Newsletter: Week of August 29 - September 2

We had a great second week. The students are still really enjoying The Lightning Thief. This week, we learned about the Minoans, Perseus and the Minotaur, The Mycenaeans, the Greek alphabet, city-states, and Greek daily life. Friday was a fun-filled day with costumes, Greek food, and some fun games. Thank you to everyone for sending food and helping out!

News to Know

• Luke Antinnes is this week's snack helper.
• We worked on counting back change for amounts under $5 on Friday. It is a difficult concept for students this age, so we will be reviewing it Monday. Please work on this skill with your child at home.
  

August 29 - September 2

Language Arts
We will continue reading The Lightning Thief and discussing the novel. This week's spelling test will be in the form of three sentences. Students will be required to correctly spell the sentences for the test. We will discuss the components of a paragraph and students will begin writing their own paragraphs using the writing process. We will work on identifying simple and complex subjects/predicates.

Math
We will review counting back change with amounts under $5 and discuss making an organized list to aid in problem solving. We will review for the Topic 1 test on Wednesday, and students will take the test on Thursday. We will begin discussing properties of addition on Friday.

Conceptual
We will discuss Athens and Sparta, school and children in Ancient Greece, theater, and architecture. Students are encouraged to look for Greek influence on architecture in Hattiesburg. On Friday, we will be holding our own BDS Olympics.

Science
We will begin studying Earth's resources. This week, we will focus on rocks, minerals, and fossils.

A Quick Update and a Request for Friday

Hi parents! We've been having a great week so far!

We still need one thing for tomorrow: ambrosia fruit salad. I've had 2 parents sign up for feta cheese and 2 sign up for hummus, so if anyone is willing to switch, that would be great. Thanks! Don't forget that students are allowed to come in costume tomorrow. It's going to be an exciting day!

We had our first spelling pretest today. Students who make 100% or higher do not have to retake the test on Friday. Students can get 100% by either getting all 10 words on the list correct or getting bonus words correct to bump up their score. If you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

You may notice that your child's homework sheet has a note to study for tomorrow's grammar test. We will be having a test, but it will not be for a grade this week. I will be sending home a study guide for the first graded test.

Homework, Greek Day, etc

Hi parents! Our second week has been great so far!

Just a quick note on homework: we are starting our reading night today. Your child should read chapter 10 of The Lightning Thief. Your child may read independently or you (or someone else) may read to your child.

Also, I will often send home a math sheet that goes along with the students' homework. Students are not required to do this sheet; I include it so that they can use the top half to remind themselves of the lesson. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to call me.

If you haven't sent a shoebox, please send one tomorrow.

We still need items for Friday's Greek Day: olives, feta cheese, Famous Amos chocolate chip and pecans cookies, and ambrosia. Please let me know what you can send! Thank you!

A Great First Week!

We had a great first week getting to know one another and learning about Ancient Greece. We delved into The Lightning Thief and the children are loving it so far! This week we discussed early civilizations, cartography, and the gods / goddesses of Ancient Greece.

News to Know

• Emmy Harvey is this week's snack helper.
• Please remember to send a shoebox by Wednesday for a project we're doing in language arts.
• If you haven't turned in lunch money for September, please do so by Monday.
• Friday is our special Day of Ancient Greece. Please let me know if you can send any of the items needed. *We now have 8 students in our class. Check the school newsletter than went home Friday for more information.
• We will begin spelling and Tuesday homework this week. Please check your child's homework sheet each night and remember to sign off as they do their work. Thank you!

August 22 - 26

Language Arts
We will continue reading The Lightning Thief and discussing the novel. We will work on the types of sentences, using proper end punctuation, and compound sentences. We will discuss becoming a writer and following the steps of the writing process. On Friday, we will take a short grammar quiz on sentences / fragments, the types of sentences, end punctuation, and compound sentences.

Math
We will work with ordinal numbers, comparing and ordering numbers, counting money, and making change.

Conceptual
We will discuss the Minoan civilization, the story of Theseus and the labyrinth, Mycenae, fables, the Greek alphabet, the city-states, and the daily life of Ancient Greece. Students will write their own fables and create their own mazes. Friday, we will dress and eat like the Greeks. Students will imagine what it would have been like to living during ancient times and play some fun games.

Science
We will continue to discuss what it means to be a scientist and students will work together to construct their own experiments using the scientific method. More details on this project to follow.

Material Request for Friday

Hi parents!

Please send a toilet paper tube for Friday, if you have one. We are doing a craft project. Thank you!

And We're Off!

We had a great first day of school! We all had a lot of fun getting to know one another and playing some fun games. Everyone is getting along so well...I think it's going to be a wonderful year!

Starting tomorrow, your child will bring home a folder each day. This folder will contain homework, graded work, papers to be signed, school communication and forms, etc. Please check your child's folder each night and return it to school the next day. Also in the folder will be a homework schedule. This sheet will help your child stay organized and keep you posted about what homework he/she has. I ask that you please initial the sheet each night so that I know you are aware of homework. If there is no homework that night, you don't have to worry about initialing.

I try to keep the homework short (less than 30 minutes per night) and do not give homework on Fridays. I just want to make sure that the concepts we work on in class are being reinforced. If ever you feel that your child needs additional practice with any topic, please let me know and I will send home some review work.

A New Year, a New Theme, a New Unit

It's that time again, time for fresh starts, new beginnings, and the smell of new crayons and pencils. It's time for the first day of school. Ever since I was a kindergartener, I have looked forward to this day. And now, 23 years later, I am more excited than ever. I cannot wait to get started!

This year is all about history. Over my years as a student and now a teacher, I have come to see history as less of a series of dates and events and more of a story; the story of humans throughout time, the things we got right and the things we got wrong, and all of the crazy, mad, wonderful things we’ve done in between. I see history as a way to realize who we are and where we come from, to show us how even one person can make great changes. I see it as a way to learn from our ancestors and make wise decisions as we step forward in time. It’s going to be a great year for making connections and I cannot wait to begin.

News to Know

• Will Rester is this week's snack helper.
• Lunch menus / money for August and student forms are due on August 15. If you have any questions, please let me know.
• In order to include more hands-on centers and in-depth activities with the text during language arts, students will now be required to read some of our novel during the week. Our set reading homework night will be Tuesday, and a short quiz and activities will follow on Wednesday. We will begin next Tuesday, August 23, and I will put the required pages on the homework sheet.
• Students will need a shoebox of any size for our first reading activity by August 24.
• Please remember to set up a Gmail account for your child. We will be setting up student blogs the first week of school.
• Don’t forget to sign up for email updates to my blog. This is the easiest way for you to know when I update.

August 15 - 19
Monday will be a meet and greet from 9-12. Students and parents can meet the teachers and drop off supplies. Tuesday is our first day of regular school, and we’ll begin with some fun “getting to know you” activities and learn how to use the Smart Board.

Language Arts
We will begin reading our novel for this unit and making some connections with our history theme. Please send it with your child on Tuesday. We will set up our blogs and talk about the steps of the writing process. In grammar, we will discuss what separates sentences and fragments, and begin discussing the types of sentences.

Math
We will begin with a few brainteasers about numbers. On Wednesday, we will take a placement test to show some of our strengths and weaknesses. We will then begin Topic 1: Numeration and participate in place value centers. Please encourage your child to look for numbers of all sizes this week!

Conceptual
I can’t say much just yet, as it’s still a secret. Just know that it happened a very, very long time ago and we have some exciting things planned for this week!

Science
We will discuss the steps of the scientific method and participate in some fun experiments to get us thinking like scientists.