Weekly Update

Dear families,
Thank you so much for sending your emails to your child. If you did not, there is still time! We are not going to the computer lab until tomorrow morning. We hope to read and reply to your letters and tell you about our day and learning. Thank you. I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for continuing the discussions at home about the importance of internet safety and making good choices. It is evident that these young learners understand how important it is to have an on-going conversation about emails, web-sites and online games. Thank you for your support! As part of our classroom discussions, we have just completed a poster illustrating how our young learners here at ABS can use technology and be safe, kind and responsible. I delivered it to the computer lab this afternoon, where it will be on display. We encourage other classrooms to contribute as well, as they also engage in these conversations. I do not have a picture yet, as this will be a surprise tomorrow when we arrive for our weekly tech time! Please come back to see it online, or visit our computer lab. Thank you!
The students have studied "Tacky, the Penguin", created by the author Helen Lester for a few weeks. We are almost done with our character study/author study (although we will continue reading many of Helen Lester's other fascinating characters in the weeks to come). I have linked Helen Lester's web-sites on the wiki for the students to explore at home. Click here to access directly. Thank you.
The students also started reading non-fiction books this week in their reading groups. We are learning about non-fiction story elements, such as table of contents, glossaries, labels and diagrams. It is great to compare and contrast Tacky to books about real penguins. Ask your child to explain some of the things we have learned.
Our unit on the ocean will start soon. On January 23rd, Team Harmony will visit the Flynn Theater to see a show about the oceans. Thank you for filling in the medical/permission forms so quickly. If you did not, please let me know if you need another copy and I will gladly send one home. Thank you.


Have a great weekend,
Maria