Room 26 Updates

Hello Families,

I hope everyone got to get out and enjoy the spring weather this weekend. I am hoping that it is here for good! I have listed below some important reminders about things coming up in our classroom:

• 3rd grade has won a grade level reward to sit where they want in the lunchroom tomorrow (Tuesday, April 24th). In order to make this work, 3rd grade will be having their lunch at 10:00am. Students should still bring a snack as we will have our snack time in the afternoon. If you are planning on checking your child out tomorrow or dropping them off late, please know that they are eating lunch at 10:00am instead of our usual time at 12:00pm. Please let me know if you have any questions!
• Our Energy Test will be tomorrow. Please make sure your child studies tonight.
• My math class' Time Test will be on Friday. 
• Zoo Permission slips and money are due on Wednesday for students and chaperones. Please send it in ASAP! 
• This week is Spirit week in honor of Career Day on Friday. Here's how your child can participate everyday:

• Our SOL Tests are on May 17th (Reading) and May 31st (Math). I sent an email home about creating 2 motivation letters that I can give to your child on each test day. Please feel free to send those in as soon as they are done. If you need me to resend the instructions, let me know :-) 

As a side note, SOL review and test prep has started to increase in class. We are reviewing content but also practicing strategies that can be used to make the test easier. If your child expresses any stress over the SOLs, please let me know! I am not trying to stress them out but I want to make sure they are prepared. Keep me in the loop if you see any concerning behaviors at home. At the end of the day, I want students to feel confident and ready!

I hope everyone has a great week. Please email me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Mrs. Martinson

Room 26 Updates

Hello Families,

I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather on Saturday. If only it stuck around for more than a day!

SOL Review Homework:
With SOLs starting in about a month, we are starting to do more review of skills and strategies in class. I recommend that students start to review a little at home as well. To help with that home review, students will be bringing home a sheet every night with reading, math, and grammar review skills on it. They should complete the front and back every night for homework. I encourage them to use the strategies like slash the trash, highlighting key words in questions, and highlighting text evidence to help them answer each question. If you are able to, go over the answers with your child and help them understand any that they might have gotten wrong. Students have been taught all the skills they need for the SOLs, now it is time to starting reviewing them.

Zoo Field Trip
3rd grade will be going on a field trip to the National Zoo on Wednesday, May 2nd. Today your child is coming home with a permission slip and field trip letter. This trip will cost $9 as we have to pay for transportation (due to already having a free field trip earlier in the year). Please send in the permission slip and exact cash/check by Wednesday, April 25th if you want your child to attend. If you want to chaperone, please return the chaperone slip ASAP. Do not send in money unless you are told you are a chaperone! As the trip gets closer, I will email more information about the day of.

Don't forget that report cards are sent home electronically on Wednesday! Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Mrs. Martinson :-) 

Room 26 Updates

Hello Families,

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I got to celebrate Jake's 2nd birthday on Saturday, then spend my Sunday and Monday in bed with strep throat (don't worry I was cleared to come back to work today). Talk about going from a high to a low in one weekend! I have a lot of updates to share to please read this entire blog.

Spring Pictures
Spring Pictures and Class Pictures will be on Monday, April 16th. Today your child will come home with a picture payment packet. Your child must bring back their picture envelopes for a CLASS picture with payment inside or online payment information. They will not receive a class picture if they do not return the envelope. You can pay online, but the photographers will still need the payment envelopes. Individual pictures will be taken for everyone and students will receive a picture packet later.  You can pay for individual pictures once you receive that packet at a later date

SOL Vocabulary
SOL vocabulary officially starts this week. Students were given their words last week and made their flashcards, but will now officially start the homework packet. They will be given time to work on the packet in class, but please check it every night and make sure they complete the day's homework. The packet will be due on Friday, where they will turn it in and take their quiz. Please make sure your child studies the definitions EVERY NIGHT. This is not a spelling test. It is important they are learning these words so that they will be ready for their SOL test in May. 

Career Day
Pinebrook is hosting their annual Career Day on April 27th. If you or someone you know has an interesting career to share with students, please reach out to me and I will give you some more information. This is an awesome event where kids learn a lot about career possibilities.

Zoo Field Trip
3rd grade has one more field trip of the year and that is to the National Zoo in DC! Permission slips and chaperone information will be sent home on Monday, April 16th so please be on the look out for that!

