See You Later 6/15/22

Hello, fantastic Room 20 kiddos and families!

Wow, what a year it has been! Kiddos, you are very responsible and caring people! You had so many new things to learn about school and in our lessons and you did a wonderful job learning those things. You grew so much from those young second graders in September and I know that you're going to grow even more as you leave Room 20 and do great things in the future. Remember that you are important, you are so very loved by many people in your lives, and you can do this! I will miss you all so very much. Remember that like the sign in our window, it's more of a See You Soon than a Goodbye; you are always one of my kiddos, and can come visit anytime (though we are shifting over to Room 13)! ❤

Families, thank you for all of your support for the kids and our classroom! We really could not do it without you. I found a beautiful message that really reflects my thoughts:

I give you back your child, the same child you confidently entrusted to my care last fall. I give them back inches taller, months wiser, more responsible, and more mature than they were then. Although they would have obtained their growth in spite of me, it has been my pleasure and privilege to watch their personality unfold day by day. I give them back reluctantly, for having spent nine months together in the narrow confines of a crowded classroom, we have grown close, have become a part of each other’s life stories. 

Ten years from now if we meet on the street, your child and I, a light will shine to our eyes, a smile to our face, and we shall feel the bond of understanding once more, this bond we feel today on the last day of school. 

We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned, and enriched our lives together this year. I wish it could go on indefinitely, but give him back I must. 

Remember that I shall always be interested in your child and their destiny, wherever they goes, whatever they do, whoever they become. Their joys and sorrows I will always be happy to share. 

I wish you all the very best in third grade and in your futures!

Have a terrific summer (you deserve it!),

Friday Reminders 6/10/22

Only three days left in the school year! There are a few events coming up on these days so please read carefully. Again, I will be slowly sending home school items with the kiddos between now and the last day. Please do let me know if your kiddo will miss the last day of school so that I can make sure they have all of their belongings.

Fifth grade promotion is on Tuesday, 6/14. If your child will be attending the ceremony to support a sibling/family member, please let me know ahead of time so that I can send them up to the school store to meet you.

Reminders for Friday, June 10th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• Relax and Read on Monday, 6/13 during class
• The second grade classes will be reading outside on Monday, June 13th to enjoy the nice weather. Please make sure your child has a towel/blanket to sit on and sunscreen applied. They are welcome to bring sunglasses, hats, and a book from home.
• Yearbook Signing/Autographs on Tuesday, 6/14 during class
• The second grade classes will be meeting up to sign yearbooks at school. 
• Yearbooks were sent home with your child on Friday, 6/10. 
• If they do not have a yearbook or forget theirs at home, then I will give them a special piece of paper to use instead so please do not stress!
• Last Day of School is Wednesday, 6/15
• If your child will be attending LCPS next year, please be sure to take good care of their Chromebook and charger over the summer at home!
• If your child will not be attending LCPS next year, please be sure to return their Chromebook and charger to Mr. Perkins.
• Final Report Cards will be sent out sometime on Tuesday, 6/21 in the afternoon.

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We discussed more friendship skills this week. Here is a spring SEL practice board that you can do over spring break!

Handwriting - We practiced our cursive handwriting.

Reading -  We reviewed story elements.
Writing -  We wrote about second grade memories.

Math - We practiced repeated addition and multiplication for fun.

Science/Health - We learned about fruits, vegetables, MyPlate, and our body systems.

Have a supercalifragilistic weekend (the kids have been stuck on this word all year 😉),

Friday Reminders 6/3/22

We are heading into the last full week of the school year! The last day of school is Wednesday, June 15th. I will be slowly sending home school items with the kiddos between now and then. Please do let me know if your kiddo will miss the last day of school so that I can make sure they have all of their belongings.

Thank you to our fantastic room parents for a great end of year party! It was wonderful to see everyone who was able to stop by. 

Reminders for Friday, June 3rd

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• Wednesday, June 15th is the last day of school!
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 6/10
• Story Elements Review on Friday, 6/10 (reading)
• Who are the characters? What is the setting? What is the problem? What is the solution?
• Nutrition and Body Systems quiz on Friday, 6/10 (health/science)

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning)

Handwriting - We practiced our cursive writing.

Reading -  We reviewed author's message.
Writing -  We finished up our graphic novels and started on writing prompt practice.

