Dear Parents,

     Happy Thursday!   I feel like this week has gone quickly!  I am not sure why but it has. Maybe it was the change in Mass days.  We are all back in the room together!  We are very thankful for this.  The kids have missed each other a lot.  Things can finally go back to normal for all of us.  Next week is our last full week before Christmas break.  Remember in November when I told you the rest of the year goes quickly?  Well, it is happening!  I can't believe only one more full week!  We will spend all those days working very hard.  We will still have all subjects with lessons.  The two days in last week (21st and 22nd) We will still have work but I will also sprinkle in some Christmas activities.  

Language Arts -   This unit is focusing on stories dealing with weather.  This week we are reading a story called Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms.  It is a little above their heads, I think.  It is a non fiction piece talking about how a hurricane forms and the measurement tools used to measure weather.  It is a story that is okay to hear once but 3 times in a week is too much.  I honestly am not looking for very good scores on the  end of the week test tomorrow. This week in grammar we have covered my favorite topic.  The correct way to use: to, too and two, their, there, and they're, and its and it's.  I see so many people use these words incorrectly on Facebook posts.  The vocabulary strategy this week was on suffixes -ful, -less, - ness, -ment.  Tomorrow is their spelling test and end of week test.  Next week we will cover story 2.  Then we will be done in the book until after Christmas Break.

Math -  We finished up Chapter 2 and took a test this week. You will find the results in your child's take home folder.  They began chapter 3 today.  I plan to work hard on Math all next week.  I hipe to get through the first 2-3 lessons.  Then I have a "Christmas Math" activity for them.  It deals with coordinate pairs and coloring pictures.  Seems weird it is math but that is what it is.  Kind of like Battleship.  That is working with coordinate pairs and is considered Math.

Social Studies -  This week I have introduced the Map test to the students.  This is where I give them a blank map of the Northeast Region and ask them to label all the states and capitals.  They have created an answer key and I have given them 4 practice pages.  That is one for every day.  They will take an official Map test on Monday of the Northeast region.  I do this by region because at the end of the year they will expected to label all 50 states and capitals.  It is easiest to  learn by region.  I am having them sing the States and Capitals song also.  I will have them sing the song before the test then I will have them work on it.  They have also begun to put the Mid-Atlantic states in their interactive notebooks this week.  We started with Delaware.  We are getting close to taking a test.  I plan to get that done before we go to break.  We will spend a lot of time working on finishing the Northeast in our interactive notebooks also.

Christmas Program Filming -   The plan is to film for the Christmas Program next Tuesday the 15th. Please be sure to send your student in their Christmas BEST that day.  Also, yes they still have to dress in Mass clothes on Wednesday the 16th.  We are exciting to be getting something out to you to show their work in Music and our Holiday Spirit!

December 22nd - This is our last day before break.  It is a full day. It will look a little different from what we normally do.  I will give you more details next week on what exactly the day will look like.  Yes, we have a Christmas Party it will involve treats but I am not sure what time of the day it will happen yet.  It is sack lunch day though.

Just in!  We are in a Winter Weather Advisory for Friday night at 6:00PM to Saturday night at 6:00PM.  I will take it!  I love it!   The only thing to make the season better is SNOW!  I love snow.  Reminder that tomorrow is NOT a spirit day.  I repeat NOT a spirit day.  Though I wish it was!

Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I hope you are all getting ready for Christmas.  I even wrapped some packages last night!  I hope to get home in time tonight to put my lights on my porch.  Tis' the season.  

God Bless,

Mrs. Sickels