Congratulations to Libny, Marcus, Kalob, Kimberly and Kylee! They have all met the year end goal for basic addition AND subtraction facts! We will celebrate with a pizza lunch on Tuesday.

Yearbooks will be delivered on MONDAY!! There are still just a few available and they’ll go fast. If you would like to order one, they are $12.50 cash, or check made out to Lifetouch.

Our last week will be busy!

Monday: 

• Field Day! We will be outside from 9-11:00. Wear comfortable clothing (may wish to bring a change of clothes) and SUNSCREEN!! Water bottles, hats and sunglasses are suggested.
• Financial Decision making extra recess or ice cream “purchases”.

Tuesday:

• Pizza lunch for students reaching addition and subtraction fact goals.
• PE

Wednesday:

• Summer Birthday Celebration
• Desk Cleaning – Bring an EMPTY backpack
• Music

Thursday:

• Last day of school! 
• Bring an empty backpack
• Report cards come home
• Art

Thank you so much for all of your support - we have had an amazing year! We look forward to seeing you next year at the new THUNDER VALLEY K-8!!  Have a safe and fun summer!

Thank you so much to Sheila Peck and Robert van der Hoeven for joining us on our field trip to NCAR on Tuesday.  We learned about the facility, conducted experiments about air, and enjoyed a picnic lunch before our short hike.

Thanks to Mr. Steele and our amazing PTA for another great Fun Run day last Thursday.  Our day was filled with lots of physical activity and learning about living a healthy life. Despite the rain, we had a fun day!

We will welcome volunteers from Junior Achievement on Tuesday to continue our work on financial literacy. This is a great day-long program that will further help students to understand financial decision making within a community.

The Frederick Finale is this Thursday! Please plan to join us in celebrating the closing of Frederick Elementary on Thursday evening from 5:30 - 7:30. Plan to come enjoy music, a slide show, tours and dinner provided by Lifebridge Church.

On Friday afternoon, we will be walking to the community garden, Brigit’s Bounty. We’ll be helping with planting and preparing the garden. Please be sure to return the green permission slip by Wednesday. When we return, we will attend the third trimester awards assembly.

What will we be learning this week?

With the end of our school year so quickly approaching, we are in the process of reviewing and completing final assessments in all subject areas.


Weekly Peek...

Monday: Music
Tuesday: Art, Junior Achievement
Wednesday: PE, Library, Computer
Thursday: Music, Frederick Finale
Friday: Art, Brigit’s Bounty, Awards Assembly

Upcoming Dates:
May 14th: Junior Achievement
May 16th: Closing Ceremonies for FES
May 17th: Brigit’s Bounty, 3rd Trimester Awards Assembly
May 20th: Field Day
May 22nd: Summer Birthdays Celebration
May 23rd: Last day of 2nd Grade!

Congratulations to Heaven for reaching 100 nights of reading!! She enjoyed lunch in the classroom last week!

We will participate in our 3rd annual Frederick Elementary Fun Run on Thursday. This will be a full day dedicated to thinking about and experiencing healthy choices.

What will we be learning this week?

Reading: We took our Unit 10 final assessment last week. We have begun our new unit, On the Farm. Our reading focus is Author’s Purpose and the genre is Fantasy. The vocabulary words for this theme are nourished, farming, maintain, bounty, various, and produce.

Writing: We are continuing to work on persuasive writing.

Math: We are nearing the end of our unit on double digit subtraction. After taking our final assessment, we will be focused on an introduction to multiplication as well as more work with basic fractions.

Science: We continue our study of habitats with a focus on the adaptations that plants and animals make in order to survive in their environments.

Social Studies: Through our study of personal financial literacy, students are earning “money” in order to purchase an activity. This project reinforces the concepts of needs and wants, goods and services, and abundance and scarcity as it can apply to their own lives.

Word Study/Spelling: We will take our spelling test on past tense verbs Wednesday. We will also take a pretest on words with the -ING ending.


Weekly Peek...

Monday: PE
Tuesday: NCAR Field Trip
Wednesday: Art, Spelling test, Library, Computer
Thursday: Fun Run
Friday: Music

Upcoming Dates:
May 7th: NCAR Field Trip
May 9th: Fun Run
May 16th: Closing Ceremonies for FES
May 17th: 3rd Trimester Awards Assembly
May 20th: Field Day
May 23rd: Last day of 2nd Grade!

Congratulations to Justin for being chosen as our Character Kid of the Month for Citizenship!! He will get to enjoy lunch with Mr. Steele on Monday!

Congratulations also goes to Sidney for reaching 100 nights of reading and Zanna and Justin for reaching 200 nights of reading!

Thank you to everyone that supported AVID last week. We had a great day full of new experiences and new learning. Thanks so much to PTA for bringing this amazing experience to our students!

We are excited to welcome volunteers from Eco-cycle on Friday. This will support our work around Earth Day and allow us to experience recycling, first-hand, as we get to make our own paper!

