Well, We Are Off to a Great Start This Year. the Kids Have Been Working Hard Learning A

A-7 October Newsletter

Well, we are off to a great start this year. The kids have been working hard learning a new classroom routine. We are finishing up chapter 2 in Math, practicing good grammar, writing daily, and reading often. I have finished up my testing so our Guided Reading groups should begin soon.

I wanted to thank all of the parents who came to Back to School Night. I think I had a pretty good turn-out. It was nice to meet so many of you this month.

It seems that the children have mastered the homework routine for the beginning of the year. Handwriting is done once for every day we are in school. Math worksheet (WS) pages are being completed as assigned. They are reading and filling out the Reading Log, one line on the log a day. The Math Calendar is being filled in with addition, subtraction and some multiplication practice. Any practice is good practice. (I will be collecting September Calendars on Wednesday)

Starting this month, some new homework assignments will be sent home: Reading Book-It and the Yellow Math Folder.

Reading Book-It

This is an optional reading and writing assignment. Book-It is sponsored by Pizza Hut. I am asking children to read a chapter book, which they already do, and then write a 6-8 sentence summary of the book on the pumpkin paper that will be coming home on Wednesday. If the pumpkin is turned in by October 31st, the student will get a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Each month, I will send home a different summary sheet, and if completed, students can get the free pizza coupon. The promotion runs until April.

Yellow Math Folder

The Yellow Math Folder will be given out on Mondays and is to be returned by Friday. It may be returned any time during the week, with that week’s assignment completed. The purpose of this folder is to look at and understand all the parts of a story problem, also called a word problem. Children are asked to identify the question being asked and the parts of the story that can help solve the problem. They must solve the problem, showing their work and labeling all answers. Finally, they must explain how and why they solved the problem the way they did. The work in this folder may not reflect work done in the classroom, however most solutions will require addition and subtraction skills. Most problems are 2-step problems and reflect items they will encounter on the PSSA.

I also want to thank the parents for continuing to check the homework and sign the Homework Book daily. If a child can’t complete an assignment, for any reason, please write a note in the Homework book. If there are any questions about assignments or how to do something, please don’t hesitate to contact me. E-mail is best, as I can reply much more quickly.

Please write absence excuses and change of dismissal notices on separate sheets of paper, as I have to turn these into the office.

Orchestra

Lessons will be starting on Friday, October 7th. Students will be getting their instruments at their first lesson. Remember, if you have any questions about orchestra or the lessons, please contact Ms. Oksyuk.

Book Fair/Scholastic Book Order

I want to apologize. I got excited by the free book coupons that I received and sent out an October Book order very quickly. This last Friday I found out that our School Book Fair is also going to be in October. The Book Fair will be from the 10th-17th. Family Night will be the evening of the 13th, and our class will be visiting the Fair during our Library class on the 14th (the day our book order is due). Our free book coupons are only good this month, so I am going to extend the class Book Order deadline until Friday the 29th.

November Presidential Election

I’m sure you might have heard that we have a Presidential election coming up in November. I will NOT actually be focusing on the 2 main candidates, but will be teaching them about the election process during the month. Scholastic has a wonderful site that I will be using, if you would like to preview the videos and slides. The site is election.scholastic.com. (Then click on Scholastic News Election 2016) I will be showing them: Words to Know; Videos: The Presidency, On the Campaign Trail, and Political Party Time; Road to the White House; Electoral College Map; and Meet the Candidates.

Reminder: Please be careful what is said about the candidates and the election in the home around our children. They will repeat your views and opinions to the class.

STEM/STEAM

At least once a week, our students will be completing a STEM or STEAM activity. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Some people also include the Arts to this, which is where we get STEAM. I believe the main focuses of these activities can be teamwork, creativity, thinking outside the “box”, and persistence.

This month, our students were given an “Art” activity, which focused on creativity, thinking outside the “box”, and for many of the students, persistence. Students were given an outline of an apple on a paper and asked to create an original design. They had to plan and sketch out their ideas before they were allowed to draw. After they drew, they needed to self-evaluate and decide if it was their best work, or if they could improve it. After answering a few questions, they could add to their work, or get a new paper and start over. Many students started over several times.

Here are the finished products. I’m so proud of their creativity.

Midnight in the Spooky House

Your child wrote a story called Midnight in the Spooky House. The finished stories and pictures are hung in our class showcase. They did a great job. Ask them about their story.

Important October Dates

October 3rd- 4th – No School Rosh Hashanah

October 5th- IMPORTANT!!!!! Picture day is October 5th. Each envelope has the child's name and an electronic code. The teacher sheet says that every child needs to have their personalized envelope in hand whether or not they are purchasing pictures. Please send the envelopes back to school on October 5th. Picture Day (Bring your envelope and a smile) our scheduled time is 2:50 PM

October 5th – Chapter 2 Math Test

October 6th - Home and School Meeting (6:30 in the library)

October 7th – Science Quiz on Investigation 1; Orchestra Lessons Start – students will get their

instruments at their first lesson

October 4-9th – Fire Prevention Week – We will have a fire drill this week

October 10- 13th – Mad Science After School Program begins

October 10-17th – Book Fair; Family Night 13th; Our class Library Visitation 14th

October 14th – Sciencetellers Assembly in the morning

October 27th – Halloween Happening 6-8 PM (more information to follow)

October 28th- Halloween Parade 2:20 (classroom party-in-a-bag to follow)