Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!  Happy Friday!

It's about to be my favorite week of the entire school year!  The anticipation for Christmas and Winter Break is in the air, everyone is in a festive mood, and everyone is even kinder than normal.  We have some fun events planned next week to mark the Holiday, and will be finishing up some of our academic units too.  

Holiday Shop:

We previewed the items for sale at the Pinebrook Holiday Shop yesterday.  Students may purchase items next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.  If your child is purchasing Holiday Shop items, please kindly use the envelope I sent home yesterday to send his/her list and money next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Students who bring money may shop during our recess time.  Please remember there is no obligation to buy.  If you'd like to shop with your child, the Holiday Shop will be open tomorrow morning from 9 - 11:30 am.  The 5th Grade will be hosting its annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser, so come for breakfast too.  :)

Interim Progress Reports:

Interim progress reports (commonly called "interims") will go home Wednesday, December 13th.  A friendly reminder that I do not send an interim home for every child.  If I send one for your student, you will receive it via email at the email address on file in your ParentVue account.

Hour of Code:
In celebration of Computer Science Eduaction Week, our school participated in Hour of Code this week.  The goal of Hour of Code Week is to introduce students to computer science and computer programming through fun, self-paced, computer based games.  You can find many of these games on our 1st Grade Symbaloo page by clicking HERE.  While you're there, check out the other fun online learning resources!

Winter Break Reading Log:

I sent home a Winter Break Reading Challenge in your child's Thursday folder yesterday. If you have any questions about this reading incentive, please email me.

Holiday Travel:

If you are traveling over the Holidays, and your child will be absent from school, please kindly notify the school in advance.  You can send a message or note to me, which I will forward to the office.  You may also submit your notification to the office directly by using the "online absence excuse", which is found on the Pinebrook home page.  The link to the Pinebrook home page is HERE.

Focus Areas for Next Week:

• Reading:  We will read the Holiday Classic The Polar Express, and review many of the good reader strategies we have learned this year, such as predicting, retelling, making connections, and story mapping.  
• Math:  We will continue our subtraction unit, in which we learn strategies for quickly solving subtraction facts.  
• Writing:  We will complete some Holiday writing projects.
• Science / Social Studies:  We will talk about Holiday traditions around the world with our annual Holidays Around the World on Thursday morning. During this time, the 1st grade teachers take turns rotating through each other's classrooms teaching the students about a holiday tradition from a particular country or culture.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!  The Mercer Band and Chorus will come Wednesday morning for a Holiday concert, and on Friday, the entire school will pile into the gym for our annual Holiday Sing Along.  We sing Holiday songs from the many faith and cultural traditions represented at Pinebrook while the teachers and staff all take turns leading the songs.  Seriously....I CAN'T EVEN CONTAIN MYSELF.  I am 43 years old, but at this time of year, I am a 6 year old.  It's one reason why YOUR children are "MY PEOPLE"!  (It's also the reason I am typing in so many CAPITAL letters.)

Have a great weekend!  I am looking forward to time with friends, wrapping gifts, and some Christmas cooking, all the while (hopefully) watching a little snow fall. We leave for Las Vegas early next Saturday morning, so I'll be getting ready for our trip too!