Friends of Room 114,

I hope everyone had a great weekend and a very happy Mother’s Day!

Notes and Reminders:

-Join Team Ray for the Climate Cycle bike ride on Sunday, June 17, 2012.  http://climatecycle.org/

-Our next field trip is Wednesday, May 23^rd.  We will need lots of chaperones for this field trip.  Please email me if you are able to chaperone.

Reading

This week in reading workshop students will read The Dot and Artists Create Art.  Students will complete Venn diagrams comparing how characters change at the beginning and the end of a story.  During word study we will add –ed and –ing to words looking at how this impacts the words spelling.  We will also review syllables and pronouns.  During Writing Workshop we will continue our poetry unit.  We will be listening for line breaks, hear the music in poetry and look at the ingredients of a poem

Math

This week we will begin Unit 9.  Students will look at the number grid and find patterns in the grid (10’s place is the same in each row, 1’s place same in each column).  Students will be working with the number grid to add and subtract numbers. We will begin adding with 2 digit numbers.

Science and Social Science

This week in science we will observe snails and guppies. In social science we will begin Unit 5.  We will learn about culture and the Native Americans.  We will discuss the influence early Native Americans had on our culture and the history of our country through storytelling.

Have a great week!

Stacy Horgan

Friends of Room 114,

• Please return any money collected for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
• Please send in any sturdy recyclable bags. Ms. Travis will use these for the upcoming book trade.
• Last week information was sent home on the upcoming Climate Cycle bike ride.  This program will allow solar panels to be placed at Ray.  If you log onto the Climate cycle website, you may register and join Team Ray.  All you must do is pay the registration fee.  You do not have to raise the $200 that the site states.  I will be taking part in the 10-mile bike ride.  http://climatecycle.org
• This week we will have Library on Wednesday at 2:30.  Please make sure that the students bring their library books.
• We are going on a field trip this Thursday.  The students must bring a lunch to school.  If you have not yet paid please do so by Wednesday.  The cost of the remaining field trips for this school year is $15.
• If you haven’t sent Brain Boost snack yet, please consider sending a healthy snack with your child.

Reading

This week in reading workshop students will review many of the skills and strategies we have focused on during Unit 5.  We will focus on understanding character traits, sequence of events and drawing conclusions. We will also review prepositional phrases, proper nouns and diphthongs.  During writing workshop we will practice writing paragraphs with a topic sentence and three supporting detail sentences.

Math

In math we will complete Unit 8. We will continue to practice making change and comparing coin values. We will learn more about halves, thirds, fourths, fifths and sixths when discussing fractions.  We also review doubles (2+2) and near doubles (1+2 and 2+3) in addition.  Students will take their Unit 8 assessment next Monday.

Science and Social Science

This week in science we will work on classifying organisms and observe our aquatic habitat.   In social science we take or Unit 4 assessment, reviewing how life has changed over time.  Students have also selected a state to research for our new report.  More information will be sent home on this later in the week.

Have a great week!

Friends of Room 114,

I hope everyone had a good weekend.  I had an amazing time spoiling my nephew and visiting with family in Lake Tahoe.  I received a wonderful report from Ms. Byas about the class during my absence.

Notes and Reminders:

• The cost of the remaining field trips for this school year is $15.  If you have not yet paid please do so by Friday, May 4^th.
• May is the girls’ month for snack. Please donate snacks this week!
• Please send in any sturdy recyclable bags. Ms. Travis will use these for the upcoming book trade.
•  This week we will take the MAP tests once again. We will not have music and computer this week.  I will send home testing results as soon as possible.
•  Please return any money collected for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Reading

This week in reading workshop students will read The New Friend and discuss how characters actions and intonation show how they feel.   We will also learn about celebrations that happen in communities around our city. During word study we will learn about dipthongs ow, ou (house, now).  We will also learn about synonyms and using a thesaurus to enrich our word choice.   During writing workshop we will begin a poetry unit.  Please allow your child to bring in any poetry books they wish to share with the class.

Math

In math we will continue with unit 8. We will write our own number stories using priced items from a school store poster. We will practice giving change by counting up. Please continue to give your child lots of opportunities to work with money at home.  We will also begin to talk about fractions in simple terms by identifying equal parts.

Science and Social Science

This week in science we will continue with our unit on living organisms. We will discuss materials necessary for building aquatic habitats and take note of the growth we have seen in our plants. In social science we learn about changes in transportation.

Have a great week!

Stacy Horgan

Friends of Room 114,

Notes and Reminders:

-Congratulations to Kai and the entire Beauchamp family.  This past Thursday they welcomed a healthy baby girl into the world.  According to Kai she is cute, sleeps and cries a lot!

