U of M Meteorologist Visits Room K-3!

U of M Meteorologist Frank Marsik brought some weather tools to our classroom (you can see an anemometer on the table) along with a good book about weather forecasting. More pictures in the Room K-3 photo gallery.

March is Reading Month
We will have some very exciting events coming up during March is Reading Month, the first of which is the Read It Forward program! The idea behind Read It Forward is to get everyone in school to read the same book, which is currently a well-guarded secret. Excitement builds as students await March 1st and the big reveal!

Once the program starts, students read the book, sign their name on the inside cover of 1 book, and then pass it on to a friend. This continues throughout the month of March, getting as many students and A2 STEAM faculty reading the book as possible. As an added incentive, once they've read it, students may come down to the Media Center to pick up a book-themed prize.

Tissue Boxes
If you have an extra box of tissue at home, bring it in.  I brought in four last week and we have needed them.

Library Books Due Friday
Don't forget student visit Ms. Reader in the library on Friday.  Bring your books in on that morning.

Save the Date
Our school's Spring Expo is scheduled for Thursday, March 30, from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm.

March 8th
Wednesday, March 8th is a half day for students.  Students will be dismissed at 10:50 AM.

Curriculum Overview
PBL (Project Based Learning) Weather Project - Last Friday UofM Meteorologist Frank Marsik taught our class about different weather tools and how they are used in weather forecasting.  This week we will learn more about wind and set up a weather forecast board for the whole school.  If you are outside with your child ask them if they can identify the clouds they see.

Math - This week we will review addition and subtraction as well as introduce three-dimensional shapes (cubes, spheres, cylinders, pyramids, and cones).

Literacy - We are reading fiction books where weather causes problems for the characters, ask your students about Bella and the Birthday Party.  We are reviewing what characters are, and what a book’s setting is. We will also be reading non-fiction books to help us learn about weather and meteorologists.

Writing - We are writing about the weather we observe.

Word Study - We are focused on words we need for our current weather unit: rain, snow, clouds, wind, observe, forecast, temperature, thermometer.

Snow Ball Is This Friday!

Students have enjoyed tracking the outdoor temperature on this giant graph.  Scroll down for another pict.

Snow Ball Is This Friday!
A2 STEAM is hosting a Snow Ball party this Friday.  All families are invited, this is a dance for parents and students.  Mr Luxon will be there helping set up and helping sell tickets.  We'll have DJ Nicole FreshMyint with music in the gym along with a photo booth, food and activities in the multi-purpose room if you want to take a break from dancing.  Students will also be able to watch the movie Frozen with friends in a classroom.  Pizza, beverages and baked items will be available for sale during the event.  This event is not a drop-off activity, all students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Admission tickets will be available at the door only $3.00 parent, $2.00 child, or $7.00 for an entire family.  This includes admissions to all gym and multi-purpose room activities, and a bottle of water to help you stay hydrated during the dance. Food and other beverages will be available for an additional cost in the multi-purpose room.

A2STEAM encourages you to pre-register your family, as it helps them plan accordingly for an accurate number of guests.

More information can be found here at the PTO website.

Click here if you are able to volunteer and help out.

If you can contribute to the bake sale click here.

The Snow Ball Dance is being organized by a parent from Room K-3, Rita Shelley-Smith!    

Save the Date
Our school's Spring Expo is scheduled for Thursday, March 30, from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm.

Half Day In A Couple Weeks
Wednesday, March 8th is a half day for students.  Students will be dismissed at 10:50 AM.

Curriculum Overview
PBL (Project Based Learning) Weather Project - We are studying what it means to be a meteorologist!  We have experimented with temperature and this week we will continue to read and learn about sunlight, wind, rain, and snow.  Our driving question for this entire unit is 'Why is Weather Important to People?'

Math - This week we will review addition and introduce subtraction and the subtraction symbol.

Literacy - We are reading fiction books where weather causes problems for the characters.  We are reviewing what characters are, and what a book’s setting is. We will also be reading non-fiction books to help us learn about weather and meteorologists.

