Well this week has certainly flown by!  It's hard to believe it's almost Friday!

We have been hard at work this week.  We have done a lot of baseline testing so that I can see what these smart kiddos know already.  We have been doing a lot of number and letter writing, as well.  Please use the handwriting paper I sent home last week to have your child practice their writing.

We have created a math journal and a phonics journal, which we will work in every day.  Students get to cut and paste different activities in these journals and complete them.  They seem to really like these hands on assignments!

We started working in our math books today.  Your child brought home a ziploc bag of math vocabulary words.  They will bring home vocabulary cards at the beginning of each new chapter. Please keep these in a safe place at home.  I keep my own children's in a ziploc bag hanging from a magnet clip on the refrigerator so they are easily accessible when it is time to practice.  Another great place to keep them is in the car.  You can practice them with your child on your way to school, coming home from the store, going to grandma's, etc.  There will always be a vocabulary section on our chapter tests.  I will read the words and definitions to the class and they will be responsible for matching the word with the definition.  This will be done through drawing lines to match, fill in the blank, multiple choice, etc.

We had a series of emergency drills this week.  We practiced what to do in case of a fire, severe weather, and an intruder in the building.  Ask your child what they learned about what to do in case of an emergency at school.

Finally, we started STEM on Monday!  What is STEM, you ask?  It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  It is a student led discovery and activity or experiment.  It usually involves solving a difficult problem or creating a unique structure given only a certain amount of materials.  We started STEM in my classroom last year and Monday quickly became everyone's favorite day of the week!  I had several parents contact me saying that their child was always excited to come to school on Mondays because it's STEM day!  This week we made spaghetti and marshmallow structures.  It is always enjoyable to see how their little minds work and this time I even saw some team work, which was extra special!  I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Hugs and High Fives!
Ms. Bleich