Hello, Friends!
It has been a great few weeks in class! We have started Winter Wellness, we are writing stories, and I got the chance to do lots of great reading with your kiddos!
We are sending home report cards over the weekend. Your kids are all working so hard and I am super proud of the progress they have all made. I also got to do our mid-year check-in on their reading and it was such a treat to get 1:1 reading time with them.
Our story maps are coming along really well and some kids have started to work on starting their stories. We have been working hard on thinking about beginnings, the main problem, events through the story with juicy details and then a satisfying ending. We will continue to work on these ideas as we continue writing. We have been working hard on thinking about beginnings, the main problem, events through the story and then the ending.
Thank you all for your support of the Winter Wellness program! The kids are doing great and having lots of fun. It is always so amazing to see the kids make progress in the areas that they choose. As for me, as a person who goes skating, this is especially true. It is amazing to see kids falling down and getting up over and over again. These are the experiences that kids take for a lifetime.
Monday is the 100th day of school. If you want, send in a brown paper bag (if you have one) full of 100 (reasonable, non-edible) objects. We'll be sending home information about this. If you have extra bags, please consider sending them in for other kids to use who might not have any.
Also on Monday, Ms. Lanpher has arranged for members of the VSO to come in and share some music at 2:30. Please be sure to thank her for helping provide this experience for our kids!
Next Wednesday we will be celebrating Global School Play Day. The kids will be signing up for a classroom to go to (we are offering different options). Please leave personal toys at home. We'll have plenty to do here! Check out the link to the TED Talk regarding the power of play.
https://www.globalschoolplayday.com/
TED Talk
We used a ton of our accumulated Scholastic points to buy a bunch of books. Ask your kiddos about them! I am sending home order sheets for ordering books. Please use our class code to get points for our class! I will not be accepting checks to do the ordering. Any ordering needs to be done online.
Class Code: MNQC2
Last, our class will be presenting at the February All School Meeting. We have not decided what we will be presenting, but it would be great for you to show up and support your kiddos if you can!
I think that's it for now, please let me know if you have other questions, concerns or celebrations!
Goodbye, January! See you next year!
~B
Friday, January 31, 2020
Monday, January 13, 2020
Woodshop, Winter Wellness, Writing and More
Hello Families,
I hope you are all off to a great new year! In class we have been getting back into routines and getting started on some new work.
I am going to be sending home permission slips for your children to participate in our "Woodshop" in the room. Kids will be able to design, model and build creations of their own. We go through an extensive training period where the kids are practicing on cardboard before moving into wood. For the wood part of our project, we'll be needing scrap 2x4s, brace and bit drills, egg beater drills, hand saws, vices and miters. We have some to use in the room but probably not for everyone to use.
Winter Wellness will be starting on January 24th. We'll be letting the kids know what they are signed up for soon. Our class was one of two to get their slips in on time!
In writing, we have started our work on fictional narrative writing. I always stress that to be able to write a story, you need to be able to tell a story. We have talked about how stories can be in written and spoken words, pictures, and video. Two short video stories that I have used are from Coldplay and Of Monsters and Men. The links are below. The main idea is that in fictional stories there are almost always a problem and solution with some bumps in between. I encourage you to talk about it with your kids.
Coldplay Video
Of Monsters and Men Video
We will be getting through the Winter battery of reading assessments over the next couple of weeks. This is when we get to get a more formal look at your child's reading progress. I will try to get that information into the report cards though this will be challenging due to my days I have scheduled to read with the kids not aligning completely with the report card window. In any case just reach out if you have any questions about your child's progress.
The kids have earned their second bonus recess for all of their hard work, kindness and flexibility. They are close to earning a Read-All-Day day. I'll be sure to keep you updated with their progress!
I think that's about it for now. I hope everyone is well and be in touch if you have any questions, concerns or celebrations!
~B
I hope you are all off to a great new year! In class we have been getting back into routines and getting started on some new work.
I am going to be sending home permission slips for your children to participate in our "Woodshop" in the room. Kids will be able to design, model and build creations of their own. We go through an extensive training period where the kids are practicing on cardboard before moving into wood. For the wood part of our project, we'll be needing scrap 2x4s, brace and bit drills, egg beater drills, hand saws, vices and miters. We have some to use in the room but probably not for everyone to use.
Winter Wellness will be starting on January 24th. We'll be letting the kids know what they are signed up for soon. Our class was one of two to get their slips in on time!
In writing, we have started our work on fictional narrative writing. I always stress that to be able to write a story, you need to be able to tell a story. We have talked about how stories can be in written and spoken words, pictures, and video. Two short video stories that I have used are from Coldplay and Of Monsters and Men. The links are below. The main idea is that in fictional stories there are almost always a problem and solution with some bumps in between. I encourage you to talk about it with your kids.
Coldplay Video
Of Monsters and Men Video
We will be getting through the Winter battery of reading assessments over the next couple of weeks. This is when we get to get a more formal look at your child's reading progress. I will try to get that information into the report cards though this will be challenging due to my days I have scheduled to read with the kids not aligning completely with the report card window. In any case just reach out if you have any questions about your child's progress.
The kids have earned their second bonus recess for all of their hard work, kindness and flexibility. They are close to earning a Read-All-Day day. I'll be sure to keep you updated with their progress!
I think that's about it for now. I hope everyone is well and be in touch if you have any questions, concerns or celebrations!
~B
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