Hello South Huckleberry Families,
We have had a great week! Student’s are getting healthy and we are working hard. We have just cleared the asteroid belt and are moving on to Jupiter. I’m sure all of you have heard about the “asteroid collisions” that took place just outside of our classroom. Ask your child about what type of collision they were part of: crater, shatter or fractured. The Huckleberry classes have been very fortunate to have a guest teacher for art, our very own Mrs. Harnish. She taught art for a period of time and really enjoys stepping out of the gym once in a while to share her other talents with our students. She has introduced our classes to the father of Abstract Art, Wassily Kandissky. Kandissky felt that he could express feelings and music through colors and shapes in his paintings. For example, he thought that yellow had the crisp sound of a brass trumpet and that certain colors placed together could harmonize like chords on a piano. The shapes he was most interested in were the circle, triangle, and the square. He thought the triangle would cause aggressive feelings, the square calm, and the circle spiritual. The Huckleberry students are experimenting with a few elements of art by using a variety of lines, shapes and colors to create abstract art inspired by the artist Kandinsky. They are listening to Piano Concerto No. 23 by the composer Mozart while they work. A big thanks to Mrs. Harnish for exposing our students to such a great experience! Nightly book exchange has started and as a result, our readers are making great progress! Each time a child brings books back in the plastic bag, a new set of books will be given. Thanks parents for being part of our nightly reading exchange. If your child didn’t receive any books, it’s because they have reached a level where books for them to read are easily available. Nightly reading is important and helps students build confidence in their skills. Stop by for a chat if you have any questions. Please remember to send books back in a timely fashion. Many students are counting on them. Thanks! Have a great week! Mrs. Harris
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Dear South Huckleberry Families,
It has been an interesting week. In the news, space was at the forefront. On Tuesday, our class read a book about the two rovers on Mars. Students were fascinated by the idea of a machine made here on Earth roaming around Mars. On my way home that evening, I heard on the radio about the rover, Opportunity. I’m sure by now, most of you know how the rover, set only to work for 90 days, but continued working for 15 years, died in June. Nasa sent hundreds of calls, even music, to wake it up. They were unsuccessful. For days now, we have heard about this very relevant topic and it has heightened the student’s interest in space. You might want to use this subject as a launching point for a discussion at home. In my effort to help my students grow as readers, I have begun to send nightly books home with students who are beginning or newer readers. It is difficult to find appropriate books that students can successfully read at this level. Once students have reached a certain level they are able to select books on their own. I’d like to include everyone who wants to be part of this process. When books are sent home in a plastic bag with the student’s name on the front, they are read and returned in the same bag. As often as they are brought back, new ones will be sent home. If this process doesn’t work for your family, please let me know. Also, please remind your child to bring them in each morning to be exchanged. It is important that the books are returned so that we don’t lose our books. I look forward to watching as our students have an even greater opportunity to grow as reader. At MRA, we good outside in all kinds of weather. This last week, it was raining steadily during recess and I noticed that several of our students would have benefited by having on different outwear. Please check with your child and see if they have a raincoat, hat or hood and boots, that fit, at school. Many students have taken some of their outerwear home for the weekend and not brought it back. Let’s keep the students warm and dry as we let them do what all kids want to do, play in the rain. I know many families have experienced illness this past week and I’m hoping that after three days off, all will be well and back ready to learn. We have been cleaning the classroom daily to try and minimize the germs. The good news… spring is on the way! Enjoy your time together as a family, Mrs. Harris Dear South Huckleberry Families,
It is indeed winter and we are finally getting weather to prove it! I have been asked by some, what should you do if the students are out multiple days because of snow? First, I think you should play hard in the snow! Then, enjoy a nice hot mug of hot chocolate. After that, curl up with your child and read to them. Of course, then it will be his/her turn to read to you. Spending time together reading can be very satisfying. When he/she gets bored, have them write a book about the day in the snow. I promise, all children who bring in a story that they have written, will be able to share it with the class. If it doesn’t snow and we are here all week, we will continue to explore space, write our own nonfiction books and grow as readers. This week, when we wrote for twenty minutes without stopping, I had students begging to continue. They are beginning to catch the writing bug. The secret is to find a topic that tickles their fancy. Then they can’t wait to write. Another thing that works well is when you are excited and sit down and write at the same time and then share what you wrote. That’s what we did in class. It worked so well that I intend to do it again. Rain, snow or sunshine? Enjoy your weekend no matter what comes your way! Dainette Harris Hello South Huckleberry Parents!
