Raise your hand if you want a five day school week???

Well, the kids have managed to make wonderful progress despite all the changes in their routines.  It seems each day I sit and work with a student I notice a new skill they have mastered.

I enjoyed meeting with many of you for conferences and look forward to making up the rest next week.  Although it is our last "official" conference, please feel free to set up an appointment at any time!

We had a good opportunity to discuss some of our academic endeavors at conferences, so let me take a minute to discuss some upcoming events.

February 7th-100th day of School Celebration:  Please consider helping out from 9-11.  A poll was sent via email.  I totally understand how hard it has been to find childcare with all the crazy schedules, but it really makes a difference having extra hands for this celebration.  At a minimum I need 4 additional adults to make it work.

February 13th-Your child can pass out valentines at school.  A class list is going home with your child in the folder.  It is great practice for your child to address each Valentine, so start early if you can!  


February 22-Fun Fair:  For those of you new to Irving-you do not want to miss the Fun Fair!!!  It is a spectacular event that really is fun for the whole family.  There are games in the cafeteria, a silent auction in the Kindergarten hallway, and dancing for desserts in the auditorium.  The best part (in my humble opinion) is the staff talent show at the end of the fair.  It really is a blast and the teachers at Irving put their hearts and soles into making a fool of themselves to make the kids happy and raise a little money.  Yours truly will be dusting off my dancing shoes as part of a world famous dancing crew called the New Beats.  We hit big time at the Irving Fun Fair a few years ago, only to lose for the next two years. Last year we regained our crown and hope to keep the trophy again this year!  (You can usually find me in the back row turning the wrong way...)    Mark your calendars!  You DON'T want to miss it!

I LOVE JANUARY!!!

I love January!  No.  I do not love the weather.  My team is out of the playoffs.  I'm tired of my winter clothes.  I can't go for a decent run in all this ice.  So.....Why do I love January? ( LOVE JANUARY?) It is because the students show so much progress!  It is simply incredible to watch as my students start to "get it" when we read, write, add or simply make our way around the school.  I love January.

Conferences:  I look forward to seeing all of you at our conferences.  You should have received an email from me last week with your conference time.   I will post the final schedule next week.  I am eager to share with you your child's progress and discuss goals for the rest of the year.  While these are our last formal conferences for the year, I sincerely hope you feel comfortable requesting a conference if you have any questions for the remainder of the year.

Reading and Writing:  We are focusing on sequencing events in a story.  We are also working on naming the main idea of a non-fiction story.  We continue to work on using a capital letter to start a sentence and only lower case letters for the rest of the sentence.  As your child writes at home, please encourage correct punctuation.

Math:  We are working on number bonds, odd and even numbers and beginning place value concepts.  

Science:  In February we will dive into a unit on water!  Splash!

100th day: February 7th will be our 100th day of school!  We will celebrate in big ways!  Please look at the homework packet for additional information about this day and HOW YOU CAN HELP! 

On a personal note: You have all been incredibly patient and gracious as I nursed my husband's broken leg and the herniated disc that followed.   Unfortunately, I am called to the nursing profession one more time this year.  My father has been diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer and I am heading home to Green Bay for  surgery and some recovery next week.  Sadly, my uncle is also in critical care and fighting for his life right now. I will be out next Thursday and Friday for sure and possibly on Wednesday.  On Thursday and Friday Ms. Billie Lara will be my sub.  I have worked with her several times in the past couple of years as she has covered maternity leaves and will likely cover Ms. Ricchio's leave later this year.  She is an Irving treasure and the kids know her already.  I will keep you posted if additional days are needed.

Well...what an interesting start to the new year!  We have had two snow days, burst pipes in the class bathroom,  and 1 day of indoor recess.  I am not going to lie to you.  I'm a little afraid to come to work tomorrow!

Conferences:
Conferences are at the end of the month.  I am sending home a schedule for conferences based on the times and days you signed up for last time.  I thought this would be a helpful starting point as we schedule the next round.  Please look at the time I have for you and let me know only IF YOU CAN NOT MAKE IT.  I will work with you to re-schedule.

Winter:
Well, it is definitely here.  Starting Monday I am asking that all students line up with their class either outside or in the cafeteria on inclement weather days.  If your child is late, you may walk them into the office and make sure they get a tardy slip and order lunch if needed.   This will help us start the day as a group and begin our routine uniformly.  Thanks for your help with this!

Reading:
Keep working on those sight words and remember to have your child point to words as you read together.  Ask questions about the story as you go and then switch roles and have your child as you questions!

Writing:
We continue to work on writing complete sentences.  We will really focus on using capital letters in the beginning of a sentence and only lower case letters in the middle.  We are also working on ending punctuation.  Our favorite is the exclamation point!

Math:
We are working on number bonds for 5 and 10.

Hearts and Hundreds
Our 100th day of school will fall on February 7th! Please look for information about all the fun things we do on this day.