I Spy

Check out our I Spy books we made in computers!


Your child is also bringing home a kangaroo crayon holder. We modeled the colors of our kangaroos after one of our favorite authors and artists, Eric Carle.

We need drivers

Drivers are needed for our field trip to the Performing Arts Theater for Junie B Jones on May 23rd. We will need at least 4 drivers. We will leave at 9:15 and be back around 11:30. Let us know if you would like to drive.

We are keeping busy.......

Keri and Katie's classes are keeping busy with everything that is going on here at Community School.
Keri's kids are working on multiplication. They are singing their skip counting songs and practicing their math facts through games. They are also working on solving story problems. As time permits, we are throwing in concepts for review. In literature, we just completed a Reader's Theater script in our class of "Hedgie's Surprise" by Jan Bret. We all enjoyed performing for each other. We are reading a classic, The One In the Middle is the Green Kangaroo by Judy Blume. This is a great story that fits in with our own theater experiences right now, as well as our study of Australian Animals. We will tie all of this together with our social studies unit.

Katie's math class continues working on double-digit addition. We are also reviewing fractions and measurement. In literacy students are done with our creative fiction stories. We are reading our just right books and responding to them in writing. We love centers. Some of the centers we participate in are: using a phone book to solve real life situations, using back scratchers to spell on each others backs, creating silly sentences, and making stories that combine stickers and writing.

If you have not sent in your money for El Rodeo please do so ASAP. The cost is $7 cash. Katie's class is going tomorrow and Keri's class is going on May 20th.

Arts Festival rehearsals have started and the kids are doing an amazing job. Please see Quick Notes for rehearsal and performance schedules.

El Rodeo!

Elena will be taking our classes to El Rodeo this month. Please send $7.00 in cash (no checks please) this week for Katie's class and before the 20th for Keri's class.

Katie Friday, May 13th 11:30 - 1:30
Keri Friday, May 20 11:45 - 1:20

Thank you so much for all of your hard work for Strawberry Festival. It was an amazing success and lots of fun.

Zooming Along This Spring

Is is really May already? Kids are loving this spring weather and we are too! We have seen your kids being architects, botanists, and entomologists on the playground this spring. There are shops opening and closing daily as children discover the perils of the rock and leaf trade.

In Katie's math students are keeping up with addition and subtraction while reviewing fractions. We are also focusing on measurement with our big buddies in Kim's class.

In Keri's math kids are multiplying away. They are loving exploring the concept of multiplication through addition strategies and word problems.

In Katie's literacy students have been workshoping our short stories. Students have become old pro's at sharing with each other about their writing. We will begin our final drafts this week. We continue to enjoy reading our novels, and love sitting in the sun while reading.

In Keri's literacy students continue to Explode the Code! We have been playing word games and becoming voracious readers. Our writing has taken off as we explore sentences and story structure. We also enjoy basking in the spring sunshine while we get our work done.

In Social Studies and Science we are still focusing on China. This week we have an acupuncturist coming into share about Chinese Medicine.

THIS WEEK: On Friday we will have Strawberry Shortcakes on Friday. Katie's class will also be making pizza to finish up our fraction review and also celebrate our full jellybead jar! You may want to pack a lighter lunch for your child.

If you have not signed up for your Strawberry Festival shift do it today!

We also need 2 drivers for our May 31st field trip to see the play "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie". Please let us know if you will be able to drive.

Thursday Drivers

If there is anyone interested in driving for Thursday's field trip please let us know ASAP.

Thanks!

Coffee Cans?

Kids' Games needs large coffee tins. If you have any lying around please send them in.

Thanks!!

Moving on to China!

Spring is here and students are working hard and having fun.

You may want to send in an extra tee shirt or pair of shorts so that kids have a clothes that are appropriate for the weather. We have had several kids that have wanted to change into a short sleeve shirt when they have gotten hot and only have long sleeve shirts here.

In Katie's math we are working on addition, subtraction, and measurement. We learned a fun card game yesterday called "How Many Reds?". Ask your child to teach you how to play. Today we will play a game in the computer lab with our buddies to help reinforce fact families.

In Keri's math we have been concentrating on getting through reviewing of addition and subtraction. WE have forgotten how to regroup and borrow. We will play some math games to reinforce our math facts as well. When we have finished that we will begin the much anticipated "multiplication"!!!! Everyone is chomping at the bit to get to multiplication.