OUR SPACE LOG I’m coming to you in transit from Venus to Earth. We started at the sun, boy was that a hot place! We discovered that the sun is not the biggest star in our universe. It is a large star, but not the largest in our solar system. Boy, were we surprised! From there we went to the first inner terrestrial planet, Mercury. On Mercury, we were so-o-o-o-o hot during the day that we really didn’t think we would ever cool down. But when night came, we were certainly surprised when we found ourselves freezing! Another thing about Mercury, everyone was four times older there than on Earth. The students loved it, me not so much! On to Venus! On Venus, we discovered real heat! Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. The planet’s atmosphere is made up of carbon dioxide. Toxic gases surrounding the planet in a fog which made it impossible to breathe. Time to go. Students must record their findings in their own space journals. Next, on to Earth! The students are looking forward to a break from their spacesuits. A good home cooked meal will truly be appreciated. Stay tuned in for more to come!! SHHHHH! IT’S A SECRET! On January 29th, we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with Autumn. She will be out for an extended period of time due to medical reasons and will be missing our class party on February 14th. Please have your child make a special valentine for her and bring it in on Monday or Tuesday in a bag. Remember, this is a secret! Our support of her during this time is very important. While she is gone, it would be great to shower her with cards and letters letting her know our thoughts are with her. Thanks! NO SCHOOL There will be no school this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Teachers will be writing report cards. I encourage everyone to enjoy their days off, but remember to read! Feel free to write me a letter and send it to the school. I will respond to all letters. Enjoy your day! Mrs. Harris Dear South Huckleberry Families, It is so good to be back in the swing of things. We are currently doing assessments for reading and it is a joy to see the growth in our students. Thanks to all who are consistently going over sight word lists and listening to your child read at home. It really adds to the progress of a child when he/she practices in more than one setting. If you have any questions about what you can do to support reading growth at home, let me know. I’d be happy to give you ideas and suggest books. There are still opportunities for parents to volunteer for reading in the classroom. Let me know if you are interested. Huckleberry Mathematicians continue to build strategies for adding and subtracting. Pointing out when we use math in daily life, intrinsically motivates students to learn. Watching them play the games we use in instruction shows how much they learn unconsciously. Math indeed can be fun AND challenging! We have created our solar system, well at least on our bulletin board. The students are already finding pockets of interest in the study. I want to encourage you, as a family, to watch for current events about space, print out the information, talk it over with your child and send it in. We will share and learn about what is happening in our ever changing solar system. I can’t wait for the students to see the relevancy of this topic. Please continue to send in any materials from home that pertain to our study. Be sure to label everything and I’ll be sure it gets back home. HELP! HELP! HELP! As you can see, help is needed-- in PE. No you don’t have to join the class to help, BUT what you can do is ensure your child has PE shoes on every Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Many students enjoy wearing boots or other types of stylish shoes. The problem is that some students are missing up to half of PE to change their shoes. Many say they don’t have extra shoes so they go through the closet to borrow them. For safety reasons and for optimal learning to take place, students need to wear the right shoes. If this is a problem, please come talk to me individually and we will figure something out. Thanks for your help! Enjoy your day! Dainette Harris Dear South Huckleberry Families,
The new year has begun and the students are back in school. We are looking forward to accomplishing a lot in the days ahead. I was sad not to be back with the class on Thursday, but had a medical emergency with my dad and needed to be with him. I’m very grateful for how the class moved ahead as they reviewed what it means to be in school again. I did have the pleasure of holding new baby Violet over the break. Mrs. Ray is doing very well and baby Violet is adorable. Mrs. Ray has assured me that in the months ahead they will come and see the class. In the meantime, I’m excited to announce the start of our new associate, Kiah Atkinson. She will begin on Monday. Stop by and welcome her to our room. I look forward to introducing her to our class and begin the process of partnering together as a team to support our Huckleberries. We are starting our “journey” into space. In the weeks ahead, I’m hopeful students will feel a spark ignite with a desire to learn about our solar system. This is a great time to be studying space. With space exploration so much in the news, students gain an understanding of the relevancy of the topic. It is also a great topic for sharing. I encourage families to scan the news for current events involving space. Read and talk them over with your child and sent in the article. Your son or daughter will have the opportunity to introduce the information to the class and help lead a discussion about the topic. It is a great way for a child to build confidence and speaking skills. I’m going to be setting up a current events board so that we can track what’s happening. Also, if you have any space related materials at home and wish to share them with the class, label each item and send it in. I can’t wait to explore our great galaxy! Read! Read! Read! That is my new year’s encouragement for all of my students. Reading opens up the world of learning in all topics. If your child needs help selecting books to be read at home, stop by and I will assist in the selection of “just right” books he or she can read to you at night. Have a great week!! Dear Huckleberry Parents,
