Week 21

Remember: tomorrow will begin our mid-year DIBELS testing.  Your child will be assessed in four different areas including phenome segmentation, nonsense word, initial sound fluency and letter recognition. Next week we will continue our testing and finish up with the reading portion.  Please make sure your child comes to school rested and energized.

I want to encourage you to reiterate to your child the rules and procedures we expect in the classroom.  You may have noticed the number of purple and blue days have diminished some the last few weeks and this is due to a decline in overall classroom behavior.  Each child should strive to go beyond green and demonstrate exceptional behavior rather than settling for "pretty good."  I would like to see an increase in our good and outstanding days!

Looking ahead to Valentine's Day - we will have a small celebration where the children can exchange cards and treats.  I will also bring in some goodies as well.  If you will be sending candies, please no gum. 

This week we honored Amaris Holt-Wilson as Student of the Week.  He has already started the week off with a purple, so he is already demonstrating why he deserves the honor.  Congratulations to Amaris!

Week 20

Next week we will do mid-year DIBELS testing.  This will take place Wednesday, February 1st.  Please make sure your children are rested and have a hearty, healthy breakfast so they are ready to use their brain power :)  

You may have noticed a second folder coming home on Fridays in your child's book bag.  This is their classroom folder which will be filled on a weekly basis with all of the work they do during the week.  The folder will go home on Fridays so you are able to see their work, but please send the folder back on Mondays empty.

The journals we started at the beginning of the year are being sent home this week.  Before Thanksgiving we began using lined paper so the kids were practicing proper letter formation.  These journal entries will be bound in a separate notebook at the end of the year for you to keep.  Let your child continue to practice writing in their journals at home.  

Thursday is the 100th day of school!  We have a special day planned involving "100" themed learning centers.  Kindergarten and first grade will be rotating between the classrooms completing activities celebrating being 100 days smarter!

Congratulations to our Student of the Week, Shayla Lacey.  Shayla joined our class late in the year, but has been a wonderful fit.  She is a good friend to her peers and sweeter than pie :)

Week 18

I hope you all had wonderful holiday and were able to spend some much needed time with your families.  We are entering the last half of the school year and are buckling down as we prepare for mid-year assessments in February and final assessments in May.

Next Tuesday, the 17th, we are holding parent/teacher conferences.  I will be sending out a sign-up sheet so you are able to choose a time that will fit your schedule.  Tuesday is also a teacher work day so I will have some day slots available for any one who may work in the evening.  In addition to any questions/concerns/clarifications that I can address at the meeting, you will also receive your child's report card for the second marking period.

Please remember that Monday, the 16th, is a holiday and school will be closed to recognize Martin Luther King Day.  The following Tuesday, as mentioned above, school will also be closed to students for a teacher work day.

Jordan Moultrie is our Student of the Week - congratulations to him!  He is a bright and eager child and brings big personality to the classroom.  We are celebrating in his honor this week.