February 1, 2012

Dear Families,

As we enter the month of February, I am amazed at how quickly this year is going by. Today marks our 93^rd day of school, which means we are more than half way through the school year. I am so proud of the progress the children have shown since the month of September.

Language Arts

During the month of January the children learned that when vowels a, i, o or u are followed by –nk or –ng, we slide the vowel sounds and –nk or –ng together. They also learned that the letters s, l, f, and z are doubled at the end of a word with a short vowel. Sometimes we call these letters “Party Letters” because they like to be together in words. A couple of weeks ago we focused on magic e. An e is magic if it is at the end of a word and follows the pattern: single vowel, consonant, e (VCe). The magic e is silent and never says a sound. The magic e performs its magic by jumping over one consonant and making the vowel say its long sound. The magic e can only jump over one consonant. This week we are learning that a vowel team is a combination of two vowels that usually represent a long vowel sound.

In Writer’s Workshop, we continue to work on the unit Writing for Readers. During this unit the children are reminded that their stories are being written for someone else to read. With that in mind, I want the children to work harder and in new ways so that others can read their writing.

Math

During the month of January we finished up Unit 6, which focused on addition, subtraction and the number system. We are now working on place value. Our focus in this unit is that children understand that two digits of a two digit number represent amounts of tens and ones.

Science

We have been working on a unit about Solids and Liquids. In this unit, the children are expanding their awareness of the properties of solids and liquids. Some things they will learn are that solids and liquids can be described by their properties. Some properties of solids are color, shape, ability to roll or stack, hardness, magnetic attraction and whether they float or sink. Some properties of liquids are color, tendency to flow, degree of viscosity or fluidity and whether they float or sink in water.

Social Studies

On January 19^th Johnny the K came to visit Memorial School. As usual, he entertained us with his witty sense of humor and repertoire of fun and exciting songs. Just like we teach at Open Circle, Johnny emphasized how important it is for the children to show good character in all that they do. We also learned about Martin Luther King Jr. and his important dream.

On Tuesday, February 14^th we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. Please have your child bring in a valentine for every child in the class. Attached, I have provided a class list. Children may start to bring their valentine’s in starting Thursday, February 9^th.

Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up again. They are scheduled for Tuesday, March 6^th and Thursday, March 15^th. If you prefer a particular date, please email me or send a note in as soon as possible and I will try my best to accommodate you. Please remember that the children will have a half day on these dates.

Reminder

Wednesday, February 8^th is a half day due to a Professional Development Day. Children will be dismissed at 11:40.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Paula Grace

OUR

VALENTINE

CLASS LIST

Ava

Kylie

Andie

Ceci

Zane

Sarah

Nikki

Jacob

Isaiah

Molly

Caleb G.

Emily

Amelia

Chris

Caleb M.

Sophia

Jack

Leo

Bobby

Olivia

Annie