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 :-)