Mrs. Soons Class

 The Fastest Week Ever! (How did that happen?)

   I just want you all to know that I LOVE YOUR CHILDREN!! I tell them everyday that they are the best class in the whole school! It really is true...no joke! They make me laugh so much! This week we heard a story about a booger (super funny and gross), we fell off the monkey bars (yikes), we had 2 kids with the stomach bug, and 2 birthdays!

Updates:

FRENCH
  This week we started our French Immersion model! Madame Buntin's schedule is now M-W-F from 8:30-10 and later she will come during SS and Science as well. I stayed in the classroom both days so far to be supportive and provide supplies if needed. I learned so much myself. My 4 years of HS French came back to me almost immediately!  The whole class did a great job picking up on Madame Buntin's cues. It only took her 3-4 times repeating a phrase before someone would figure out the meaning! Right now they are working on numbers, conversational phrases & basic needs. (bathroom, water, etc..) I will take some audio and photos next week and post them for you.

CURRICULUM NIGHT & EARLY RELEASE
   We have an early release day coming up on September 19th. Students will be released at 12:00. We will be having Curriculum Night that night from 6:30-7:30 for 2nd & 3rd grades.  Look for the information in the GLOBE Newsletter that will be sent home soon. I know that you have lots of questions about our model, the curriculum, and assessments. All of this will be addressed and I will have some examples of the types assessments & anecdotal notes & observations I am making.

WISH LIST ITEMS
   We have received quite a few things from our classroom wish list so far! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!    HERE is the link if you haven't seen it yet. 

TEACHER PARTNER
  Our 2nd Teacher is finally here! She will begin work on September 3rd! We are going to make a welcome sign and card for her tomorrow so she feels welcome in her new job!

SS PROJECT
   Thanks for sending in photos and research with your child on the historical figure. Students started planning their layout for their posters & sharing information. * Note, there is no "due date" since we will be working on the projects in class. I will also photo document the process here so you can see what is happening. Please do have discussions with your child about their historical person's significance in our rights and freedoms.

BIRTHDAYS
  We had our first birthday celebration in the classroom today. We sang Happy Birthday (in 3 languages), played a trivia game about our birthday boy (his mom created it and it was really cute) , and we complimented him in a circle. We ended with croissants for a French snack! Thank you to J's Mom for making it so special for him and the whole class! Let me know if you'd like to do something similar for your child's birthday so we can schedule a time. I'll need 2-3 days lead time to plan time in our schedule. :)

HELPING YOUR CHILD IN MATH

 We will start skip counting for multiplication in the next few weeks. Please buy a set of X flash cards and practice them with your child at home. This is an old school method of learning that works! Memorization is needed at first, we will work on the concept and reasoning behind it.
  You can also practice the art of explanation with your child. Math is not just about calculating a correct answer. There is a major focus on the process. The students will be required to explain their thinking both in oral & written format.

For example ask your child to answer the following question:

Round 1,246 to the nearest 100 and explain the process of rounding this number to the nearest 100.
* Think in step by step order and include the reasons WHY you chose to solve it this way. *

Sample Answer: First I looked at the 2 because it is in the 100's place and the directions are to round to the 100's place. Then I looked next door in the 10's column at the 4 to decide what to do. I know that my answer will be 1, 200 or 1,300. I also know that the number 4 is called a weak number so the 2 in the 100's place stays the same and all the other numbers to the right turn into zero. This means that 1,246 is closer to 1,200 on a number line than it is to 1,300.

Hope this provides you with some insight on the requirements for math:)

Have a great and safe LONG Weekend!