We Made the News!

Dear Parents:

Did you catch our class on Fox 13 news? Our class was filmed on Friday delivering our gifts to the gym. If you didn't catch the live feed, you can go to their website and watch the video. At the end of this blog, I have also posted a short video clip that I made with my new Flip camera - a gift to myself! Thank you again for your participation in the gift drive. You were all so very generous! You have truly made our adoptive family's Christmas a brighter one!

I was also finally able to get the Thanksgiving slideshow posted. Enjoy it at the end of the blog as well!

Reminders!

Our holiday party is this Friday! A flyer went home today in your child's folder reminding you that they come to school in their jammies for our Pajama Breakfast Pary! They will have PE that morning, so please make sure they have on or bring tennis shoes. As always, everyone is welcome! You can wear your jammies too! It is also Spirit Day on Friday. If your child wants to change out of his/her pajamas, they can bring a uniform or spirit clothes to change into. Dismissal is at noon on Friday.

There will be no reading folder this week, but PLEASE continue to READ, READ, READ over the holidays!

Please be sure to return the word ring on Thursday. We must have the rings returned to school before the holiday break.

Volunteers this week:

• Tuesday - Art - Cynthia Biondi (12:00)
• Thursday - Library Check-out - Julie Piper and Molly Camp (2:05)
• Friday - Parent Reader - Leigh Harting (During the Pajama Breakfast Party!)
  

What's Up this week in 1-4?

Reading/Language Arts: We are working on words with the r-controlled vowel, as in her, bird, and nurse. The comprehension focus is on Main Idea. The grammar focus is on using he, she, it, and they correctly in sentences. The word wall words this week are always, nice, by, please, Cow's, room, and join. The robust vocabulary words this week are captured, mercy, struggling, compatible, amiable, and relax.

Math: We are finishing Unit 4 this week. Please look for your child's Unit 4 Checking Progress to come home in the next few days. Please continue to review the skills at home. We will also begin Unit 5. During the month of January, we will focus on: Place Value: Tens and Ones; Greater than, Less than; More than, Less than number stories; Dice Sums; Turn-Around Facts (3+2=5 2+3=5); and What's My Rule?

Writer's Workshop: We continue to write personal narratives and have been working with our writing partners to help us with planning and adding more detail. Ask your child what "no excuse" words are!

Partners work together during Writer's Workshop

Science/SS: Our Solar System study continues this week! I am sure you read about it in Ebytes, but John S. from Mrs. Densa's class brought in his telescope last Tuesday to show the children sunspots! So cool! This week we are learning what it is like to be an astronaut. Ask your child how an astronaut sleeps and eats in space!


In addition, we celebrated Gabby's 7th birthday last Friday! This week we will celebrate Anna's on Thursday!

Can you believe this is our last week together in the 2010 school year? The time is flying by! I hope each of you has a fun, safe, and relaxing holiday with your families! It is a great time to read, play games, and just spend quality time together.

See you on January 4, 2011!
Susan

Important Reminder!

A reminder that an updated student information form needs to be submitted for every Shorecrest student. Forms can be downloaded from the Parents Info page from the Community Link on the Shorecrest website (http://www.shorecrest.org/?page=ParentsPage). Remember to fill out the form electronically, save the file using your child's first and last name, and send it via email to forms@shorecrest.org. A separate form needs to be completed for each child. If you are having trouble with the form, or would prefer to complete a hard copy, please contact Judy Roberge at jroberge@shorecrest.org or (727) 456-7513.

Brrrrrrr!!!!!!!

Mrs. Jordan helps us with Two-Fisted Penny Addition

Working on our solar system folders

Livvi's mom was a great parent reader on Friday!

Dear Parents,

Wow! Maybe it really is almost winter! It's cold outside! Please make sure that your child dresses appropriately for the colder weather. We were out at Town Meeting early this morning and it was quite chilly! Remember that we eat outdoors and have PE and recess, so the children need sweaters and jackets! I know that some of these items may have been bought at the uniform sale or traded with a friend. Please check the name inside to be sure that YOUR child's name is in the sweater/sweatshirt/jacket.

