Happy Snow Day!

This was unexpected, but I have to say, I love snow. It brightens up the dreariness of winter.

It was nice to see all the students' bright and shining faces yesterday, and maybe even tomorrow!

We did a lot of "New Year" things yesterday. We organized the calendar in our planners, and we organized our expandable files. We made new nametags for our new seats. Lots of "newness" going on.

We started new units in science (hurricanes and tornadoes) and in language arts. Rather than DEAR sheets for this semester, students will be working in a Reading Response Log. We went through the explanation of that today. We also started a Daily Language Review (DLR) booklet to brush up on some basic skills. We began to discuss narratives, as we embark on writing our own narratives over the next couple weeks.

Students received two things that parents should see: grade sheets that reflect final second quarter letter grades and a family letter that explains the new unit in science and how families can support the content at home. The final page in the packet of grade sheets is a list of Reading Counts books and points. Parents can tear that off and keep it if they wish. All other sheets need to be signed at the designated spots. If you see any glaring errors, please let me know ASAP.

Some dates coming up:
Next week:
~Report cards will be coming home early next week (I am unsure on the exact date). There will be a card inside that asks for a parent signature, and the envelope should be returned with that card. The report card itself is yours to keep.
~Classes are not in session on January 15. Teachers have an institute day. We all celebrate MLK's birthday on Monday, January 18.

No mark chart slips will be coming home this week (for obvious reasons). The planner does not need to be signed this week, either.

The ISAT countdown begins! 33 school days until state testing! Woo hoo! We discussed having a little pep rally the Friday before... our theme: Game On!