Family Newsletter

Dear Families,
What a fun-filled week we had at school!  Read all about it below and enjoy our pictures.

100th Day of School:
We celebrated the 100th day of school on Tuesday, February 11th.  It is hard to believe that we are more than half-way done with the academic school year!
First grade mathematicians brought in projects to show 100 in many different ways.  These amazing first graders certainly stepped up and showed 100 in many creative ways, using a variety of materials.  They used rubber bands, coins, legos, erasers and cheerios.  The students shared their projects in small groups and showed how they counted to 100.  Some students created groups of 10, while others counted by ones, using the 100 grid.  The students kept their projects in the classroom because we are going to learn about estimation on Friday and we will use these materials again.

Math and Valentine's Day:
First grade mathematicians continued work on the concepts of equality in mathematical expressions.  Last week, the students used conversation hearts to show equal and true equations.  Look at this amazing work:

Science:
The students learned about weathering and erosion.  We watched a brief video introducing the concepts, followed by small group experiments using dirt and sand.  In our scientists' meeting, the students shared their observations and wonderings.

Writing and the Rainforest:
Our animal reports are coming along nicely.  Last week, the students learned about the rainforest habitat, its layers and how we can use our words to describe this habitat.  We learned to compare the rainforest habitat to another habitat that is completely its opposite, such as the tundra, or the icy glaciers of the Antarctic.

We will continue writing next week.  We also hope to build the habitat, so we are asking families to donate shoe-boxes and paper towel/wrapping paper tubes for the classroom.  Each student will need a shoe-box to build his/her own habitat, so if you love shoe-shopping and have more than one at home, we would gladly take them off your hands!  Thank you!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Best,
Maria