We’re Heading Off-Track Soon!

Can you believe that one third of our year is over already? The TK students have grown together as a caring community of friends. It has been a trimester full of wonderful fun and learning. In my opinion, all learning should be fun so I go out of my way to innovate and adapt my instruction as our interests and needs change. Our pathway to knowledge is a winding, but most engaging route.

Our off-track time begins this Friday at 11:16AM. I wish you all an exciting vacation time. I’ll see you back at school on Wednesday, October 25th.

Let the School Year Begin!


Dear TK Families,
I am excited to welcome you to our new school year. I hope you can all make it on July 12th from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. It is an opportunity for you and your child to visit our room and become acquainted with our school and your new classmates.

Our first regular day of school is on Thursday, July 13th when class begins at 7:45 AM and dismisses at 11:16 AM. We’re going to have a great time together!
Joyfully,
Mrs. P

Spring Observations

Our first tulips are emerging!  Over the weekend three brave little sprouts have pushed above the soil line.  We posted our observation on Journey North.  Ours are among the first in the world that have been reported as sprouting. It will be exciting as we watch and record our observations this spring.  Remember to listen for the nighttime songs of the frogs.  Watch for other signs of spring so we can log our data and share it on Journey North.

Mrs. P.

Lesson from Antarctica

Today we connected with researchers working in Antarctica! We logged on to a live webinar sponsored by TFK (Time For Kids) and heard from a science reporter and two scientists who live and work at a research science station there. We used Twitter to send questions but apparently ours couldn’t get through.  We still learned many new facts.  Did you know that Antarctica is a desert?  There are many rivers and lakes underneath all that ice, but it is always too cold to rain.  The record high temperature is just 7.5 F!  Students were also surprised to learn that there are no polar bears in Antarctica, but there are a couple types of insects that survive there!  It was a special morning being able use technology to learn directly from actual scientists while they are thousands of miles away.

If you want to extend the experience, check out the resources at this link: http://www.timeforkids.com/news/destination-antarctica/136686

Mrs. Petuya

Progress Notes

Progress notes have been sent home today.  Hopefully your student was eager to show them to you because they are filled with information about how hard the children have been working.  There is a lot to celebrate so far.  Keep up that strong effort and the end of trimester will bring even better news!

If you would like to discuss your child’s grades, just send me an email and we can schedule a time to conference after school or over the phone.

Habitat Research Teams

We have decided on our six habitat research teams.  Now you can dig in deeper to your assigned regions of study.  Learn all you can about the landforms, plants, and animals that are found there. Can you follow their food web? How do the animals use camouflage? Be ready to share your knowledge with your teammates.  We will begin creating our dioramas next week.
Tundra: Karisse, Isabella, James, Jaden O
Grasslands: Bela, Cailie, Malia, Sophia
Desert: Alisha, Meher, Justin, Yaseen
Rainforest: Taison, Brian, Zoe, Samantha
Ocean: Aidan, Charles, Zaire, Jayden V
Woodlands: Jayden J, Grace, Oscar, Sufian

 

Math Facts Fluency

We have challenged Mrs. Deming’s class to a Math Facts Fluency contest.  Our first set of facts will be addition doubles.  Help your child practice at home.  I have emailed you the results of our in-class quiz.  The facts they missed are listed as well as their speed.  Everyone can work on getting quicker.

Fantastic Fluency!

Yesterday, I timed everyone in attendance with a one-minute fluency test. I am joyous with the results because EVERY student increased their fluency score.  That kind of progress surely makes my day!  Be sure to give your child some recognition for working on such an important skill.

Mrs. Petuya 😀