Happy Holidays!!

Hello Parents,

We hope you are staying warm with the drop in temperature the past few days! Just a few quick announcements about fun upcoming events and activities:

Thursday 12/10/09 - We will be taking a field trip to the Fire Station in NW Portland to get a glimpse into the lives of the firefighters as part of our Community unit in science class.

Friday 12/11/09 - We will be making potato latkes to celebrate Hanukkah for our theme unit. Please let us know if there are any alergies to the following products: potatoes, eggs, onion, and sour cream or applesauce are used as toppings.

Wednesday 12/16/09 - This will be our Career Day. Students are encouraged to bring clothes that correspond to a particular job or career they may choose for their future. The students will share a few things about why they chose that career with the class. If any parents would like to come in and share what you do for a living, you are encouraged to contact Mr. Lucas to set up a time to come in.

Thank you for your ongoing support and we hope you are enjoying the holiday season!
Mr.Lucas, Ms.Pranke, & Mr.Walker

"You are not Alone"

Hello Parents,

Here are a few pictures from the class. I hope that you enjoy them.

It is getting close to the start of the holiday. I would like to tell you some of the activities that I have planned in our science classes.

On December 11, we will be making Latkes for the start of Hanukkah. The Latkes are potato pancakes. They are made of potatoes, eggs, onions and served with apple sauce and sour cream.

We are also studying community helpers. On December 16 your student will have the opportunity to dress up as someone in their community. I am also going to see if I can get us to visit the local fire house.

If any one would like to come in and share what they do for a living, please feel free to email and let me know.

Thanks, Dr. Manhattan

A Hard risin' Morning Without Breakfast

Hello Parents,

We have just finished up our tasting experiments here at school. A surprise favorite for the tate test on Friday was the hot sauce. More than a few students said that it was spicy, but was also very good!

For the next several weeks we will be reviewing simple machines.

Here are the simple machines that we will explore:

1. wheels and axels

2. inclined planes

3. pulleys

4. screws

5. levers

We will read books about each simple machine and do at least one experiment with each one. An experiment that we did with wheels and axels was to try and push a classmate across the floor. We dicussed why this was hard to do. We talked about how both friction and gravity made it hard to move a student across the floor. We then put a friend on a four-wheeled scooter and pushed again. After that we learned how the scooter reduced the friction making it easier to move the load across the carpet.

If you have any questions about science feel free to email me here at school.

Have a Great day,

Mr. Lucas

It's Pumpkin Huntin' Season!!

Hello Parents,

Happy Halloween! We will be having an all school pumpkin hunt Thursday October 29th. The hunt will be in the afternoon and we ask that your child takes his or her pumpkin home after the festivities. We have been using the pumpkins for various activities in math, theme and writing and we'd like to get them home before they start to rot, go bad, etc.

Also, another quick reminder that we will be going on a field trip to the Children's Museum on Friday October 30th. Thank you to the parents who are attending as helpers. Please make sure your student is at school on time because we will be leaving for the bus shortly after we take attendance.

Last but not least, we have a Parent's Day Out on Saturday October 31st. Your student can come to school dressed in his or her Halloween Costume and enjoy a fun day of games, haunted houses, movies and more.

Please let us know if you have any questions about the upcoming events.

Thanks,
Mr.Lucas, Ms.Pranke and Mr. Walker

Thank You!!

Thank you to everyone who helped make Mr. Walker and Ms. Pranke's birthday a special day. Your gifts and cards really touched our hearts and reminded us both of what a great group of students and parents we have to work with.

Be well,

Mr. Walker & Ms. Pranke

Exciting October Events

Hello Shark and Kangaroo Parents!

October is in full swing and we wanted to give you a friendly reminder that students need to be sent to school with a long sweater and/or coat.

In other news, the annual Back to School Night will be happening this Wednesday evening October 14th for lower school. This event will be for parents only and they should plan on being at the school by 6:30 pm. Unfortunately, Ms.Pranke will not be in attendance for this fun-filled event due to a family emergency. She will be out the rest of the week, and return to school the following Monday.

We also have the celebration of Diwali happening on Friday October 16th. Any parents who would like to share a special activity or participate in anyway are encouraged to attend. We would love to see you here to celebrate!

Other important dates that will be happening this month are as follows:

• Maintenance Day - Saturday October 17th from 9-1:00pm
• Field Trip to the Children's Museum - Friday October 30th from 9:30-11:30
• Halloween PNO - Saturday October 31st from 12-4pm

If you have any other questions feel free to ask or email. We hope you are enjoying the leaves changing and the wonderful transition to fall!

Mr.Lucas, Ms.Pranke, and Mr.Walker

Sister Golden Hair

Hello Parents,

For this week only we have sent out the homework folders early.  They are not due back until next Thursday, September 17.  We sent them out early so that you could have the letter and schedule early.  

READING BOOKS

The reading homework will be sent out everyday from Monday thru Thursday.  It is to be returned everyday.  Please make sure to sit and listen to your student read to you.  After they have read the assigned reading please sign and place the book in your student's backpack.  

Thank you

Hello Shark and Kangaroo Parents,


Welcome to a new and exciting year. This letter will briefly describe some of the changes that your student’s team is having as well as some of the procedures of our class.


Your students have been divided into three groups: The Kangaroos with Mr. Lucas as their base teacher, the Tiger Sharks with Ms. Pranke as their base teacher and the Great White Sharks with Mr. Walker. We will be rotating the students throughout the day for their classes. Please see your copy of the schedule to learn where your child is during the day.

HOMEWORK

Homework this year will go out each Friday and will be due the following Thursday. Your student’s homework is designed to be a review of skills that they are currently working on or have previously worked on. It is not meant to be challenging, but rather review. It will include enough work for your student to do a portion each night. Please refrain from doing it all at once. This defeats the goals of teaching your student the work habits that we are trying to instill in them.

Reading homework will be sent home daily. Inside the front cover will be a yellow sheet, which will include your students name, pages to be read, date and a place for you to initial when they have completed the assignment. Please return these books everyday. There will also be a bag with vocabulary words for your student to review. Please have them spell the words, practice writing them and define them. Your student can also cut these words out and play matching games with them. These words can be kept at home.

If your student is gone the day homework is sent out you can pick up extras at the front lobby in the Kangaroo and Shark homework bins.

SCIENCE AND THEME

For the first month of Science and Theme we will be working on our All About Me bags. These bags should contain five or six items that tell something about your student. The class will use these bags to write sentences and stories about each student. Please bring these bags to Mr. Lucas’s room ASAP.

Your student also needs to bring in a stuffed bear/animal to school. We will use these bears for writing and math activities (circumference, length, weight, etc…). Please try to have both of these items in quickly as we need these for our lessons.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask any of us.


Have a great week,

Mr. Lucas, Ms, Pranke and Mr. Walker