Here is this week’s newsletter: May 15-19.

A great way to save time and money is by ordering school supplies now for the 2023-2024 school year. The  Columbia Elementary back-to-school supply  kits are now available for you to order! You can go to www.unitedschoolsupplies.com now and enter our School Code, which is 138200.The kit price for 1st grade is $50. 

You can keep your child’s charger at home. The charger is checked out to your child. Please keep it in a safe place all summer. The chromebooks will be sent home later. 

Here is this week’s newsletter: May 8-10. Thank you for taking the time to read it each week!

If you are volunteering at Field Day on Thursday, you will need to sign in at the office that morning. All volunteer spots have been filled.  If you are a volunteer, you will see Coach Fields that day for your assignment.  In case of rain, the rain date will be May 16th. Please send your child in their red class shirt on Thursday.  You can see more details about field day in last Thursday's post. 

Parents, I would like to encourage you to read and fill out the reading log for your child.  The reading log is due Tuesday, May 16th.  I know sometimes you may read a book and just forget to write it down due to a busy schedule.  

On Friday, I emailed you a Google Form for end of the year activities.  If you haven't had time to fill this out, please do so now.  You can find the form here: May Activities Google Form

Reminder: 

All library books are due Wednesday, May 10th!

• Thursday, May 4th 

  *End of Year Activities*

  It is important for each parent to read this information and follow directions about class shirts, water bottles, and towels. I know several of you are experiencing end of the year activities for the first time. The following are descriptions of each activity so that you can be prepared and know what to expect:

  Field Day - This will be Thursday, May 11th. Coach Fields has planned our Field Day events. Kindergarten will be outside from 9:00-11:25. The classes will rotate through several stations. The majority of the stations are held outside, so please apply sunblock on your child before sending your child to school. Your child can bring a hat as well. Please have your child’s water bottle labeled with their name and have it filled with water and ice. Please send a towel. It would help your child if you sent the water bottle and towel inside of a plastic bag (Target, Publix, etc.) or a small drawstring backpack so they can easily keep up with their items. The only parents that are allowed to attend Field Day are the parents who sign up to volunteer. If you are a volunteer, see Coach Fields for your assignment. We will eat lunch much later on Field Day than normal, so please make sure your child eats breakfast. Please have your child wear our RED class shirts to Field Day.

  End of the Year Program – This will be on Thursday, May 18th in our cafeteria. This is an opportunity for our students to perform for you. They will sing songs and recite poems. All parents, grandparents, younger siblings are welcome to come to our End of the Year program. We will begin promptly at 8:30, so please arrive around 8:15 to have time to sign in and find a seat. Please be in your seat by 8:30. The performance should only last about 30 minutes. This is a special performance, so the children are encouraged to dress nicely. You should have an opportunity after the show to say hello and take pictures. Please let me know if your child will not be there, so I do not save them a spot on the stage. I will take a picture of our class during the May 11th practice so you can see where we will be standing on the stage. Your child can bring a change of clothes and shoes to put on after the program.

  Astro Bash - This will be on Friday, May 19th. The students will be provided a shirt to wear for the Astro Bash. We will spend most of the day outside. Please apply sunscreen before school and bring a refillable water bottle labeled with your child’s name. We will have a picnic lunch outside so please send your child with a towel for the picnic. Please wear velcro or slip on tennis shoes. There will be inflatables at the bash so velcro/slip-on shoes are a MUST! We will not have time to tie shoes before rotating stations. 

  Class Party – This will be on Wednesday, May 24th. Our party will be outside. It will begin at 8:30 and last until 10:00. Please apply sunblock on your child before sending him/her to school on party day. The Kindergarten classes will rotate through several stations. The Kindergarten room moms are organizing our party. Parents are welcome to come to our party, but no siblings. Please have your child wear our RED class shirts this day. We will take a class picture in our class shirts today. The party snack will be Rita’s Italian Ice. You will have to pre-order and pre-pay for the party snack. An order form will be sent home in your child’s folder soon. May 24th is also a half-day of school. Students will be dismissed at 11:30. 

  Last Day of School – The last day of school is Thursday, May 25th. Students will be dismissed at 11:30. Send your child’s backpack and folder. Report Cards and End of the Year Data Reports will be sent home on the last day. If your child will not be at school on May 25th, you will need to provide me with a self-addressed stamped envelope so the report card can be mailed to you.

