1-26-19

Important Dates:

       Early Release: Feb 1^st, Feb 8^th Feb 15^th

       Steppers: Jan 26^th, Feb 2^nd

       Box Tops – Turn in any you have at home please.

       Valentine Cards Due: February 12^th

       Rodeo Lunch – February 21^st

      

Dear Unicorn Families!

Due to the new district website policy, starting Monday I will have a new website.  I have already put the last couple of newsletters on the site.  My new site will continue to be public, so you do not have to sign in through google.  The format will change a bit, but all the same information will be there.  I am still working on placing the homework on the site, so I will get that as soon as I can.  The new web address is: https://dberk8.wixsite.com/website

This week was filled with many interesting concepts.  In science, we used models to compare the size of the moon, the earth and the sun.  We continued to talk about the phases of the moon and how the moon orbits around the earth and the earth orbits around the sun.  In reading and writing, we began to work on r-blends like bring or drag.  We also talked about inferring or learning from what is being said to tell us information about what we are reading.  In writing, we continue to work on writing “how to” stories. 

In March and April, we will have 4 weeks of robotics.  On March 21^st, we will head to Flandreau Science Center to participate in an interactive insect lesson and view a movie on Space.  I will put out the volunteer sign up for those events during the first week of February.

   Have a great weekend!

       Mrs. Berk

1-19-18

Dear Unicorn Families!

Not sure where winter is, but we continue to move through January at a rapid pace.  This week was a busy one.  We spoke about Martin Luther King Jr.  We read his speech and discussed what some of the metaphors meant.  We also read a book about Rosa Parks and what we can learn from Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges.  We started our science unit on Objects in Space.  We began talking about the moon cycle.  We created a support to help the children label the phases of the moon.  The new moon was this past Wednesday, so your children should be filling in their moon journal every day.  This journal can come back to school once it is complete.  It does not need to be turned in each week. 

We worked hard on reading and writing with l blends and inferencing.  In writing we continued to talk about writing “how to” stories.  This week we focused on what is a fact and what is an opinion.  This will help to make the stories based in actual steps and not about how they feel about the subject.  Next week we will begin looking at r blends while we continue to learn more about writing the middle part of a how to story.

In homework this week, students have two long term activities.  The first is the moon journal, which is week two.  The second is a writing project that if done slowly, will make your life much less stressful.  We would like your child to write a kind statement about each child in the classroom for their Valentine’s Day Card.  There is no food attached to these cards, and I will provide a small snack on the day we exchange the cards because the focus of this day will be on Friendship and how kind words are an important part of friendship.

The next several weeks are regular weeks.  We will have early release each Thursday.  Please remember that healthy snacks like crackers, cheese, or fruit help your child stay focused on their school work each day.  Layers are an important part of our day, but please make sure you label your child’s clothing.  That way the clothing has a better chance of coming back to you if lost.   Have a great weekend!

       Mrs. Berk

1-12-18

Dear Unicorn Families!

We started 2018 by jumping right in. We welcomed a new friend to the room and the children are working to make him feel right at home.  I heard many stories over the week about all the places you went and exciting adventures you had.  The children were ready to come back and work hard on being kind, respectful, responsible and safe.  We reviewed what we have learned so far this year and we are adding to the discussion by talking about Civil Rights Day and what that means as well.  It is always interesting to hear how a 6 or 7 hear old sees what the world is/was like.

Besides speaking about Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement, we are also finishing up our unit on maps and traditions.  We will start our unit on objects in space next week and return to garden observations as well, now that our garden is starting to grow.  We began working on how to stories as the beginning of our non-fiction unit.  This is where the children are the expert and they teach someone how to “make a sandwich” or “what you need to snow ski.”  In reading we are working on using blends in short vowel words and making sure we are reading all of the letters in a word.  As we continue to work on comprehension strategies, inferring is the next topic we will begin.  We will start with using inferring in poetry and then move to using the strategy in books.

Library day is still on Wednesdays.  We had lots of missing books this week. If you are unsure of what books your child has out and you did not get the letter from Mrs. Kupper, please email her at pkupper@cfsd16.org.  There is NO school on Monday, January 15^th for Civil Rights Day.  There is NO early release this Thursday, our day will end at 3 pm.

Enjoy the three-day weekend!

       Mrs. Berk