Family Newsletter

Dear Families,
I hope you're enjoying our winter break from school so far.  The weather was very Spring-like earlier today.  It was certainly nice to see the sun again!

Friday Folders:
Your child's Friday folders were filled with new and important information.  Below is a summary of some of the things inside it this week:

You should have received a Reading Bingo Game.  This bingo game is optional and there is not a "due date" for it.  Instead, I am hoping that this game will encourage reading at home and conversations about literature and books at home.  To play the game, ask your child to choose a square on the board, and complete that task/activity.  When you and your child have completed the task, cross it out, or place a sticker on the box.  Choose another square.  Play until the entire bingo board is filled. If your child wishes to bring it in when it is completed, I would be happy to look at it, and "check it off", like we do for our traditional reading logs.

Your child also brought home a packet with suggested books from different series that we have explored in class.  I hope this will serve as a resource when you and your child look for new potential books to read.

Your child also brought home a letter detailing our upcoming "Reading Iditarod Race" which starts the first week of March.  Traditionally, the students of Harmony House learn about the Iditarod at school, while simultaneously "racing their own Iditarod trail" while reading books at home.  (This, of course, is not a competitive race between the children.  Rather, it is a fun and engaging way for the children to read books and write about them while moving along the Iditarod Tail, just like the mushers and dogs do in the real race.  As the letter outlined, our reading logs will change for the month of March.  The children are still encouraged to read at least 5 times every week.  The biggest difference will be that there is a writing component every night.  We will send home the Iditarod reading logs when school resumes again.

First grade mathematicians also brought home some math games and activities for vacation.  I hope you will try some of the suggested math games!!  Thanks for supporting our learning of math at home.

Author Study:
Our study of Gail Gibbons continued last week.  The children learned more about her non-fiction features and they worked in small groups to compare her books to that of other non-fiction authors.  Ask your child to explain what some of these surprising differences are!

Science:
Our unit on landforms and earth processes also continued last week.  The children worked in small groups to deepen their understanding of weathering and erosion.  They used soil and sand to see the effects of drizzle, rain and flash floods.

Writing:
Our animal research writing unit is almost done.  The children have worked so hard to get their writing done.  Last week, we started comparing our own weight and height to that of our animal.  We also started our google slide-shows.  We look forward to sharing these with you (but for those of you who access gmail at home, your child's slideshow is already saved in his/her school email)

Enjoy your break!