Monthly Archives: January 2025

January Newsletter 3

Friday, January 24, 2025

Dear Parents,

We had a fun and busy week in our classroom and wanted to share some exciting things we’ve been up to!

Homemade Playdough Fun We kicked off the week by making homemade cooked playdough! The students were excited to help measure and mix the ingredients as we doubled the recipe. We discussed measurements and talked about the importance of numbers and counting. After the playdough was ready, the children had a blast using playdough toys, and everyone was so excited to take their playdough home on Friday.

All About Me: Caroline’s Turn This week, we learned more about Caroline as our “All About Me” person. Caroline brought in some wonderful items to share and talk about, and it was so much fun hearing all about her favorite things!

Saying the Pledge This week, it was our class’s turn to say the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom. We will continue saying the Pledge until every student has had a turn to have a turn.  It’s been such a great way to start our day!

Valentine’s Cards for the Senior Center In a special project with Ms. Anna’s class, we made cards for the senior center to brighten someone’s day! We also decorated a box that will be placed in the hallway for the whole school to add their Valentine’s Day cards. It’s wonderful to see our class thinking of others and spreading kindness.

Math: Telling Time In math, we’ve been working on telling time! The students are learning about the clock, and we’ve been practicing matching times and drawing lines to connect the hours and minutes. We talked about the two hands on the clock: the hour hand and the minute hand. We also practiced counting by 5’s around the clock and discussed that there are 60 minutes in an hour.

100th Day of School Approaching Our class is getting excited as we approach the 100th day of school! We’ve been counting down and discussing all the fun activities we will do to celebrate this milestone.

Reading: “Good Dog, Home is Where the Heart Is” We’ve continued reading the book Good Dog, Home is Where the Heart Is by Cam Higgins. In the story, Bo the dog went upstairs to the attic. Who did Bo meet there? Spiders! And what did the spiders do? They helped Bo find his tag! The kids love the adventure and can’t wait to see what happens next!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Sincerely,
Ms. Demetra

January Newsletter 2

Friday, January 17, 2025

Dear Parents,

Happy Friday! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to in class this week:

This week, we’ve been diving into the magic of the moon with our class, and what better way to start the conversation than by talking about the Wolf Moon?

Do Wolves Really Howl at the Moon?
Ask your child: “Do you think wolves howl at the moon?” While wolves don’t actually howl at the moon, the full moon has long been associated with wolves in folklore. Wolves howl to communicate with their pack, and when the moon is full and bright, it makes the perfect backdrop for stories and imagination.

We began our week discussing the January Wolf Moon. The first full moon of the year! Of course, it’s the perfect time to talk about the moon’s phases, too!

A Quick Guide to January’s Moon Phases:

We have talked more and have learned more about the full moon but also the many phases of the moon here they are:

  • First Quarter (January 6): This phase occurs when the moon is half-lit from Earth’s perspective. It’s the perfect time to talk about how the moon changes shape as it orbits around our planet.
  • Full Moon (January 13): The moon is fully illuminated by the sun. For some, this is a time to make wishes, enjoy the beauty of the night sky, or learn more about moon myths.
  • Last Quarter (January 21): This phase is another “half-moon” moment, but this time the other half is illuminated. It’s a great opportunity to discuss how the moon is moving toward its next phase.
  • New Moon (January 29): When the moon is not visible from Earth. It’s the start of the next lunar cycle and a perfect time for quiet reflection or stargazing.

How Can You Explore the Moon with Your Child?  On the night of the full moon, go outside with your child and take a moment to look up at the sky. Talk about what you see and how the moon seems to change over the month.

We’ve started reading the wonderful book Good Dog by Cam Higgins. Our class is already engaged with the story and its lovable characters. This story is about loyalty, friendship, and the bond between a dog and its owner. We’ve been discussing the plot, character development, and what it means to be a “good dog” in both the literal and figurative sense.

This week, we’ve also been learning about the famous French artist Paul Cézanne. We celebrated his upcoming birthday (January 19) by exploring his iconic artwork and discussing how he contributed to the development of modern art. The students have been inspired by his unique approach to color and form, and we’re looking forward to trying our own Cézanne-inspired artwork in the coming days.

All About Me : John’s week

This week, John was our “All About Me” He shared many interesting items and stories with the class. John also played the violin what a treat!  Take a look at the photos:

As always, thank you for your continued support. We’re excited to see the students grow as readers, artists, and thinkers!

 

Sincerely,

Ms. Demetra

January (Newsletter 1) 2025

Friday, January 10,2025

 

Welcome Back! Happy New Year 2025!

Dear Parents,

I hope you all had a wonderful and restful holiday break with your children. It’s great to be back in the classroom, and I want to take a moment to thank you again for all the thoughtful treats, cards, and generous gifts. Your kindness is truly appreciated!

This week has been full of engaging activities as we ease back into our learning routine. In math, we’ve reviewed number sense, practiced ordering numbers, and worked on vertical and horizontal addition problems. The students have also enjoyed cutting shapes to explore mirror images—what a fun hands-on way to learn geometry!

In our reading time, we finished the delightful book Cornbread and Poppy at the Carnival by Matthew Cordell. The children loved the adventure, and it sparked some great conversations. It was also a great opportunity to discuss character development and the importance of friendship.

We were lucky to have the chance to listen to a special presentation from Ms. Melissa’s class about their service project supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities. Our class can help by bringing in loose change to donate between January 13-17. It’s a wonderful way for the children to get involved in giving back to the community!

In addition, our bird of the week was the pigeon. We learned some fascinating facts about these clever birds: they are incredibly smart, serve as messenger birds, and have excellent vision.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to keep building on what we’ve learned and look forward to another amazing month of growth and discovery.

As always, thank you for your continued support!

Warm regards,
Ms. Demetra

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