UNICEF Boxes

UNICEF boxes will go home today. UNICEF is an organization that provides basic needs for children around the world. If your child chooses to collect money while trick-or-treating, please return the box by next Thursday, November 4th. The Longfellow Student Council has set a goal to collect $750 this Halloween.

Homework Tonight!

What phase is the moon in tonight? (You might also see it tomorrow morning.) Tell me tomorrow!
In class we discussed a few reasons why we might not see it:

• It's a new moon.
• We might go to bed too early to see it.
• Clouds could be covering it.

If you don't see it, check out the newspaper, the website to the left on this blog, or Google it. Then find out what the phase is called. We're used to seeing the new moon at the top of the cycle, but the phases are still the same and in the correct order below. This is the simplest one I could find with labels.

Regular Visitors

In the past few weeks, we've started having guests in our classroom who, for the most part, will be with us the rest of the year.
Thursday mornings:
4th grade Reading Buddies - Mrs. Sullivan's class comes to our room to read to us. Kindergarteners are paired up with one or two fourth graders. In the past, this has been such a positive relationship. The older kids love "taking care" of the little ones, and kindergartners love having an older friend to say hello to on the playground.
Ms. Prescott, our social worker or "feelings teacher," is teaching the health curriculum. Students learn how to identify facial expressions and body language to tell what others are feeling. We talk about how to calm down when angry and appropriate ways to make friends. Later we'll talk about safe and unsafe touches. Ms. Prescott will be in our classroom for about two months.
Friday mornings:
Mrs. Scaro comes to co-teach math with me. This is a way to help me differentiate. We divide students into two groups based on the skill we're teaching that day.

Calling all volunteers!

Our weekly schedule seems pretty well in place and students know our daily routines. One thing we do most days of the week is workshop, or centers. Now that many of us are writing more, I would love to have a volunteer at the writing center to help students think of topics and help them sound out their words. If you have an hour one morning a week during our availability, or if you'd like to pair up with another parent and come every other week, please let me know.
Our available times:
Monday 9:30-11
Tuesday 9-11
Wednesday 9:30-11
Friday 10-11
As you can see, some days are more flexible than others. An hour sometime within these times would be great!

Shiver Me Timbers!

The Pirates of Penzance are coming to Longfellow Wednesday morning! Students have been preparing for this in music class with Mrs. Wiese, so they are familiar with the story and much of the music. In honor of the opera, we will have Pirate Day in our classroom. Kindergarteners are welcome to dress up as pirates. No weapons please.

Halloween

So much to say!

• We will celebrate Halloween on Friday, 10/29. The academic morning will be extended and last from 8-12. Lunch will be from 12-12:55. The parade will be at 1:15 with a party to follow. Students will be dismissed at 2:55 as usual. I strongly encourage you to send a snack with your child as lunch is later than usual.
• Please let me know if you'd be willing to help organize our Halloween party. If several parents help out, either with prep work and/or attending the party, hopefully it won't be too much work for any one person.
  
• Students should not wear costumes to school. Please pack it in a bag to change into after lunch. Some students choose to go home for lunch to change there.
• NO WEAPONS, either real or toy, should be included as part of a costume.
• There will be a pumpkin decorating contest, by age group, the week of Halloween. Look for details in the Digital Backpack.
• Please let me know if your family does not celebrate Halloween. There will be an alternative party for those students who do not.
  

Sight Words

I tested your child on the 14 words we've studied so far this year. Today in your child's folder you'll find a note with any missed words highlighted. By this point in the year, I'd hope students know about 9 or 10 words. Please practice with flashcards for a few minutes each night. There are new words each week introduced via the paper decodable books.

Prize Donations

Longfellow is always looking for donations for our Friday raffle. If you have items you would like to donate to the Longfellow PBIS program, we are accepting donations from families and community partners. You can visit our PBIS blog at www.longfellowpbis.blogspot.com for a wish list on the right side menu; it is titled “Bear’s Den Wish List.”

Letter from Nurse Angie

A letter went home on Monday about a case of lice in kindergarten. Please refer to the letter for directions about frequent head checks. In school, we're talking about the importance of not sharing hats, brushes, and hair decor, as well as keeping our coats away from other coats. You may also send in a pair of headphones for your child that will not be shared.

Lexia

Every Tuesday and Friday our class will make a trip to the computer lab to use the Lexia computer-based reading program. A letter is going home today with your child to explain a little bit about it. If you would like, you can work on the program at home. The letter includes your child's username. (For the most part, it the child's full first name and last initial. Some children may also have a number if there is another child in the district who has a similar name.) There is no password for kindergarteners.
In the two times we've been up to the lab, children seem to enjoy their time with the program. They get to choose the order in which they do the activities. One thing to note, if they stop in the middle of an activity, they will eventually come back to it; it cannot be skipped.
If you would like to supply your child with his or her own pair of headphones, you may. This might reduce the chances of spreading lice. Otherwise, there are headphones available for all Longfellow students to use. If you bring your own, your child could use them for the listening center in our classroom as well.

The Moon

To correspond with our Shadows unit in reading, we are studying the moon in science. Check out the link to the left; you can enter any date within 200 years. What did the moon look like on the day you were born? What did it look like on the day your mom was born? What will it look like on a day in mid-June, 2023, when you graduate from high school? What will it look like tonight?

Longfellow Schedule

Just a reminder:

• There is no school this coming Monday, October 11 in honor of Columbus Day.
  

• Both Thursday, October 21, and Friday, October 22, are half days for conference week. Students will be dismissed at 11:00am.

• The Pirates of Penzance are coming to Longfellow! Students will see this Opera for the Young performance on Wednesday, October 27.

• There is no school Friday, November 5 in honor of Veteran's Day.

When life gives you lemons...

make lemonade. When Paige gave us apples, we made applesauce! We had so much fun making and eating applesauce today! We followed a simple Croc Pot recipe I found online. The kids seemed to like it so here is the recipe if you'd like to make it at home:
4lbs tart apples: peeled, cored, sliced thin
1c water
1/2 c sugar (I thought it was just a little too sweet. Adjust to your liking and the tartness of the apples.)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon (We put in a little extra!)
Mix it all together in the Croc Pot, cook on high for 3 hours. Mash with a potato masher.

from http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-applesauce-69127