Newsletter February 22 - February 26

Our first ever Science Expo was a success!  Thank you all for making time or getting off work early to attend our Science Expo.   I thought my little readers did a great job explaining the life cycles of chickens, frogs, butterflies, and plants using a reader's theater format.

Here are this week's happenings:

• The February Scholastic book order is due tomorrow, February 23.  If you would like to order it's easiest to use the online code on the flier I sent home with the book titles last week.  I also have a link to Scholastic on this blog.  Scroll down--it's underneath our spelling words.
• Speaking of spelling words--our test will be this Thursday, February 25.  I sent home the list of words today.  The words are again reinforcing what we are learning in the skills portion of our reading program.  This week I introduced a "new" spelling for the /ch/ sound ('tch').  We have also learned about adding a suffix to a root word.  Ask your kids the three rules before adding a suffix (word is one syllable, word has a short vowel, and the short vowel is following by ONE consonant).  If those three rules are met, then before adding the ending we double the final consonant (i.e. hop = hopping and duck = ducking)
• We started Math Chapter 8 today.  I unfortunately don't have my cute daughter helping in my classroom anymore, and I haven't ripped out the homework packets yet.  I will do that today, and send the packet home tomorrow with a schedule.  For your information now, the packet will be due on Wednesday, March 16.  Please make sure you send those packets back with your child's name on it.  I have a hard time distinguishing between number handwriting sometimes :)
• Our 100-book challenge is going strong.  Rebecca has read 50 books!!!  Rieley, Nick and Sam have each read 30 books!!  Please use this challenge as incentive to get your kids to read!! My home reading expectation is 15 minutes every school night, so this challenge should be EASY to achieve if your child is meeting my expectation. 
• We are continuing to learn about the plant life cycle through growth of Brassica Rapa.  Today we talked about and observed parts of a plant (stems, roots, and leaves).  Ask your child about how each part mentioned absorbed the red food coloring.  Our little plants are thriving, and it's fun to watch my kids so excited to see their plant's growth every morning. 
• Our classroom supply of pencil-top erasers is out.  If you want to help replenish this supply I would appreciate it. I could use several more packages of pencil-top erasers to get us through the year.  Thanks!!
• I am sending home new "homework folders" for all students tomorrow.  Please use this as a time to reorganize yourself and your child.  Please, if you haven't been doing this send back your child's homework folder EVERYDAY.  Check their folder every night for homework assignments or notes.  Make it a habit to read your child's take-home book every night. 

Happy Reading!!