We were excited to participate in Hour of Code last week, and we had some guests in our classroom come and observe us programming a Bee-Bot. Ms. Shmueli came in on Thursday and tweeted about it on the school's Twitter account-- check it out as some of your children are featured: https://twitter.com/teamaltavista We had a lot of fun, and will continue to work on incorporating technology into our classroom with lessons that also hit on other skills-- the Bee Bot lesson tied in sight word recognition with programming. We also followed up by using our new set of classroom iPads to move a virtual Bee Bot around on the Bee Bot app!
The main "business" of this week is all things Nutcracker! We will be practicing daily this week, so I am canceling centers. We do not have a new letter or any new sight words. There will also be no homework/red bags this Wednesday. Enjoy a stress-free week to focus on your holiday preparations!
For the Nutcracker performance, we have a photographer-- thanks to Lawrence, (another one would be perfect), but we will also need just a few parents to help us with the theater make-up and costuming on the day of the performance. Please let me know if you can help with this. You would come in at around 8:45 or so and begin calling kids back individually and get them ready for the stage. Thank you!
We will continue our topic on addition this week and on into the first week of 2016. This is definitely a concept that needs additional reinforcement at home as well. Get out those iPads over the break, or go to a math reinforcement website (ixl.com, xtramath.com) to work on both addition and subtraction (coming in January) facts.
This week's share is song, poem, or nursery rhyme. Please have your child be prepared to recite a song, poem, or nursery rhyme. If children are stuck for ideas, they can always sing a favorite alpha friend song. Songs or poems in other languages are always appreciated as well!
A reminder about clothing for the Nutcracker: please remember to dress your children in the clothes suggested in the letter sent home in the Wednesday envelope. Children should come to school dressed in these items on Friday. Girls can wear something over the top of their leotards when they arrive and change into their ballet shoes for the performance. As a reminder, here is the list:
FRITZ: Bathrobe/pajamas & slippers
SOLDIERS/RUSSIAN DANCERS: White Shirt & Dark Pants w/ dark shoes
MOUSE KING/MICE: Dark Shirt & Dark Pants & dark shoes
SUGAR PLUM, RIBBON CANDY, FLOWERS: Light colored leotard/light colored tights/ballet slippers or light colored shoes-- leotards with tutus attached are fine & encouraged for Sugar Plum Fairies & Flowers, especially. Ribbon tutu provided for Ribbon Candies.
ARABIAN: Light colored fitted shirt w/ leggings OR leotard (we provide the Harem pants)
CHINESE DANCERS: Shirt doesn't matter so much (will be wearing jacket we provide) dark pants.
Please borrow whatever you need to borrow-- we don't intend for anyone to have to buy anything. I have 2-3 leotards and a few pairs of ballet slippers in the classroom that used to belong to my daughter that are also available-- let me know if you need to borrow.
Please arrive promptly in the cafeteria for the Nutcracker, as we intend to start the show right on time. Also, please do not try to come early and save seats. We will be keeping the doors locked until about 15 minutes before the performance.We want everyone to enjoy the performance, so please refrain from standing and blocking the aisles as much as possible. Also remember that school-aged siblings are not to be pulled out of class to watch the performance. Thank you!
Remember to bring your blue bags tomorrow. Starting in January, a journal page will be added to the homework packet so that your children can write a response to the book in the bag each week. No blue bags this Wednesday, but there will be Wednesday envelopes. Please return those on Thursday so that they don't get lost over the long holiday.
Happy Holidays!
This Week's Helpers & Activities:
Monday: Blue Bags returned (Jillian), No centers, Sharing
Tuesday: No centers, Sharing
Wednesday: Computers (Johanna), Sharing, Weds. envelopes go home
Thursday: Weds. envelopes returned, No centers, Sharing
Friday: Nutcracker Performance @ 10:00 followed by Cast Party afterward!
Upcoming Events:
Friday: Nutcracker Performance @ 10:00 followed by Cast Party afterward!
Upcoming Events:
12/18: Nutcracker Performance @ 10:00
12/19-1/3: Winter Break
1/18: No School: MLK Day
1/21: Incoming Kindergartner Parent Information Night
2/2: 100 Day
2/15-2/19: President's Week Break
12/19-1/3: Winter Break
1/18: No School: MLK Day
1/21: Incoming Kindergartner Parent Information Night
2/2: 100 Day
2/15-2/19: President's Week Break
