Help Create “Longfellowville” from LEGO

Are you a LEGO master or an aspiring engineer or architect? Longfellow wants your help in designing Longfellowville, a town made from LEGO. Using LEGO, design any building that you would see in a typical town or city (ex. school, grocery store, house, gas station, etc. ) Bring it to school and it will be displayed in the front entryway. Be sure to include the following information: your name, teacher's name, and the building name. Designs should be no larger than 8” wide x 8“ long x 8” high. Entries should be delivered in person to Mr. Pod or Mrs. Pasquinelli between 7:45-8:00am, from March 12th-16th. Your entries will be returned in early April. A special thanks to Gretchen Junker for helping make this project possible. Please contact Mr. Pod (epodlasek@op97.org) with any questions. We can’t wait to see your creations!!!

Nourish to Flourish

This month's Nourish to Flourish theme has been exercise. 60minutes of exercise per day in children includes such benefits as:

• Improving resistance to certain diseases
• Building healthy lungs and heart
• Helping maintain a healthy weight
• Boosting energy levels and mood
• Enhancing creativity and self-esteem
• Creating more positive attitude toward school
• Growing brain cells and increases oxygen to the brain
• Improving brain efficiency for learning and memory
• Improving concentration, focus and test scores
• Helping students sleep better

Students have taken part in Workout Wednesdays during lunch with fun activities. Last Friday we did the Cha Cha Slide with the whole school over the PA. Here are some exercise ideas you could do as a family:

• Go for a family walk after dinner.
• Walk to school instead of driving. When driving, park far away and walk.
• Cut back on TV, video and computer games. Allow time for more physical activity.
• Invent fun, active games, and exercise together.
• Take walking tours of historic sites.
• Have a family dance party, or hula –hoop contest.
• Jump rope to music.
• Create an obstacle course - include the concepts over, under, around, and through.
• Learn a new sport, or reinvent a traditional sport.

Valentine's Day

Next Tuesday we will celebrate Valentine's Day. If you would like to bring in cards for the class, please be sure to bring one for EVERYONE. We have 18 students in the class. Also, please do NOT fill out the "to" line. It can be difficult for some children to read those names when it is time to pass them out. Just fill out the "from" line. You are also welcome to bring a treat to share, though it isn't necessary. Make sure it is nut-free.
We'll have a relaxed day; not our usual party with stations. I have empty Kleenex boxes for students to decorate and a few Valentine activities planned. It should be fun!

Oral to Written Language

Our staff has been discussing any gaps in our curriculum from one grade to the next. For example, in one year there may not be much emphasis on a particular subject, but the next year the rigor of that same subject makes it difficult for students to keep up. For the most part, our curriculum matches up from grade level to grade level! However, writing can be a struggle in older grades and teachers cite a lack of correct oral language as a detriment to written language.
I suggest having a time in your house when correct language should be used, for example at the dinner table or in public. In an age of text language and quick, unedited emails, many students never learn to speak formally. Children should, of course, be comfortable with how they speak and be given a time to speak without being corrected. However, there is a time and place, from childhood to adulthood, when formal language is appropriate and necessary. From writing a letter to an essay, from ordering at a restaurant to interviewing for a job, people need to speak in complete sentences with correct grammar.
Learning that starts now. For example, if you hear your child say "'cuz" instead of because, correct him or her. Most kindergarteners don't know that these are the same word and one is actually incorrect. If you ask them a question, instead of replying "yeah," they should reply, "Yes, I would," etc. Again, I wouldn't correct your child every time. I don't want speaking to become frustrating to them or hurt their self-esteem. However, set a time of day or setting of your home or community when that speech is taught, and teach your child when they need to use it.
Hopefully, not only will this make writing easier as they get older, but your children will have another tool they need to become a successful adult!