Updates

Time for some updates!

First of all, I want to sincerely thank everyone for your support and understanding of my absences. I certainly do not like being away but I am in constant pain and need to find a remedy for this back issue. Yesterday I got the results of my MRI and I have a disc problem that is pressing on my spinal column which is causing all the pain. Not a quick fix like I was hoping but at least I know what it is now. I will most likely have to have one more half day absence to get an injection in my back. After that, I hope I'm in the clear for awhile!

If you have not turned in your permission slip and money for the field trip, please do that by Wednesday. Please see previous post about volunteers.

The color of the week is purple, the letter of the week is /s/ and the word of the week is "I". Please make these the topic of conversation throughout the week at your house!

Last week we studied “Dd” in our reading groups. We learned about initial Dd (words with Dd at the beginning) and we learned about final Dd (words with Dd at the end). Our guided reading involved the book, “Dan and Dad.” Please practice “Dan and Dad” with your child! Only through practice can we become better readers! We are becoming more and more familiar with sight words. So far we have been introduced to a, the, my, that, and and. Please practice these words with your child! The more practice they have identifying and writing these words, the easier time they will have incorporating these sight words into their journal writing and recognizing them while reading various books.

In math last week, these were the Everyday Math Concepts: (1) We practiced counting forward by ones from 1-20. (2) We worked on our stroke formation skills to prepare for writing numbers. (3) We sorted coins by their features and discussed the names of the coins. (4) We constructed a number board with numerals 0-10. As we represented numbers with x’s, we discovered a visual pattern.

Thank you so much for encouraging your child to practice letter writing at home. I have noticed a tremendous improvement with handwriting since I began sending these practice papers home! Yeah!! Also, I’d like to recommend a great website www.learningpage.com which offers many different types of practice pages for the handwriting of letters and numbers (using “Ball and Stick”). I encourage you to check this website out!

Annual vision and hearing screenings will take place on Thursday, October 28th under the direction of our school nurse, Leslie Oakes. She needs 40 volunteers to help with the screenings. Can you be one of them? There will be a morning shift from 9:15-12:00pm and an afternoon shift from 12:15-3:15. Please email grptsavolunteers@gmail.com for more information or to sign up. A brief training will be provided. Thanks for your help!

Holiday shopping? Need an evening out with your spouse? It's Kids' Night Out! December 10, 7pm-10pm, $30 per child. All proceeds go to the Grizzly Grants for Teachers. Your student will play games, eat pizza, and watch a movie with Mr. Hogle while you go out and play. Sign up now! Only 20 spots available.

What can I work on at home with my child?
o Read every night at least 15 minutes to or with your child.
o Optional Monthly Homework Calendar
o Practice writing even if it looks like “scribble”. Encourage your child to “best-guess spell” and listen to individual sounds in words. Remind him/her that it does not need to be perfect because we are learning. Just have him/her do his/her best!