Week of February 7th

Have I mentioned lately how proud I am of my students? Well, I am. We have been busy (as usual). Last week was very eventful for us. Thank you for coming out to view and support the hard work your kiddos did on the Australia Projects. I loved being a part of watching them grow as learners and teammates throughout this project. We began with a big idea and ended with some fabulous projects! They were so excited to share their projects with you and enjoyed the encouragement and feedback.

Grandparent's Day
Grandparents Day was so special! I love getting to meet the important people involved your children's lives. I love hearing stories and positive comments about what the kids are learning. I saw pride, excitement, and love. Even those students who didn't have grandparents or special friends, had a blast going around with "adopted" grandparents for the day! I posted pictures to the Shutterfly site.

Valentines
Thank you those of you who have already sent in your child's valentine. Please make sure they are sent in ASAP so that your child will have it to open on the 14th. See my earlier post for the details. I know Mrs. Davis sent an email regarding it as well. I will be sending the Scholastic orders in today. If you bought books as a gift for your child please let me know so we can arrange when you will pick them up.

DON'T FORGET: Conference Day is this Thursday. Please see the above page to double check your conference time. I am looking forward to it!

Special Project
The kids and I spend so much time talking about books and stories each day. As a mommy-to-be, one of the things I have been investing in is books for little Miss Finley. Your kids are such an important part of my life and Finley gets to hear them daily. I would like to do a project with them that I talked with them about last week. Please help your child pick out and bring in their favorite childhood story or 2 (in case we have duplicates). I am not talking about a chapter book, but more of a picture book that was read to them when they were young. I am going to have the kids read their favorite books while I record them. I will then make a CD to share with Finley as she grows up. That way she will get to learn their voices and experiences their personalities, while I get to remember them and the special role they played in my pregnancy. This will also give the students the opportunity to practice reading fluently and with expression!

Letters
The students wrote letters today to their grandparents and/or special friends to thank them for visiting with us. The children who did not have visitors chose to write to their grandparents who weren't able to come or wrote a thank you letter to the grandparents who they walked around with. Your child will have a bright 3x5 card today in their zippy pocket in their binder. Please write the address of the grandparent(s) and/or special friend (with proper names) and send back tomorrow. Thank you!

Upcoming Study/Project
Our story this week is a biography of George Washington Carver. This goes well with our study of nonfiction stories. This book is an introduction to the biographies that that the kids will be reading and researching this month. The students will be looking, here at school, for a biography they would like to read. They are to choose someone who has contributed something meaningful to others. Next week, they will begin the research phase of this project. The project has multiple layers and will end with the child giving an oral presentation as if they were that person! This is one of my favorite projects. I can't wait. More details to come. Please make sure to check the blog every Monday!

IMPORTANT ONLINE RE-ENROLLMENT INFORMATION:
We are excited to announce that we are moving to an online re-enrollment process! This will allow you to complete your enrollment contract online, as well as make payments online. We believe that this will save you time and effort.

You will no longer need to complete lengthy paperwork, as student information will be pre-populated on each student's individual enrollment form. Once the enrollment contract is submitted online, you will be able to print a copy of the contract for your records.

In addition, we are pleased to offer you an easy, secure online payment system to make electronic payments of tuition deposits, tuition refund plan payments, tuition, and donation payments. This convenient alternative for families will allow you to make electronic payments by e-check or credit card (Master Card, American Express or Discover only).

A convenience fee of 2.75% will be charged if you use a credit card; however, there is no fee for using e-check, which is a direct debit to your bank account. You will be receiving further information the week of February 16.

Here is what is going on this week:
Math: We are starting a new unit and with the new unit comes a new Math Journal. If you could have only seen the excitement as the students received their new journals. One even said, "We are growing so old!" We will be learning: patterns in counting, extending compliments of 10, and mental arithmetic. Please make sure to sign your child's math assessment from Unit 6 and send back.
Language Arts:

• Spelling words -- r-controlled vowel /ir/ ear, eer
• Comprehension -- locating information, using reference resources, and asking questions
• Grammar -- words that compare

Science: Last week the kids did an awesome experiment called Looking at Rust. We have been discovering how some solids and liquids react when they are mixed, forming a new substance, such as gas (in the last experiment). This week they investigated the production of rust. After rinsing steel wool samples in two liquids, water and vinegar, students observed and compared the rinsed steel wool to the dry steel wool. By observing an immediate change in color and texture in the steel wool that was rinsed with vinegar and feeling the warmth emitted from the cup, students began to understand the changes in color, texture, and temperature can be indicators of a chemical reaction. This week we will be conducting and experiment called: Writing Our Recipes for Change.

Writing Workshop: We will be wrapping up our Revision unit by publishing one of our stories.

Social Studies: The next continent we will be studying is Asia! If you are interested in sharing anything about Asia with the class, please let me know!

Have a wonderful week!