Guided by faith...in all we do and who we are

Be sure to bundle up this week! It might be a good idea to put an extra pair of socks in your child's backpack just in case the inside of boots or shoes gets wet.

We are stepping out of the student anthology again to read the novel Ribsy, by Beverly Cleary. The spelling pattern this week is suffixes, with words taken directly from the text. Students will be accessing Smart Board activities, crosswords, and Spelling Hopscotch to assist in learning their words. Please practice at home. There are links on the spelling page of the website to help. It is important for students to be able to spell correctly across the curriculum. Spend some time practicing past spelling words, words from other subjects and high-frequency words.

We continue to spend extra time in the computer lab completing the Curriculum Project Power Point Presentations for S.T.E.M. Students have been involved in Jigsaw Cooperative Groups as they've researched general information including climate and natural resources, plant life, animals, or available careers in a particular ecosystem. Students are creating slides, meeting with their groups to share their findings, and creating a team Power Point Presentation. We would like to thank all of you who have graciously volunteered to speak to the students about your careers in these fields. Your wonderful gifts of time and talent that you are sharing are greatly appreciated:)

In social studies, students are learning about the great discoveries that have saved millions of lives and the people whose talent and determination have made them possible. We are reading stories and viewing Animated Hero Classics to help understand the events that led to these incredible inventions and discoveries.

Information regarding the third-quarter book report has been sent home. The students are very excited about this assignment! The completed "Desktops" will be displayed in the third grade hall so everyone may learn about these special people and their contributions in their chosen fields. Before choosing a biography, check the sub-page for your classroom under the newsletter on this website to see who has already been chosen, as we will not have duplicates. Biographies must be approved by the classroom teacher. Please remember that this is a book report and not an Internet search. If you have any questions or concerns, contact your child's teacher

We will be using hands-on as well as Smart Board activities, patterns, and other strategies to multiply by 9 and 10. We use the S.K.A.T.E. method to solve story problems. There are several links on the Math page of the website where students can access games, flashcards, etc. to assist in mastering basic math facts and other skills. It is still crucial to know basic math facts. PLEASE practice at home daily. We continue with timed fact quizzes!

Religion will focus on the Precepts of the Church. Students will be creating a display to show the Precepts in action. They will make a poster, diorama, book, mobile, or any other any other creative idea they may have to demonstrate these important laws of our Church.

Students will be penning an expository writing piece based on the information they gleaned from their ecosystem research. We will also be learning about irregular verbs that have no particular pattern for their formation.

Mass on Tuesday for grades 2-3-4. Room 104 will be leading. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join us.

Tuesday is Valentine's Day! It is also "Red Shirt Day." Students may wear red shirts with their uniform pants or jumpers.

There will be no school this Friday, February 17, or next Monday, February 20. Enjoy the Winter Break:)

The lunchroom/playground and safety patrol still need volunteers. If you could help out, it would be greatly appreciated!

Please review and follow the parking lot safety rules carefully. These have been put in place for everyone's protection.

PLEASE follow the parking lot procedures to help keep all our children safe at morning arrival. These procedures can be found on Edline under Safety Committee, on page 14 of the Student Handbook, and in the materials you received in your first day packet. They include:

For Linwood parking lot:

Pulling forward as far as possible before dropping off – (no matter what door your child enters)
Making a RIGHT turn only from the drop off lane – DO NOT CHANGE LANES
If parking, using the CROSSWALK only to get to the sidewalk
Making a LEFT turn only from the parking lane – DO NOT CHANGE LANES

For Woodward parking lot:

Absolutely NO drop-offs – You must park
Walk your children to the cones by the door

Any back-ups that occur on Woodward, Twelve Mile Rd., or congestion at Linwood could cause harm to our children and are the result of drivers not following the procedures or parents/children not using the crosswalks

A million thanks to those who are following the procedures. Hopefully, the others will follow your lead.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions,please email your child's teacher or send a note.

It is very important that you sign or initial your child's agenda every night. This is a communication tool between home and school.