Sunday, April 26, 2015

April Update

I hope you had a wonderful and restful vacation.  I enjoyed seeing all of you at parent/teacher conferences.  If you missed your conference or wish to schedule a conference please send a note in with your child or e-mail me at kwetzel@rsu1.org and we can set up an appointment.

We will be starting our Chick Unit this week.  Our class incubator is set up and ready for eggs.  This is a month long unit in which we study the lifecycle of a chicken.  As a part of this unit we will be visiting Wolfe’s Neck Farm.  Our trip is schedule for Friday, May 1st.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately.  Have them wear a jacket and boots to school.  If you do not have boots please make sure your child is wearing closed toe/heel shoes.  We will be visiting a working farm.  Thank you to all the parents that have sent in the waiver and money to cover the cost of the trip.  If you have not sent in the waiver or money you will find a reminder in your child's home/school folder this week.

An important reminder: Our classroom is a peanut and tree nut free zone.  For the health and safety of all our students do not send your child with a snack containing or processed in a facility that contains peanuts and/or tree nuts.  Check all labels.  Healthy alternatives are fruits and veggies.

We have completed our unit on “How To” books in writing workshop.  It was a challenging and fun unit.  I have learned how to feed lions, guinea pigs, and bearded dragons.  I have also learned how to warm up on a heating grate, meet someone new, put on my snow clothes, and they go on and on.  The contents of your child’s writing folder will be sent home this week.  I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.

We are halfway through Unit 7 in Everyday Math.  In the coming week we will be exploring building numbers with 10s & 1s, writing numbers, counting by 10’s, addition, and subtraction.


Please remember if you have any questions or concerns to give me a call at school or e-mail me at kwetzel@rsu1.org.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

April News

The school year is just flying by.  Friday marks the end of our third quarter.  Report cards will be coming out soon to update you on your child’s progress.

We are scheduled to attend a  Portland Symphony Orchestra KinderKonzert on Thursday of this week at Brunswick High School.  The performance, Strings KinderKonzert: The Music and Life of Beethoven, will focus on the life of Ludwig von Beethoven.   This is a great opportunity for all students to experience classical music and a variety of instrument families.

We continue to study “How To” writing in writing workshop.  You can tell we are getting to the end of the unit because our writing folders are bursting at the seams.  We will be wrapping up this unit in mid-April.  We will have a short unit of study on Poetry and then to Opinion Writing.    

Within the next week we will be finishing Unit 6 in Everyday Math.  In Unit 7, we will be exploring the concepts of 10’s & 1’s, addition & subtraction, data collection & graphing, 2 & 3 dimensional shapes, coin values, and numeration skills.

Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for the week of April 13th.  I will be scheduling conferences in the afternoons and early evenings.  Please look for a sign up sheet in your child’s folder this week. Conference times will be filled on a “first come - first serve” basis.  If you are unable to meet during the week of April 13th please contact me and we can make arrangements for another time.

Please remember if you have any questions or concerns to give me a call at school or e-mail me at kwetzel@rsu1.org.