We are going on a field trip to NCAR on Tuesday, May 7th!!! All permission slips and the fee of $5.00 are due by Friday, May 3rd.

What will we be learning this week?

Reading: We have begun Theme 10, Work that Matters. Our reading strategy is visualizing. Our vocabulary words are contribute, police, volunteer, participate, influence, and emergency.

Writing: We are using mentor texts to working on persuasive writing.

Math: We are continuing our unit on double digit subtraction using multiple strategies. This is a tricky concept for many students, so any practice you can do with your child at home would be incredibly valuable.

Science: We are studying eight different habitats with a focus on the adaptations that plants and animals have made in order to survive in their environments.

Social Studies: Through our study of personal financial literacy, students are earning “money” in order to purchase an activity. This project reinforces the concepts of needs and wants, goods and services, and abundance and scarcity as it can apply to their own lives.

Word Study/Spelling: We will take our spelling test on plural words on Wednesday. We will also take a pretest on past tense words. (jumpED, walkED).

Weekly Peek...


Monday: Music
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: PE, Spelling Test, Library and Computer
Thursday: Music
Friday: Art and Eco-cycle

Upcoming Dates:

May 7th: NCAR Field Trip
May 9th: Fun Run
May 16th: Closing Ceremonies for FES
May 17th: 3rd Trimester Awards Assembly
May 20th: Field Day
May 23rd: Last day of 2nd Grade!

AVID is THIS THURSDAY!!!!! A blue note came home in Friday folders with more information for families. Students need to remember to wear appropriate clothing (we will be outside ALL day, rain or shine), wear tennis shoes, bring a sack lunch and a plastic water bottle. Sunscreen and an extra set of clothes are also advised. Also, remember that families are invited to join your 2nd grader on Thursday from 3:20 - 4:20 to see and join in on all the new experiences your child will experience. Thanks to everyone who got registered - we’re looking forward to a great day!!

We’re still collecting photos for our Closing Ceremonies on May 16th. If you have any pictures from activities at FES in past years, please send those in so we can include them on a slide show.

What will we be learning this week?

Reading: We have begun Theme 10, Work that Matters. Our reading strategy is visualizing. Our vocabulary words are contribute, police, volunteer, participate, influence, and emergency.

Writing: As we finish publishing our “All Abouts”, we will be moving on to persuasive writing.

Math: We are continuing our unit on double digit subtraction using multiple strategies. This is a tricky concept for many students, so any practice you can do with your child at home would be incredibly valuable. We will also be taking our FINAL Galileo Math Test on the 26th, 29th, and 30th. This computerized assessment will cover the standards that have been addressed throughout 3rd trimester.

Science: In honor of Earth Day on Monday, we have begun a unit on world habitats. We will be studying eight different habitats with a focus on the adaptations that plants and animals have made in order to survive in their environments.

Social Studies: Through our study of personal financial literacy, students are earning “money” in order to purchase an activity. This project reinforces the concepts of needs and wants, goods and services, and abundance and scarcity as it can apply to their own lives.

Word Study/Spelling: We will take our spelling test on plural words on Wednesday. We will also take a pretest on more examples of plural words that end with IES. We will be learning the rule that you drop the Y and add IES (ponIES, pennIES).

Weekly Peek...

Monday: Art
Tuesday: Library (in place of PE due to AVID schedule)
Wednesday: Music, Spelling Test, and Computer
Thursday: AVID
Friday: Library (in place of PE) and Galileo

Upcoming Dates:
April 25th: AVID for Adventure
May 9th: Fun Run
May 16th: Closing Ceremonies for FES
May 17th: 3rd Trimester Awards Assembly
May 20th: Field Day
May 23rd: Last day of 2nd Grade!

We are thrilled to have AVID for Adventure return to our school this spring. AVID is an outdoor education program that our students will get to experience for one day on April 25th. The program involves a huge rock climbing wall, kayaking, bike riding and an educational portion without even leaving school! Our amazing PTA is paying half of each student’s registration fee, but all parents do need to go on-line at www.fes-pta.org and click on the link to register their students and pay the remaining $10.00. Currently, our class only has 7 students registered...


We know so many of you have family members that have attended Frederick Elementary in the past. We are working on collecting pictures for a slideshow that we’ll be sharing with everyone at the Closing Ceremonies on Thursday, May 16th. If you have any pictures from your years at Frederick Elementary that you would be willing to share, we would be excited to include them! We can make a copy or you can send them electronically - whichever works best for you. Thanks in advance!!


Also, a reminder if anyone has canned pumpkin or latex gloves that you could donate to help the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, it would be greatly appreciated. This organization operates solely on donations and we would love to help out their furry friends. Donations will be collected through TUESDAY!


What will we be learning this week?


Reading: We have begun Theme 10, Work that Matters. Our reading strategy is visualizing. Our vocabulary words are contribute, police, volunteer, participate, influence, and emergency.

