Week 15

Weekly Greetings!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. It was nice to have a short break, but we will be back to a normal routine for the next few weeks before Christmas vacation starts. There will be another early release day this Friday, so student swill be out at 2:15pm. Also, I have medical appointments that day and there will be a sub in my class. For that reason, I will not send home any homework on Thursday night just to simplify some things while I am gone.

As for last week, it was short but full of excitement for Thanksgiving, not to mention the delicious lunch served on Wednesday by the kitchen staff! We did focus on some historical facts about the Pilgrim's and their journey to the new world. The students also got to watch a DVD version from Peanuts about the Pilgrims that actually had a lot of historical details. In addition, we read and discussed a short poem on things to be thankful for. Then the students shared what they were thankful for in a brief sentence and drew a picture to match.

 Have a fantastic week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 14

 Weekly Greetings!

The fresh snow was a big hit for recess this week! The students created all kinds of games, went sledding on the hill, or just enjoyed rolling around in the new layer.

In between our regular academics during the week, we did make time to do an art project and create a festive holiday turkey. The students were pretty proud of their finished project.

Some students tried out a new math tub on problem solving during math this week. The district has purchased a number of supplemental materials to add to the math and language art curriculum, and I am starting to integrate some of the ones I have signed out.

This will be a very short week, but I am sure everyone is looking forward to a nice break for the long Thanksgiving week-end. I will be sending homework home on Monday and Tuesday night this week with next week's spelling words attached. It won't the students to get a little extra practice. Please remember that there will be an early release on Wednesday, and dismissal will be at 2:15pm that day. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 13

Weekly Greetings!

Hopefully this week will be a little warmer than the last, and I would like to remind you again to send warm winter gear with your child each day. They will play outside for recess down to 20 below and some students still do not have snow pants or winter boots.

Last week few by with a few additional events to supplement our usual routine. On Wednesday, the class watched a play put on by the high school drama class, and then the school counselor came into class to discuss bullying. He presented a well-done video by a young music celebrity that seemed to really resonate with the class. He will return in a few weeks to continue this focus on social skills.

The highlight to the week was on Friday when the class participated in the Veterans Day program. They waited patiently for their part in the program and were so respectful through the whole program.

It began with the flag ceremony, some patriotic songs, and special readings from a variety of students. There was also a special speaker.

There was a role call of veterans attending the ceremony, and then each branch of the military was honored using their theme song. The students all wore patriotic hats and did a great job on all the songs they sang. It was a wonderful way to end the week.

The students will be continuing work on the district writing assessment this week, in addition to our regular reading and math programs.

I hope you have an awesome week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 12

Weekly Greetings!

As you all could easily guess, the highlight from last week was Halloween. On Tuesday we used a pumpkin as a language arts and math lesson.  We read a short read aloud about a runway pumpkin and acted out the stages of grown a pumpkin goes through. Then we addressed some pumpkin facts, measured the circumference, and weighed a pumpkin before carving it. The students voted on shapes for the face, and helped clean out the seeds for roasting.

 The next day, we got a group shot with the class pumpkin and all the students in their costumes. And then it was time for the school parade and our party. Thank you for all the goodies that were sent in!

This week, on Wednesday we will have a visit from the school counselor and on Friday there will be a Veterans Day Ceremony from 2-3pm in the school gym. I hope many of you can make it. The students have been practicing patriotic songs in music as part of the ceremony.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown