I hope that you were able to get out this weekend and enjoy this weather :) .
We are all settling into the routine of school very well! We are working hard, having fun, and learning lots!
Here are some updates on where we are in our curriculum:
Reading - we are working on building good habits for reading. This includes taking a sneak peak at the book, doing something at the end of the book, getting stronger by reading more and more, scooping up words instead of reading word for word, and rereading to see more in books. This week we will be working on building habits for tackling even the hardest words.
Writing - we are working on writing small moment stories - things that happened to the kids. We are working on planning our stories and focusing in on the small moments. We are also working on using partnerships to help us with our writing. This week we will begin to work on adding more detail and volume to our stories.
Phonics - we have been studying the names of the kids in our class as we learn phonics. We are looking at things like how a name is spelled, the short-vowel power in names, and the blends and digraphs in names. This week we will be comparing and contrasting names and then moving into snap words.
Math - we have been studying partners (two numbers that work together to make a total) of numbers to 10. This week we will be wrapping up our unit at the end of this week with a test on Thursday.
Don't forget to put Color the Park on your calendar! It is an awesome event and a great way to hang out with the community of Park School! I will be there cheering on and throwing color at the kids :) . It will be held on Friday, October 4. This year you can also register and collect donations online. There was information that went home about this, but if you have any questions, please let me know.
I will be out this Thursday morning for a phonics training. There will be a great sub in the classroom and I will be back after lunch :)
We have library on Wednesdays. The kids will be able to check out two books each week, as long as they return the two books from the week before. Please talk to your child about kinds of books they can or can not check out. For example, some kids love checking out the I Survived series and have parents read them to them at home. Some parents don't want their kids to check these out. Let me know if you have any questions :)
You may have heard that we have a football player joining our classroom every Friday! Brady is a senior at Hudsonville and I taught him way back in second grade! The football players are asked to give back to a teacher that was a great influence on them. I am so honored and humbled that Brady chose me as that teacher. He is a really great kid and the kids are so excited he gets to come into the classroom and help out. He comes at 3:00 and helps til the end of the day. He is doing a great job with the kids :) . I will try to remember to get a pic of him with the class this week.
We are hosting a can (returnables) drive this week at school. The money raised will go towards fifth grade camp to help reduce the cost of the camp for the kids. The winning team from fifth grade and the winning team from grades K-4 will have a fun surprise together.
This past Friday, for the last 45 minutes of the day, I had centers where kids could create, manipulate, do some free thinking, and practice working together. Here are some pictures from that time.