Monday Memo (Tuesday Edition) 1/19/16

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend!   My children were thrilled to see snow today.  As a result, we have three sets of wet snow pants, gloves, boot liners....Happy winter!

Winter Gear

Please make sure your child has a bag (separate from their back pack--a reusable shopping bag is best) to carry their snow gear to and from school.  Everyone should have a separate pair of shoes for the classroom for snowy days.  It's uncomfortable to wear big snow boots all day, and it makes the classroom messy.  In second grade, students frequently sit on the rug for instruction, so we can't have it getting wet.

At Happy Hollow, we try to have outdoor recess unless the temperature is dangerously cold.  Every child should have:

• Snowpants
• Gloves or mittens (waterproof are best)
• Hat
• Boots

I have extra snow pants, boots, and mittens in the classroom for forgetters, but the gloves are not waterproof and if the snow pants or boots do not fit, obviously they can't be worn.  Kids without boots or snow pants have to stay on a plowed part of the asphalt, and it's not much fun standing there while your friends frolic in the snow.

Thank you for your help with this.

Acton Discovery Museum

We are grateful to the PTO for funding the traveling science program that visited us on Friday.  We really enjoyed the experiments.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hope to see you at the annual MLK Dinner at the Middle School on Friday at 6PM.  Click here to learn more.  The second graders made posters with our buddies with our favorite MLK quotes (thank you, Ava, for inspiring us!), and these posters will  be displayed at the dinner. 

Math

We are working on showing our thinking in double digit addition and subtraction.  One fun way to do this is with the ShowMe app on the iPad.  It's kind of like using a dry erase board, but a little more high tech.  Ask your child about it!

Social Emotional Learning

 

We've been talking a lot in our classroom about the zones of regulation and how to get back into the "green zone" when you feel upset.  This language may be helpful for you when talking about feelings with your child.  As a class, we are trying to fill a green jar with "jewels" for times when we may feel upset but we use strategies to get back into the green zone.  I may try this in my own home.  For myself :)

Have a great week!  Thank you for your help and support.

Miriam