Family Newsletter

Dear Families,
This week certainly went by fast with teacher in-service on Monday and a snow-day later on.  I was at a science class at the Montshire Museum on Friday, learning more about our new common core science standards, so the children had Ms. Sullivan as a substitute teacher.  They did an amazing job.  Ms. Sullivan will teach part of our Iditarod reading/writing unit this upcoming week and she will do her "Solo Week" the last week of March.  During her "Solo Week", I will not be in the classroom as the idea is for her to learn how to manage a class on her own.  I will be at school, of course, and available if she, or the children, need me.

Our Learning:
Reading:  Our Iditarod Reading Race is off to a terrific start. We printed off Iditarod Trail maps at school so when the children hand in their reading logs on Fridays they can check off trail check-points to "race" along the trail, just like the mushers. We will keep these maps in our book boxes at school so the children can check off more places in case they choose to complete additional reading logs at school.  Each child is expected to read every night and complete 4 logs each week, but if your child wishes to read and write additional logs, I have linked them on the wiki for you tp print at home.  Thank you.  Traditionally, Team Harmony has a cumulative learning activity at the end of the Iditarod unit, and this year, we will meet a real musher and his sled dogs.  They will visit our team later this month. We are very excited.

Writing: The students started planning their upcoming animal reasearch. We discussed what we already know, or think, we know about the tropical rainforest and we started putting together our writing folders.  We hope the children will choose an animal this week.  We started researching different animals on the web-site pebblego and through immersion in our rainforest books in the classroom, we hope to start writing soon. Throughout this unit, the students will learn how to read for relevant information, how to take notes and how to take notes without copying somebody else's writing.

Math: First grade mathematicians are currently learning about 2 dimensional shapes and they are also exploring number sense in our Number Corner activities. Later this week, we sill start learning about 3-dimensional shapes.  This unit on geometry is very interactive and hands-on.  The children are so engaged in our learning!  It is great to see.

Upcoming Events and Reminders:

• Please consider supporting the FAP through their fund-raiser Lucy U.  Tickets will be sold 3/14-3/18, with the drawing after school on 3/18.  This is a very popular fund-raiser.  Teachers and other staff provide different activities and the children get to choose which ones they are interested in.  This year, Ms. Sullivan and I decided to provide an activity together.  Other teachers have also signed up.  There is something for everyone!  Thank you.
• Parent teacher conferences will be scheduled for the week of  3/21, with most offered on the 25th as that is the date designated for these conferences.  I will create the sign-up in the next few days and send it out to you all.  Please let me know if the time-slots do not work for you.