to access snacks or coats.  Some are brining candy and giving it to friends.  Please consider having them wait until they get home to have candy.   It is very distracting and a very big temptation.

We only have 28 school days until Winter Break!  Time is really flying!  Enjoy your weekend!

UPCOMING DATES:

11/3 Thursday:  Grading Period #1 ends

11/4 Friday:  NO SCHOOL-Teacher Planning day

11/9 &10 Wednesday & Thursday:  Conferences

11/11 Friday:  NO SCHOOL Veteran's Day

11/22 Tuesday:  Spirit Day

11/23-25 Thanksgiving Break--See y'all on Monday 11/28

12/7 Wednesday:  Writer's Tea

12/15 Thursday:  Rocks and Minerals Field Trip--More to come 

12/17 Saturday:  1st day of Winter Break!  See y'all Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017

1/3/2017 Tuesday:  School Resumes after Winter Break

1/16 Monday:  NO SCHOOL Martin Luther King Jr Day

1/18 Wednesday Late Start:  Kids arrive at 1045.

1/26 Thursday:  Grading Period #2 ends

1/27 Friday:  NO SCHOOL  Teacher Planning Day