2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 15 http://room302.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Dear Families,
I play two songs every day. When I play The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) by Simon and Gafunkel, it means it’s time to clean up and gather together on the carpet to officially begin our day. When it’s time to clean up and do our jobs at the end of the day, I play Samba Pa Ti from the Abraxas album by Carlos Santana. Since we hear those two songs every day, I thought the students would enjoy seeing the faces behind the music. I was able to find DVD’s from the library that had these songs done in concert, so I brought them in and we watched them.
In reading….
The idea of visual images continues to pervade our work. We talked about how authors make pictures in our heads—including telling what shape, what size, and what color—and now we’re trying to notice those as we read. We also noticed this week how some of the writers in our classroom use verbs like sailing, burning, and crunched to create pictures in our minds. This was a great opportunity to talk about verbs and nouns, and I chose Kites Sail High: A Book About Verbs by Ruth Heller as my read aloud.
In writing….
This will be our second round of writing book reviews for special project. I also continue to encourage students to be deliberate about using descriptive language in their stories, and we try to share some of their examples every day. This might be something you could ask about at home, too.
In math….
Our newest game is called Ten Turns. One die is rolled ten times in a row, and a running total is kept. It seems a fairly simple game on the surface, but as the total increases it can be tricky to keep track. We use counters to help with that. We also continue to practice word problems.
Valentine’s Day…
We’ll use our writing time in the first part of February to write Valentine cards for each other. Then we’ll exchange them on the 14th. If each family will use the time and money they usually spend on pre-printed cards to get some sort of decoration and send it in, we should have plenty to go around. Ideas for things you can contribute include lace, stickers, tissue paper, heart doilies, stamps, pre-cut paper hearts of different sizes and colors, or anything else you think would make a nice addition to a card. We’d also love some treats to enjoy while reading the cards we wrote for each other, if anyone would like to contribute. That will be about the extent of our Valentine’s Day party.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (what a wonderful source of examples for writing that creates visual images!) We also took a few minutes to go back and discuss A. A. Milne, since it was his birthday this week.
Calendar…
Monday, January 23—Book Orders Due February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 14—Valentine’s Day Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Friday, January 20, 2006
Monday, January 16, 2006
Newsletter 14
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 14 http://room302.blogspot.com
Friday, January 06, 2006
Dear Families,
These two weeks have been a good time to review and strengthen procedures and expectations. It seems to be something that is always worth the time, especially in the long run.
In reading….
We read some books about Martin Luther King, Jr. this week. The concepts are a bit simplified, but the ideas of fairness and justice seem relevant to kids this age. The books do discuss his death, and I hope this is not proving too traumatic. It’s handled tastefully in the books, but you may want to follow up at home.
In writing….
We’ve been reading and writing book reviews. You may have seen some of them on the blog, and others will appear there as we complete them. They’re currently taking the place of our daily news. Our purpose is to tell about books we like, and our audience is people who like to read.
In math….
We continue to work on solving problems and number combinations. Many of the pages we do in the math book ask them to use picture, numbers or words. It’s fascinating to have them explain how they got the answer. Usually, even errors have a certain logic to them. We’ll also be talking more and more about telling time. This can be a tricky concept, and it would be helpful if there are things you can to at home. Maybe they learn to tell what time a favorite show is on, or how what the clock says at bed time. It’s best if there are a few times that are predictable and personally relevant.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (Finally, a new one.)
Calendar…
Friday, January 13—Early Release for School Planning
Monday, January 16—No school
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Friday, January 06, 2006
Dear Families,
These two weeks have been a good time to review and strengthen procedures and expectations. It seems to be something that is always worth the time, especially in the long run.
In reading….
We read some books about Martin Luther King, Jr. this week. The concepts are a bit simplified, but the ideas of fairness and justice seem relevant to kids this age. The books do discuss his death, and I hope this is not proving too traumatic. It’s handled tastefully in the books, but you may want to follow up at home.
In writing….
