ATTENTION!

Due to a scheduling conflict, Lewis University changed the date of our field trip. We are now going next TUESDAY instead of Wednesday. Remember that this is a  morning trip , so we will be eating lunch at the school like usual. The children do not need to bring anything for this field trip. Class t-shirts or red shirts are encouraged. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Classroom Snap Shot

Dear Families,

I hope everyone had a great weekend and got a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather we had his weekend! Here are a few things that kept us busy last week!

• In Shared reading, we enjoyed reading several poems, as we dug into our poetry unit.
• In Writing, we focused on poetry writing! This is one of my favorite writing units because it allows students to express their feelings and to explore a variety of different styles of writing. Last week, we learned how to write an acrostic poem and a bio poem.
• In Handwriting, we learned and practiced the letters "e" and  "l" .
• In Math, we learned to identify and recognize coins. We also discussed tips on how to count coins efficiently. Many students have successfully mastered counting coins and we will begin learning how to add and subtract. Parent tip: If your child has a piggy bank, have your child count out their piggy bank, and role playing as a cashier, adding up the cost of items and then "paying" for the items.
• In Science, we are learning all about Ecosystems/ Habitats. Last week we began discussing the Woodlands. We learned all about the different plants and animals that live in the woodlands.
• In Word Study, we have learned all of our sight words for the year. We will now begin reviewing all the sight words we have learned this year. Students will no longer be given 5 sight words each week, but will be responsible for knowing ALL their sight words. Each Friday, for the student's word wall test we will be picking a random set of 5 words for students to spell. Please make sure your child is practicing daily. A good tip would be to focus on the words students are not secure in and really study and practice those. Click the link above for a list of all 80 words. You can also find a copy of the students sight words in their school binders.

 

• Autism Awareness: Last week, we celebrated Autism Awareness and it was truly a success! Students and I completed many activities throughout the week that really helped students to understand how people who have autism feel and what we can do as friends and good citizens to help friends or family members with autism. We had a lot of great discussions and I know based on our discussions that a lot of students benefited and learned many new things about autism they didn't know before.   

• Supplies: At this time of the year supplies tend to run very low. Please ask your child about supplies they are needing. In most cases, students have run out of pencils, white board markers, glue sticks, crayons and markers. Thank you!
• Events:
• Scholastic Book Fair, April 7th (bring money if interested)
• Scholastic Book Fair Family Night, April 8th 4:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
• Field Trip to Lewis University, The Anti Bullying Production, April 16th

• To the many families who were able to donate to our One for Books fundraiser which helps us raise money for books for our school library, as well as, to a few lucky classrooms. The winners were:
• 1st place- Mrs. Weber
• 2nd place- Mrs. Donahue
• 3rd place- Mrs. Kulaga and Mrs. Waller
• Congratulations to all the winners!

Classroom Snapshot

Dear Families,

I hope everyone had a great weekend and are beginning to adjust to our time change. I also hope everyone will get a chance to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather today. I wish it could stay longer! Here are a few things that kept us busy last week.

• In Shared Reading, we enjoyed several Dr. Suess books last week, in celebration of his birthday week. We read many classic favorites, as well as, a few unfamiliar Dr. Suess books. Students thoroughly enjoyed taking the time out to enjoy some great reading!
• In Writing, we focused on the different parts of speech including, nouns, verbs, and adjectives. We had a blast using our favorite Dr. Suess books to help us identify the different parts of speech.
• In Handwriting, we learned several new letters to practice at home. We learned the letters, x,y,z,m,n, and o.
• In Math, we wrapped up our unit on three digit addition and subtraction with and without regrouping. Many students have successfully mastered this skill and will now be movin on to geometry.
• In Science, we had a successful field trip where students were able to identify many living and non living things at the Shedd Aquarium. Additionally, we have begun discussing the differences between producers and consumers, and how they relate to the food web and chain.
• In Word Study, we have learned all of our third quarter words this quarter already; therefore, we will begin reviewing words from previous quarters until the end of the quarter.

