September 9,
2012
Dear
Parents,
It’s been
another packed, productive week! In Reading,
we began a new Read-aloud book called The Last of the Really Great
Whangdoodles (written by Julie Edwards – yes, Mary Poppins herself.) Ask your child, over the coming days and
several weeks, to keep you updated on the story – two brothers and a 2nd-grade
sister go on a quest to find the mystical Whangdoodle…
We discussed
what it means to pick a “just-right” book, and we practiced picking books from
our classroom library and sitting quietly and respectfully to read. We also paid our first visit to the ABS library, and we will have Monday as our regular,
weekly day, to drop off and pick up books.
Reading Logs: my apologies
for not getting a fresh Reading Log into the Friday Folder this week. I will
send it to you by email so that you have a digital version that you can
copy if you ever run out of them in the future.
In Writing, students received their Writer’s
Workshop folders where they will keep their growing portfolio of work. We
learned that good writing comes from good spelling and good grammar, but it often
comes especially from noticing well and remembering well. We talked about how
if I say, “Tell of a time you hurt yourself,”
for most kids, that will prompt a memory. Let that memory come up. Pay
close attention to it, and tell the
story that it brings. We learned about how good writers also often tell their stories verbally before
settling in to writing them down. We decided that writing is going to be a lots
of fun of us this year!
In Fundations students at the first and the second
grade levels have been reviewing the considerable content and learning routines
from last spring. Homework went home for all students on Friday. Note: as you know, Mrs. Powers teaches 1st-grade
Fundations, and she will be contacting the first-grade parents shortly with
homework expectations at her level.
In Math, both the first and the second
graders are exploring patterns – repeating patterns and growing patterns. We
are using our Number Corner calendar
every day to explore and expand our understanding of this central math concept.
Second graders got their Math notebooks this last week. This will be a place
for reflecting on what they are learning. I will use it often at the end of a
class to build a record from each child of what they have understood or not understood
during the lesson.
In Social Studies, we are studying “Long Ago and Today”,
and we compared life 100 years ago to today: from the plow to the diesel
tractor. From the washboard to the washing machine. From oil lamps to compact fluorescent
and LED lights of today. In the coming day, you children will be creating a
timeline of their lives. They will also be interviewing an elderly member of
their family to learn about what life was like in their “family” long before
they were born.
To keep the
blood pumping to our brains, we also did an outdoor activity each morning with Mrs. Powers’ class. We played Scatter,
Deer Habitat, Partner Tag, Toilet Tag (!) , and Cross the River When the River
Rises. Especially if you are new to the classroom, you could ask your child to
explain these games to you . You could certainly play them at home.
A few other notes:
We have a
child in the classroom who has a (non-life-threatening) peanut allergy. It’s not necessary for you to refrain from sending
in peanut butter sandwiches or other peanut products, but it would be helpful
if you would have a chat with your child about the importance of washing hands
before and after eating an wiping up our desks after we’ve finished snack.
Since we’re
talking about health… I’ve noticed this last week that many kids are dog-tired.
My own kids are dog-tired! Thank you for
remembering to hold the line and get them to bed at a consistently-good hour
so that they can come to school refreshed and open to learning. We adults know what a difference a good sleep
can make, and for little kids, it’s huge.
We are
looking forward to seeing you at our Horizon
Curriculum Night on Wednesday the 19th (6:30 p.m. to 8:00
p.m.) Let us know if you have a
particularly-keen interest in a certain aspect of the curriculum so we can be
sure to address it.
Don’t forget
that this week’s sharing theme is “My ME Bag.” I sent home a schedule of
students’ sharing days in the Friday Folder. If you have questions, please
email me.
That’s about
it for now.
Have a great
week, everyone. It’s nice to have these cooler nights, isn’t it?
Mr. Bolger
