Family Newsletter

Dear Families,
We love this warmer weather!  The kids are so excited to play outside and it is nice to see the sun again.  Ms. Sam is completing her second solo week and she has done a great job as the "main"teacher.  Her last official day with us at ABS is on May 3rd, the day we're going to Shelburne Farms for the day.  After that, she plans on returning to her home-state NJ and look for a job.  We will miss her but hope to stay connected online or via postcards!  Ms. Amanda's last day

Reading:
The students continue to participate in small groups, receiving guided reading instruction and practicing various skills and strategies.  I hope that they read at home as well.  We are focusing upon book reviews and recommendations in class now, and I will attach a few of these reading response sheets to next's weeks reading log for kids who would like to challenge themselves at home.  This is not a requirement; rather it is a tool for your child to use to link reading and writing in yet another way.

Writing:
Our ocean animal reports are done!  The kids did an amazing job researching their respective topics.  We are currently publishing these books online in BookCreator, which the students will link on SeeSaw.  Please visit SeeSaw to see these books!  We will share the actual reports at Reading Restaurant, on May 16th.

Science:
We started our new science unit on habitats and animal structures/processes.  Earlier this week, the students explored how polar bears survive in the cold Arctic waters with blubber.  We practiced making reasonable estimates, tested different scenarios then collected data.

Reading Buddies:
Ms. Davison's class came down to our classroom again for their weekly visits.  We had so much fun reading together.

Hat Day:
Our school-wide celebration was another huge success!  Here are some pictures to enjoy:

Math:
First grade mathematicians continued their work on 2D and 3D shapes last week.  They are exploring the various attributes of the different shapes. They are getting familiar with concepts like line, vertex, corner, edge and face.  They are also continuing their work on being efficient mathematicians, bridging to 5s and 10s.  On Fridays, we use ipads and MobyMax to practice these understandings.