Week of February 13, 2012

Hi Families,
Thank you for sending your children to school each day with their snow gear! Although it is a lot of clothing to send, the children love playing in the snow and they stay warm when dressed appropriately.
Children go outside during every lunchtime (unless the weather is really bad). Thank you also, for sending inside shoes/slippers. It helps keep our classroom floor dry.
Special Events
Valentine's Day:
This Tuesday be sure to send your child with the valentines he/she made for our crew members. Also, please send a box for the valentines that will be given to your child. We DO NOT have a party or food treats. Instead, the children take turns during the day to deliver their valentines to each child's box. Children go to their boxes during the day and read the valentines they have been given. The children LOVE this occasion!
PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY FOOD TREATS E.G., CANDY with valentines. There are two reasons for this request:
1.  We have a number of children with severe food allergies.
2.  When a few children bring treats the children who didn't bring any feel as though they should have.
      Thank you for helping keep our crew community happy and and safe!
Expedition Activities
Our bulbs are growing and changing fast! The children have been observing the changes and recording them through scientific drawings and writing. If you have a chance do come in and look at the incredible bulb drawings (above the children's cubbies). I am also in the process of putting the scientific drawings and writing on the wall by the windows so that everyone can see the wonderful work your children are producing. I think we just may see a few flowers bloom this next week!
Writing
Last week we wrote about the bulbs. In addition, the children started simple note writing. We have a mailbox in the classroom where the children put their written notes. I scan the notes to see if friends can "read the writing" before delivering the notes. I certainly don't expect correct spelling but writers are expected to write with spaces, take time to sound out words (and sometimes use the word wall), and write tidily enough that their writing can be read by others. The children are excited about this new genre of writing.
Reading
The children read to their plants every day in addition to reading with me and reading with buddies. Crew members are increasingly able to choose "independent books"(books they can read and be able to figure out any unknown words easily).
Math
The children have been measuring and recording the growth of their bulbs every few days. Then we make a graph of the results and discuss which bulbs are: tallest, shortest, and what height most bulbs are shown to be. We have also been learning money games and doing simple computation activities on the iPads.
IAs
This week the children go to Music.
Students as Teachers

Recently Rachel came to school with a book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Rachel had carefully covered certain words so that the crew could read the rest of the words and predict what the covered words would be (this is a way to focus on meaning and is a method I use quite often). Rachel got to use the document camera and read the book with our crew. Of course her peers liked Rachel's lesson better than Ms. Kathy's!

See you tomorrow,
Kathy