February 20

Just a note to let you know what is going on at school.

First of all.....thanks to everyone for helping with the treats at the grandparent program. You were all great!

FYI:

1. Next week is our Green Ribbon week. Your child should have brought home the note yesterday that tells you the happenings for each day with a note attached for you to sign and return each day. Look for it if s/he didn't give it to you yet.

2. Coming up the first week of March is Parent Teacher Conference. As I did at the first of the year, those of you who have more than one child attending South will be scheduled to coordinate with the other teachers. Those who have just one child attending South, I will send home the open calendar so that you can sign up for a convenient time for you. It will be on a first come, first serve basis. Watch for it next week.

Curriculum:

Reading: Many of the guided reading groups are now in early chapter books. They are loving it. We delve a bit deeper now into vocabulary, author's purpose, foreshadowing, etc. Comprehension at a deeper level is the goal.

Language: We will begin a deeper study of prefixes and suffixes - how they change meanings of the root words.

Math: We are now on chapter 6, addition and subtraction with regrouping into the hundreds column. The students should do quite well with the strategies and background we have built in so far with the last chapter.

Science: We are still working with our weather unit. This will culminate at the end of February. I usually do this unit in January and February because of the great differences that are seen between the icy winter weather and the spring weather. This year I think the weather backfired on me. Oh, well.

Spelling: As you may have noticed, the children on the higher grade spelling words are seeing suffixes and prefixes added to your child's words. This helps them learn the spelling of the main word with the added challenge of the affixes. I'm trying to expand their little brains.

Writing: We are just finishing our winter poems. This has been a challenge for some of the kids. It requires using the language skills we have studied plus thinking and planning. BUT they did it!

Have a great week. I'll see you at Parent Teacher Conference.

Mrs. O