 

 

Field Trip: We are going on another field trip to Lewis University for a anti-bullying production. We will be attending the play April 16th, and will need all permission slips and money by March 21st. Please, turn in both as soon as you can.
Spring Conferences: Conferences will be held the week of March 17th. If you did not receive a conference form or need another please email me using the contact me link to the right.
Third Quarter: Third quarter has been extended due to the many extreme weather days. Our new end of the quarter date is March 14th, which in turn means report cards will now  go home on the 18th of March.
Supplies: At this time of the year supplies tend to run very low. Please ask your child about supplies they are needing. In most cases, students have run out of pencils, white board markers, glue, crayons and markers. Thank you!
Events:
• Young Children's Book Club; March 10, 2014
• Picture Day; March 13th, 2014

• Many Thanks goes out to the parents who made our recent field trip a success! Thank you again!!!
• Thank you to Mrs. Simonic for coming out last week and giving our class the most interesting science lesson this year. They still have not stopped talking about Turbo! We look forward to another visit soon :)  

Reminders

Spring Conferences: Conference notes went home please return them as soon as possible in order to get the time that best fits your schedule. Conferences will be held the week of March 17th. If you did not receive a conference form or need another please email me using the contact me link to the right. If you have scheduled a conference, you should have received your scheduled time, if you are unsure contact me and I will resend.

Third Quarter: Third quarter has been extended due to the many extreme weather days. Our new end of the quarter date is March 14th, which in turn means report cards will now  go home on the 18th of March.

Supplies: At this time of the year supplies tend to run very low. Please ask your child about supplies they are needing. In most cases, students have run out of pencils, white board markers, glue, crayons and markers. Thank you!

Events:

• ISAT Spirit Week March 3rd- March 7th (School Wide)
• Monday- "We're Ready!"- Wear Red
• Tuesday- "Exercise Your Brain"- Wear Workout Clothes
• Wednesday- " Wear your Thinking Caps"- Wear Hats to School.
• Thursday- "Knock the Socks of the ISATs"- Wear Crazy Socks.
• Friday- "You "Blue" the ISATs away"- Wear Blue.
• Healthy Health- Tuesday, March 4th- Thursday, March 6th students will need their gym shoes for P.E. students who do not have their gym shoes will be required to si out of P.E.
• Shedd Aquarium- March 6th
• Comfy Walking Shoes
• Completely Disposable Sack Lunch
• Dress for the Weather
• No Money or Cameras for students

Cursive Handwriting

Below is a sample of the cursive formations we are learning this year in handwriting. Student's goal is to master all lower case letters please practice with your child at home. Thank you!

Classroom Snapshot

Dear Families,

What a crazy winter! I hope last night storms didn't keep too many families up last night. Despite the weather, we had  another week full of fun! Here is a look at some of things we have been up to this week.

• In Shared Reading, we have been reading a variety of non-fiction books about two great historical figures, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. We have continued to focus on Main Idea, Details, Facts, Opinions, and Author's Purpose as we share and learn about the lives of two of our great presidents.
• In Writing, we  continued to be researchers and have begun researching information about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Students received the opportunity to choose one of the two Presidents  to further research, and had time to work on the computers to find three interesting facts to include in their informational paragraph about their selected president. Students have had a blast with the computers!
• In Handwriting, we continued to practice our cursive stroke and have learned three additional lower case letters, d.q.and,g. Please, ensure that your child is practicing all their lower case letter cursive formation as we learn them because students will be tested at the end of the year on their cursive handwriting.
• In  Math, we have begun working on understanding how to add three digit numbers with here digit numbers. Students will learn how to model such problems using manipulatives, pictures, etc. Additionally, we will begin teaching both traditional and non-traditional methods of adding with and without regrouping. Please continue to practice at home basic math addition and subtraction facts.
• In Science, we just began our unit on living and non-living things. We have already learned and discussed what living things require, such as, water, air, food, etc. Students have done an excellent job differentiating the difference between both living and non-living things, and explaining how they know an object is living or non-living. We also, took advantage of our slightly warmer weather Wednesday and went on a nature scavenger hunt where we observed living and non-living things in our environment.
• In Word Study, we have learned all of our third quarter words this quarter already; therefore, we will begin reviewing words from previous quarters until the end of the quarter.

