august

Dear Parents,                                                                   August 13, 2001

     Welcome back to school! The school year is off to a wonderful start! The children got right back into the routine of school last week! I am pleased with the children's enthusiasm for learning and their kindness to each other. They are very helpful to their friends, as well as me. Teamwork is evident among the students.

     Our monthly newsletters will inform you on the month's upcoming events and reminders. They will include what topics we will be learning in our subjects. This way you will always know what is going on in our classroom.

Math Minutes with Miss Powell:
This month in Math, we will be learning about numbers to 12 and addition facts to 6.

In Ch. 1, the students will be able to:
1.   Read and write numbers and number words.
2.   Understand the concepts of one more and one fewer.
3.   Explore one-to-one correspondence through tallying, collecting, recording, and
      interpreting data from pictures and graphs.
4.   Understand the concept of ordering.
5.   Count on and back on a number line
6.   Understand the concepts of before, after, and between.
7.   Compare numbers to 12.
8.   Explore odd and even numbers.
9.   Explore ordinals.
10. Solve problems by finding a pattern.
11. Solve problems by drawing a picture.

In Ch. 2, the students will be able to:
1.   Model addition as joining.
2.   Write addition number sentences in horizontal and vertical forms.
3.   Learn addition facts to 6.
4.   Explore the order property.
5.   Review the mathematical concepts and skills from Ch. 1.
6.   Model addition patterns.
7.   Use the on/all clear addition keys on a calculator.
8.   Solve problems by using a graph.
9.   Solve problems by acting them out.

Making a SPLASH in Science?
     This month in Science, we will be learning about Ocean Life. We will be concentrating on whales, dolphins, crabs, fish, sharks, and other sea creatures. We will be learning about sea creature facts and tie in literature to help us better understand them.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
     In Language Arts, we will be reading stories about pets. We will be incorporating phonics and grammar skills within our stories. We will have D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time before lunch everyday. Your child will select a book from our reading center and read it for about 15 minutes. They are allowed to switch their book with a buddy if they finish it early. It is important that you continue to read to and with your child every night and record it in their daily reading log.

On the Write Track!
     We will be practicing our handwriting skills by learning a letter a day. I am already impressed with the handwriting the children have already shown in class. I hope they keep up the great work!

God is Our Good Father!
     This month, we will be discussing how Jesus is our friend, how God is good, and how God is our Father. Our goal for this month and next month will be that the children will more deeply realize the great love God has for them and they will desire to pray to God.

Some important dates:
8/17 Book orders are due (Please make checks payable to Troll or Scholastic)
8/22 PTC Meeting 7:30 in GYM
8/31 Noon Dismissal

Don't Forget!
Homework Folders: Homework should be turned in on Fridays. Please make sure you and your child sign the homework sheet. By the end of every week, your child should have read at least 4 books and recorded them on their reading logs.

Behavior Folders: Your child's behavior folder must be signed daily in their colored
Parent Communication Folders: All office notes, classroom notes, parent-teacher notes and class work go into this folder. Please check this folder daily and remove any papers that do not need to be send back to school.box so that I know you have seen how they behaved for that day.