Welcome Back

After constructing model houses using bricks, sticks, and straw we evaluated the sturdiness of each house (the fan is on high!)

Welcome back!  From what I have heard so far your students had a relaxing break.  They also seem to be excited to see their friends and get back to school here at A2Steam.

Indoor Gym Shoes
I know I’ve mentioned this before and you’ve also received some messages from the school about it as well.  But as the weather gets more and more wintry it is really important that students bring indoor gym shoes for school.  Room K-3 has gym class every Monday and Friday.  This will be especially important when construction on our new gym is finished.  With the opening of the new gym, we will be instituting a “clean gym shoe only” policy.  This means that students will need to have a pair of non-marking, rubber-soled shoes to participate in PE.  With our playground currently being so muddy, students really need to have an alternate pair of shoes for inside the building.  We are happy to work with any family for which this requirement may pose a concern.

Toys at School
I wasn’t clear about this in the fall, and I know young kids like to bring things in to share, but is most helpful if toys and games are left at home and not a distraction in students’ backpacks.  Students should not bring toys or anything valuable to school unless it directly relates to an academic project.

NWEA Testing
Students will be taking the Northwest Educational Assessment or NWEA this week.  The NWEA is a pair of assessment students take in our computer lab to assess their understanding of reading and math.  Room K-3 will be taking them on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Photo Gallery
There are lots of new photos in our classroom photo gallery again this week!  They are mostly of our current engineering unit on structure and function.  The username and password were sent out in the weekly email.

Curriculum Overview

Science - We are finishing up the unit on structure and function.  Before winter vacation we evaluated the strength of the houses we built by exposing them to a high-powered fan.  This week we will design, build, and test our own paintbrush.

Math - We are looking at the numbers 1 through 100 and discussing patterns that relate to place value in our number system.

Literacy - This week we will be revisiting school and classroom expectations and reading books about staying safe at school, being a good friend and student.  Ask your child about books like Kindness Is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler and Please Play Safe!

Writing - Students will be writing about the different experiences they have had with our Project Lead The Way unit on structure and function.  They will be sketching and writing about the house they built, as well as the paintbrush they will design.

Word Study - Identifying the vowel sounds found in each word.  We will start with long vowels.  For example the word jeep has the long e sound.

Students work on their family gifts before break.