Math - We learned how to compare fractions this week. Next week, we will actually start learning some mulitplication. This is not a second grade standard so I will not be testing them on it; it's just for fun and to support them on their way to third grade.

Science - We learned about body systems and will learn more about nutrition next week.

Have a magnificent weekend,

Friday Reminders 5/27/22

On Thursday, we attended the second grade Economics Fair. The kids experienced spending (fake) money with other kids and then bartered extra products once we got back to the classroom.

Reminders for Friday, May 27th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• No School on Monday, 5/30 -- Memorial Day
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 6/3
• Comparing Fractions quiz on Thursday, 6/2 (math)
• Author's Message Review on Friday, 6/3 (reading)
• What does the author want you to learn from their story? What is the life lesson?
• End of Year Party on Friday, 6/3
• Permission slip went home earlier this week.
• Grown-ups ARE allowed to attend this party! If you wish to attend, please arrive anytime after 12:50pm (so we are done lunch). Please keep in mind that all visitors must leave the building by 2:00pm. You are welcome to sign your kiddo out when you leave, but you must speak with the front office to do so.
• Nutrition and Body Systems quiz on Friday, 6/10 (health/science)

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We practiced our circle time this week and discussed what to do when we caused a problem - apologize and offer help.

Handwriting - Due to events this week, we did not do any handwriting practice.

Reading -  We asked questions about our nonfiction texts. We discussed what we thought the book would teach us and then what we still wondered once the text was read. Next week, we will review author's message.
Writing -  We continued to work on our comic books. We will be sharing our comic books with a couple of first grade classes next week.

Math - We continued to work with fractions. We learned about fractions of a set as well. Next week, we will compare different fractions.

Social Studies - We finished our economics unit by learning about bartering vs. using money, consumers/producers, and scarcity. We will learn about nutrition during science/health next week.

Have a relaxing 3-day weekend and I'll see the kiddos on Tuesday, 5/31,

Friday Reminders 5/20/22

The kids had a great couple of days with our substitute and were ready to rock and roll on the days I was with them at school! We're looking forward to the last four weeks of school.

Quarter 4 Interims will be coming to your email and be available on ParentVUE by Monday, 5/23.

Reminders for Friday, May 20th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 5/27
• Fractions quiz on Tuesday, 5/24  Friday, 5/27
• Economics products due by Wednesday, 5/25
• Economics fair on Thursday, 5/26
• Economics test on Thursday, 5/26
• Nonfiction Wondering quiz on Friday, 5/27 (reading)
• What questions do you have after reading the nonfiction text?
• No School on Monday, 5/30 -- Memorial Day
• Comparing Fractions quiz on Friday, 6/3
• End of Year Party on Friday, 6/3
• Permission slip coming home on Monday.
• Grown-ups ARE allowed to attend this party! If you wish to attend, please arrive anytime after 12:50pm (so we are done lunch). Please keep in mind that all visitors must leave the building by 2:00pm. You are welcome to sign your kiddo out when you leave, but you must speak with the front office to do so.

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We mainly discussed expectations while there is a substitute in the classroom. We also restarted our Restorative Circle morning meetings and will continue to do them the rest of the year (this is the training Ms. Stiffler was at this week).

Handwriting - We practiced our cursive writing.

Reading -  We reviewed summarizing stories.
Writing -  We practiced our letter writing skills and started our graphic novels/comic books.

Math - We started our fractions unit talking about equal parts, denominator, and numerator. We will continue this learning next week.

Social Studies - We started our economics unit - goods vs. services, needs vs. wants, and types of resources -- capital, human, natural. We will continue this next week.

Have a wonderous weekend,

Friday Reminders 5/13/22

Just a heads up that I will be absent on Wednesday, 5/18 and Thursday, 5/19 for a 2-day teacher training in Ashburn. The kids and I will have our usual substitute/guest teacher discussion on Monday/Tuesday. I will still be available via email and ClassDojo if any issues arise, but the kiddos will be in good hands with our substitute. If you have any attendance/dismissal changes, please make sure to let the front office know! 

Reminders for Friday, May 13th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 5/20
• No reading quiz on Friday, 5/20
• Fractions quiz on Tuesday, 5/24
• Economics products due by Wednesday, 5/25
• Economics fair on Thursday, 5/26
• Economics test on Thursday, 5/26
• End of Year Class Party on Friday, 6/3
• Permission slip coming soon!

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We continued to learn about problem solving, focusing on staying calm and compromising as needed (our kiddos are really good at this skill!).