  End of Year Assessments - This is not an End of Year Activity, but it is still important for you to know about. Starting May 10, I will reassess all of our Kindergarten Standards for our last report card. I have to submit 4th Nine Weeks grades on May 19. This means now is the time to review and practice any of the standards your child has yet to master. Refer back to the pictures you took of your child’s Progress Report so you know what standards to practice with your child.  Thank you for your support at home. It is still very important for your child to be at school on time every day. 

  *If you read all of today’s long informational post, send me an email and I’ll give your child a Good Time Ticket. In your email, let me know if you have questions about these end of the year events that were not answered above.

Tomorrow is our field trip to Early Works Children’s Museum! If your child is bringing lunch from home, it must be completely disposable. All students need to wear their RED class shirt on the field trip. If your child doesn’t have a class shirt, please have him/her wear any solid RED shirt. Parents who  pre-purchased admission to Early Works must come to Columbia tomorrow between 8:15-8:30 to check-in and receive a visitor sticker.  You will need to wear the visitor sticker while on the field trip. Parents should plan on meeting us at Early Works by 9:15. There is parking available for 50 cents per hour.  Parking is available at the Fountain Circle Parking Garage located behind the museum. The address is 318 Fountain Circle SW, Huntsville, AL 35801. Parking does cost $0.50 per hour. Street parking is also available for the same price, but it can be hard to find due to construction. Sign-in at the front desk when you arrive at Early Works. Don’t forget to email me by this afternoon if you want to check out your child from the field trip. 

Our class will take their Spring DIBELS benchmark assessment on Thursday. You will want to make sure your child gets plenty of sleep the night before and eats a healthy breakfast the morning of the test. Thank you for your continued support this year. The children have grown so much and I know they will all do their best on these benchmark assessments. 

Here is next week’s newsletter: May 1-5.  

The Report of Learning Folders are in backpacks today. Please take time to read through the Progress Reports. Please sign in the 4th Nine Weeks signature box and return the Report of Learning folder by Monday, May 1st. 

The following Power Standards might need your continued support: 

- 50 Fry sight words (flashcards)

- Spelling CVC words

- Reading grade level text 

- Addition Facts (flashcards)

- Subtraction Facts (flashcards)

When completing the progress report assessments, several of my students read all 50 of the Kindergarten sight words. If your child did this for his/her first time, I will put the list of 1st Grade sight words in their green Practice Folder.

Reminders for the field trip to Early Works:

• If your child is bringing a lunch from home, it must be completely disposable.

• All parents who are on the list of chaperones that are meeting us at Early Works must come to Columbia on May 2nd  between 8:15-8:30 to check-in and receive a visitor sticker. 

• If you have signed up to attend the field trip, please meet us there by 9:15.

• All students must have a lunch in our cooler before we can leave. 

• We are not bringing jackets on the field trip.

• Please wear your class shirt on Tuesday, May 2nd. 

• If you plan to check out your child from the field trip, please email me by Monday.

No school tomorrow! Enjoy your long weekend!

Thursday April 20th

Here is next week’ s newsletter: April 24-28

Tomorrow is our Purple Up Day! We are encouraging students to wear purple to support our peers with family members in the military. 

Next Friday April 28th is a weather day. There will be no school that day. 

Monday April 17th

I know that it is a busy time of year with sports and activities, but I ask that you to continue check and empty your child's Daily Folder daily. Thank you to everyone who sent your child’s green folder to school today. 

Please remember to only send plastic containers to school. Glass containers are not allowed due to the hazard of breaking when dropped.

The weather is getting warmer which is creating a challenge to keep up with jackets that are necessary for early morning, but not needed later in the day when it is warmer. As a reminder, the students are responsible for keeping up with their belongings. They are given prompts and reminders, but ultimately each child is responsible for their own belongings. For safety reasons, if a child leaves a jacket outside during recess or PE that child is unable to go back outside later to retrieve that missing item. Items left outside are brought inside later and placed in lost and found. If your child has a missing item they are welcome to look through lost and found after finishing their lunch. 

As the weather gets warmer, please remember that closed toe velcro tennis shoes are required daily. No sandals or crocs!

Mark your calendars! 

-Friday, April 21: Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast in the Media Center, 9:00-10:30

-Friday, April 21: Purple Up Day, wear purple

-Next Friday April 28th is a weather day. There will be no school that day. 

Today is Spirit Day at Takiki’s Mediterranean Cafe. Mention Columbia at checkout to support our school.

