Dear Parents,

Pajama day was a huge success! The kids really enjoyed it and almost all participated. They looked so cute and comfortable.

Our student teacher, Ms. Ferreira, is in her third week of student teaching. SNHU has given us a timeline for her to gradually assume responsibilities. She has already started to teach parts of the new reading program that we are piloting. She has taken the children to the Smart Room to work on Science reports about biomes. This week they will be presenting their reports to the class. Also this week, she will take on the responsibility for teaching some of the Math. There is no need to worry there; she was brought up with this program and knows partial quotients very well. She has been a big help by providing some one-on-one instruction to the kids in Math. Eventually, she will do two consecutive days on her own, and then a week by herself. By that time, she will be very capable of taking over. All of her lessons are done with approval from me. She has been instructed on how to follow the district guidelines and I spend a lot of time discussing her teaching with her.

We completed our first week of the Reading program that my class is piloting. It is called Imagine It. You will see some papers coming home for homework that pertain to the program. From looking at the scores of the beginning test, it seems like the kids need the most work in grammar, usage and mechanics. They all had a total score higher than the standards for the first trimester. Our day just flies by!

Our Valentine's Day party will be on Feb 12. Someone will call some of you to provide goodies for our party. I will send home a list of names so that children can address their Valentines. Please remember to include everyone; we don't want anyone's feelings hurt.

If you have any questions, please drop me a note or e-mail.

Sincerely,
Jackie

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! Thank you to all who contributed materials to make the gingerbread houses. The children seemed to enjoy making them. We used that time to write a "how-to" story and now we have to revisit that writing when they are not consuming so much sugar!

The class came back from vacation relaxed and ready to work hard in this second trimester of the school year. This is usually a productive time of year when the days are shorter and the children aren't so excited about being outside.

Next week our student teacher, Lauren Ferreira, will be starting her classroom training with me. She will be here until the second week in May. During that time she will do some solo teaching, but most of the time she will be helping me. The extra pair of hands will ensure that your son/daughter will receive more help in the classroom.

Lauren and I are excited about piloting a new reading program called Imagine It. One teacher from each grade level will be using this program for all our language arts instruction. Therefore, there will be a new spelling and writing procedure starting soon.

In recognition of Martin Luther King Day, we will begin discussions about the Civil Rights Era. This is always an eye opening time for the children. I have lots of good books to spark discussions. You may want to have some discussion at home, also.

We have started Chapter 6 in Math which involves division, map reference frames and measures of angles. The children will learn the Partial Quotient method which I know will be new to you. Therefore, I will send home a letter to explain it. When we finish this, we will be taking the mid-year test.

Keep warm!