-This past Friday my sister gave birth to a wonderful little boy, Liam Asher.  I will be gone this Friday, April 27^th and Monday, April 30^th,traveling to Lake Tahoe to meet my new nephew.

-A note went home last week about two upcoming field trips.  I am collecting money for both field trips at once.  The cost of the two trips in $15 and will cover the remaining trips this year.  At this time most families have paid for the entire field trips but if you have not please submit $15 as soon as possible.

-Spring pictures were sent home at report card pick up.  The deadline for Life Touch photo returns is tomorrow, April 24^th.  A Life Touch representative will be here to collect all returned photos.  Any kept photos will be charged accordingly.

-April is boys’ month for snack.

-After school activities have ended for the year.  Please remember to pick your child up promptly at 3:30.  I have had to bring many students up to the office after dismissal these past few weeks.

Reading

This week in reading workshop students will read A Butterfly Grows and complete a sequence of events chart using information about a butterfly’s life.   Students will also read and act in a play about the friendship of two bugs.  During word study we will learn about the long u sound made with oo, ou, ew, and ue.  We will also learn about words with multiple meanings.   During writing workshop we will be focusing on proper punctuation, capitalization and spelling.  Students are also expected to write a paragraph, with main idea and topic.

Math

In math we will take our Unit 7 assessment.  We will begin Unit 8, learning about exchanging money and using dollars.  We will also learn more about telling time and place value.  Please provide your child with many opportunities to work with money outside of school.

Science and Social Science

This week in science we will continue our study on plants.  We will be observing our wheat and grass, recording our observations in a journal.  In social science we will compare schools and technology and how they change over time.

Have a great week!

Stacy Horgan

Friends of Room 114,

Thanks so much to all of the families who were able to attend the Ray School Festival. I had a blast painting faces!

-Report card pick-up and conferences are Wednesday, April 18^th.  If you are unable to meet on this day please email me and we can set up another time.  I sent home each requested time sheet and highlighted your conference time.  In addition each scheduled conference is written on the calendar in your child’s homework folder.

-April is boys’ month for snack.  If you have not turned in a snack please do so as soon as possible as we are running very low on snacks.

-The preschool is holding a food drive.  Please donate any non-perishable foods by Friday, April 20, 2012.

-After school activities have ended for the year.  Please remember to pick your child up promptly at 3:30.

Reading

This week in reading workshop students will read Whistle for Willie and complete a cause and effect chart using events from the story.   Students will also read silly animal poems to add to their poetry journal.  We will learn how to use a dictionary and discuss how to break a word into syllables.  During word study we will learn about the digraph ‘oo’ (book, food).  We will also learn about possessive pronouns my, her, his, your.  During writing workshop we will continue to work on All About books.  The students are doing a great job and putting a lot of work into their published pieces.

Math

In math we will continue our study of 3-dimensional shapes.  We will focus on the cube, pyramid and cone.  We will also learn about symmetry.  I will be sending home a unit 7 review for our test next Monday.  This unit we learned about 2 and 3-dimensional shapes, symmetry and attributes.

Science and Social Science

This week in science we will continue our study on plants.  We will be observing our wheat and grass, recording our observations in a journal.  In social science we will learn about Earth Day and what we can do to help.  We will also begin Unit 4 focusing on how life changes over time.

Have a great week!

Stacy Horgan

This weeks newsletter had a virus and did not save on the blog.  Please refer to your child’s hard copy in homework folders for all information

Friends of Room 114,

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

-Spring Break is next week!  There will be no school April 2^nd- April 6^th, 2012.

-Donations of tissue, glue sticks and black dry erase markers would be greatly appreciated.  With allergy season upon us we have been going through a box of tissues a day.

- On April 12, 2012 we will be going to the Alvin Ailey Dance Co.  The cost of the trip is $18.  Please pay no later than Friday, March 30^th.  You may also pay for the remaining field trips at this time.  The cost for the remainder of the year is $33.

- On Friday I sent home a report of how many checks each child received last week.  If your child has 3 checks or less they will not have a note sent home.  Look for this in their folder every Friday.  If you have a questions about this please email me.

-Spring school pictures are Thursday, March 29^th.  A form was sent home with rates for these pictures.  Please return the form by Wednesday if you would like to select a pose for your child.

-The PTA Book Fair is happening all this week.   We are visiting the book fair today.  However, if you child found something they would like to purchase, and did not have money, they may go any other day.

-Please remember that students are to be picked up after school promptly at 3:30.  I will be staying outside until 3:35, after this time students will be escorted to the office.

