We Have A Winner!: During our Snow Day, students who spent 30 minutes or more learning online at Raz-Kids or MobyMax were entered into a drawing for a $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble, and………..Gabriel was the winner! Congratulations, Gabriel!! We are so happy for you and we hope you have fun shopping for books! 
There will be another competition this weekend and the stakes are higher! 
Please read here to learn more!
Dr. Seuss: We love to rhyme, and so does Dr. Seuss! In honor of his birthday we listened to many of Dr. Seuss’s stories, did activities, and were very excited to realize that we could decode and read some of his books all by ourselves, too! Thank you, Dr. Seuss, for making reading fun (and funny)!
The Little Red Hen: We learned about the Shape-Go Retell Map this week and tried to apply it to various story books that we come across. We enjoyed reading the folktale of “The Little Red Hen” and used the information from the story to try out our Shape-Go map this week. I am so excited and proud by how the children are recalling information from the story like where it took place (setting), who was in the story (characters), and the problem. If that weren’t enough, they also did a fabulous job retelling what happened first, next, then and last. Now we are learning to not only retell the information back, but to also look deeper and try to figure out the heart of the story, or the message that the author was trying to teach us. They quickly figured out that the lesson of this classic story was “to help one another and work together.” I encourage you and your child to try this at home the next time you read a story book together. Be sure to also take a look at their Little Red Hen folder that arrived home on Friday.
Reading Workshop: This week we began our unit on Non-Fictional text. In connection to our readings of “The Little Red Hen,” we read non-fiction books about chickens and learned real information called “facts.” The children were proud by all that they already knew when we compared it with our readings, but were amazed by all of the new facts they learned! We compared these non-fiction readings with our fictional fairytale readings of “The Little Red Hen.”
Writing Workshop: This week we began our unit on Informational Writing. After making a list of all the facts we learned about chickens, we selected important facts that we wanted to add to our individual “have,” “can,” “are,” writings about chickens. The boys and girls did a fantastic job and then used this information to create their very own “All About Chickens” informational writing piece. Despite this being their first official attempt, they were excellent listeners who applied past knowledge about what good writers do. I am so proud of the great job they did on their writings!
Mystery Reader: Harrison’s has been asking and hoping for his mom to visit as a Mystery Reader, and boy was he happy this week when she finally came! Mrs. Gilchrist, knew that we were talking about Dr. Seuss this week and decided to share one of his books called, “Horton Hatches The Egg.” Thank you, Mrs. Gilchrist for coming to visit us as our Mystery Reader!
Super Stars for the Week Were: Faith, Isaac, Kolton and Harrison!
They shared with us “The Cat In The Hat,” by Dr. Seuss, “A Color of His Own,” by Leo Lionni, “The First Day of School for Theodore Rex,” by Gina Shaw, and “How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?” by Jane Yolen. Thank you Super Stars for sharing your special books with us!
Popcorn Words For The Week Were: “had,” “bad,” “map”
Important Information and Reminders:
- Records Day: No School for Student on Monday, March 7.
- Parent Teacher Conferences: Takes place March 7, 8 and 9. I look forward to meeting with each of you next week!
- Spirt Day!: On Friday, March 11, wear your Hudsonville colors!
- Daylight Savings Time: Sunday, March 13, turn your clocks AHEAD one hour.
- Book Fair: Will take place March 8-11. Our class will preview on Wed., March 9 and have an opportunity to purchase on Thursday, March 10. Information arrived home with your child this past week.
- Library: Due to the book fair in the library, there will be no library this week. Your child may enjoy their book for another week.
- Winter Clothing: THANK YOU for sending your child with all that they need to stay warm outside. Just a reminder, we will be outside for recess if the temperature is above 0 degrees. **Even when the weather feels warmer, your child’s winter gear helps to keep them dry as all of this snow melts. Thanks!
- Backpack Snack: Please remember to send a daily healthy nut-free snack for your child, as we take a moment to refuel each day in the afternoon. Thank you.
- Take Home Books: Please help your child to remember to return their book baggie EACH Monday, Wednesday and Friday so that they are consistent with their read aloud practice and are able to check out a new book each time to build their reading experiences. Don’t forget to sign the parent sheet and include comments or observations you feel may be helpful.
Have a nice weekend!
: ) Mrs. Estefan