Mcity This Upcoming Weekend!

Last Friday we studied friction!

Thanks for coming out to that Informance/Performance.  The students were excited to sing and play for you!

Homework/Home Reading Book Bag
Bring in your home reading book bags so I can put in fresh books for you to read with you child.  I am hoping you will read with you child for about 15 minutes, about 4 nights a week. 





A2STEAM Mcity Visit Saturday, May 4, 9AM - 12PM
Mcity is a 32-acre mock city and proving ground build for the testing of wirelessly connected and driver-less cars.  It is located on the U of M North Campus.  The A2STEAM community has been given exclusive access to this site for our first-ever Safe Routes to School Bike and Pedestrian Training Program.  This flyer has more information.

May 8th - Bike/Walk to School
May 8th is an official Walk & Bike to School Day.  More info coming from the school soon.

No School May 27th
There is no school on Monday, May 27th in honor of memorial day.

Volunteer Breakfast May 17th
A2STEAM is hosting a breakfast to honor all of our school volunteers.  If you have helped out in any way this year, please come for food and music on May 17th from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM.  More information forthcoming.

Field Trip
We have another field trip planned!  We are going to be studying pushes and pulls at a bowling alley!  We will feel the friction(or lack of friction) on the bowling lanes!  We will go behind the scenes to see how the machine pulls the pins back to be reset!  If you would like to volunteer, please let me know.  More information here.

Curriculum Overview
Science -  We are finishing up our Project Lead The Way 'Pushes and Pulls' unit covering simple physics.  Students are designing a machine that can push and pull rocks to clear space for a playground.  Look for some pictures to come over Seesaw.

Reading -  This week we will be comparing and contrasting different fairy tales.  Fairy tales usually have: animals acting like people, a group of 3, a villain, and a message for readers.

Writing - Ask you students about some of the poems they have written!  We have also been working on drawing and labeling 'blueprints' for a machine that can move rocks.

Math - If you find yourself with some change ask your kids about the names of values of the U.S. coins.  This week we will be practicing counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s, and we will be working with number patterns.  Ask your child about the 'Function Machine'.

Word Study - Students are studying the sounds made by the letter blends tr, pr, and dr.  We are also studying simple contractions.

Informance Performance this Wednesday!

Students washing the lettuce for our salads.  See a few more photos here.

Musical Performance Informance
Come experience a music lesson and music performance.  Mr. Campbell our music teacher is hosting parents in his room this Wednesday from 1:50 PM to 2:20 PM.  Room K-3 students will be singing and playing instruments.  Check in at the office before you head down to Mr. Campbell's room.

Gallon Milk Jugs
I need some plastic full-gallon milk jugs for a playground project.  If you have one please rinse it out and send it in.

Snacks
Send in some snacks.  For non-perishable snacks I suggest: Wheat Thin Originals, Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, Ak Mak Crackers from Trader Joes, or Goldfish crackers.

Curriculum Overview
Science -  We are in the middle of our Project Lead The Way 'Pushes and Pulls' unit covering simple physics.  Students will design and then build a machine that can push and pull rocks to clear space for a playground.

Reading -  For our Pushes and Pulls unit we will some read non-fiction books about forces, gravity, and friction.   We are also reading some books about the earth in recognition of Earth Day.

Writing - We will be completing some writing around forces, pushes and pulls, and gravity. We will also begin exploring poetry.

Math - We are learning the names and values of U.S. Coins.

Word Study - Students are studying the sounds made by the letter blends tr, pr, and dr. 

Pushes and Pulls

On Friday we explored with the forces needed for bowling. 
Students pushed the ball towards the pins where the force transferred to them, knocking them over with the help of gravity.

K-3 Musical Informance Performance NEW TIME!
There was an error in the original time we were scheduled for an informance with Mr. Campbell.  The new time is now at 1:50 PM on Wednesday, April 24th.  Check in at the office at 1:45 PM and come experience a performance and music lesson simultaneously!  The presentation is in the A2STEAM music room from 1:50 PM to 2:20 PM.

A2STEAM Class Placement/Parent Input Form for 2019-20
A2STEAM would like you to fill out this input form for each student attending A2STEAM in the 2019-20 school year.  Use the form if you have input you'd like the school to take into consideration for next year's class placement decisions.  As a reminder, we do not accept requests for, or exemptions from, specific teachers.

A2STEAM Cross Country Kids
Cross Country Kids is set to begin this Thursday, April 18th!  It is open to any K-5 A2 STEAM students.  Click HERE to learn more and register.

Mr. Luxon Not In Room K-3 on Wednesday and Thursday
This Wednesday and Thursday I will be out for science training.  Ms. Thomas will teach in my place.

Snacks
I appreciate all of the snacks that have been coming in!  If you haven't brought in any snacks lately please do.  For non-perishable snacks I suggest: Wheat Thin Originals, Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, Ak Mak Crackers from Trader Joes, or Goldfish crackers.

Gallon Milk Jugs
I need some plastic full-gallon milk jugs for a playground project.  If you have one please rinse it out and send it in.

