March 31-April 11

Important News

• Please remember to send back the "book in a bag" so that your child can continue to practice the skills that they learn in guided reading.  Please remind your child to change their book daily.
• If you get a book in a bag that says "please return tomorrow" it is very important that you send it back to school the next day because it is one of our guided reading books.  Thank you!
• The first Blizzard Bag will be sent home on Monday, March 31.   The second blizzard bag will come home on Monday, April 14.  If you have any questions, please contact us.  We would be happy to help!

Language Arts

• We will be learning about the Earth, Sun and Moon for the next two weeks.  We will be reading many non-fiction books including Earth and Moon and Watching the Night Sky.  Ask your child to share some information that they have learned.   We will also focus on the comprehension skill of comparing and contrasting.
• Word study--We will be working on blends--st, sp, sk, sn

Math

• We have been focusing on fluency with the addition and subtraction facts to 5.  You may have seen some timed tests come home in the last week.  We are practicing completing 10 math facts in one minute. 

Right to Read Week

Monday, March 17--Dress like a character day!  Wear a shirt with a character on it!  You can also dress like a character from your favorite book.
Tuesday, March 18--Wear a shirt with an animal or animal print!  We will enjoy an assembly from the Cleveland Zoo!
Wednesday, March 19--Wear a shirt with words!
Thursday, March 20--Exploring our favorite places day!  Wear a cape today!  Tonight you can enjoy a program called Evening Bedtime Stories with Mr. V in the Miller gymnasium from 7:00-7:30!  Wear your pajamas and bring a towel or blanket.
Friday, March 21--Wear a shirt with numbers on it!

Thank you!  It will be a fun week!

March 10-14 and March 17-21

IMPORTANT NEWS

• Our Spring Music Concert has been scheduled for Friday, May 2 at 2:30
• Please remember to send back the "book in a bag" each day. 
• Please check with your child to see if they still have a working pair of headphones.  Many of the headphones are broken and need replaced.  Thank you!  We use them daily!

RIGHT TO READ WEEK
Right to Read Week is coming up!  March 17-21!  This is a week that we get to celebrate reading in a ton of fun ways.  Look for the information about Right to Read Week that came home last week in the Miller newsletter and on our blog!

LANGUAGE ARTS
For the next two weeks in March, we will be reading the stories Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Three Little Pigs.  We will read several  versions of each story and compare and contrast them by discussing the characters, setting and plot.  We are working on L blends (gl, fl, bl...) and R blends (gr, dr, br, fr, pr, tr...)  In word study, we are focusing on the digraphs (th, and wh).

Writing--We are sent home a Heart Map on Friday.  Please help your child complete this activity at home with you.  The students should think of things that they love and know a lot about.  The students will then use the heart maps during writing to help them think of a topic that they can write about.  Please note the students can draw, print out pictures, use stickers, etc. to complete this project.  Thank you!  This week we completed our unit on informational writing and will be focusing on opinion writing for the next two weeks.

MATH
We will continue to work on addition and subtraction.  Please continue to practice the flashcards with your child.  Please use manipulatives (cheerios, cotton balls, goldfish crackers, etc.) if your child is having difficulty with solving the equations.

Benchmark Check-In

Language Arts Benchmarks:

March:

• Can identify all uppercase and lowercase letters
• Can isolate and pronounce the sounds in CVC words.  (c-a-t)
• Reading Level C books
• Can print uppercase and lowercase letters
• Begins to use punctuation and begins a sentence with a capital letter
• Writes to explain about a topic.  (All about dogs...)
• In fiction texts, can identify characters, setting and major events.
• Can identify similarities and differences between two stories.  

End of the year benchmarks:

• Level D reading level
• Comprehension of text in fiction and non-fiction.  The students can identify characters, setting, and major events in a story.  They can also retell the story in order with a beginning, middle and end.
• Reading the 20 kindergarten sight words correctly
• Spelling the 20 kindergarten sight words correctly
• Writes an opinion piece (I think PE is the best special because we can play tunnel tag.)
• Writes a narrative.  (I lost a tooth yesterday and the tooth fairy came.)
• Can isolate and pronounce the sounds in CVC words.  (c-a-t) 

Suggestions for extra practice:

• Read the leveled books found in the "book in a bag" every evening.  Please remind your child to bring home a new book each night.
• Continue to support the comprehension of text at home.  When reading with your child, ask about the characters, setting, and to retell the story to you.  What happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story?  Is this story similar to one we have read before?  How?  
• Write at home about anything!  Let your child choose the topic and write as long as their interest level allows using inventive spelling.

Math Benchmarks:

March:  

• Can identify numbers from 0-20
• Has One to one correspondence
• Can count to 100 from any given number
• Can write numbers to 20
• Understands addition as putting together and subtraction as taking away
• Begins to solve addition and subtraction problems within 10 using materials

End of the year benchmarks:

• can add and subtract fluently to 5 without materials
• Can solve addition and subtraction problems within 10 using materials\
• Understands place value (15 is 1 ten and 5 ones)
• Shape identification

Suggestions for extra practice:

• Continue to practice the math flashcards.  Try to see how many your child can do in a minute.
• Practice writing numbers (especially teens!) in fun ways!  Draw the numbers in sand, shaving cream or pudding!  Make it with play-doh, etc.

Dental Health

We wanted to share a fun app that we learned about last year.  It's called Brush DJ and it's free!  It plays music from your library for 2 minutes while you brush!  It makes brushing for 2 minutes a lot more fun!  Enjoy!

Mrs. Haughey's Class Valentine's Party

What a great Valentine's Party! Thank you to Mr. Bates, Mrs. Zeid, Mrs. West for planning a fun party!

February 24-28 & March 3-7

Dental Health
     Over the next two weeks, we will be focusing on dental health.  Your child will be reading books to learn about dental health as well as see demonstrations how to properly brush and floss their teeth. At home this week, please have a conversation with your child about the importance of brushing their teeth and help them with flossing after daily brushing.

Word Study: short vowels--e, i, o, u

Math News
       Please continue to practice math facts with your child at home.  If your child is having difficulty with the flash cards, use various objects around the house to help your child visualize the math equations which they are attempting to solve. Some ideas for objects you can use are; goldfish crackers, cotton balls, m&m's, beans, Legos, or any small object.

Outdoor Recess
    The weather is still cold and snow is still on the ground. Please make sure that you are sending proper snow attire to school with your child so they can enjoy their outdoor recess!

Have a wonderful two weeks!