Handwriting - We practiced our cursive by writing our classmates' and teachers' names!

Reading -  We discussed the differences between fiction and nonfiction texts.
Writing -  We wrote out two different science lab reports.

Math - We wrapped up our geometry unit and learned about symmetry. Next week, we will start reviewing/learning about fractions - halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, eighths.

Science/Social Studies - We finished our animal life cycles unit. We will start our economics unit next week.

Have a fantastic weekend,

Friday Reminders 5/6/22

It was a busy week! As the kids would likely tell you, we started the week with "nothing weird happening here!" and ended with something "weird" each day: fire drill, crafting, all sorts of changes! As usual, the Room 20 kids are so wonderful with rolling with any changes to our day (especially when it gives them extra independence).

Reminders for Friday, May 6th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 5/13
• Geometry quiz on Tuesday, 5/10
• Animal Life Cycles test on Thursday, 5/12
• Nonfiction Main Idea quiz on Friday, 5/13 (reading)
• What is the text mostly about? How do you know a text is nonfiction and not fiction?
• Economics Product due by Wednesday, 5/25

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We learned how problem-solving supports our collaboration skills.

Handwriting - We wrote positive messages to third and fifth graders who will be taking their SOLs next week!

Reading -  We learned about and used similes to compare two different things. Next week, we will focus on the main idea of a nonfiction text and how to know if a text is fiction or nonfiction.
Writing -  We started a new unit about how to write a science lab. We have completed labs in class, but we are writing out the steps ourselves during this unit.

Math - We learned about 3-d shapes -- sphere, rectangular prism, and cube. We will continue this next week and learn about symmetry.

Science - We identified things that we get from plants and learned about animal classification -- reptile, fish, bird, mammal, amphibian. We will focus on the life cycles of a monarch butterfly, a frog, and a white-tailed deer.

Stay dry this weekend,

Friday Reminders 4/29/22

Reminders for Friday, April 29th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• No School on Monday, 5/2 -- Eid Al-Fitr
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 5/6
• Similes quiz on Friday, 5/6 (reading)
• example: It's as cold as ice outside! - It's really cold.
• Geometry test on Tuesday, 5/10 (math) 

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We discussed how to tell about a problem without using "blame words" - never, always, on purpose. 

Handwriting - We finished the whole lowercase alphabet in cursive! We'll be practicing using our cursive and using uppercase letters.

Reading -  We reviewed how to make connections to our lives from the the stories we read. We also learned about alliteration. Next week, we will learn about similes.
Writing -  We wrote acrostic poems.

Math - We started our geometry unit this week by identifying 2-d shapes (circle, triangle, rectangle) by their sides/lines, vertices/corners, and angles. Next week, we will add onto this knowledge to discuss 3-d shapes by their edges/sides, vertices (where two edges come together), and faces (flat surfaces).

Science - We wrapped up our plant life cycles unit. Next week, we will do our plant life cycles lab, learn about what plants give us, and begin our animal life cycles unit (butterflies, frogs, white-tailed deer). 

Have a terrific weekend and I'll see the kids on Tuesday,

Friday Reminders 4/22/22

The kids have settled nicely back into "school mode" this week! We completed two MAP tests (reading and math) and expressed our opinions about the trees being cut down behind the school. The kids got three glowing reports (Ms. Grace, Mrs. Bridgman, and Ms. K, our guest teacher) for their behavior on Thursday while I was unexpectedly out for the day; they followed all directions, completed all their work, and made sure to check in about the expectations for the day. They have come so far!

This week was also the first week of Quarter 4. We're in the final stretch before summer break and the beginning of third grade! Report cards for Quarter 3 should be out sometime Monday, 4/25 in the afternoon; I'm not totally sure if they get emailed out, but you can definitely look at them on ParentVUE. There was miscommunication at the county level so the date was originally Friday. If you'd like a paper copy or have any questions, please let me know!

Reminders for Friday, April 22nd

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 4/29
• Probability quiz on Tuesday, 4/26 (math)
• Plant Life Cycle test on Thursday, 4/28 (science)
• Alliteration quiz on Friday, 4/29 (reading)
• example: Alice ate apples in April.

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

• PTA: There is NEW Pinebrook Spirit wear!
• https://pinebrookspiritspring2022.itemorder.com/shop/sale/
• Orders close Sunday, April 24th.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We reviewed growth mindset and how it relates to setting goals.