That is all the information I have for you know. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Mrs. Martinson

Pennies for Patients

Hello Families,

This afternoon your child is coming home with a letter and a cardboard collection box for our Pennies for Patients fundraiser. This annual fundraiser raises money for childhood leukemia and lymphoma. Children are encouraged to fill their boxes with donations as little as a penny to help Pinebrook reach its goal of raising $2,018. Students can bring their box back daily to turn in what they have collected, or can choose to return it weekly. Students can accept coins, bills, and checks as donations. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks and have a great weekend!

Mrs. Martinson :-) 

We Reached 500lbs!!!

Hello Families,

In case you haven't heard from your child, the third grade has far surpassed their goal of collecting 500lbs of caps and lids (we are probably close to 600lbs). The next step in our journey to a trash can is for students to start planning for the trip to Indiana where the teachers will deliver the caps to Green Tree Plastics. Thank you for all your help in collecting caps and lids. We couldn't have done it without your support!

Now that we are done collecting bottle caps and lids, it is important that you understand how they can be correctly recycled so that they don't accidentally end up in the landfill. Large caps and lids (like those for your sour creams, detergent, etc.) are fine to be recycled on their own. Small caps and lids (like those for water bottles, Gatorade, etc.) are at risk of falling through the conveyor belts at the recycling sorting center, thus resulting in them ending up as trash in the landfills. In order to prevent this, squish the plastic bottle or container down to get all the air out, then replace the cap or lid. This is the most effective way to recycle smaller caps and lids responsibly.

Squish the bottle, then add the cap/lid back on

Thanks again for all your help with this portion of the project. You can now breathe a sigh of relief as you no longer have to find a place in your house to store the pounds of caps and lids you were collecting :-) Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great day.

Mrs. Martinson

SOL Vocabulary

Hello Families,

I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break and a Happy Easter. I enjoyed the sunshine in Florida and spending time with my family. I am so ready for it to feel more like spring here!

SOL Vocabulary:
Starting this week, students will no longer be switching classes for Word Study. Instead of word study lists, students will be given vocabulary lists to review third grade vocabulary words in Math and Reading. Reviewing this important vocabulary will help them feel more confident when they take the SOLs in May. 

Students will receive their list of 10 words on Mondays and will have their quiz on Fridays, similar to how Word Study worked. The quizzes will be vocabulary-based, meaning students will not be quizzed on the spelling of these words (although learning the spelling doesn't hurt, it will not be the focus!) Please be sure that your student completes the homework each night (homework will be in a packet, not in their word study journal) so they are practicing the concepts and definitions. The homework will be the same every week:

• Monday: Make flashcards for each of the words. If flashcards were already made in class (which I will do if we have time), then students should study their flashcards.
• Tuesday: Use each word in a sentence (DO NOT just write the definition of the word...show that you know how to use the word.) 
• Wednesday: Sort the words by syllables and break them into their syllable parts
• Thursday: Write the words in ABC order and study the definitions
• Friday: Quiz 

If you have any questions about the new word study routine, please let me know. This will be how we end the year doing word study! This week I will set up this new routine with students and they will make the flashcards for their new words by the end of the week. Next week, starting Tuesday (since Monday is a student holiday), students will receive their packet and complete it for the rest of the week. Their first SOL Vocabulary quiz will be NEXT Friday. 

As always, please email me if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great rest of your week!

Mrs. Martinson

Room 26 Updates

Hello Families,

I hope everyone is having a nice start to their week. I am so ready for spring break, where I am heading to Florida to enjoy some much needed sunshine!

With this impending snow storm approaching (I can't even believe I have to say this at the end of March!), there are a few things I want to note in case we are out for a day or two this week:

• Word Study Tests will be on Friday. Make sure your child studies their words even if we are out of school.
• Our Mali Test will still be on Friday, no matter how many days we miss. Your children filled in the rest of their notes today. It is their job to study if we are not in school. 
• Critter Cans are still due Friday. Snow days actually give them more time to get them ready!
• Math Homework and Reflex will still be due on Friday.

My hope is that the week goes as planned, however I just want to make sure the students understand what is expected of them if they get a couple of days off this week. Please let me know if you have any questions. Stay warm!

Mrs. Martinson :-) 

Dig It Reminder

Hello Families,

Tomorrow is our Dig It play starting at 8:30am. The students have been working so hard practicing to make sure the play is great! Don't forget that our class needs to wear black (or dark) pants and a white shirt. If you child is playing the characters Taki or Tut, they should wear a white shirt and khaki pants. Make sure your child wears the costume to school because right after announcements we will start getting ready. Please make sure you bring your child to school on time as well so that they can prepare for the play with the class.

