Newsletter October 2 - October 6

Welcome to October!  The end of first quarter is Friday, October 13.  If your child has any missing work that needs to be turned in by Wednesday, October 11.  I will print out a Power School report after the end of the quarter and send it to you.  You can check Power School at any time using the information I gave you at your SEP conference.  Let me know if you see any discrepancies--that is definitely not an exact science.

Here are this week's happenings:

• Thanks to those that I have already visited with at your child's SEP conference.  If you need to reschedule please send me an e-mail and I can usually accommodate your schedule.  Remember school  dismisses everyday at 2:30 even on Wednesday.
• This Wednesday morning is the PTA sponsored Grandparents breakfast from 8:00-8:40.  The book fair is also open during that time and all week until Friday at 3:00.  
• Another round of PTA reading awards will be on Thursday, October 12 at 3:00 in my classroom.  I will or  already have informed you at your child's SEP conference if they will be receiving an award that day.  You are welcome to come to this awards presentation.  It's brief so make sure you arrive on time (3:00 in my room).
• Please send an apple with your child by next week for our "apple head" witch craft.  We will be making them next Tuesday so apples by Monday would be very helpful.  Thank you!  
• We are almost finished with Unit 2 in math (subtraction strategies).  I hope to give the test for that chapter this Friday.  I'll see how the review goes on Wednesday and Thursday, but my plan like I said it to test this Friday.
• In reading we have started Unit 2--we have learned how to spell the /e/ sound 'ee' and today are starting the 'magic e', 'silent e' rule.  We will learn about the /ae/ sound and how to spell it 'a_e'.  Students will also be exposed to these "new" spellings and sounds in their reading.  We started a new book "Gran" which is about an adventurous grandma and her grand kids Josh and Jen.  
• I know we have a book fair this week, but I will still send the October Scholastic reader fliers home next week.  They will be due on Friday, October 13.  Ordering online is the easiest way to order from those fliers.  This is of course optional :)
• Don't forget to send back sight word lists (blue note) on Wednesday (tomorrow).  Please make sure that those words are automatic for your child.  Mrs. Harris gives them a "second chance" to get it automatically but sends it home, if it's not automatic the second time, with the word(s) listed that still need to be worked on.  Please don't give up if that happens, simply practice once more and send the list back in again.  Acquiring automatic sight words is crucial to becoming a fluent reader so include this practice in your child's ten minutes of nightly reading if necessary.  I gave or will give those students who haven't passed off a list in a while a list at SEP conferences so all students should have one.

Have a great Fall day and Happy Reading!