Newsletter 17

2005-2006                          Room 302—Newsletter 17              http://room302.blogspot.com

Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Dear Families,

This has been a busy time.  We found out Tuesday that Jasen would be moving back to Georgia with his mom.  We miss him.  And then I had to be out for my sick child, which is always a bit tricky.  So this is the newsletter for this last week, updated to include this week.  We have lots of other stuff happening, too.
In reading….
We are currently in the midst of reading the nominees for The Washington Children's Choice Award.  Our librarians, Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Yonkers, bought the books for our school and we’re taking turns passing them around to different classrooms.  We’re keeping track of what we read and how we feel about each book.  When we’re done, we’ll vote, and our votes will be added to those from all over the state.   For fun, ask your child what we read each day, and how he or she liked it.  For more information, there is a link on the blog.  
In writing….
We are fully involved in making valentines for each other.  We created a list showing each class member, along with three things that person likes.  The list is to help us personalize our cards.  This is a wonderful opportunity to review and use some of the practical writing skills we’ve practiced all year, as well as a chance to think about purpose and audience—which can sometimes be a bit tricky to define in regular journal writing.  Look for that list on the blog.  I’m encouraging students to work at home, if needed, to make sure they’re all done by the 14th.
In math….
The art we did for the new February calendars was watercolor and black pen.  We’ve been using illustrations from picture books as examples, and what a wonderful coincidence that a couple of this year’s Caldecott winners were done in watercolor.
Valentine’s Day…
We have gotten a great selection of decorations and treats for the party so far.  All the decorations help create high motivation for this project, and it’s so cool to see the care students put into their work.  On the 14th everyone is expected to be done and ready to exchange.  We’ll probably have a Valentine’s Day story, exchange cards, pass out treats, and spend time reading, eating, and enjoying.  If you’d like to be here for this, please join us.  We’ll start around 10:05.
Field Trip…
We’re going to the police station on Thursday.  Sorry about the short notice.  We’d been trying to find a time, and the time sort of just happened, so we took it.  How nice to be able to just walk somewhere.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web  by E. B. White
Calendar…
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote     Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day     Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break     Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
     
          


Sincerely,


Jeff