News from Our Classroom

     NWEA testing is behind us until January, and the results have helped me set learning goals for each student.  The results of the NWEA testing, as well as the DRA reading test will be shared with you at our fall Parent-Teacher conference.

     In Reading, we are currently working on the short vowel sound of a and its many families—-ab, -ack, -ad, -ag, -am, -an, -ap, -at.  By learning these “families”, and learning to substitute beginning sounds, your child is rapidly expanding the number of words he or she can read.  Even if your child is already a pretty good reader, these same skills must be used to decode multi-syllabic words.  The kids are in the process of making “interactive notebook” in Reading and Math that showcase some of the skills they are learning in school.  These will also be available to view, though they will not go home until the end of the year.

     Right now in Math, we are actually covering three topics.  As you know, we are really trying to learn those days of the week, and months of the year.  (Did you like the interactive stuff that came home for practice?  I hope it helps to send things home that you can do with your child to practice those skills he or she is learning in school.)  We have been learning about the U.S. coins (penny, nickel, and dime, so far).  And we have been finishing up with patterning.  Your child will take his or her district Math test on patterning during the week of October 4th.  We’re great at knowing what comes next in a pattern, but need to continue to work on the labeling (ABABAB, AABAABAAB, ABBABBABB, ABCABCABC).  The interactive notebook pages they are making for you to show patterns are really cute!

     In Science, we have defined what makes something “living” or “nonliving”, and have associated characteristics with living things.  This week, we have started to focus on the needs of living things, specifically animals right now.  Ask your child if he or she can sing our “What Do Animals Need?”song for you in his or her best “HillBilly” voice.  We have not been able to find any monarch caterpillars :(  so that has put a little damper on our introduction to life cycles having a metamorphosis-aspect to them.  We go right from talking about animal needs next week into the life cycles of various animals at the beginning of October.
     Our first field trip of the school year will take place on October 8, 2014.  We will have a tour around  Harvest Hill Farms (a.k.a. "Pumpkin Land"), play on selected attractions there, and have a picnic lunch on their premises.  The cost of the visit is $5.00 per child (and $5.00 per chaperone).  We invite you to chaperone this event with us, but remind you that all chaperones must be approved by the office before the day of the field trip.  In order for you to share this experience with your child, we ask that siblings not attend.

     I have been asked to share with you that while the lunch menu for October has not been finalized yet,  the menu planned for next week is as follows:

   Monday 9/29: Big Daddy Pizza or Sunbutter

   Tuesday 9/30: Beef Tacos or Sunbutter

   Wednesday 10/1:  Corn Dog and Baked Bean or Sunbutter

   Thursday 10/2: Popcorn Chicken with Rice or Sunbutter

   Fridays 10/3:  Cheeseburger with Potato Puffs or Sunbutter

When October’s full menu is made available to the school, a copy will be sent home with your child.

     There are a few days in October of which you should be aware:
October 8: First Grade Field Trip to Harvest Hill Farms (Pumpkinland)

October 10: No School--Teacher Workshop Day

October 11: No School--Columbus Day.

October 17: Grandparents' Day  8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

October 29: K-2 Concert 6p.m.
October 30: 3rd- 5th Concert 6p.m.

October 31: Small Halloween Party in classroom  12- 12:40.  Change into Halloween costumes for Halloween Parade down Main Street in Bethel 1:15 - 2:00.  Change out of Halloween clothes and prepare for home 2:00 - 2:20.

       That's all for this week.  I'll talk to you again next week.