Newsletter Week 17 (Recap and NEW Info)!

Please read the news letter in it’s entirety.  I have some pictures from our winter holiday party at the end  of it:)  Thank you!

There will not be a homework packet during holiday break.  During the 2 weeks, I hope you all enjoy the time with loved ones.  During down time, please make sure to go over any items your child needs extra help with at home: letter/sound ID, sight words, retelling stories, spelling words and also don’t forget to visit the learning sites that Haigh has purchased (Reading Eggs, Math Seeds and RAZ Kids).

If you feel your child has mastered all of the above, you may visit the links below to better prepare your child for the NWEA test they will have to take in January.  Please note, the Kindergarten year end expectation for NWEA RIT score is 160 in both math and reading.   Please focus on the math and reading boxes (in each link) that have a RIT range from 130-160.  Happy preparing:)

Math NWEA Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByZ94vCge-60dHlHZllhQkwtbUFkanlhZ0F1QW4yOVczbkw0/view?ts=5c18f9ac

Reading NWEA Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByZ94vCge-60dTZ0WEE5ejVSOFZuVWR3YWVDb1ViX0lBSXk4/view?ts=5c18f996

 I hope everyone has a restful 2 weeks off:) We will hit the floor running when we come back in January with NWEA testing and middle of year assessments for our Kindergarten students!  Happy New Years to my students and wonderful families! See you back in 2019!

Mrs. Bolger and myself would like to personally thank all of our families for the wonderful gifts and cards we received this week.   We truly appreciate each and every one of you and we hope you all have a wonderful break<3  We will miss the kiddos! 

What we did during our week:

Language Arts: We have officially learned ALL the letters and sounds of the alphabet!  Now, we will use our sounds to help us with reading and writing new words:)  Spelling test List #4: is, go, we, big, dig, pig, wig, zig, jig. Bonus words to study at home: fig, rig.  Make sure to practice the bonus word (10th word) at home for homework. Our 4th spelling test will be on Friday, January 11th.

Writing:  The month of January we will focus on informative writing by using the words, “can, have, are” in our writing.  Please practice this strategy at home as well:)

Math:  This week we completed our mid module testing on measurement.  After break we will continue with, Module 3 Lessons 16-20.

Science: The month of January we will focus on polar climate.  The students will become experts on polar animals and climate:)

Social Studies:  The month of January we will focus on history/ our timeline.  A timeline project note will be coming home on January 14th. Be on the lookout:)

Other:

• I am excited to report that out of 20 students who took the test, 15 students received a 100%  Woo hoo! I am so proud of each student who worked so hard all week to ensure they were successful on their test!  If your child received a 100%, they will write with a “smart” pen all day Monday and also participate in “NO shoes afternoon” on Monday as well:)  On Monday, once your child comes in from recess, they will be able to take their shoes off and relax for the last part of the day. Please make sure your child knows how to independently take off and put on their shoes.  I appreciate your support in this matter!  Also, make sure to wash your child’s socks as soon as they come home on Monday, they may be a little darker than normal;)  

• Please consider buying something from our Scholastic Book Club at: https://clubs.scholastic.com/  Activation code: RKYTJ.  I will have the January date once we return back from break:)
• Please make sure you are reviewing your child’s classwork each night.  Monitoring your child’s classwork is a great indicator of how your child is doing in the class. If for some reason your child doesn’t finish his/her classwork in class, I will send it home for homework to be completed at home and returned the next day.  Thank you for your support!
• Please make sure you provide your child with a NUT FREE snack.   We are a NUT FREE classroom. Thank you for your cooperation!

Housekeeping items:

• The cold/winter season is upon us, which means cooler temperatures!  With cooler temperatures comes coats, boots, hats, scarves, gloves, etc.  It is important to teach your child how to properly put on a coat, zip up a coat, unzip the coat and take the coat off.  We have a handful of students who constantly need help putting on their coats etc, which means more time is taken away from recess because the teacher is zipping up 24 coats!  Also, please continue to practice tying shoes with your child. It is very hard to tie 2 pair of shoes X 24 students a day! That equals 48 shoes a day I would be tying, which would take up a lot of time during large and small group instruction.  We are encouraging students to become independent learners and with independence takes a lot of dedication and teaching your child at home. Thank you for your cooperation:)
• If your child is bringing a home lunch, it is OK to pack a juice for the lunchroom!  Remember to pack a water bottle each day for the classroom:)
• Please pack your child’s snack SEPARATELY from your child’s home lunch.  This will help your child become less confused about what is for lunch and what is for snack.  Thank you:)
• Great news!  The PTA has a blog for all sorts of fun information going on in the school.  I may not have a lot of opportunities for all families to volunteer in the classroom, but the PTA is ALWAYS looking for extra hands to help in the school.  Please take a look at their blog and sign up for the fun events they may need help with:)  https://parents.dearbornschools.org/haigh/

Upcoming Events:

December 24-January 4th- NO SCHOOL…Holiday Break!

January 7th- School Resumes/ Happy New Year-Welcome back!

January 7th- Middle of Year assessments begin in Kindergarten

January 11th- Spelling test #4, homework due

January 14th- Timeline project note coming home!

January 14th- NWEA testing begins.  Encourage your child to take their time and do their best:)

January 17th- Field trip to the Marquis Theater to see “Tinkerbell Visits Story land”

January 18th– Half Day.  Students dismiss at 11:40 a.m.

January 18th- Little Caesars Pizza Kit order forms are due!

January 21st- NO SCHOOL

January 22nd- Half Day.  Students dismiss at 11:40 a.m.

January 23rd- Start Module 4.  NEW homework books coming home today!

January 24th- TIMELINE projects due!  These projects will count as a grade in Social Studies.

January 25th- Pizza Kit Delivery Day!

January 30th-  PBIS Solo Cup Challenge!

Reading Buddies: Today we met with our buddies and talked, drew pictures and wished everyone a nice 2 weeks off:)  

Classroom Winter Party: We had a blast this week during our classroom winter party!  Thank you to all the volunteers who made this party a SUCCESS!  Here are some pictures from our event:)  Enjoy!

Heads up: Library Check Out: On Monday (December 17th), your child checked in their library book, but did not check one out due to the 2 week winter break.  When the students return in January, they will be able to check out a book again:)