Weekly Posting :]

Reminders

   

·      Virtue of the month: Courage

Courage is also an important part of achieving academic and moral excellence for students. In our studies we must have the courage to attempt difficult problems and to be resilient when we are wrong. Courage is also necessary to stand up for what is right, particularly when the right thing to do is not easy or popular. Help us by recognizing when your child acts courageously in the month of November. 

·       This year the Archway Arete Winter Concert will be held on Wednesday, November 18th at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts located at 4132 E. Pecos Road in Gilbert. The KG-2nd grade concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. with students arriving promptly at 4:45 p.m. The 3rd-5th grade concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. with students arriving at 6:30 p.m.  Be sure your child is dressed appropriately. Boys are expected to wear a white button down shirt with black pants and black shoes, for the girls, a white shirt with black skirt, tights, and shoes. I am looking forward to the performance!

·       Keep in mind that winter uniform is expected for students, i.e., no shorts.  Check out the handbook for a full uniform description.  As the weather cools, also please keep in mind that only uniform sweaters can be worn indoors.  Jackets may be worn to school for warmth but must be free of logos and messages. 

·       Following Thanksgiving break we will switch up our reading routines. I want homework to be as beneficial as possible. We will take a break from the comprehension log. Students will be expected to read their story aloud to a parent, while listening for fluency.  Following the reading students will read from a list of first grade sight words. The words will be in a list for the students to read from, if your child would like to, many games and activities can be created using those words! The expectation starting December will be reading aloud each night and reading a short ist of sight words. If students are able to easily recognize the given sight words fluent reading will become more comfortable.

Next week…

Math

Next week we will complete our 2D and 3D shapes with an assessment to follow on Wednesday! Please check the nightly math homework assignments carefully; there will be worksheet assignments Monday-Thursday. For our math centers we will be working with the geoboards (yay!), sorting addition problems to 20, reviewing all units thus far, and playing some shape dominoes! To finish the week we will spend a short time with measurement involving comparison of length and measurement using nonstandard units. This unit is a short 2 day chapter with a quiz on Friday.

Literature

Students will start to read from “Frog and Toad Together” and work on comprehension follow up over next week.  We are having a fun time reading about the adventures of Frog and Toad. We will also be working on the Literature element of Fantasy and Reality using short stories. Expect one to be done over the weekend for homework.

Science

Onto….THE NERVOUS system! Each day we will conduct small experiments using our sense of smell, sound, taste, and touch.  Understanding that our nerves send signals to the brain to help us understand the environment around us. The nervous system is our last unit on the human body, the two days prior to break will be spent on reviewing with a study guide and assessing.

History

Continuing with our world religions unit with Christianity. Next week we will be reading and learning about the basic beliefs of Christianity, the belief that Jesus Christ is the founder of Christianity, The First Christmas”., and places of worship.  In the World History and Geography section, we introduce children to not only ancient civilizations but also to topics in the history of world religions.  Many people who contributed to the Core Knowledge curriculum agreed that religion is a shaping force in the history of civilization and thus should be apart of what our children know about.  In introducing children to the history of world religions, we focus on major symbols, figures, and stories.  Our goal is to be descriptive, not prescriptive, and to maintain a sense of respect and balance. As we share about the symbols, figures, and stories I am sure that I mention to our scholars these are practices and beliefs of the people of that religion.  If you practice one of our studied religions please feel free to send in any symbols to share!

Poem of the Moth

Scholars will be expected to recite their “Lonely” poem towards the end of the week. I am specifically looking for fluency and voice while reciting.  The 2 days prior to Holiday Break we will be reading a Thanksgiving poem as a class.