Is it really February already????

It is so hard for me to believe that it is already February (especially since it feels like spring outside!).  As I was looking ahead last week I couldn't believe that I was already writing you a note about valentine boxes!!  Crazy how time flies!!

Next Tuesday will be our last "official" class party.  Please help your student decorate their valentine box and bring it to school by the end of the week.  Also, please make sure they fill out a valentine for everyone on our class list.  Thank you for your help at home!!  The following people have signed up to bring items for our party on the 14th:

Treats:  Sarah DeHaven, Tammy Nedland, and Amy Baker
Drinks:  April Martin
Napkins and Paper Plates:  Emily Statdfield
Cups:  Kris Lobdell

Thanks in advance for helping to make our last party a success!

I am compiling the information from the testing that was finished up last week and I hope to have the list of the benchmarks that still need to be passed to you by the end of the week.

It was just brought to my attention this morning that there will be a Board of Education - Curriculum/Technology Committee meeting tomorrow (Tuesday, February 7th) at 6:15 pm.  The things listed on the agenda are:

1.  Consider academic and vocational programming options
2.  Role of technology and technology director
3.  Consider impact of programming on student learning, staffing and finances
4.  Prepare options for full board consideration
5.  Set next meeting date

This appears to me to be a very important meeting with some information that could have a huge impact on our school district.  If at all possible, please try to attend this meeting and make your voices heard!!

This week we will continue to work on our new spelling program.  We will be saying goodbye to our sight work activities and start to focus on word chunks.  The chunks that we will be talking about this week are -in, -ew, and -ay.  Onsets (the letters up to the first vowel in a word or syllable) and rimes(from the first vowel to the end of the word or syllable) are words we will be using for the rest of the year.

We are starting a new unit in math.  We will be talking about fact families and addition and subtraction facts for most of the week.  Our gumball math tests will be on Tuesday and Thursday.

Our story this week is called The Knee-High Man.  It is a play.  I am sure that the kids will be excited to have their own parts to read!  Our vocabulary words for the week are:  carry, done, been, far, clean.  We will also be working on making inferences and inflectional endings (-er and -est).

We will be learning about penguins this week.  Be prepared to learn some intersting penguin facts.  We will also be watching March of the Penquins on Friday to round out our week of penguin fun.  :)

Next week we will be doing several fun activities, one of which will be Contraction Surgery.  In order to be fully prepared as surgeons we will need some supplies.  I am looking for someone to donate some surgical masks and gloves.  If you know of anyone in the medical field and can get 22 masks and sets of gloves we would really appreciate it.  Otherwise I know that they sell both at Walmart.  Thanks in advance!!

Finally, please feel free to leave comments.  I would love to hear from you!!

Have a great week!