Reading

This week in reading workshop students will read fiction and non-fiction books about trees.  Students will read The Tree and It Comes From Trees.  Students will complete a story web with information from the text and answer the question, What do characters do when there is a problem?  During word study we will learn about r-controlled words, focusing on  -ar (arm, star, yard), -or and –ore (shore, orange).  Students will also review pronouns replacing  proper nouns with a pronoun in a sentence.  In writing workshop we will continue work on our All About Me books.  Please pay attention to your child’s writing, checking for correct letter formation.

Math

We will have our Unit 6 test tomorrow.  Originally I had scheduled the test for today but after looking over student work I felt one more day of review was necessary.  We will begin Unit 7 on Wednesday.  This week students will compare attributes of objects, focusing on size, shape and color.

Science and Social Science

This week in science we will learn about the food chain and how all creatures are important.  We will also discuss the parts of a plant and how they all work together.  In social science we will learn about American symbols and landmarks.  We will also discuss national holidays and why people believe they should be celebrated.

Have a great week!

Stacy Horgan

Friends of Room 114,

Weekly reminders:

-A field trip notice is being sent home today.  On April 12, 2012 we will be going to the Alvin Ailey Dance Co.  The cost of the trip is $18.  Please pay as soon as possible.  You may also pay for the remaining field trips at this time.  The cost for the remainder of the year is $33.

- On Friday I will send home a report of how many checks (reminders for following classroom rules) your child received over the course of the week. Please talk to your child about appropriate behaviors for the classroom/school.

-Spring school pictures are Thursday, March 29^th.  A form was sent home last week with rates for these photos.  Please send in money if you would like your child to receive pictures.

-The PTA Book Fair is happening all next week.  Our class will be visiting the book fair on Monday, March 26^th.  Please send money with your child on that day if they wish to purchase books.  In addition, we have been given a collection box to collect loose change for the PTA Book Fair.  Feel free to send any change to school to donate to our class fund.

-Please remember that students are to be picked up after school promptly at 3:30.  No students will be left outside without parent supervision.

Reading

This week in reading workshop students will read humorous fiction books.  After reading Little Rabbits Tale students will complete a cause and effect chart using events from the story. Students will also read various silly poems and we will practice reading tongue twisters.  During word study we will learn about the vowel pair –ea and how it can make the short and long e sound (ready and sea). Students will also create a list of compound words.  Each student will create flip charts for the compound words they chose to study.  We will also study prepositional phrases, focusing on words that show when something happens (during, before, after, by, at).  In writing workshop we will begin our All About Me books.

Math

This week we will learn about range and median.  We will also review for our Unit 6 test next Monday.  During this unit we have learned about fact families, measuring with the centimeter, quarters and various activities that helped us develop our addition and subtraction skills.  A unit review sheet will go home on Thursday.

Science and Social Science

This week in science we will present our animal research reports.  The student did a great job collecting information about their animal and seems excited to share their reports with the class.  In social science we will learn about our flag and how it has changed over time.  We will also learn more about the Pledge of Allegiance.

Have a great week!

Stacy Horgan

Friends of Room 114,

Weekly reminders:

-If you have any questions regarding progress reports please contact me at slhorgan@cps.edu

-Traveling library books have not gone home the last several weeks.  If your child has any old travelling library bags please send them to school this week.

-Please talk with your child about appropriate behavior during brain boost.  We have discussed at length about touching other students.  What starts as an innocent game of tag turns into something more when someone gets tagged harder than they feel is necessary.  Also, we have had a lot of ‘ninja’ play that is inappropriate at school.  Thanks for your support in this matter.

Reading

This week in reading workshop students will read non-fiction biographies.  After reading Tomas Rivera students will complete a story map sharing important details they have learned about Rivera’s life.   While reading Life Then & Now students will complete a Venn diagram comparing their life to the past.   During word study we will learn about vowel pairs –oa and -ow.  Students have been working with various vowel pairs and learned that two vowels working together often only make the sound of the first vowel.  Students will also review contraction ‘s, ‘d, ‘ll and learn contractions ‘ve and ‘re.  Students will also learn about future verb tense while using the phrase ‘is going to’.  Last week in writing workshop students published non-fiction How-To books and they turned out great.  We will publish one more How-To book this week before we begin All About books.

Math

This week we will practice learning our addition and subtraction facts while playing What’s My Rule?  We will also review the value of our penny, nickel and dime, while also introducing the quarter.  It is important that each student continues to practice skip counting from any given number.  This skill is necessary when counting money.  We will also review even and odd numbers, as well as telling time with an analog and digital clock.

Science and Social Science

This week we will complete our seed observations.  Students will use the animal research they have worked on the last few weeks to create an animal presentation.  In social science students will learn about some of the first settlers to our country and the thirteen original colonies

Have a great week!

