Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!

I know how much the kids loved the snow! This was the best kind of snow...it snowed enough for the kids to play and enjoy, and then it melted quickly! It's finally time for spring and warmer weather!

We are all excited for Spring Break! Here are a few things for you to know before our time off...

Pinebrook Triple Play:
With school cancelled yesterday, the Triple Play was also cancelled. Please watch for communication from the Pinebrook office regarding a make-up date. This event will be rescheduled.

Spring Break Reading Incentive:
Your child will bring home a Spring Break reading incentive today. This completed reading incentive is due on Tuesday, April 3rd. It is optional, but highly encouraged!

No School April 2nd and April 9th:
Friendly reminder that BOTH April 2nd and April 9th are Teacher Workdays/Professional Development days. The kids do not have school.

Yearbooks:
Pinebrook yearbooks are on sale now! Yearbooks may only be purchased online. To purchase a yearbook, go to ybpay.lifetouch.com and enter school code 7561118. You will be prompted through the order and payment process. The deadline to order a yearbook is April 29th. You must pre-order a yearbook if you would like your child to receive one.

Focus Areas for the Week after Spring Break:

• Reading-We will continue to learn about how to be a reading boss and use multiple strategies to decode tricky/harder words. When one strategy doesn't work, we try something else and keep trying. (Please encourage your child to try their strategies at home instead of telling them an unknown word).
• Writing- We are editing our small moments to add more details, write in a sequence, check for spelling, and use correct capital letters and punctuation. We will also complete a writing assessment to demonstrate growth in our writing. 
• Math- We will continue our Geometry unit by identifying the number of sides and vertices of plane shapes. 
• Science-We will continue to learn about matter and the states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas

Questions or comments? Please reach out!

Do you have something fun planned for Spring Break? I plan on lots of coffee and reading! Enjoy your time off! :) 

Weekly Update!

Hello Everyone!

Happy St. Patrick's Day (a day early)! I'm sure the leprechauns have lots of mischief planned.

Pinebrook Triple Play:
Please join us! Our annual Pinebrook Triple Play will be Thursday, March 22nd in the gym at John Champe High School. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. This is a fun event in which teachers from Pinebrook will play volleyball and run relay races against teachers from Buffalo Trail Elementary School. There will be food and snacks for sale, raffles, and other fun things. The first graders lead the singing of the National Anthem before the games begin. Please refer to your Pinebrook Weekly Email and Thursday folder insert for more information.

Spring Break Travel:
If your child will be absent next week, or leaving school early in advance of Spring Break, please kindly notify both the office and me. You can access the absence and early dismissal notifications on the Pinebrook homepage.

Yearbooks:
Pinebrook yearbooks are on sale now! Yearbooks may only be purchased online. To purchase a yearbook, go to ybpay.lifetouch.com and enter school code 7561118. You will be prompted through the order and payment process. The deadline to order a yearbook is April 29th. You must pre-order a yearbook if you would like your child to receive one.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading- We will continue to learn about how to be a reading boss and take control of our word decoding by thinking: Does it make sense? Does it sound right? Does it look right? We are learning which strategies to use when we come to a tricky word. Lastly, we are learning to use a reading partner to help us solve tricky words...we know to help, not to tell words!
• Writing- We will continue to learn how to write about small seed ideas and bring our stories to life by adding character thoughts, actions, words, and feelings.
• Math- We will begin our Geometry unit by learning about plane shapes
• Science- We will begin our Matter unit 

Questions or comments? Please reach out!

Thank you, everyone! Have a super weekend! I got a new golden retriever puppy last weekend, Raleigh, so my boyfriend and I will be busy taking him to the dog park for the first time!

Weekly Update

Hi Parents,

Happy Friday! Please ask your child about the NED assembly we attended today. NED stands for Never Give Up, Encourage Others, and Do Your Best. The assembly reenforced the ideas of being a good citizen, being an upstander (someone who helps prevent bullying), and being a ready, responsible, and respectful student.

Pinebrook Triple Play:
Please join us! Our annual Pinebrook Triple Play will be Thursday, March 22nd in the gym at John Champe High School. The Triple Play usually starts between 5:45 and 6:30 p.m. This year, teachers from Pinebrook will be playing fun games against teachers from Buffalo Trail. The games are designed to make us look as silly as possible...think volleyball, tricycle races, and dizzy bats! The event starts with teacher bowling. There will be food and snacks for sale, raffles, and other fun things! The first graders lead the singing of the National Anthem before the games begin. Please watch both your Pinebrook Weekly email and your child's Thursday folder for more information, including the specific start time and admission prices.

Read-a-Thon:
We still have a few more days for our school Read-a-Thon. The class with the most sponsors will win a pizza party! I have noticed that some students have not signed up yet, so when you do email your profile to all of your close family and friends so they can support your child's reading. :) I am so proud of all the time our first grade students have been reading!!

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading- We will learn how to be in control of our reading by being a "reading boss"
• Writing- We are using strategies to write about small moments instead of whole watermelon ideas. We are also learning strategies to spell words independently
• Math- We will be wrapping up our place value unit
• Science- We will learn about Force, Energy, and Motion

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Stay warm this weekend! Thank you!

Weekly Update

Hi Parents!

Thank you all for your support with STEAM Expo, yesterday! It was definitely success! So, thank you all for rearranging your schedules to make this event such a spectacular day!

3rd Quarter Interim Progress Reports:
3rd Quarter Interim Progress Reports ("interims") will be issued Wednesday, March 7th. If your child receives an interim, it will be emailed to you on Wednesday, March 7th using the email address on file in your ParentVue account. You can update and/or verify your email address by logging into your ParentVue account. If you have questions about logging into ParentVue, please contact Mrs. Sciortino in our school office at 703-957-4325.

Scholastic Book Fair:
The Scholastic Book Fair is being held this week: Monday, March 5th to Friday, March 9th. Students previewed the Book Fair on Thursday and found so many books that they enjoyed previewing! Students who bring in money may shop at the Book Fair during recess this week. If your child plans to bring in money for the Book Fair, please send the money in a sealed envelope marked with your child's name, my name, and "Book Fair" on the outside of the envelope. If you would like to attend the Book Fair to shop with your child, our Family Shopping Night will be tonight, Tuesday, March 6th from 3:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m.
*Please note: Book Fair Purchases are optional

Fine Arts Night:
The PTA is sponsoring a Fine Arts Night at school tonight, Tuesday, March 6th at 5:30 p.m. This will be a night of hands-on creativity as kids visit many fun stations to explore art through a variety of mediums. Visit the Book Fair to shop with your child, and then head over to Fine Arts Night! :)

What We're Learning This Week:

• Reading- We will begin our new reading unit called "Readers Have Big Jobs to Do." Be sure to ask your child what strategies they are learning in reading to use at home. 
• Writing- We are learning the steps of the writing process by thinking of an idea, planning, writing, and revising.
• Math-We will continue to work on our Place Value unit and finish that this week.
• Social Studies- We will continue to learn about Famous Americans like Benjamin Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. 

Thank you for your continued efforts to support the kids and me! I appreciate working with each of you, and I am continually amazed at the progress the kids are demonstrating! :)