​​Next month we have a large number of our children turn six. Seven students to be exact. And almost as many in April. Of course, we are all very sad we cannot celebrate this important milestone with everyone in the traditional manner but this is no time for the birthday blues. Parents can put a new spin on the day to make it super special. The birthday child may appreciate their pandemic party even more than a traditional one, and it will certainly make for memories that last a lifetime. Here are a few ideas:

• Birthday parade: Invite friends to create signs, decorate their cars and cruise by your child’s house for a birthday parade.
• Video parties: Plan a virtual event using a video chat app like Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts or Skype. Invite your child’s friends to participate in a birthday singalong, dance party or group chat.  23 video chat activities.
• Treasure hunt: Hide presents around your house and give your child clues to find them.
• String hunt: Wind a long piece of string throughout your house, attaching presents along the way. Have your child follow the string to collect their presents, and find you at the end of the line!
• Scavenger hunt: Send your child on a scavenger hunt around the house or yard.
• Spa day: Plan a day of at-home manicures, pedicures and hair styling.
• Game day: Spoil your child with a fun-filled day of board games, card games and video games. 
• Bake a cake from scratch: Spend time with your child making and baking their favorite birthday dessert.
• Chef for a day: Have your child choose and prepare their favorite meals for the day. 
• Campout: Set up a tent, either indoors or outdoors, for a birthday campout.
• Request cards: Invite family and friends to make cards for your child and mail them in time for the big day.
• Request video messages: Ask family and friends to send video messages. Bonus idea: Ask your family’s tech guru to splice all the messages together into one big montage.
• Do a good deed: Encourage family and friends to do a good deed in honor of your child’s birthday, such as donating supplies to a food pantry, housing agency or first responders, and share a picture.

 

• ​Please return library books by next Tuesday for exchange.
• Friday, March 5 will be a Fresh Air Friday. Please dress your child appropriately.
• PAC pizza lunch will be delivered on Friday, March 5.
• Friday, March 12 is the last school day before Spring Break. Enjoy!
• Saturday, March 13 through Sunday, March 21 is Spring Break. School resumes Monday, March 22.
• Change your clocks on Sunday, March 14 for daylight savings time.
• We will have a fire drill Monday, March 29.
• We have had to send children home in all of our extra pants. If your child has worn one of our extra pairs home, please return them as we don't have any more. Thank you.
• There will be no Sharing Project sent home for March as we will not have enough time to share them all due to Spring Break. April's will be sent home in March.
• Scholastic digi-flyers for March can be found here. 
• Please have Team Awesome read any little paper books that come home (approximately 1 per week) multiple times for practice/ fluency. Thank you.
• The BEST newsletter can be found here.
• Check out what Mrs. Phillips is doing with Team Awesome here.
• Sight words we are learning in class: come, did, have, get, love, of, said, very, will, yes. Please feel free to practice them at home. 

Go forth and Be Awesome!

Did you know that today is National Chocolate Mint Day? Recognized by the US National Confectioners Association, National Chocolate Mint Day is observed annually across the nation on February 19th. This holiday has been set aside for all the chocolate mint lovers to eat their favorite treats all day long. Today we find mint chocolate in everything from ice cream to brownies, cookies and candies, liquors and sauces. Girl Scouts first sold Thin Mint cookies in 1953 which is still their most popular flavour. And as mint chocolate chip ice cream is the tenth most popular flavour, I think I might just have to run out and get some so I can celebrate with the rest of the nation! How about you?

• Please return library books by next Tuesday for exchange.
• Wednesday, Feb. 24 is both our 100th Day of School and Pink Shirt Day. We will be participating in a number of activities around the number 100 and learning about why we wear a pink shirt on this day.
• March school lunch orders are due to the office by Wednesday, Feb. 24.
• PAC Panago pizza lunch order forms are due by Friday, Feb. 26 with pizza served Friday, March 5.
• There will be no Sharing Project sent home for March as we will not have enough time to share them all due to Spring Break.
• Scholastic digi-flyers for February can be found here. 
• Please have Team Awesome read any little paper books that come home (approximately 1 per week) multiple times for practice/ fluency. Thank you.
• The BEST newsletter can be found here.
• Check out what Mrs. Phillips is doing with Team Awesome here.
• Sight words we are learning in class: come, did, have, get, love, of, said, very, will, yes. Please feel free to practice them at home. 

Go forth and Be Awesome!

Just when it seems like the commercial excess of winter holidays is winding down, along comes Valentine’s Day and the advertising barrage of "stuff = love." It’s tempting to want to give our children material items and Valentine’s Day treats, often at the expense of simple acts of love and other small meaningful gifts. As parents, we may fall into this mindset because we want to provide the best life possible for our children. Rest assured, teaching the meaning of love, creating loving memories with children, and spending unhurried family time together are truly more valuable than any gift you can buy. Go out and enjoy Valentine’s Day together!.

• Please return library books by next Tuesday for exchange.
• The February Sharing/ Family Project is a collection of 100 items for 100s Day. Please return when it is done. Thank you!​ 
• Monday, Feb. 15 is Family Day and therefore a long weekend. Enjoy!
• Friday, Feb. 19 is a possible Fresh Air Friday. Please dress your child appropriately.
• Wednesday, Feb. 24 is both our 100th Day of School and Pink Shirt Day.
• March school lunch orders came home and are due to the office by Wednesday, Feb. 24.
• PAC Panago pizza lunch order forms came home and are due by Friday, Feb. 26 with pizza served Friday, March 5.
• There will be no Sharing Project sent home for March as we will not have enough time to share them all due to Spring Break.
• Scholastic digi-flyers for February can be found here. 
• Please have Team Awesome read any little paper books that come home (approximately 1 per week) multiple times for practice/ fluency. Thank you.
• The BEST newsletter can be found here.
• Check out what Mrs. Phillips is doing with Team Awesome here.
• Sight words we are learning in class: come, did, have, get, love, of, said, very, will, yes. Please feel free to practice them at home. 

Go forth and Be A Valentine!

Counting Collections is a partner activity in which we ask Team Awesome to do the following:

• count to figure out how many are in a "collection" of objects (a set of old keys, teddy bear counters, rocks collected from the yard, arts and crafts materials, etc.)
• make a written representation of what they counted and how they counted it

Similar to other kinds of counting activities, the goal is to engage them in coordinating the various aspects of counting in order to find out how many are in the given set of objects. What might be different about Counting Collections, however, is that they are encouraged to count and represent in ways that make sense to them without an adult doing a demonstration first. As the children count, they might move objects in and out of containers, organize in a line, sort into groups by color, slide from one pile to another, etc. As the children represent, they might trace the objects, make a series of small marks and place the objects on top to make sure they match, write a sequence of numerals, etc. Additionally, "collections" often have more objects than are usually given to young children (such as a collection of 21 colorful dinosaurs) which often encourages them to organize and to count further in the counting sequence. When our counting time is finished, we come together and some of the students present their ideas- telling everyone what they counted, how they counted, how many they had and how they represented their count, thereby teaching the others new ways of thinking about numbers.
The evidence is overwhelming that children benefit from working together. During Counting Collections the learning spaces are full of conversation and problem solving. Partners have lots of negotiating to do as they decide on a collection, choose a place to work, and figure out a strategy. Opportunities to learn to work together are as abundant as opportunities to develop number sense and counting skills during Counting Collections.