Handwriting - We practiced our cursive and print.

Reading -  We reviewed main idea of a fiction story - what is the story mostly about?
Writing -  We wrote an opinion about the trees getting cut down behind the school. MAP testing took up our other times.

Math - We continued in our probability unit - more likely, less likely, equally likely, impossible. We will continue this unit next week and start our geometry unit.

Science - We learned about the difference between living and nonliving things as well as the needs and parts of a plant. Next week, we will focus in on the life cycle of a plant.

Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend,

Friday Reminders 4/8/22

We've made it to spring break! The kids worked really hard this week and earned a surprise movie; we watched Sharkbait off of Amazon Prime this afternoon. I hope everyone enjoys the time off and you all find time to relax and hang out with your families. Remember that spring break is from April 11th - 15th and Monday, April 18th is a teacher work day. Classes resume on Tuesday, April 19th.

Just a quick FYI, I turn off my email notifications during breaks. I might check it occasionally, but it it is unlikely that you will be able to get ahold of me until April 18th. If you have an school-related emergency, I would recommend contacting the PNB Front Office or the PNB admin, Mr. Thiessen, paul.thiessen@lcps.org, Mrs. Boyd, leigh.boyd@lcps.org, or Mrs. Donaldson, turner.donaldson@lcps.org

Reminders for Friday, April 8th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• Spring Break 4/11 - 4/18
• We will return to school on Tuesday, 4/19
• Monday, 4/18 is a teacher work day.
• MAP testing 4/20 & 4/21
• All that is needed is a good breakfast, good night's sleep, and a charged Chromebook.
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 4/22
• The kids are NOT expected to do any work over spring break. They are totally welcome to do RAZ kids, Lalilo, Dreambox, and Epic if they (or you) wish!
• Main Idea Review quiz on Friday, 4/22 (reading)

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

• Scholastic Book Club April orders are due by 4/22/22. Our class code is RKQRV.

• PTA: There is NEW Pinebrook Spirit wear!
• https://pinebrookspiritspring2022.itemorder.com/shop/sale/
• Orders close Sunday, April 24th.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We discussed more friendship skills this week. Here is a spring SEL practice board that you can do over spring break!

Handwriting - We learned the letters v and b in cursive and practiced writing some words.

Reading -  We practiced making inferences in our reading (the kids learned that they make tons of inferences every day outside of reading). We also reviewed nonfiction text features (table of contents, headings, index, glossary, bold print, italic print).
Writing -  We wrote couplet poems (2 lines only and the last words MUST rhyme) and haiku poems (3 lines - 5 syllables, then 7 syllables, and then 5 syllables). We will continue to learn about and practice writing poetry when we return from spring break.

Math - We continued to practiced our graphing skills - how to read and create graphs using data. We learned how to read tally charts, picture graphs, and bar graphs. After spring break, we will start our probability unit.

Health/Science - We learned about the importance of taking care of our teeth and did a lab using eggs, soda, milk, and coffee. We also reviewed states of matter and learned how temperature affects how slow/fast a solid will melt by doing a lab. After spring break, we will start compare living and nonliving things and learn about the plant life cycle (seed, sprout, seedling, adult, repeat).

Have a relaxing and restful spring break and I'll see the kiddos on April 19th!

Friday Reminders 4/1/22

Ramadan Mubarak! Tonight marks the first night of Ramadan and it will continue through May 2nd. If your kiddo is participating in fasting this year, please do let me know! We are offering accommodations during lunch time and I'll make sure to check with them during snack as well.

Reminders for Friday, April 1st

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 4/8
• Career Day Spirit Week 4/4 - 4/8!
• Dental Health quiz on Tuesday, 4/5 (health)
• Graphing quiz on Friday, 4/8 (math)
• Inferencing quiz on Friday, 4/8 (reading)
• When you make an inference, you go beyond the author's words on the page. You can show that you understand what is NOT SAID in the text.
• Spring Break 4/11 - 4/18
• We will return to school on Tuesday, 4/19
• Monday, 4/18 is a teacher work day.
• MAP testing 4/20 & 4/21
• All that is needed is a good breakfast, good night's sleep, and a charged Chromebook.

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

• Scholastic Book Club April orders are due by 4/22/22. Our class code is RKQRV. 

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We discussed self-management strategies - use a checklist, take a break, accountability partners, etc.

