Suffolk Public Schools Blog

1-26-14

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the first week of the 3^rd grading period!! We will begin many new, more complex skills this 9 weeks as we move toward preparing for 3^rd grade. The first half of the year I was able to read the benchmark tests to your student. I am not able to do this starting this grading period.

Please make sure that your student has school supplies such as pencils, paper, and glue sticks at school. I am beginning to run out of the supplies that I had purchased this summer.

Please have your child read TO you every night.  They can check out books on Wednesday during library.  However, if they need a new one before then, they can go before school. Becoming a better reader is like playing a sport. The more you practice the better you get.

In reading this 9 weeks, we are working on the following skills:

Prefixes and Suffixes

Antonyms and Synonyms

Use pictures, captions, and charts

Use dictionaries, glossaries, and indices

Identify the problem and solution in fiction texts

Identify the main idea in fiction texts

Identify the main idea in nonfiction texts

In Math we will begin adding two digit numbers with regrouping (carrying). Please help your child practice this every evening as this is a very difficult skill for them to grasp.

This week in science, we begin learning about living and non- living things. In Social Studies we begin learning about how communities change over time.

Thank you for all of your support.

C. Martie

Cynthiamartie@spsk12.net

Nansemond Parkway PTA site:

http://npespta.my-pta.org

Important Info. :

*Our February P.T.A./Reading Fair/Reading Night will take place on Tuesday, February 3rd at 6:30 p.m.

*There will be a Father/Daughter Valentine’s Dance in the gym on Tuesday, February 10th from 6:30 p.m. -8:00 p.m.

* Parent-Teacher Conference Day will take place on Friday, February 13th from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

*School will be closed for the President’s Day Holiday on Monday, February 16th.

*Student Recognition Assemblies for the second nine weeks grading period will take place on Tuesday, February 17th. The assembly for grades K-2 will be at 9:45 a.m. and the assembly for grades 3-5 will be at 10:45 a.m.

HOMEWORK:

Monday: Spelling Activity, Reading HW Book pages 289-290, Math-page 117-118, Read “Going to the Swimming Pool” and answer Monday’s questions.

Tuesday: Spelling Activity, Reading HW Book pages 291 & 293, Math-page 119-120, Re- Read “Going to the Swimming Pool” and answer Tuesday’s questions.

Wednesday:  Spelling Activity, Reading HW Book pages 294-295, Math pages 121-122, Re-Read “Going to the Swimming Pool” and answer Wednesday’s questions.

Thursday: Spelling Activity, Re- Read “Going to the Swimming Pool” and answer Thursday’s questions. Reading pages 298-300, STUDY FOR SPELLING TEST

Friday:  Read for 20 minutes on Saturday and on Sunday.

Spelling Words:

ankle  title  apple  cable  purple  able  bugle  bundle  bubble  giggle  sparkle  tickle

Students in 4th and 5th grade QUEST are beginning their culminating activity of the year in which they will work as a team to create a car company.  Students started the unit by researching existing car companies.  They were then broken up into teams—each team created a name for their company, a logo and a slogan.  In the pictures below, students pose with their team signs.

What we are learning

This week we will begin a new unit called, “Construction Zone”. We will learn about building things. Using the topic, “I Can Build,” we will read stories about tools, materials, buildings, and construction. Our new letter this week is Letter B. We will bubble paint and make a fish from hearts, discussing the sound “sh” makes. Also, we will discuss shadows and make a groundhog craft for Groundhog’s Day, Saturday, Feb 2!

Please continue to review all letters learned so far (S,T,P,O X, Y,U,W,F,A,Z). We are getting there! Please continue working on identifying numbers and counting, as well as name-writing (if your child can write his/her first name, move on to last name.)

Reading Skills

We will continue to work on the sight words “I” and “like” by making sentences “I like ____.” We will practice writing the words and identifying them. If I sent sight words home with your child, please review them daily. If not, please keep reviewing the letters of the alphabet and letter sounds.

Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Friday, February 13^th from 10 am to 6 pm, with teacher lunch from 1:00-2:30. I will be sending home a list of available times to meet. Remember, they are on a first come basis. Please choose your top three times and return the form to me as soon as possible, or let me know by email. I will send a letter or email confirming your conference time.

Home Activities

Bb Poster – Gather Bbs from newspaper or magazine headlines. Help your child make a Bb poster. You can decorate the poster by adding pictures, photographs, or drawings of things whose names start with Bb.

Learning the ABCs – Your child will listen to the alphabet book Alphabet Under Construction this week, Page through other alphabet books together, paying special attention to the ABC order. Encourage your child to predict what letter you will read about next in the book.

Sign up for Remind. Check it out on remind.com. Use this phone number: (757) 809-2118, and use the code for your class (see below).

7th block – Remind code: @stoneblk7  Meiosis Quiz on Wed 1/28.

Early Dismissal – Monday 1/26 – New 1-subject notebooks due  – Bring GLUE!

3rd Nine Weeks begins – Tuesday, 1/27

Hello,

Thanks to the students that are entering the Reading Fair. I look forward to your presentation.

This week we will identify ending sounds, identify words with digraphs, continue to work with concept of word, identify high frequency words, recognizing coins (penny, nickel, dime, and quarter) and the value of each. We will also discuss shadows.

Reading Fair Night will be Tuesday, February, 3rd, at 6:30.

A Father/Daughter Dance will be held Tuesday, February 10th, at 6:30.

Thank you,

C. Boone