In Keri's reading groups, we are reading short chapter books and completing mini book reports to display in the classroom. They will continue to work on phonetics through Explode the Code and Word Study. Look for that to be coming home today. Please take some time to practice the word patterns with your child. They also are concentrating on writing in the morning and are in the process of creating a class bulletin board full of various things that we have written.

In Katie's class we are working on creative writing. Students have started writing short stories. We also are working in groups and using "story bags" to act out stories we create. Yesterday we took advantage of the warm weather. We played a modified version of 4 Square to review synonyms, antonyms, and contractions. Each student continues to read their own novel, meet with Katie, and write responses.

In Social Studies we are reading about China and learning about all of the inventions that come from China. We are making Kites, Lanterns and pictures from Tangrams as we learn about Asia. Each child will learn some important facts on China and we are going to visit the Mill Mountain Zoo to see Asian Animals on April 21st.

We have 2 more plays that we will see in May.

Kids' Games Sign Ups!

Are you looking for a fun way to fill your Strawberry Festival obligation? Kids' Games is looking for volunteers for Saturday, May 7th. Past volunteers say that time flies when working Kids' Games, plus they had many opportunities to make kids smile!

We are looking for the following positions:
Face painters (fancy painting skills not required)
People to help with making beaded necklaces and bracelets
Woodworkers (only gluing skills required)
People to give out prizes
Balloon sellers
Ticket sellers

Sign up online at http://strawberryfestcs.blogspot.com/
If you have questions about a specific Kids' Games job email Katie at kclifton74@gmail.com

Student Fundraisers!

On Saturday, April 16th from 9am - ? two Community School students will be raising money for two friends who would like to attend music camp this summer. Drop by their house on Avenham and say hi, buy some baked good, hear great music performed by these students, and cheer on runners of the Blue Ridge Marathon who will be running by the house beginning at 11:00 am.

For more information: leahmarer@hotmail


A middle school student is still collecting new or gently used school supplies and books to raise money for the Refugee and Immigration Services. We have a box in our classroom where students can bring supplies.

To All of Our Overwhelmed Parents

I know all of you are probably as overwhelmed as I am with daily duties. I am so sorry I added to your burden by mixing up the bake sale dates! We actually have a bake sale on the 13th of April not tomorrow. If you send in food we will freeze it and save it. Hopefully you'll get this post and breathe a sigh of relief knowing you have another week.

So sorry for the mix up.
Katie

Check your child's backpack today. We are sending home the following:
* information on Strawberry Festival shifts
* your child's conference portfolios
* FYI's for your child's special classes
* either a contract that should be signed and sent in tomorrow or a CD so your child can practice for Arts Festival

This Week and Beyond!

This week is such a busy week we thought we should start out with some reminders.

Today is the Elementary Tea. Kids are excited to hear about the upcoming year and share their experiences.

On Wednesday we will be leaving at 9:45 to visit the Virginia Safari Park. We will return around 2:45 pm.

On Friday students will be presenting their European country Projects. Classes will be open from 10:30 - 11:45 and 2:15 - 3:00.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILD'S FOLDER FOR MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

A seminar student, is collecting new or gently used books and school supplies. She is planning on having a sale of these items on campus to raise money for the Refugee Center. Each classroom has a box to collect supplies.

Conferences are Thursday, April 7th. We will be sending portfolios home early in the week.

Next week is spring break. We hope everyone has a wonderful week off!

Field Trip and Bake Sale

Just a reminder that we will be going to the Safari Park on Wednesday, March 23rd. Please pack your child's lunch that day. We will be having Pizza Day on Thursday, March 24th.

To help pay for our trip the Globetrotters will be hosting three bake sales on Wednesdays: March 16, April 13, and April 27. Please send in baked goods on the Tuesday before or Wednesday morning. Thank you so much for your support!

The many faces of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head......

Here we are building!!!

Using our imagination to recreate a story setting.

Learning about probability.....

We paired up to play a game to learn about probability!  We had a lot of fun while we were learning!

 

Wacky Wednesday

It sure is wacky today! Kids came adored in all kinds of funky outfits. We celebrated Dr. Suess' birthday by reading Green Eggs and Ham and then making our own. It was amazing how many students LOVED green eggs and ham. Katie's literacy group teamed up with Katlyn's class and Keri's group teamed up with Kim Halsey's class to read and sample our yummy eats.

