2.9.24

 Ask Your Child About...

• Community Building 
• Happy Birthday, Orion!
• Friday Gathering 
• 2nd Grade Lunar New Year Presentation 
• Morning Meeting
• Playing Wordle & Solving Other Word Challenges
• Ways to Approach Big Challenges
• Welcoming High School Mini Gusto Helper. Thank you, Savannah!
• Indoor Recess Fitness Challenges to Stay Active!

• Writing
• Essays 
• 2nd Essay started!
• Outline & Flash Draft
• Incorporating Notes From Group Discussions 
• Citing Research From Various Sources

• Reading
• Planning and Prepping for Debates 
• Organizing Debate Order with a Group 
• Plannign Ahead for a Rebuttal 
• 2 Rounds of Debates with Special Guests!
• Read Aloud 
• Finished Darnell Rock Reporting by Walter Dean Myers
• Word Study 
• Test #6 on Monday 

• Math
• Continuing Feb. Calendar (multiplying fractions to find the area of different items)
• Introducing the Collection Theme (relationship between liters, deciliters, and milliliters)
• Using The Reverse Area Model to Solve Division Problems & Writing and Solving Division Story Problems
• Division Showdown Game
• Unit 3 Review Jeopardy
• Unit 3 Assessment (Decimals & Division)

• Science
• STEM Fair - Worked on Hypothesis (due to loss of school day, materials list due date is postponed to end of class Monday)

Announcements:

• Wednesday- February 14th - VALENTINE'S DAY 
• Bring a box in before Valentine's Day to decorate - This will be where students collect their candy and cards. It could be a shoe box, a tissue box, a cereal box, or something of that size. 
• Cupcake Competition (optional)- Forms were sent home last week. If they still want to participate and haven't submitted a form yet please have them bring it signed on Monday!
• Candy Grams - $5
• Forms sent home in folders
• Candy delievered on Valentine's Day
• Friday, February 16th - NO SCHOOL 
• Teacher Workshop Day 
• Monday, February 19th- NO SCHOOL In Observation of Presidents Day
• Enjoy the Agriculture Fair over this long 4 day weekend!
• SUMMER PLANNING!
• Please Fill Out This Summer Adventure School Parent Survey 

Photos From The Week: 

2.2.24

 Ask Your Child About...

• Community Building 
• Happy Birthday, Ramsey!
• Monthly SEL Lesson 
• Self Love and Self Confidence 
• Morning Meeting
• SEL Topics: Working as a Team, Making Good Choices, & Managing Stress
• Anagrams
• Wordle 

• Writing
• Essays 
• Outlines 
• Flash Drafts
• Citing Sources
• Partner Feedback 
• Editing Checklist 

• Reading
• Research and Note Taking
• Reading with a group 
• Taking sides to prep for debate

• Math
• Completing January's Number Corner Calendar & Collection
• Beginning Feb. Number Corner Calendar - Using Area Model to Multiply Fractions
• Playing Color Ten Version 2 - Multiplying a Fraction by a Whole Number and Representing it on a Grid
• Metric Conversions
• Adding and Subtracting Decimals - Give & Take and Constant Difference Strategy Review

• Science/Health & Wellness
• Ms. Dykstra's Solar System Tour 
• STEM FAIR
• Completing Research & TUrning in NOtecards
• Identifying Variables (Independent, Dependent, & Control)
• VARIABLES SONG
• Creating a List of Sources

Announcements:

• Wednesday- February 14th - VALENTINE'S DAY 
• Bring a box in before Valentine's Day to decorate - This will be where students collect their candy and cards. It could be a shoe box, a tissue box, a cereal box, or something of that size. 
• Cupcake Competition (optional)- Forms were sent home this Thursday. Please sign and submit by February 9th if your child wants to participate. 
• SUMMER PLANNING!
• Please Fill Out This Summer Adventure School Parent Survey 

Photos From The Week: 

1.26.24

 Ask Your Child About...