Handwriting - We learned how to u and w in cursive. 

Reading -  We identified hyperboles (when an author exaggerates and makes something bigger than it is) and what their actual meaning is (example: The classroom looks like it exploded. = The classroom is a mess!). The kids actually did incredibly well with this! It helps that I tend to speak using hyperboles (they can tell you all about it).
Writing -  We published our fiction stories (typed) and started learning about poetry. We will write poems next week.

Math - We started our graphing unit. We are learning how to read and create graphs (picture and bar) to show data.

Social Studies - We learned about the importance of a few American symbols (bald eagle, Washington Monument, Statue of Liberty, American flag). Next week, we will have a short health unit on dental health. We will also do two labs, one about dental health and one related to matter.

Have a great weekend,

Friday Reminders 3/25/22

We enjoyed having our spring class party this afternoon! Thank you to Mrs. Lemley, Mrs. O'Connell, and Mrs. Cortes for all your planning.

Reminders for Friday, March 25th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 4/1
• American Symbols quiz on Thursday, 3/31 (social studies)
• Bald eagle, American flag, and Washington Monument -- Why are they important to the United States?
• Hyperboles/Exaggerations quiz on Friday, 4/1 (reading)
• Example: This backpack weighs a ton! -- The backpack is very heavy.
• Spring Break 4/11 - 4/18
• We will return to school on Tuesday, 4/19
• Monday, 4/18 is a teacher work day.

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

• Scholastic Book Club March orders are due by 3/24/22. Our class code is RKQRV. 

• Scholastic Book Fair is coming back to Pinebrook! It will be open from March 11 - 18. We will do a preview in school. You can check out the schedule here.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We discussed ways to be a good friend and how our actions and words can impact others (positive and negative).

Handwriting - We learned the letters "u" and "w" in cursive.

Reading -  We identified dialogue in texts - quotation marks, dialogue tags (said, yelled, whispered, etc.), speech bubbles.
Writing -  We continued to work on our typing skills while working on our fiction stories. We will publish these next week and start learning about and writing poems.

Math - We measured to the nearest pound and to the nearest 10 degrees (temperature). Next week, we will start learning how to read and create graphs to show data.

Science/Social Studies - We wrapped up our states of matter unit in science. Next week, we will learn about the importance of several Americans symbols - the flag, bald eagle, and the Washington Monument.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Friday Reminders 3/18/22

Reminders for Friday, March 18th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 3/25
• Matter test on Thursday, 3/24 (science)
• Dialogue quiz on Friday, 3/25 (reading)
• Kids need to be able to tell when a sentence is dialogue. Are there quotation marks? Is there a dialogue tag (asked, screamed, said, etc.)? Is there a speech bubble (for graphic novels and some picture books)? 
• Measuring Weight and Temperature quiz on Friday, 3/25 (math)
• Class Party on Friday, 3/25
• Please make sure to have sent in your child's permission slip and $5 if they are buying.

Notes

• Run Club begins again this week!
• Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 22nd to May 26th.
• If your kiddo was signed up in the fall, there is no need to sign up again. They just need to bring their lanyard with the barcode.
• To sign up and to get more information, please click here.

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

• Scholastic Book Club March orders are due by 3/24/22. Our class code is RKQRV. 

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We continued to learn about empathy using our SEL lessons.

Handwriting - We learned how to write r and s in cursive and practiced writing some words. The kids are doing a great job with this skill!

Reading -  We compared different fairy tales with their fractured version using a venn diagram.
Writing -  We did a review of proper nouns and singular vs. plural nouns. We started writing out ideas for a fiction story; we are using this unit to practice our typing skills as well. The kids will get to choose if they want to write or type their final copy.

Math - We learned how to measure to the nearest inch using a ruler. We will be learning how to measure to the nearest pound (weight) and nearest degree (temperature).

Science - We learned about the states of matter - solid, liquid, gas. We will focus more on how items can change between the states.

Have a superb weekend,

Friday Reminders 3/11/22

Remember to set your clocks forward one hour on Sunday!

Absolutely Incredible Kids Day is on Thursday, March 17. This holiday encourages adults to write a young person a note — let them know just why they’re so amazing! Our thoughtful words can spark a life-changing journey for a child. Please consider writing a message to your child on this day. You can include it in their school lunch, put it in a sealed envelope and have your child bring it to me, or send it through e-mail to be printed or shown to your child on this day. 

