Weekly Update

Dear Families,


We had a great, short week in school.

Our field-trip to Catamount was wonderful, but it was cut short because of the weather. It was very cold and it started snowing, so we decided to return to the school to continue our specials inside. Before we left, however, we had a chance to learn more about the Catamount property. We even got a chance to see the inside entry and the stair-case, where a horse was once led upstairs!! Please ask your child to explain. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered their time to join us on this special day. We could not have done it without you!

Our MP3 players have arrived and they are now in use in our classroom. Please check out our various podcasting sites as we will publish many more stories and poems! It would be very helpful if your child could bring in his/her own ear-buds for these players. If you are able, please bring in a set of small ear-buds placed inside a small ziplock bag with your child’s name on it. That way, the students do not have to share ear-buds, but can use his/her own. If needed, I can provide ear-buds in school. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Your child has started hand-writing practice in school this week. You will see these hand-writing sheets come home periodically. Please talk to your child about the importance of hand-writing as neatness helps us better understand each other’s writing. The students are practicing the proper uses of upper and lower case letters. They have learned not to mix them inside words. Upper case letters are saved for the beginning of sentences and names. They are also practicing finger-spacing between words. Thanks for reinforcing these skills at home.

Reminders:
• Book Bags are due in the classroom every Friday. The books inside these Book Bags belong to our school library so please make sure your child returns them all every week, so other students at our school can enjoy them as well. Every Monday, we will send home new books inside these Book Bags. These books stay home to be read until that Friday. Since we do not have school this Friday, please bring your child’s Book Bag in on Monday. Thank you.
• Please encourage your child to do his/her own hand-writing on the Reading Logs and for math homework. Everyday practice encourages confidence in writing and thinking. Thank you.
• We are running low on pencils in our classroom amd your child might need some more inside his/her desk. Please discuss if this pertains to your child. Thank you.

I hope you will have a wonderful break and enjoy spending time together in the next few days. I will miss the students very much.

Regards,
Maria McCormack