Dashing into December

Dear Parents and Students,

Dashing through the snow

In a one horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bob tails ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to laugh and sing

A sleighing song tonight

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells

December's adventures ring with cheer in our classroom. Students imaginations and fantasies sparkle and glow with delight at this special time of year. The magic of learning is found in glimpses of growth.

This week we shared holiday stories together, including my story of my Grandpa's great capture of Santa's boot. Whenever my Grandpa shared this story with me, I remember the magic of this holiday season is found in giving and sharing gifts of love. One of my favorite gifts of love is the love my students share of learning and growing. Thank you for sharing your students with me!

Our class reading groups began new reading books this week, focusing on the nonfiction genre. The students are investigating different science topics including, rocks, minerals, ecosystems, and chemical changes. It is neat to see their twinkling smiles as they create science and reading connections. Way to go Bobcats!!

On Friday, students enjoyed our school "Story Telling Festival." Lauren did a fantastic job in sharing a story. Wow! What courage to present in front of the school! We were very proud of her.

Our weathering and erosion unit draws to a close at the beginning of this next week. We explored erosion with the forces of wind, water, ice and gravity. It is so fun to do experiments with them. They are truly super scientists!!

This week students will continue to explore long division. Although division is a scary word, it becomes friendly with the knowledge that it is "backwards multiplication." Please continue to support your student in practicing multiplication and division facts at home.

This week our learning adventures include the following curriculum goals:
Reading: Nonfiction Features & Fairy Tales
Spelling: Word Patterns, Accents, Prefixes
Writing: Organization Trait of Writing
Math: Division
Science: Soils
Social Studies: Native Americans

Thank you for sharing your children with me each day. I love teaching and learning with them. They are amazing!!!

Mrs. Yates