This is a very busy week!! Tomorrow is the play for the after-school drama class. It will be during the assembly that starts at 12:00. On Thursday, both Huckleberry classes will be presenting the play, The Bremen Town Musicians. Check last week’s blog for costume information for your child. The play starts promptly at 2:00. On Friday, our class will be enjoying a time of FLOP AND READ. Each child may wear his/her pajamas and is being encouraged to bring a blanket and small pillow. Please be sure things are labeled and placed in a plastic bag. We will also be enjoying popcorn and juice and doing a winter craft. We look forward to this time of relaxing and reading after a very busy week. The students are making so much progress in reading and I don’t want to lose ground over the holidays. Please find time to have your child read to you 15 minutes a day. Until this skill is mastered, it can easily be forgotten. We have a saying in our classroom, “Those who practice, succeed.” Our goal is for all to succeed! I look forward to seeing as many as possible at our class play on Thursday. Enjoy your week! Dainette Harris Dear Huckleberry South Families,
No doubt you are aware that the two Huckleberry classes are joining together to present the play that they have retold called The Bremen Town Musicians. We are working purposefully to be ready for the performance. Students will be musicians, actors or the set design and stage crew. Every job is equally important! Musicians are practicing, actors are learning their parts and the set design and stage crew is busy at work creating the backdrops for the play. Please mark your calendar for the performance which will be on Thursday, December 13th at 2:00 PM. You won’t want to miss it! On Friday, December 14, the Huckleberry Classes will be joining together for the first annual FLOP AND READ! Each child is encouraged to bring his/her favorite blanket and small pillow for a time of reading together with a buddy. Popcorn will be served and the reading event will be followed by a seasonal art project. Stuffed animals must stay safely at home. The students can’t wait to enjoy this seasonal fun activity. I’ve encourage everyone to work hard the next to weeks so that they will be able to read even more exciting books by the time of the event! Feel free to send in a labelled seasonal book to share with others or students may choose from one in the classroom. This should be a highlight of the season! As a class, over the next two weeks we are finishing our study on communities. Students have become much more aware of the differences between how people live around our city and the world. More importantly, they have learned that we all need the same basics in our lives. Living in this country has afforded us all many special things that should not be taken for granted. In the years ahead, our students will add more details to this new found knowledge and become more aware of the global community. For now, they are off to a great start. Next, at the first, on to space of the year! During this very busy time of year it can be very difficult to find time to review sight words, listen to your child read and/or work on a little math. Spending just 10-15 minutes a day working together can make quite a difference. Please let me know if I can support you at home in any way. It’s so rewarding to watch the children grow!! Enjoy the season! Dainette Harris Dear Huckleberry South Families, What a wonderful time we had last Friday for Grandparents’ Day. It was great to match families to their children. We enjoyed having extra adults in the classroom listening to students read and working with them on math. Thanks for making the day a great success! The students were so proud to have family here in their environment. LISTENERS NEEDED: When in life are you only required to listen? Well, in the Huckleberry South classroom we have wonderful, developing readers who need someone to listen to them read. It makes such a difference in a child’s progress when an adult is looking on for accuracy as a child reads aloud. If you are available for 30- 45 minutes between 12:20- and 1:25 on Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, please let me know. We have a place in our classroom for you! Please remember to review your child’s sight words with him/her 5-6 times a week. All that support really makes a difference in a child’s progress in reading. If you are having trouble finding developmentally appropriate books to read at home come and see me. If you make time to read with your child, I will ensure he/she has the right books to read. Wishing everyone a safe and peaceful Thanksgiving. When I count my blessings, being part of this great school is one of the top on my list! Mrs. Harris Dear Huckleberry South Families, It was wonderful to meet with you, parents, during conferences and share about your children. Talking to you gives me insight into your child that I might not get in the classroom. Although I always welcome parents sharing concerns and/or stories about their child, we all live busy lives and aren’t always in a place to stop and check in. That’s why conferences are so important. A special thanks for all the books that were purchased for our classroom. We will certainly make good use of them. Many of you asked what you can do to support what your child is learning in the classroom- READ! READ! READ! If you spend 10-15 minutes a night next to your child watching for accuracy as they read and review the unknown sight words we sent home with you, your child’s progress will soar. It is also a special parent/child time that creates warm memories around reading. Our study of communities is moving towards the global perspective. We will be looking at how people live in other parts of the world, especially in ways that affect children. If you have any books that included this kind of information please share them with us. Have a safe and restful time off. If you are a veteran, thanks for your service to our country! See you on Tuesday! Dainette Harris |
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