April 13th 

Here is next week’s newsletter: April 17-21. Thank you for taking the time to read it each week!

We have been learning about the weather during science. Tomorrow morning, Kindergarten will be having a special visitor! Brylee Brown, a meteorologist on our local WAAY channel will be coming to talk to us about weather! We are very excited to host her, and want to make a great impression. Please talk with your child about our Astro values: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Cooperative, and Be Kind. Talk to them about listening to our speaker with their eyes, ears, body, and brain, sitting quietly on their bottom, keeping hands to themselves, staying in their space, and clapping quietly when she finishes her presentation.

This week in phonics we learned about the digraphs wh and ng. The students are doing well reading words that contain these digraphs, but applying this in our writing is quite a bit more difficult. Right now, it seems most want to write digraph wh every time they hear /w/. The other tricky part is spelling -ing words with vowel i and not vowel e even though it sounds more like e than i. No worries! They will understand with more practice and exposure. 

Field trip forms and payment are due tomorrow, April 14th. Please remember that all adult admission must be prepaid, and send $10 per adult along with your child’s $20 and signed paperwork. If the $20 fee presents a hardship for your family, please send a note or email so we can work out a solution. If you are interested in making a full or partial donation to help cover the cost of the field trip for another child please let me know. 

If your child hasn't worn their red class shirt in awhile, please make sure to locate it. Your child will need to wear it on May 2nd for the Field Trip, May 11th for Field Day and May 24th for the Class Party. Mark these dates on your calendar. More information will be shared about these events at the beginning of May.

I also want you to mark your calendar with our Kindergarten End of Year Program the morning of May 18th. More details will be shared at the beginning of May. 

Field trip forms came home last week in the Daily Folders. Both forms and payment are due by this Friday, April 14th. Please remember that all adult admission must be prepaid.

Reading Logs - All students that had 5 books recorded on their reading log last week received a Good Time Ticket today. Please take time to read to your child daily. This is an activity that you can do with your Kindergarten students and their siblings. Children of all ages benefit from hearing books read aloud. 

Upcoming Dates to Know:

-Wednesday, April 12: Spirit Day, Crazy Weather, send $1 to support Art, Music, and Spanish

- Friday, April 14: Field Trip forms and money are due

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #23, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, and math fact flashcards. Your child needs your support at home to master the Kindergarten sight words, addition facts, and subtraction facts. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log.  Your child's reading log should have at least 20 books written on it when they bring it in their green Practice Folder next Monday. 

Thursday April 6th

Here is next week’s newsletter: April 10-14.  Thank you for taking the time to read it each week!

Field Trip Information went home yesterday. Please read the yellow note carefully. You'll need to return the two forms and the fee all at the same time. Please return these in the Daily Folder by April 14th. Thank you!

Math Facts - I want to encourage you to practice the math facts daily with your child - especially the subtraction facts. When you hold up a flashcard with a subtraction fact, they should use one of our strategies to say the answer. They need to respond within 5 seconds without using their fingers or manipulatives. The subtraction video describes the strategies we use to know our subtraction facts. We review math facts several times a week in class, but the value of practicing one-on-one with an adult cannot be overstated.  Here is the subtraction video for you to review our strategies. 

Self-Control - Lately, I've had to talk about self-control on a daily basis with the class. We talk about how they are in charge of what their body does and what their mouth says. It is making a choice to do the right thing, even when others are not making that choice. For example, as I go to each table to quickly check the phonics worksheet, the students sit on the rug after they put the worksheet in their mailbox. Students are expected to sit patiently (criss cross with a quiet mouth) until everyone gets to the rug.  Instead, I have kids spinning in circles, rolling on the rug, and talking in a yelling voice to each other.  Another example is when I ask the class to get in line so we can go to lunch, music, PE, etc. The students are expected to stand in line quietly facing the door. Instead, I have kids dancing, playing, and talking. We've been late to a few places because I wait to leave our classroom until everyone gets under control. These are two examples. I could go on with more, but I think you get the picture. I am requesting your assistance. Please talk to your child about how to have self-control. Give them time to practice - at home, at a store, or in a restaurant. I know they are capable of exhibiting self-control. 

Tuesday April 4th

Here is next week’ s newsletter: April 3-7

Madison Baseball Association (MBA) and Bob Jones High School are teaming up to bring Youth Baseball Day to Bob Jones High School on Saturday, April 1st at 11:00 am.  Read this flyer for more details!

