Welcome back! I hope everyone had a refreshing week break and time spent with family and friends. We drove up to Whidbey Island to be with my family for a few days. I forget how dark and quiet nights are outside of the city!
I started our morning reflecting on our conference times and thinking about goals that we set. We have three solid weeks until our Winter Break-what a great block of time to focus on our school lives! We aim to work hard, focus in on our goals, and celebrate accomplishments before taking off for our long break.
Mark Your Calendars:
*We will be setting a date sometime this week for our Fall Writer's Celebration! Stay tuned :)
*Make sure your calendars are marked for our CharacterWorks Performance next Thursday, December 12 from 2:15-3:15
- The second and last parent talk will be Wednesday, December 4 from 7:30-9 PM. We are working on having a family host this talk in their home for a cozy atmosphere complete with refreshments. I was able to sit in on the first half of the first parent talk. Beaven facilitated a great discussion where the group was able to have great discussion and collaborate with ideas. I really encourage you to attend! Please RSVP.
I started our morning reflecting on our conference times and thinking about goals that we set. We have three solid weeks until our Winter Break-what a great block of time to focus on our school lives! We aim to work hard, focus in on our goals, and celebrate accomplishments before taking off for our long break.
Mark Your Calendars:
*We will be setting a date sometime this week for our Fall Writer's Celebration! Stay tuned :)
*Make sure your calendars are marked for our CharacterWorks Performance next Thursday, December 12 from 2:15-3:15
- The second and last parent talk will be Wednesday, December 4 from 7:30-9 PM. We are working on having a family host this talk in their home for a cozy atmosphere complete with refreshments. I was able to sit in on the first half of the first parent talk. Beaven facilitated a great discussion where the group was able to have great discussion and collaborate with ideas. I really encourage you to attend! Please RSVP.
Reading Log Delay
I totally failed to print new reading logs today. I let the kids know that they can forego logging their reading for one more night, though, as always, they are expected to read tonight! I will distribute new logs tomorrow and we will cross out "Weekend Choice" and "Monday" boxes for this week.
Word StudyWord study is a blast! We are asking a ton of questions, discussing word nuances, and exploring the building blocks of our language. Today we talked about syllabication as we move from two-syllable compound words to three-syllable compounds We checked out how the dictionary divides words, and realized that dividing words is quite the art! We also realized that syllabication can help us when sounding out lengthy, challenging words, and help out as we work to increase our spelling skill! During our work today we came up with two spur of the moment homework challenges. Students are encouraged (though not required) to complete these activities. Have fun and work together! Monday Homework Challenges 1. Today we practiced dividing the word "Wednesday" into syllables. We wondered-why is this word spelled this way and pronounced so differently? Do some research at home and see what you can find out about this question :) 2. Today we studied the compound word "trailblazer." We looked up the definition and found that it means: "...a person who makes, does, or discovers something new and makes it acceptable or popular." Make a list of a few people (or things!) that have been trailblazers in our world. Homework ClubI blogged about the new Homework Club opportunity for third-fifth graders. I'm looking forward to having some of our third graders be "trailblazers" and starting to attend :) See the archived blog for the details and do let me know if you'd like your child to attend. I can help them get settled for the first day. | Lice......Please check heads thoroughly for lice tonight (and throughout the week!). Having Thanksgiving break was helpful in our lice eradication efforts :) Checking heads as we return will help even more. Mindful Mornings OpportunityJulietta Skoog, our school psychologist, is starting up a fantastic new program. See her blog below and encourage your child to attend! Beginning December 3rd, join me Tuesdays for Mindful Mornings with Mrs. Skoog! We will meet in the (portable) gym from 9:00-9:25, to start our day with yoga, meditation, breathing, and/or movement. This is open to students, teachers, and parents of QAE. It is NOT a club; it is free. Please arrive on time so that our practice can be uninterrupted. Some of you know that I have a background in dance and taught yoga to our 1st and 3rd graders; it is my goal this year (and beyond!) to bring an intentional mindful practice to QAE. So while I am not a "real" teacher of mindfulness, I do know that gathering as a community, setting intentions, and taking time to focus on the present and our breath is powerful in and of itself. I hope to see you there- feel free to drop by to any of the weeks; it is not part of a series or skill building. On another note, parents have asked me about Positive Discipline parenting classes- there is still room in both my January and March series which you can find information about here. I was also just featured in Emma Summer's Your Fonder Heart blog; she attended my workshop earlier this month. I hope you all have a restful, nourishing holiday weekend, and that you find your own time to practice (and model for your children) mindfulness; whether it is in an unhurried meal, walk with a friend, or simply sitting in gratitude. See you in December! Julietta Skoog School Psychologist |