We have some important dates coming up:

The Marginal Arts Festival kicks off on Thursday!

Spring means preparing for Strawberry Festival! Please sign up for your shifts.

We have a teacher work day March 9th and school will be closed.

Plays are coming up! Please check Quick Notes for dates and times.

Please remember to return the information about the Elementary Tea telling us whether or not your child will be participating.

March 23rd we will be heading to the Safari Park. Please pack a lunch for your child that day. We will have pizza day on Thursday.

Email Address Updated

Please email Keri and Katie your email addresses. We are in the process of updating our parent information. Email is a quick and easy way for us to keep in touch with you.

katiew@communityschool.net

kerij@communityschool.net

We've Got Big Plans

We are sending home notes today about our Dr. Seuss celebration week and our March Tea Party. Please return the enclosed form ASAP.

On Friday we will be heading out to see Seussical! Make sure your child arrives at school on time. We will be leaving a few minutes after school begins.

On March 23rd we are heading to the Safari Park. We have two parent drivers but could use a few more.

Keri's literacy class is jumping on the Seuss Train. They are reading Dr. Seuss books and loving his fabulous rhymes and nonsense words. They continue to work on word study. Don't forget to check your child's folder for words to practice at home.

Katie's literacy class has been working on contractions. We also are writing about inventions. We had a great writer's workshop today where students read their work and received comments from their classmates. Students expand their writing based on their classmates' questions and suggestions.

Keri's math class has finished fractions and is moving onto measurement. In Katie's math class students have finished with place value and moved onto rounding.

In social studies kids are enthusiastic about Africa! They love learning about the rich cultures and amazing geography.  We are also taking time to studying leadership and cooperation. This week students made a list of leadership qualities. Next week they will apply those qualities to ourselves and see how we demonstrate leadership.

February is Flying By!

If anyone could pick up a couple rolls of paper towels, Keri's class is out. She is going through them to clean the tables in an attempt to keep germs at bay. We are using lots of Clorox spray and Lysol. If anyone else has any other suggestions on ways to kill germs let us know.  We have had several kids out sick.


Also, we are looking for donations to give to the zoo animals.  These may be some things that you have lying around the house: catnip for the cougar, hideaway homes for the hedgehogs, balls for the pandas (soccer, volley, basket) and last but not least, baby toys for the Marmosets.  I was hoping to take up a collection and then have the class make a trip up there to give the donations to the zoo.  These are all Asian animals, and we are not officially visiting Asia until April, but I thought it might be nice to get involved.  Let me know if you have other fun ideas for us to use and incorporate into our studies as we continue to travel the globe.


Field Trips in the Works:
We are going to Seussical on Friday Feb. 25th and will need drivers.

We are hoping to go to the Safari Park in the Spring, April ish…..  This will go along with our study of Africa which we are currently visiting in Social Studies.  I am excited to introduce African Folk Tales along with our study of the culture of the area.


Keri’s groups are working on:

Math:  Finishing up fractions.  1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8, 1/10 and 1/12
See if they can tell you what number goes on the bottom, (the denominator) and which one goes on top (the numerator).  We will work on probability next and then head to measurement.  

Our reading group will begin to work on comprehension as well as increasing our sight words and phonetic skills.  Please look for the word study folder at least once a week and do one of the activities suggested.  I really think that this will really help them retain what they are working on.   They will also bring home a reader once a week to share with you.  Have them read and return the book the next day so that we can use it again in the classroom. 

Katie's groups are working on:

In math we have finished fractions and moved onto place value. Kids are using cubes and cards to learn about the ones and tens place. We have been playing Addition War with playing cards. Ask your child to teach you how. On Fridays we have been working with our math buddies to improve the school store. We work in groups to do marketing, money skills, ordering, and inventory.


In literacy we started writing about inventions. Kids have come up with some amazing ideas. We continue to read our novels and work out of our sight word folders. This week we also worked on poetry with our big buddies in Betsy's class. 


In science we are going to take a few weeks to do some team building activities. We will then move on to science activities focusing on Africa.

Classroom Needs

We are in need of gift bags or medium-sized paper shopping bags that with handles that could carry a lunch. Old wallets would also be much appreciated.

