September 4, 2019
Dear Huckleberry South Families, The Huckleberry South had a very positive day again today. We are becoming more comfortable with routines, learning the names of our new friends and exploring, through literature and activities, the jobs of a student. As you know from parent night, we are having community snack in Huckleberry South this year. This means we serve the students snack just like they did in Trillium. I am in charge of snack this week. Yesterday we had graham crackers and lemon cucumbers. Today we enjoyed watermelon and graham crackers. Later this week we are going to have melon, raspberries, more cucumbers, and tomatoes from the garden! Families are asked to supply snack for at least 7 days. In the signup there is a list of safe foods and a link to the extended list. If you would prefer, you can buy out your snack days. Please remember we are a nut free classroom. Here is the link to the snack signup genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B4EAAA82FA5F58-healthy Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!, Dainette Harris First and Second Grade Teacher Molalla River Academy
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Dear Huckleberry South Families,
What a wonderful summer it has been thus far. I’ve enjoyed time with family and friends, catching up on projects left undone throughout the year, and vacation fun with plenty of time to rest, relax and read. I hope your summer has allowed you the same type of pleasure. With only a few more weeks left before returning to school, my hope is that all have found time between activities, to do some learning. It doesn’t matter if it is exploring how plants grow, as you tend your garden together, or helping your child read a menu while the family is out for dinner. Learning can take place throughout normal daily activities. Creating life-long learners happens as we model for children how to explore and ask questions about the world around us. Reading and being read to, helps develop that inquisitive nature. The beginning of the year is less daunting to students when they come back confident and ready to learn. Each child approaches the classroom with excitement and some apprehension. Coming into the room fresh from reading or being read to, helps prepare them for what lies ahead. Don’t worry, if you have been too busy to fit it in, there is still time. Enjoy! Our new school year promises to be a great one! This year we will be studying environments by exploring seasons and cycles. Our classroom environment is where we’ll start. Through group activities, we’ll discover what it means to be a student, leader and group member and how that plays out in our community. Testing and applying those role characteristics will take place as we experiment with force and motion. From there we’ll study migrations in the fall, systems and cycles in the human body in the winter, and in the spring, we will explore plant life cycles. One important change this year will be that Huckleberry North and South will be doing GROUP SNACK, modeled after the successful Trillium program. Most of you are already familiar with how that works. I will be sharing more and there will be a sign up at Parent Night. I look forward to seeing you there! If you have any questions please email me at [email protected]. See you soon! Dainette Harris Dear South Huckleberry Families,
This is a fast moving, busy time of the year. This week, we are wrapping up Independent Projects, assessments and end of the year lessons. On Friday, Donuts for Dudes happens from 8-9:00. Men are invited and honored at this fun time of refreshment, games and music. The Independent Projects presented so far have been wonderful. Watching the students be “the experts” and directing our attention towards what they have learned has been a great confidence booster for the presenters. For students who will be presenting this week, I encourage parents to have them practice several times in front of family. This is a great way to prepare them for what is ahead. We do these projects for several reasons. First, tapping into a child’s interest sparks a love of learning. Spending time doing research with a parent creates a special bond and memory. Presenting in front of family and peers builds a skill that will prepare them for future success. Watching your child from year-to-year present his/her project enables you to track his/her growth. All in all, it is a great experience to be part of! As you begin to plan for the summer months, I really encourage you to include time for learning. Reading, math and writing can take place in a variety of ways over the summer months. Mrs. Quinlan is including information that will help you in the planning process. Read on! News from Mrs. Quinlan: Summer Reading Book Swap! I would like to be able to provide each MRA student a book to take home for the summer. Studies have proven that reading over the summer increases language development and encourages retention of skills learned the last three months of school. These students have proven to gain a lead over their peers when then come back in the fall. To help support summer reading, our Molalla Public Library will be here on Friday, May 31st during our Doughnuts for Dudes, to sign up any interested student for their summer reading program. I have a table outside the library in which I am accepting any gently, used books. Students are encouraged to bring a book and take a book home for the summer. Please spread the word and thank you so much for supporting literacy! Physical activity is also good for our kids! Read on! *MHS Athletic Camp for Kids: Check out the information below. As school draws to a close over the next two weeks, please stop by if you have any questions. Enjoy a safe Memorial Day as we honor those who have honored us with their service. Dainette Harris Dear South Huckleberry Families, We are off to a great start with two students having presented their Independent Project today. For the next two weeks we will be busy watching and presenting. Practicing at home in front of others is a great way to prepare your child. Reassuring him/her by saying things like- “You are so prepared, go in with confidence” - helps remind him/her that being prepared is what leads success. We’d appreciate if you stay through all presentations when come to watch your child present, if possible. I know that some may need to leave immediately for work, which I understand. Watching all presentations lets the person upfront know that what he/she is doing is important and valued. While IPs are going on, the Huckleberry classes are finishing up the unit on bees. Today was a very special day because Ms. Fety’s husband, Evan, who is a beekeeper, came and talked to the classes