Hope to see you all there!

Mrs. Martinson

Room 26 Updates

Hello Families,

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Can I just say that I am ready for warm weather and for all this "snow" talk to just stop! Below I have listed some reminders and information about things that are going on in Room 26 this week!

Cap Collection and Movie Night:
We have collected 425 pounds of caps so far! I am certain that we will reach our goal before spring break. I cannot thank you enough for collecting. I will let you know when we have reached our goal and you can stop collecting caps and we will share how you can correctly dispose of them in the future. I also want to remind you that this Friday is our fundraiser movie night to help raise money to  get the caps to Indiana. If you are still interested in signing up, it's not too late! Let me know if you need another RSVP form and I will send one home. It is $20 to drop your child off for pizza and a movie (Coco) from 6-8:30pm.

Dig It:
Our third grade play Dig It is this Friday at 8:30am. The kids have been rehearsing hard and are excited to perform. Remember that they need to wear black/dark pants and a white shirt. The characters of Taki and Tut (they know who they are) should wear khaki/light pants and a white shirt. If your child has a speaking part, please help them memorize it. They need to have it memorized by Wednesday as that is our final rehearsal. Can't wait to see you there!

Critter Can Project:
Please don't forget that Critter Cans are due Friday, March 23rd. Students are working on researching their animal in class and are learning a lot of information that should be able to help them create the animal at home. Make sure your child is doing most of the work and offer assistance when needed. If you have any questions, please let me know ASAP. These projects WILL NOT be accepted late. If your child will not be here on Friday, March 23rd, please have them turn it in the last day there are here before spring break. I WILL NOT accept projects after spring break.

Dates/Reminders:

• Tuesday, March 13th--Geometry Test (my math class)
• Wednesday, March 14th--Rome Test
• Friday, March 16th @ 8:30am--Dig It Play (Wear costumes to school!)
• Friday, March 16th--Word Study Test
• Friday, March 16th @ 6:00pm--3rd Grade Movie Night (RSVP required...no walk-ins)
• Friday, March 23rd--Critter Cans due

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!

Mrs. Martinson

Interims Emailed Home today!

Hello Families,

I hope everyone is enjoying their week!

Today interims will be sent home via email. ALL students in my class will receive an interim so that you are aware of your child's progress so far this quarter. Please note that we have not had any social studies grades so that subject is left blank, as well as there have only be a couple of grades taken in Language Arts so a low grade doesn't mean they are not progressing, but that they had a low score on one assignment. Please be aware that I may have written comments on your child's interim to give you a little more information about their progress. Some of these comments will appear at the very bottom or the interim, below the grades. Don't miss it! Please feel free to email me to address any concerns you may have. We can always set up a mid-quarter conference if you feel that is necessary.

Important Dates/Reminders

• Monday, March 12th--New word study words will be sent home
• Tuesday, March 13th--Geometry Test (my math class)
• Tuesday, March 13th--3rd Grade Movie Night RSVPs due
• Wednesday, March 14th--Rome Test
• Friday, March 16th--Dig it Play at 8:30am
• Friday, March 16th--3rd Grade Movie Night (RSVP is required!)
• Friday, March 23rd--Critter Cans Due (please make sure your child is working on these at home!)

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or comments! Have a great day :-)

Mrs. Martinson

Parent's Night Out

Hello Families,

Tonight your child will be bringing home the registration form for our 3rd grade fundraiser. If you would like a night out/off before spring break, register your child to attend Parent's Night Out on Friday, March 16th from 6:00pm-8:30pm. The cost is $20 per family but all attendees MUST be students at Pinebrook! Your child may bring blankets, pillows, and snacks to enjoy while watching the Oscar Nominated Film Coco. Students will also be given pizza for dinner.  Sign up soon because space will be limited! If you cannot attend but are interested in donating to help us raise money to transport the caps to Indiana, you can send in cash or a check made out to Pinebrook Elementary School in any dollar amount you wish.Thanks for your support!

Reminders:

• Word Study Test tomorrow
• Food Chains Quiz tomorrow
• Steam Day is Friday

Have a great day!

