January 26, 2017

Happy Kindness Week!  The children have amazed me this week with how kind and helpful they have been with me, as well as one another!  I hope you  have seen some of the kindness week spilling over at home, as well! 😄

We have been learning about Arctic/Polar Animals and are becoming quite knowledgable!  Animals that we have discussed include: penguins, polar bears, walruses, beluga whales, seals, and more!  This past week, we did a fun science experiment on blubber!  We acted as scientists and asked the question: does blubber keep polar animals warm?  We put one hand inside of a blubber glove (2 ziploc bags inside one another with crisco shortening in between) and submerged them into ice water. 

Then, putting another hand inside a ziplock bag with no "blubber", we noticed the difference.  We recorded in our science notebook what our hand looked like in the blubber glove and then recorded our findings on our scientific sheet.  This past week, we learned how to do a research project.  We read a passage (on polar bears) and highlighted evidence that we found.  We put that information on a "web" and then used it to write sentences about polar bears.  Adding a drawing of a polar bear to the cover finished our research packet, but then it was time for a craft!  😃  We LOVE crafts!

This one was ESPECIALLY fun because we got to use shaving cream!! Using glue mixed with the shaving cream, we smeared it on a black circle to make a fluffy polar bear.  Everyone loved getting their hands messy!

This month, we have been studying the fairy tale: Goldilocks and the 3 Bears.  We have heard several versions of the story and focused on the setting, characters, and sequencing of the story.  We made our favorite character from the story and wrote about why they were our favorite.

In math, we continue to focus on number combinations and addition problems to 5.

Miss Whitaker focused on 3 social/emotional lessons to help us calm down this week.  We have also been role playing different scenarios of how to react in certain situations.

Miss Whitaker thought it would be fun to have lunch together with the students to get to know them better.  She has had a great time getting to know each child more personally!

Upcoming Dates:

Friday, Feb. 3 - Walk-a-thon at school - Wear Red
Wednesday, Feb. 8 - Primary night at Warren Newport Library

Friday, Feb. 10 - Primary Valentine's Parties

Monday & Tuesday, Feb. 13-14 - Mobile Dentist

Tuesday, Feb. 14 - Happy Valentine's Day!

Friday, Feb. 17 - Favorite Book Character Day 

Friday, Feb. 17 - SIP -Early Release 12:10

Monday, Feb. 20 - No School - Presidents Day

PTA Upcoming Events:

Wed. Feb. 1st  -  Wendy's Fundraiser 5-8pm (no flyer needed just mention PTA) 

Sat. Feb. 4th  PTA Outing: Chicago Wolves  7pm-10 pm (see website) 

Sat. Feb. 11th Donuts for Dads Paint Events 10-11 am  @ Ceramics for You (see website) 

Tues. Feb 14th- Valentine's Family Night  5-7pm @ Ceramics for You (see website) 

Wed. Feb. 15th - Jimano's Fundraiser (flyer needed) 

Welcome Back! January 9- 12, 2017

I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing winter break with your families.  It was great to see all those smiling faces on Monday!  Everyone had lots of stories to share.

Miss Whitaker joined our class this week...we are so excited to have her with us for the next several months!  She read the books The Snowy Day and Peter's Chair  by Ezra Jack Keats and we watched the movie of The Snowy Day.  Then, she did a comparison chart with the children, discussing the main characters, as well as the beginning, middle and end of each of the stories.  

We began learning about Arctic Habitats.  We played a game to learn about the topic and then worked in small groups to sort animals that belong in the Arctic/ animals that do not.  

This week, we began number combinations of 3 in math.  We will be spending several weeks on    

                           combinations as it is an important concept for the children to grasp.  

Since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the reason we have no school on Monday, we learned a little bit about him and made our own renditions of him :) 

This week: 

It's  a Glow Party!

Don't forget to come to the PBIS Family Night this Wednesday evening.  Miss Whitaker and I will both be there so be sure to say "HI!"  There will be lots of prizes, raffles, and everything will be glowing!!! 

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, Jan 18- Glow party- PBIS Family Night

Friday, Jan. 20- Report Cards go home

Kindess Week is Coming!!  January 23-January 27

Kindness Week Activities:

Monday 1/23- Wear different color socks or shoes

Tuesday 1/24- Crazy hair day

Wednesday 1/25 - Wear sports attire/favorite team colors

Thursday 1/26 - Favorite hat day

Friday 1/27 - Pajama Day

Winter Party!

Thank you to the room parents for a FANTASTIC Winter Party!  Everyone had a great time!  There were games (throw the snowball, blow the cottonball into the snowman's mouth, fishing for candy canes), dancing, crafts (decorating a tree, making penguins).  It was truly a wonderful time!  Thanks to everyone who sent in items for the goody bags, too.  They were amazing, too!