Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!

I know how much the kids loved the snow!  This was the best kind of snow...it snowed enough for the kids to play, and it melted quickly!

We are all excited for Spring Break.  Here are a few things for you to know before our time off...

Pinebrook Triple Play:
With school cancelled yesterday, the Triple Play was also cancelled.  Please watch for a communication from the Pinebrook office regarding a make-up date.

Flat Student Project Update:
We kissed the flat students goodbye today and they are off on their adventures!  If your child did not bring in an address and/or stamps for our flat student project, I sent your child's project materials home today.  You may choose whether to mail your child's flat student at your cost and convenience. 

Spring Break Reading Incentive:
Your child brought home a Spring Break reading incentive today.  This completed reading incentive is due on April 3rd.  It is optional, but highly encouraged!

Mid-Year Marker Refresh:
The kids LOVE using markers, and I don't typically care whether they use their markers for coloring.  This means many of their markers are lost/dried up/worn out/just plain OLD!  Please feel free to send your child a fresh box of markers. Markers and crayons are not community supplies, so any markers you send are for your child's use only.  

Homework / Sound of the Week:
We will NOT have homework or a new sound of the week the week we come back from Spring Break.  Homework and sound of the week will resume the week of April 9th. 

No School April 2nd and April 9th:
Friendly reminder that BOTH April 2nd and April 9th are Teacher Workdays.  The kids do not have school.  

Yearbooks:
Pinebrook yearbooks are on sale now!  Yearbooks may only be purchased online.  To purchase a yearbook, go to ybpay.lifetouch.com and enter school code 7561118.  You will be prompted through the order and payment process.  The deadline to order a yearbook is April 29th.  You must pre-order a yearbook if you would like your child to receive one.  

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about rich vocabulary in fiction stories.  We will talk about using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words.  
• Writing:  We will write about our spring break as we focus on editing our writing for mechanics, punctuation, and proper sight word spelling.
• Math:  We will begin our Time unit.  We will practice telling time to the hour and half hour.
• Social Studies:  We will continue our Maps unit.  We will explore cardinal directions,  map keys and map symbols, and construct a map of a familiar area.  

Questions or comments?  Please reach out!

Do you have something fun planned for Spring Break?  I am headed to a teaching conference in Washington, D.C., and we are going to Kings' Dominion to begin using our season passes.  Aside from that, lots of coffee and books!  

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!

Happy St. Patrick's Day (a day early)!  I'm sure the leprechauns have lots of mischief planned.  Be sure to ask your kiddo about his/her leprechaun hat.

Pinebrook Triple Play:
Please join us!  Our annual Pinebrook Triple Play will be Thursday, March 22nd in the gym at John Champe High School.  Doors open at 5:45 pm.  This is a fun event in which teachers from Pinebrook will play volleyball and run relay races against teachers from Buffalo Trail. There will be food and snacks for sale, raffles, and other fun things. The 1st graders lead the singing of the National Anthem before the games begin. Please refer to your Pinebrook weekly email and the Thursday folder insert for more information.

Spring Break Travel:
If your child will be absent next week, or leaving school early in advance of Spring Break, please kindly notify both the office and me.  You can access the absence and early dismissal notifications on the Pinebrook homepage.

Yearbooks:
Pinebrook yearbooks are on sale now!  Yearbooks may only be purchased online.  To purchase a yearbook, go to ybpay.lifetouch.com and enter school code 7561118.  You will be prompted through the order and payment process.  The deadline to order a yearbook is April 29th.  You must pre-order a yearbook if you would like your child to receive one.  

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about rich vocabulary in fiction stories. 
• Writing:  We will finish our friendly letters unit as we focus on editing our writing for mechanics, punctuation, and proper sight word spelling.
• Math:  We will finish our Fractions unit.  We will begin our Time unit after Spring Break.
• Social Studies:  We will continue our Maps unit.  We will explore cardinal directions,  map keys and map symbols, and construct a map of a familiar area.

Questions or comments?  Please reach out!

Thank you, Everyone!  Have a super weekend!

