February 13-16

A big G'Day on this chilly Monday morning. What a terrific job the students did sharing Aussie slang at this morning's Town Meeting. Thanks to all who turned up to watch.

Valentine's Day is this Tuesday and the students can wear red, pink, white or purple. Uniform bottoms are not required. We will have a snack and exchange Valentine's in the afternoon. If you have not already sent in a Valentine's card for your child, please do so. I still have not received cards from a few families.

On Wednesday, is Relay for Life Cookout. Students can wear purple tops with their uniform bottoms on this day to launch relay. Sage dining will not be available on this day, so please pack your child's lunch if you did not order them a hot dog.

Reading Week will be the week of February 21 - 24. Monday, the 20th, is a school holiday for President's Day. We begin the week on Tuesday with Character Day! The children are to choose a character from a favorite book to come to school dressed as that day. They need to bring the book with them and be prepared to present orally to our class about the book and character. We will parade in costume with our books at Town Meeting that morning. We will be having an all lower school read in the courtyard that week as well. Friday of that week is the Oldie Goldie Book Sale. You may begin bringing in your donations of books this week!

Science week is also coming up soon and we are collecting clear, 2L soda bottles for the terrariums we will be making. Please send in one clear, plastic, 2L soda bottle. I am also looking for a parent to help me prep the terrariums.

Here is what else is happening in the classroom this short school week.

Language Arts
* Phonics - r-controlled or, ore, our
* Spelling - store, pour, sore, short, ignore, factory, important, explorer, fourteen, forgotten
* Reading - George Washington and other biographies
* Fluency - Good readers use their storytelling voice
* Comprehension - Biography - Using a graphic aid and timeline to summarize important events in a person's life
* Robust Vocabulary - elected, government, leader
* Grammar - Present-Tense Action Verbs
* Writing - Finish publishing personal narratives and small moment narratives
* Handwriting Without Tears - n and m

Mathematics - Unit 6 (Whole-Number Operations and Number Stories)
We begin a new math unit this week so be on the lookout for the new Family Letter that your child will be bringing home. In the context of number stories, children will review earlier work with addition and subtraction and begin formal work with multiplication and division.
This week we will cover:
* Addition of three or more numbers
* Comparison Number Stories
* Data Day: The Four Food Groups (collecting, sorting, tallying, and graphing skills)

You will also receive the Unit 5 Math Assessment your child did last Friday. Please review this with your child and return to school.

Social Studies - Asia
* Scavenger Hunt (A through z)
* Where is Asia; Famous Places in Asia

Science - Growth of a Plant
* Thinning and transplanting