Week of November 28th

Welcome back! Wasn't it wonderful to have an entire week off to relax, travel, and enjoy all of the things we are thankful for? It was great to see the kids today and jump back into a regular routine. The next few weeks will be packed with fun and exciting things!

As we go into the holiday season, the students will be learning/researching in class about different holidays/traditions around the world. If you are interested in sharing with the class a special holiday or tradition, please let me know. We will also be studying Europe.

Please note that the Scholastic Book Orders are due December 5th so that we can assure they will be in before Winter Break. In the past, I have had parents order books for their children as gifts. If this is something you are interested in, please send me an email so that I know to hold the books and arrange a time for you to get them instead of sending them home with the child. Books make great gifts!!

This week in Language Arts we are getting back into the routines of Reader's Workshop. We are continuing to strengthen the practice that Good Reader's Talk Back to Books. Some ways we may talk back to our books are using flags to mark where our brains and hearts make us think: Uh oh!, Wow!, No Way!, Yes!, Too Bad! We can further our thinking or our partners thinking by asking: What makes you say that? Another great practice is to journal about our reading as well! Thank you for supporting and encouraging this kind of work at home!

This week in Math we are working on the following: Parts-and-Total Number Stories, Explorations of Temperatures, Money and Shapes, and Temperature Changes.

This week in Science we are working on the following: Dissolving in Warm and Cold Water. Before the break we continued our experiments on separating solids. We have even formed salt crystals. We are having a blast being scientists!

This week in writing we are working on writing for readers. We will be learning and reinforcing skills that help make our writing stronger. We want people to be able to read our writing and understand what we are writing. There is so much in this unit that will make your kiddos much better writers!

HOLIDAY GIFT DRIVE! Please send in your gifts wrapped and tagged with the child's name as well as the family number. Anne Healy sent out an email before the break where you can sign up to mark what you have purchased to help avoids duplicates.

From Anne: You have been invited by Anne Healy to sign up for "Mrs. McKenzie's Gift Drive List." Please click on the link below to view the online sign up sheet.

To sign up, go to:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/mrs2981

We will be going on our first field trip on December 6th at 9:00. We will be visiting a local hydroponic farm. You are welcome to meet us there. We will only be there about an hour or so. The address is:
First Fruits Hydroponics
3215 46th Ave. N.
St. Petersburg , FL 33714
Their website: http://ffhydro.com/

Have a wonderful week!