Hi Everyone!  Happy Rainy Friday!

As Teacher Appreciation Week winds down, please accept my humble and sincere thanks for the notes, treats, flowers, presents, and gift cards so many of you sent to school.  Your generosity stretches beyond words.  The notes validate my efforts in the classroom each day, the treats and presents are so reflective of my personality, and the gift cards often give me a night off from cooking at home.  I am honored to teach your children each day, and I thank you for recognizing me over this past week.  :)

American Symbols Performance: 
We hope you will join us for our American Symbols performance on Tuesday, May 23rd at 6:30 pm in the gym at school.  I already sent your child's speaking part home.  Please ensure your child is practicing saying his/her speaking part from memory.  Please encourage your child to practice using a clear, confident voice.

Poet's Tea:
Mark your calendar!  Our Poet's Tea will be Friday, May 26th from 9:45 - 10:30 am in our classroom.   All families are welcome.  This is the culminating activity for our current writing unit (Poetry), and one of my favorite events of the entire year!  The students will share their poems, and I will serve light refreshments. More details to follow.

Egg Cartons Needed:
We are still in need of egg cartons for our piggy bank project.  Please send your empty egg cartons to school with your child!

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will synthesize the good reader strategies we have learned this year as I begin to read aloud one of my favorite children's classics, Charlotte's Web.
• Writing:  We will continue our Poetry Unit.  We will edit our writing for capitalization, punctuation, mechanics, and proper sight word spelling.
• Math:  We will finish our Money unit.  We will begin our measurement unit. We will measure things using nonstandard units.  We will compare the weights of objects using a balance scale.  We will explore volume.
• Social Studies:  We will continue preparing for our 1st Grade American Symbols performance by rehearsing our lines and songs.  We will work on a top secret Mother's Day project.  :)

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything written here, or about any upcoming events.  Don't forget to regularly check the "Important Dates" section of this blog for all the latest happenings in our classroom and in our school.

I am celebrating a dear friend's bridal shower this weekend.  I'm excited to dress up and spend time in friendship with other ladies.  I hope your weekend is filled with something wonderful too!