Weekly Update and Welcome Back 1-8-18

Welcome back! I hope you all had an amazing break and got to spend time with family and friends. The children had a wonderful first day back and were so excited to see their friends and get back into the swing of things.


I am so very thankful for your contributions to my class teacher gift and the individual gifts, surprises and cards and handmade goodies. I am so very thankful for all of your support each and everyday! Thank you form the bottom of my heart!


We will have our first field trip of the year on Feb 6. We will go to see the play Seussical at the Arvada Center. I currently have two chaperones and can take one more volunteer, The bus will leave at 9:15 and we will return no later than 2:00. You child will need to bring a disposable sack lunch on this day.


I am pleased to announce that I have been chosen along side 3 other teachers at Southmoor to go on a learning trip to Chicago Feb 6-8. We will observe schools and help Southmoor develop our future in personalized learning for the next several years. I am absolutely honored, thrilled  and excited to be on this committee. I am dedicated to Southmoor and it’s community, our growth and our students. It is such an exciting time! Mrs. Vasquez will be our sub for those three days. She is well known at Southmoor and loved very much!


We have started Class Dojo as a fresh start for behavior incentives. The children will be able to cash in their point every Friday at our class store. They will have the option to save their points form week to week. My hope is to keep the rewards fun and not just material objects from the target dollar spot (even though it is hard to not stop and look overtime I visit Target). Rewards will include extra recess, bringing stiffs to school, sitting at the teacher desk for the day, buying a wobble seat for the entire week ect. the class will also earn rewards for their cumulative total, such as a class popsicle party.


This week in Superkids, we will:
-Read Pattern Words with final ff, ll, or ss after a short vowel
-Identify nouns and verbs
-Distinguish between complete and incomplete sentences
-Read and write words with suffixes -able and -ible
-Identify parts of a letter


In guided reading we will: begin reading a new non-fiction Super Magazine called Color Crazy. This issue is all about colors and might change the way we think about how colors are used. Ask your child about the food coloring carmine. What is is made out of? What color is it? What kinds of things is it used for?


Here are the literacy standards we will focus on this week:
Connect text to self or experience CO.2.1.1a CO.2.1.2a
Recognize text features CO.2.2.2b.ii CO.2.4.1c
Respond to text CO.2.1.2a CO.2.2.2a.i CO.2.2.2d.ii
Determine important ideas CO.2.2.2a.i
Use pictures CO.2.2.2c.i
Make and confirm predictions CO.2.2.2a.i
Determine cause and effect CO.2.2.2a.i
Generate questions CO.2.1.2a.iii CO.2.2.2a.i CO.2.4.2a.i
Draw and support conclusions CO.2.2.2a.i
Follow written directions CO.2.2.2b.iv


In writing, we will:
begin  new unit on writing personal stories. We will think of memories in our life that have a feeling attached to them and then we will use these memories to write a personal story. We will discuss why writing about memories that are attached to a feeling will give us more details rather than writing about the time we sharpened our pencil. Each day, once child will be the story teller and share their memory. We will then give each other feed back about what we think the most important event was and how we might be able to add more details. Ask your chid to identify 4 or 5 memories that are important to them.
Here are the writing standards we will focus on this week:


-Recognize plot CO.2.2.1c.i
-Identify author's purpose CO.2.1.2a CO.2.2.2b.iii
-Recognize that writing has different purposes CO.2.3.1f
-Distinguish between reality and fantasy CO.2.1.2a CO.2.2.1a.ii
-Generate ideas before writing CO.2.1.1b CO.2.1.2a CO.2.1.2a.ii
-Use the writing process to plan a personal story CO.2.3.1c


In math, we will begin our new unit about data. We will analyze and interpret picture graphs.
We will also spend much of the next two weeks focused on math writing and how to better explain how we solved a problem. We will begin using a math writing rubric and the peer feedback process. Please look for the math writing rubric and writing prompts to start coming home with homework. Ask your child how they can get a 4 in on the math writing rubric.
We must state the answer. Name our strategy and justify our answers in each step.
I know, it sounds like a lot but this will really help our mathematician brains develop into deep thinkers. If you have ANY questions or would like to see an exemplar writing sample, please on’t hesitate to contact me.