• Field Trip: If you have not already turned in your field trip money please remember to do so this week!
• Spring Conferences: Conference notes went home last week. Please return them as soon as possible in order to get the time that best fits your schedule. Conferences will be held the week of March 17th. If you did not receive a conference form or need another please email me using the contact me link to the right. If you have scheduled a conference, you will receive your scheduled time this Friday, so be on the look out.
• Third Quarter: Third quarter has been extended due to the many extreme weather days. Our new end of the quarter date is March 14th, which in turn means report cards will now  go home on the 18th of March.
• Supplies: At this time of the year supplies tend to run very low. Please ask your child about supplies they are needing. In most cases, students have run out of pencils, white board markers, glue, crayons and markers. Thank you!
• Events:
• Fun Fair - February 22nd
• Shedd Aquarium Field Trip- March 6th

• A huge thank you to our wonderful Valentine's Party volunteers and the families who were able to donate. It was greatly appreciated by all.
• Thank you for the wonderful Valentine's cards, etc. They were greatly appreciated.

Classroom Snapshot

Dear Families,

We are back in action! My sincerest apologies for not staying on top of our classroom blog. We have been up to so much fun and I we have so much yet ahead. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on our fun happenings! Thanks for your patience!! :)

• In Shared Reading, we have been working hard reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction penguins books. With these books we have had a main focus on author's purpose, main idea, nd fact and opinion. Students have had a blast certainly working on Fact and Opinion. We have had had many lively debates about whether Barbie is the best toy or power wheels, and determining that those are opinions.
• In Writing, we have been working very hard on informational writing. Last week, we completed an informational writing piece on firefighters based on our own background knowledge. We put together a one paragraph informational piece about firefighters using a topic sentence, three facts with details, and a concluding sentence. Students did such a  great job with this that we will be creating a classroom book using these pieces that will available for viewing at our upcoming parent teacher conference. This week, we have begun a new informational writing piece about penguins. Students this week have been using a variety of resources to gather information about penguins such as internet articles, books, and magazines. Students have been phenomenal researchers. :)
• In Handwriting, we have been working very hard on developing our cursive. Students have so far learned the lower case letters, i, t, u, w, v, j, p, r, s, c, and a. Students have also begun joining the lower case letters they have learned to form words such as circus, sit, pit, suit, and etc. Please ensure students are also practicing at home to improve their stroke.
• In Math, we are working on understanding numbers up to the 1,000. In the coming days we will be learning how to add and subtract with and without regrouping up to three digits numbers.  
• In Social Studies, we have been working hard learning about many different historical black figures. Some of the individuals we have learned about are Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges. We have had many discussions about how it is ok to be different, the importance of standing for what you believe in, and the importance of the individuals roles in our lives today.

• Field Trip: If you have not already turned in your field trip money please remember to do so this week! I will be turning in the money to the office this Friday.
• Spring Conferences: Conference notes will be going home today. Please return them as soon as possible in order to get the time that best fits your schedule. Conferences will be held the week of March 17th.
• Third Quarter: Third quarter has been extended due to the many extreme weather days. Our new end of the quarter date is March 14th, which in turn means report cards will now  go home on the 18th of March.
• Supplies: At this time of the year supplies tend to run very low. Please ask your child about supplies they are needing. In most cases, students have run out of pencils,white board markers, glue, crayons and markers. Thank you!
• Class Reward: We have earned a class reward! Students will be allowed to wear a hat to school tomorrow during the school day! Yipee!
• Valentine's Day: We will be having our Valentine's Day parties this Friday. Students may bring in pre-made Valentine's Day boxes or bags, otherwise, one will be provided for your student. Also, if possible wear red, pink, or purple. :)
• Six Flags Reading Logs: Six Flag's reading logs are due this Friday, February 14th! That is the final day, late reading logs WILL NOT be accepted after this date.
• P.T.O. Cape Awards: A green sheet for nominating individuals in the school for P.T.O. awards were sent home last week. These nominations are due February 21st.
• Events:
• President's Day No School- February 17th
• Young Readers Club- February 18th
• Fun Fair- February 22nd

• Thank you to the many parents who were willing to volunteer their time for our upcoming fieldtrip. I have randomly selected the parents who will be attending and I will be notifying you today. If you were not selected, no worries, we have two more fieldtrips planned in April and May, which will also require chaperones. Thank you again!!