Mrs. Martinson

Room 26 Updates and Reminders

Hello Families,

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Don't forget that this week is spirit week in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday. Tomorrow is CRAZY HAIR DAY! I can't wait to see what the kids show up with :-)

Read-a-Thon:
Pinebrook's Read-a-Thon officially start tomorrow. Make sure your child goes online nightly to log the number of minutes they read at home. I will log the minutes they read at school. Help your child share their page so that they can collect donations to support getting more books put into teacher's classroom libraries. Any dollar amount will help the school :-)

STEAM Day:
Third grade is still in DESPERATE need of volunteers for STEAM Day this Friday. If you are able to volunteer for an hour, it would help the day run smoothly. Please use the sign-up genius here to pick a time slot that works for you. Thanks in advance for your help!

Caps/Lids Update:
We have collected 300 pounds towards our 500 pound goal! Over halfway there! Thanks for your continued support in collecting and sending in those caps and lids. Don't forget that third grade will be hosting a parent's night out on Friday, March 16th for all students at Pinebrook. Cost will be $25 per family and all proceeds will go towards funding the trip to Indiana and purchasing the trash can. Students will be given pizza and water and will enjoy watching a movie with friends while parents can enjoy an evening alone (before spring break!)We will be sending home RSVP slips later in this week so keep a look out for those!

Dig It Play:
Students have been rehearsing in school for their Dig It play about Ancient Civilizations. Some students will be assigned speaking parts so please help your child rehearse if they have lines to remember. As we get closer to the event, I will send home information about what clothes students should wear for the performance (usually dark pants and white shirt). The play will be Friday, March 16th from 8:30am-9:30am. I will send more updates as needed!

Important Dates for your Calendar:

• Monday, February 26th---First Day of our Read-a-Thon (make sure your child logs their reading minutes nightly!) 
• Thursday, March 1st--Food Chains Quiz AND Word Study Test
• Friday, March 2nd--STEAM Day
• Monday, March5th--Critter Can Assignment will be sent home
• Wednesday, March 7th--Interims sent home electronically
• Friday, March 16th--Dig it Play--8:30am-9:30am
• Friday, March 16th--Parent's Night Out--6:00pm-8:30pm

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thanks and enjoy your day!

Mrs. Martinson :-)

Priority Registration Survey

Hello Families,

A form will be coming home today for you to fill out about registration for next school year. EVERYONE must complete this form and return ASAP. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Don't forget that SOL Night is tomorrow night at 6:00pm in the gym. It should not last longer than an hour. Hope to see you there!

Mrs. Martinson :-)

SOL Night

Hello Families and Happy Friday!

I wanted to send a quick reminder that 3rd grade is hosting an SOL Night on Wednesday, February 21st at 6:00pm in the Pinebrook Library. We will cover all topics relating to the SOLs--what it is, why students have to take it, what we are doing to prepare them, and how you can help them at home. If this is your first child that is taking the SOLs or you are new to the state of Virginia, then I would highly recommend attending. Feel free to bring a computer so that you can bookmark some of the sites that we will share with you. Please leave your kids at home as this is a parents night and students are discouraged from attending. Hope to see you there!

Caps/Lids Update--

• In one week, our class collected 20 lbs!
• In total, 3rd grade has about 235 lbs...hoping to get 250 lbs by the end of the day
• Check out our class twitter feed. I posted a video of the chaos that is sorting!
• The third grade teachers have secured transportation to Indiana! In order to cover the cost of gas and accommodations, we will be hosting a Parents Night Out on Friday, March 16th to try and raise money. We will have pizza and a movie for students to enjoy and ALL proceeds will go to the final stage of this Recycling Project. More information will be going home in a couple of weeks but wanted to let you know so you can mark the date on your calendar :-) 

Mrs. Martinson :-)

Critter Can Project

Hello Families,

It is almost that time of year in 3rd grade where students have their first at-home project. Every year students complete the critter can project. This project involves students doing research on a selected animal and then creating that animal to be displayed alongside their research. The research portion of the project will happen in school, and the creation of the animal portion of the project will be done at home. This project HAS NOT been assigned yet, but today I am sending home the list of animals that students can choose from. Students are to select three of the animals from the list and rank them from 1st choice to 3rd choice. I will do my best to assign students their 1st choice. Please help your child choose an animal that they are interested in learning more about (not an animal they are already an expert on) and one that you feel they would be able to create at home. I would like this paper returned TOMORROW so that I am able to go to the library to check out books on each animal as we prepare for the research portion of the project. If your child DOES NOT return the paper tomorrow, I will be choosing an animal for them.

More information will come home in the next couple of weeks about the at-home portion of the project. Please do not attempt to start it yet, as we have specific guidelines students have to follow. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Dates to Remember:

• Word Study Tests are TOMORROW 
• Saturday, Feb. 17th--Comfort Cases Packing Event 
• Monday, Feb. 19th--NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday, Feb. 20th--Adaptations Test
• Wednesday, Feb. 21st--SOL Information Night 

Have a great rest of your week!

