Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!

Happy April Fools' Day!  I'm not sure how it got to be April, but I'm grateful for warmth, sunshine, and days spent outside.  I hope you had an easy return to routines after Spring Break!  I'll try to keep this update short.  (And I'm not foolin'.  LOL!  I crack myself up, which is good because my boys just look at me and roll their eyes....)

Reading, Reading, and Reading!
As the days grow longer and the sunshine beckons, please be sure your child is reading everyday (even on weekends!), practicing retelling stories, and talking about what he/she is reading.  Our end of year benchmark testing will begin in May, so we are in the critical home stretch of practicing our good reader strategies!

Glue Sticks:
We are in dire need of glue sticks.  1st graders are super creative, and creativity requires glue!  :)  Please consider donating glue sticks to our classroom.  Many thanks!

Spring Pictures:
I sent home your child's individual Spring pictures on Wednesday.  I attached directions for purchasing the photos, but here's a quick recap:

• Look at the photos and decide which, if any, you'd like to purchase.
• Send a check to school or pay online for the photos you wish to keep.
• Return any photos you do not want to school.
• Please send your money or unwanted photos to school as soon as possible.  

First Grade Performance:

I sent home a note / acknowledgement slip about our 1st Grade American Symbols performance in yesterday's Thursday folder.  (Please kindly sign and return the slip as soon as possible.)  Our performance will be Monday, May 2nd at 8:30 in the gym here at school.  Our class will sing and speak about the bald eagle.  I will send home your child's speaking part in the next week or so.  It will be fairly short -- a sentence or two -- and your child will need to memorize his/her part. We will practice for our performance at school, but I appreciate your help in advance to help your child practice at home. Dress that day will be fairly easy -- any combination of red, white, and blue.

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 Next Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about drawing conclusions in stories we read.
• Writing:  We will finish our short Realistic Fiction unit.  
• Math:  We will continue telling time to the hour and half hour.
• Science:  We will finish our matter unit and begin talking about force and motion.

Questions, comments, and feedback welcomed!  How's that for short(ish)?  Have a great weekend!