Happy Friday! We just completed the 99th day of school! I am so thankful we have been able to teach in-person this school year and have already made it this far! Monday we will celebrate the 100th day with some fun activities. :)
We have been focusing on quality work and good handwriting. Several students are rushing through their work and we are having them erase and redo assignments that are not easy to read, or are lacking capitals and punctuation. Many students are also forgetting to do their homework at home each night on Seesaw. Please remind your child to check Seesaw after school for their nightly homework activity. The activities should only take a few minutes to complete. If your child is struggling with the concept highlighted in the activity, please reach out and let us know. We will be sure to work with him/her in class the next morning.
We will celebrate Valentine's Day on Thursday, February 11. Students may bring a decorated bag or box to collect their valentines, if they wish. We will have bags here for them if they do not bring one. We have 28 students and 2 teachers in our class. :) Students should sign valentines, but they do not need to address them to certain students. Please make sure your child brings a valentine for every student. We will be doing several activities and crafts during the day. No food (other than individually wrapped candy that is attached to valentines) will be allowed. Thank you for understanding.
Important Links:
- There are a couple February Spirit Days coming up!
- Feb 12. is Comfy Cozy Day--think soft and fuzzy, comfy and cozy (but no pajamas, please)!
- February 26th is Neon Day! Brighten up those dreary winter days by wearing something bright colored!
- Scholastic Book Ordering Class Page February book orders will be coming home next week. You can order anytime to have books shipped to your house! Feel free to pass along our class ordering page to friends and family, too! All orders help our classroom earn free books for our classroom library! (class code: GZKBK)
- Check out the Winter Reading program for the whole family at the Howell Carnegie Library!
- BK & K Registration (click link for video): *Please see the note at the bottom of this blog post from Mr. Moore!* Begindergarten and Kindergarten Registration for the 2021-22 school year is now open. This year, all Begindergarten and Kindergarten registrations will be done online at HowellSchools.com/kdg. On Wednesday, March 10, at 6 p.m., each elementary school will host a virtual meet and greet for parents. Information on the meet and greet will be shared at a later date. To register your child or for more information, please visit HowellSchools.com/kdg. Please help us spread the word the registration is now open by telling any families that you know who have a student who will be entering Begindergarten or Kindergarten next school year.
- Teacher & Support Person Of The Year: The nomination window for the 20/21 Howell Public Schools Teacher of the Year and Support Person of the Year is now open! Below are links to the online nominations forms.
Next Week
Reading: Units of Study Unit 3: Bigger Books--fluency, just-right pace
Writing: Nonfiction research
Spelling: Unit 16, skill--compound words
Math: Unit 6--Whole Number Operations and Number Stories
Science: Conserving Water posters
Social Studies: Public Services
Upcoming Dates:
Have a great weekend!
Families,
I hope this email finds you well, and I hope that 2021 is off to as good of a start as it can be given the circumstances. Here at the school, the new year has started off rather well. We welcomed back some students from the Virtual Academy to Hutchings, and we wished a few students well into the Virtual Academy at the same time. We had a fantastic start to Kindergarten registration; and we have a lot of younger siblings coming to the school next year, which I really enjoy. If you’re reading this and just remembered you still need to sign up for Kindergarten or Begindergarten, do not fear. I have the link. K/BK Registration Link
My mind has been floating around kindergarten this week and how much it has changed since I was even in Kindergarten. I remember going to half-day Kindergarten, I was a P.M student due to my sleepy nature as a child, and we learned a letter a day normally associated with a monster. I was very excited to learn about Mr. T as that letter was in my name. I felt super cool when I got to stand up and hold the Mr. T monster and proclaim the letter to the class. I remember having a Kindergarten play, tons of recess, and somewhere along the way my teacher taught us how to read.
What I did not realize at the time was how ready my parents got me for kindergarten. I was pretty lucky to have a mother who went to school to be a teacher and after a few years teaching, she was able to stop working and raise her son. I had chores; picking up my laundry, putting away the cups, I had to fake vacuum the house with my toy vacuum that I was convinced was real, and I had to count up the money that I earned for fake vacuuming (looking back I think my mom just reused the five pennies and gave me different amounts). I found this to be very fun as I had little jobs and felt empowered; and then when my father got home from work I could share all about my day, but it was “supposed to be in the order it happened.” We also read, and we read a lot. I had pretty much every Dr. Seuss' book there was, and I loved every one of them. I would sit and watch my mother hold the book, and she would point to the words. Eventually we got to the point where she would start the sentence, and I would say the last word or letter and get a huge high five or a hug for getting the word right.
What I now realize is that my mother was actually scientifically training my brain. You see in our brains we have gray matter and white matter that both need to be developed. Gray matter is filled with neurons, and without getting too crazy into science, grey matter helps process information in our brains. This gray matter builds well before school beings, but is vital in the learning process. Our brains really enjoy building gray matter, but when we are little we need some help - things like routines, play, exercise, rhythm, and finding patterns help build grey matter. So while I was doing my “jobs” and counting my pennies, and putting those events in order for my father, I was actually building the capacity in my brain for learning.
It wasn’t a coincidence that I was a pretty solid reader when I entered school, nor was it a coincidence that I had the capacity to follow directions, be a helper to others, and wait my turn. I had learned all of these skills prior from the activities I did at home. I still had my own issues with focus and spelling due to dyslexia during my elementary school career, but I was able to overcome those challenges with support, and some glasses. My brain was in a good spot scientifically. My parents put in some serious time to get me there, and as I finish up my doctoral degree I can see that work paying off every day.
As our kids continue to join the world and new technologies come in and out of fashion, I hope our families here remember the foundational skills that we as parents need to impart into our children. An iPad, no matter what the promise is, will never give a child that feeling of self worth when they say, the final word in the sentence correctly. A chromebook will not give the same facial expression, hand motion; and emotional connection as a parent when a child tells them about their day. That’s all part of being human and ensuring our students get the best shot they can at longterm learning.
Sing songs, play board games, run around outside, speed stack cups, read books, give kids jobs, hold them accountable, let them count coins or cans or rocks, go on adventures, or have them create silly stories about their days. All of this not only builds great family memories but scientifically helps your children develop their brains.
All the best,
Mr. Moore
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