Week in Review: December 9-13

We had a fantastic week! The students have been working very hard to prepare for the upcoming holiday play. We can't wait to see them in action on Tuesday evening!

For language jobs this week,  First grade students worked with diphthong sounds of long e, were introduced to common and proper nouns, and reviewed rhyming words. Second grade students worked with diphthongs (au, aw, ou, ow, oi, oy), identified irregular verbs in sentences, and also reviewed rhyming words.  Third grade students reviewed long vowel sounds, completed an adverb box, and also reviewed rhyming words.

For math jobs this week,  First grade students had more practice with addition using the bead frame, worked on counting quarters, discussed vertical, horizontal, and oblique lines, and worked with adding doubles of a number. Second grade students worked with multiplication, explored the relationship of two lines in geometry, worked with missing addends, and practiced adding and subtracting fractions. Third grade students continued working with division, measured complementary and supplementary angles, and practiced adding and reducing fractions with larger numbers.

In Geography, students began research on a biome of North America. Students selected a biome and are completing a self-directed study of that particular biome.

In Science, students continued their work animals and the food chain. Students also completed four "Vibration Stations" which allowed them to see sound and vibrations at work!

This week, students will be busy at work completing jobs from last week, completing a quarterly review of all material covered this quarter, and taking STAR Reading and STAR Math tests.

REMINDERS:
 

-All homework is typically sent home on Monday and is to be completed during the week. It is due on Friday. Students will be given Spelling tests and Math Timed tests in class every Friday. 

-Dec. 17th- 1st-8th grade Holiday Program (7:00 pm)

-Dec.19th- Sing at Shelby Ridge (don't forget to send in $7.00 for the amaryllis bulbs )

-Dec. 20th- Bowling Party! 

-Dec. 20th- End of the 2nd Quarter/ Dismiss at 1:00 (NO AFTERCARE)

-Dec. 23rd- Jan.3rd- Winter Break

***We are in need of someone to take care of Louie (our gecko) over the Winter Break. Please let us know if you would be interested!

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Week in Review: December 2nd-6th

We had a fantastic week! 

For language jobs this week,  First grade students worked with diphthong sounds of long a, wrote their own noun families, and were introduced to placing commas in a sentence containing nouns in a series. Second grade students worked with phonics cards, wrote sentences with irregular verbs, and further practiced placing commas in a sentence containing nouns in a series.  Third grade students worked with phonics cards, wrote and symbolized sentences containing adverbs, and also practiced placing commas in a sentence containing nouns in a series. 

For math jobs this week,  First grade students had more practice with addition using the bead frame, worked on counting dimes, and practiced telling time to the quarter hour. Second grade students worked with multiplication, solved money word problems, and practiced telling time to the minute. Third grade students continued working with division, solved money word problems, and measured angles using a protractor.  

In Geography, students began a study on the biomes of North America. Students watched a short video and then identified the various biomes on a map of North America. 

In Science, students continued their work animals and the food chain. Students also began a short study on sound. Using the Smartboard, students were able to experience how pitch changes on a guitar and a xylophone. 

Next week, students will be hard at work! They will hone their rhyming skills, continue working with fractions, and have presentations on biomes, sound, the food chain, and geometric lines and angles! 

REMINDERS:

-All homework is typically sent home on Monday and is to be completed during the week. It is due on Friday. Students will be given Spelling tests and Math Timed tests in class every Friday. 

-Dec. 9th- Play Auditions (Schoolhouse Rocks)

-Dec. 17th- 1st-8th grade Holiday Program (7:00 pm)

-Dec.19th- Sing at Shelby Ridge (don't forget to send in $7.00 for the amaryllis bulbs )

-Dec. 20th- Bowling Party! 

-Dec. 20th- End of the 2nd Quarter/ Dismiss at 1:00 (NO AFTERCARE)

-Dec. 23rd- Jan.3rd- Winter Break 

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Week in Review: November 18th-22nd

We had a wonderful week! From playing "The Food Chain" game to learning about the history of numbers, we had many great learning experiences this week.
 

For language jobs this week,  First grade students reviewed compound words, were introduced to identifying syllables, and had further work with logical adjectives. Second grade students reviewed compound words, syllables, and irregular verbs. Third grade students continued work with adverbs, reviewed compound words, and worked with syllables.

