Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

Thank you so much for making our Harmony Family Breakfast a success.  It was great to see those of you who could make it and we understand if you were unable to make it.  It certainly is tricky in the middle of the work week. 

Reading:
Students finished their mid-year reading assessments last week.  Ms. Sam was my substitute teacher and the students were great with her.  They were respectful and kind.  We also finished our read aloud book "The Magic School Bus gets lost in the Solar System", a book that we saw enacted at the Flynn a couple of weeks ago.
Next week, we hope to resume guided reading groups.  Students will also receive reading response journals and learn different strategies that active readers use when reading books.

Writing:
The students continued their opinion pieces last week.  They practiced adding details to their reasons and were encouraged to add interesting details to fill a whole paragraph for each reason.  They did a great job.  This upcoming week, we will wrap up with our concluding paragraphs.  We look forward to sharing these with you at our Reading Restaurant in May.

Science:
Our science unit on shadows and patterns in the sky is in full swing.  The students continued exploring shadows and they also made their own shadow puppets.  I hope their Moon Journals are going well at home.  Last night, I stayed up to see if I could see the Super Blood Wolf Moon, but it was too cloudy so I did not.  Perhaps you did?  We will use our handy online resources tomorrow to watch together in class and discuss the different phases of the moon.

Math:
First grade mathematicians also completed mid-year assessments last week.  They did great.  What a hard-working and dedicated group of mathematicians we have in our class!  The students also explored more data collection through a variety of tasks involving bar graphs.  Additionally, they explored number sense in small groups.

Upcoming Events & Reminders:

• Report cards will go home with students on Friday, January 25th.
• We have 4 Winds on 1/31 between 1:15-2:15.  Please plan on dressing for outdoor explorations.
• Winter Break is 2/25-3/1.  Students return to school on Monday 3/4.
• Parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled for the week of 3/18.  There will be no school for students on 3/22.