Weekly Update

Hi Parents,

Happy Friday!  Thank you for the tissues and Clorox wipes!   We celebrated Dr. Seuss all week. Fine Arts Night was a great family activity! Time is clicking along, and the calendar is filling fast!  The kids are working to fill our Marble Jar and earn an opportunity to bring a toy to school. :)

We started talking about maps this week, and I showed the kids these two AWESOME videos.  I promised I'd include a link in this week's blog so they can watch from home.  THEY ARE SO COOL!!!!!!  I hope you like them too.  :)

Tour the States (about the United States):

Tour the World:

Pinebrook Yearbooks are on Sale:
Please click HERE for information about ordering your child's Pinebrook yearbook.  Yearbook orders are optional.  The deadline to order is April 24th.  

Camp STEAM-tacular:
Camp STEAM-tacular is coming to Pinebrook this summer.  Please click HERE for more information and to register your child.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will talk about how good readers use context clues to figure out the meaning of unknown words.  
• Writing:  We will continue our opinion writing unit as we focus on editing our writing for mechanics, punctuation, and proper sight word spelling.
• Math:  We will begin a quick little unit on Fact Families.  Fact families are made up of 2 addition sentences and 2 subtraction sentences, which all contain the same numbers.  Fact families are sometimes called "related facts".  For example:
• 2+3=5
• 3+2=5
• 5-2=3
• 5-3=2
• 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.

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

Sunday looks like a perfect day to start the spring clean up in the yard.  I am looking forward to some time outside.  Have a fantastic weekend!  

Weekly Update

Hi Parents!

I hope you've had a good week!  We had a visit from the dentist and a few days of indoor recess.  We had a Den Rally today where we talked about promises and commitments.  We also learned about Mr. Thiessen's nomination for LCPS Principal of the Year!  Congratulations, Mr. Thiessen!  

Here's a quick update...

No School Tuesday:
Don't forget there is NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS on Tuesday, March 3rd. 

Celebrating Dr. Seuss! 
Dr. Seuss's birthday is March 2nd.  We will celebrate Dr. Seuss with a school-wide spirit week.  Themes for each day are:

• Monday:  Wear many different colors of clothing in honor of My Many Colored Days.
• Tuesday:  STUDENT HOLIDAY!  NO SCHOOL!
• Wednesday:  Wear polka dots in honor of Put Me in the Zoo.
• Thursday:  Wear a crazy hat or crazy hair in honor of The Cat in the Hat.
• Friday:  Wear your favorite college or vacation shirt in honor of Oh the Places You'll Go!

Pinebrook 15-Year Celebration:
Mark your calendar for May 7th!  Please see the flyer below about our Pinebrook 15-year celebration!  It's going to be a blast!

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will discuss tools readers use to better understand books.  We will explore rhyme, author's message, and have some fun with Dr. Seuss favorites.   
• Writing:  We will continue our opinion writing unit.  We will also take inspiration from some Dr. Seuss favorites while we practice mechanics, punctuation, and proper sight word spelling. 
• Math:  We will finish our Subtraction unit.
• Social Studies:  We will learn more about Dr. Seuss and his life while enjoying some Dr. Seuss themed activities.    

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.  Please reach out with questions, comments, and feedback.

Have a super weekend!  

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone!

Happy Friday!  We are finishing up our Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) week. The kids love Spirit Weeks, and the teachers enjoy participating too!  We had indoor recess yesterday and today due to the cold, which gave the kids extra time to show off and share their shoebox collections.  It's been a good week!

Just a couple things this week....

Tissues and Clorox Wipes:
We are running low on tissues and Clorox wipes.  Please kindly consider donating these items to our classroom.  Thank you!

3rd Quarter Interim Progress Reports:

3rd Quarter Interim Progress Reports ("interims") will be issued Wednesday, February 26th.  If your child receives an interim, it will be emailed to you on Wednesday, February 26th, 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.  

Dreambox Learning:
Some of you have mentioned difficulties with your child logging onto Dreambox Learning.  Here is an update from Mrs. Clark, our Instructional Facilitator of Technology: 
"The main thing IFT's and DDI is telling me is to have parents clear their cache and cookies on their browser, then log into lcps go and see if that clears things up."

Pinebrook 15-Year Celebration:
Mark your calendar for May 7th!  Please see the flyer below about our Pinebrook 15-year celebration!  It's going to be a blast!

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will continue our "Readers Have Big Jobs" unit as we discuss ways to be the "boss" of our reading - stopping when we notice trouble, and using strategies to solve tricky words. 
• Writing:  We will continue our opinion writing unit. We are using the students' collections to make judgements and support our opinions.  
• Math:  We will continue our subtraction unit.  We will learn that subtraction is the reverse of addition, and learn ways for quickly solving subtraction facts.
• Social Studies:  We will learn about Black History Month, which is celebrated in February.  We will talk about why we celebrate Black History, and discuss the accomplishments of some famous Black Americans. 

