Dear Parents,                  October 6, 2013

I hope everyone enjoys Monday with “No School!”

Our reading strategy this week is “monitor and clarify”.  If we have difficulty understanding the story as we read, we stop and go back to reread the sections that were confusing.  We also use key words or the pictures to help the story become clear to us.  Our comprehension skill this week focuses on fantasy and realism.  Understanding the story and knowing if what is happening in the story is something that can really happen or something that is pretend can help us better understand the story.  Our phonics focus this week is the short sound of /e/ and the consonants y, k, and v.  Our spelling words this week will focus on the short sound of /e/ – unit 8.  The short sounds of /e/ and /i/ can be confusing to children.  Please focus on the difference between these sounds in your nightly reading. The short sound of /e/ sounds like the “e” in “jet” and the short sound of /i/ sounds like the “i” in “igloo”. Our grammar focus is naming words (nouns).

Math finds us continuing on with Unit 3. This week we will focus on patterns on the number grid, on the number line, and through shapes.

In religion, we will be discussing how we are children of God with the assistance of our Family Life Series. We were unable to begin our Saint discussion last week, but we will this week. So please stay tuned for directions on the Saint Report- they will be coming home in the red folder by end of the week.

In social studies, we find ourselves learning about home addresses and how to find them on a map!

In science, my hope is to go to the science lab on Tuesday. However in order to do this we need 5 shoeboxes! If you have 1 (or 2) and would be willing to donate for Tuesday’s lesson please let me know and have your student bring them in that morning! We will be continuing our lesson on shelters!

Reminders:

• Don’t forget PE uniforms on Tuesday!
• Please remind your child to bring their library book to school Tuesday so that they may check out a new one.
• Please remind your student not to share snacks or items from their own lunch with other students. Many students have food allergies or are sensitive to certain types of food.
• Friday is a full day of school!
• This week is All About… Sean! Congratulations!

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.  Have a wonderful week!

Ms. Manning