We have had a wonderful re-entry into school after the long winter break! I seems like the whole class really missed each other and relaxed back into comfortable and predictable routines. That being said, we were really tired by Thursday and the snow day was a welcome respite. A Middle School teacher came through the classroom to visit the restroom and said that “The whole class is in F-L-O-W!” It was such a heart-warming observation, and Alaza and I are so very pleased with the progress that the students are making!

Morning Jobs

“We can do big things!” is something that we say a lot in Lower Elementary! 50 piece puzzle matching states with capitals, learning all lower case letters and moving to cursive, and completing the Metal Inset sequence are all exercises that help build our literacy, writing, and drawing skills. It is a high-achieving group!

Literacy

We have seen an explosion of reading! Our book clubs have resumed as well as a “Letter Club” which is helping our younger students master the letter names, letter sounds, and lower case letter formation. It has been a helpful leg-up for those students that missed out on preschool.

Math

We have started a unit on telling time, reading analog clocks, and number stories that involve estimating time. We would not be surprised if your child is talking a lot about hours, minutes, and seconds. We teach that the minute hand is longer because it has to reach all the way out to the “invisible” minutes that are on the outside of the clock. Discussions about the hand placement when it is noon or midnight, and what time we go to bed have been very animated!

Project Time

The class was very excited to get back to project time last Thursday… and when we announced the snow day, the students were disappointed that we would miss Project Time on Friday!

Specialists

This Trimester we have Ms. Kai for movement on Monday and Ms. Camilla for Art on Tuesday. Soap carving, clay self-portraits… dancing, and tossing make our afternoons fun-filled!

Warm Regards,

Ms. Jen and Ms. Alaza

Becomming a Peaceful Leader