After reviewing your child’s last report card, you may find that the following Power Standards might need your continued support:

- 50 Fry sight words (flashcards)

- Spelling CVC words

- Reading grade level text smoothly, accurately, and with expression to support comprehension 

- Writing letters and numbers with proper strokes, formation, and line placement

- Counting to 100 

- Counting on from any given number

- Addition Facts (flashcards)

- Subtraction Facts (flashcards)

Reminders- 

• Please pack a snack for your child daily. I have several students who have been forgetting snacks lately. 

• Blue Daily Folders should be checked and emptied everyday. 

Thursday March 30

Here is next week’ s newsletter: April 3-7

Madison Baseball Association (MBA) and Bob Jones High School are teaming up to bring Youth Baseball Day to Bob Jones High School on Saturday, April 1st at 11:00 am.  Read this flyer for more details!

After reviewing your child’s last report card, you may find that the following Power Standards might need your continued support:

- 50 Fry sight words (flashcards)

- Spelling CVC words

- Reading grade level text smoothly, accurately, and with expression to support comprehension 

- Writing letters and numbers with proper strokes, formation, and line placement

- Counting to 100 

- Counting on from any given number

- Addition Facts (flashcards)

- Subtraction Facts (flashcards)

Reminders- 

• Please pack a snack for your child daily. I have several students who have been forgetting snacks lately. 

• Blue Daily Folders should be checked and emptied everyday. 

Columbia’s FCA club is collecting items for the Clearview Cancer Center for new patients. The items are chapstick, small bottles of hand lotion and hand sanitizer, wrapped snacks, hard wrapped candy, puzzle books, and small notebooks.  Small gift bags will be made for the new patients to help them as they begin their new journey with treatment. If you are able to help by donating items for these bags, please send these items along with your child in his/her  backpack. Donations are due by April 4th. 

Thank you to all of you who have donated bandaids! We are in need of kleenex and baby wipes to our classroom! It is greatly appreciated!

Reminders: All transportation changes should be emailed to cesattendance@madisoncity.k12.al.us and the classroom teacher. On days when I need to be absent, I will not be able to check my email and notify the substitute of these changes. Also, remember you do not need to send in the hard copy of doctor’s notes. Please snap a picture of the note and send that to cesattendance@madisoncity.k12.al.us. Thank you for your help with this. 

Pink eye is going around so please watch your child's eyes closely. 

Friday March 24th

Here is next week's newsletter: March 27-31. Please take time to read the newsletter. Thank you!

The 4th Nine Weeks reading log was placed in your child's green Practice Folder on Monday. The goal is to read 35 books by Tuesday, May 16th. Students should have at least five books written on their reading log by Monday. The students who have at least five books on the reading log will earn one Good Time Ticket. Each week thereafter, students should have five additional books written on the log and will earn another Good Time Ticket. This will help us stay on track to earn our extra recess goal! 

Report of Learning Folders are coming home today with your child’s 3rd Nine weeks Report Card. Comments about a few of the report card power standards: 

• If your child has a 1 on "Read Kindergarten high frequency words accurately and automatically, fluently add within 5, and fluently subtract within 5," there is a great way to help your child master the skill...daily use of flashcards. :)

• Spell simple words phonetically by writing a letter for consonants and short vowels - Students are expected to apply our Kindergarten phonics rules when writing words. This includes the correct use of short vowels in words like pin, pen, ham, yam. It also includes writing -ck when final /k/ is after a short vowel. For example, duck, stick, tack, lock, etc. Next week, we will be reading and writing words with qu. After that instruction, the students will be expected to remember that q and u together make the beginning sound with the following words: quiz, quit, quack, quilt, quick, quest. To practice writing simple words at home, give your child a piece of paper and say any of the above words and ask your child to write them.

• Read and reread grade appropriate decodable texts smoothly, accurately, and with expression to support comprehension - Please listen to your child read the passages in the Practice Folder. When finished, ask questions about what they have read.

After taking notes about which standards to practice at home, please sign in the address box on the first page and return it in the Report of Learning Folder by March 27th. Thank you!

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Spring Break and are ready to start the last nine weeks refreshed. 

Here is this week's newsletter: March 20-24 Thank you for taking a few minutes to read it. 

Thank you for sending Practice Folders today. 

