K-2 Newsletter
May 24, 2013

Newsflash:
 Second graders have been working a lot with money in math this week. They've been converting amounts of bills and coins into dollars-and-cents notation, adding amounts of money, and estimating totals. They also took the time to measure the area of their footprints. The first graders have started their last math unit. It is mostly review of material that we have learned earlier this year. We had a discussion about what vending machines are, and then pretended to buy snacks from a machine in their books and figured out how much it would cost to buy them. They will not have any more math homework on Thursdays. Kindergartners worked more with greater than, less than, and equal to, using our alligator greater than/less than symbol. They also reviewed subtraction and worked out problems using counters.
 Nurse Ellen came in this week to talk about fire safety and boating/water safety with first and second grades. As tick season is upon us, Nurse Ellen also talked about what they look like and what to do if they find one on them. We also talked about how to do tick checks. Nurse Ellen also visited kindergarten to remind children about water safety. They know to always have an adult with them when near water, to get inside in a storm, about life vests, and much more. Thanks Nurse Ellen for helping us all have a safe, fun summer!
 On Thursday, first and second graders made butter as part of our Little House unit.  They then got to try it on crackers.  It was delicious, and I suspect some of you may be asked to buy some cream so you can do it at home!
        Kindergarten students learned how to "tap and blend" to spell words. This is similar to how they've been tapping and blending to read words. Now they are given a short word and they spell it and write it. They are doing great with words such as: mat, red, lit, pot, and mud. Now is a good time to practice letter sounds more at home if they are not memorized, especially the short vowel sounds.

 Play practice is coming along very well.  I think we will be ready for a great performance by Wednesday!
 First and second graders had a lot of fun gardening this week. They dug up weeds and transferred salad greens from pots into our raised beds. Some students even had a chance to try tasting the radishes that had to be pulled due to overcrowding. We were fortunate that the rain held off enough to let us get our greens in the ground.
 Kindergartners have been learning more about narrative stories. They have heard many stories and discussed the narrative elements: the characters, setting, what the character wants, problem, and solution. They have also been making up stories as a group using all of these parts. There have been some pretty funny stories so far!
 Kindergarten hosted next year's kindergarten group on Wednesday. They were warm and welcoming. They showed the newcomers around the room, told them about school, and then shared a story and activity. Kate R. helped them all plant sunflower seeds in our pollinator garden. It was a joy to see the kindergartners doing this now, which they also did a year ago!

Reminders:
K-2 Play- May 29th at 9:30 in Barrett Hall
Memorial Day - no school - Monday, May 27th
Silver Lake Day -K-4 - June 6th
**Please send in $ and permission slips for Silver Lake

Ask Your Child About:
vending machines - 1st
Naturally Curious - (each classroom got a book donated by Trafalgar Square)
stories they made up - K