• Community Building 
• Morning Meeting
• Playing Wordle
• Categories Game with Different Letters
• Videos/Discussions 
• perseverance, useful vs. spinning worries, not giving up
• Friday Gathering 
• Ms. Coles' middle schoolers presented on composting 
• GAINS Lesson - Ms. Velez
• Congratulations to Nora for being nominated by her teachers for most flexible thinker!

• Writing
• Published Ag Fair Soil Poem
• Taking Notes on Chocolate Milk Debate
• Planning essay for debate

• Reading
• Continued Reading Darnell Rock Reporting by Walter Dean Myers 
• Researching Flavored Milk Bans 
• Choosing a group topic to research from the options below:
• Should insects be served in food? 
• Should we discontinue pennies? 
• Should sports be divided by boys and girls?
• Should Antartica be promoted as a tourist destination?

• Word Study 
• Started list #6 with NEW word study groups 
• Capitalization Mazes 

• Math
• Continuing to Update January Calendar (graphing patterns) & Collection (multiplying fractions and converting it to time or money amounts)
• Decimal Multiplication
• Example:

• More Decimals
• on a number line
• comparing, rounding, adding, & subtracting

• Science
• STEM Fair
• Finalized Groups/Projects, & Topics/Questions
• Set Up Google Folder & Doc
• Began Research/Notecards
• 5-10 notecards per group/project due Tuesday 1/30

• Global Perspectives 
• Winners of Healthy Shopping Project: 
• Best Budgeting: 
• Healthiest Options: 
• Most Meal Variety: 

Announcements:

• Monday, Jan. 29th - Lower School Afterschool Clubs Begin Next Week!
• Clubs meet from 3:45 to 4:30pm 
• Sign Up Form HERE

Photos From The Week: 

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1.19.24

 Ask Your Child About...

• Community Building 
• Morning Meeting
• Behaving Respectfully 
• Perspective Taking 
• Practicing Empathy
• How to Disagree 
• GAINS Monthly Lesson
• Ms. Velez taught us about flexible thinking!

• Writing
• Newspaper Edition #3 Planning 
• Ag Fair Soil Poem
• Taking Notes on Chocolate Milk Debate

• Reading
• STAR Reading Check-Point 
• Researching Flavored Milk Bans 
• BUDDY READING 
• Today we had our first weekly reading session with 1st Grade!

• Math
• Continuing to Update Calendar (graphing color patterns) & Collection (fractions of money and time for allowance and screen time)
• Playing Color 10 vs. Ms. Hill
• New Work Station Game - Target One
• Charting Fractions & Decimals
• Constant Difference Subtraction Strategy for Decimals 
  
  
  

• Science
• STEM Fair
• Lesson on Types of STEM Fair Questions
• What is the effect of _____________ on _____________? 
• Which/What _________ (verb) _________________?
• How does the ____________ affect _____________?
• Working with their group to brainstorm topic & questions

• Global Perspectives 
• Healthy Grocery Planning on a budget
• Worked in pairs to create a meal plan for a week using instacart.com 

Announcements:

• Friday, Jan. 19th - Spaghetti BINGO at 5-7pm in Pavilion 
• Monday, Jan. 29th - Lower School Afterschool Clubs Begin!
• Be on the lookout for the club sign-up sheet SOON
• Clubs will run for 6 weeks - ending the week before Spring Break

Photos From The Week: 

1.12.24

Ask Your Child About...

• Community Building 
• Morning Meeting
• Happy Birthday, Nora!
• Deciphering anagrams
• Teamwork, biggest dreams, empathy, appreciating diversity, naming emotions
• Nora's Birthday Celebration!

• Writing
• Writing SMART Goals
• 2024 Agomograph 
• Letter to MLK Jr. 

