Newsletter 2 2015

 Newsletter 2                       2015-2016                             9/8/2015

Dear Families,

We had a great first day! We spent some time reading, writing, and getting to know each other. Thank you for trusting me with your children. I’m looking forward to our year together. I prefer to use email for newsletters and things as much as possible. I made a list of the email addresses on record here and sent this note. At this point I have 24 students on the list. If there is a different email address you want me to use, please email me from it with a note. If you would like the paper version, just let me know. Here are some things to keep in mind at this point:

Snack

We eat lunch at 1:00; that’s four hours after school starts. It’s a long time to go without food, so please consider sending snack—either daily just for your child, or once in awhile to share with others who would rather do it that way. I’ll get a rough count on who prefers what once we start.

The best things to send are healthy, and easy to distribute evenly. No peanuts please.

Music and P.E.

We have Physical Education with Mrs. Smith and Music Education with Miss Olds on Mondays and Fridays.

Jackdaw

What is a jackdaw? A jackdaw is a bird that collects things. It’s also a collection of things about a topic. In this case, the topic will be each student. So our jackdaws will be collections that tell about each of us.

I have given each student a gallon size Ziploc bag and I’m asking them to make a jackdaw about themselves. Part of the fun is finding and building the collection to share with others. Students should use the index card to list the items in the bag. We’ll share our jackdaws in class.

Here are the guidelines:

                It must all fit inside the bag.

                Bring in 4-6 items that represent:

·         some of your "gifts"-- things you are good at (maybe a book or a paint brush or a game piece)

·         some of your interests - things you are fascinated with and like to spend your time reading about or doing (maybe a catcher's mitt or word puzzle)

·         relationships you have with other people (maybe a photo of friends or a souvenir from a trip)

·         ways you already help others (maybe a leash if you walk the dog or spoon if you set the table)

·         other things you can think of that will tell us about you

They should practice telling about them at home so they’re ready when it’s their turn.

I’d like the bags done and back by Friday, September 4, but they can come back sooner and we’ll start sharing when they do. This is a fun way to get to know each other. I can’t wait.

Here’s to a great year!

Sincerely,

Jeff Kurtz