Highlights 3-31-16

Hello friends and families,

This week has whizzed by! We started learning about habitats in science this week. We discovered that a habitat is the place you live that provides you with food, water, air to breathe, shelter, and protection. We wrote about our own habitats and also drew diagrams, labeling different important aspects of our habitats. These are posted on our bulletin boards outside our room. Check them out!

We also did some good foundational work for our animal research. We brainstormed everything we already know about our animals using the same graphic organizer that we've used when learning about other animals. Then we wrote these ideas in full sentences as notefacts! On Thursday we also began brainstorming the questions we have about our animals. This will help us to focus our research which begins next week!

Second grade mathematicians have been doing more story problem detective work, trying to figure out what information the story is telling us and what the story is asking us. Students read MANY different kinds of story problems and decoded them to figure out if it was the start, the change, or the result that was the missing information. Knowing what type of information is missing helps us to choose the best strategy for solving.First grade mathematicians have been working on composing and decomposing numbers to ten. This work is critical for adding and subtracting all numbers—this skill of composition/decomposition lays the foundation for adding and subtracting with two and three digit numbers in second grade!

I was out sick on Wednesday but our class got rave reviews from Mrs. Joslyn who held down the fort in my absence. Our class really is an amazing and supportive community of learners!

This afternoon and tomorrow I'll get to meet with many of you for conferences. This is when you'll get your child's progress report. If I'm not meeting with you today or tomorrow please check your child's folder for this mail.

Let's hope this warm weather is here to stay! I look forward to seeing many of you soon but I wish you all a fantastic weekend and April Fools Day tomorrow!

Dates to Remember
Parent/Teacher Conferences: Thursday 3/31 and Friday 4/1
Friday April 1 -- No School for Students; Parent/Teacher conferences all day
Monday April 4 -- Scholastic Order due
Thursday April 14 -- All School Meeting 2:30 p.m.
Monday April 18 - Friday April 22 -- SPRING BREAK
Monday April 25 -- School resumes
Friday May 13th -- Field Trip to the Flynn Theater to see Henry and Mudge