The children are getting so excited to see how our gift drive boxes are filling up! What a great way to make someone's holiday brighter and at the same time reinforce the life skill of generosity to our children.

The children are also getting excited about our upcoming holiday party! It will be on Friday, December 17th at 8:30 am. Your child may wear his/her pajamas to school that morning! If they want to change for PE, please send a uniform in their bag. All parents are welcome to join us and wear your PJ's as well!

Even with all of the excitement of the season, we are still working hard in our classroom. Here is a glimpse of what is going on this week:

Language Arts: The phonics focus this week is on the digraphs /kw/qu, and /hw/wh. We will also be practicing more with the inflections -ed and -ing. Our high frequency words (word card words) are about, books, family, name, people, read, work, and writing. In reading, our main genre focus will be on biographies (stories about the events in the life of a real person), but we will also be talking about realistic fiction (made-up stories that could happen in real life) and comparing the two genres. Our comprehension focus will be on sequencing the events in the stories we read. Knowing the order of the events can help us to better understand the information. Our robust vocabulary includes the words cozily, interrupted, triumphantly, accomplishment, ambition, and admire. In grammar we will be learning when to use the words I and me.

Writer's Workshop: We will be working on personal narratives this week to correlate with the biography genre study.

Math: We will be working on several strategies for addition and subtraction this week. Ask your child what "Fact Power" is!

Science: We are into our unit on the solar system and the children are loving it! If anyone has anything that you would like to share with us, please let me know!

Volunteers this week:

• Tuesday - Art - Mai Nguyen (12:05)
• Thursday - Library Check-out - Ailsa Hudson and Cynthia Biondi (2:05)
• Friday - Math Game - Mai Nguyen (9:00)
• Friday - Parent Reader - Molly Camp (2:15)

Have a great week and stay warm!
Susan

It's December!

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed the week together with your families. I began the Thanksgiving break visiting and taking care of our grandma in Neptune Beach (Jacksonville area). We are so thankful that we were able to spend her last few good days with her. She passed away on Thanksgiving night and we celebrated her life at her funeral service yesterday. She was an amazing woman who lived on this earth for 103 years and her mind was as sharp as a tack for all of those years!

The children have been in good hands the last 3 days while I have been with my family. I will return to school in the morning. I'm looking forward to seeing the children!

Here is what is going on in our classroom this week:

Language Arts: Our spelling focus is on the r-controlled vowel /ar/ as in "farm". We are also practicing adding the inflections -s, -ed, and -ing to words. Our focus skill in comprehension is on the author's purpose/point of view. We are also learning practicing writing the names of holidays and remembering that they begin with capital letters. Our wall words this week are again, feel, house, know, loud, Mrs., put, and say. Our robust vocabulary words include approached, energetic, pace, blunder, reassure, and excel.

Writer's Workshop: We are continuing with our poetry unit this week.

Math: We have begun to practice telling time to the quarter hour. We also are working on our math facts with domino math, number lines, and with the number grid. We also begin our number scrolls this week, so if you have not sent in the paper towel tube and clean, empty Pringles can, please do so no later than Friday. These will be used to make our number scrolls.

Science: We have begun our new unit on the Solar System this week.

Other important events:

The gift drive started this week! Last week you should have received a letter with details about the family our class is helping. Our life skill of the month is generosity. What a great way to reinforce this skill with your child by bringing in a gift for a family in need!

The Strategic Plan Symposium will take place on Saturday, December 4, from 8:30-3:00 in the Crisp Gym. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

The Lower Division Holiday Sing Along will take place on Friday, December 17, at 11:00 for grades K – 4 in the Janet Root Theatre.

Volunteers this week:

• Tuesday - Art - Kristen Danielson (12:05)
• Thursday - Library Check-out - Valerie Pillot and Kristen Danielson (2:05)
• Friday - Math Game - Kristen Danielson (9:00)
• Friday - Parent Reader - Leigh Harting (2:15)

Wow! This nice cool weather arrived December 1! How appropriate!
Enjoy it!
Susan