• Reading
• Reading SMART Goals
• Unit 3 Preassessment 
• Researching Debatable Issues 
• NEW Read Aloud Book
• Darnell Rock Reporting by Walter Dean Myers

• Math
• Beginning January Calendar Pattern and Collection
• Graphing patterns on a coordinate grid and writing its equation in y=mx+b form
• Collecting money amounts and time (including having to find fractions of a dollar or clock)
• Decimal Subtraction on a Number Line
• Removal vs. differencing strategies
• Getting to a friendly number 
  
• Extending the Great Wall of Base Ten
• Finding fractions of a decimal grid
• Labeling 1/1,000 and 1/10,000
• How to Input a Fraction on a Calculator (ie fraction sign is the same as division)
• Playing Draw and Compare Decimals vs. a Partner
• Playing Round and Add Tenths with a Partner
• Decimal Equivalencies Work Sample & Decimal Place Value Checkpoint 1

• Science
• STEM Fair Topic Survey
• Topic and Question Brainstorming

• Global Perspectives 
• Matching Sources with Purposes
• Healthy Eating Review 

Announcements:

• No School This Monday, January 15th - MLK Day
• STEM Fair Packet - Back page signed by a parent and student by next Wednesday Jan. 17th
• Calendar is also linked on the main blog page HERE and will be updated there as needed (also see photo below for where to find it on the blog)
  
• Lastly, there is another copy of the full calendar below on this blog post
• Announcement From Robyn Brunson
• Cambridge International Sessions for Lower School Parents - Parents, join school administrators on Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 4 - 5 p.m. for updates on our implementation of Cambridge International and the exciting plans for the 2024-25 school year. Please feel free to leave your little ones in After Care (free of charge) and join us for an engaging session! 

Photos From The Week: 

MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
1/8 through 1/19 In Class - Topic and Question Brainstorming	1/23 Group Topic and Question Due	1/24	1/25	1/26
1/29	1/30 Research (Note Cards) Due	1/31	2/1	2/2 Bibliography & Variables Identified Due
2/5	2/6 Hypothesis Due	2/7	2/8	2/9 Materials List Due
2/12	2/13 Procedure Due	2/14 Start Experiment	2/15	2/16 NO SCHOOL - Faculty Workshop Day
2/19 NO SCHOOL - Presidents’ Day	2/20	2/21	2/22	2/23
2/26 Finish Experiment!	2/27 Data & Results Due	2/28	2/29 (Leap Year!)	3/1 Project Title & Chart(s)/Graph(s) Due
3/4	3/5 Printed/Emailed Photos of Experiment Due	3/6	3/7	3/8 Conclusion and Abstract Due SPRING BREAK 3/9-3/17
3/18 Display Board Due to School	3/19	3/20	3/21	3/22 Final Board Due
3/25 In Class Presentations	3/26 In Class Presentations	3/27 In Class Presentations	3/28 NO SCHOOL - Spring Conference Day	3/29 NO SCHOOL - Easter Break
4/1 NO SCHOOL - Easter Break/Transfer Day	4/2 SET UP BOARDS IN GYM	4/3 STEM FAIR JUDGING	4/4 CLASSES/COMMUNITY VISIT STEM FAIR	4/5 TAKE DOWN BOARDS

12.21.23

 Ask Your Child About...

• Community Building 
• Morning Meeting
• Christmas Carol Practice
• Holiday Raffle Assembly 
• We raised over $800 for CCT's Calico Cats Youth Theatre Program 
• Field Trip to CCT
• Winter Concert 
• It was so nice to see so many families come out to support our musicians!
• Paytan's Birthday Celebration!

• Writing
• Finished Gingerbread Scripts 
• Newspaper Edition 2!
• PDF copy attached to this week's email

• Reading
• Readers Theatre 
• Voted on favorite script of the 6 options 

• Science/Crafts
• STEM Fair Overview
• Brainstorming will begin when we return from break!
• SLIME Experiment!
• Making Parent/Family Gifts

Announcements:

• Monday, January 8th - WINTER BREAK ENDS & SCHOOL RESUMES

• STAR Assessments - You will receive your child's results over Winter Break!

Photos From The Week: