Week 17

This week will be an exciting whirlwind leading up to Christmas break!

Christmas Program:
We have a couple of Christmas programs happening this week!  The preschool and pre-k Christmas program is on Tuesday, December 16 at 6 PM.
The K-8 Christmas program is Thursday, December 18!  See Mr. Haan’s email from yesterday for more logistics.

·       2 PM program:  doors open at 1:30 PM, students will wear standard of dress

·       6 PM program: doors open at 5:30 PM, students can wear standard of dress or Christmassy clothes that meet the free dress guidelines

Christmas Around the World:
On Friday, K-5 will spend the whole morning traveling to 6 different countries (classrooms) to learn about how each country celebrates Christmas. As this is a half-day full of fun and excitement, we suggest students leave EVERYTHING AT HOME. You read that right: no need for a backpack, snack, or water bottle. We will spend one day this week decorating our "suitcases" for this event, so students will have something to carry their crafts home in. In a few of the countries, students will also be provided a light snack. However, if your student is staying after school for Eagles Nest, please make sure they have a backpack and lunch. Otherwise, students will be dismissed at our regular early release time. If you are volunteering for this event, please stay after dropping off your student at school. Please join us for Chapel, and then immediately afterward, Miss. Closner and Mrs. Arnold will give you instructions before our students return to the sanctuary to start our fun. It's going to be an exciting week before we head to Christmas break!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll continue through the Old Testament.  We’ll learn about the fall of Judah and we’ll talk about how things go better when we do things God’s way.  We’ll also learn about Esther and how God used an ordinary young woman to do extraordinary things for Him.

Math:
This week in math we’ll finish up our module on telling time.  Then we get a break from math homework! 

Week 16

As we approach Christmas, we have lots to do before Christmas break starts!  Here are some dates to be aware of:

Thursday, December 18:  Christmas Program Performances
2 PM—student will wear standard of dress clothes
6 PM—students arrive at 5:45 and go to their classrooms.  They can wear standard of dress or dressier clothes.
Friday, December 19:  Christmas Around the World and Half Day
-Students can wear spirit wear.
-No snacks needed, no lunch needed (unless your child is going to Eagles’ Nest after school)
-Dismissal at 11:15 AM
-No backpacks or water bottles needed

Christian Studies:
This week we will learn about Naaman, a Syrian general, who sought out God’s help and was healed of leprosy.  We’ll also connect Naaman’s healing to our own baptism.  We’ll also learn about Hoshea and the fall of Israel.  We’ll discuss how God is always with us, no matter what’s going on in our lives.

Math:
This week we’ll start a module on telling time.  In 1^st grade, the students learned how to tell time to the hour and half hour.  We’ll extend their learning by telling time to 5 minutes, we’ll talk about different ways to tell and write time, and we’ll tell time with A.M. and P.M.

Language Arts:
This week’s phonics concept is the Change Rule.  We’ll discuss when we change the “y” at the end of the word to an “i” before we add the ending, and we’ll talk about when we don’t change the “y” to an “i”.  We’ll practice our new red words, too: always, hour.

Christmas Activities:
We’ll have a few Christmas activities to be working on this week, and we’ll also get a chance to learn about Norman Rockwell and create a Christmassy magazine cover in his style.

Week 15

We’re back to another full week of school!  I can’t believe how quickly November flew by, and I know December will go even more quickly!  A quick note about the weather: with the weather getting colder, I’m encouraging the students to come prepared with a heavy winter coat.  A sweatshirt won’t be enough for recesses when it gets below freezing.  They’re also welcome to bring hats and gloves; I recommend trying to write their last name on the tags and having the kids store them in their coat pockets.

Movie and Stuffed Animal Day:
The 2^nd grade class has earned a movie and stuffed animal day!  We’ll be watching The Super Mario Bros Movie on Friday, December 5!  Look for more information on a dark green note going home on Monday!

Christian Studies:
This week in Christian Studies we’ll continue our walk through the Old Testament.  We’ll talk about Solomon and how he turned from God, leading to some dire consequences for Israel.  In the midst of that bad news, we’ll also talk about the promise God gave Israel, as well as how He sent Jesus to redeem us.  We’ll then learn about Elijah and how God spoke to Him in a surprising way.

Math:
This week we’ll start and finish a new module on money, this time talking about dollar amounts.  We’ll continue to count coins and will use the amounts we’ve counted to solve other problems.

Language Arts:
This week’s phonics rule is the drop rule.  When we have a silent e at the end of a word (like when we have a Magic E), before we add an ending that starts with a vowel, we’ll drop the e.  We’ll practice this rule throughout the week, as well as our new red word: through.

We’ll also do our first unit reading assessment.  We’ll break it up into shorter pieces, and the students will use reading strategies to answer questions about a text they read independently.  This assessment also has a writing component to it, where the kids will write a paragraph about a time they helped someone.