Newsletter October 16 - October 20

Today was the start of our second quarter of school.  It amazes me how fast each school year flies by.  I will print out first quarter Power School grades and send that home by this Wednesday.  At the end of each quarter I do drawing for a free book from the take-home book "tickets" (blue notes).  Each quarter five or six students will come home with a free book obviously the more "tickets" they have in the drawing the better chance they will have have, but more importantly imagine what better readers they will be with each book read!

Here are this week's happenings:

• This Wednesday we are going on our Field Trip to the Robinson Family Pumpkin Patch.  We will leave here by bus at approximately 9:30 a.m. and return by 11:00 for our library time.  I sent a note home about this last week.  Please help by sending in a $1.00 donation, as each student will be able to pick out one pumpkin to bring home. If any of you would like to come with us on this field trip please send me an e-mail.  An extra set of "adult" hands is always helpful.  
• Friday October 20, the Walk-a-thon money is due.  If you turn in money after that date it will still go towards a "good cause" but your child will not be eligible for the prizes after Friday.  Friday is also the day that the Box Tops are due for the root beer float party.  The class with the most box tops turned in will receive the Root Beer floats.
• This week our learning will center around addition strategies in math.  Today we again learned about "counting on".  Students learned that if they add 1, 2, 3 to a number they can "count on".  For example 3 + 8 = 11;  Students start on the "greater" number and then "count on".  Students say "8 then 9, 10, 11.  I taught them to "pound" the greater number in their fist then "count on from there.  I noticed some of you took advantage of the xtra math computer program that I sent home.  I sent home the information last week.  This is a great way to help with those automatic addition and subtraction facts which are a basis for higher level math concepts.  Look for that in your child's folder.  If you want another letter let me know and I can print your child off another one.
• In reading we just learned the /ue/ sound and spelling.  We now have learned all of the "magic e" spellings for long vowels (a_e, i _e, o _e and u _e).  Students are exposed to those spellings in the book Gran that we read from everyday. 
• Today we started reading versions of Tom Thumb.  We finished three versions of Cinderella last week.  Ask your child about the version "Billy Beg" or the "Girl with the red slipper"   I wasn't familiar with those versions until we started this reading program 2 years ago.  Tomorrow we will read a version of  Tom Thumb,  "Thumbelina".   
• Don't forget that next Monday, October 23 we are off for our Fall Holiday.  School resumes the following day, Tuesday October 24.
• In years past, students have been able to dress up for Halloween.  I am assuming this tradition will continue this year, but I haven't heard anything definitive about that or when the costume parade will be.  I will investigate and let you know more details next week in this newsletter.  

Happy Reading!!