Looking Ahead to the week of 1/6/14-1/10/14:
Spelling: Lesson 17 (ee) see, free, deer, peel, tree, weep, beep, need, freedom, wheel
Memory: First Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
In God I trust; I will not be afraid. Psalm 56:11
Math: Fact TEST on Friday

Information:
Please remember to mark church/ Sunday school attendance. Please mark if you attend either 12/22 or 12/29 service. This information is still counted on second quarter data.
End of 2^nd Quarter is Friday the 20^th.  Report cards will be sent home on Friday, January 10^th. A paper copy will be sent home in a Zion envelope.

Reflecting on Polar Express trip:
Today was AWESOME!!! I hope the kids had half as much fun as I did. It was a very special day! Enjoy the photos!!

 Gabriel tried donuts for the very first time!!!

 He was not impressed!

 We tried being elves and learned it is a very hard job. We put together over 300 packages for Zion's Christmas children's message service.

 We helped gather all the donated items for Thrive! The Zion family is such a blessing to the community. God is good and I see his love shining through our families. Thank you!

Looking ahead:

Memory: Practice reading Advent parts with emotion
Spelling: Lesson 16 (ear/ath) hear, near, fear, dear, smear, math, path, bath, aftermath, Sabbath
Math: Fact test on Wednesday and written test on Thursday

Important Info:
New info-
Polar Express: On Thursday, Dec. 19th I will be taking the class on the Polar Express.  They will come to school dressed in pajamas ready for departure. They need to wear tennis shoes to school but they may bring slippers to change into once arrived. Your child may bring one stuffed animal to school to join them on their trip.

Zion has a noon dismissal on Friday the 20th

Class Christmas party will be the morning of Friday the 20th.

End of 2^nd Quarter is Friday the 20^th.  Report cards will be sent home on Friday, January 10^th. A paper copy will be sent home in a Zion envelope.

Friday the 20^th is a Bobcat Spirit day.

Repeating info-
Thrive: We are collecting newborn diapers and wipes for Thrive crisis pregnancy center until December 18th.

Advent Service: December 18th at 10:00a.m. (students are to wear regular school uniform dress) and 7:00 p.m. Please dress your child in church clothes for the evening service and drop them off in the church basement at 6:30.

Reflecting on our week:
The students love playing, "Toss the Yarn." This week we assigned character traits to Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Students take turns tossing the yarn to a friend while stating one trait of our Nativity characters. Look for these in the hallway!

 This week we played a game while reviewing our math facts. This type of activity is fun and helps kinesthetic learners because it allows them to move their body while they process information.

Looking ahead:
Memory: Keep practicing Advent parts. 
Spelling: Lesson 15 (all) hall, ball, call, stall, wall, mall, overall, rainfall, fallen, overall
Math: No math test this week

Important Info:
Thrive: We are collecting newborn diapers and wipes for Thrive crisis pregnancy center until December 18th.

Scholastic book order: I will place one more scholastic order before Christmas. If there are any orders I  will submit them on Dec. 11th to make sure they are in by Christmas break. Let me know if they are a gift and I will send them home per your directions.

Advent Service: December 18th at 10:00a.m. (students are to wear regular school uniform dress) and 7:00 p.m. Please dress your child in church clothes for the evening service and drop them off in the church basement at 6:30.

Polar Express: Mark your calendar for Thursday, Dec. 19th. I will be taking the class on the Polar Express. This is my Christmas present to the students. They will come to school dressed in pajamas ready for departure.

Reflecting on our week:
We are working with a new writing tool that we purchased at the LEA convention. This is a tool that helps students organize their thoughts. Mrs. Bernhardt came in to teach us a song that helps us remember all the parts we need to think about when writing about a topic. 

The children were excited to start using literature circles. Literature circles are like book clubs except everyone is responsible for a particular job. These book discussions help students gain a better understanding of what they have read. We are working through our books slowly as the students learn about various jobs within their groups and how to respond in their journals.