Writing: We are continuing our All-About writing with a plan to publish our pieces this week.

Math: We have begun our unit on double digit subtraction using multiple strategies. Be on the lookout for the parent letter coming home this week that models the strategies your child will be practicing in the classroom.

Science: We are finishing our study of weather and the tools meteorologists use to analyze and predict the weather. We will be taking our final assessment before moving on to a study of habitats.

Social Studies: We are working on the standard of personal financial literacy. This includes concepts of needs and wants, goods and services, and abundance and scarcity.

Word Study/Spelling: We will take our spelling test on suffixes on Wednesday. We will also take a pretest on plural words. These words will all end with S or ES (friendS, girlS, dishES, glassES).


Weekly Peek...

Monday: PE
Tuesday: Music
Wednesday: Art, Library, Computer,
Thursday: PE
Friday: Music


Upcoming Dates:

April 25th: AVID for Adventure
May 9th: Fun Run
May 16th: Closing Ceremonies for FES
May 17th: 3rd Trimester Awards Assembly
May 20th: Field Day
May 23rd: Last day of 2nd Grade

Congratulations to Yarely for reaching 100 nights of reading!  She enjoyed lunch in the classroom this week.

After break we will begin Volume 2 of our math program and the kids will be receiving new math books. Since we are done with Volume 1 books, kids will be bringing these books home. They are theirs to KEEP! We encourage them to work on any of the remaining pages, but these do NOT need to be turned in. ;-)

We finished our week by watching Wreck-it Ralph as our reward for earning 2,500 Frederick Five hands!!!! Our next goal will be 3,000 hands in order to earn an end of year celebration.

All students are expected to continue reading and practicing math facts through Spring Break. Any students that fill their Spring Break reading and math log will get to eat lunch in the classroom when we return from break.

We are thrilled to have AVID for Adventure return to our school this spring. AVID is an outdoor education experience that our students will get to experience for one day on April 25th. The program involves a huge rock climbing wall, kayaking, bike riding and an educational portion without even leaving school!  Our amazing PTA is paying half of each student’s registration fee, but all parents do need to go on-line at www.fes-pta.org and click on the link to register their students and pay the remaining $10.00. Please be sure to read the green note that went home in Friday Folders this week.

Reminders:
Keep using MyOn for nightly reading! This can be recorded on the home reading log.

What will we be learning after Spring Break?

Reading: We will begin Theme 10, Work that Matters. Our reading strategy will be visualizing. Our vocabulary words will be contribute, police, volunteer, participate, influence, and emergency.

Writing: We will write a piece about one specific experience from our Spring Break, as well as continue with our All-Abouts.

Math: We have pre-assessed students for our next math unit on double digit subtraction. Students will be regrouped when we return in order to begin this unit. Like addition, we will focus on efficient strategies to subtract 2 digit numbers.

Science: We will continue our study of weather and the tools meteorologists use to analyze and predict the weather. So far we have discussed thermometers, rain gauges and clouds. We will continue with wind vanes and anemometers after the break.

Social Studies: We will begin a new unit on personal financial literacy, which will include concepts of needs and wants, goods and services, and abundance and scarcity.

Word Study/Spelling: Remember there will be no homework or spelling list to study over the break. We will take our spelling pretest on words with suffixes(helpFUL, sadLY) on the Wednesday after break.

Weekly Peek...

April 1st - 5th: SPRING BREAK

Monday: Music
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: LATE START, PE, Library, Computer, PTA at 6:30
Thursday: Music
Friday: Art

Upcoming Dates:
April 25th: AVID for Adventure
May 9th: Fun Run
May 16th: Closing Ceremonies for FES
May 17th: 3rd Trimester Awards Assembly
May 20th: Field Day

On Monday, our letters and cookies will be delivered to the construction team that has been working so hard on remodeling our future school, Thunder Valley K-8. This was our way of saying thank you for all their hard work and was part of the school wide Random Acts of Kindness that our Student Council began.

We earned 2,500 Frederick Five hands!!!! We have earned our movie and treats. We will be watching our movie next Friday afternoon. We are hoping to watch Wreck it Ralph, but because it is rated PG, we do need to have the pink permission slip signed and returned from all students no later than Wednesday.

On Wednesday the 27th, we will NOT be sending home a new spelling list or homework packet. However, we will be sending home a Spring Break reading log to encourage students to keep on reading. Any students that fill up their Spring Break reading log will get to eat lunch in the classroom when we return from break.

Reminders:
Next Friday, March 29th is the last day that we can accept donations for our troops. Any donations you can send would be greatly appreciated!

Keep using MyOn for nightly reading! This can be recorded on the home reading log.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We will be wrapping up Theme 9, Cast Your Vote, by the end of the week. Our reading strategy has been Making Connections. Our vocabulary words are vote, result, wait, government, duty, and election . We will begin theme 10 when we return from break.

