March 1, 2012          

Dear Parents,

     The children have been hard at work!  They did outstanding jobs on their habitat projects.  The amount of information that they learned and shared with their classmates about animals and their environments was impressive! 

     We’ve started our unit on geometry with the study of triangles.  The children have been working on classifying them by sides and angles.  We will also study circles, lines, and quadrilaterals this month.  Whenever possible we align IXL to the math lessons we’re working on in class so that the children can practice these skills at home.  As IXL is a practice site, the children can repeat lessons as often as needed.  Please ensure that your child practices the assigned skill for at least 15 minutes.  If they get a smart score of 100% before they reach 15 minutes, they must practice that skill again.

     Many of the children have been choosing to take their spelling test on Thursday.  If they get an “A”, they don’t have spelling homework that night.  You’d be surprised by the perfectionists in our class…often a child will earn a 96% and still choose to do homework so they can try for a 100% on Friday!

     This month’s field trip is to Anderson Park in Tarpon Springs.  We’re planning a fun day with field and sport activities.  This day is planned for Friday, March 23^rd.  There is no school on Monday, March 19^th as it is a teacher planning day.  Spring Break is the week of April 2^nd.

Have a great month!

Sincerely,

Diane Smallze

Patricia Williams

 

Lower Elementary Typical Daily Schedule 

9 a.m. – Morning Routine (student led meeting): The children take attendance, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and talk about the calendar, the weather, and the day’s events. They also discuss any concerns and commend one another on jobs well done.

9:30 – 12:00 – Work cycle: During this time small group and individual lessons are given. The children work alone or in small groups on completing their daily and weekly requirements. It’s also during this time that they will be called upon to make revisions on last night’s homework.

12:00 – 12:15 – A musical cue alerts the children that it’s time to finish any morning work. They clean up and come to group time to get ready for lunch. At this time we say grace and sing songs while the tables are set for lunch.

12:15 – 12:45 – Lunch

12:45 – 1:15 - Playground – free play

1:15 - 1:45 – Silent reading

1:45 – 3:00 Work cycle

3:00 – 3:15 Students do their classroom jobs and come to group time. Homework is distributed and children are dismissed.

**Extras**

Tuesday – P.E. Group 1   1:00 – 2:00

Group 2   2:00 – 3:00

Wednesday – Art 10:30 – 12:00

Thursday – Spanish Group 1   1:00 – 2:00

Group 2   2:00 – 3:00

**Study Hall**

Study hall is held on Monday – Thursday from 3:30 – 4:30 in our room.