We have an exciting week ahead of us with our first AV Spirit Week, the Monster Marathon, Halloween, and a Book Fair! Apologies for the long post, but we do have a lot going on.
Spirit Week
As a countdown to the Monster Marathon, each day this week will have a different spirit theme. These days are entirely optional, but are a great way to show your Alta Vista spirit! Here are the daily themes:
Monday: Orange & Black Day
Tuesday: Crazy Socks Day
Wednesday: PJ Day
Thursday: Crazy Hair Day
Friday: Wear Your Costume to School
Monster Marathon/Halloween
We will begin the Alta Vista Monster Marathon on Friday the 29th! Our walking time will be from 9:45 to 10:30 on the perimeter of the softball fields. We invite you to come cheer on your Grasshopper student any time during that window by standing along the back fence (along Blossom Glen Way). This time frame will also be our Halloween parade. We will kick off the first lap (at 9:45) in orderly fashion and parade by the fence in our full costumes. After the first lap, children can go at whatever pace they want and remove costume items if they are impeded by them. We are looking forward to this reimagined event that raises money for enrichment programs at Alta Vista.
Halloween Guidelines
- Children should come to school in their costumes since the parade is not long after we start our day.
- Children can remain in their costumes, but please make sure it is comfortable for them or has a "base layer" that they can wear comfortably for the remainder of the day. Of most importance is that they can use the restroom on their own in the costume.
- Masks can be worn only during the parade, and should not impede vision.
- No weapons of any kind (light sabers, fake swords, etc. are not allowed)
- No gory costumes that might be frightening to sensitive children
- Our afternoon centers for both Thursday & Friday include a few Halloween-themed activities, including some outdoor games that the room parents purchased. Thanks again to Deanna, Emily, and Van for their support with getting us all geared up for some Halloween fun!
Book Fair
I believe the upcoming book fair is an online fair. It begins this Thursday the 28th. Any books purchased through the virtual book fair give a percentage of their sales to both the Alta Vista library and teachers' classroom libraries. The link to information about this book fair can be found here. Speaking of Scholastic Books, those of you who ordered from my late September order-- there has been a significant delay. Scholastic says they are having supply chain issues. I apologize for this delay.
In Class this Week
- The word families are the ad and an families.
- The sight words are go and no
- We continue to work on the measurement unit in math. Parent tips for this module can be found here.
- We will be reading both fiction and nonfiction books about spiders.
- We will be writing about spiders, using the information we learn.
Kimochis
This week, your child will learn the second Kimochis® Key to Communication: Use a Talking Voice. This key helps children stay aware of how they use the tone and volume of their voice. Sometimes when we have upset feelings, it is easy to yell or use a tone of voice that makes the situation worse instead of better. The lesson this week will teach your child how to use a Talking Voice rather than a defensive, aggressive, or Fighting Voice. When we feel upset and are able to use a Talking Voice, we raise the odds that others will want to understand our feelings and resolve conflicts.
Art Vistas
We will have our first Art Vista lesson this Wednesday. The students will be viewing lithographs of master artists featuring trains, followed by a hands-on lesson where they will create their own trains out of various shapes. This first lesson will be virtual, using recorded lessons put together last year by our lead Art Vista docents.
Conferences
I am looking forward to meeting with you all to discuss your child's progress so far, beginning on November 8th. If you haven't yet signed up, please see your email to do so. To prepare for conferences, I will have a substitute in the classroom this Monday the 25th, so that I can assess students. I will be on campus, but in and out of the classroom.
Reminders
**P.E. is every Monday-- please send your children in shoes & clothes appropriate for fitness.
**Library is every Wednesday. Please send your child's book back to school by Tuesday each week.
