All About Our Homes

Hello everyone,

This month our theme is the home. We will be learning vocabulary related to the home and household over the course of February. The culminating activity of this unit will be a small book that each student writes about their home. We will also be doing a few special crafts and activities for Valentine's day.

The students' have begun taking home special book bags each week. Every Monday, each student and I meet and select three or four books for them for the week. Each student has two books that are suited to their reading current level and one or two books that are slightly more challenging. Each evening, students are expected to read aloud for ten minutes with a parent, and to practice the words of the week that are written in their agenda.

In Math we've been working on addition using numbers between 0 and 12. Last week we spent time learning our doubles eg 1+1 = 2, 2+2=4, etc... We are learning doubles between 0 and 10. This week we will begin working on subtraction, how to express it mathematically and also in sentence form.

I recently sent home Scholastic book order forms. I'll place the class order online with my credit card, so if you'd like to send an order, please send cash only in exact change. If you'd like to submit an order, please do so by Friday February 11th.

Alternatively, if you'd like to access some free French resources in the community, try visiting the public library at La Centre Belle-Alliance in Summerside. They have books, DVDs and CDs that you can borrow with your provincial library card. Their library is open at the following times:

Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
Tuesdays from 9am to 2pm
Wednesdays from 4 to 8pm

I'd like to ask all parents to begin signing your child's agenda each evening. This way I know that you've see any notes, homework, etc... that's been written for that day. If you could start this practice this week, that would be great. I know in the upper grades most teachers ask parents to do this, so it's a good habit to get into now as part of the homework routine. 

Please note that I will be away at a conference on Thursday February 10th and Friday February 11th. Madame Edith Hogan will be in for me on those days.

The students' fluency in French is really improving with leaps and bounds! I've become more strict with enforcing an all French environment in the classroom by using a lot of positive reinforcement (praise, stickers, special privileges, prizes). My hope is that this will further motivate all students to use as much French as possible during class time.

Keep up to date with Greenfield school events by visiting our online calendar at

http://www.edu.pe.ca/greenfield/calendar.htm

Below is a quick summary of upcoming important dates to remember this month:

Monday February 21 - Islander Day, school closed

Wednesday February 23 - Pink Shirt Day (Anti-Bullying Awareness Day)

Monday February 28 - Home & School Meeting 6:30pm School Library

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns you may have.

Best,

Madame Ellen