Well, folks, we made it!  It has been quite a year.  It seems like only yesterday that we were meeting each other for the first time, way back in September.  I feel very lucky to have had such a wonderful group of students - I do not think I would have survived without them.  Thank you for all of your support at home and remember...READ, READ, READ!  And practice those multiplication flash cards!

We have been busy as bees getting back on track after the winter holidays and the Blizzard of 2010!  While we all enjoyed the time off, it's back to business at school.  We have a lot of catching up to do!

Math:  We are working on our multiplication facts.  Our final goal is that each student will have AUTOMATIC recognition of all multiplication facts 0 through 11.  There are a load of online games that your child can play to get some extra practice.  www.multiplication.com is a wonderful website with plenty to do!

Language Arts:  We are just beginning units on biographies and autobiographies.  Check out some of these non-fiction books at your local library and read them with your child!

Science:  Studying energy and matter are keeping us occupied during Science.  We are learning about how matter is all around us, in the form of solids, liquids, and gases.  Because matter takes on manby different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, we are observing matter and energy in our everyday lives.

Social Studies:  Our unit of study in Social Studies is Famous Americans.  Read about past presidents, military leaders, and government officials with your children and discuss why they are important to our society today.

Other:  EFFICIENCY is the word of the month in our classroom.  We have been practicing efficiency, working carefully and quickly, in our daily events.  Ask your child what efficiency looks like in school and at home.

We are having a lot of fun!  Continue to READ, READ, READ at home and talk about what you and your child are reading!

CHECK OUT THE SLIDESHOW OF PICTURES FROM OUR SCHOOL ACTIVITIES!  Just click on the "Multimedia Blog" tab at the top of the page.

Well, well, well!  The end of the first quarter has come and gone and report cards will go out tomorrow.  Be on the lookout for them in your childs' Homework Folders.

We are going strong in our new instructional units.  In Math, we are learning Probability - "what are the chances that..." with our vocabulary words: likely, unlikely, certain, and impossible.  Try having conversations about these vocabulary words with your students.

In Science, we have begun learning about different animal habitats.  The students have had some great discussion about animals and the places that they live.  We have created dioramas about a few of the different animal habitats.  They will be coming home soon!

In Social Studies, we are full swing learning about Economics - all about business and the way things are made.  We have had good discussion about resources that are used for production of goods.

As always, your involvement with your child is essential to them experiencing success in school.  I appreciate all that you do!  Please e-mail if you have any questions or concerns.

Jennifer Stumpf

We had a great time at the Merrifield Postal Distribution Center today!  The staff organized a very informative and hands-on presentation for us.  We got to see the machine that reads the hand-written addresses, the machine that sorts the mail by destination, and the machine called "Barney" that shuffles through the big shipments of mail.  Tomorrow we will have a writing reflection activity where the students will reflect on their day and organize the sequence into a sequence chart.  (Sequencing has been a big focus for us the past week.  We are working hard to develop strong summaries and to be able to sequence stories correctly and with detail.)

We are beginning a unit on Maps and Map Reading next week, so this would be a great way to get involved with your child at home - reviewing the 7 continents and 4 oceans, how to read a map, and the compass rose (N, S, E, W).  I will send home color copies of world maps for your child to hang somewhere in the house.

Another way to help your child work toward success in the classroom is to review math facts - addition and subtraction are KEY to learning multiplication.  I want to ensure that the students are comfortable with addition and subtraction facts including borrowing and carrying before we move on to multiplication.  They should be able to add and subtract numbers through 10 without hesitation.

As always, thank you for your continued support with homework and the Friday Folders.  Please e-mail me at stumpfja@pwcs.edu if you have any questions or concerns!
Ms. Jen Stumpf

(This picture is from last Friday, picture day.)

We have been working hard to learn about our government.  The students have created an "Our Government" flip book and also have a matching game with facts about the three branches of Government.  We have a quiz on this soon!  They are practicing every day and I have been impressed with their hard work.

I am in the process of working on Interims.  Expect to get these soon.

I am very anxious to meet all of you at our Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 23rd at 7:00pm.  I have lots to share with you about your child's school year and where we are headed this year.  See you all soon!

(Reminder: Book orders are due to the classroom by Friday, September 18th.)