Yippee! We loved week 3!

Dear Room 230 Families,

We were back at it again this week and we hit it out of the park for the third week in a row! Thank you for sharing your kind and engaged children with us everyday. We are so lucky have them all as part of this amazing community!     

IMPORTANT DATES FOR FAMILIES TO REMEMBER:

Monday 9/25: ASCA begins

Please notify me in writing if you decide to enroll your child in the PTO's After School Creative Arts Program (ASCA) as this will affect dismissal plans. Please visit the ASCA site if you are interested in learning more or registering for classes.

Tuesday, 9/26: Flu clinic coming to Memorial-Spaulding. Click HERE for more information.

Wednesday 9/27: EARLY RELEASE DAY - 12:30 dismissal

Wednesday 9/27: Back to School Night/Open House - Click HERE for more information. The second grade team will be presenting second grade curriculum as a team in the auditorium after the PTO/Principal presentation. We will move to our classroom to discuss classroom specifics after the team presentation. Please note that this evening is for adults only.

Saturday 10/7: Triple Threat Obstacle Challenge Click HERE  for more information.

Monday 10/9: NO SCHOOL - Columbus Day

IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES:

YOUR CHILD CAME HOME TALKING ABOUT DIFFICULT MOMENTS AT SCHOOL…

now what?  Check out this helpful resource for families.  Click HERE

REMINDERS:

CLASSROOM DIRECTORY:

A list of contacts is often requested by families who wish to organize play dates or whole class gatherings (e.g., picnics, birthday parties) for students in our classroom. Unfortunately, teachers are not permitted to share families' contact information with other families. Instead, please use the PTO's family directory. 

NOTIFICATION OF ABSENCE OR TARDINESS:

Please email me (sarah_ekholm@newton.k12.ma.us) if you know that your child will be late or will be absent on any given day. Thanks!

THE TREE NEAR OUR ART ROOM DISMISSAL DOOR:

The tree near the art room is not for children to climb after school. The tree is sustaining damage from children climbing – and we have had a few children injured. The school is not liable for any injuries sustained while climbing the tree.

BUS BEHAVIOR CONTRACT:

All bus riders should complete the Bus Behavior Contract.  Each bus rider was given a copy of the contract to read and sign. If your child rides the bus and has not yet completed the contract. Please click HERE to download – and send to school with your child.

EXTRA BUS RIDERS:

Our afternoon buses are nearly full. Therefore there is no room for additional “hop on” riders. If your child is planning a play date with a friend and s/he does not normally ride on the same bus as your child, please make sure you arrange for transportation – other than the school bus.

EXTRA CLOTHES:

Please send in a full change of labeled clothes (pants, shirt, underwear, and socks) in a labeled plastic bag that will be kept in your child’s locker. Accidents happen (once, I spilled an ENTIRE bottle of pain on myself!) and it's so helpful to have a quick solution without having to search the building for some extra clothes. Thanks!   

LUNCH, SNACK AND RECESS:

This year, your child eats lunch at the early hour of 11 a.m., so we will eat our snack in the afternoon. The once exception to this is on Tuesday when we will eat snack in the morning because lunch is not served at school. Our daily schedule allows 15 minutes for snack + recess each day. Fresh air and exercise are as important as food and water for everyone so my goal is to have snack outdoors as many days as possible. Our class will sit together for the first minutes to eat, then after they clean up their space, we will play! Please send in a simple snack in a snack bag each day. One example of a simple snack = water + a piece of fruit + a granola bar. Also, only send in water to drink. Juice, Gatorade, soda will not be permitted as snack beverages in our classroom. If your child brings in something to drink other than water, they will take it home, unopened. Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to make this short break in our academic day as healthy as possible.

ASK ME ABOUTS:

Ask me about...

• school tools- what are they and how can they help me learn?
• what are students and teachers doing during reading workshop...ask me to tell you what it looks like and sounds like in my classroom during this time so that everyone can do their jobs
• how scientists make observations - what senses I used and how I recorded my observation
• my small moment story I wrote this week
• what a closed syllable is. What is important about the vowel (# and short/long) and the what comes after the vowel? Please read pages 1-5 to learn about what fundations is and our work in the orientation section and unit 1.
• what vowels we use k before (We sang a song called "K comes before...")
• what I know about calendars and clocks 
• any fun games or songs I learned/played/sang this week.
• some things I learned about my new classmates, my teachers or any new friends I have made this week through our brown bag shares 
• what my most important rule is.

LOOKING FORWARD:

Looking forward, we will:

• continue to learn more about one another and develop routines around how we will cooperatively work together this year.
• write and sign our Classroom Constitution.
• continue to launch Reader's Workshop by continuing to learn more workshop routines and READING!
• continue writing small moment stories (true stories that capture a moment in time that gave us strong feelings) and trying out new writing moves.
• explore how seeds grow and dissect seeds to discover what is inside seeds 
• continue reviewing first grade math concepts, such as different names for numbers ways you might see addition and subtraction problems. 

Enjoy the weekend!