Newsletter for Week 17 (Recap and NEW Info)!

Even though it was our first week back after 16 days off, it feels like we didn’t skip a beat!  We had a great first week in 2018!  Reminder: There is NO school Monday, January 15th.  Look at the Upcoming Dates/Events below for more reminders!

What we did during our week:

Language Arts: We worked on -et words and onset and rime. We have officially learned all the letters of the alphabet!  Make sure to focus on these letters/sounds at home to observe if your child has mastered each letter/ sound that was taught in class.

Spelling Tests BOOKLETS:  We will take our spelling tests on Friday – every test, for the whole year, is taken in 1 booklet.  I will grade the tests over the weekend and send the booklet home with your child the following Monday. Please look through the test on Monday, sign on the parent signature line and send the booklet back in their green folder on Tuesday. Please make sure that the booklet comes back every Tuesday so I can collect them to distribute again on Friday for the following test.   Remember: your child will have to spell and write each word in the booklet. When you practice the words, please make sure your child is forming each letters correctly.  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

Writing:  In writing, we finished our star student book!  We also learned how to compose -et words in sentences as well!

Math: We started our unit on addition and will soon move to subtraction!   We have a little bit of everything during our math workshop: measurement, addition, counting, writing and one to one correspondence!  Here are some pictures of us working with addition!             

Math Quizzes: We have a math quiz on Friday January 19th on math facts +3!  Please make the flashcards at home for your child to help them prepare for their math quiz. For extra practice at home (instead of the flash cards), you could also use counters (or food) for a visual representation of the math equation for your child. You can also practice with your child by having them put the big number in their head and the small number on their hands and then count up. Try to make it fun! Thank you for supporting your child with their addition skills!

Science: We are focusing on Polar Climate this month!  We are having a lot of fun with this topic!  We completed a R.A.N strategy and also learned about Penguins that live in the Polar Habitat!  Here are some pictures of our R.A.N.  As you can see, our writing has improved tremendously!!  I am so proud of these students!

              

 

Social Studies: We learning history~Who am I?  TIMELINE PROJECT due January 23rd!

Reading Buddies:  This week we read about Martin Luther King Jr. with Ms. Cronin’s 4th grade class!  Ms. Cronin even bought us a special snack…pretzel rods!  Your child is coming home with the work they did in 4th grade today.  Here are some pictures of our time together.  We love our reading buddies!  Enjoy:)

New Student:  You may have heard your child talk about our new student!  His name is Jad and we are so happy he is here with us at Haigh.  Here is a picture of Jad and his new friends working together during exploration time!  They built a pretty cool tower together!

Other:

 

• In Social Studies we are learning about “Who am I?”  A wonderful way to allow students to visually experience their own past is to create a TIMELINE PROJECT! This project will be completed at home with your child.  Please be creative and include pictures, drawings and short explanations of different times in your child’s past.  This project should be done chronologically starting with birth and showing something from each year of their lives.  Some examples of events that will show their growth and development are as follows: holiday pictures, birthday pictures, sports pictures, first day of school, first time riding a bike, etc. It is best if this project is displayed horizontally (from left to right).  Please have fun with this project and talking with your child about memories from the years past.  This Social Studies project is due on January 23rd!  I can’t wait to see the timelines of each student and to discuss them in class:)  Please look at the latest blog post for timeline ideas:)

 

• Spelling words to study for next week:is, go, we, big, dig, pig, wig, zig, jig,  Please practice the extra -ig words, as there will be an extra bonus word for number 10 on the test!  Extra words: fig, rig,twig.  Our 4th test will be Friday, January 19th.

• Out of 22 students today, who took the spelling test, 19 received a 100% and 3 students only missed 1 to 2  words!!  This is a TOTAL victory!  Way to go to my students and parents who worked so hard to ensure their child was successful for the Friday spelling test!  I will send the booklet home on Tuesday for you all to see how your child did:).  Remember, to look over your child’s spelling test booklet, sign on the line and return the booklet in the green folder the very next day (TUESDAY)!  It is imperative I receive them all back the next day!  Thank you!  
• Out of 22 students today, we had 12 students receive a 100% on their math quiz +2!   If your child is not performing at 70% or above, I suggest making flash cards for your child to practice at home with!  Way to go to my 12 students.  I am so proud of you!!

• If you send your child to school with snow boots, please send in an extra pair of shoes your child can independently change into themselves.  
• On Gym Days (Thursday and Friday), please make sure to send your child to school in Gym Shoes!  Mr. Peecher will have the kids sit on the stage if they are not wearing appropriate gym attire.  Your child’s safety is our main priority.  Thank you!
• In writing, we have learned how to write informational pieces, use finger spaces in our sentences, write from left to right and using punctuation at the end of our sentences!  Please practice this at home when writing sentences with sight words!

Housekeeping items:

• • The cover letter of the homework packet has changed!  You will notice a different format when assisting your child in their homework. For spelling words students are asked to only write 5 words in alphabetical order.  Next,  they will use each word in a sentence.  Third, they will draw a picture( in the box) to match the sentence and finally write a word that rhymes with each word. The homework will consist of doing a worksheet each day along with reading a book and logging it onto the reading log. Please complete homework in its entirety.  If you have questions, refer to the cover sheet for directions and or additional concepts to work on at home.  If you have any questions, you can ask me at anytime.  Thank you for your cooperation!

 

• Parents, I need your help! When you send in money for your child, whether it be for lunch, lunchroom snacks, field trip, please enclose the money in an ENVELOPE with your child’s FIRST and LAST name on the front, what the money is for and my name written as well Mrs. Fillmore.  This will cause for less confusion for the lunch room and for the classroom.  Thank you!

 

• The weather outside is getting colder!  Please make sure to send your child to school with the appropriate clothing to play outside in (winter coats, hats, gloves and or scarves).  If the temperature is above 20 degrees, we go outside to play!  It would also be a good idea to put your child’s initials on all of their outdoor clothing: jackets, hats, gloves, etc, incase of a missing clothing!  

• Please make sure to log onto math seeds and reading eggs when there is downtime at home, especially on the weekends!  I have laminated and attached logins/passwords for EACH child on their communication log this week!  Please keep this in a safe place, so it doesn’t get lost.  These programs are free for you to use, how awesome is that?  All you need to do is to show your child how to log in and they can begin learning!  Parents, in the classroom, I am trying to teach each child to login typing their own username and password…independency is the name of the game!   If you could be so kind, to help your child do the same at home, it would help so much!  Thank you!
• Thank you to the families who donated to our classroom fund celebration!  This money will be used to purchase items needed for our holiday celebrations and our end of the year party!  If you weren’t able to send in the donation and would still like to, there is still time!  Thank you:)
• New library books came home today!  Enjoy the new book with your child:)

Upcoming Dates/Events:

January 15th- NO SCHOOL~ MLK JR. Day!

January 17th- Late start @ 9:35a.m

January 17th– Spelling booklet returned!

January 19th- Pizza Kit order forms due!

January 19th-Spelling test (ig words), Math test (+3) and NWEA READING MAP test!

January 19th– Library book check out!

January 22nd-26~ Spirit Week (Pajama Day, Career Day, Sport/Collegiate Day, Crazy   

                            Hair Day, Haigh Spirit Day)!

January 26th- ½ day.  Students dismissed at 11:40 a.m.

January 29th- PBIS Celebration~Winter Carnival!