We’ve been reading and writing book reviews. You may have seen some of them on the blog, and others will appear there as we complete them. They’re currently taking the place of our daily news. Our purpose is to tell about books we like, and our audience is people who like to read.
In math….
We continue to work on solving problems and number combinations. Many of the pages we do in the math book ask them to use picture, numbers or words. It’s fascinating to have them explain how they got the answer. Usually, even errors have a certain logic to them. We’ll also be talking more and more about telling time. This can be a tricky concept, and it would be helpful if there are things you can to at home. Maybe they learn to tell what time a favorite show is on, or how what the clock says at bed time. It’s best if there are a few times that are predictable and personally relevant.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (Finally, a new one.)
Calendar…
Friday, January 13—Early Release for School Planning
Monday, January 16—No school
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Book Review--Yum! Yuck!
Book Review
Yum! Yuck!
written by Michaela Morgan
illustrated by Dee Shulman
Reviewed by Room 302
In this story there is a mother grizzle and a baby grizzle. The mother is trying to figure out what he wants on his pizza. The baby grizzle doesn’t want anything like a slimy slug, or a slimy snail, or a fishy tail, or some spiders on its crunchy pizza. And then finally she finds out.
A good part is when the baby grizzle always says, “Yuck! That’s what I want, that’s what I want, that’s what I want up there!”
We recommend this book because we think it’s good. You should read this book if you like discovering animal and bugs.
Yum! Yuck!
written by Michaela Morgan
illustrated by Dee Shulman
Reviewed by Room 302
In this story there is a mother grizzle and a baby grizzle. The mother is trying to figure out what he wants on his pizza. The baby grizzle doesn’t want anything like a slimy slug, or a slimy snail, or a fishy tail, or some spiders on its crunchy pizza. And then finally she finds out.
A good part is when the baby grizzle always says, “Yuck! That’s what I want, that’s what I want, that’s what I want up there!”
We recommend this book because we think it’s good. You should read this book if you like discovering animal and bugs.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Book Review--My House is Your House
Book Review
My House is Your House
written by Carmen Tafolla
illustrated by Gilles Eduar
Reviewed by Room 302
This book was about being nice to people who were hungry, tired, and lost. It’s about letting strangers and animals in the house, which we normally don’t do. They let a little girl in a red dress with blond hair in, and a tired guy with ten tired kids, too. On almost every page, they said “Mi casa es su casa.” which means “My house is your house.” in Spanish.
Jasen’s favorite part was when the tired guy with ten tired kids came up to the door. Noah’s favorite part was when the crickets came up to the door. Justyn liked when the ten thousand termites came up to the door.
Kindergarteners and library people might like this book because it’s a really good book. People who like animals would like this book. So would people who like meeting or helping others.
My House is Your House
written by Carmen Tafolla
illustrated by Gilles Eduar
Reviewed by Room 302
This book was about being nice to people who were hungry, tired, and lost. It’s about letting strangers and animals in the house, which we normally don’t do. They let a little girl in a red dress with blond hair in, and a tired guy with ten tired kids, too. On almost every page, they said “Mi casa es su casa.” which means “My house is your house.” in Spanish.
Jasen’s favorite part was when the tired guy with ten tired kids came up to the door. Noah’s favorite part was when the crickets came up to the door. Justyn liked when the ten thousand termites came up to the door.
Kindergarteners and library people might like this book because it’s a really good book. People who like animals would like this book. So would people who like meeting or helping others.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Book Review--The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Book Review
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
written by Eric Carle
illustrated by Eric Carle
Reviewed by Room 302
There was a little egg laying on a leaf at the beginning. And then the caterpillar cracked out of the egg in the morning. He was very hungry. He ate through one apple on Monday. He ate different foods every day of the week. On almost every page he kind of got a little bigger.
The illustrations are really good because they look so cool. There is a pattern on the sun. We think you should read this book because it has good illustrations and a good ending. When we read this book, it made us feel hungry.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
written by Eric Carle
illustrated by Eric Carle
Reviewed by Room 302
There was a little egg laying on a leaf at the beginning. And then the caterpillar cracked out of the egg in the morning. He was very hungry. He ate through one apple on Monday. He ate different foods every day of the week. On almost every page he kind of got a little bigger.
