It's hard to believe that November is at our door. The time just seems to fly by. In our class this past week, we continued to overflow with learning and activity.
In Language Arts, the kids continued to work on many writing pieces. This week we will be choosing the one to revise, edit, and publish. The kids are looking forward to this. Thank you to Bethany Pritchard for working hard to get our computers up and running, right in time for this step in our writing process.
We have been reading short stories in class, focusing on reading for meaning. The recent connection we discussed and applied to these stories is Text to Self, where the reader finds moments where they connect to the character(s) in a story. We added this connection to Reminders and the students will continue to practice both through in-class read alouds and their independent reading books. Please make sure your child comes to school each day with his/her independent reading book. On Wednesday, I will be making sure each child is in a book that is appropriate to his/her reading level. In addition, we started a new read aloud, A Haunting in Williamsburg. The book is older and, as you can tell from the title, is a mystery. What is great about the book is that it connects to Social Studies where the kids are learning about the landmarks of Virginia. I expect to finish the book within a few days and then we will dive into another read aloud and whole class book selection. I will keep you posted as to the title of our next book.
We started Word Study this past week and the kids really love it. Our first sort is a whole class, concept sort as opposed to small group sorts based on spelling patterns. Our words this week are related to what we are learning in Science and Social Studies. Ask your child to share a few. We created Word Study journals, and the class was introduced to the weekly routine of activities related to their current sort. That routine is pasted to the inside of their journals. They will have some time in class to complete their activity for that day but if they don't finish, they will finish at home.
In Math, we moved into smaller groups, focusing on rounding and multiplying numbers. We also did estimation activities. The class will be getting used to the routine of math warm-ups which will be problems related to what we are learning and others that are from other strands of math. This is an opportunity for reinforcement and revisiting. After warm-ups, we break up into target groups, working on specific concepts.
The brochures the kids are working on in Social Studies are really coming along. The kids are writing paragraphs about the different regions of Virginia, including information from natural resources to specific landmarks. In addition to their writing, they are also illustrating their brochures. We are in the beginning stages of planning a field trip with the Middle School class to Jamestown. It will be great! I will let you know the date as soon as we confirm.
What a great field trip to Riverview Park! The weather was glorious, the walk was refreshing, and the kids had a wonderful time. The only drawback was that we were unable to spend the whole day there. While there, groups rotated through going on a leaf walk, playing on the playground, and going down to and exploring the river. Needless to say, we had a hard time getting the kids out of the river, they were so excited to investigate with their seine nets. It was a fantastic trip. We are now moving into plant life and on Friday the class was able to share all they know, or think they know, about plants. It was fun to hear knowledge flow. And, it was informative. My fact about plants was wrong!!! I can't believe it. It will be a great unit of study.
Reminders and Announcements
- Tomorrow, October 31st is our Harvest Festival from 10 - 11:30 AM. PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD WEAR FALL COLORS. Our booth is Tootsie Pop Coffee Filter Ghosts and should be simple yet fun. Several parents have donated the lollipops, and offered to help with set-up and clean-up as well as hanging out during the festival. Thank you!
- School dismisses immediately following the Harvest Festival at 11:30. Please call Kim if you need to sign your child up for Kids Camp.
- There is NO SCHOOL on Tuesday, November 1st as we have Parent/Teacher Conferences. Please make sure you signed up for a conference and, if you are unable to make it on Tuesday, please let me know so we can make other arrangements. We do not provide child care during conferences. If you need to sign your child up for half or full-day Kids Camp, please call Kim.
- Please remember to send your child to school with water and tennis shoes.
- You now have the option to order pizza for your child on Thursdays. An email with the sign-up forms attached went out recently. Please let Kim know if you need these forms resent.
- Elaine Cafferillo has been selling SCRIPS giftcards before and after school on Fridays. There is a huge selection -- Giant, Sams Club, Starbucks, and Outback just to name a few. Using these cards rather than your credit or check card, checkbook, or cash for your expenditures greatly benefits the school, providing money back for every card sold. It is such an easy way to contribute to CDS, at no additional cost to you. Please check out the selection and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. A little bit of planning can bring a lot of benefit to our school.
It will be another great week for the Sunbears. I hope you have a great week too!
Thanks for all of your support,
Annelise
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