Friday, January 27th NO SCHOOL
Teacher Grading Day
Monday, January 30th NO SCHOOL
Teacher Grading Day
Monday, February 6th: Puffins to Forest Grove Public Library 2pm-3pm
Students may return books from our last library visit - please bring a tote bag!
Chaperones Welcome! If you would like to join us, please send Ginny an email: [email protected]. On library day, check in first at the school office, and then meet us in the classroom at 1:55.
Thursday, February 9th: Celebrations of Learning Event
Our School-wide Open House from 5:30 -6:30pm
Tuesday, February 14th: Level 2 Valentines Exchange
Valentine’s Day Friendship Celebration
The Puffins will show appreciation for our classroom community and friendships with a Friendship Celebration at the end of the day on Tuesday, February 14th.
If your Puffin would like to bring in cards for their classmates, they MUST bring one for every student. Please help our classroom flow… for passing out cards with 26 kids:
It works best if they do NOT write out individual names on cards
(when they gift a similar card to each child, it makes it much easier to pass around).
Students can make cards or buy them. If you have the time, it can be fun to focus on creative re-use! Check out these links:
https://austincreativereuse.org/2019/01/creative-alternative-valentines/
https://trashmagination.com/valentines-and-business-cards-from-recycled-maps/
Also-please be modest with candy contributions; Puffins will not be allowed to eat treats at school. We have 26 students in our classroom.
A Message from Art Teacher Stephanie:
Buying a yearbook helps support the FGCS art program, and the yearbooks are currently on sale for $20. Students absolutely love getting their book during the last week of school, but they must be ordered ahead of time.
You can purchase a yearbook at this link:
Yearbook using the passcode: 1016052158063632.
On the website, you have the option customize your book with your own pictures if you wish, but you don't have to. This week in art students have been working on the cover, and we will vote on the cover during Celebrations of Learning on February 9th!
If you have any questions please email Stephanie at [email protected].
Tower of Books Challenge
The Tower of Books is an optional at-home independent reading challenge designed to support your child's daily reading habits. We ask that all of our level 2 kiddos engage in 20 minutes of reading outside of school time each day. Our kiddos brought home their paper "Tower of Books" backgrounds and book spine labels at fall conferences.
To meet the challenge, students must write down the name and category for each book they finish on a paper book "spine" and add it to their tower. The goal is 30 books! Consider an incentive for every tenth book your child reads (like picking family dinner or movie night). We have a special V.I.P celebration and award for any students who are able to complete the challenge before the last day of school this year. Please support your child in working on their tower and in helping them to be accountable with finishing a book "cover-to-cover" by discussing the book with them when they finish.
Math Homework
For the upcoming week, focus on these Apply homework pages:
For 4th graders:
Module 3 were sent home in backpacks on Monday, Jan. 9th. Students should work to complete all lessons up to lesson 12 in the Module 3 book.
For 3rd graders:
Work to finish up all lessons in the Module 2 workbook.
Also strongly recommended: daily practice with multiplication facts for 2-10's
Check out these multiplication fact practice apps:
What's happening in the Puffin Nest:
Language Arts
Students continue to work on their animal informational writing. For each paragraph, we begin with research. Students spend time reading their books and looking for important ideas. Our next step is to make a plan for our "star ideas" and details, as well as our topic and concluding sentences. This week, students are wrote about the habitat of their animal. Ask your kiddo what they have learned about their animal so far!
Our Novel Study Read Aloud
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Our Novel Study is an opportunity to build a love of reading, while developing reading comprehension and thinking skills through high-quality literature. Our work involves vocabulary study, discussion, modeling and practicing reading skills, as well as written response.
Out & About & Science
Student teams worked furiously during our Wednesday engineering project to put final touches on their Sphero chariots. We practiced the idea of iteration - how engineers improve a design over and over using trial and error, and analyzed how friction forces might be slowing down or benefitting our chariots. Almost all teams were able to complete a practice test, but we'll have one more chance to program our spheros for race day.
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we read a book called Circles All Around Us. This book is all about how we can provide thoughtful care to ourselves, while creating bigger circles of community and connections as we grow. Our discussion centered around these ideas:
- We are all a part of different “circles” in our lives. Think about your different circles (your families, your classes, your teams, your friends) and how it feels to be a part of a circle.
- Describe a time when you felt “outside” a circle. How did that make you feel? What can you do to invite other people so they don’t feel left out?
- Simple acts of caring ripple out into the world and impact more than just one person. Give an example of an act of kindness that someone did for you that made a difference to you and others. Give an example of an act of kindness that you did that impacted more than just one person.
Inclusive Community Read Aloud for January: LGBTQIA+ History
This week, we continue our weekly "Inclusive Community" read-aloud series.
Through these read-alouds, we will learn about and celebrate diversity in our community.
This month, we will be reading a variety of texts centered around LGBTQIA+ historical figures and events.
This week, we will continue reading: Be Amazing