Room 103 Newsletter November 16, 2009
Dear Families,
I look forward to seeing you all for conferences on Monday and
Tuesday, Nov. 23 and 24. If you haven’t yet confirmed your conference time
please be sure to drop me a note tomorrow. I scheduled the conferences a
half-hour apart so that we would have a few extra minutes if needed. Let’s
plan to wrap up after twenty-five minutes max. If we need more time,
however, I’d be happy to schedule a follow-up. If I’m still in a conference
a couple of minutes before your scheduled time, just knock on the door; it
will be a welcome reminder that will keep me on schedule! If you arrive late
we may need to reschedule so that I don’t delay parents attending following
conferences.
Thanks to all parents who are helping their children remember those
orange homework folders—due every Monday. The kids are doing a great job of
turning them in on time. Hooray! Homework is really rolling.
Speaking of homework, I’m sending the Sunshine Math challenge math
page home with children who turned in the previous page. This is an entirely
optional homework page. If you originally chose not to do Sunshine Math but
would like to start receiving the pages, just drop me a note in the agenda.
You may have noticed the note under the name line on the Sunshine Math pages;
it says that by signing kids are certifying that they “did their own
thinking.” Don’t hesitate to support your child as needed due to that note.
I’m not a bit worried that parents are out there completing children’s
homework for them. Instead, it’s important for children to be able to talk
to you about difficult problems so that they can achieve understanding.
What’s up in Room 103 this week? We’ll be working on parts of
speech, sight words, reading fluency . . . Math will include continuing the
frames and arrows problems that you’ve seen in the math homework, patterning,
introducing dimes, and number stories. In centers we’ll be reading about a
day in the life of a Wampanoag Indian boy, playing Everyday Math games, using
adjectives (“describing words”) to describe the wild and feathery handprint
turkeys we’re creating, and writing about staying healthy as we put together
a Healthy Habits collage. Also a BrainPop Jr. lesson about Thanksgiving in
the computer lab.
This is a good season to give a big thank you to our classroom
volunteers. Tracy H., Suzanne S., Paola, Emma D., Elsa R., Mary Q., Michelle
B., Corinne S.: You are SO appreciated. My old kindergarten teacher buddy
Paula Knarr has begun to come in once a week—thank you, Paula! Along with
student teacher Jenna and HHI Marcy, we have wonderful adult support, and can
use every minute we can get in order to push along the learning. Thank you!
Season’s best,
Kak