The illustrations are really good because they look so cool. There is a pattern on the sun. We think you should read this book because it has good illustrations and a good ending. When we read this book, it made us feel hungry.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Newsletter 13
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 13 http://room302.blogspot.com
Friday, January 06, 2006
Dear Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the time off of school. It seems to go by so fast, but it’s good to be back. Here’s what’s going on…..
In reading….
I watched my boys at home during the past two weeks. I’d call them readers, but I rarely saw them pick up reading material on their own. I’m not sure why, since our house is filled with things for them to read. It reemphasized for me the importance of reading to them each day. I wish they would initiate more, but I’m not waiting around for it to happen. And when they do choose to read, I notice they usually choose things they’ve heard before, which is just one more reason to make sure they get lots of exposure from us.
In writing….
Our special project this week is writing thank-you notes to people. It seems like a good time of year to do this. It’s also a perfect way to practice lots of important writing skills, including thinking about purpose and audience.
In math….
We made new calendars again for January. The art technique we used was collage. This is favored by the illustrators of many popular picture books, including Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, and Lois Ehlert. This also was a good way to review some of our previous concepts, like contrast, horizontal, vertical, and shapes. You may want to point out different types of collages as they occur in your read alouds at home.
Party …
Our holiday party was excellent. Thanks to everyone able to contribute in some way. It just feels like a very nice vibe to have the room filled with people involved in purposeful and enjoyable activity.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne (we’re very close to the end)
Calendar…
Tuesday, January 10—PTA Meeting, 6:30
Friday, January 13—Early Release for School Planning
Monday, January 16—No school
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Friday, January 06, 2006
Dear Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the time off of school. It seems to go by so fast, but it’s good to be back. Here’s what’s going on…..
In reading….
I watched my boys at home during the past two weeks. I’d call them readers, but I rarely saw them pick up reading material on their own. I’m not sure why, since our house is filled with things for them to read. It reemphasized for me the importance of reading to them each day. I wish they would initiate more, but I’m not waiting around for it to happen. And when they do choose to read, I notice they usually choose things they’ve heard before, which is just one more reason to make sure they get lots of exposure from us.
In writing….
Our special project this week is writing thank-you notes to people. It seems like a good time of year to do this. It’s also a perfect way to practice lots of important writing skills, including thinking about purpose and audience.
In math….
We made new calendars again for January. The art technique we used was collage. This is favored by the illustrators of many popular picture books, including Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, and Lois Ehlert. This also was a good way to review some of our previous concepts, like contrast, horizontal, vertical, and shapes. You may want to point out different types of collages as they occur in your read alouds at home.
Party …
Our holiday party was excellent. Thanks to everyone able to contribute in some way. It just feels like a very nice vibe to have the room filled with people involved in purposeful and enjoyable activity.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne (we’re very close to the end)
Calendar…
Tuesday, January 10—PTA Meeting, 6:30
Friday, January 13—Early Release for School Planning
Monday, January 16—No school
Friday, February 3—Jesse’s Birthday
Tuesday, February 7—Levy Vote
February 20-24 –Mid-Winter Break
Wednesday, February 22—Aubree’s Birthday
Friday, February 24—Kayla’s Birthday
Sunday, February 26—Lukas’s Birthday
Sincerely,
Jeff
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Week of Monday, January 2
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Busy, Busy Christmas Weeks
