Week of 12/6

Children's book author Rosemary Wells is visiting Alta Vista on Monday! We are excited to hear her talk about her books. Her presentation will be shown in the classroom via Zoom. Afterward, children who have purchased one of her books will go to the library to get their signed copy from her. We won't be having PE on Monday as it conflicts with this presentation.

Language Arts
Our word families this week are et and ed. Children will read and spell words such as wet, met, red, and bed. Our sight word this week is you. We have begun circulating a book of all the turkey projects we made at the beginning of November so that you can enjoy them at home with your child. When your child brings home the book, please read it with your child, add a comment to the pages in the back that we can share with the class, and return it to school the next day.

Math
In math this week, we will continue the long module on addition, and eventually, subtraction. There is a lot of terminology you may want to familiarize yourself with, such as composing (putting together two numbers to make another) and decomposing (taking apart a number and putting it in two parts). Parent tips for this unit can be found here.  

Nutcracker 

The Nutcracker practice is going well, and the kids seem to be excited about their parts and the performance! Remember that if you need any help rounding up clothes to wear to the performance, please let me know. Also, a reminder again that the performance is on Tuesday, December 14th at 9:30. Please arrive at about 9:15 as I intend to start right on time, and there is a COVID screening form that you will need to fill out. We are limited to having only two guests per performer due to COVID restrictions. The only exception to this rule is toddler/younger siblings who you do not have childcare for. Thank you for your understanding.

 

Regarding seating-- there are plenty of seats for everyone, so no need to stress, especially since only our class is performing on Tuesday. I want everyone to enjoy the performance, so please refrain from standing during the performance and blocking the aisles. It is no fun to watch a performance with a raised camera in front of you blocking your view-- I've had this happen to me at several performances, and I ask that you refrain from this behavior. If you want to take pictures, please go to the back row. On another photography note, we will have Mrs. Barbara's son at the performance recording a video of it on an iPad. Also, I will also be taking photographs of the children in their costumes before the performance. You will have access to these photos & the video, so that you can spend your time on Tuesday enjoying the performance.

Holiday Party
As you saw from the note in your child's Wednesday envelope, we are having a holiday gift exchange on Friday the 17th. Please bring a wrapped gift by Wednesday the 15th. Gender-neutral gifts are best (building toys, books, crafts, etc.) so that I can easily match everyone up for the gift exchange. If you feel your gift would definitely be preferred by a certain gender, please mark it on the package. No need to mark gender-neutral gifts. Also, please put From: Your child's name so that they don't end up with their own gift. On the 17th, we will also be having a hot chocolate & pj party. Children can come to school in their pjs and bring a stuffed animal to get cozy during story time. We will serve hot chocolate at snack recess, and offer whipped cream and marshmallow toppings. I know there are several food allergies/restrictions. If your child needs a specific hot cocoa or gelatin-free marshmallows, I believe the room moms are going to ask for sign-ups on the toppings. Please sign up to send in your preferred topping. I will be preparing the hot cocoa in a crockpot, but I will also have some hot water on hand so that if you need a specific cocoa brand/type, you can send that in with your child and I will add the hot water to it. Feel free to email me with any questions.  

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.

Upcoming Events
Monday, 12/6: Virtual author visit: Rosemary Wells
Tuesday, 12/14: Nutcracker Performance @ 9:30
Friday, 12/17: Holiday Party & Gift Exchange
12/20-12/31: Winter Break