Please reach out anytime with questions, comments, or feedback! 

It's the weekend!  Enjoy! 

Weekly Update

Hi Parents!

Happy Friday!  We had a fun week!  We celebrated the 100th day of school and we celebrated Valentine's Day!  I received so many sweet Valentine gifts!  The cards, candy, and notes just make my day.  I will share all the treats with the boys.  Thank you so much!

As we head into a long weekend, here is your weekly update:

Opinion Writing Collections:
I sent a note home in yesterday's Thursday folder about our upcoming writing unit.  We will begin learning how to state an opinion and how to support that opinion.  To do this, I am asking each student to bring in a small collection of objects in a shoebox or other small container.  We will use these collections to help with our opinion writing.  Please help your child bring his/her collection to school on Tuesday, February 18th.  

Random Acts of Kindness Week:
Next week is designated "Random Acts of Kindness Week".  I sent home information in yesterday's Thursday folder about this special week dedicated to acts of kindness.  Please read the information regarding the "School Counselors' 28-day Kindness Challenge", and how you can "Celebrate as a Family at Home".  We will have a school-wide spirit week too!  The themes for each day are as follows:

• Tuesday:  Kindness Rocks! (Show your support for kindness by dressing as a rock star)
• Wednesday:  Dreaming about Kindness (Wear your pajamas to school; no slippers please)
• Thursday:  Sunshine of Someone's Day (Wear yellow and sunglasses to brighten someone's day)
• Friday:  At PNB, kindness starts with me! (Wear Pinebrook spirit wear)

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will begin a new unit called "Reader's Have Big Jobs". We will talk about the strategies good readers use to help themselves be better readers, such as stopping at the first sign of trouble.
• Writing:  We will begin our opinion writing unit.  We will practice convincing our reader of our opinion and supporting our claims.
• Math:  We will begin our subtraction unit.  We will learn that subtraction is the reverse of addition, and learn ways for quickly solving subtraction facts.
• Social Studies:  We will learn about Presidents' Day.  We will talk about the lives of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and talk about their contributions to our country.

Please let me know if you have questions, comments, or feedback.  As always, I welcome your input!

Don't forget!  No school on Monday due to Presidents' Day.  Savey is off on retreat; Jonah gets to be an only child for a few days!  Enjoy your long weekend!  

Weekly Update

Hi Parents,

I hope you had a great week.  I am checking in for your regular weekly update. 

100th Day Celebration:
The 100th day of school is Wednesday!  Please remember students are invited to dress as a 100 year old boy or girl, or to make and wear a special 100th day shirt decorated with 100 items.  I sent home a 100th day food permission slip in yesterday's Thursday folder; please kindly return it as soon as possible.  It's going to be a fun day!  

Valentine's Day Party:
One final reminder...our Valentine's Day party is Friday, February 14th from 11:45 am - 1:15 pm in our classroom.  All families are welcome to attend.  I sent home a food permission slip in yesterday's Thursday folder; please kindly return it as soon as possible.  If your child is exchanging Valentines with classmates, you may send your child's Valentine cards at any time.  

Career Day Volunteers
Pinebrook will host a Career Day on Thursday, April 2nd.  We are in need of volunteers to share information about their occupations with students at Pinebrook.  Please consider volunteering by contacting our counselors, Tana Amadeo (tana.amadeo@lcps.org) and Lisa Morales (lisa.morales@lcps.org).  You can also volunteer by clicking HERE.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will learn strategies for reading nonfiction aloud like an expert - we will share interesting pages, think about the content of a page to determine how our voices should sound, explain and think about keywords, and use drama to bring a story to life. 
• Writing:  We will begin finishing our Nonfiction All About Books as we publish our work.
• Math:  We will finish our addition unit.
• Science:  We will continue to talk about force and motion, pushes and pulls, paths of motion, and how sound travels. 

The calendar is starting to fill as we move into the second half of the year...while I highlight some events in my update, and list others in the "Important Dates" section of this blog, please be sure to visit the Pinebrook homepage and read the weekly Puma Paw for the most up-to-date information.

I'll see many of you on Friday at our Valentine's Day party.

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone; Happy Friday!

I hope you're excited for the weekend!  Jonah and I have our Puppy Bowl snacks ready to go, and we are excited to watch all the action.  Just a quick update for you this week...

First Grade Music Program:
Please click HERE for a note from our music teachers about the First Grade Music Program. Planning has begun for this fun program, which will be held in May.  Thank you! 

