Fall is here!

Hi folks!
It's been a really busy start to the year! I've been working on the fall assessments...the Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA) is done! I'm nearly done with the Fountas and Pinnell reading assessment. I'm learning a lot about your child's reading strengths and finding the very best place to begin reading instruction. I plan to complete the reading assessments by the middle of next week. Reading groups will begin soon after. Then you can expect to find a book or two in the homework folder each night for practice. Each book is carefully chosen for a variety of reasons and has been read at school. The book should not be challenging to read each night but is more of an opportunity for your child to "show off" and practice reading fluently. Please plan to read for 10-20 minutes each evening! Part of that time your child may be reading to you, but part of that time should be you reading high quality literature to your child...modeling fluent reading and talking about the book! Enjoy that snuggly nightly ritual as long as it last!

In your child's homework bag, you will find the fundraising envelope I emailed about last night. You will also find a poster for a golf tournament being held to raise funds for more playground equipment. The big, white envelope fundraiser is to fund classroom field trips.

Our math unit (BUGS!) is buzzing right along! This week students learned to sort bugs by different categories. We played a game called "There's a bug in my pocket"...ask your child to tell you all about it!

We've begun phonics and spelling work and our first Fundations Unit Test is coming up soon. The first test is mainly to check sounds and alphabetical order. Future tests are skill specific and will be kept here at school to share with you at conference time or whenever you request a peek!

This week we learned about the US Constitution and listened to (tried to learn) the Schoolhouse Rock song We the People!

Finally, on Fantastic Friday, we had a visit from Anna's mom and her cat, Lila. Anna was our Star of the Week and we had great fun getting to know Anna better! Thanks!

Have a great weekend! Love the cooler weather! Apple picking time is finally here!
Michelle