Story of the week: A Young Hero  by: Chase Turnbridge

Phonics: Xx /ks/,  Zz/z/, Jj /j/

Math: Comparing numbers

Social Studies: Citizens and their actions

HFW: away, do, was, will

Vocabulary: equal, peaceful, integrate, race, racism, judge, harm, refuse, overcome

Reminders:

·         We will have a CAPS (formerly known as Guidance) lesson with Mrs. Nerren on Tuesday.

·         We will have Art with Mrs. Poplin on Thursday.

·         Congratulations to Jacky Espinosa for being chosen as our Student of the month for the character word - perseverance.

Dear Parents,

            This week the children will learn about peaceful ways to solve problems through discussion and literature that introduces pioneers in America’s Civil Rights movement. This week we will:

·         Meet Martin Luther King Jr, Ruby Bridges, and Rosa Parks

·         Learn about X, Z, and J

·         Discover vowels

            We will also write about ways to welcome a new child to class. As I have mentioned before, writing is becoming very important. I urge you to practice at home. Remember that spelling is not always important, but using letters to go with the sounds appropriately is! For example, both C and K make the /k/ sound. When writing at this introductory level, either one is acceptable.  

            Stuart is participating in the Community Food Drive. We are asking families to bring in non-perishable food items to give to families in need and stock local food pantries as the holidays approach. Please be sure to not send any items that are in glass containers. Please be sure to mark the items sent in (maybe on the bag or on a note) to help me remember what it is for.

            Last week our Governor, Bill Haslam, announced that Tennessee is the fastest growing state in the country in terms of student achievement. This statement was based on scores from the NAEP test that 4^th and 8^th grade students from Mayfield and Cleveland Middle last year. The scores from our system and state were compared to other states. Tennessee scores showed the most growth! We jumped from a terrible national ranking of 48^th in the nation to 37^th! This is wonderful news. We have some really wonderful leaders in our school system and our state. We should all be proud of this achievement!

            I also heard an interesting statistic on student achievement. Student achievement is 25% IQ, 25% exposure to real-life experiences, and 50% self esteem! If this doesn’t support the idea of parents and teachers working together as personal “cheerleaders” for our students, I’m not sure what else does! Continue to encourage your child and empower them with your words of support. Tell them that “they can do it” even when you might have a hard time believing that they can. They need us to pump them full of some self-esteem to help them have high academic achievement. 

Our Environment

Story of the week: Miss Rumphius  by: Barbara Cooney

Phonics: Ee /e/ Vv /v/

Math: Comparing numbers

Social Studies: Our Environment

HFW: had, have, here, help, helps

Vocabulary: conservatory, sowing, desert, satisfaction, moist, integrity, conserve, reduce, reuse, recycle

Reminders:

·         T-shirt Tuesday is tomorrow. We will wear our shirts at school and then I will wash them at home.

·         Wednesday, we will be having Stevie B’s pizza in the cafeteria. Plan accordingly. J

·         Please send in names, photos, and addresses of any veterans in your family.

·         Practice rainbow words on home. We have started the yellow group together!

·         Send reading group books back to school EVERY DAY.

·         Practice counting to 50!

Dear Parents,

            This week the children will learn about caring for the environment through conservation. They will discover the three Rs of conservation: reduce, reuse, and recycle. They will also meet environmentalists both real and fictional, who did their part to make the world a better place. This week we will:

·        Discuss landforms and our environment

·        Learn about E and V

·        Write about conservation

             Writing has begun to play a much bigger role in class. As you practice rainbow words at home, I encourage you to have your child write them. You may also have them write a sentence to describe a picture they may draw for you. Encourage them to segment, or break apart, the sounds in each word and use a letter for that sound. They will need to use “kid writing” and use their best guess for a sound. Let them spell the words wrong if they are spelling the words correctly according to the sounds (phonetically). After they are finished writing, go back with “adult writing” to put the appropriate spelling. Be sure to never write over their words. Write above, below, or beside their writing. Writing is so important and your Kindergartener needs lots of extra support from you to master this skill this year.

            We will be celebrating our veterans on Friday. We will draw pictures, write “thank you” notes, and learn about the branches of our military. We will do this on Friday to ensure that mail is delivered to these individuals by Monday or Tuesday next week. If you have a veteran in your family, please send their name and address (or a surviving family member’s address) and possibly a picture of them. I would prefer photos to be emailed if possible. Thank you for your help! I am excited to celebrate the service men and women from your families.

            I am looking for some bubble wrap to do a craft. If you have any of the small bubbled bubble wrap on hand, I would love to have it! 

            Sincerely,