Writing: We are now shifting our non-fiction writing focus to “All Abouts”. This will give us an opportunity to do writing on various topics we already know a great deal about.

Math: We will be finishing our graphing unit and will be taking our assessment on Thursday. We have been working with using picture graphs, tally charts, tables, bar graphs and circle graphs to compare data. On Friday, we will preassess students with double digit subtraction and then regroup as necessary. This new unit will start on Monday when we return from break.

Science: We are continuing our study of weather and the tools meteorologists use to analyze and predict the weather.

Social Studies: We are using our interview homework as a foundation of our history focus, comparing life in the past and present.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover prefixes (PREtest, REdo).


Weekly Peek...

Monday: PE,
Tuesday: Music
Wednesday: Art, Computer, Spelling Test,
Thursday: PE
Friday: Music and Movie reward

Upcoming Dates:
Spring Break: April 1- April 5

Late Start: April 10th

Second trimester report cards were sent home in Friday folders. Please take the time to look over this with your child. Once you’ve done so, please sign and return the envelope only - the actual report card is yours to keep.

Good luck to all of our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders as they continue their TCAP tests this week!!

Reminders:
We are still collecting toiletry items for our troops. Any donations you can send would be greatly appreciated!

Keep using MyOn for nightly reading! This can be recorded on the home reading log.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We have started Theme 9, Cast Your Vote, and our reading strategy is Making Connections. Our vocabulary words are vote, result, wait, government, duty, and election .

Writing: We are now shifting our non-fiction writing focus to “All Abouts”. This will give us an opportunity to do writing on various topics we already know a great deal about.

Math: As we continue our graphing unit, we are using picture graphs, tally charts, tables, bar graphs and circle graphs to compare data.

Science: We are continuing our study of weather and the tools meteorologists use to analyze and predict the weather.

Social Studies: We are using last week’s interview homework as a foundation of our history focus, comparing life in the past and present.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover comparative adjectives (tallER, tallEST,). We will take our spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The new focus will be on prefixes (PREtest, REdo).

Weekly Peek...

Monday: PE, Happy Birthday Kalob!
Tuesday: Music, Happy Birthday Kimberly!
Wednesday: Art, Computer, Spelling Test,
Thursday: PE
Friday: Music, Happy Birthday Zanna!

Upcoming Dates:
Spring Break: April 1- April 5

Congratulations to Dante and Diego for reaching 100 nights of reading! They will get to celebrate with lunch in the classroom on Wednesday.

Good luck to all of our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders that will be taking the TCAP tests over the next two weeks!!

Reminders:
We are still collecting toiletry items for our troops. Any donations you can send would be greatly appreciated!

Keep using MyOn for nightly reading!  This can be recorded on the home reading log.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We are finishing Theme 8, What is a Magnet?, and our reading strategy is Monitoring Understanding and the genre is Procedural text. Our vocabulary words are operate, attract, magnet, effect, object, and field.

Writing: This week we will continue our “How-to” pieces as we work to make sure our procedural writing is sequential and easy to follow.

Math: We have begun our data and graphing unit. This will include picture graphs, bar graphs, tally charts, circle graphs and line plots. Work with these various types of graphs will become part of weekly homework.

Science: We are studying weather and the tools meteorologists use to study and predict the weather. Our first focus is on temperture.

Social Studies: We are beginning our history focus with a comparison of life in the past and present. Remember that the homework of having students interview someone that is at least 2 generations older than themselves is DUE WEDNESDAY. It is essential that this work is completed and returned to school as it will be used in various class lessons.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover the words with the DGE and TCH patterns. We will take our spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The new focus will be on comparative adjectives (tallER, tallEST,)

Weekly Peek...

Monday: Music, TCAP assembly
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: PE, Computer, Spelling Test,
Thursday: Music
Friday: Art

Upcoming Dates:
Spring Break: April 1- April 5

We celebrated reaching our goal of 2,000 Frederick Five Hands with lunch together on Friday. This was a great way to start our afternoon Read In in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday! Our next goal is to reach 2,500 hands in order to earn a movie party!

As part of our school wide focus on caring, our school is collecting donations of toiletries for our troops. Any new / unused items you can donate would be greatly appreciated. A list of suggested items came home on the yellow sheet a couple weeks ago. Student council will be organizing the boxes and shipping them very soon. It is our school goal to collect at least 500 items.

A huge thanks to Nick and Chico for joining us for WatchDOG days in the month of February!!

Reminders:
MONDAY, March 4th, is the last day to buy a yearbook! Books can be ordered at a cost of $12.50 with the form that was sent home, or by going online at YBPay.lifetouch.com, ID Code 10849713.

Wednesday is Late Start.


Keep using MyOn for nightly reading! This can be recorded on the home reading log.

Friday was the last day of second trimester. Report cards will be coming home soon.

What are we learning this week?

