Week 25

Read the OB Newsletter! Just a reminder there is no school on Monday due to President's Day. 

Check out the Ladue Chili Supper coming up this Friday. It is a great event that Ladue wants everyone to be a part of!

This week we looked at this photo below. Two friends were playing ball, while a new student watched on. One student wanted to invite him to play, but the other didn't. We learned about standing up for other people and talking in a calm, yet assertive voice. We talked about what it might feel like to be starting at a new school and knowing no one. 

In math, we worked more on comparing numbers and seeing how many more or less are in the other set. We also started another unit on comparing and sorting by attribute. 

The students did some activities on their iPads I created to help them learn how to combine sets, the beginning of understanding addition. 

Ex: 2 and 4 make 6

Every day, we have quiet time where students read from their book boxes. They go book shopping once a week to change out their books. This is my time to work with small groups on whatever is necessary.

Mrs. Arnold came to visit us this week and taught us about feelings and calming strategies to deal with our uncomfortable feelings.

On Thursday, Ballet314 came and put on a Llama Ballet. The students were captivated by their performance.

We celebrated Valentine's Day on Thursday afternoon. The students had so much fun exchanging Valentine's and having their party. Thank you to Mrs. Soshnik and Mrs. Moore for organizing!

In phonics, we worked on writing CVC words, hearing the correct middle vowel sound. We used this chart below to change out vowels to change words. The students wrote them on their whiteboards, changing out the vowels to make new words.

During reading, we learned to connect with our characters. We read Not Norman: A Goldfish Story and students had to tell me how his emotions changed throughout the story.

Students used post it notes to write down different emotion faces based on how they think the characters were feeling in their stories. We also talked about emotion descriptives other than sad and happy.

Have a nice weekend!

Caroline McGee

Week 24

Read the OB Newsletter! Please read the information about the Valentine's Day mailbox. If  your child wants to write a Valentine's to any other student in the school, they can drop it in the big mailbox in the front hallway. Please remember no candy can be attached to any Valentine's Day. 

This week, we talked more about problem solving steps. We listened to a fun song and talked about the first two steps: say the problem then think of solutions. We also read I Can Handle It! to learn about tough things to deal with as a child and ways to cope with our emotions are high. 

 

In phonics this week, students worked on identifying vowel sounds in words. We also paid close attention to how our mouth is formed when we say each vowel. They sorted words and pictures in their rug clubs. 

On Monday, the Olivette Fire Department came and taught us about their jobs and fire safety. They told the kids they had two assignments for them. They need to learn their address and know where their smoke alarms are are what to do if they go off. I also think it is important to show your child how to dial 911 on a cell phone and explain if a parent was ever hurt, they would need to call and say your address.

We had fun at literacy centers this week. Your child is growing every day as a reader the more they are exposed to words and books.

Thank you to everyone who has donated for our local animal shelter. We are trying to collect 100 items for our 100th day service project. 

In writing, we continue to work on our How To stories. This week, we focused on using transition words and adding a tip or warning on our pages. For example, this week we wrote a story on how to put on a coat. Our warning was, make sure to put on your hood to protect your ears from the cold.

In math this week, we worked on comparing sets. Students looked at two sets and identified which is more and fewer, and how many more are in the set with more. 

Who has more? Who has fewer? How many more does one bear have than another?

The following are activities the students do on their iPad. They draw and interact with the items to enhance their understanding of the skill. 

Reminders:

- Walk in the Park is on Wednesday. We have PE at 9:00 if you want to meet us at Stacy Park. 

- There is NO SCHOOL on Friday due to teacher professional development. 

- Thursday is our Valentine's Day party at 2:40 in our classroom. I sent an email about Valentine's Day on Friday. We will make Valentine bags in our classroom the day of. Students can bring in Valentine's for their peers, however no candy can be distributed due to district policy. 

Have a nice weekend!

Caroline McGee