on the subject. All dressed in his official outfit, the students listened as he spoke about the importance of bees and the job of the keeper. As you can imagine, the students were full of questions. NIghtly reading continues. If your child is not bringing books home nightly it may be because he/she isn’t turning them in when he arrives in the morning. Please check you house for classroom books or library books. The last day for library checkout is this week. All library books are due by May 30th. Classroom books can be returned by that date also. Please help us keep our classroom and library books available for other children. The weeks ahead will be filled with fun and excitement as our students get ready to move on. It’s a great time of year! Mrs. Harris Dear South Huckleberry Families, What a wonderful day we had! The Ladies Tea was lovely and it was wonderful seeing so many family members able to join us. If you were unable to attend, stop by the gym and look at the art project collectively created by all members of the school and their guests. Students are revved-up about Independent Projects. Several of you have emailed me with questions. One frequently asked question is whether students, or parents, can type the written part of the project. Answer: Students must write all of the written part of their work. No typing or adult writing can be on the project. Since this is suppose to be your child’s best work, going over spelling and punctuation before the final copy is written is encouraged. Doing that not only creates a better outcome, but more learning takes place. If you have not signed up for your child’s presentation please do right away. Plan on staying for the entire time frame, if possible, to support all students presenting during the hour. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c48aeaa28a1fb6-independent1 In the weeks ahead, spring assessments will be taking place. We will be looking at the progress made, this year, by your son or daughter. Please have them here and on-time whenever possible to ensure we are able to complete this process. Happy Mothers’ Day to all mothers. Have a great weekend! Dainette Harris Dear South Huckleberry Families,
After doing some of the last student-led conferences last week, I’m reminded again why this is one of my favorite activities of the year. I love sitting back and listening as each student shares what he/she has learned this year. The confidence I see and hear reminds me of the growth that has taken place. Thanks parents for making this such a wonderful event. In your child’s Friday folder, I sent home more information about Independent Projects. On Friday, students brainstormed a list of possible topics for their projects. The most important part of the paper is the questions they want to answer about the topic. Please follow the outlined created for you on the back of the Independent project form. It is designed to keep the preparation on target and help your child learn how to break down a large project into manageable pieces so that they can do their best work. You will be emailed shortly to sign-up for the day and time your child will present. We encourage a family member to be present during the presentation. The students are very excited about the process. Please contact me with any questions you might have. On May 10 at 8:00 AM, all women are invited to the Ladies Tea. You will be served refreshments and enjoy viewing student artwork on display in the gym. After refreshments, all guests will return to our classroom with their student and work together to create a lovely art project. This is a wonderful time for the students to celebrate the women of their family who have supported them throughout the year. Please come and be part of this fun morning. Huckleberries continue to learn about the fascinating life of the honeybee. With spring in full bloom and bees so visible, students are learning through observation, as well as through research, about these interesting insects. Many students are reading nonfiction books for themselves and sharing with their peers what they have learned. I’d like to encourage all families to continue nightly reading. Fifteen minutes a night of reading can make a big difference in the development of our students. The books sent home each night progressively get more difficult. If you feel your child’s books aren’t meeting his/her needs, please let me know. We are looking forward to the coming week. The end of the year is in sight, but we still have a lot of learning ahead. It’s a great time to be a Huckleberry! Have a great week! I look forward to seeing all of you at the auction on Saturday. Mrs. Harris Hello South Huckleberry Families! With spring in full swing and the end of the year fast approaching, much is going on at MRA.
The Huckleberries and Trillium had a special visit from Northwest Pollination to set up the Mason bee condos by our garden. The students had wonderful questions for them to answer. The time was well spent and a great contribution to our study of Honeybees. We are still in search of a local working beehive that we can observe. Stay tuned for more bee-utiful information on our study! Have a great weekend! Happy Spring Break!! This past week has been the end to our study of space. The students so enjoyed sharing their work with you at our museum. Thanks to all who came out to support our students. Students’ portfolios will house most of the work completed during this unit. At Student Led Conferences on April 17th and 18th, students will be sharing their portfolios with you. Samples of work done throughout the year, make up the portfolios. Sign-ups for conferences are out. Sign up quickly to ensure a time that works for you. When we return to school on Tuesday, April 2nd, the Huckleberries will begin our study of Bees. It will be a wonderful way to welcome in spring. Students will create a pollinating garden with Mrs. Quinlan as part of our unit. It promises to be an exciting end to a wonderful school year! Have a safe and wonderful Spring Break! Mrs. Harris Dear South Huckleberry Families,
I couldn’t be more proud of our Huckleberries and the performance they gave last Friday night. All week long they practiced an hour a day, working to perfect their performance. They were very disciplined as they practiced, focused on the task at hand, daily working to improve what was already good. Today I celebrate the gifted teacher, Ms. B., who brought the best out of your children, your children for their willingness to be stretched beyond their comfort level, and our school for honoring such a wonderful program. I can’t wait until next year!! Dainette Harris |
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Photo used under Creative Commons from DaMongMan