Dear Families,
We are getting more settled into a routine.
We will be using the GP4 as the expectations for how we will behave at school. The four
expectations are:
1. Make Good decisions
2. Solve Problems
3. Engage in Learning
4. Show Respect
As we are becoming more and more familiar with these expectations students will hear me
stating what positive behavior I noticed (I noticed you were looking at the speaker and
that is showing respect). The same expectations are used school wide so all students and
staff have a common language and understanding. Students can earn tickets in the
classroom, in other places in the building, and outside at recess. During music the class
works together to four notes and during PE they work towards earning 4 balls (each
note/ball represents one of the four expectations). Thank you for reinforcing the
importance using these expectations as they are life skills.
Open House for Glacier Park is Thursday, September 29th from 5:30-7:00 PM. Please
feel free to drop in during this time. This is a great time to stop by and see our classroom
and look at a few of the things we’ve been working on in the classroom. You can also meet
Mr. Deutschman and Dr. Hickman as well as other teachers and staff. Please remember
this is not a conference time but a time for your child to show you around our room and
show you things they are excited about. Thank you for sharing that excitement with them.
PTSA
Thank you to those of you that filled out and returned the paperwork to join our PTSA. I
encourage you to become a member if you have not already signed up. This is a great way
to help support our school. PTSA provides important programs that benefit your child and
all the students at Glacier Park. Please let me know if you would like another PTSA form
sent home.
Upcoming Events:
 Sept. 29th Open House 5:30-7:00
 October 8th – Lifting Literacy event at Maple Valley Library 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Thank you for sharing your children with me,
Lori Piché
In the Classroom
Writing: We are off to a running start in our writer’s workshop. We are working to build
some stamina (how long we can stay focused) and work quietly during our workshop time.
We start the year reviewing and writing personal narrative—stories about things that have
happened to us or others we know. We are focusing on writing stories that stand out or
are special to us. Students self-select stories to write during our workshop time. Stories
can be fun things you have done as a family, an adventure in the back yard, helping with
dinner, walking to the bus stop, etc. Because your child decides what to write about, it is
sometimes helpful to have a list of ideas from home. Often times during writer’s workshop
we read or refer to “mentor texts”. We often use mentor texts to study the same type of
writing. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and The Leaving Morning by Angela Johnson are a couple
of the books we will refer to during this unit of study. As writers we will work to
encourage each other with compliments about what we do well in our writing and nudge
each other forward by making suggestions about what we can do to be an even better
writer.
Reading: We have been working on finding “fit” books. Remember, to be a good reader
your child needs to read a lot and read fit books. If your child is reading and 3 words in a
very short book or on a page in a longer book are tricky, the book is probably too hard.
We know readers use strategies to help them understand what they read and enjoy
reading. One of the first comprehension strategies we will be working on is making
connections. When readers make connections they are connecting their schema
(background knowledge) to the text they are reading. As you are reading with your child
you might talk about any connections you have with the story (something it reminds you of
or something similar you have experienced) and why it helps you build understanding.
Math: The family letters in math will help you know when we have started a new unit.
After each math lesson we will tear the journal page out of our math journals to take
home. I am hoping that this will also keep you in the know of what we are working on in the
classroom. Not all lessons have a journal page and sometimes we will only do part of the
math page. We will have our first math assessment on Monday. Students will show their
understanding of math mountains, finding unknown addends, determining if something is
odd/even, counting by 2s and 10s, adding 2 to 4 addends, and solving a complex word
problem. Thank you for reviewing the math pages with your child at home.
Integrated Unit: Our first integrated unit is Early Americans. The overall themes for all
of our units will be challenges, changes and conflicts. In our first unit we will learn about
Native Americans. We have read about different regions (Northwest Coast, Southwest,
Plains, Northeast Woodland and Southeast Woodland). We will be reading a variety of
Native American legends.
Book order information: I will be sending book orders home about once a month this year.
I will send a stapled pack of forms with a reminder about the due date. If you order, I
would encourage you to use the online ordering.