Writing - This week we are practicing sounding out unknown words.  Last week I introduced personal letter writing, I believe every student has written at least one letter home.

Word Study - We are studying, and learning to hear, short vowel sounds.  We are using this knowledge to help us sound out and write words, including weather words.

Music Informance This Tuesday

As part of our kindergarten weather project students learned about temperature, and experimented with thermometers.

Music Informance This Tuesday
This Tuesday, February 14th our music instructor Ms. Huckabone is hosting an informance for the families of Room K-3 students in her classroom.  Come experience a performance and music lesson simultaneously!  The presentation is from 1:20 PM to 1:50 PM.  More information can be found in this flyer.

Valentine's Cards
Don't forget to have your child bring simple Valentine's Day cards in on Tuesday.  I wrote about this a couple of times in January.  If you have any questions email me.

100th Day of School
Don't forget to have your child bring his or her hundredth day of school project to school on Wednesday.  I sent home a paper sheet covering this project a few weeks ago, you can also read a full description here.

President's Day
There is no school next Monday, February 20th, in observance of President's Day.

Pasta for Pennies
Thank you so much for helping your children participate in this project.  Our class was able to donate over $200 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  The school as a whole raised over $6,000 for the effort!

NAAPID Parent Involvement Day is Monday, February 13th
In honor of National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) we invite ALL parents, guardians and adult family members to visit A2STEAM.  Please consider spending an hour or the entire day with our classroom and school! This day is a celebration of the importance of family in a child’s education.  This flyer has the complete schedule and more information.

Curriculum Overview
PBL (Project Based Learning) Weather Project - We are studying what it means to be a meteorologist!  We have experimented with temperature and this week we will read and learn about sunlight, wind, rain, and snow.  Our driving question for this entire unit is 'Why is Weather Important to People?'

Math - This week we will celebrate the 100th day of school and with that practice counting and grouping quantities by tens.  We will also review addition and introduce subtraction and the subtraction symbol.

Literacy - We are reading fiction books where weather causes problems for the characters.  We are reviewing what characters are, and what a book’s setting is. We are also identifying the most important events from the story and how the action rises and falls.  We will also be reading non-fiction books to help us begin to learn about weather and meteorologists.

Writing - This week we are practicing sounding out unknown words.  We will also introduce personal letter writing.

Word Study - We are studying, and learning to hear, short vowel sounds.  We are using this knowledge to help us sound out words.

New Weather Unit to Begin This Week

After our study of forces students designed machines that could move rocks.

Hope you had a great Super Bowl weekend.

Start with a Hello Week
This week the STEAM Punk club is leading in us in different activities to make sure everyone feels welcome and valued hear at STEAM.  On Monday we will practice our greetings, on Tuesday we will all wear name tags and greet each other by name.  On Wednesday we will make sure everyone has an eating partner in the lunchroom.  On Thursday we will practice random acts of kindness.  On Friday we will all wear green to show support of this initiative.

Pasta for Pennies
This donation driver ends Friday, please bring in what you have as soon as you can this week!

Zap Zone Fun Night
The A2STEAM PTO is holding a fun night at Zap Zone this Thursday.  More information can be found on the PTO website.

NAAPID Parent Involvement Day is Monday, February 13th
In honor of National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) we invite ALL parents, guardians and adult family members to visit A2STEAM.  Please consider spending an hour or the entire day with our classroom and school! This day is a celebration of the importance of family in a child’s education.  This flyer has the complete schedule and more information.

Curriculum Overview
Science - We are starting a new EXPO project this week where students will study weather and weather patterns!

Math - In math we are studying addition and understanding what the + symbol means.  We will also be comparing numbers using terms like ‘greater than’, ‘less than’ and ‘equals to’ and discussing the symbols that correspond to those words. 

Literacy - We will be reading non-fiction books to help us begin to learn about weather and meteorologists.

Writing - This week we are practicing sounding out unknown words.

Word Study - We are studying, and learning to hear short vowel sounds.