For math jobs this week,  First grade students had more practice with addition, worked with Roman Numerals (1-20), and compared fractions. Second grade students reviewed multiplication and division facts, had practice with adding fractions, and worked with Roman Numerals to 100. Third grade students continued work with division, were introduced to factors of a number using the Peg Board, and had practice subtracting fractions.

For cultural lessons this week, students received a presentation on the Great Lesson #5 - The Story of Numbers. As a follow up to this presentation, students worked with writing Roman Numerals. Students also continued their work with the animal kingdom this week. Students created a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting insects and spiders. Mrs. Sue also led students in "The Food Chain" game, which helped to reinforce their knowledge of animal classification.

In Geography, students are gearing up to begin an integrated study of North America. This week, students used their map skills to located certain features (peninsula, cape, bay, etc.) on an atlas of North America.

Since next week is a short week, students will have an opportunity to choose jobs that interest them and also have time to complete any jobs that are not done.  

REMINDERS:

-All homework is typically sent home on Monday and is to be completed during the week. It is due on Friday. Students will be given Spelling tests and Math Timed tests in class every Friday. 

-Tuesday, Nov.26th- School dismissed at 1:00- NO AFTERCARE

-Wednesday, Nov. 27th - Thursday, November 29th - No School for Thanksgiving Holiday

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Week in Review: November 12th-15th

We had another fantastic week in Lower Elementary!
 

For  language jobs this week,  First grade students worked with logical adjectives and reviewed rules for making words plural. Second grade students worked with irregular verbs and reviewed how to make words that end in 'y' plural. Third grade students were introduced to adverbs and reviewed plural vs. possessive words. All students reviewed the 5 parts of a friendly letter and then wrote a letter to a new friend at a Montessori school in Chicago!

For math jobs this week,  First grade students worked with addition problems, counted nickels, and practiced telling time to the quarter hour. Second grade worked on multiplication problems using the checkerboard, completed money word problems, and practiced telling time to the minute. Third grade students worked with subtraction and division, worked with making change from $5.00, and reviewed time terms such as A.M., P.M., o'clock, midnight, fortnight, and many more!

For cultural lessons this week, students received a presentation on the Great Lesson #4 - The Story of Language. Students learned how writing and language has evolved from cave drawings to the alphabet we use today. Students are currently working to create a message using their own alphabet!

This coming week, students will work with compound words, math facts, syllables, and fractions. Students will also receive a presentation on the Great Lesson #5 - The Story of Numbers and then will explore Roman Numerals. We look forward to using sign language to perform a poem during our next Peace Assembly on Thursday!

REMINDERS:

-All homework is typically sent home on Monday and is to be completed during the week. It is due on Friday. Students will be given Spelling tests and Math Timed tests in class every Friday. 

-Friday, Nov. 22nd- Talent Show (Auditions held on Monday, Oct. 28th)

-Tuesday, Nov.26th- School dismissed at 1:00- NO AFTERCARE

-Wednesday, Nov. 27th - Thursday, November 29th - No School for Thanksgiving Holiday

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Week in Review : November 4th-8th

We had another great week in Lower Elementary! Students enjoyed the cooler weather while playing T-ball during P.E. time!

For  language jobs this week,  First grade students added -es to make plural words, were introduced to contractions, and worked with analogies. Second grade students worked with past tense words, reviewed contractions, and continued working with plural words. Third grade students wrote five sentences with prepositions, reviewed contractions, and worked with analogies. 

For math jobs this week,  First grade students worked with addition problems, defined curved and straight lines, and rounded numbers to the 100's place. Second grade students build numbers on the checkerboard, began adding fractions, and defined the various parts of a line. Third grade students worked with subtraction and division, measured right/acute/obtuse angles, and reviewed adding fractions.

For cultural lessons this week, students continued their exploration of invertebrates on an animal classification chart and continued research on a continent of their choice.

This coming week, students will write a friendly letter, work with counting money, create plural words, and work with grammar (logical order, irregular verbs, and adverbs).  

REMINDERS:
-All homework is typically sent home on Monday and is to be completed during the week. It is due on Friday. Students will be given Spelling tests and Math Timed tests in class every Friday. 

