Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!

I taught the kids to play the dice game "Tenzi" this week; our family plays it at home all the time...check it out online if you're not sure what it is.  We enjoyed an author visit with poet Kalli Dakos.  Ms. Dakos told us the title of a poetry anthology she wrote especially for teachers....it's called I Heard You Twice the First Time.  I believe that title is also appropriate to parenting!  We enjoyed some leprechaun mischief too.  

Meantime, the kids are enjoying Mrs. Fulgenzi, our student teacher from Marymount University.  Mrs. Fuglenzi's classroom responsibilities are slowly increasing as she practices her planning, instruction, and class management skills.

I have a few things for your update this week...

Read-A-Thon Closeout:
Thanks to you, our school raised almost $25,000 in our Read-A-Thon.  I can't even begin to tell you how absolutely, positively, over-the-top excited we teachers are about the new books and resources we will purchase with these funds.  The kids were super excited to see Mr. Thiessen's hair this morning - be sure to ask your kiddo all about it!

If your child received donations, he/she received a "shopping credit" for the Read-A-Thon prize shop.  Please log onto your child's page, and click "Shop for Prizes" at the top.  Your child can choose prizes up to the amount of his/her credit.  (The credit is a percentage of the amount of donations your child received.)  The prize shopping function will close on March 27th, so your child MUST shop for his/her prizes by that date.  There is absolutely no exception to this deadline. Unused shopping credit will be forfeited after that date.

Spring Break Bucket List Reading Incentive:
The kids made Spring Break Bucket Lists yesterday.  This Bucket List is their reading incentive for the break.  It is due Monday, March 28th.

Career Day:
Pinebrook will host a Career Day on the morning of Tuesday, April 5th.  If you are willing to come share information about your occupation with students at Pinebrook, please contact our counselors, Melissa Roberts (melissa.roberts@lcps.org) and Heather Ross (heather.ross@lcps.org).

STEAM Expo:
The annual Pinebrook STEAM Expo will be held on Saturday, April 9th.  It's a fun day filled with hands-on Science exploration.  From now until the Expo, you'll be seeing regular communication from school regarding volunteer opportunities, requested materials donations, and event information.  On behalf of our school's STEAM Team, please accept my sincere thank you for any time and / or materials you may donate.  We need many, many volunteers to make the STEAM Expo a success.  If you are able to join me in donating your time on the day of the event, you can sign up HERE.  

Camp STEAM-tacular:

This summer, Pinebrook will host Camp STEAM-tacular.  This is a fun-filled week of STEAM related learning and exploration which takes place June 20th - 24th from 9 am to 3 pm here at school.   Each grade level is aligned to a particular theme. Enrollment is limited and the camp is filling quickly!  For more information and to register, click  HERE.

Focus Areas for the Week of March 28th 
(because the only focus areas for next week are books, coffee, and my boys!):

• Reading:  We will discuss how context clues help us understand stories.
• Writing:  We will continue our Realistic Fiction and Authors as Mentors Unit.
• Math:  We will begin our unit on Time.
• Science:  We will talk about matter, the different states of matter (solids, liquids, and gases), and conduct some experiments.

Questions, comments, and feedback are welcomed!  If you are leaving town for Spring Break, have fun and be safe.  If you're staying close to home, enjoy some downtime...and some basketball!

Thank you!

Weekly Update, Flat Students, and STEAM Activities

Happy Friday!

We skipped Spring, it feels like Summer, but it's still officially Winter!  Whatever the season, we have been thankful for beautiful weather to catch up on outdoor recess!  I am proud of the kids' ready, responsible, and respectful choices this week because they earned a few minutes of extra recess most days.  Sunshine really is good for the soul.

We are at that sweet spot of the school year...the one where I could gush in every post about how the kids are blowing me away with their progress.  At dinner last night, my husband asked about the kids' progress in reading.  I am not even a little bit ashamed to admit I cried as I described their amazing, huge, phenomenal growth.  I can't possibly begin to tell you how blessed I am to witness their astounding progress in school and their continuing evolution as individuals each day.

Here's your weekly update...

Read-A-Thon:

The Read-A-Thon officially ends today, but your child can read and collect sponsors until Monday!  Please continue to encourage your child to read, please help him/her to log reading minutes, and please continue to help him/her collect sponsors.  At last check, we raised over $16,000!!!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  :)

Flat Student Projects:

The Flat Students have been mailed and are officially on the way to their various vacation destinations!  :)   As we welcome the Flat Students back to school, the kids will share the adventures of their Flat Students, and we will map the various locales to which the Flat Students traveled.

If your child did not bring an address and/or stamps for his/her Flat Student, I sent the Flat Student materials home with your child yesterday.  You may choose whether to mail the Flat Student on behalf of your child.

Spring Break Travel Notification:

Spring Break is coming!  There is NO school for students from Monday, March 21 - Friday, March 25.  School resumes Monday, March 28.  If you plan to get an early start on travel, and your child will be absent in advance of Spring Break, please kindly notify the office beforehand.  You may use the online absence notification found HERE.  If you plan to pick up your child early on Friday, March 18, please use the online early dismissal notification found HERE.  I will send home a Spring Break reading incentive next week.  (Seriously!  Spring Break???  Please!  Someone press the "pause" button!)