Curriculum Overview
Science -  We are in the middle of our Project Lead The Way 'Pushes and Pulls' unit covering simple physics.  Last week students reviewed and wrote about the concept of forces and gravity, this week we will discuss friction.

Reading -  For our Pushes and Pulls unit we will some read non-fiction books about forces, gravity, and friction.   We will also find some time for some fiction books.  Fiction books usually have story lines where a particular problem rises to a climax and then is resolved.  We are working on identifying and tracking those problems.  Ask your children about Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe. 

Writing - We will be completing some writing around forces, pushes and pulls, and gravity. We will also begin exploring poetry.

Math - This week we will be focused mostly on place value and how large numbers can be organized by tens and ones. We will also look at doubles facts (3+3=6, 4+4=8, 8-4=4).

Word Study - Students are studying the sounds made by the letter blends fl, pl, and cl.  We are also looking at the role of the silent e (cut vs. cute).

Last Week to Order A2STEAM Gear for Your Kids

Students focus on their writing in Room K-3.

I repeated a lot of things here from last week's post in case anyone missed them.

K-3 Musical Informance Performance
Repeated from last week: On Wednesday, April 24th our music instructor Mr. Campbell is hosting an informance for the families of Room K-3 students in the A2STEAM music room.  Check in at the office at 12:45 PM and come experience a performance and music lesson simultaneously!  The presentation is in the A2STEAM music room from 12:50 PM to 1:20 PM.

Rec and Ed Summer Day Camps at STEAM
FYI Ann Arbor Rec and Ed is offering some Rec and Ed camps right here at A2STEAM.  More information can be found here.  There is no easy way that I found to just search for the camps on our campus, but many of them are.  I think they are trying to keep the camps in rooms that have air conditioning.

A2STEAM Class Placement/Parent Input Form for 2019-20
A2STEAM would like you to fill out this input form for each student attending A2STEAM in the 2019-20 school year.  Use the form if you have input you'd like the school to take into consideration for next year's class placement decisions.  As a reminder, we do not accept requests for, or exemptions from, specific teachers.

Order A2STEAM Clothing!
Repeated from last week: The PTO has set up a website where you can order A2STEAM Clothing: AnnArborSteam.ItemOrder.com.  All orders are due by Sunday, April 14th.

Parent's Night Out!
Repeated from last week: A2STEAM is planning a night where students can come to an evening event at school while parents go out for dinner.  More information can be found in this flyer.

Curriculum Overview
Science -  This week we will restart our Project Lead The Way 'Pushes and Pulls' unit covering simple physics.  Students will begin learning about gravity and friction.

Reading -  Fiction books usually have story lines where a particular problem rises to a climax and then is resolved.  We are working on identifying and tracking those problems.  If you haven't already, ask your children about A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon.

Writing - Our focus is on writing complete sentences: a complete idea with an uppercase letter to start and punctuation at the end.

Math - This week we will be focused mostly on place value and how large numbers can be organized by tens and ones.  We will also do a little more work with measurement.

Word Study - Students are studying the sounds made by the letters sp, sk, sm, fl, pl, and cl.  We are also looking at the spelling pattern -ay.

Music Informance Scheduled for Wednesday, April 24th

Check out how much the indoor vertical garden has grown!

Hi, welcome back from break!

K-3 Musical Informance Performance
On Wednesday, April 24th our music instructor Mr. Campbell is hosting an informance for the families of Room K-3 students in the A2STEAM music room.  Check in at the office at 12:45 PM and come experience a performance and music lesson simultaneously!  The presentation is in the A2STEAM music room from 12:50 PM to 1:20 PM.

Order A2STEAM Clothing!
The PTO has set up a website where you can order A2STEAM Clothing: AnnArborSteam.ItemOrder.com.  All orders are due by Sunday, April 14th.

Yearbook
I recommend ordering a yearbook for your child if possible.  It covers grades K-8, and students really enjoy having them at the end of the school year.  Yearbook photographers were in our classroom a few weeks ago and I submitted some pictures of all students for the yearbook club to use.  Ordering online is easy at SchoolPictures.com --- “order now” choose 'yearbooks' -- search for A2 STEAM (with a space) -- click next.

Parent's Night Out!
A2STEAM is planning a night where students can come to an evening event at school while parents go out for dinner.  More information can be found in this flyer.

Yellow/Manila Folders
Please send back the report card envelopes that went home Friday before break.  You keep the contents inside, just send back the envelopes.

Curriculum Overview
Science -  This week we are focusing on reading, writing, and math.  Next week we will restart our Project Lead The Way 'Pushes and Pulls' unit covering simple physics.

Reading -  Fiction books usually have story lines where a particular problem rises to a climax and then is resolved.  We are working on identifying and tracking those problems.  If you haven't already, ask your children about Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.

Writing - Students will have the opportunity to choose their own topics this week.  To match what we are studying in reading we will work on writing our stories that have problem that rises to a climax and then is resolved.

Math - In our last PBL unit we were measuring some of the plants we grew.  This week we will dive deeper in to measurement.  We will measure different things using objects like blocks as well as standard units like inches and centimeters.

Word Study - Students are studying the sounds made by the letters sp, sk, and sm.  We are also looking at the spelling patter -ing.