Weekly Update

Hello Parents!

I hope everyone had a super week! It has been difficult getting back into a full week routine after having a few days off. The kiddos are getting very excited about the upcoming winter break, so we are all trying to stay focused to keep on learning more and more each day! :)

Timeline Projects due December 6th:
Your child's "Look At Me Now" timeline project is due Wednesday, December 6th. Please send your child's project to school with him/her on or before Wednesday. The kids will love to share their projects and I'm excited to see their creativity on display!

Inclusive Schools Week:
Next week is Inclusive Schools Week, which is a time to celebrate our public schools as environments in which all students are invited to learn, regardless of educational, emotional, or behavioral challenges. We will welcome a guest reader, who will share a story and lead a discussion about the importance of including everyone in our learning environment.

We Celebrate Winter Holidays!
Students brought home a "We Celebrate Winter Holidays!" activity yesterday in their homework folder. I am hoping that each child completes this small activity so we can learn about holidays that we each celebrate during the winter season and display these in the classroom. I am asking that each student please bring this back by Friday, December 10th. Thank you for your help!

Sight Word Homework:
While reviewing sight word homework that students complete at home, I've noticed that they are not using the writing skills learned in the classroom. Please remind your child to use their very best handwriting to write their words/sentences. Also, students should be checking that they are using two thumbs up sentences (begins with a capital letter and ends with a period). Students have all week to complete this small homework assignment, so I expect them to do their very best work as they would in the classroom, and not just rush to complete the assignment quickly. We should all be encouraging our children to use what they learn in the classroom outside of the classroom as well so they become lifelong learners.

WANTED: Magazines!
Our word detectives reading unit is coming to a wrap and to showcase what students have learned during this unit, they will be completing a small in-class project of using old magazines to find snap (sight) words. If you have any old magazines at home ready for recycling, our students could really use them to complete their project. :)

Holiday Craft Helpers:
Our class will be completing a Holiday craft on Tuesday, December 12th and I am looking for some parents to help! Our class, along with Miss Angelucci's first grade class will be making a special holiday craft for students to give to parents for the holiday season. We would love for a parent helpers to come in and help us complete the craft. Please let me know if you are available on Tuesday, December 12th from 9:15am-10:30am. THANK YOU!! (We will make sure to have you NOT help your child, so that it can stay a surprise!)

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading-We will be finishing our Word Detectives unit and reviewing reading skills to be effective readers and understand what we are reading
• Writing- We will be practicing handwriting, practicing a new word study sort, and starting a winter writing assignment
• Math- We will complete our short Sorting unit by looking at attributes to sort different materials, including buttons!
• Social Studies- We will continue to learn about economics: wants and needs, goods and services, consumers and producers. 

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or feedback. 

I hope you all enjoy the weekend!!

We Celebrate Winter Holidays!

Happy Thursday!

Going home with your child in their Homework folder tonight is a We Celebrate Winter Holidays! paper. I am asking that you complete this with your child and bring back to school by Friday, December 8th. I am very excited for our students to share some of the holidays that they celebrate during the winter season!!

Thank you!

Book Fair Week!

Hello Parents!

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving break! I was very excited to see all of your children this morning! We have lots to do before our long winer break in December!

A friendly reminder that it's Book Fair Week! The students previewed the Book Fair on Tuesday right before break and students who bring in money to shop at the Book Fair during recess this week. If you are sending  in money for your child to shop, please send it in a sealed envelope labeled with your child's name, my name (Miss Drumheller), and the words "Book Fair" on it. If you prefer to shop with your child, the family shopping event is Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Dreambox and Raz-Kids!

Hello!

I just wanted to send out a friendly reminder to be using the Dreambox and Raz-Kids programs with your children. Both of these programs do have apps, so they are great resources to use during your holiday travels! Information regarding both of these programs and student log-in information went home two weeks ago. If you are having difficulty accessing these, please let me know.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

Many thanks to those who were able to attend our ABC's of Thanksgiving yesterday. The kids love having you visit the classroom and I appreciate the time you take from your busy schedule to validate their efforts by attending our programs.

We have a short week coming up and then 5 wonderful days to spend with family and food! Here's what you need to know for next week's short week and the week after...

Quarter 1 Report Cards:
A friendly reminder that Quarter 1 report cards were issued on Wednesday. If you've not yet done so, please log into your ParentVue account to view your child's report card.

Thanksgiving Travel:
If your child will be absent next week, and/or will be leaving early on Tuesday, please kindly both the office and me in advance. For absences, you may use the online absence excuse found on the Pinebrook homepage, or by clicking HERE. For early dismissal, you may use the early dismissal found on the Pinebrook homepage, or by clicking HERE.

School Picture Retakes:
School Picture Retakes will be on Monday, November 20th. Picture retakes are for those students who were absent on picture day, or students who paid for a picture package and would like to have the photos redone. If you believe of these apply to you, your child can have their picture taken on Monday. **Information about this is in an earlier post in my blog.

No Sight Word Homework Next Week:
There will be no sight word homework next week due to it being a short week. PLEASE READ! Remember...reading isn't just homework...reading is life! :)

Scholastic Book Fair:
The Scholastic Book Fair will be held at school the week of November 27th. Students will preview the Book Fair on Tuesday. Students who bring money may shop at the Book Fair during recess the week of November 27th-December 1st. (Please do NOT send money on Tuesday...this is only a preview day for students to browse.) If your child plans to bring money for the Book Fair, please send 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 Wednesday, November 29th from 3:00pm-6:00pm.

Timeline Project:
I sent home your child's "Look At Me Now" Timeline Project in yesterday's Thursday folder. Please review the information in the letter and let me know if you have any questions. Timeline projects will be due no later than, Wednesday, December 6th. If your child has his/her Timeline project completed before that date, feel free to send it in early.

Focus Areas for the Coming Short Week (11/20-11/21) AND the Week of 11/27-12/1:

• Reading- We will continue to work on our Word Detective Unit. 
• Writing-We will continue our Thanksgiving writing and finish up with handwriting lessons
• Math-We will continue to learn how to recognize and create patterns. We will also be finishing up our Patterns Unit. 
• Social Studies- We will finish our Long Ago and Today unit. We will begin our Economics unit. We will explore the concepts of wants and needs, goods and services, and consumers and producers. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am very excited to travel back to Pennsylvania for a few days to see all of my family! I wish you all safe travels! Enjoy!

Wild West Book Fair!

Join us in sharing a love of reading with your child at our Scholastic Book Fair November 27-December 1. The hours of operation are November 27-30 from 8:30am-3:00pm and Friday, December 1 from 8:00am-12:00pm. The Book Fair closes at NOON on Friday! Be sure to mark your calendar for our Book Fair Family Event on Wednesday, November 29th from 3:00pm-6:30pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for your family to shop together. :)

Our first grade class will be visiting the book fair on Tuesday for a Book Fair Browse, so I'm sure some of your children will be coming home excited to share the wonderful stories they discovered that day and may be interested in purchasing.

Picture Make-Up Day

Picture Make-up Day will be on Monday, November 20th. Make-up pictures are for those students who were absent on the first picture day, who are new to school, or would like to have their picture retaken.
All students wanting to retake their photo MUST bring back the original picture packet to return to the photographer. 
If you need a retake, please let me know ASAP and I can send home a retake form with your child. Your child must bring back the original picture packet or a picture envelope with a payment inside or online payment information to have their picture retaken. You can pay online, but the photographer still needs the payment envelope to know which background to use. 

If you have any questions about photo retake, please let me know.