Today was our first day back from the winter break. We did lots of interesting things while we were off school. Jeff went to the ocean for New Year’s Eve and stayed at a hotel with a big water park. Savannah went to a hotel with a pool next to the Family Fun Center and got to see lots of relatives. Taylor went to Canada and there was a whole bunch of snow that he used to make snow blocks. The snow blocks were 2 feet wide and 35 inches tall, and he used them to make a snow fort. He also made a big slide, and when he went down it a bunch of snow got inside his jeans and froze his legs. Before Christmas, Rien went to dinner at his grandma’s friend’s house and had lots of candy, and he got to see his uncle who is only six years older than Rien is. Kaelyn went to a sleepover party and her friend had lots of friends there and they got to stay up until midnight and do fireworks. Cameron and her dad went to her grandma’s house and set off about ten packs of fireworks. Mckayla went to her cousin’s house to sleep over because her parents went snowmobiling with her aunt and uncle and Mckayla didn’t want to go. Ashley played with her new toys from Christmas: her favorite one is a little television with a DVD player. On December 27, Justyn went skiing without any poles down the bunny slope, and he was a “bullet down the hill.” Donna went all the way down to Georgia to see her cousin. They ran out of gas, but luckily there was a gas station nearby. And they finally got there and her cousins were so happy to see them, and Donna felt the same way. Shelby went to Jesse’s house and played Play Station 2 with Jesse. Jesse went to his grandma’s house (but not when Shelby was visiting him.) He drove all the way to Yakima to see her. When he woke up on Christmas morning, there were billions of presents. His grandma and his poppa got him a little quad: it was a 90. Kevin got a brand new dirt bike from Christmas. Then he went up in the mountains to drive in the snow in it. Then he bumped over a rock and did a wheelie, but he didn’t crash—he kept going. Jasen went to spend the night at his grandma’s house on New Year’s Eve. He got to stay up until midnight and bang pots and pans together. Everyone had fun, and we’re glad to be back together.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Different Collages
Yesterday we made different collages to go with our January calendars. It was cool. It looked awesome. First, Mrs. W.-R. showed us how to make the collages. Then after she showed us how to make the collages we went back to our classroom and got all our stuff ready and made our collages.
Everybody made different ones. We cut out little scraps or we could draw a picture and then cut it out, and then glue it to the paper. Some people glued their pieces onto a piece of paper that was peach-colored. Other people didn’t use the peach-colored paper. They just glued theirs onto the black piece so it would look like it was night time. Some people even made doors, and when the people opened the door, there would be something inside it, like a firefly, people, turtles, hills or writing.
After everybody was done with their collages, we all sat down on the carpet and got a picture of the collages.
Friday, December 16, 2005
12 Days of Christmas Giving
This is our version of The Twelve Days of Christmas. We did it as a special project. You can also enjoy it, read by the authors, on the video.
On the first day of Christmas,
Shelby gave to her dad,
1 big, pretty picture.
On the second day of Christmas,
Mckayla gave to Savannah,
2 pretty dresses.
On the second day of Christmas,
Justyn gave to Mr. Kurtz,
2 Brett Favre coffee cups.
On the third day of Christmas,
Ashley gave to her dad,
3 speedy race cars.
On the third day of Christmas,
Abby gave to Logan,
3 cuddly teddy bears.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
Jasen gave to Lukas,
4 transformers.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
Kayla gave to Taylor,
4 silky stuffed animals.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
Travis gave to his sister, Sierra,
5 dresses for her teddy bears.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
Taylor T. gave to her family,
5 sparkling stars.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Aubree gave to Cameron,
6 skirts and shirts.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Rien gave to his dog,
6 scoops of dog food.
On the seventh day of Christmas,
Kevin gave to Jordan,
7 transformers.
On the eighth day of Christmas,
Taylor gave to Taylor,
8 boxes of graham crackers.
On the eighth day of Christmas, Jamie gave to Casey,
8 pretty Bratz dolls.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
Savannah gave to Cameron,
9 beautiful outfits.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
Cameron gave to her mommy,
9 pretty dresses.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
Jordan gave to his mom,
10 tickets to Las Vegas.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Kaelyn gave to Anna,
11 noisy tap shoes.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Jordan gave to Mr. Kurtz,
11 sharp pencils.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Jesse gave to his bus driver,
12 boxes of chocolate.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Lukas gave to Santa,
12 boxes of cookies.
On the first day of Christmas,
Shelby gave to her dad,
1 big, pretty picture.