Reading:  We just started Theme 8, What is a Magnet?, and our reading strategy is Monitoring Understanding and the genre is Procedural text. Our vocabulary words are operate, attract, magnet, effect, object, and field.

Writing: We have begun our non-fiction focus in writing. This unit will be split into procedural and informative styles of writing.

Math: We will be taking our assessment on telling time this Monday. We are focused on telling time to the nearest 5 minutes, but have addressed time to the minute as well. After our assessment, we will once again regroup students to begin our new graphing unit.

Science: We started typing our own comics in computer class to show all that we’ve studied so far in science. We will continue to publish these in the Comic Life program in the computer lab on Wednesdays! We have also begun our study of weather and the tools meteorologists use to study and predict the weather.

Social Studies: We are beginning our history focus with a comparison of life in the past and present. Part of this week’s homework will be having all students interview someone that is at least 2 generations older than themselves. Complete information and the interview questions will come with the homework packet on Wednesday.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover the words with the KN and WR patterns. We will take our spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The new focus will be on words with the DGE and TCH patterns (edge, judge, itch, catch).

Weekly Peek...

Monday: Music, Awards Assembly @ 2:00
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: LATE START, Library, Computer, Spelling Test,
Thursday: Music
Friday: Art

Upcoming Dates:
Spring Break: April 1- April 5

Congratulations to Libny for being chosen as our Caring Character Kid of the Month. She enjoyed lunch and a dance party with Dr. Musick and Mr. Steele on Friday!

Congratulations also goes to Julian for reaching 100 nights of reading. He will get to celebrate with lunch in the classroom on Wednesday.

We have reached our goal of 2,000 Frederick Five Hands! Our entire class will enjoy lunch and treats in the classroom soon. Way to go! Our next goal is to reach 2,500 hands in order to earn a movie party!

As part of our school wide focus on caring, our school is collecting donations of toiletries for our troops. Any new / unused items you can donate would be greatly appreciated. A list of suggested items came on the yellow sheet sent home last Friday. Student council will be organizing the boxes and shipping them at the beginning of March. It is our school goal to collect at least 500 items.

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday and Read Across America Day on March 2nd, second grade will be having a pajama day and read-in this Thursday afternoon. We are asking all students to bring any Dr. Seuss books you may have at home. Kids may wear their pajamas that day, as well as bring a pillow, blanket and/or stuffed friend to read with!

Reminders:
ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT!!!!!!!!! The March 4th deadline to order yearbooks is fast approaching. Books can be ordered at a cost of $12.50 with the form that was sent home, or by going online at YBPay.lifetouch.com, ID Code 10849713.

Keep using MyOn for nightly reading! This can be recorded on the home reading log.

Friday was the last day of second trimester. Report cards will be coming home soon.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: Writing: Next week will begin our non-fiction focus in writing. This unit will be split into procedural and informative styles of writing.

Math: We are continuing our short unit on telling time. We are focused on telling time to the nearest 5 minutes, but will address time to the minute as well.

Science: We’ve begun working on our own comics to show all that we’ve studied so far in science. We plan to publish these in the Comic Life program in the computer lab on Wednesday!

Social Studies: Our focus continues on the study of landforms such as mountains, plains, hills, valleys, etc. We will be taking our final assessment this week.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover the silent letter patterns of OU and OW (about, town). We will take our spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The new focus will be on words with the KN and WR patterns (know, write).

Weekly Peek...

Happy Birthdays to Libny (Feb 22nd) and Diego (Feb 24th)!!
Monday: Music
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: PE, Library, Computer, Spelling Test,
Thursday: Music
Friday: NO SCHOOL



Upcoming Events:
March 4th: Second Trimester Awards Assembly (2:00)
March 6th: Late Start

Raptor Night is THIS WEDNESDAY!! To celebrate Thunder Valley’s new mascot, please join us from 5:30 - 7:30 to see live raptors, learn about the latest plans for the school, give your input about school programming and enter to win Thunder Valley items! Dinner will also be served at a cost of just $1.00 per person. Don’t miss it!

Reminders:
The March 4th deadline to order yearbooks is fast approaching. Books can be ordered at a cost of $12.50 with the form that was sent home, or by going online at YBPay.lifetouch.com, ID Code 10849713.

Keep using MyOn for nightly reading! This can be recorded on the home reading log.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: How Do Machines Work? is our theme for Rigby. Our focus continues to be Synthesizing Strategies and the genre is humorous fiction. Our new vocabulary words are essential, wheel, machine, reduce, labor, and effort.

Writing: We are wrapping up our Mentors as Authors unit before moving on to non-fiction writing.

Math: After taking our unit assessment on double digit addition, we are now moving on to a short unit on telling time. In addition, all students will be taking the Galileo math test on Tuesday to assess skills taught during second trimester.

Science: We’ve begun working on our own comics to show all that we’ve studied so far in science. We plan to publish these on the computer soon!

