Polar Animals (and a Polor Vortex too)

Hello Parents,

I hope you are staying warm in this polar vortex!  We have been learning all about animals that also live in cold all the time.  They may start to think we are polar people!

On Monday, we started by making feathers for our penguins.  Penguins need their black and white feathers to be warm when sliding in the snow and diving in the icy waters.  Students had to rip their feathers from the black and white paper and match it to the black or white skin.  Students did a great job and they got to work those fine motor skills!

Wednesday was our snow/cold day.

The letter of the week was Pp. We learned the sign language for a letter, the literacy link sound symbols, the letter sound, and looking at and writing it in both capital letters and lower case letters.  Click here to view the many ways we learn the letter of the week!

Each week we watch letter videos from "Have Fun Teaching" and the students are really picking up the names of letters, formations, and the sounds of letters.  Check out these videos with you child!  Click HERE.

The Tuesday project of letter of the week is to decorate a letter with something that starts with the letter. This week we decorated the letter P with  popcorn in paint.  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, P is for penguin.

I am so sorry the reading with the stars paper copies didn't come home this week. Here is a digital image.  Please rsvp by email, note in your child's folder, or printing and returning the rsvp.  Thank you! Hope to see you there!

Important Notes:

•  Dress for the weather.  Please send your child dressed for the weather as we go outside as long as it is not raining or below 0*(students are more than welcome to bring layers daily or to leave in their lockers)  It may also be time to change out the change of clothes to make sure they are weather appropriate.  IF YOUR CHILD RIDES THE BUS we ask that they have all their winter clothes including snowpants, boots, hat, and mittens.
• Our school can be chilly so you may want to send your child in layers and/or a backup sweater/sweatshirt to keep in their locker. 
• Folders. Please be checking your child's daily folder each night.  We put notes on the notebook pages in their folders as well as any notes we may have for you.  Artwork is also sent home this way. As we start letter of the week, we will also start sending home homework to help reinforce the letter concept and identification.  Please work on this with you child to help the students make the connection between home and school. 
• Also, Please check the student's Wednesday Folders.  Please try to take info out and return the folder and any forms/info/payments in those folders a day or two after receiving. 
• Literacy Bags come home every three weeks.  Students will have a week to complete the project inside and can then return the bag with completed sheets in it on TUESDAYS.
• Library Books come every week.  We go to library on Monday and student have the opportunity to check out a book and keep it for a week. It can be kept in their back packs or at home, but please remember to bring it on Mondays. 
• Book Order due January 29.  Please click on the link for scholastic at the top of this page.  When you buy books for your child, it helps buy books and supplies for our classrooms.

Next Week:
Theme:  PALS assessments and Polar Animals
Letter of the Week: No letter due to PALS
Snack: Manteufel