Happy New Year!


I hope this post finds all of you rested, healthy and ready to start back to school. Although my winter vacation was full of family, friends and fun...I'm ready to get back to a routine. It seems like we've been away from school for 2 months, not 2 weeks!

Reading Logs

December Reading Minutes are in and Book It coupons will be distributed this week.

The reading goal for January is 360 minutes.  Achieving this goal will allow students to earn a ticket to Six Flags through their reading incentive.  Children need to record their reading minutes online at Maywattsreads.com (tab is at the top of this blog page) by January 31st in order to earn this incentive.  Late minutes cannot be counted. 

If your child does not have access to the computer at home to record their minutes, have them record them on paper and then we can input them at school.  If they need a refresher course in how to input their minutes, have them ask me or Mrs. May, we would be happy to help them.

Reading
We will spend time reading two stories over the next two weeks.  We will read Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash and Dear Mr. Blueberry.  In Jimmy's Boa, we will work on learning about cause and effect.  When we look at Mr. Blueberry, we will revisit the skill of making inferences.

Math
We will be continuing our studies in Unit 6.  Using number stories, we will continue to review addition and subtraction and introduce multiplication and division. 



Writing
We will continue our work on our personal narratives using the pictures you sent to school in December.  We hope to have them all completed and ready to share with you at Open House at the end of January.



Social Studies
Later this week, we will begin our unit on Government.  Our essential questions will be:
1.  What is government?
2.  Why is our country's capital important?
3.  What are our country's symbols and what do they represent?
4.  What does it mean to be a citizen?
5.  What symbol on a map key indicates a major or important city?



Citizenship
Also this week, we will be reintroducing our Stop-Walk-Talk program to the children.  We will be focusing on treating others with respect and how to respond if you are treated disrespectfully.



Weather
This is just a reminder to dress your children appropriately for the weather.  Hats, mitts, scarves, snow pants should be sent on cold weather days as the children do go out for recess unless it is excessively cold.  The children are out for their 15 minute lunch recess and for a 10 minute extra recess as well.


If children wear boots to school, please make sure they have running shoes that fit them at school or in their backpack to wear indoors and for P.E.