Wow! We are down to 8 days before holiday break!!! Wowzers, December flew by!!! There are no spelling words this week, because we are assessing this week. We are at a Unit assessment for Wonders, and doing benchmark screenings for Aimsweb. I will be sending out sign-ups for conferences. I wanted to get in these last two check-ins, before meeting with all of you! I’m excited to share all the amazing progress that this crew has made!
Last week, we all met in Mrs. Howe’s room for book buddies. Mrs. Howe and I handed out awards, for reading counts. Reading counts is a way for children to take a short, ten question quiz on each book they read. The program will then count the total number of words, that the children have read. This was a pretty amazing experience for many of the kids, and an inspiration for many others.
We also played a game called Salute last week! This is a game where two players put a card on their forehead, and the dealer finds the sum. Each player tries to figure out which addend they have on their forehead. This was fun for all!
On Thursday, we also made some snowmen, to go with our Snowmen at Night stories. Last week we read the story Snowmen at Night. I LOVE this story, as it sparks the imagination, and this is surely true of this group! We started to write our own stories for what snowmen do at night. (if only we had some decent snow, for snowmen). I am sooooo excited about their stories, and so are the children! I can’t wait to get these stories finished!
This week, our schedule will be a little off-kilter, as we will be fitting in all of these assessments, and taking some breathers when we can. I have told the children that I won’t be sending home homework this week. I am hoping to finish up with Unit 3 in math, so that we can get the assessment in, before the holiday break! I am so proud of this crew, and the progress that they continue to make!
That being said, we will also try to squeeze in some down time, including some following directions activities, crafts and STEM projects, to allow the children to decompress from the crazy busy week!
Next week, we really get to breathe!!! The children will have enrichment activities every afternoon! We will be rotating through each second grade classroom for craft, STEAM, science and literacy based activities! The kids will have so much fun with this! We will spend the mornings tying up loose ends, and reviewing, before the break. Friday, we have a special surprise planned for the second graders, but shhhh…. it is a surprise! Be sure to check their backpacks for a special “homework” Thursday night.
Just a reminder: we are collecting items for our theme basket. Our theme this year is LEGOS – Build it! We will be collecting items through January 17th! Donations can be sent in, at any time! Thank you in advance for your help with this!
It has been a chilly week, already! I have advised the children to wear their snow gear out, some days, regardless of whether or not they are playing in the snow, just to stay warm. Please make sure the kiddos have gloves/mittens and hats. Their little fingers get really cold out there! If you have an extra set, it might be a good idea to keep them in their backpacks. We’ve been borrowing quite a few pairs from the nurse.
We’ve also been VERY hungry during snack! I don’t know if it is the cold weather, or the sharks and minnows they’ve been playing, but they are coming in, really hungry! We’ve gone through A LOT of extra goldfish! It might be a good idea to pack an extra snack, for snack time, as some of our kiddos have been quite hungry.
We stop and wash hands after each recess, so we are ready for snack, and the afternoon.. I have also encouraged the kids to wash hands before lunch, as there is A LOT of ickiness going around. We have been wiping all of our surfaces, with disinfectant wipes, and we are grateful that we had so many, from the beginning of the year! THANK YOU!!!! However, we have LOTS of runny noses, and could use some more soft tissues, if anyone has an extra box hanging around. The kiddos’ noses appreciate it!