Mrs. Martinson

Room 26 Updates

Hello Families,

Happy Monday! It will definitely feel weird having school for a whole week ;-).

STEAM Day 2018
On March 2nd, Pinebrook will be celebrating it's annual STEAM Day during the school day. Students in 3rd grade will rotate around to 4 activities throughout the day that require them to use their problem-solving and creative-thinking skills to complete the activity. It is a fun day where students learn a lot! On Friday I sent home a list of materials that 3rd grade needs to be able to complete the activities. Most materials should be items you find laying around your house. Please send in any supplies you are able to donate. Any donation will be greatly appreciated!

In addition to supplies, we are in need of parent volunteers to run the activities. Your role as a volunteer would be to explain the activity and support students as they work on it. All activities will have clear instructions and will be available to you ahead of time. Activities include building a bird feeder, creating a PSA using iMovie or another software (let me know if you have experience with this so we can assign you to this room), and helping students with a habitats project. Below I have linked a sign-up genius with time slots to volunteer for. If you are able to donate a portion of your time, that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much :-)

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c094eaaa928a3fc1-steam

Important Dates:

• Feb. 12th-Feb. 16th--Random Acts of Kindness week (Ask your child about what this is and the challenge they have been given to complete) 
• Wednesday, Feb. 14th--Valentine's Day Party (Please make sure to send in valentine's and any food you signed up for today!)
• Friday, Feb. 16th--Word Study Tests
• Saturday, Feb. 17th--Comfort Cases Packing Event at School. Sign up to join here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0f4ca9a62da2f94-packing 
• Monday, Feb. 19th--President's Day (NO SCHOOL)
• Tuesday, Feb, 20th--Adaptations Quiz
• Friday, Feb. 23rd--Length, Area, Perimeter Test (my math class)

Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, don't forget to keep sending in those caps. We are close to 200lbs! We have also secured free transportation to Indiana via a Pinebrook family which is AWESOME! Have a great week. 

Mrs. Martinson :-) 

Electronic Report Cards

Hello Families,

By the end of the day today, your child's report card will be available to view on Phoenix. Please make sure that you log on to Phoenix and view your student's grades and my comments. Please go over the report card with your child so that they are aware of their areas of strength and possible areas of improvement. Please email me if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks!

Mrs. Martinson

Spirit Week Next Week!

Hello Families,

Below is a message from our School Counselors:

Next week is National School Counseling Week - which falls only one week before Random Acts of Kindness Week – and to celebrate we are going to focus on the character traits of Kindness and Acceptance. 

Please join us in a Spirit Week by doing the following:

Monday - Orange You Glad? Wear orange to celebrate being a part of the Pinebrook community, as in “Orange you glad you go to our school?”

Tuesday - Hats Off to You Wear your favorite hat to school. You may be asked to give a compliment to someone and say: "My Hat's off to ________ because _________________.”

Wednesday - Warm & Fuzzy Notes Wear your most comfortable fleece or sweatshirt.  Students may be asked to make cards to give friends, parents, and teachers to tell them how much they are appreciated. Parents: leave a note for your child on their pillow at home. 

Thursday - We Are All Different Wear different or crazy socks in honor of the Native American proverb "To know the heart and mind of a person, you must walk a mile in his/her moccasins.”  Classroom conversations may focus on diversity and empathy.

Friday - We Love Learning Wear your favorite Pinebrook gear or college shirt to celebrate learning here at Pinebrook and to ask your teachers about where they went to college, why they went there, what they liked about their college experiences

I hope your child will have fun joining in on the spirit week! Also....we have officially collected 150 lbs of caps. We will be collecting until May so keep them coming! Thanks and I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend :-)

Mrs. Martinson

Important Papers Coming Home Today!!

Hello Families,

I wanted to draw your attention to three important papers coming home today in your child's take-home folder so please be sure to check it!

1. "Because of Winn Dixie" Movie permission slip--We are finishing the book Because of Winn Dixie in class as part of our reading unit. The class has loved this story, learning all about the main character and the challenges she faces in life. As a celebration to the end of the unit, I want to be able to show students the movie. The movie is rated PG so I will need ALL parents' permission to show it. Please read the letter, along with movie synopsis, that I send home and return as soon as you can.
2. Valentine's Day Celebration Menu--We will have a small celebration on Valentine's Day with some light snacks. Please review the menu and identify ANY food you do not want your child to eat. If I DO NOT get the form back from you, that means you give your child permission to eat all the food.
3. Valentine's Day Class List--I included a class list to help your child address their Valentine's. Your child DOES NOT need to include names on the cards, but I sent home a list just in case they would like to!