Weekly Update

Hi Parents,

Happy Friday!  Please ask your child about the NED assembly we attended today. NED stands for Never Give Up, Encourage Others, and Do Your Best.  The assembly reenforced the ideas of being a good citizen, being an upstander (someone who helps prevent bullying), and being a ready, responsible, and respectful student.   

Meantime, time is clicking along at school, and the calendar is filling fast!  The kids are working to fill our Marble Jar and earn a picnic.  :)

Flat Student Projects:

I sent a note home in yesterday's Thursday folder about our Flat Student projects. Please review this information.  Please kindly return both stamps and an address for someone to whom your child may mail his/her Flat Student.  Please send these things by next Friday, March 16th.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this project.  :)

Pinebrook Triple Play:
Please join us!  Our annual Pinebrook Triple Play will be Thursday, March 22nd in the gym at John Champe High School.  The Triple Play usually starts between 5:45 and 6:30 pm.  This year, teachers from Pinebrook will be playing fun games against teachers from Buffalo Trail.  The games are designed to make us look as silly as possible...think kickball, tricycle races, and dizzy bats!  The event starts with teacher bowling.  There will be food and snacks for sale, raffles, and other fun things. The 1st graders lead the singing of the National Anthem before the games begin. Please watch both your Pinebrook weekly email and your child's Thursday folder for more information, including the specific start time and admission prices.

Box Tops for Education:
Box Tops for Education are due Friday, March 16th.  If you lost the collection paper for Box Tops, please send them to school in a Ziploc bag labeled with your child's name.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will practice visualizing as we read the chapter book Flat Stanley.
• Writing:  We will write friendly letters as we focus on editing our writing for mechanics, punctuation, and proper sight word spelling.
• Math:  We will continue our Fractions unit.  We will discuss the concepts of equal and unequal, halves, thirds, and fourths.
• Social Studies:  We will begin our Maps unit.  We will explore cardinal directions,  map keys and map symbols, and construct a map of a familiar area.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Stay warm this weekend!  The weather is going to be wild!  Thank you!

Weekly Update

Hi Parents,

This day off is a surprise!  I'm sorry we're missing the STEAM Expo, but I'm grateful for an extra day with my boys.  I don't have any information regarding rescheduling of the STEAM Expo.  If I find out anything, I'll let you know.  :)

3rd Quarter Interim Progress Reports:
3rd Quarter Interim Progress Reports ("interims") will be issued Wednesday, March 7th.  If your child receives an interim, it will be emailed to you on Wednesday, March 7th using the email address on file in your ParentVue account.  You can update and/or verify your email address by logging into your ParentVue account.  If you have questions about logging into ParentVue, please contact Mrs. Sciortino in our school office at 703-957-4325.

Scholastic Book Fair:

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held at school all next week!  (This also means my family will eat cereal for dinner all next week because Jonah is a Book Fair Fiend...even from middle school.)  Students previewed the Book Fair yesterday. 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, March 6th from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm.  *Please note: Book Fair purchases are optional.

Fine Arts Night:

The PTA is sponsoring a Fine Arts Night at school on Tuesday, March 6th at 5:30 pm.  This will be a night of hands-on creativity as kids visit many fun stations to explore art through a variety of mediums.  Visit the Book Fair to shop with your child, and then head over to Fine Arts Night!  I'll be there too!  :)

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will identify the main idea and supporting details in fiction stories and nonfiction texts.
• Writing:  We will explore paragraph structure as we focus on editing our writing for mechanics, punctuation, and proper sight word spelling.
• Math:  We will continue our Fractions unit.
• Science:  We will finish our Matter unit.  We will begin to learn about Force and Motion.  We will explore different paths of motion, ways things move, sound, and vibration.  

Thank you for your continued efforts to support the kids and me!  I appreciate working with each of you, and I am continually amazed at the progress the kids are demonstrating.  

Have a super weekend!  We are headed back to the city.  My boys enjoy history and have been asking to visit the National Archives, so we are headed there tomorrow.  I hope the wind dies down a bit before then.