On the second day of Christmas,
Mckayla gave to Savannah,
2 pretty dresses.
On the second day of Christmas,
Justyn gave to Mr. Kurtz,
2 Brett Favre coffee cups.
On the third day of Christmas,
Ashley gave to her dad,
3 speedy race cars.
On the third day of Christmas,
Abby gave to Logan,
3 cuddly teddy bears.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
Jasen gave to Lukas,
4 transformers.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
Kayla gave to Taylor,
4 silky stuffed animals.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
Travis gave to his sister, Sierra,
5 dresses for her teddy bears.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
Taylor T. gave to her family,
5 sparkling stars.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Aubree gave to Cameron,
6 skirts and shirts.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Rien gave to his dog,
6 scoops of dog food.
On the seventh day of Christmas,
Kevin gave to Jordan,
7 transformers.
On the eighth day of Christmas,
Taylor gave to Taylor,
8 boxes of graham crackers.
On the eighth day of Christmas, Jamie gave to Casey,
8 pretty Bratz dolls.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
Savannah gave to Cameron,
9 beautiful outfits.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
Cameron gave to her mommy,
9 pretty dresses.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
Jordan gave to his mom,
10 tickets to Las Vegas.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Kaelyn gave to Anna,
11 noisy tap shoes.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Jordan gave to Mr. Kurtz,
11 sharp pencils.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Jesse gave to his bus driver,
12 boxes of chocolate.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Lukas gave to Santa,
12 boxes of cookies.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Week of Monday, December 12
Monday, December 12, 2005
We switch jobs every Monday. Each person gets a job. The jobs are line leader, caboose, closet, pass out, lunch, snack, floor, writing center, books, calendar and board, pencils, and shelves. The jobs are fun, and they help the classroom look good. They also help you make new friends because you have to work together with your partner to get it done.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Lukas’s mom brought the puppy in today. It’s a really cute puppy. It doesn’t have a tail so it won’t get in danger, so the cows won’t kill it. That’s why they cut off the tail. It’s very soft. It’s kind of yellow and white. The breed is a Welsh Corgie.
Lukas’s mom also helped us with the Christmas presents. She helped us with tying the ribbons. It was great to have her here.
We switch jobs every Monday. Each person gets a job. The jobs are line leader, caboose, closet, pass out, lunch, snack, floor, writing center, books, calendar and board, pencils, and shelves. The jobs are fun, and they help the classroom look good. They also help you make new friends because you have to work together with your partner to get it done.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Lukas’s mom brought the puppy in today. It’s a really cute puppy. It doesn’t have a tail so it won’t get in danger, so the cows won’t kill it. That’s why they cut off the tail. It’s very soft. It’s kind of yellow and white. The breed is a Welsh Corgie.
Lukas’s mom also helped us with the Christmas presents. She helped us with tying the ribbons. It was great to have her here.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Newsletter 12
2005-2006 Room 302—Newsletter 12 http://room302.blogspot.com
Monday, December 05, 2005
Dear Families,
Wow! What a week; what a show! Thanks so much to all who worked so hard on learning parts and getting kids here last night. It was great to see all the hard work have such a great pay-off. I was reflecting on what a wonderful experience the whole thing was. The students chose their parts, read and reread over and over, worked alone, worked together, spoke, listened, and had a lot of fun doing it. I wasn’t able to video-tape the evening show, but I did tape our class performing the play in our room, and I taped the dress rehearsal we did for the school, so look for that on the circulating video tape.
Reading…
It’s amazing to hear students analyze the Gingerbread Boy now, in terms of who is the main character, what the main character wants, and what he or she does to get it. Rereading and performing help them think deeply about the story, because they’ve become so familiar with it. In our discussion today, possible main characters included the old man, the old woman, the fox, and the gingerbread boy. The great thing was that students could make a case for each of these characters being the most central. We’ll continue to have these conversations, both individually and as a group, as the year progresses.
