Weekly Update

Dear Families,
Another week is almost over. We have been very busy in our classroom, getting ready for our Reading Restaurant next week. Our restaurant's name is "Leafy Lounge" and we are very proud to show you all of our restaurant decorations and writing pieces. Our classroom looks just like the tropical rainforest-thank you all for so generously bringing in stuffed animals to borrow. These animals certainly add to our theme. If you have not returned the slip indicating how many people will visit our classroom for this reading restaurant, please do so as soon as possible. Also, please remember that there are two separate sessions. If the assigned session does not work for you and your family, please let me know. Thank you.

I hope you had a chance to read our newest online book publication with your child. It has already been shared but if you missed the link, simply scroll down on this blog to the the previous post.
The book is entitled "Our Community." Each student wrote a letter to his/her penpal in Great Neck, NY, a suburban town approximately 30 minutes outside NYC. Throughout this unit, we have learned about the characteristics of rural neighborhoods and how they are the same and different from suburban and urban neighborhoods. We will skype with our friends next week.

Reading assessments are almost complete. I am so proud of the incredible progress our students show. Their enthusiasm for reading, and learning in general, is outstanding! Thanks for all you do to support them at home!

Our field-trip to Shelburne Farms is this Friday. The buses will leave ABS in the morning and we will not return until the end of the day. It looks as if we will have some rain on Friday, so please dress accordingly. A light raincoat, jeans and sneakers, or boots, would help. If it rains too much, our classes will continue inside Shelburne Farms. We are very excited about this trip. We are going to learn about pond life; the plants and animals that live there. Thank you parent volunteers who will be joining us.

I hope you have a great rest of the week!
Regards,
Maria McCormack