Newsletter March 4 - March 8

This week is the last week of the third quarter.  I will work on grades and send home a Power School printout next week.  Remember that next week we have Monday and Tuesday off (March 11 and 12).  Enjoy your short week!

Here are this week's happenings:

• I hope that you saw the note I sent home about two upcoming field trips.  I won't go into detail here but please try and send the $2.00 by this Friday and if you can help walk with us please send me an e-mail.
• Spelling words were sent home today.  The test will be this Friday, March 8.
• We just started a new unit in reading today where we will continue working on alternative spellings for consonant sounds and start writing narratives.  Today we learned about spellings for /s/ (s, ss, c, ce, and se).  These "new" alternative spellings will be in the reader "Grace" where we will follow Grace and her family on their farm and all of their adventures.
• In math we are learning how to model numbers using tens and ones.  The last couple of days we have modeled 1 ten and ones (example 15 = 1 ten and 5 ones or 10 + 5 = 15).  We will have our intervention Wednesday on counting on by tens (38,48,58, 68 etc.).  Some students will extend that knowledge and others we will slow down and practice counting by tens. 
• We are continuing our study of animal habitats.  Today we learned about the Tropical Rainforest habitat.  In the next few days we will learn about the freshwater and saltwater habitats.  Students will at the conclusion of this study write a descriptive paragraph about their habitat of choice.  This week we are writing out about favorite season (opinion paragraphs).  I am really pleased at the progress my students are making in writing.  I hope that you saw the last journal that was sent home.  
• Our 100-book challenge is going strong.  I have a lot of motivated readers!  Kash today was our first student to reach the 100 book mark!! Congratulations to Kash!  He read a lot of Pete the Cat books :)
• Don't forget to send back sight word lists for Sight word soldier this Wednesday.  
• We will not have library this week as our librarian is out of the country.  We will have library the following Thursday, March 14.  I will try and send a "remind" message about our library day.  Many students are not bringing their books back to exchange on Thursdays.
• Tonight is the PTA talent show at 6:00.  We do not have an participants from our class that I am aware of but you are welcome to attend.  We have a phenomenal PTA they spend countless hours on the behalf of our school! 

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Armstrong