-Monday, Nov. 11th- No School for Veteran's Day

-Friday, Nov. 15th- Parent's Night Out! Babysitting at the school 6-10 pm
                                 Register by Nov. 8th

-Friday, Nov. 22nd- Talent Show (Auditions held on Monday, Oct. 28th)

-Tuesday, Nov.26th- School dismissed at 1:00- NO AFTERCARE

-Wednesday, Nov. 27th - Thursday, November 29th - No School for Thanksgiving Holiday

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Hallowen Fun!

Here are some pictures from the Halloween festivities! Students had a great time hearing stories, walking in the parade, having candy corn races, decorating cookies, making a ghost craft, and much more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Carving

Last week, students worked with Ms. Sue to carve a pumpkin! Students first wrote down the necessary steps to make a jack-o-lantern in an expository writing piece. Then, students followed those steps to see if they included every step in the right order! Afterwards, students received a toasted pumpkin seed snack!

 

 

 

 

 

Week in Review: October 28th-November 1st

Pumpkin carving, Halloween parade, and special snacks, oh my! We had a wonderful week in the Lower Elementary!

For  language jobs this week,  First grade students were introduced to synonyms, worked with plural words, and matched sets of antonyms . Second grade students worked with synonyms, reviewed antonyms, and worked with plural words. Third grade students discussed the difference between plural and possessive nouns and did further work with antonyms and synonyms. 

For math jobs this week,  First grade students counted groups of pennies, wrote number words for 80-100, and reviewed time to the hour and half hour. Second grade students counted coins between $1.00 -$1.50, were introduced to the checkerboard, and reviewed telling time to the five minute mark. Third grade students solved money word problems, worked with subtraction, and reviewed elapsed time. 

For cultural lessons this week, students completed their planet creations, viewed a video on animal classification, explored the invertebrates on an animal classification chart, and continued research on a continent of their choice.

The highlight of our week was the Halloween festivities on Thursday! We enjoyed walking in the parade, having candy corn relays, making a ghost craft, and decorating cookies! A special thanks to Sarah Ellen Levine, Sandhya Sasse, Kinjal Soni, Kathi Ramani, Shabana Jalali, Tanya Wallace, Kelly Charles, and to everyone who sent in items for the party! Pictures to come soon! 

This coming week, students will receive presentations on lines and angles, rounding, analogies, grammar (noun families, verbs, and prepositions), and much more! 

REMINDERS:
-All homework is typically sent home on Monday and is to be completed during the week. It is due on Friday. Students will be given Spelling tests and Math Timed tests in class every Friday. For this week, students should complete the review chapter in the spelling book. This week's spelling test, however, will come from a personalized specific list of words that will be sent home with the students on Monday. Please look for more information and the spelling list in your child's red folder! 

-Thursday, Nov. 7th- Make-up picture day and sibling pictures

-Monday, Nov. 11th- No School for Veteran's Day

-Friday, Nov. 15th- Parent's Night Out! Babysitting at the school 6-10 pm
                                 Register by Nov. 8th

-Friday, Nov. 22nd- Talent Show (Auditions held on Monday, Oct. 28th)

-Tuesday, Nov.26th- School dismissed at 1:00- NO AFTERCARE

-Wednesday, Nov. 27th - Thursday, November 29th - No School for Thanksgiving Holiday

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Week in Review- October 21st -25th

Fall is in the air! We have enjoyed playing kickball on the field during PE time!

For  language jobs this week,  First grade students were introduced to prefixes, worked with adjectives, and wrote sentences with homonyms. Second grade students wrote homonym sentences, worked with verbs, and reviewed prefixes. Third grade students symbolized sentences with prepositions, wrote homonym sentences, and had more work with prefixes.  

For  math jobs this week,  First grade students compared fractions, were introduced to rounding numbers to the tens place, and continued to practice adding skills with the stamp game. Second grade students worked with rounding numbers to the hundreds, used the stamp game to solve multiplication problems, and used materials to find equivalent fractions . Third grade students worked with adding fractions with like denominators, wrote numbers and number words in the millions place, and used the stamp game to solve subtraction problems.