Writing …
Our new special project is creating a class book based on The Twelve Days of Christmas. The twist is that we’re thinking of things to give, rather than to get. Also, I’m trying to get more kids’ writing on the blog, so you may want to check in from time to time. The shared writing was difficult lately so you saw less news there, but I think we’re back into routine, now.
Party…
Our party will be Friday, December 16 at about 1:40. The main activity will be building gingerbread houses. Let me know if you did not get a note about this already, or if you can’t remember what I asked you to bring, or if you are unable to provide what I requested. I just want to make sure we have what we need by Friday. Another activity will be decorating their own cookies, and we’ll need extra frosting and decorations for that. And, of course, the other “main” activity will be eating, so if you can donate fruit, vegetables, juice, or something else, just let us know. Savannah’s mom has again kindly offered to help coordinate this, so please give her a call and let her know if you can help with the cookie decorating or snacks.
Wish List …
One thing I don’t have is a big analog clock. The one in the room is digital, but I’d also like one with hands so we can work on telling time. And the bigger, the better. So if you have an old one you’d like to donate, please let me know.
Another thing I use every day is a big desk calendar (22”x17”). We write in important dates and keep track of our days and months. Unfortunately, the one I have ends in December. So if you have access to an inexpensive or free one, we’d love it.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Calendar…
Friday, December 16—Holiday Party, 1:40 p.m. Friday, January 13—Early Release
December 19 – January 2—No School, Winter Break Monday, January 16—No School, M. L. King Day
Tuesday, January 3—School Resumes
Sincerely,
Jeff
Monday, December 05, 2005
Dear Families,
Wow! What a week; what a show! Thanks so much to all who worked so hard on learning parts and getting kids here last night. It was great to see all the hard work have such a great pay-off. I was reflecting on what a wonderful experience the whole thing was. The students chose their parts, read and reread over and over, worked alone, worked together, spoke, listened, and had a lot of fun doing it. I wasn’t able to video-tape the evening show, but I did tape our class performing the play in our room, and I taped the dress rehearsal we did for the school, so look for that on the circulating video tape.
Reading…
It’s amazing to hear students analyze the Gingerbread Boy now, in terms of who is the main character, what the main character wants, and what he or she does to get it. Rereading and performing help them think deeply about the story, because they’ve become so familiar with it. In our discussion today, possible main characters included the old man, the old woman, the fox, and the gingerbread boy. The great thing was that students could make a case for each of these characters being the most central. We’ll continue to have these conversations, both individually and as a group, as the year progresses.
Writing …
Our new special project is creating a class book based on The Twelve Days of Christmas. The twist is that we’re thinking of things to give, rather than to get. Also, I’m trying to get more kids’ writing on the blog, so you may want to check in from time to time. The shared writing was difficult lately so you saw less news there, but I think we’re back into routine, now.
Party…
Our party will be Friday, December 16 at about 1:40. The main activity will be building gingerbread houses. Let me know if you did not get a note about this already, or if you can’t remember what I asked you to bring, or if you are unable to provide what I requested. I just want to make sure we have what we need by Friday. Another activity will be decorating their own cookies, and we’ll need extra frosting and decorations for that. And, of course, the other “main” activity will be eating, so if you can donate fruit, vegetables, juice, or something else, just let us know. Savannah’s mom has again kindly offered to help coordinate this, so please give her a call and let her know if you can help with the cookie decorating or snacks.
Wish List …
One thing I don’t have is a big analog clock. The one in the room is digital, but I’d also like one with hands so we can work on telling time. And the bigger, the better. So if you have an old one you’d like to donate, please let me know.
Another thing I use every day is a big desk calendar (22”x17”). We write in important dates and keep track of our days and months. Unfortunately, the one I have ends in December. So if you have access to an inexpensive or free one, we’d love it.
Current Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
Calendar…
Friday, December 16—Holiday Party, 1:40 p.m. Friday, January 13—Early Release
December 19 – January 2—No School, Winter Break Monday, January 16—No School, M. L. King Day
Tuesday, January 3—School Resumes
Sincerely,
Jeff