Stacy Horgan

Friends of Room 114,

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend.  I was able to spend time with my family back in Michigan, with lots of relaxing.  Here are a few announcements for this week:

• If you need to get in touch with me please remember to use my email at slhorgan@cps.edu.   I am no longer be using other email addresses for work related matters.
• March is the girls’ month for snack donation. Please donate snack if you have not yet done so.

Reading

This week in reading workshop we will read non-fiction books about food.  After reading Where Does Food Come From students will complete a story web using the facts stated in the story. During word study we will learn about the long a (a_e, ai, _ay) sound.  We will also review contraction ‘s and learn about ‘d and ‘ll.

During writing workshop students will continue to publish non-fiction How-To books.   When your child is writing at home please make sure to check that he/she is correctly forming letters and using capitalization appropriately.  We are also spending a lot of time checking for proper punctuation.

Math

This week we will continue to practice our fast facts.  Students should practice their addition facts every night at home.  Starting this Friday I will be giving timed tests on our addition facts.  This week we will also continue to work on fact families and measurement.  We will focus on centimeters.  So far this year we have learned customary U.S units, inch and foot.  Please make sure you child has a ruler at home with inches and centimeters to practice measuring objects at home.

Science and Social Science

This week we will continue working on our seed journals.  We planted pumpkin, sunflower, snap pea and lima beans and they are all sprouting at different rates.  This Friday the research from our animal reports is due.  Students will work on their final presentations in school. In social science students will take the Unit 2 assessment. The assessment will cover the difference between a state, country and continent.  We will also show we understand resources we have in the world and the importance of recycling.

Have a great week!

Friends of Room 114,

Here are a few announcements for this week:

• Thank you to all the families that paid for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on March 12^th.  The $13 fee must be paid this week.  It would be very helpful if students paid the $46 fee for all remaining field trips.
• If you need to get in touch with me please remember to use my email at slhorgan@cps.edu.   I am no longer be using other email addresses for work related matters.
• On Friday we will celebrate filling up our marble jar.  The students voted to watch a movie that afternoon.  If you have any age appropriate movies at home that your child could share on Friday it would be greatly appreciated.  Any movie brought to school on Friday will be returned that day.
• There is no school Monday, March 5, 2012 in honor of Pulaski Day.
•  March is the girls’ month for snack donation.

Reading

This week in reading workshop we will complete our readings on travel.  We will read about Lewis and Clark and their travels across North America.  We will discuss the pros and cons of various forms of transportation.   During word study we will review the long o, long u and long e.  We will also review action words and identify the subject in a sentence.  During writing workshop students will continue to work on non-fiction How-To books.  Students will choose one of their How-To drafts to turn into a published book.

Math

This week we will look at the addition and subtraction fact table.  A copy of this fact table will be sent at home, along with a number grid.  These are to be kept at home to assist with homework.  We will also discuss equivalent names for a number 7 = seven, 3+4, 5+ 2, etc.  Students will also learn about fact families.  A fact family using the numbers 5, 1 and 6 would be 5+1=6, 1+ 5=6, 6-1=5, 6-5=1.

Science and Social Science

In science we will continue our study of plants and animals.   Students will work on the seed observation journal.  Thank you to all families that completed their 3 focus questions.  On Thursday more information on the research report will be sent home.  All reports will be completed by March 9th. In social science students will learn about ways that we can help people around the world.

Have a great week!

Stacy Horgan

Friends of Room 114,

Here are a few announcements for this week:

• A reminder for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on March 12^th was sent home last week.  The $13 fee must be paid this week.  It would be very helpful if students paid the $46 fee for all remaining field trips, but this is not mandatory.
• The African American Poetry in Motion gallery walk is scheduled for this Thursday, February 23^rd at 5:30.  This will be followed by a pot luck and the Ray School poetry slam.

Reading

This week in reading workshop we will complete our readings on space and learn about Mae Jemison.  Students will also read the story The Big Trip, and discuss the ways that we travel.  Students will complete a story web with facts they have learned about space.  During word study we will learn about the long  u and long o sound and the combinations that make (long u: u_e, -ue, ew   long e: ee, ea, _y, e_a.   We will also review statements vs. questions.  During writing workshop students continue to work on non-fiction How-To books.

Math

This week students will complete Unit 5 and take the end of unit assessment. In this unit we have studies time to the quarter hour, graphing, addition facts, money, base ten, greater than, less than and equal to.  In addition, students will learn “What’s My Rule?”  In these problems students have what is called a function machine.  This machine is programed so that when you drop a number into the machine the machine changes the number according to the rule, and a new number comes out of the machine.

Science and Social Science

In science we will continue our study of plants and animals.   Students will begin their seed observation journal.  Students will pick animals for their research report.  All reports will be completed by March 9th. In social science students will complete their “If I Were President” writing piece.  We will also discuss the climate in various parts of the country.

Have a great week!

Stacy Horgan