Reminders:

• Christmas Break: December 19-Janaury 3 Students return Monday, January 4.
• Please remember towels in towel bags when we return.
• The next phase for transitional students begins Wednesday, January 20. All students will stay full days on Wednesdays. If you would like to add any other afternoons, please email me.

What We Learned:

• This week was full of fun learning. The excitement for Christmas was in the air! We were able to channel that into singing Christmas songs and dances and Christmas themed academic fun.
• We started the week with the Jingle Jog. The Monday afternoon group ran and had a lot of fun.
• Monday we also had fun with a gingerbread theme. We read a few different gingerbread stories and even tasted a gingerbread cookie. We tallied which part of the gingerbread each person took a bite of first. 15 of us bit off the head first :)-  The kids drew their own gingerbread family.
• In writing this week we focused on writing sentences. We traced a sentence and then wrote one of our own. We worked on finger spaces between words and ending the sentence with a period. I saw so much growth in writing this week!
• We added here to our word wall. The class enjoyed a Christmas poem in which we found the word here.
• We wrapped up our Math unit and took another test. This is such a good time of learning. The test helps me understand how the class is understanding the math concept. It can show me if they are able to follow directions and show me their work in adding and subtracting.
• In Bible we continued to read different picture books about the first Christmas. We ended the week reading from the kids Bibles and practicing our Bible verse.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:6-7

• Friday we enjoyed our Christmas Party and Pizza Lunch! Thank you for all of the donations. We had a great time  playing  Christmas  Bingo,  tossing  jingle  bells,  making  a Christmas  tree  and  building  with  cups!

Reminders:

• Wear red and green on Monday! Monday afternoon we will have our mini jingle jog. I will send out pictures through seesaw.
• Please send in clean towels (in towel bag) on Monday *you may see outdoor sit pads in your child’s towel bag. We are keeping them in there so we can keep them from getting lost. Please keep the sit pads in the bag and return with the clean towel on Monday. Thank you! 
• Please send in all book bags in on Monday
• Mondays we have gym. Please dress your child so he/she is ready to move 🙂
• Please send in library books by Tuesday morning
• Thank you for signing up for donations for our Christmas Party! I am so excited to celebrate Jesus’ birth with your children! Please send in any items by Thursday.
• Friday, December 18-Christmas Party! Wear pajamas! We are also enjoying a pizza lunch. Please pack healthy sides. Half day dismissal will be at 12:10. Thank you!

What We Have Been Learning…

• We have been reading various Christmas picture books and reading verses from the Bible as we prepare our nativity boxes. We remember that God’s perfect plan for our salvation including many people and places. We can learn to have faith like Mary, humbleness like Joseph, and boldness to spread the good news like the shepherds.
• In Math we are seeing how creative God is with the various shapes and patterns in our world. We took a look around the inside of our classroom to find different shapes and compare the sizes of shapes.
• We continue to work on writing numbers and grouping items for quick counting and adding. We made up our own math stories and solved addition and subtraction problems.
• We are writing out sentences and listen for the sounds we hear at the beginning, end and middle of a word.
• We added is to the word wall!We enjoyed some word wall magic as we wrote the words in white crayons and colored over the ornament with marker and watched the word wall word appear. The oohs and aahs were so fun to listen to during this project!

• As much as I would love to have a white Christmas, we have enjoyed some mild temperatures this week. It has made for some very pleasant mask breaks outside.

Reminders:

• Please send in clean towels (in towel bag) on Monday *you may see outdoor sit pads in your child’s towel bag. We are keeping them in there so we can keep them from getting lost. Please keep the sit pads in the bag and return with the clean towel on Monday. Thank you! 
• Please send in all book bags in on Monday
• Mondays we have gym. Please dress your child so he/she is ready to move 🙂
• Please send in library books by Tuesday morning
• Thank you for the toilet paper tubes and shoe boxes. We are all set. Now the fun part is making them into something special. 🙂
• Thank you for signing up for donations for our Christmas Party! I am so excited to celebrate Jesus’ birth with your children!
• From the blue note…Jingle Jog is happening! It will, however, look very different this year -no spectators, running during their PE class time and only with their classmates and shortening the run time. But some things will look the same – Christmas music, Christmas decorations, festive looking runners and jingling through the gym and halls! This is the 20th Annual Jingle Jog (yes – 20th!!). We’d also like to be able to once again bless our sister school in the Philippines as well as a local charity through fundraising with this year’s jog. Look for more information to come in regards to how to donate. Thanks in advance for your understanding of this (one more) change to this year’s traditions and events.

What We Are Learning

• We have successfully worked two rounds of Daily 5 in a few days this week! This is wonderful. Your children are working hard and more rounds means more practice. I love the progress each child is making in reading and writing. You can be so proud of them!
• We continue to listen for letter sounds as we stretch out words and write them down. I remind the class to reread what they have written. Checking work is a good skill to develop and many are catching on to this.
• In Bible this week we transitioned from the old testament to the new testament. In the old testament we read about the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years before entering the promised land. We were reminded that even in that time of waiting, God was with them. In times of waiting today, God is with us. This transitioned well into talking about advent. We are excitedly waiting for Christmas and celebrating Jesus’s birth. We read about Elizabeth and Zechariah and John. It is amazing to see God’ detailed plan for Jesus’s birth, including his cousin, John.
• Our new Bible verse is Luke 2:6-7

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

• We are working hard in Math writing addition and subtraction problems as well as seeing groups of five and counting on. We have been practicing counting by 10s and 5s.
• We enjoy handwriting once or twice a week. We use small chalkboard to practice letter formation and then transition to handwriting workbooks.
• We talked this week about needs and wants. This was a fun conversation. We realized that it can be a little difficult to decide what a need is, but we learned that a need is something necessary to keep us alive and healthy. It is a great conversation for home as well!