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.