Social Studies: Our focus is now on the study of landforms such as mountains, plains, hills, valleys, etc.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover contractions. We will take our spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The new focus will be on words with the OU and OW patterns (about, pound, down, flower)

Weekly Peek...

Monday: No School - Presidents’ Day
Tuesday: PE, Galileo math test
Wednesday: Music, Library, Computer, Spelling Test, RAPTOR NIGHT!!
Thursday: Art
Friday: PE, End of 2nd Trimester



Upcoming Events:
Raptor Night: February 20th
No School March 1st

Congratulations to Aiysis and Yessenia for reaching 100 nights of reading! We enjoyed lunch in the classroom on Wednesday. Way to go!!

We will be celebrating Valentines’ Day this Thursday with lunch and valentines in the classroom. Students are welcome to bring valentines for classmates beginning Wednesday. We only ask that if your child is bringing valentines, that s/he is sure to bring one for everyone in the class - we wouldn’t want anyone to be left out. A class list of our 28 students came home last week.

Please check your child’s Friday folder for a page to indicate your plans for next year. Returning the form will help us in planning for the new Thunder Valley K-8 School next year. Thanks for completing these and returning them as soon as possible.

Raptor Night is coming!! To celebrate Thunder Valley’s new mascot, please join us on Wednesday, February 20th from 5:30 - 7:30, to see live raptors, learn about the latest plans for the school, give your input about school programming and enter to win Thunder Valley items! Dinner will also be served at a cost of $1.00 per person. Make plans now to join us!

Reminders:
Yearbooks can be ordered at a cost of $12.50 with the order form that was sent home, or by going online at YBPay.lifetouch.com, ID Code 10849713.

Keep using MyOn for nightly reading! This can be recorded on the home reading log.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: How Do Machines Work? is our theme for Rigby. Our focus continues to be Synthesizing Strategies and the genre is humorous fiction. Our new vocabulary words are essential, wheel, machine, reduce, labor, and effort.

Writing: Our writing focus is Authors as Mentors. We continue to look at the strategies various authors use in their own writing in order to inspire and improve our own pieces. Recently, we have been trying out the use of ellipses, repeated lines and bold, capital words to express feeling.

Math: We are nearing the end of our unit on double digit addition. Although these concepts will continue to be a main focus, we will assess this unit before moving on to a short unit on telling time.

Science: We are working on our study of magnets as we attempt to answer the question of whether it’s possible to determine if something is magnetic without using a magnet to test it.

Social Studies: Our focus is now on the study of landforms such as mountains, plains, hills, valleys, etc.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover words with the OI and OY patterns. We will take our spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The focus will be on contractions. It is important not only for students to be able to spell the contractions, but also to know how each word is formed.

Weekly Peek...

Sunday: Happy Birthday Yessenia!, PE
Monday: Music
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: PE, Library, Spelling Test,
Thursday: Happy Birthday Annette!, Music
Friday: Art



Upcoming Events:
No School: Presidents’ Day - February 18th
Raptor Night: February 20th

Thank you to everyone who donated items for our 100th day math equation trail mix. All students were challenged to create an equation to equal 100, given different restrictions. The result was a yummy snack of exactly 100 items for everyone. We greatly appreciated your help!!

Thank you so much to the many volunteers we’ve had during the month of January! Marco Cervantes, Chico Garcia, Sue Ellen Gonzalez, Sheila Peck, Robert van der Hoeven and Diana Whittenburg have all generously donated their time to help us out this month! Thank you!!!!

It was great to see everyone at conferences last week. I look forward to meeting with the rest of our families this Wednesday!

The Book Fair will be here through this Wednesday, February 6th.

Reminders:
Yearbooks can be ordered at a cost of $12.50 with the order form that was sent home, or by going online at YBPay.lifetouch.com, ID Code 10849713.

Keep using MyOn for nightly reading! This can be recorded on the home reading log.


What are we learning this week?

Reading: How Do Machines Work? is our next theme for Rigby. Our focus will be on Synthesizing Strategies and the genre is humorous fiction. Our new vocabulary words are essential, wheel, machine, reduce, labor, and effort.

Writing: Our writing focus is Authors as Mentors. We continue to look at the strategies various authors use in their own writing in order to inspire and improve our own pieces. This includes ensuring that every piece includes correct capitalization, punctuation and grade level spelling.

Math: We continue our work on double digit addition. We are using strategies to efficiently add two or more, double digit numbers. Our work will also include money and patterns.

Science: We are working on our study of magnets as we attempt to answer the question of whether it’s possible to determine if something is magnetic without using a magnet to test it.

Social Studies: Our new focus is now on the study of landforms such as mountains, plains, hills, valleys, etc.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover words with the hard and soft “G” sound. We will also take a new spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The focus will be on words with the OI and OY patterns (coin, point, enjoy)

Weekly Peek...

