Friday, January 28th: NO SCHOOL for students
Grading & Staff Development- End of Semester 1
Monday, January 31st: NO SCHOOL for students
Grading & Staff Development- End of Semester 1
Monday, February 14th: Valentines Day Card Exchange
The Puffins will show appreciation for our classroom community and friendships with a card exchange at the end of the day on February 14th.
Bringing in valentines is optional, but if your Puffin would like to give cards to their classmates, they MUST bring one for every student.
There are 26 students in the Puffin Nest.
It actually works best if they do NOT write out individual names on cards- it makes it much easier to pass around!
Due to food allergies and parent preferences for limiting sugar, we ask that students do not attach candy treats to their valentines.
Monday, February 21st: NO SCHOOL President's day
2021-22 School Year Calendar
A message from Art Teacher Stephanie:
Yearbook is on sale now for $20.
To purchase a yearbook please go to www.treering.com/validate and enter the number 1016052158063632. Students are now creating the cover of the yearbook. A yearbook is a great way to remember their time this year. If you have any questions please email Stephanie at [email protected]. Thanks for all your support!
What’s happening in the Puffin Nest?
Once upon a time…our fairytale writing unit!
- We started our fairy tale writing unit by reading and listening to many original fairy tales. We saw that it’s all about Characters – Setting – Motivation – Trouble – and Resolution.
- We studied Modern Fairy Tale Adaptations to help us with writing our own. We looked closely at the changes that authors made and noticed that they usually made one big important change to improve the story.
- We planned, drafted, edited/revised and published our own first fairytale adaptation. Up next, students will turn their second fairytale adaptation into a comic book!
Science Out & About to the Backyard Garden
This week we continued to explore sound waves in the Garden during O&A time. Students went on a sound walk and did a mapping activity where we practiced being mindful of the sounds around us. We stopped in multiple locations around the garden and FGCS neighborhood to compare different noises made by nature and that were man-made. Students also engineered an instrument or noise making device made out of natural materials in the garden. They played a game with their instruments to guess where the vibrations from the instruments were coming from in the garden while blindfolded!
Mystery Science:
This week we learned how sound vibrations are actually *waves* that travel through the air. We saw direct evidence of this by watching videos taken in slow motion and special lighting; it was very cool to see.
Here's a YouTube video that shows some of these same clips, and explains the effect in more advanced terms:
What Does Sound Look lIke?
You can support your child’s learning by watching this together, and inviting them to explain to you what’s happening as they see the sound waves.
A Reminder about Level 2 Homework:
In Level 2, our homework is on the honor system. We ask families to develop and sustain this important practice at home in a way that works best for you. Having a regular routine (time/place/materials) will ensure that your child will be prepared to tackle their required homework in Level 3 more easily.
Math: at least 30 minutes (or more) of math practice each week.
Practicing multiplication math facts at home is a GREAT way to support your kiddo!
- 3rd graders should work on: 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's and 6's
- 4th graders should work on all multiplication facts for 2-12's.
We also recommend that students engage in 10-15 minutes of a math activity (math website or game) and then complete one page in their math workbook at least 2 days per week.
All level 2 kiddos brought home a math workbook (or packet) for homework practice in November. Let us know if they are ready for a new book!
For computer practice, take a moment to set up a free account for your child:
- Khan Academy: instructional videos and problem solving practice
- Prodigy: answer math questions, complete quests, earn rewards
- SumDog: solve math problems while playing video games
- Math Game Time: no account set-up required, select grade level & play!
- The public library is a great resource. Make sure your kiddo has access to lots of “good fit” books that they are excited to read. Check out our Level 2 Book Recommendations HERE.
- Read-alouds and audio books work too! Also, listen to your child read out loud, and ask them questions about their reading & thinking.