Happy Friday Families!

We just wrapped up another productive week of learning! Students have been adjusting well to our schedules and routines. The flow between synchronous and asynchronous learning is smooth, and students have become quite adept at submitting assignments and making use of the resources available to them.

Did you know that each day of the week we have a special routine that we incorporate into our class meeting? Today was "First Chapter Friday" where I just the first chapter of a book to the kids, hoping to entice them into wanting to read the rest on their own! Be sure to ask your student what I read today, and also have them tell you about our other daily routines!

If your students are involved in band or orchestra, please make sure that they have checked their schedule on the days they attend and are aware of their designated lesson time.

Literacy

*We finished up our first shared reading book of the year—Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley. We’ve used this text as a springboard for several reading and writing learning targets thus far, such as summarizing text and identifying a theme in what we read. This book has also connected nicely to our study of ecosystems in science. Be sure to ask your student about what he/she has learned about vernal pools and spadefoot toads!

Writing

*Students are in the process of writing their first narrative stories of the year! After utilizing graphic organizers to plan, students have started to develop their stories through the use of a detailed sequence of events and effective character development. Encouraging students to infuse dialogue into their writing has also continued to be an emphasis. 

Math

*Our students are continuing their work with writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses as well as demonstrating their understanding of how to find the volume of rectangular prisms. We have also started “dabbling” in division, although mastery is not yet expected. We also began our “Number Corner” routine during asynchronous work. Here, students practice skills in such areas as computational fluency and problem solving (in addition to several others) on a daily basis. 

Social Studies

*We started our discussion on the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levels and branches of government and in different times and places.  Over the last several weeks, the focus of asynchronous social studies lessons has revolved around why America declared its independence from Britain. 

Science

*We are continuing our focus on ecosystems. During asynchronous learning, students will be learning more about how the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers contribute to a food chain, and ultimately, a food web. 

Upcoming Events

Sept. 28 - No School/District Holiday

Sept. 29-Picture Day (see Principal’s message for details)

Oct. 8-Family/Educator Conferences

Oct. 9-Family Educator Conferences (No school)

Oct. 12-Columbus Day (No School)