Monday: Art
Tuesday: PE
Wednesday: LATE START, Music, Library, Computer, Spelling Test, Conferences
Thursday: Art
Friday: PE



Upcoming Events:
Late Start: February 6th
No School: Presidents’ Day - February 18th
Raptor Night: February 20th

The Book Fair will be here the 29th through February 6th! After your conferences, this would be a perfect chance to stop by the library and check out all of the wonderful books that Scholastic has to offer.

The 100th Day of School will be this Wednesday. We will be doing activities that focus on the number 100 throughout the day. During math, we will be creating equations that equal 100 to determine the quantities of the ingredients in our trail mix. Thank you for all of the generous donations we needed to make this activity possible.

Students have begun working with Mrs. Dreyer on their submissions for this year’s title page for the yearbook. In February, the entire student body will vote for the favorite design and that page will be featured as the first page of the yearbook. Remember that books can be ordered at a cost of $12.50 with the order form that was sent home, or by going online at YBPay.lifetouch.com, ID Code 10849713.

Conferences will be on Jan. 29, Jan. 31 and Feb. 6. If there is a conflict, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can reschedule for a better time.

Tuesday:
1:00 Rylee

3:40 Diego
4:35 Vicky
4:50 Julian
5:05 Aiysis
5:20 Dillon
5:35 Yessenia
5:50 Yarely
6:20 Sidney

6:35 Vincent

7:05 Zanna

Thursday:
3:20 Yocelyn
5:05 Heaven
5:20 Alaina
5:50 Justin
6:35 Kalob
6:50 Kylee

Don't forget to take advantage of the MyOn reading program. You can simply write MyOn on the title portion of the reading log.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: How Do Machines Work? is our next theme for Rigby. Our focus will be on Synthesizing Strategies and the genre is humorous fiction. Our new vocabulary words are essential, wheel, machine, reduce, labor, and effort.

Writing: Our writing focus is Authors as Mentors. We continue to look at the strategies various authors use in their own writing in order to inspire and improve our own pieces. This includes ensuring that every piece includes correct capitalization, punctuation and grade level spelling.

Math: We have started our new unit on double digit addition. We are beginning to look at various strategies for efficiently adding two, double digit numbers.

Science: This week, we will conclude our study of force and motion as we look ahead to a short unit on magnets.

Social Studies: Our new focus is now on the study of landforms such as mountains, plains, hills, valleys, etc.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover words with the hard and soft “C” sound. We will also take a new spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The focus will be on words with the hard and soft “G” sound - The letter G followed by an e, i or y makes the J sound. (cage, goat)

Weekly Peek...

Monday: PE
Tuesday: Music and Conferences
Wednesday: Art, Library, Computer, Spelling Test
Thursday: PE and Conferences
Friday: Music



Upcoming Events:
Parent Teacher Conferences: Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 6
Late Start: February 6th
No School: Presidents’ Day - February 18th
Raptor Night: February 20th

A huge thank you to our PTA for sponsoring the Denver Zoo Assembly on Friday. We learned how different animals need and use water to survive while checking out a live box turtle, raptor, young alligator and a GIANT boa constrictor!!

Congratulations to Alaina, Jonathon, Kalob, Kylee, Marcus and Vicky for reaching 100 nights of reading! We enjoyed lunch in the classroom on Friday. Way to go!!

Congratulations also to Kylee and Kalob for being chosen to participate in the district Geometry Challenge this past Wednesday. They spent the day constructing items to demonstrate a variety of mathematical terms.

Students have begun working with Mrs. Dreyer on their submissions for this year’s title page for the yearbook. In February, the entire student body will vote for the favorite design and that page will be featured as the first page of the yearbook. Remember that books can be ordered at a cost of $12.50 with the order form that was sent home, or by going online at YBPay.lifetouch.com, ID Code 10849713.

Please make sure you’ve confirmed your upcoming conference by returning the bottom portion of the form that was sent home last week. Conferences will be on Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 6. If there is a conflict, let me know and we can find a time that works for everyone.

Throughout the rest of the year, we are encouraging our students to read on MyOn. This can count for their nightly reading as long as they are choosing appropriate books for their reading level, they turn the read aloud option off, and are reading independently. You can simply write MyOn on the title portion of the reading log.


What are we learning this week?

Reading: We are continuing our next unit, Many States, One Country. Our focus will be on the Fix-Up Strategies for reading, and our new vocabulary words are reside, route, journey, state, terrain, and boundary.

Writing: Our writing focus is Authors as Mentors. We will be looking at the strategies various authors use in their own writing in order to inspire and improve our own pieces. This includes ensuring that every piece includes correct capitalization, punctuation and grade level spelling.

Math: We have started our new unit on double digit addition. We are beginning to look at various strategies for efficiently adding two, double digit numbers.

Science: We are continuing our physical science unit studying balance and motion with a two day centers rotation. We are using tops, zoomers and twirlers to study the effects of force on motion.

