December 19

Okay - Can I just say, we had a lot of fun today! (and yes, we are still learning!) We worked on lesson 17 in math which looked at the multiplication tables and the patterns that we see....such as an even product can have an odd factor, BUT an odd product cannot have an even factor. We worked on exit tickets and HW in class. The biggest strength your child can have in this unit is full fluency and competency in their multiplication and math facts. The bottom line is, I can teach them all these strategies to take apart numbers and put them back and make it easier for mental math, but if they just know that 7x8 =56, then all these strategies (that can be confusing to us adults) don't need to be used!

After math we played a game of Christmas Triva Scoot with Ms. Mendillo's class. We worked in pairs to answer all sorts of Christmas questions about songs, movies, traditions etc....It was great to watch everybody go through the halls in search of questions and work together to answer them. The winners from our class were Mady and Kiersten with 18 out of 28 possible questions correct! Congrats girls!

Students continued to work on their Christmas mystery stories on Google Classroom. Some studetns still need to finish and will do so tomorrow.

We practiced a reader's theatre piece of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas that we will perform for the Kindergarteners in Mrs. Cruz's class on Thursday. I have asked each child to bring their favorite holiday book to read to their reading buddy that day. It would help if they practice it first, and it should be a book they can actually read aloud fluently!

After special we played a game called Kahoot! and let me tell you......learning has never been more fun! I promised we'd play it every day this week at the end of the day as long as they behave!

Speaking of behavior, I want to take this opporunity to remind you of what I reminded the students this week. Extras like using i-pads, playing games, and participating in class parties are all priviledges. Students must earn these priviledges by showing proper respect for the classroom, students, teacher and the property of the school. This week is crazy for everybody and the excitement for the upcoming vacation and Christmas holiday makes us all act a little different. BUT rules are rules and we are trying to keep it as normal as possible without letting it be a complete free-for-all! So, please remind your child that we still expect them to live up to the school and classroom expectations. THANK YOU!

Our class holiday party is on Friday. I sent home letters last week and also attached it to an email that I sent you. Please bring the item that was highlighted on the letter your child brought home. Also, if you want to bring something extra, that is fine. Students will bring or buy lunch as normal and we'll all eat in the classroom with our extra snacks and treats! Our party will be short, so please let the kids enjoy it with their peers.....we don't need any extra help from parents. We have special at 2 pm and then will play a game until dismissal that day.

As always, thank you for your continued support!!!