Please let me know if you have any questions about the above forms. Also, don't forget that tomorrow is our sort and weigh day for caps so make sure to send in anything you have collected at home! We are close to having 150lbs!! Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. Martinson

Comfort Cases

Hello Families,

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day! In honor of MLK Jr., who stood up for the rights of others, I wanted to let you know about a charity Pinebrook is getting involved in to help others.

Comfort Cases
Comfort Cases is an organization that provides backpacks filled with comfort and essential items for foster children to call their own. On any given day, there are over 400,000 children in foster care in the United States. These children usually move from foster home to foster home with nothing more than the clothes on their back. Those that do have personal belongings are given a trash bag to keep them in. Comfort Cases wants to change that! Read more about the charity here.

Why this Charity?
The reason Pinebrook has chosen to support this charity is two-fold. One, it is close to our hearts. Our Pinebrook community has been affected by the effects of foster care so we want to help. Second, this charity allows children to get involved and experience philanthropy for themselves!

How Can You Help
Each grade level has been assigned an item to donate that will be used to pack in the backpacks for the charity. Third grade has been given blankets (think small, fleece blankets that can be rolled up and put in a backpack). These blankets MUST be new! If you would like to donate one, or more, send them in to school with your child. Then on Saturday, February 17th, your child and family is welcome to join us at school where we will all work together to pack as many backpacks as we have supplies for. This allows your child to help with the end product, feeling more connected to the charity. More details about the packing event will come closer to the date. The more supplies we collect, the more backpacks we can pack!

If you have any questions about this charity, please let me know. It is not required for students to participate, but is a nice way to introduce your child to the world of giving! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and don't forget to keep sending in those caps!

Mrs. Martinson

Room 26 Updates

Hello Families,

I am sure you are all happy that school resumed to somewhat of a normal schedule today. I think even the kids were happy to be back into their routine! Due to the snow days and the wacky schedule today, there have been some changes to our plans the next couple of weeks:

• Students will be given their new word study words THIS Friday and will be tested on them on Friday, January 19th. 
• Students will have their Water Cycle Test TOMORROW. Please make sure they study!
• We will be weighing, cleaning and sorting our caps THIS Friday! Please make sure to send in any caps/lids you have at home.
• My math class updates:
• Students in MY math class will have a Prodigy assignment that is due on Thursday. They are to log on to Prodigy either today or tomorrow and complete 10 questions about money. They should not log off until they have completed 10 money-related questions. All students were given their log in but please let me know if you need me to send it to you again!
• On Thursday, students will be given their usual homework sheet to complete and turn in by NEXT Wednesday, January 17th. 
• Our Money Test has been moved to Friday, January 19th! 

With winter break and then 3 snow days, many students have fallen out of the routine of doing their reading homework and Reflex, as well as are forgetting school folders at home. I would love your help in encouraging and reinforcing these positive school behaviors at home. Thanks for the support!

Mrs. Martinson

Happy New Year!

Hello Families!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that 2018 has some amazing things in store for you and your family. I get to start the New Year with a sick toddler so it's not been the greatest start!

As we get back into the swing of things at school, I want to share some reminders and information about the upcoming week.

• Keep sending in your caps and lids. This Friday, and every Friday, students will start sorting, cleaning, and weighing the bottle caps. We will keep this data in a spreadsheet so that we can see how close we are to our goal of 500 pounds!
• This Friday, January 5th, your child will take their Water Cycle Test. We started this unit prior to break and will review/continue learning this week. Make sure your child continues to study their notes! 
• In all math classes, students will start their Money unit. The easiest way to help your child during this unit is to give them lots of practice counting various amount of money. This unit can be challenging for students so the more practice, the better! 
• In reading, we will be starting a Character Studies unit. We will be reading the book Because of Winn Dixie and work on analyzing the main character, the secondary characters, and discuss how the main character changes throughout the story. Students will be encouraged to read fiction books with strong main characters during this unit so that they are able to do the reading work in their own book. 
• In writing, we are going to continue to work on persuasive writing, something we started learning about prior to winter break. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Stay warm and enjoy the new year!

Mrs. Martinson :-)