Newsletter October 6 - 10

I am finally on track with my blog.  It was so nice to meet with most of you last week during our SEP conferences.   I hope you understood through those conferences how much I love YOUR child and that I have an open door for questions, comments or concerns.  Please feel free to contact me any time (e-mail is always the best option).

This week we will start our Take-home library program (book in a bag).  Please take advantage of this program.  Have your child read those books every night and return them regularly.  Rereading the same book is such a great way to increase reading fluency so please encourage your child to reread the same text so that their reading flows and they become more confidant.

On Wednesday, we will be going to the Bus garage for a field trip.  We will leave the school at 9:15 and return by 10:15.  I will not send home a field trip permission slip because you have all checked the registration form allowing your child to attend field trips.  As always though, if you would like your child not to participate in a certain field trip let me know and we can make other arrangements here at the school during the field trip time.

Thank you for sending apples with your child for our Halloween witch art project.  I was planning on doing that this Wednesday, but with the unexpected field trip I will do it on Thursday instead.  Please send an apple with your child by this Wednesday.  Speaking of Halloween, I hope all of you got Mr. Moyle's message about allowing Halloween costumes this year.  I am so excited about this, as I remember fondly Halloween costume parades as a child.  I hope that all goes well with it this year so that we can continue this tradition.  I will send home more information about it as I receive it.

I will send home an October Scholastic book order this week.  Those orders will be due on Wednesday, October 15 (the day before we leave for our big break).  The easiest way to order is to use our classroom online code.

Pictures retakes have been rescheduled for October 28.  If you want to have your child's picture retaken you just need to send back the picture packet (which we haven't received yet) and they can have their picture retaken that day.

The PTA is launching a new reading program here at East Elementary.  In the past we have participated in the AR (Accelerated Reader) program.  The cost has increased dramatically and we weighed the cost vs. the amount of students that actually participate in the program.  The PTA will be having a kick-off to explain our new reading incentive program on October 10.  They have asked that each  classroom have a "room helper" for this program.  They did not specify what that would include, but I do not believe it would be a big in class commitment if an in class commitment at all.  If that is something you might like to do for our class let me know and I can let the PTA know.

This week we are starting a computer reading program called Waterford.  We will participate in that program four times a week for thirty minutes each time.  In math, we will finish up our unit on subtraction and start Unit 3.  In science, we will start an integrated writing project about their favorite season.  We will write an opinion piece about favorite seasons.  We will learn about how to open an opinion piece, then give reasons to back up our opinion and then close it properly. Our reading groups are going well.  That's my favorite part of the day!! Remember that the September reading records are now due.  They are worth 100 points.  Please keep up with sight word practice.  Your child should at least have passed off Lists #1 and #2 by now.  I will test all students on List #2 this week (if they haven't already passed it off).

I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful fall weather.

Happy Reading!!