Parent Newsletter

Kindergarten is currently working on exploring non-fiction books and has began their nonfiction informational writing. They are excited to teach about things they know lots of facts about such as dogs, babies, trains and even sharks. Their books are created with facts, diagrams and realistic pictures. In math, Kindergarten is beginning its counting to 100 unit and we will be exploring patterns on the 100 chart along with working out as we count to 100.

KDK is continuing to work on reading strategies that strengthen comprehension and decoding. Students should continue to use the independent learning programs at home such as iReady, EPIC, and LEXIA. Kindergarten is working on counting to 50 and identifying patterns that are seen within counting. First grade is working on ten less and ten more. Second grade is working on adding and subtracting using mental math. Students are encouraged to use any strategy that works for them. Students is all grades are working on being able to verbalize academic vocabulary and explain their thinking. We are continuing our study on animals, their offspring and they how survive in their habitat. Please make sure that your child is attending all of their live sessions. Happy Learning!

First grade has been busy working on both 2D and 3D shapes. They have learned how to describe these shapes by using the shapes attributes.. They have also been manipulating shapes by finding a variety of ways to use different shapes to create the same shape. First graders have also been able to talk about where they see some of these shapes in the real world. In science, they have been testing their investigative skills by looking at how shadows are made. With their flashlights, they have been figuring out ways to make big and small shadows while also working to recreate what a shadow looks like on paper. Finally, they have been really working hard on building up their reading skills taking the strategies they have been learning and applying it to their independent reading work. We are so proud of all of their hard work this month!

2nd grade has continued their learning about NYC overtime with a focus on Henry Hudson, Manhattan, and the Munster Indians. In math, students will be focusing their attention on subtraction while compensating (adding or subtracting on both sides) to find the difference. This is a difficult concept, so please remember, patience is key! One thing that will help students master this concept is by having them remember that using friendly numbers makes subtracting much easier! Friendly numbers are numbers that end in 0 - In compensation students need to get to a friendly number by either subtracting or adding. As a grade, our Guided Reading focus in small group instruction is to cater to students individual reading needs. Those needs can be categorized into decoding, comprehension, and critical thinking. We have been doubling down in our guided reading blocks and we are seeing improvement! Please continue to support your child with daily reading, sight word practice, and engaging in book talks (asking your child what they read about, what made them think of those ideas, and where in the text did they find their information).

This month 3rd grade will wrap up their chapter book, Peter Pan. We will complete character analysis about how the characters changed throughout the story. We will also continue to work on answering questions about the text, by citing evidence. After, students will begin their new unit which will have them exploring informational texts. Additionally, in math students have moved on to learning all about area. Students will continue to find the area of shapes and review their multiplication and division skills. In writing, students will wrap up their poetry unit! We are ready for a fun month of new learning.