Spiders all Around!

Owl-Ways Learning!

This week we learning about. . . 

Fundations

Our phonics program began last week. Students are introduced to 2-3 letters a week.  The program focuses on the sound, formation, and recognition for the letters of the alphabet. 

Meet Mama Echo and Baby Echo

Our Fundations mascots have helped us learn the letters T, B, F, M, and N. 

Did you hear we are even learning sign language?! 

A big thank you to Ms. Beauchesne who has helped to teach our class how to sign the letters as they are introduced. 

Next week we will learn our first two vowels! 

Greater Than, Less Than

We are wrapping up our unit on comparing groups in Math. Students have knowledge of identifying groups which are equal, greater than, or less than.  We will continue to reinforce these skills in future topics. Please help your child use these phrases when comparing objects and numbers.  Playing a simple game of "I'm thinking of a number that is greater than ___ but less than ___" is a great reinforcement to our learning in the classroom. 

Here's a photo of us playing a Halloween themed greater than/less than game:

Spiders & Bats

We continue to explore themes and topics using our schema maps. This week we researched Spiders and Bats.  We used resources such as books, videos, and prior knowledge to help us build NEW learning.  We are becoming experts, so please ask your child what they've learned thus far! We even sorted out some information that were misconceptions.  Misconceptions are not always mistakes, but an opportunity to confirm true information. 

Would You Want a Pet Spider? 

After reading the funny story Arraghh! Spider!

We created a class graph to see which option resulted greater and which option was less than. 

Check out our results: 

There's a Spider on the Floor! 

Raffi's catchy song was a hit this week! Have your child use their hand puppet to act out the song.

Bus Safety

Burlington Police Department's Safety Officer came to Fox Hill to teach us about Bus Safety. 

In the event of an emergency, students will exit out the back of the bus. 

Teacher Talk. . .

Library

This Monday, students attended the Fall Book Fair during our library time.  Next week we will return to our regular library schedule.  Students will be able to select a new book Monday.  Please remind your child to return their book to school if they haven't already. 

Student Work

What's coming home in my student's folder? 

You may have noticed name practice pages, Fundations formation papers, and even some recording sheets coming home in the last couple of days.  A large focus in our classroom is for students to be engaged in active learning.  This means less paper/worksheets and more meaningful activities.  Center Tubs are a great example of this philosophy.  Students are playing educational activities, moving around the classroom, and being an active member in their learning.  This means there is less busy work and less being sent home.  Please know just because your child may not have papers in their folders does NOT mean they haven't been working hard all day.  Recording sheets indicate your child has completed a center tub during center time or a write around the room activity.  Fundations papers are used to practice formation of letters properly and help with letter recognition and first sound fluency.  The name practice pages are a quick activator for students to get their minds ready for school to begin. Math papers will usually be sent home daily unless an assessment, topic opener lesson, or other happenings going on in the classroom. Please Note, the directions at the bottom of your child's page are not always what is asked of your child to complete.  We try to differentiate each child's lesson to be tailored to their needs and therefore what is written on the bottom of the paper may not be the NEED for your child. The most important part of the math paper is the I CAN statement. This is the goal of the lesson and the outcomes we are looking for. If you have any other questions or conerns regarding curriculum or student work please feel free to contact me. 

Upcoming Events. . .

-Halloween Celebration will take place on Friday, October 28th from 9:30am-11:00am. If you'd like to volunteer during our festivities please contact me via email or phone. 

- November is a "short" month for school.  There is NO school on November 8th, November 10th, and November 11th. 

Have a Great Weekend!