Spelling/Math Facts/Next Year

It’s hard to believe we are closing in on June! We’ve accomplished so much this year and the kids have grown tremendously…I’m so proud of their hard work! Here are a few notes/updates for the next few weeks.

- Spelling – I am sending home one last list for the year. They are science related words. The spelling assignment will be due and the test given next Friday, June 8th.

-Math facts – I am going to give all of the kids Level 30 and 42 next Monday as an assessment of where they are at the end of the year. Please spend some time reviewing all addition math facts over the next week in preparation. 5-10 minutes a day of flashcards goes a long way!

- Next year – A few of you have asked me about my placement for next year. I shared with the kids last week that I have accepted the Olders (4th/5th grade) position at DCS for next year. I am very excited about this new adventure and grateful that I get to continue to work in this wonderful Sandburg/DCS community. Mrs. Fornia will continue to teach 2nd grade at Sandburg and will be job sharing with Ms. Subcleff.

Families..

It’s another sunny/cloudy/windy Friday! The students have done all kinds of creative things the past few weeks.  Last week they made clay cupcakes with Mrs. Subcleff (our Art Enrichment Teacher). Check out the Art Blog for more details and pictures on this lesson. www.sandburgartenrichment.blogspot.com

The Friday before Spring Break we looked at a few pieces of Folk Art, specifically Roosters! The kids chose tempera paint or oil pastels to create their own work of art. They needed to include bright colors and polka dots.

(Sorry- this picture would not rotate.)

Last week we began the art lesson by looking at mixed media collages. We used mixed tempera to paint a landscape and we cut up magazines/ textured paper to create a scene. This art will be coming home today so look for it in your child’s folder.

The artwork for today is titled “We Love Our Moms”

Lastly, I will be teaching at the First Friday Workshop at the Bellevue Arts Museum next Friday! At this workshop the kids tour an exhibit at the museum, eat pizza and veggies for dinner and create a masterpiece related to the exhibit. And parents get a night off! I would love to see some familiar faces. You can register your child for this event at www.smartwithart.net. Click on Register- workshops.

Have a wonderful weekend! -Janna

Reader’s Theater

Hopefully you saw the invitation for our Folk Tale Reader’s Theater that came home yesterday. We will be performing 3 plays on Tuesday, May 1 from 9:30-10:30. We hope to see you here! The kids make cute masks today and are very excited to share. They will not need to memorize their parts, we will be reading from the scripts.

 

Friday Reminders

Two reminders for Friday:

- Send in Flat Stanley address and stamps. If you lost the paper, just send the address of a friend/family member in United States who would be willing to send you some information about their community. Also send two stamps.

-Have your child wear good running shoes tomorrow. They will be running the 1/2 mile in PE.

 

 

Exciting Adventure

Dear Families,

I writing to let you know of an amazing opportunity and adventure I’m taking this spring. In May, I am going to travel with a team of women from my church to Cape Town, South Africa. We will be working with an organization called Living Hope based out of Cape Town that serves the people of that community who are suffering due to illness and poverty. We will have the privilege of serving these people by providing health care, teaching children’s programs, visiting shut-in AIDS patients and participating in adult health and job skills training.

I will be gone from school from Thursday, May 3 through Tuesday, May 15^th. In my absence, Mrs. Fornia and Ms. Subcleff will be in class with the kids. I’m hoping that after having these two wonderful women in class for the better part of two weeks that they will still want me to come back!

I know this trip will be exciting and difficult all at the same time, as my eyes are opened in a new way to the needs of people around the world. I’m also excited to share parts of this adventure with your children. I am going to be teaching a folktales literature unit in April and we will spend some time reading African folktales as well as learning a bit about African communities and art.

The organization we are working with has given us a list of items that they routinely need and use in their children’s programs. If you would like to donate any of the following items, I will be collecting a suitcase full of things to take with me to share with the kids of Cape Town. Please don’t feel obligated!

* soccer balls (deflated) & pumps
* face paints
* streamers
* crayons

* colored construction paper – 8.5 x 11
* colored card stock – 8.5 x 11
* underwear – kid’s sizes
* washcloths & toothbrushes

I love this quote from the founder of Living Hope. “It’s better to build a whole child than try to mend a broken man” —Avril Thomas

Please let me know if you have any questions about my trip or absence.

~Julie Guest

Science Test & March Writing Assignment

It’s hard to believe we are in our last week before spring break! Time flies when you are having fun!!!

1. Science test We are finishing our Balance and Motion Science Unit this week and will take the District Science Assessment on Thursday. Look for a study guide and your student’s science journal to come home today as resources to study for the test. Be sure to check out the new photos I posted in the photo gallery of today’s marble ramps. They posted at the bottom of the page so scroll down. Password is Sandburg if you forgot.

2. March Writing Assignment – Due to the science test on Thursday, I’m extending the March writing assignment due date until Monday, April 9th. This writing prompt fits perfectly with a recount of a fun spring break activity. Happy writing!

3. IXL.com – Thanks to our PTSA, we have received a membership to IXL.com. It’s a great math practice web site. Your student has a logon and knows how to use the web site…feel free to use it at home.

4. Storybird.com  - This is another fun website we have been using in class. Encourage your student to get on it over spring break and write a story.

5. Congratulations to the Fire Phoenixes who were our National Champion March Madness Readers!!! Way to go Eli, Jack G,Eamon, Lucas, Adam, Ari, Sebastian, and Ryan!!!

Last Friday…

The sun was shining! We were painting. It’s was great day!

The students brought home their one-point perspective drawings on Friday. For this assignment they drew a horizon line and a vanishing point in the middle. Their art is really blossoming as each child develops their own style. Take a look..

This past Friday we looked at artwork by Romero Brito. We compared a few of his pieces and concluded that he used bright colors, lots of shapes and different patterns in his work. The students used tempera paint to create a masterpiece in the style of Romero Brito. (The kids quickly noticed that his last name sounds like burrito!)

I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse of our Friday afternoon!

One last thing for this Sunday evening- March Madness Reading slips are due tomorrow!

Hoping for another sunny day tomorrow!
Janna Fornia