Weekly News April 4-8, 2016

Report cards:  Today you will receive your child’s report card. Please sign and return the envelope by Tuesday. You may keep the report card. Returning the signed envelope lets me know that you have received it. Please let me know if you have any questions about your child’s progress.

Tissues:  Our classroom supply of tissues needs restocking. We are currently out of tissues. Thank you to anyone who is able to bring in a box to help us out.

Tuesday is an Early release Day. We dismiss at 12:15. Please send your child to school with a healthy snack to enjoy. We will be taking a snack break in the morning.

Homework: A new writing assignment will be sent home today. We will be writing about a country. Please let me know if you have any questions. This assignment is due Friday, May 6th. The reading log and math packet are due on Friday. Please return them in the yellow folder. Please make sure you sign your child’s reading log.

Language Arts: The boys and girls are very excited about their narrative writing about a ride they have experienced. Ask them to tell you about it. We will have a visit from local author April Jones Prince. We will read a few of her books this week. We will be reviewing or and ar words.

Mathematics: The boys and girls did a great job on our fraction unit. Their test will be coming home this week. Please sign and return it to me. We will be working on using inches and feet to measure height and length. We will be measuring to the nearest inch and nearest foot. Please see the Home Connection Letter for ways you can support your child at home.

 Ways you can help at home: Explore which country your child would like to read and write about for the writing assignment. Have your child practice his/her narrative story about a ride out loud for you. We are working on stretching out the main event with thoughts, observation, action, dialogue and sounds. Read and discuss stories together.

Video of the Week

Continents and Oceans

Weekly News March 28- April 1, 2016

Homework: We are on the final week of the writing assignment. This assignment is due Friday, April 1st. The reading log and math packet are due on Friday. Please return them in the yellow folder. Please make sure you sign your child’s reading log.

Language Arts: We will be studying r controlled vowels for the next several weeks. We are beginning with or and ar. We are going to be revisiting Two Bad Ants. We will reading closely to identify all the descriptive language the author used. We will also be discussing the author’s message. We will be working on narrative writing for the next few weeks. We will begin by writing a story about a ride they have experienced. We will read the mentor text Roller Coaster to kick off this writing.

Mathematics: We will be finishing up chapter 12 on Fractions this week. The children have really enjoyed learning about fractions. We will work more on adding and subtracting like fractions.

 Ways you can help at home: Talk about what you think the most important event is in a fiction book you are reading with your child. Explain your reasons one. The important event ties to the solution or author’s message. Look for the r controlled vowels or and ar. Have your child share what he or she knows about fractions. Look for fractions in real life. Gather writing ideas for about a ride.

Video of the Week

Understanding Fractions

Weekly News March 21-25, 2016

Homework: We are on the third week of the writing assignment. This assignment is due Friday, April 1st. The reading log and math packet are due on Friday. Please return them in the yellow folder. Please make sure you sign your child’s reading log.

Language Arts and Science: We will be studying long i. The students will be learning how igh makes the long I sound. We will be reading Two Bad Ants. We will work on inferring. We will be writing some poems this week and reflecting on our trimester 2 writing as we put our pieces in our binders.

Mathematics: We are learning about fractions. The students will be reading, writing and identifying unit fractions for halves, thirds, and fourths. Students will learn that fractions are equal parts of a whole. We will be comparing and ordering fractions. Students will learn about adding and subtracting fractions. Students will not be expected to have complete mastery of comparing, ordering and adding fractions. This chapter is laying the foundation for next year.

 Ways you can help at home:? Look for long i words in your reading. Be on the lookout for words spelled with igh. Continue to read aloud to your child and have conversations about what you read. Talk about fractions of shapes. Maybe your child only ate half of their bread at dinner.

Video of the Week

Fractions, Fractions

Weekly News March 14-18, 2016

Homework: We are on the second week of the writing assignment. This assignment is due Friday, April 1st. The reading log and math packet are due on Friday. Please return them in the yellow folder. Please make sure you sign your child’s reading log.

Language Arts and Science: The boys and girls will be reading Reason for the Seasons by Gail Gibbons. We will be identifying the key details of each season stated in the text. We will be observing our experiment on the water cycle and reviewing the process. We will be writing our observations of the weather. Students will continue to practice the oa vowel team.

Mathematics: We will be reviewing chapter11 on money and taking our test on Wednesday. Students will practicing writing money amounts in both cents and dollar notation. We have talked about taking their time to carefully count money amounts. It is very easy to keep counting by value even when the coins change. For example they will keep counting by tens even when they get to the nickel. Students will need to figure out how much more is needed to get to a stated amount. They will need to figure out how much is left if they spend a certain amount. We will be beginning Chapter 12 on fractions late in the week.

Reminders: The fun fair for Spring Street School is on Sunday. It is also a lot of fun for the children and helps raise a lot of money for our school. I hope you can make it. Please see Mr. Mabie’s Spring Link for more information.

It is Spirit Week at Spring Street School. The Student Council planned fun days of dress for the week. Tuesday- Twin Day/Wednesday Inside Out or Mish Mash day Thursday- Book Character Friday – Sport Day. The Student Council planned fun days of dress for the week. They are also encouraging students to donate NEW children’s size pajamas, socks, and/or baby blankets to benefit Friends of Families in Transition who help those in central Massachusetts. There will be collection box in the front entrance area.  And on Friday Bring in like-new or gently used baseball or softball equipment…bats, mitts, pads, helmets, baseballs/softballs for Jordan’s Furniture Double Play Program.

 Ways you can help at home: Practice counting coins and bills. Talk about how to write it in dollar and cent notation. Show different ways to make the same value. Give your child real world stories to solve. Like you have a QDN and dollar. You spend 50¢. How much do you have left? Or I have $2.25 and want to buy a notebook for $3.00. How much more do I need? Look for long o words in your reading. Be on the lookout for words spelled with oa. Continue to read aloud to your child and have conversations about what you read.