100th Day of School:
The 100th day of school is coming!  Weather permitting, we will mark this special day on Wednesday, February 12th.  (If we have more snow days between now and February 12th, we will adjust the date so it aligns with our 100th day.). The 1st grade teachers and I have been busy planning for this fun day!  As part of our fun, the students are invited to dress like a 100-year old boy or girl, or make and decorate a t-shirt with 100 items for our 100th day celebration.  There's more information to come about our 100th day, but I'm passing this along so you and your child can start thinking about these optional, at-home projects, and whether you'd like to complete them.  

Valentine's Day Party:

Mark your calendar...our classroom Valentine's Day party will be Friday, February 14th from 11:45-1:15 in our classroom.  All families are welcome to attend. The kids will exchange Valentine cards at the party, and I sent home a class roster last week for those of you wanting to get a start on those. The card exchange is completely voluntary, although historically, the majority of the class participates.  If your child brings Valentine cards, please be sure he/she has one for every student in the class. If your child wants to attach a little "something" to his/her Valentine cards, please don't attach candy or food... little items like pencils, erasers, tattoos, stickers are fine. Please watch for more details regarding the party soon!

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will continue our non fiction unit.  We will practice becoming super smart about nonfiction topics by chatting about pages, reading across words, and noticing text features.
• Writing:  We will continue our All About Books unit, in which we teach our readers about a selected topic.  We are including nonfiction text features, such as sections with headings, diagrams, different kinds pages, captions, glossaries, and tables of contents.
• Math:  We will continue our addition unit.  We will learn strategies for solving addition facts, and we will learn that addition is a process of 2 parts coming together to make a whole, so:   Part + Part = Whole
• Science:  We will begin our Force and Motion unit.  We will talk about pushes and pulls, paths of motion (forward, backward, and sideways), and sound and vibration.

Please let me know if you have any questions about anything I've written here. Have a fun weekend!  Enjoy the game!

Weekly Update

Happy Friday!

Our 3rd quarter has begun!  It's the sweet spot of the school year when we're between testing seasons, there are no long breaks coming up, and we can simply learn!  Thank you for your support during our first half of the year...our second half of first grade is going to be fantastic!

Quarter 2 Report Cards:

Second quarter report cards will be issued today.  Report cards will be issued electronically; I will not send home a paper copy. Your child's report card will be available for viewing in your ParentVue account.  If you need assistance logging into your ParentVue account, please contact Mrs. Sciortino in our school office.

First Grade Music Program:
Please click HERE for a note from our music teachers about the First Grade Music Program. Planning has begun for this fun program, which will be held in May.  Thank you! 

100th Day of School:
The 100th day of school is coming!  Weather permitting, we will mark this special day on Wednesday, February 12th.  (If we have more snow days between now and February 12th, we will adjust the date so it aligns with our 100th day.). The 1st grade teachers and I have been busy planning for this fun day!  As part of our fun, the students are invited to dress like a 100-year old boy or girl, or make and decorate a t-shirt with 100 items for our 100th day celebration.  There's more information to come about our 100th day, but I'm passing this along so you and your child can start thinking about these optional, at-home projects, and whether you'd like to complete them.  

Valentine's Day Party:

Mark your calendar...our classroom Valentine's Day party will be Friday, February 14th from 11:45-1:15 in our classroom.  All families are welcome to attend. The kids will exchange Valentine cards at the party, and I sent home a class roster last week for those of you wanting to get a start on those. The card exchange is completely voluntary, although historically, the majority of the class participates.  If your child brings Valentine cards, please be sure he/she has one for every student in the class. If your child wants to attach a little "something" to his/her Valentine cards, please don't attach candy or food... little items like pencils, erasers, tattoos, stickers are fine. Please watch for more details regarding the party soon!

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will continue our non fiction unit.  We will practice becoming super smart about nonfiction topics by chatting about pages, reading across words, and noticing text features.
• Writing:  We will continue our All About Books unit, in which we teach our readers about a selected topic.  We are including nonfiction text features, such as sections with headings, diagrams, different kinds pages, captions, glossaries, and tables of contents.
• Math:  We will begin our addition unit.  We will learn strategies for solving addition facts, and we will learn that addition is a process of 2 parts coming together to make a whole, so:   Part + Part = Whole
• Science:  We will begin our Matter unit.  We will explore the 3 states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas) and conduct some matter experiments. We will test whether certain liquids mix and whether certain solids will dissolve in hot and/or cold water.  

Questions, comments, and feedback are welcome.  

Enjoy the weekend!  Jonah and I love the Puppy Bowl, which is before the Super Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday.  We are going to find some fun things to make for the Puppy Bowl...like Puppy Chow (sweet Chex mix), mini hot dogs, etc.  Any suggestions?  :)