Weekly Update

Hi Parents,

I'm writing to you from home today!  Every year, I take a personal day at Christmastime.  I keep my boys home from school (shh!) and we bake all day long. We make all the cookies I used to bake with my own mom.  We listen to John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas album (don't laugh!) because my mother played it all the time during the Holidays, and especially when baking. My boys have no memories of my mom, so this is one of my favorite days of the year because I am able to connect them to my memories of her.  💜   I hope you have a special Holiday ritual in your family 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 Saturday morning (tomorrow!) from 9:00 - 11:30 am. The 5th Grade will be hosting its annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser starting at 8:30 am too.

Scholastic Book Fair:

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held at school all next week. Students previewed the Book Fair today.  Students who bring money may shop at the Book Fair during recess next week (December 9th - 13th).  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, December 10th from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm. Due to the Book Fair, students will not check books out of the library next week.  Please keep your child's current library books home until Monday, December 16th.

Gingerbread Week!
Next week, we will read various versions of the story The Gingerbread Man.  If your child has a version of this classic story at home, he/she is invited to bring it to school, and I will read it to the class.

Gingerbread House Supplies:

As a culminating activity to our unit on gingerbread stories, we will make gingerbread houses. Please see last week's Thursday folder for a note requesting supplies for this project.  I am asking each student to bring 2 items from our supply list, and I highlighted the items I am requesting from your child on the letter I sent.  Please send the supplies no later than Thursday, December 12th.  If you are available to help with our project on December 13th at 9:45, please return the slip at the bottom of the form. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Polar Express Movie Party:
During the week of December 16th-December 20th, we will read and explore the holiday classic The Polar Express.  As a special treat, Friday, December 20th will be a pajama and movie day!  Students are welcome to wear pajamas to school.  I will offer hot chocolate to drink too.  I will make the hot chocolate with water only, without marshmallows, and I will offer a candy cane on the side.  I sent home a gold Polar Express "movie ticket" in yesterday's Thursday folder.  This is your child's permission form so he/she may watch the movie and enjoy the hot chocolate.  Please kindly sign and return the ticket as soon as possible.

Interim Progress Reports:
Interim progress reports (commonly called "interims") will go home Wednesday, December 11th.  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.  If you need assistance accessing your ParentVue account, please contact Mrs. Sciortino in our school office at 703-957-4325.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will read various gingerbread stories and compare and contrast the elements of each.
• Writing:  We will complete some gingerbread themed writing activities.  
• Math:  We will finish our graphing and data unit.  We will talk about tally charts, bar graphs, picture graphs, and object graphs.  We will analyze graphs and create our own graphs.
• Social Studies:  We will finish our Holidays Around the World rotations and begin to prepare for our World Market on December 17th.

There's a lot happening as we head toward Winter Break!  Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or feedback about anything written here.

I hope you enjoy the weekend!