Hello,

Happy Weekend!

Today we had our Reading Rally where students were introduced to our latest fundraiser… a Read-a-thon!   This is similar to our Move-a-thon last year, but instead of exercise, students are being asked to read!   Here's how it works: students will record the amount of time spent reading each day. Students ask family members, friends, businesses, whoever, to pledge either a flat amount or an amount per minute spent reading. Students then turn in the money raised on February 26th. All money raised will be put towards buying more iPads for our school!   Willett's goal is $8,000. That's $20 per student. The class with most money raised will receive extra recess and get to choose what color Mr. Cateon will color his hair for the day! The top five Willett students who raised the most money will get to eat lunch with Mr. Cateon with his new hair color! :)   The read-a-thon paperwork will be in students' folders today! Let's start raising money for more iPads!  Check out pictures on our classroom website!

The 100th day is approaching quickly!  Students’ 100th day projects are due this Wednesday.  Please be sure to send the project in on Wednesday so points are not deducted for late projects.

The 100th day is Friday, February 5th.   This will be a spirit day!  Students are encouraged to dress up like they are 100 years old!!!!  Here are some ideas to help you get started planning what your student will wear:

• Printed skirt
• Fake pearls
• Eyeglasses
• Sweater
• Gray wig or curled hairstyle
• Gray hair spray
• Knee high stockings
• Large purse
• Scarf
• Button down shirt
• Flannel shirt
• Suspenders
• Tie
• Eyeglasses

We will have a regular homework packet this week as we start Unit 3 of Reading Street!  Unit 3 is all about changes. Our story of the week is An Egg is an Egg.   With this story we will discuss how do we change as we grow? We will also focus on the vowel sound of y and long vowels (CV).  We will compare and contrast and predict.

In Math we will complete our Open Response on Adding Animal Weights and then complete our Unit 5 Math Assessment!

In Writing we will take the curiosity challenge and write about something we are curious about relating to science or math!

In the weeks ahead…

• Valentines can be brought to school on Thursday, February 11th.  Please do not send them in earlier than this date.
• Friday, February 12th is a half day. Please remember school starts later and ends earlier on half days.  School begins at 8:45 and is dismissed at 12:30.  If your child’s dismissal routine is changed, please send me a note to inform me.
• February Vacation is February 13 – 21! There will be NO SCHOOL on these days.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Bower

Today we had a Reading Rally to get students excited for our Read-A-Thon that starts today and runs through February 26th. :)

Here's how it works: students will record the amount of time spent reading each day. Students ask family members, friends, businesses, whoever, to pledge either a flat amount or an amount per minute spent reading. Students then turn in the money raised on February 26th. All money raised will be put towards buying more iPads for our school!

Willett's goal is $8,000. That's $20 per student. The class with most money raised will receive extra recess and get to choose what color Mr. Cateon will color his hair for the day! The top five Willett students who raised the most money will get to eat lunch with Mr. Cateon with his new hair color! :)

The read-a-thon paperwork will be in students' folders today! Let's start raising money for more iPads!!!!

Today we attended a job fair held by Willett's 4th graders! Students did a wonderful job listening to the presenters and learning all about different jobs!

Below is the email you should have received from our PTO Room Parent, Julie Friess.   If you are not receiving her emails, please let me know so I can make sure you are added to her email list. 

1. Join us for the discount skate night on Thursday 1/28 at USA Skate in E 
​ Providence starting at 6pm. 

2. Get ready for the FEELING GROOVY BOOK FAIR coming to Willet in February! On Friday, January 29, 2016, bring in a minimum donation of $1.00 and wear something RED (“Have you READ any good books lately?”) or your favorite word/symbol for PEACE, LOVE, BOOKS! Be creative, colorful and groovy, but remember, no masks.To learn more, see the attached flyer. 

3. All Celtics ticket order forms are due Monday, Feb 1st. Order forms are available atwillettpto.weebly.com
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4. There is a Book Fair Workshop on January 29th at an Unlikely Story in Plainville. During the workshop, Scholastic will be talking about how to make the book fair FUN for the whole school, EASIER to run, and MORE MEANINGFUL! Here is the link to register: www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/workshops
The workshop starts at 11:00 a.m. and will last around 90 minutes and is open to anyone who is interested. The school also earns money for attendance. 

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Below is the email. sent out Sunday night for our weekly update.

Hello Everyone,

This week we will be off of our normal Reading Street/homework routine... and not because the Patriots loss tonight. We have finished Unit 2 of Reading Street so we will take a week to review our long vowels and comprehension strategies before starting a new unit.  We will also work on writing about what a community is and how we are part of our school community. We will also write an opinion piece telling which story from Unit 2 was our favorite as well as continue writing about Martin Luther King Jr. 

For homework this week students will only receive a Reading Log.  Students also brought home on Friday a yellow form that talks all about their 100th Day Project!  This is a great week to work on that project since we do not have a homework packet coming home. :)

In Math this week we will continue talking about Place Value by looking at base-10 blocks, comparison symbols (greater than, less than, equal to), and begin two digit addition and subtraction. 

Our Special tomorrow (Monday) is Technology. We will have Gym on Thursday. Library will be on Friday.  Students are doing a great job remembering their books!  Please keep this up!

I love seeing all the student comments on the class webpage! I hope you are able to check it out regularly as I try to post pictures so you can see what we are doing inside our classroom-- not just read about it. 

Have a great week,
Mrs. Bower

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone had a great long weekend!  Were your students about to tell you all about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?  I hope so! We learned a lot about his life and how he helped shape the America we know today.

I am going to try to make my updates shorter -- well a quicker read... so here I go!

Tomorrow will be Day B, which means we will have Music.   Gym will be on Thursday this week. Please remember to send your student in with sneakers.

It is going to be very cold this week-- especially tomorrow morning.  Please be sure students are bundled up!  

Students will receive their homework packets tomorrow.  They will be due back on Friday. Students can skip/cross out Monday on their Reading Logs.

I am just guessing... but I feel like we will have a Patriots Spirit Day on Friday. ;)   This is not confirmed... but I'm sure it will come up before Friday.  

We will have Library on Friday this week. Please be sure your student knows where his/her library book is! 

Our story this week is Honeybees.  We will discuss how honeybees wor together to survive and the important roles each bee has.  Our phonics skills this week will be: long e (e, ee) and syllables VCCV. 

In Math we will continue to work on Place Value using Base-10 blocks, pennies and dimes, and number cards to create large numbers.

We will write an informational piece on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and importance!  
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We will also take our Reading district common assessment this week! 


Keep Warm,
Mrs. Bower

Today we worked in groups and took a quiz on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students did a great job working together to answer questions. Congratulations Group 1 for winning, but all students did an excellent job!