Reminders for Friday, March 11th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 3/18
• Book Fair opens on Monday!
• Absolutely Incredible Kids Day on Thursday, 3/17
• Compare/Contrast quiz on Friday, 3/18 (reading)
• Measuring Inches quiz on Friday, 3/18 (math)
• Kids need to show that they know how to measure to the nearest 1 inch when using a ruler.
• Matter test on Thursday, 3/24
• Study Guide will be sent home on Monday, 3/14
• Famous Americans project due by Friday, 3/25
• There are three parts - fact sheet, character, and presentation. Please check the blog post for more information.
• Paper copies were sent home today, 3/25
• Class Party on Friday, 3/25
• Permission slips will be sent home on Monday, 3/14

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

• Scholastic Book Club March orders are due by 3/24/22. Our class code is RKQRV. 

• Scholastic Book Fair is coming back to Pinebrook! It will be open from March 11 - 18. We will do a preview in school. You can check out the schedule here.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We practiced more empathy strategies.

Handwriting - We learned the letters i, j, and k in cursive.

Reading -  We learned about character traits (personality) and practiced picking these traits out.
Writing -  We published our fractured fairy tales. We will review basic writing skills next week - punctuation, capitalization, grammar, complete sentences.

Math - We reviewed calendar skills - days of the week, months of the year, how does time pass - and did a little money review. Next week, we will start our measurement unit (nearest inch, pound, and degree).

Social Studies - We learned about Jackie Robinson, Cesar Chavez, and Martin Luther King Jr. Next week, we will start our Matter unit in science.

Have a fabulous weekend,

Friday Reminders 3/4/22

With warmer weather, we start to get the "spring itchies" which is when the kids are more likely to be pushing each others' buttons and not listening to each other as much. We have been discussing this in class and in small groups as needed. I would highly appreciate it if you could just have a short conversation with your kiddo about expectations while they are at school - listening to each other and teachers, respecting personal space, and using kind words when we are frustrated. Thank you!

Quarter 3 Interim Reports went out this afternoon! These are intended to let you know how your kiddo is doing since we are now halfway into the third quarter. It is NOT a report card, which shows all their learning from the year so far and is included in their school records. Interim reports are not a part of your child's school records. You should have received an email. We are having trouble with the system that we use so I was not able to add comments to them; some teachers are still having issues with getting interims sent out. If you have a concern, please email me!

Reminders for Friday, March 4th

• Please remember to bring your Chromebook and charger to school each day!
• No School on Monday, 3/7 -- teacher work day
• 30 minutes of RAZ kids due by Friday, 3/11
• Jackie Robinson, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King Jr. quiz on Friday, 3/11 (social studies)
• Character Traits quiz on Friday, 3/11 (reading)
• Calendar quiz on Friday, 3/11 (math)

Notes

• **If you feel strongly about your child continuing to wear their mask throughout the day, please do let me know so that I can reinforce your decision with your student. Thank you!
• Just to clarify - I cannot make your student wear their mask, but I can remind them and let you know if they are repeatedly choosing not to wear it.

• LCPS lunch menu can be found HERE
• Look for the white dropdown box, click to choose elementary school, and then click SY Lunch @ ES. It changes each month.

• Scholastic Book Club March orders are due by 3/24/22. Our class code is RKQRV. 

• Scholastic Book Fair is coming back to Pinebrook! It will be open from March 11 - 18. We will do a preview in school. You can check out the schedule here.

Week Overview

Morning Meeting/SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) - We did another set of lessons on empathy and discussed how adults at school show empathy and kindness toward kids.

Handwriting - We practiced our cursive and print this week. We also learned how to write "u" and "y" in cursive.

Reading -  We learned a bit more about the elements of a fairy tale to support our writing. We also continued to practice writing a summary with 5 details (first, then, next, after that, finally). Next week, we will learn about character traits.
Writing -  We started writing our drafts of our fractured fairy tales (a fairy tale, but with at least 3 details that have been changed - example: Three Little Pigs vs. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs). Next week, we will work on publishing our fractured fairy tales.

Math - We finished up our time unit by learning the difference between A.M. and P.M. We will practice reading a calendar next week.

Social Studies - We learned about Helen Keller, Thurgood Marshall, and Rosa Parks. Next week, we will learn about Jackie Robinson, Cesar Chavez, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Have a terrific 3-day weekend and I'll see the kids at school on Tuesday,