Katie is completely out of anti-bacterial hand wipes! Please send in wipes in plastic contianers. She has started raiding Katlyn's supply!

On to Africa and Plays

In science and social studies, we are finishing up Antarctica and moving to Africa! In science, kids have been studying the effects of cold on our bodies, poles, magnetic fields, and making compasses. In social studies, students have finished up studying penguins and cause and effect relationships. They had a great time playing Antarctica trivia.

In Keri’s literacy class students are working hard on word families, sight words, and fluency.  They have gotten started on word study and should be bringing home their words once a week to share with you.  In Katie’s literacy class we are working on using two, to, and too properly. We are also practicing sight words and reading our novels.

In math, Keri and Katie’s math class are breaking it down and working on fractions. At home help your child reinforce these skills.  Cooking with your child is a great way to show him/her that, yes, you really do use fractions in “real” life.

Valentines Day is coming up. Both classes are celebrating together; so please make sure your child has Valentines for each student. A list of names is below.  We will have students make Valentine card containers in class the week before. We will hold our party Monday, February 14^th from 12:30 – 1:30.

The Globetrotters have been working on plays in drama. Julie has sent home scripts and is asking that you please practice them with your students. Keri’s Traveling 10 will be performing a folk tale from China on Monday March 7^th from 1:30 – 2:15. Katie’s Traveling Spiders will be performing a folk tale about India from 1:30 – 2:15 on Wednesday, March 9^th. Each class will be performing plays. See Quick Notes for more dates and times.

Katie’s Class: Lucas, Ari, Nathan, Ian, Lorraine, Yutika, Collin, Sophia, Misha

Keri’s Class: Elise, Henry, Braden, Andrew, Annabelle, Tallulah, Sierra, Harrison, Benjamin, Connor

The Globetrotters Get Chilly

Conferences are on Friday! Portfolios were sent home yesterday. Please take the time to go over your child's work with them before conferences. Bring portfolios to conference.

Kids are having a great time reading on RAZ Kids. To visit this site at home go to www.raz-kids.com and click the log in tab. Our teacher username is cselementary.

Today the weather is cooperating with our study of Antarctica! In social studies students did a sequencing activity with penguins, we have also played some fun penguin trivia games. In science students used the scientific method to discover what effect cold has on our reflexes.

In math both classes continue working on time. Give your child opportunities to read clocks at home. Reading digital and analog clocks is a skill that takes time and lots of practice. The more exposure the better!

Time is On Our Side!

We have decided to change our schedules a little. Each morning students will start with journal writing with their homeroom teacher. We have changed show and share to Friday mornings from 8:45 - 9:10. This frees our original show and share times up for literacy.

 In science and social studies we continue to study Antarctica. In social studies students are studying cause and effect in relation to living in Antarctica. In science we are learning about different kinds of penguins.

In math both classes are working on time. Kids are learning to tell time to the hour, quarter hour, half hour, and three quarters of an hour.

In literacy both classes are working on Dolch sight words and reading fluency. Katie's class is also working on the writing process and are working on paragraphs about winter break.  Students in Keri's class will be bringing home words to sort into categories so check your child's folder daily.

Tomorrow your child will be choosing a penguin poem to memorize at home. They will present them next Thursday afternoon. Not only will this help with confidence, it will also help prepare students for Poetry Day in Upper Elementary. 

We are in need of paper towels, spoons, and forks.  If you are in Katie's class please send in a small box of plastic utensils. If you are in Keri's class please send in a roll of paper towels.

We encourage children to only bring toys to school for show and share. If your child chooses to bring something for show and share, please make sure they understand that often when things are brought to school they can be lost or broken. It is a good idea not to bring items that special and/or valuable.


Tomorrow at 1:15 we will be walking over to Talmadge Hall at Hollins for our Martin Luther King, Jr. Award Ceremony.

Compasses Please

Katie would like to borrow some compasses for a classroom project. If you have one you are willing to share please send it in.  Thanks!

Pajama Day!!!

Pajama Day has been rescheduled for Friday, January 7th! We will still being playing outside so make sure your child's p.j.s are warm enough.

Since we have moved onto Antarctica, we will be offering March of the Penguins and Happy Feet. Kids can chose which movie they would like to see.