STEAM Expo:

The annual Pinebrook STEAM Expo will be held on Saturday, April 9th.  It's a fun day filled with hands-on Science exploration.  From now until the Expo, you'll be seeing regular communication from school regarding volunteer opportunities, requested materials donations, and event information.  On behalf of our school's STEAM Team, please accept my sincere thank you for any time and / or materials you may donate.  We need many, many volunteers to make the STEAM Expo a success.  If you are able to join me in donating your time on the day of the event, you can sign up HERE.  

Camp STEAM-tacular:

This summer, Pinebrook will host Camp STEAM-tacular.  This is a fun-filled week of STEAM related learning and exploration which takes place June 20th - 24th from 9 am to 3 pm here at school.   Each grade level is aligned to a particular theme. Enrollment is limited and the camp is filling quickly!  For more information and to register, click  HERE.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will summarize non-fiction books.

• Math:  I will hold off on our large unit on telling time until after Spring Break.  We will spend next week reviewing concepts learned throughout the year.

• Writing:  We will begin our Realistic Fiction and Authors as Mentors unit.

• Social Studies:  We will finish our Economics unit and talk about Community Helpers.

As always, questions, comments, and feedback are welcome!  Have a great weekend!

Last Call for Class Picture Orders and Flat Student Addresses!

Hi Everyone,

A friendly reminder that tomorrow is picture day.  Please reference my post from last Friday for specific instructions regarding ordering a class photo.  Tomorrow is the only opportunity for you to purchase a class photo.

Also, if you have not yet provided an address and stamps for a person to whom your child may mail his/her Flat Student, please do so tomorrow.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I hope to see many of you tonight at Fine Arts Night!

Weekly Update, Picture Day, and Book Fair

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all you're doing to support our Read-A-Thon!  The event continues through next Friday.  Please be sure your child is reading every day, and please be sure to help your child record his/her reading sessions.  Thank you for sharing your child's personal page with family and friends.  The class that raises the most money at each grade level will win a pizza party, and I know we can be that class!

Please see below for some important information about Picture Day and other items.

Odds and Ends:

• I welcome pictures of your child with family, pets, or engaged in fun activities.  The kids share their pictures during Morning Meeting.
• Please be sure to empty your child's Thursday folder each Thursday and return it to school on Friday.
• I will not be here on Wednesday.  Mrs. McKinley will be my substitute, and Mrs. Fulgenzi will be here too.

Flat Student Projects:

If you have not yet returned stamps and an address for someone to whom your child may mail his/her Flat Student, please do so as soon as possible. I will mail the Flat Students next week!

Picture Day:
Spring Picture Day is Wednesday, March 9th.  A whole group (class) picture will be taken on Wednesday, and your child's individual picture will be taken on Wednesday.  Please note these 2 very important points:

1. If you would like a class picture (this is the whole group photo), you must order and pay for it by Wednesday, March 9th.  I sent an order form home in yesterday's Thursday folder for the class picture.  You can fill out the order form, include payment, and return the payment envelope to school, or you can order and pay online.  If you order and pay online, you must return the payment envelope to school with the online payment confirmation code written on the envelope.  This means that by Wednesday, March 9th, you should return either the payment envelope with payment inside, or the payment envelope with the online payment confirmation code written on it.  If you do not order a class photo by Wednesday, March 9th, you will NOT receive one.  There is NO option to order a class photo at a later date.  This becomes an issue every year.  Please, please....if you want a class photo, you MUST order it per the instructions I've just outlined.
2. Individual pictures will also be taken Wednesday, and you will receive a picture packet at a later date.  If you would like to purchase individual pictures, you will purchase those AFTER you receive the picture packet.

Scholastic Book Fair:

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held at school next week.  Students previewed the Book Fair on Friday.  Students who bring money may shop at the Book Fair next week during recess.  If your child plans to bring money for the Book Fair, please send the money in a sealed envelope marked with your child's name, my name, and "Book Fair" on the outside of the envelope.  If you would like to attend the Book Fair to shop with your child, our Family Shopping Night will be Tuesday from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will explore features of non-fiction texts, such as tables of contents, headings, and glossaries.
• Writing:  We will finish making our Flat Students and writing the accompanying letters.
• Math:  We will finish our fractions unit.
• Social Studies:  We will talk about Virginia.

A New Addition to Our Classroom!

Hi Everyone,

Please be sure to check your child's Thursday folder tomorrow for an important letter regarding Mrs. Katherine Fulgenzi, a student teacher who will be joining our class from March 7th - April 29th.  Mrs. Fulgenzi ("full-JEN-zee") is finishing her coursework in Elementary Education at Marymount University.  She will join me as a co-teacher, co-planner, and maybe a co-parent (?).  I hope to give her a positive, welcoming environment in which she can apply the teaching knowledge and techniques she has studied over the past months.  She will teach every subject at some point during her 7 weeks, and I will be in the room the entire time to facilitate, guide, and offer feedback.  

I see Mrs. Fulgenzi's presence as a total win for the kids -- 2 teachers for 7 weeks means more kids receive guided reading instruction each day, and more kids receive individual attention each day.  It doesn't get any better than that!

Please help me in welcoming Mrs. Fulgenzi, and please let me know if you have any questions about her student teaching placement in our class.