Next Week

Please check this writeboard, password: imagine, for next week's schedule of events and for items to donate.

Thanks!

Spelling Words and Update

• We are in the homeward stretch of the school year and still going very strong!! Our final unit has begun, Inventions, Innovations, and Discovery. The girls are eager to learn and excited about all the learning it could possibly entail. We are also reading Roald Dahl's novel The BFG and they are very excited about it!

• Our spelling test from last week should be in your little darling's clear folder today. We are still struggling to apply the rule, but the girls are determined to become better spellers and want to try a similar approach again with the new spelling list. So, there are three IB unit vocabulary words to learn: invention, creativity, and discovery. The spelling rule that will be learned and applied is: words that end in 'ch', 'sh', 'x', 's', 'ss', and 'zz' need an 'es' added to the end when made plural. Examples are buzzes, catches, boxes, and buses.

• This Friday, April 22 is another PE Dress Down Day. If your daughter would like to wear something other than her uniform, she may donate $2 to the PE department to do so.

Spring Break

Spring Break is next week! There will be no school April 4-8. A spring break homework packet will come home today in clear folders. It is optional. Also, spelling tests will come home today. I was very disappointed in the results of many of the tests. Please be sure you and your little darling understand that with the exception of the unit words, the other words will be skill based and the specific words will be unknown prior to the test. THERE WILL BE A RETEST ON Friday, April 15th. Please be sure that your little darling studies for the retest. HAVE A GREAT BREAK!

Update, Spelling Test, and Homework

A few notes:

• The copier was down today and homework was unable to be copied. Hopefully, it will come home tomorrow. The front page can be accessed via the homework link.


• There will be a spelling test this Friday, April 1st.


• This week's spelling test will be a skill based test, not all a specific list. There will be three IB unit words: scarcity, advertisement, and barter. The skill will be adding -ed or -ing to verbs. The girls will need to know to double the final consonant on short vowel, single syllable words such as hop to hopped or hopping, sled to sledded or sledding. There will also be words that have a final 'e' and it will need to be dropped when adding the suffix. I would suggest giving mock tests after some practice to prepare your little darling for Friday's test. (The root words will be encodeable words.)


• Please be sure that you and your little one are in the brainstorming process for the final project. They will present their chosen project on their assigned day in May.


• Thanks to those who attended the Auction on Saturday night. Congrats to the Caldas Family on their winning bid of our fabulous bench!!!


• Spring Break, April 4-8: no school


• We have really been enjoying our time in the computer lab each Monday morning! We work on various technology terms and skills. At this time, your little darling should be using two hands on the keyboard (this will make formal typing easier), know how to use the caps lock, number lock, and tab keys, able to minimize, maximize, and close windows, and use Microsoft Word to type and save a file.


• STAR reading assessment was given and Diagnostic Reports will come home in the clear folders.


• There are NO more mystery readers signed up for the remainder of the school year. This really is something that the girls look forward to each week. Please reach out and see if there is someone you know that would be willing to come read to the P. Chicks!!!

Weekly Update

Info to Know

• We need Junior Achievement volunteers!! Our next unit, Trade, fits JA's lessons perfectly! There are five prepared, easy lessons, one for each week. If you are willing to take on teaching one or more and taking a quick training from Mrs. McConnell, please let me know!
• Six Flags Reading Logs are due on Tuesday, March 1. Please complete 360 minutes of reading, record, and turn in the log to receive a free Six Flags ticket for the summer!
• Our Class Social will be on Saturday, March 5 @ the Atlanta Food Bank. We will be delivering the non-perishable items we collected for the 100th day, taking a tour of the food bank, and eating lunch afterwards at West Egg Cafe. If you are able to attend beginning at 10:15, please email Tamara Caldas so she can notify the Food Bank of how many to expect.
• Please be sure to sign up for a conference time on the writeboard.
• We are in need of one calculator. If you are able to donate one, thank you!
• Don't forget our first grade girls' book swap. There are lots of great books to share!

Academic Update

• Our week has been focused on finishing our Weather unit, including finishing our Knowledgeable project presentations. We took our spelling test, completed 3/4 of our math test, and started our new unit, Trade.
• Next week: more on Trade, complete the math test, two half days, computer lab, no reading groups, and new spelling words

Conference Sign Up

Conference dates are Wednesday, March 2 & Thursday, March 3. These conferences will be student led with the girls discussing their strengths and weaknesses along with a review of work that has been kept in their portfolios. Please check out our writeboard to sign up for a time.

Thanks!

Class Social

We are having a class social!! Saturday, March 5th @ 10:15 we will visit the Atlanta Food Bank to deliver our 100 cans we collected for the 100th day. We will also take a tour of the Food Bank. Then we will dine out together at the West Egg Café, 1100 Howell Mill Road afterwards. Thanks to Tamara Caldas for this great idea and setting it all up!

Address and Directions