Parent Newsletter February 27, 2015

Parent Newsletter February 27, 2015
Posted on 02/27/2015
February 27, 2015
Dear Parents,
This week has been so busy and fun, and I don’t want to jinx us, but it looks like the snow is starting to melt!  We have been hard at work in all areas…
In reading, we have finished “Fly Away Home” by Eve Bunting, “Each Kindness” by Jaqueline Woodson, and excerpts from other texts such as “Because of Winn Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo.  The students were diligent in finding evidence of the central idea, character traits, and unfamiliar vocabulary.  Ask them about Plickers! We are using an app that grew out of the belief that teachers shouldn’t have to teach blind, data doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and students shouldn’t be afraid of being wrong.  This app is awesome for quick formative assessment data collection that is so important for us to tailor instruction to meet the students’ needs, but they think of it as a game! It’s really exciting! Check it out online!
We are finishing up literary essay writing this week as well.  Students were asked to analyze the main character’s behavior in “Each Kindness” and write a four paragraph response that show cases their thinking.  They are feeling so proud of their beautiful work, and have been able to articulate amazing ideas about friendship, bullying, and regret.  We will be starting a new informational essay next week on the wild horses of Assateague and Chincoteague.  Ask them to share it with you next week!
In math we continue to work on division. As you know the children are using the partial quotients method of division to find whole number quotients and remainders with up to 4-digit dividends and 1-digit divisors. We have sent home some information on this method. If your child is spending more than thirty minutes on their math homework, please let us know.
Friday, March 13th will be our student teacher, Miss Lauren’s last day.  We have been so impressed by her dedication, hard work, and connections that she has made with our students.  We want to thank you Miss Lauren, and wish you the best of luck!