For cultural lessons this week, students received lessons on the needs of humans. All grade levels will be doing further research on a country or a culture. Students were also introduced to the vertebrates of the animal kingdom, received presentations on the continents using the puzzle maps, and continued working in groups to create a new planet.

This coming week, students will receive presentations on synonyms, plural nouns, telling time and money. Students will also carve a pumpkin and do an expository writing about it. We look forward to other Halloween activities as well.

REMINDERS:

-October 31st will be our Halloween Party. Students are invited to dress up as a book character, a famous person from history,or an animal. Students may also dress in traditional clothing that represents their native country or culture. We ask students to refrain from bringing any type of weapon as part of their costumes. Students should also write a paragraph about the character, famous person, or animal they are dressed up as. They will also be invited to read their paragraph aloud to the class.  Students will participate in a school-wide costume parade at 9:00 followed by a time of games and snacks in the classroom! Be on the lookout for an email about how you can help! 

-Thursday, Nov. 7th- Make-up picture day and sibling pictures

-Monday, Nov. 11th- No School for Veteran's Day

-Friday, Nov. 15th- Parent's Night Out! Babysitting at the school 6-10 pm
                                 Register by Nov. 8th

-Friday, Nov. 22nd- Talent Show (Auditions held on Monday, Oct. 28th)

-Tuesday, Nov.26th- School dismissed at 1:00- NO AFTERCARE

-Wednesday, Nov. 27th - Thursday, November 29th - No School for Thanksgiving Holiday

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Planet Experiments

Mercury Experiment - making craters

 

Jupiter Experiment- exploring how the gases swirl

Mars Experiment- creating the surface of Mars by oxidizing steel wool in sand

Mercury Experiment

Venus Experiment- observing how Venus' gases trap in the heat

Recording observations from the Jupiter experiment

 

Recording  observations

Mars Experiment

 

 

Trip to Moundville!

Week in Review - Oct. 14th-18th

Even though it was a short week, our students were busy at work!

For  language jobs this week,  First grade students were introduced to homonyms, reviewed suffixes, and worked with articles and adjectives. Second grade students worked with homonyms, reviewed common and proper nouns, and completed work with verbs. Third grade students worked with homonyms, practiced capitalizing the names of cities and states, and worked with preposition boxes. 

For  math jobs this week,  First grade students built numbers with the stamp game, reviewed telling time to the hour and half hour, and continued writing number words to 100. Second grade students worked with multiplication using the stamp game, reviewed money, and compared numbers to the hundred thousands place. Third grade students practiced their multiplication skills, were introduced to elapsed time, and completed word problems involving money.  

For science this week, students began working together in teams to create a new planet. They were tasked with naming the planet, determining the distance it is from the sun, describing the effect of gravity on the planet, and describing its surface. We can't wait to see what the students create! 

This coming week, students will receive presentations on the next Great Lesson (the needs of humans), complete additional work with homonyms, work with rounding numbers and fractions, write number words, and much more!

REMINDERS:

-October 31st will be our Halloween Party. Students are invited to dress up as a book character, a famous person from history, or an animal. We ask students to refrain from bringing any type of weapon as part of their costumes. Students should also write a paragraph about the character, famous person, or animal they are dressed up as.  Students will participate in a school-wide costume parade followed by a time of games and snacks in the classroom! Be on the lookout for an email about how you can help! 

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Week in Review: October 7th -11th

Lower Elementary has been busy at work!

For math and language jobs this week, students reviewed concepts previous taught this quarter. Students thoroughly enjoyed researching volcanoes, working with jobs from the word study cabinet, and reviewing math facts.

The highlight of our week was our trip to Moundville. Students had many wonderful experiences!  We visited the Jones Archaelogical museum and saw artifacts used in a traditional wedding ceremony, surveyed traditional Native American dancing from atop a mound, and experienced what life was like in the late 1700s and early 1800s in the Living History Camp. Our class was told by two separate re-enactors that we were the smartest school group that they had talked with that day!  Students (and the teachers) even enjoyed a sample of fry bread! 

This coming week, students will receive presentations on homonyms, additional work with suffixes, comparing numbers, word problems with money, and much more!

REMINDERS:

- There is NO SCHOOL for students on Monday, October 14th. 

-First Quarter Progress Reports  will go home on Wednesday, October 16^th.

