2 more things!

A field trip permission slip went home last week. The field trip is not until April, but we need the money to purchase tickets by Friday, 12/11. Please send $12 in cash in a baggie or envelope (if you pay your bills electronically, you'll have plenty of unused envelopes!)

Math-a-thon permission slips will go home this week. The math problems are fun, students win prizes, and it benefits St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Longfellow has raised over $21,000 over the past three years! At St. Jude's, families never have to pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay.

It's Getting Cold!

Snow is forecasted for Thursday and Friday - winter weather is on its way! Students love to play in the snow, so warm clothing is essential. We only stay inside if it is raining or the temperature or wind chill is in the single digits. Morning recess can be especially cold before the sun has had a chance to warm us up. Each student should have a coat that closes, a hat or hood, and mittens or gloves. Children should have boots when it snows. Snowpants make recess and lunchtime a lot warmer and more fun. (I tell students not to sit or lay in the snow if they don't have snowpants.) Consider asking for a pair for the holidays if you don't have them already. Feel free to send an extra pair of socks for your student to keep in his or her cubby in case a dry pair is needed.

Keep practicing tying shoes and boots, and zipping, buttoning, or snapping coats. I also recommend putting your name on everything you can! (I'm always amazed when the Lost and Found has ONE boot.)

Scholastic Book Orders

I sent home 4 book order forms today. If you choose to order, you can make 1 check out to Scholastic no matter how many forms you use. Please return them to me on or before Monday, 12/9. If any books are a surprise, let me know and I can get them directly to you.

Holiday gifts

Many children will be asking for holiday gifts this time of year. A few suggestions with a teacher's bias:

• reading books
• coloring books
• activity books (word searches, crosswords, sudoku, etc.)
• games that build strategy (Connect Four, Trouble, Checkers, Sorry, Uno; some children may be ready for Battleship or Rummikub)
• games that build counting skills (Candyland, Chutes and Ladders)

Many games also have a Jr. version for younger children, like Monopoly, Clue, Boggle, and Scrabble. I'm a fan of anything that gets kids' minds and bodies active!

I hope to see you tonight!

I'll be at Fitzgerald's tonight for the Parent Teacher Social. Food, raffles and fun start at 7! Whether I see you or not, have a great weekend!

Math Goals

I've been individually assessing some of our math goals:

• orally count to 35 (by the end of November) and to 50 (by the end of December)
• identify numbers to 15
• orally count back from 10 (by the end of November) and from 12 (by the end of December)
• generate, continue, and copy patterns
• understand concepts of greater/ more than and less than

I'll send a note home next week with your child's progress on these topics.

Calendar

Students are into our calendar routine each morning. We sing the days of the week and months of the year; we review today, tomorrow, and yesterday; we say the date in English and Spanish. We also keep track of the days of school and the weather. A student records the weather on a monthly graph. November has been much nicer than October! Another student adds a straw to our collection each day to record how many days we've been in school (56!) We count to 56 by 10s and 1s using straws, and again using dimes and pennies. Then we count to 56 by ones. The number gets bigger everyday! Counting by 1s, 5s, 10s, or even 2s, is something you can do in the car or while you're making dinner.