Weekly Email 10.30.15
Dear Families,
We hope you had a great week! Thank you for joining us for our Harvest Festival and
Halloween Festivities. A special shout-out to our room parents and parent volunteers for all of
your hard work to make this afternoon a success! We are grateful!
There is no school on Monday- it is a professional day for teachers.
Marking Period 1 ends today! While we will continue to talk about the Thinking and
Academic Success Skills of Analysis and Collaboration, we will also start learning about the
skills of Fluency and Intellectual Risk Taking. These skills are described below:
I think fluently.
 I come up with lots of new ideas.
 I express the ideas or thoughts in my head by writing, drawing, talking, or acting.
 I show the same thing in many different ways.
 I know many ways to answer a question.
 I ask a question in many different ways.
I take intellectual risks.
 I ask questions to help me understand—every day.
 I share what I am thinking in my group.
 I share my ideas and answer questions, even when I am unsure.
 I challenge myself to rise to the next level.
An important note about Words their Way Assessments: Students will be taking assessments
on the word patterns that they have studied over a two-week period. While you may see a
number correct on the top of the paper that they take home, these assessments are not
graded or recorded in the gradebook. They are a way for us to monitor progress on spelling
patterns and make instructional decisions for our students. Additionally, these assessments
differ from traditional spelling tests in that we are looking for students to correctly use the
spelling patterns on which they have been working rather than to spell an entire word
correctly. For example, if your child worked on short “a” and short “o” this week, and was
asked to spell the word “plot,” we would be looking for the “o” in the word and if the “o”
was there, this item on the assessment would be considered correct.
Here’s what we will be learning to kick-off Marking Period 2:
Reading:
We will be starting new Words their Way sorts in small groups. We will also be reading a Junior Great
Books story called The Mermaid Who Lost Her Comb. As we read this story, we will ask and answer
questions about key details, retell the story, and talk about central message. We will continue to
build our language vocabulary skills by following agreed-upon rules for discussions and building on
other’s talk in conversations. Here are some central messages that appear frequently in the stories
we read:
 Treat others the way you want to be treated.
 Accept and respect others who are different from yourself.
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Appearances can be deceiving.
Believe in yourself.
You can accomplish great things through hard work and persistence.
Two heads are better than one.
Writing:
For the first three weeks of Marking Period 2, we will be focusing on the way that we play in the
classroom, at school, and at home as we write informational texts based on personal experiences.
Play is an important part of culture and we are using our writing topics as a springboard for studying
culture later in Marking Period 2.
Math:
We will be revisiting two-digit numbers and representing the amount of tens and ones in these
numbers using math manipulatives. It is imperative that students are able to identify the number of
tens and the number of ones in a given number (53 is composed of five tens and three ones). We will
also identify numbers after listening to clues about them. For example, “This number has two tens
and three ones (23). This number has a six in the tens place and the ones place is one less than the
number in the tens place (65).” Finally, we will be studying the meaning of the equal sign, writing
equations, and solving for the unknown in equations. Understanding the meaning of the equal sign
serves as a foundation for early algebraic learning.
Science/Social Studies:
In science we will be studying objects and the materials from which they are made. Our social
studies curriculum for this week focuses on Health Care Providers. We will interview our school nurse
and health technician!
How can you help at home?
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Use the information in this email to ask your child questions about the books that we read and
the topics that we study.
Read with your child nightly!
Identify the central message in books that you are reading at home.
Create number riddles to support a deeper understanding of place value.
Practice writing and spelling Word Wall Words and Words Their Way word patterns with your
child.
Important Reminders and Information:
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PTA Meeting- November 3- 7
Nov. 10- Fall Principal’s Tea, 9:15-10:15
Nov. 11-12- Early Dismissal, 12:55—Parent conferences
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Nov. 12- Report Cards Distributed
Our crossing guard has reported numerous accounts of speeding and running the stop sign
during arrival and dismissal. Please obey the traffic rules and crossing guard’s directions. Make
sure that you are driving at a safe speed and stopping at stop signs to ensure that all children
are safe.
Take photos and make memories! The Yearbook needs your help to capture photos of
Stonegate students this year. Follow this link to sign-up to take pictures at events that interest
you: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0a4babad2fa13-stonegate/
If you pre-order your yearbook by 10/31, you can get 10% off! Contact Linda Morris
at [email protected] for more information.
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When your child is absent, please call the office after 8:30 a.m. letting the school know the
reason for the absence. You can also send an email to the office staff at:
[email protected]; [email protected]
Please remind your child to have a book in his/her backpack to read in the morning.
Interested in an additional half-day learning experience for your child? George B. Thomas, Sr.
Learning Academy has started! Here is the link to register:
http://www.saturdayschool.org/programs/enroll.shtm
Have a wonderful and safe weekend! We will see your children back at school on Tuesday!