Social Studies: We will be taking our end of unit assessment on maps, the compass rose, map keys, and legends to read and create maps. Our focus will then turn to a study of landforms.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover the Vowel-letter N-Consonant patterns. We will also take a new spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The focus will be on words with the hard and soft “C” sound - The letter C followed by an e, i or y makes the S sound. (rice, city, juicy)

Weekly Peek...

Monday: No School - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: PE, Library, Computer, Spelling Test
Thursday: Happy Birthday Hector!!, Music
Friday: Art



Upcoming Events:
Parent Teacher Conferences: Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 6
Raptor Night: Mark your calendar now - more information coming soon!!

Order forms for yearbooks came home on Friday. This year there is an option to order the books online at YBPay.lifetouch.com. You will need to use ID CODE 10849713. The deadline to order a book is March 4th.  Also, students are going to be working on an art project with Mrs. Dreyer to design the title page for the yearbook. In February, the entire student body will vote for their favorite design and that page will be featured as the first page of the yearbook!

Parent teacher conference notices also came home in Friday Folders. Conferences are scheduled for Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 6. Please turn in the bottom portion of the form by this Wednesday. If there is a conflict, let me know, and we can find a time that works for everyone.

Throughout the rest of the year, we are encouraging our students to read on MyOn. This can count for their nightly reading as long as they are choosing appropriate books for their reading level, they turn the read aloud option off, and are reading independently. You can simply write MyOn on the title portion of the reading log.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We have begun our next unit, Many States, One Country. Our focus will be on the Fix-Up Strategies for reading, and our new vocabulary words are reside, route, journey, state, terrain, and boundary.

Writing: Our writing focus is Authors as Mentors. We will be looking at the strategies various authors use in their own writing in order to inspire and improve our own pieces.

Math: We have started our new unit on double digit addition. A lot of our work right now is focused on place value as we begin to look at larger numbers. Based on our assessment information, we are regrouping students for this larger unit, helping to ensure that all students’ needs are being met appropriately.

Science: We are continuing our physical science unit studying balance and motion. We are using tops, zoomers and twirlers to study the effects of force on motion.

Social Studies: We are working on Geography as we learn to use a compass rose, map keys, and legends to read and create maps.

Word Study/Spelling: Our spelling test next week will cover our OO and OU patterns. We will take a new spelling pretest on Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The focus will be on words with the patterns Vowel-letter N-Consonant (thank, find, think, bring).

Weekly Peek...

Monday: Happy Birthday Justin!, PE
Tuesday: Happy Birthday Jonathon!, Music
Wednesday: Art, Library, Computer, Spelling Test
Thursday: PE
Friday: Music, Zoo Assembly (Thank you PTA!!)



Upcoming Events:
No School: January 21
Parent Teacher Conferences: Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 6

The Character Kid luncheon for the trait of Honesty was rescheduled for this Wednesday the 9th. Yessenia will get to enjoy lunch and games with Mr. Steele and Dr. Musick.

Congratulations to Zanna and Justin for being the first two students to achieve 100 nights of reading this year!  Congratulations also goes to Kalob for completing all 63 addition facts correctly, in under 3 minutes on our weekly fact sprint. All three students enjoyed lunch together, in the classroom on Friday.

Throughout the rest of the year, we are encouraging students to read on MyOn. This can count for the nightly reading as long as students are choosing appropriate books for their reading level, turn the read aloud option off, and read independently. You can simply write MyOn on the title portion of the reading log.

Thank you, once again, to Chico Garcia for being a Watchdog in the building before the winter break! We would love to see more watchdogs in the weeks and months to come!!


Parent teacher conferences are coming soon (Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 6). A paper will be coming home shortly indicating your time and day. If there is a conflict, let me know and we can find a time that works better.

What are we learning this week?

Reading: We have begun our next unit, Many States, One Country. Our focus will be on the Fix-Up Strategies for reading, and our new vocabulary words are reside, route, journey, state, terrain, and boundary.

Writing: Our writing focus is Authors as Mentors. We will be looking at the strategies various authors use in their own writing in order to inspire and improve our own pieces.

Math: We have started our new unit on double digit addition. Based on our assessment information, we are regrouping students for this larger unit, helping to ensure that all students’ needs are being met appropriately.

Science: We are continuing our physical science unit studying balance and motion. We have begun working on concepts of motion using tops and spinners.

Social Studies: We are working on Geography as we learn to use a compass rose, map keys, and legends to read and create maps.

Word Study/Spelling: We will take a spelling pretest this Wednesday to determine our new word lists. The focus will be on words with the OO and OU patterns (book, should). A new homework packet will come home on Wednesday as well.

Weekly Peek...

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Library, Computer, Character Luncheon
Thursday: PTA Meeting at 6:30
Friday:



Upcoming Events:
Zoo Assembly: January 18
No School: January 21
Parent Teacher Conferences: Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 6