Welcome Back!

From the talk in our classroom, it sounds like everyone had a great spring break!  The nice weather we had a few days made it especially great!  However, we are back in the swing of things and (can you believe it...) in the home run stretch!  We are down to 8 full weeks of school left before summer break.  There will be a lot taking place in terms of testing during the month of April.  The month of May will be jam packed with great events you won't want to miss out on!!

Superkids:  This week we worked on the letter Vv.  We finished up this unit today and will begin our new unit letter on Monday.  Please continue working with your child on correct letter formation (top to bottom) and also on letter sounds.  The kids are doing a great job here at school!  As you have probably noticed, our reading skills and book difficulty have really taken off!  Please be sure that you and your child are reading every night!  Even if it is not listed as part of the homework, take time to read a book from your own collection at home, or reread one of our many Superkids books that have come home or can be found on line.

Handwriting:  I have started pushing the kids to make sure their full name is written correctly on all their papers.  Not just spelling, but handwriting as well.  If they are being extra careful about their handwriting at home, it is because I'm really watching for it here in the room!  Keep working with them to make sure they are forming everything neatly AND correctly!  The homework sheets are a place where I'm noticing some of the sloppy writing.  Make sure your child is making their letters correctly for you as well, especially on the homework pieces.

Math:  This week we have been working with all kinds of number skills.

• We have practiced counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's.  
• We made number scrolls to help us practice writing our numbers to 100+.  
• We played a game using dice and counters to try and fill a tens frame board.  The dice had + and - numbers where we were able to add or take away our counters.
• We learned how to "decade" count to help us with place value.

Franklin College:  We will be taking a Field Trip to Franklin College on Tuesday, April 29.  This is a free field trip for your child.  All they will need is a sack lunch.  Your child is coming home with a permission slip inside their Green Folder today.

Purple Up! Day:  On Tuesday, April 15, all students are encouraged to wear Purple to show support for our Creekside students who have a parent in the military.

Around the World:  Yesterday we had a special guest come and share about our new country.  Jason and Austin are Vietnamese and their Mom and Aunt came to share with us about Vietnam yesterday!  They will also be back next week to help us with our craft.  Check out some of the great places we got to see:

Mrs. Land showing us a map of Vietnam 

The Forbidden Purple City, used to be home to Vietnam's Emperors

The Hai Van Pass.  A winding road through the mountains.  Known for being very steep, there is a parking lot at the top of the summit for cars to take a break at the risk of overheating the engine

Halong Bay.  A beautiful area filled with 1,600 little islands.  The Vietnamese used the islands to hide during battles with China

Hoan Kiem Lake.  Legend states a giant turtle appeared here and took the sword of a Vietnamese warrior.  A giant turtle was caught in 2011.  There are said to be 10 other giant turtles living in the lake

Marble Mountain Caves.  Marble Mountain consists of 5 mountains made of marble and limestone.  Caves underneath are visited frequently 

Saigon Central Post Office.  A beautiful building, we compared the Franklin Post Office to this one 

Water Puppet Theater.  A popular form of entertainment, this show often depicts the history of Vietnam 

Ben Thanh Market.  A vast open air market for all your shopping needs

Be sure to check out the SNACK CALENDAR as well as the CLASSROOM CALENDAR for this month's happenings!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful spring weather!!