The 4th Nine Weeks reading log is in your child's folder. The goal is to read 35 books by Tuesday, May 16th. There are 58 days between now and May 16th. There are seven days in a week, if you read 5 books per week, your child will meet this goal.  Please make every effort to read 35 books to your child and record the titles on the reading log. Our class has yet to earn the extra recess this year. They have been excited about the possibility of the extra recess, so please help them earn the extra recess. 

Cold and flu season is here and we have gone through almost all of our soft tissues again. If you could donate any boxes of soft tissues, it would be greatly appreciated! We are also out of band-aids.

I would like your help. Please talk with your child about classroom behavior. Prior to Spring Break and even today, the class has been very talkative, loud, and interruptive. In class, we've discussed being conscious of their speaking volume and having self-control, but it hasn't transferred to application yet. Thank you for helping me with this at home too. During recess, the kindergarten teachers are observing some aggressive and inappropriate games being played. We request your help with talking to your child about this. Please encourage your child to keep their hands, feet, and all other objects to themselves when playing with others. 

3/21 World Down Syndrome Day: wear BLUE and YELLOW tomorrow!

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #20, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, math fact flashcards. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log.  

Thursday March 9th

We'll share the March 20-24th newsletter when we return from Spring Break. 

If you forgot to send the 3rd Nine Weeks reading log today, please send it in your child's blue Daily Folder tomorrow. Thank you!

Mark your calendars: Our Spring Field Trip to Early Works Children's Museum will be Tuesday, May 2nd.

I hope all of your families have a wonderful and safe Spring Break. I hope it is filled with rest and relaxation. Then, be ready to come back on March 20th ready for a busy 4th Nine Weeks of School!

Wednesday March 8th

We started a new literacy station last week. It is called Magnet Center. At this station, the students build words in a word family using magnets. Then, they write the words. Their last step is to use the words in a sentence on the back of the paper. Last week our word family was -at, this week our word family is -it. I am expecting the students to begin their sentence with a capital letter, put a space between the words, and end the sentence with punctuation. The students are enjoying this new station.

The 3rd Nine Weeks Reading Log is due on Thursday, March 9th. After recording the books read each day this week on the reading log, please send it in your child's blue Daily Folder on Thursday. Thank you! We're hoping we earn the extra recess for the class meeting the reading goal. 

I have heard lots of talk about children leaving for Spring Break trips this week. Time with family is super exciting and I hope everyone enjoys the vacations you have planned. Please make sure to email me if you know your child is going to miss any days this week, so I can adjust my assessment plan accordingly. Thank you!

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #19, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, math fact flashcards. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log.  The library is open this week! Remember to send the reading log to me on Thursday. Thank you!

Thursday, March 2nd, 2023

Here is next week’ s newsletter:

March 6-10

Tomorrow, Friday March 3rd will be a virtual learning day. Please complete all the assignments listed in Schoology. You will need to turn in the written work on Monday March 6th. This long weekend is a great opportunity for listening to your child read passages from the green folder. As a challenge you can read a sentence from the green folder for your child to write independently. The chromebooks, headphones, and QR codes must be returned on Monday with your child. 

While assessing for Report Cards this week, I have noticed that many students are really struggling with automatically and accurately producing the answers to the addition and subtraction facts.  Flashcards  are a great way to practice math facts. Fluency with addition and subtraction facts is a power standard in Kindergarten; so please begin working on these facts at home, if not already. Another helpful trick is to write the more challenging facts on a sticky note. Then put that sticky note in a common place like on the bathroom mirror or on the refrigerator. Then as your child passes that sticky note you can have your child read the facts aloud. Thank you for your support! This same trick works great for sight words as well. 

Assessment Reminders: The third nine weeks assessments have started. Please use these flashcards to help your child practice at home.  Sight Word Flashcards   Addition Flashcards   Subtraction Flashcards   Subtraction Video

Reminder: Space Day is next week. Here’s the flyer for the dress up days. 

Monday February 27th

Read Across America is this week!  Our Spring Book Fair is this week in our media center. Our class was able to go today and see all the wonderful books that are on sale. . If you would like to send money in for your child to purchase a book please send the money in a labeled envelope or bag with your child’s name, my name and the amount. Remember that you may shop online at scholastic.com/fair as well.   

You may also shop at the book fair tonight during our Camp Read S’More family night from 5-7. There will be guest readers and special family activities.

As a reminder, here are the special days for the rest of this  week.  

