December 6, 2010

A note from Ms. Poteet…



On Tuesday we are going to visit the Book Fair at 12:00. Parents are welcome to attend and eat lunch prior to visiting the Book Fair (at 11:29) if they would like. If you would like your child to purchase books please send in a check made out to Harmony Elementary or send in cash. A flyer containing some of the books that will be available at the Book Fair was sent home last week in the Wednesday Folder.


Our class Christmas Party is scheduled for December 17th at 8:30 am. Parents are welcome to volunteer to help out. More information will be sent out soon!

Look for your child’s persuasive letter to Santa in the Oldham Era on December 23rd! The kids worked really hard and are eager to be local “celebrities.”

Please continue to send in non-perishable goods for our Canned Food Drive. All of the food will go to needy families in Oldham County. We are collecting canned goods (soups, meats, vegetables, juice, fruit, pasta sauce, pie filling), cereal, rice, baby food, Jello, pudding, packaged food, beans, croutons, dried fruit (raisins, apricots), nuts, and any other non-perishable food. Thank you for your support in helping out children to learn about caring and sharing with others. The food needs to be sent in by December 2, 2010.

Our class has adopted a 13 year old boy for the holidays. He enjoys playing basketball, football, and soccer. He attends one of the Oldham County’s middle schools. If your family would like to help this boy and haven’t signed up please send me a note or e-mail me. I will let you what the child needs and what size clothes he wears. Please don’t just send an item in, because we want to make sure all of his needs are taken care of. Thanks for all of the families who have already sent in the pink flyer pledging to donate an item. All items need to be sent in by December 15, 2010.

What are we learning?

Reading Workshop
We are continuing our author study on Jan Brett. We are going to read several of her books and make text-to-text connections to each of the books.

Writing Workshop
This week we are practicing writing friendly letters. Remember to look for your child’s Santa letter in the Oldham Era on December 23rd. Family journals will be sent home on Friday. Please take time over the weekend to read your child’s letter to you and respond.

Word Study
This week, we will explore the word families –et, -eg, -en. Ask your child about the word family chants for all three. We will also learn how to read and write these words that will be added to our Word Wall: did, what, see. Have your child sing you the songs for these words.

Math
In math we are learning to use a number line to solve addition and subtraction problems, skip counting by tens, making and extending patterns using pattern blocks, and practicing using counters to solve addition problems.

Everyday Math Home Link
Family Note:
Top-It reinforces number recognition and helps children learn to compare two numbers to decide which one is greater or less. (You may remember this game as War.)
Activity:
You will need a deck of cards and at least two players. Shuffle the deck of cards and divide it between two players, turning the cards face down on the table. Players turn over their top cards and read the number aloud. The player with the greater number keeps both cards. If both players get the same number, they turn over the next card on their stacks until one player wins and takes all of the cards for the round.

Social Studies
The students are going to be overjoyed that we are starting our unit on Holidays around the World. We will discuss our own holiday traditions and learn about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the legend of the poinsettia.

Reminders
*Send in a healthy peanut-free snack and water bottle (with a pull up spout) every day.
* Our classroom gets very chilly sometimes. Please send in a light jacket or sweater for your child to keep in their back pack
* Sign your child’s weekly planner every night!
* Library book due every Friday!

Related Arts Schedule


Monday Art
Tuesday Music
Wednesday Music
Thursday Music
Friday Music