March 27 Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is hard to believe we are at the start of the fourth quarter already!  Hopefully you found the "Seesaw" note in your child's backpack last week.  If not, please let Mrs. DeRosa or Mrs. Majinski know, we'll give you a new one.  Seesaw is an awesome online portfolio tool!  Last week, students recorded each other reading their own "how to" writing pieces they had just finished up.  As parents, you are able to view  their portfolio and even comment on it to them!  We're hoping each parent has the chance to leave their child a comment; the kids will love it!  Kids are also able to view each other's work and leave a comment.  What a brilliant way to get an authentic audience for our work! 

In math, we will be learning how to order numbers on a number grid.  We will also be using a number grid to add and subtract.  Look for Home Links 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, and 9.5 to come home this week along with the Unit 9 Family Letter.

In science, we will be learning about the four seasons.  We will be writing about the four different seasons in our science journals and what type of weather we typically see during each of the seasons.

Special Points of Interest

• Science Fair is on April 6th
• Spring Break - April 10-17, school resumes on Tuesday, April 18th

March 20th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Last Friday was filled with fun reading experiences with our special guest readers as part of the Read-a-Thon!  We were so lucky to have Natasha, owner of the Cedarburg Toy Company, read to us and tell us jokes from a fun joke book!  Natasha was so kind that she even gifted the copy of Home for a Bunny that she read to us.  Next we had Mrs. Halvorsen from Riveredge who is also a mom of two Thorson students.  She explained that she used to live in a place that didn't really experience "spring" the way we do, so she really enjoys and appreciates that.  She read The Curious Garden to us, and we loved watching as the scene went from gray and dull, to green, lush and beautiful!  And finally, Gill from the Chinooks joined us with his friend and they read One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, which is always a big hit!   

As we finish up the third quarter this week, we are starting something very exciting!  With our completed "how to" writing pieces, we will read them to you virtually through an app called Seesaw!  Watch for more on this in your child's folder this week.  

In math, we will be using counting up as a strategy for making change for amounts up to one dollar.  We will also be exploring equal shares by dividing objects and groups of items into equal parts.  This will be our introduction to fractions.  Look for Home Links 8.5, 8.6 and 8.7 to come home this week.

We will be finishing up our social studies unit on Canada this week.  The kids are having fun learning about our neighbor to the north!

Special Points of Interest

• No School on Friday, March 24th - End of third quarter and teacher record day

Scholastic Book Orders Due Tomorrow!

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub
One-Time Class Activation Code: JBVLX

Dear Families,

Please remember to place your Reading Club orders by Friday, March 17th.

You can shop and submit your order online or return the order form with payment directly to me. No matter how you order, every purchase you make earns FREE Books and educational supplies for our classroom.

The arrival of the book box is always a highlight - thanks for making it happen!

Happy reading,

Mrs. Majinski

Ordering online is fast and easy:

• REGISTER at scholastic.com/readingclub
• ENTER the Class Activation Code at the top of this letter
• CHOOSE from thousands of print titles, value packs, and Storia eBooks
• SUBMIT the order to me by the due date at the top of this letter
• EARN FREE Books for our classroom too!

March 13th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We kicked off the week of Read-a-thon with an assembly this morning, where artist-author-teacher Janann Miller showed us how fun book-making can be!  We learned that books can be made from almost anything and that authors slow down and notice many things that inspire them to write the beautiful stories we all enjoy!  Thanks to our fabulous PTO, and even the mom of one our students, Mrs. O'Leary, for making that happen!  

Mrs. DeRosa returned to our classroom after being in Ohio for her Literacy Collaborative Training last week.  She brought us a fun new book called Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, which you have probably already heard about!  We are learning about how important the illustrations in a book can be, and will focus on giving our readers detailed illustrations with our current writing project.  

In math this week, we will be reviewing money and place value.  We will be learning place value concepts.  We will also be revisiting money.  The students will be introduced to the dollar bill.  They will get to work on making combinations using the dollar bill, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies.  Look for Home Links 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4 to come home this week.

This week we will begin a new social studies unit on Canada.  The students will learn the location of Canada and important facts related to Canada.  We will also be exploring the wildlife found there and taking a look at the Canadian flag.

Special Points of Interest

• Scholastic Book Orders are due this Friday, March 17th. Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub Class Activation Code: JBVLX
• No school on March 24th - End of third quarter and teacher record day

March 6th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,
It sure has been exciting to take the students to the IMC the last few weeks.  Many of our students are very excited about being able to check out books they can read on their own!  While it is fantastic to listen to your child read, please remember that reading to your child is still just as powerful, as the vocabulary they can't quite read in more difficult picture books is just what they need to help them grow as a reader.  

In writing we are learning more and more about how author's write "how to" pieces.  Sometimes they number the steps in a process, and other times they don't, they just describe what happens.  We have all started to write our own "how to" pieces about things we know how to do.  Just for fun, you can have your child talk through the steps of a routine or something they know how to do at home, such as setting the table, or getting ready for bed.  Thinking about the steps of familiar processes in order helps them understand sequencing.   

This week in math we will continue learning about 3-dimensional shapes and sorting them by their attributes.  We will also be revisiting symmetry.  We will be assessing addition and subtraction facts to 16 often, so please continue practicing these math facts at home.  Look for Home Link 7.6, a story problem sheet, and the Unit 8 Family Letter to come home this week.

THANK YOU to the families that donated tissues to our classroom.  I really appreciate your generosity!

Special Points of Interest

• Scholastic Book Orders are due this Friday, March 17th. Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub Class Activation Code: JBVLX
• Thorson Variety Show is tomorrow!