Tuesday-Camp Cozy: Wear cozy clothes and bring a flashlight for reading

Wednesday- Camp Care-a-lot: Wear a shirt with positive message

Thursday- Camp Read Aloud: Book Character Day- PTA Spirit Day Bring $1

Friday- Wear a CES: Wear a CES shirt or red/black

Please remember to empty your child's folder daily. When too many papers get left in the folder, the folder begins to rip.  This would be a huge help for me as I place new papers in your folders each day.  

If your child completed February’s challenge please send in the Dental Health Log on Wednesday, March 1st. 

Assessment Reminders: The third nine weeks assessments have started. Please use these flashcards to help your child practice at home.  Sight Word Flashcards   Addition Flashcards   Subtraction Flashcards   Subtraction Video

Here is the list of sight words that have been taught thus far in Kindergarten. This also gives the breakdown of the scoring for the report card. I will also be sending this paper home for you to keep and use with your child. 

• Thursday, February 23rd

  Here is next week’s newsletter: February 28-March 3. Thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter each week.

  Next week, Columbia will be celebrating Read Across America with Camp Read S’More. Click here for information about the family night events, and the fun dress up days we will have.

  Next Friday, March 3rd, our PTA is holding the Out of this World Dance. Click here to purchase family tickets.

  The Book Fair opens Monday, February 27th. It will be open from 7:40-8:15 daily and will close on Friday, March 3rd at 10:45 a.m.  Our class is scheduled to visit the Book Fair on Monday from 9:45-10:15.  If you would like for your child to purchase books you can send money in a marked envelope inside your child’s daily folder or meet us in the library. In addition, you can come shop with your child during the Camp Read S’more event on Monday night. The Book Fair will be open from 5:00 to 7:00 pm and the family activities will be from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. 

  This week, we are learning about digraph sh and ch. We've practiced reading and writing words with these digraphs. We've also practiced reading and writing sentences that include words with these digraphs. I neglected to include information about these digraphs in the newsletter, so I just wanted to make sure you knew how hard the children are working as they learn about sh and ch. 

Please click this link to read this week's newsletter: February 21-24

Thank you for all you did to help your child with virtual learning today.  I appreciate your support! 

Spring Pictures have been rescheduled for April 11th. I will hold onto the forms that were signed and returned to me last week. 

I will begin assessing the addition and subtraction facts for the 3rd Nine Weeks Report Card next week. If you haven't made the addition and subtraction flashcards yet, you might find these helpful. Helpful Links: Addition Facts    Subtraction Facts

Thank you for remembering to send the green Practice Folders today! I hope you are enjoying listening to your child read the sentences and passages each day. We become better readers by reading. The time you spend each evening with your child reading will make a meaningful difference!

Expectations for Daily Practice at Home:

Spend 10 minutes each day on the Practice Folder activities. These activities include Practice #17, the reading sheet, Fry sight word flashcards, math fact flashcards. 

Read a book to your child and record it on the reading log. If your child completes the reading log by March 7th, he/she will earn FIVE Good Time Tickets. If all of the class meets this goal, the class will earn an extra recess. 

Columbia will have a Camp Read S’more Family Reading Night on Monday, February 27th. This will be a fun event with guest readers, reading activities, and a campfire sing-along.  

Please click this link to read this week's newsletter: February 13-17

This Friday is a half day for students. Please click this link: Half Day Google Form to fill out your child's transportation and lunch preference. Thank you!

Progress Reports are coming home in the Report of Learning Folders today.  Please read over it, sign it and return it to school by Wednesday, February 15th.

If you forgot to send in your child’s Valentine cards to exchange today, please send them in the morning. We are looking forward to a fun day in the classroom!

Thursday, February 16th is Spring Individual Picture Day. If you want your child to have these optional spring pictures, you must sign the photographer's form that will be in folders tomorrow and return the signed form on Thursday. All of the information is on the form. 

Here is this week’s newsletter: February 6 - 10.  Thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter each week. 

Kids Heart Challenge is here! This message is from Coach Fields:

Our goal is to have all students register online and complete Finn’s Mission. They’ll even earn a free wristband for registering! Here’s how you can help:  1) Click Here to Register!  2) Complete Finn’s Mission: Watch a 2-minute video to know Hands-Only CPR, spot the signs of a stroke and more! 3) Share with friends and family through social media, text and/or email. 4) We need your help to accomplish our goal of having 100% of our families to know Hands-Only CPR, and you can help us by registering your child and spreading the word. Also, check out this amazing video.

