May 9, 2008
Dear Parents,
We have completed our study of the human body and your child has
brought home his/her paper body with all the parts that we attached.
They have also brought home their science jotters (journals) that tell
about each body part. The children learned so much information about
their bodies and how various organs work.
In math this week we took an assessment on Unit 8. The students did
well on most of it. We are continuing to pracitice counting by 25’s to
100, 2’s to 40, and practicing math facts to 12 so that they are
automatic. In unit 9 the students are focusing on place-value patterns
for counting by 1’s and 10’s on a number grid. This begins the
development of mentally adding and subtracting with multiples of 10 in
preparation for the addition and subtraction facts of 2 digit-numbers.
They will also continue their work with fractions and will start to
compare fractions. They made fraction creatures in math today.
We will be starting our Bird Unit next week. If you would like to send
in any bird items or if you would like to share your knowledge of birds
(perhaps you’re an experienced bird watcher) we would like you to come
in and help with our bird walks.
In writing, we have been working on using a variety of sentences in our
stories. We are working away from saying “I like, Here is, I went”,
and using different ways to start sentences (Once there was.., or When
I was... ). We have also been doing a unit on poetry in writing this
month. The students have been learning how to write acrostic poems,
shape poems, two word poems, and haiku poems.
In reading I have been adminstering the DRA (Developmental Reading
Assessment) and it will continue into next week. It takes about 45
minutes per a student. They will continue to bring home books to read
at night, but they are from their free choice browsing boxes. This is
a great way for me to see how well they do at choosing “just right
books” and reading them with a buddy before they bring them home. I am
very proud of their reading growth so far this trismester.
Attached to this newsletter is a permission slip to go on a field trip
to the Children’s Discovery Museum. It’s a K-2 field trip that is
funded by our great PTF to help with our schoolwide theme on Africa
this year. We will be having a presentation on Africa and exploring the
rest of the museum as well. We will be going on Thursday, May 15.
Please return the slip by Tuesday.
Enjoy your Mother’s Day weekend!
Sincerely,
Judy Cole
P. S. Mrs Means needs some volunteers for the Three Piggy Opera:
On June 3, 2008 the K-2 students will be performing a mini- musical,
The Three Piggy Opera. Mrs. Means and the k-2 Teachers are going to
need a lot of parent volunteers to help put this together. Anyone that
can design and/or execute the following needs, please see Mrs. Means
ASAP.
1. Head gear for all of K-2 in the shape of pig ears and noses. It
could be as simple as pink paper plates cut out or headbands with ears
all the same for K-2. (Main characters will be responsible for
gathering/making their own costumes.) 1. Students will need to wear
either all white, pink, tan or brown shirts with jeans to the concert.
2. Three refrigerator boxes. Each painted like one of the pigs’
houses of straw, sticks and brick with a window for the pigs to look
out.
3. A forest wall (can be the size of a refrigerator box).
4. Small props; A pot & spoon, bundle of sticks, straw, bricks.
