Newsletter April 4 - 8

This week I will be gone on Thursday as I sit in on interviews for two new first grade positions.  Mrs. Sauceda will be heading up to 4th grade and Mrs. Vogel will be staying home with her baby that is due in October.  I will miss both of these competent teachers.

Here are this week's happenings:

• We are just a tad bit behind still in math.  On Friday, I had a special guest teacher come and teach an enrichment (art) lesson about the solar system.  We then had a "surprise" assembly presented by the Milk Council about healthy living.  We didn't get to math that day.  Today we worked on Lesson 9.8 and tomorrow we will complete Lesson 9.9.  I will have my substitute complete Chapter 9 review with my class on Thursday and the test for Chapter 9 will be this Friday, April 9.  The homework packet will be due Friday too!  Please return the color tiles and paper clips that I sent home.  Especially the color tiles.  The paper clips are a bit easier to replace :)
• I sent home a list of spelling words. This week the list concentrates on alternative spellings for both the /s/ and /z/ sounds.  The test will be Friday, April 9.
• We have finished our Astronomy Unit and will now move onto "The History of the Earth".  Today we learned about geologists, and the three important terms to remember whenever we "think about geology".  Those words are heat, pressure and time.  In this unit, we will learn about the earth's continents and oceans.  We will learn about rocks, minerals, fossils, volcanoes, and geysers.  My student's loved learning about the solar system (so did I) and I think they will equally enjoy this unit.  
• Congratulations to Nick!  He has joined the 100-book club!  Keep reading!!!
• On April 21, we along with Mrs. Vogel's class will walk to SUU for BARD's Birthday Bash!  This is a great activity where our students will "perform" a portion of a play on the Shakespearean theater stage.  We will participate in jousting, tug-o-war, and maypole activities as well as eat cake with the queen.  We will leave East Elementary at about 12:20 that day and return just before school gets out.  I would really like an extra adult to walk over there with us. Please consider your schedules and let me know if you can help walk (and stay to walk back) to SUU on the afternoon of April 21.
• I apologize that 3rd quarter grades weren't sent home last week.  I have no excuses, except that last week turned into a busy week and I was trying to catch up a few students that didn't take a few Reading Assessments due to absences.  I just printed those off and I will send them home tomorrow.  

Happy Reading!