Class pictures will be taken on Tuesday, February 7th. The envelope to purchase the class picture was sent home in folders today. If you would like for your child to change after we take the picture, please have all items in their backpack that your child is easily able to change themselves into. Let me know if your child needs to change by sending an email or a note in the blue folder. Thanks!

Thank you to everyone who returned the green folders today. Remember, please read one of these passages each day. Please follow up the reading with some comprehension questions. For example: Who was in the story? Where did the story take place? Was there a problem? What was the problem? How did the problem get solved?

Please continue working on writing names for the valentines. You will send in the valentines in a ziploc bag on Monday, February 13th. Each student will pass out their valentines. That means your child will also need to be able to read and match the name he/she wrote to that child’s name on their valentine bag. 

Progress reports will go home on Monday, February 13th.

Everyone that was at school sent the Practice folder today. THANK YOU!! Let's continue to make this happen the rest of the semester. The completed Practice Sheet can be sent back to me in the green folder.

If you missed Parent Night last Thursday, please read the slides and let me know if you have any questions: 2nd Semester Parent Night Presentation

Thank you for sending Valentine stickers to decorate the bags! We still need more.

Keep working on the Valentine's Exchange Home Project. As your family works on writing valentine's, please have your child do the writing, not mom or dad. When your child has finished writing the names on the cards, please let your child practice reading the names. Your child will need to be able to read the name in order to drop the valentine in the correct bag. 

Wednesday, February 1st is the beginning of Kids Heart Challenge in PE. It is important to dress students appropriately for the school day and these activities. Students will need to wear tennis shoes or closed toe shoes. Boots are not appropriate shoes for the school day. If a student has a dress/skirt to wear, please have shorts underneath.

Please send your child's hand for Multicultural Night by Wednesday. We're looking forward to a fun evening at school for Multicultural Night this Friday at 6:00.

I'm running low on things for the weekly Prize Box. I'd appreciate it so much if you wanted to send a bag of small trinkets from Dollar Tree, a bag of Smarties, fun sized M&Ms/Skittles, etc. Thank you for your support!

Two forms are coming home in blue Daily Folders tomorrow. One is for Vision Screening that will take place next week at Columbia. Every child needs a completed form returned to school. If you do not want your child to participate, you must fill out the form and mark NO. The other form is a recording sheet for the February Challenge that begins Wednesday. 

Thank you for attending 2nd Semester Parent Night! If you missed the meeting, please take time to read through the slides: 2nd Semester Parent Night

Last night, I talked about the 42 math facts that students should be able to answer when adding and subtracting within 5. Please go ahead and make the math fluency flashcards on index cards like was in the presentation. Continue to practice the Fry sight word flash cards at home. I will begin assessing for the next Progress Report next week. Thank you for your support.

Please remember to return the green Practice Folders on Monday. The completed Practice Sheet can be sent back to me in the green folder. 

Please click here to read next week's newsletter: January 30-February 3

After you and your child finish the Multiculturnal Night Home Project from Mrs. Bolden, please send it back to school in your child's folder so it can be displayed in the hallway. Multicultural Night is on February 3rd at 6:00. Come and enjoy the fun event!

I'm running low on things for the Prize Box. I'd appreciate it so much if you wanted to send a bag of small trinkets from Dollar Tree, a bag of Smarties, fun sized M&Ms/Skittles, etc. Thank you!

**Attention! Attention! Practice Folders Are Coming Home Today!** The children are bringing home their new Practice Folders today. These are the green folders you provided at the start of school. Everything you need to know about the Practice folder is written on a note inside the folder. Please be on the lookout for the Practice Folder. 

Remember the 100th Day of School is tomorrow. A note went home in folders last week with ideas for dressing up as a 100 year old. We will have a fun day celebrating. 

Keep working on the Valentine's Exchange Home Project. I sent an updated class list home on Friday. As your family works on writing valentine's, please have your child do the writing, not mom or dad. When your child has finished writing the names on the cards, please let your child practice reading the names. Your child will need to be able to read the name in order to drop the valentine in the correct bag. I sent this home early so the children have plenty of time to work on this project.

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Thursday for 2nd Semester Parent Night. Please send the parent who works with your child on the practice sheet. Here is the invitation: 2nd Semester Parent Night Invitation