Flower Arranging

Olivia and her Mum arrived one Monday morning, with about ten dozen bunches of flowers and a selection of vases which lead to a wonderful, impromptu flower arranging class. Ms. Jen showed the children three steps to creating their floral arrangements and explained the use of “fillers, thrillers, and spillers!” A student noted that there were also some “Droopers!” They had to use math skills such as measuring the stems to make sure they would fit in the vase, and fine-motor skills including using special scissors to trim the stems. It was such a lovely way to spend our morning and we hope you all got to enjoy your beautiful flowers. A huge thanks to Olivia’s aunt, who is a florist, for providing such a generous amount of flowers.

Math

Students have been working very hard in math over the past few weeks, learning about coin identification, counting coins, adding and subtracting, and playing fun games such as the Trading Game and Top It. After spending time practicing, students created their own store, added items they were going to sell, priced them, and then visited each other’s stores to “buy” their goods. We used the “bank” to learn about trading pennies for nickels, dimes, and eventually quarters. Providing a number line also helped students with the directionality of numbers and counting. If you are looking for some fun, empty your pockets of coins and see what your student can show you!

Literacy

In LE, literacy is part of every single day and in many ways. Each morning in our Writer’s Workshop, we have a task based in literacy including metal insets, handwriting, vocabulary, word sorts, journaling, and grammar. In small groups, students say particular words, build the word using wooden letters in both conventional and cursive, write the word on a dry-erase board or iPad, and then use it in a sentence. They choral read, read to a teacher, and to each other. It is amazing to watch the progress as everyone’s confidence grows.

The Trip to the Aquarium

While Core Classroom teachers spent many hours working on Progress Reports, the field trip to the aquarium was a big hit! We heard about the bus ride, Myrtle the Turtle, electric eels, an octopus, sea anenome, penguins, and that the Touch Tank was closed. In their journals, students wrote about their favorite part and how much fun they all had. We were a little envious that we couldn’t go!

We wish you all a happy and healthy winter break and will look forward to seeing you all in 2023!

Warmest regards,

Jen and Lisa