-Conferences- Parent Teacher conferences will be held from Wednesday, October 16^th to Tuesday, October 22^nd. Please come by Classroom 3 to sign up for a conference time.

-Early dismissal- Students will be dismissed at 1:00 on Thursday, October 17^th and Friday, October 18^th due to conferences.

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Lower Elementary Reminders - October 9th

           Lower Elementary Reminders

                                                     October 9^th, 2013

Picture Day- Pictures will be taken on Thursday, October 10^th.

Field Trip – Our field trip to Moundville is on Friday, October 11^th. Please send in your child’s permission slip and money if you haven’t already done so. Please note that all students will need a sack lunch on Friday!

First Quarter Progress Reports  will go home on Wednesday, October 16^th.

Conferences- Parent Teacher conferences will be held from Wednesday, October 16^th to Tuesday, October 22^nd. Please come by Classroom 3 to sign up for a conference time.

Early dismissal- Students will be dismissed at 1:00 on Thursday, October 17^th and Friday, October 18^th due to conferences.

Fall Festival Scarecrow

CALLING ALL PARENTS!

We are in need of a few volunteers to help assemble our scarecrow on Wednesday, October 2nd. If you can come spend some time on that day, please let us know!

We are also in need of :

1 large pumpkin

1 bale of Pine Straw or Hay (can be purchased at Home Depot)

1 pair of boots

1 pair of gardening gloves

PVC pipe

1 floppy sunhat

Thanks so much!

Parent Teacher Conferences : October 16th-October 22nd

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held from Wednesday, Oct. 16th through Tuesday, Oct. 22nd. There is a sign-up sheet located outside of Classroom 3. Please note that school will be dismissed at 1:00 on October 17th and 18th for conferences. Thanks and have a great day!

Week in review: September 23rd-27

Lower Elementary has been busy at work!

In science, we continued studying the planets and the solar system. Students have learned facts about each planet, compared the sizes and atmospheric makeup of the planets, and explored how gravity and centripetal forces cause the planets to spin in orderly paths around the sun! Students were also introduced to Protists through their work with microscopes and pond water.

For math and language jobs, First grade students were introduced to homographs, counted coins and added numbers in the thousands place using golden beads. Second graders worked with past tense verbs, reviewed polygons, and used the commutative property when adding. Third graders were introduced to prepositions, reviewed polygons, and worked with missing addends. All students received a presentation on classifying objects.

This coming week, students will receive presentations on suffixes, using tally marks to record seasonal changes, finding lines of symmetry in polygons, and much more!

REMINDERS:

-Lower Elementary is in need of help to create a "Peace" themed scarecrow for the Fall Festival. Please contact us if you would like to help create the scarecrow or you have any items that we could use.

-Sunday, October 6th is the Fall Festival! Come out from 1:30 to 4:30 to join in the fun!

-Look for a blog post about Parent Teacher conferences to come soon!
 

-Please remember that students must be at school no later than 8:15. 

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week! 

Week in Review: September 16th-20th

We had another incredible week in Lower Elementary! 

Last week, First grade students wrote homophones in sentences, practiced telling time to the half hour, and continued to explore fractions. Second graders worked with equivalent fractions, created sentences with an article, adjective, noun, and verb, and had continued practice on addition. Third graders compared fractions, reviewed past tense verbs, and worked word problems. All students received presentations on volcanoes and the planets. The highlight of our week was the Peace Assembly on Thursday. The Lower Elementary students did a wonderful job hosting the assembly by presenting the elements (water, earth, wind, fire) and singing the song "Teaching Peace".  

This coming week, students will receive presentations on homographs, money, phonics, polygons, and grammar (adjective, prepositions, and past tense verbs). We we have a wonderful time! 

REMINDERS:

- All homework is typically sent home on Monday and is to be completed during the week. It is due on Friday. Students will be given Spelling tests and Math Timed tests in class every Friday. For this week, students should complete the review chapter in the spelling book. This week's spelling test, however, will come from a personalized specific list of words that will be sent home with the students on Monday. Please look for more information and the spelling list in your child's red folder! 

-Please remember that students must be at school no later than 8:15. 

-Reading Logs are to be signed each night. Be sure to return them each day in your child's red folder.

Have a great week!