OPEN HOUSE - Thursday, September 17th. Hope to see you there! :)

Cookie Dough fundraiser packets are due tomorrow - September 17th.

Reading Round-Up logs due back September 21st.

September 16, 2015

Dear Parents,

We have had a wonderful two weeks of getting to know each other! We have practiced (and practiced) many of the procedures and routines that will be maintained throughout this school year. I am very impressed with this group of students. They are amazing!

This week, we will begin digging into our reading curriculum. We will be practicing the short /a/ sound in words. Your child will have a new list of spelling words each week. Each Friday, your child will take a spelling test to see if they have mastered the phonics target for the week. These tests are intended to inform my instruction. J Your child will also be bringing home paper decodable readers and/or reading passages each week. Please be sure to have them practice reading these to someone at home. Beginning in October, you will have an opportunity to help your child participate in the Pizza Hut Book It! reading program. There will be a monthly reading log that will need to be turned in at the end of each month in order to receive a coupon for a free personal pizza!

In math, our focus will be to work on finding various combinations of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. We will also be using the counting on strategy to solve problems. Many of the activities we have been doing in class are very familiar to students and I am pleased to see that they have been catching on rather quickly.

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach me by email at AndreaPiatz@selah.k12.wa.us. You may also call the school at 698-8100.

Parents,

Please click here to watch a video about our Jog-a-Thon! Your help is greatly appreciated!

March 12^th

Sunset Gym

LAP/ELL Reading Night

5:30-7:00 PM

Pizza, Cookies, & More!

(free book for every child that attends)

Our class has been diligently working on their next DRA goals. I have had several students meeting their goals and are earning certificates. This is such an exciting time for learning readers! Please continue encouraging your child to read every day! :)

In math, we have been practicing turning an addend into 10 to make adding numbers together more efficient. For example, 8+5 can be thought of as 10+3 by taking 2 from the 5. This has been a challenge for many, but I am seeing a lot of growth!

We have begun our science studies on liquids. Ask your child the difference between viscous and fluid liquids.

We have also been talking about the difference between BIG problems and small problems. Big problems are for reporting to an adult (there is danger, someone is hurt, bullying behavior, etc.). Small problems are problems that your child can solve on their own. Students are beginning to learn about Kelso's Wheel in which they will learn various problem-solving strategies to help them solve small problems. Please look for your child's Kelso card of the day and discuss the strategy with your child at home. Thank you for your support with this. :)

Box Tops are due February 18th! :)

We will be starting 4-part planning for narrative writing. Students will learn how to incorporate description words, emotion, and dialog into their writing. Please emphasize the importance of beginning sentences with a capital letter, using finger-spaces between words, and using ending marks.

Now that testing has been completed in reading, students have new goals that they are working toward. Some students still need practice with sounding out words, recognizing sight words (SO important), and reading words with inflectional endings (-s, -ing, -ed, -es). Others need to focus on practicing retelling details of a story after reading. Your child should be able to tell you their next DRA goal and what their area of focus is to help them achieve that goal.

We have been working on building subtraction fluency to 10 and representing story problems using various strategies (relating addition and subtraction).

We're off and running! :)

Week 2

We have been working on reading and writing long vowel words that end with a silent e. I am very impressed and proud of the progress students are making! We have also been asking questions about various texts we are reading and practicing using text evidence to support our answers. It has been a fun learning experience!

In writing, we have been working on writing an expository. Your child is using a web to organize their thinking and then putting their plan into their draft book. We will begin publishing on computers this month! This is always so motivating for students! Ask your child what the difference is between narrative and expository text...

In math, we are beginning to work on subtraction and seeing the relationship between addition and subtraction. For example, 4 + 2 = 6 can be thought of as 6 - 4 = 2 or 6 - 2 = 4.

We will soon begin our new science kit about solids and liquids. Can't wait for the excitement!

Please make sure your child is practicing reading the paper decodable books at home as well as the leveled reader that was sent home in a ziploc bag along with a reading log. As soon as your child can read their leveled reader fluently (appropriate rate and expression with accuracy), they may return it and I will replace it with the next book. Your child is receiving a leveled reader that matches the DRA level they are working toward.

Our holiday program "Of Mice and Mozart" will be on Tuesday, December 16th from 6:00-6:45pm at the Sunset Gym. Your child has been practicing these songs for over a month now. If you would like to practice at home, the words are on Mr. Roderick's blog at http://jcemusic.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_3.html.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! I sincerely apologize for my lack of posting during the month of November! Yikes! :)