February 23, 2012

Weekly Buzz Newsletter

Room A4 – Mrs. Briscoe

Has your child met their goal of taking at least 1 AR test a week? Students are allowed to read books checked out of the public library and even books you have at home. Just log onto to find out the level of the book. The level is listed as BL (Book Level). Here are the top students from the past week. Tests were taken from Thursday, February 16 to Wednesday, February 22.

  • First Grade – Cooper (5 books), Tannin (3 books)
  • Kindergarten – Renae (4 books), Max (4 books), Ava (3 books)

First grade students continue to take timed math facts tests “Caterpillar Math.” Please help your child begin to memorize the math facts by playing games and using flashcards.

Our field trip to the Lawrence Hall of Science for first grade is only two weeks away. Permission slips are due now. Please also submit your donation to help cover the cost of the field trip if possible.

Kindergarten Parents: Do you have Scrabble at home? If so, take out the letters and spell CVC words with your child. In class we are using the vowels “a” and “i”. The kids are getting really good at spelling words. Try playing a game with them to see how many words they can come up with on their own.

The Science Fair is on March 15th from 6-8 pm. If your child is interested in participating, they need to submit a Science Fair Packet by February 24th. Packets can be picked up in the office.

Doorstep Farmers are coming to John Swett! For information and to sign-up, please visit their website at or call 925-349-4568. Doorstep Farmers will donate at least 5% of each box purchased to John Swett! This will be an ongoing fundraiser.

Spring Box Top Promotion ends on May 31, 2012. Keep collecting box tops and remember to include your name and room number on the back of each one if you want to be included in the drawing. There is a collection bag in the classroom.

In order to help your child develop fluency, daily reading is recommended. Please continue to encourage a minimum of 20 minutes a day and send in your child’s AR folder at least once a week. Students should be taking at least 1 AR test a week. Don’t forget that you can create a personal book list on the county library website. Once you create a personal book list, you can then request titles from the list to be placed on hold. The books will be sent to the branch you choose, and are ready to be picked up just a few days later.Try using to find a list of books at your child’s level.

Upcoming Events:

  • February 27 – Nick VIP
  • February 29 – Minimum Day 12:00 dismissal for 1st grade. Kindergarten is on their regular schedule.
  • March 5 – Ava VIP
  • March 7 & 8 – Enrichment Sign-ups
  • March 8 – First Grade Only – Field trip to Lawrence Hall of Science (Chaperone’s are unlimited)
  • March 12 – Tannin VIP
  • March 15 – Kindergarten Only – Field trip to El Campauil Theater
  • March 15 – Science Fair 6:00-8:00 p.m.
  • March 17 – ShamROCKin’ Auction
  • March 23 – Family Bingo Night
  • April 6 – Recycle Fashion Show
  • April 22 – Golden Skate
  • April 24 – Kindergarten Only Field Trip – Mt.Wanda
  • May 17 – Walk-a-Thon
  • May 22 – Open House
  • May 24 – First Grade Only – Field Trip to Oakland Zoo
  • June 1 – Kindergarten Only – Field Trip to Smith Family Farm
  • June 5 – First Grade Music Performance – 6:30pm
  • June 8 – Field trip to Nancy Boyd Park – Full Class
  • June 8 – Last Day of School