Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

A surprise snow day!  Hooray!  It was super special to get the day off since it was Isabelle's 10th birthday. We were able to snuggle up at home, watch movies and celebrate.  We got out a bunch of our Holiday decorations too.  :) 

We have a short week coming up, and then 5 wonderful days to spend with family and food! Here's what you need to know for next week's short week and the week after....

Quarter 1 Report Cards:
A friendly reminder that Quarter 1 report cards were issued Monday.  If you've not yet done so, please log into your ParentVue account to view your child's report card.

Thanksgiving Travel:
If your child will be absent next week, and / or leaving early on Tuesday, please kindly notify both the office and me in advance.  For absences, you may use the online absence excuse found on the Pinebrook homepage, or by clicking HERE. For early dismissal, you may use the early dismissal form found on the Pinebrook homepage, or by clicking HERE.

School Picture Retakes:
School Picture Retakes will be Monday, November 19th.  Picture retakes are for students who were absent on picture day, or students who paid for a picture package and would like to have the photos redone.  If you believe either of these apply to you, please send me a message and I will give you all the details about picture retakes.

No Written Homework Next Week:
There will be no written homework next week due to our short week.  PLEASE READ!  Remember...reading isn't homework...reading is LIFE.  :)

Focus Areas for the Coming Short Week (11/20-11/21) AND the Week of 11/27 - 12/1:

• Reading:  We will begin our nonfiction unit, in which we learn ways to become super smart about nonfiction topics.
• Writing:  We will complete a few fun Thanksgiving writing projects. 
• Math:  We will finish our graphing unit.  We will begin our measurement unit.  We will talk about length, weight, volume, and temperature.  We will measure with standard and nonstandard units. We will learn about tools used for measurement.
• Social Studies:  We will begin our economics unit.  We will explore the concepts of wants and needs, goods and services, and consumers and producers.

As always, I welcome your questions, comments, and feedback.

Happy Thanksgiving!  As I count my blessings, your sweet kiddos, you, and the support you offer each day are surely at the top of the list.  

Weekly Update and Important Information

Hi Everyone,

We spent this week preparing for our Veteran's Day celebration, which will be held at school on Monday. Please help your child dress in red, white and blue Monday to add to our patriotic atmosphere. Veterans will come to speak with us about their time in the service, and we will celebrate them with our own Pinebrook Veteran's Day parade. My mother and father, both served in the Air Force, and my father retired after for 20 years.  As a teacher and a daughter of veterans, I am so thankful to our Pinebrook community for honoring these veterans.  Please take a moment this weekend to be thankful for the veterans who keep our country the Land of the Free.  

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT REPORT CARDS:
Quarter 1 report cards will be issued Monday, November 12th.  Please note:  Paper report cards will NOT be issued. Your child's report card will be available for electronic viewing by logging into your ParentVue account.

If you do NOT have a ParentVue account, you MUST contact Mrs. Sciortino in our school office at 703-957-4325 to obtain an authorization key.  I apologize in advance, but I am NOT able to help you with obtaining or accessing your ParentVue account.  You must go through Mrs. Sciortino.

Thanksgiving Plate:
In last week's Thursday folder, I sent home a note about Thanksgiving, along with a "plate" for your child to decorate with things he/she is thankful for.  We will use the decorated plate for an in-class project.  Please help your child decorate his/her plate with pictures of things he/she is thankful for.  The plates will go through the laminator, so please use only flat decorations.  Please send the decorated plate back to school by Monday, November 12th.  

Homework Update:
A friendly reminder that our new homework routine will begin next week. Students will bring their weekly homework packet home on Mondays.  The completed homework packet is due back on Fridays to allow you flexibility in helping your child with his/her homework.  Daily homework will consist of reading and one page in the homework packet.  Detailed instructions are included on the cover page of the packet.  Please contact me with any questions regarding homework.

Shoe Tying:
Untied shoes are a safety hazard at school.  A friendly reminder that I will give 5 Puma Paws to any student who can independently tie his/her shoes.  (New customers only please; if I have already given your child the 5 paws, I won't give them again.)

Thanksgiving Travel:
If your child will be absent in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, please kindly notify the office and me in advance.  You may use the Pinebrook online absence notice found on the Pinebrook homepage or by clicking HERE.  For early release, please use the early dismissal notice found on the Pinebrook homepage or by clicking HERE.

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will begin our Nonfiction unit, in which we learn strategies good readers use when reading nonfiction texts.  This unit will last until Winter Break.
• Writing:  We will continue our unit on How-to writing.  How-to writing is procedural writing, in which we teach our reader "how to" do something.  We will complete a Thanksgiving writing project.
• Math:  We will begin our graphing and data unit.  We will study tally charts, picture graphs, object graphs, and bar graphs.  This unit will last until Thanksgiving break.
• Social Studies:  We will learn about our beautiful state of Virginia, and talk about the symbols that represent our state.

Our second quarter has begun!  Thank you for all you've done to help your child adjust to 1st grade.  I am blessed by their sweet presence each day.  Please remember...your feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.  

Weekly Update

Hi Everyone,

Today marks the end of our first quarter.  The school year is passing quickly!  I am so pleased with our little classroom family, and with the growth the kids are making.  Have I told you I think your kids are the BEST?  😊 

Thanksgiving Plate:
Today in your child's Homework folder, I sent home a note about Thanksgiving, along with a "plate" for your child to decorate with things he/she is thankful for.  We will use the decorated plate for an in-class project.  Please help your child decorate his/her plate with pictures of things he/she is thankful for.  The plates will go through the laminator, so please use only flat decorations.  Please send the decorated plate back to school by Monday, November 13th.  If it is finished sooner, you may send it sooner.  Thank you!

Homework Change:
Due to our short week next week, we will not have new sight words or written homework.  When homework resumes on November 12th, we will have a new homework routine.  The kids will no longer use the orange homework journal (they may keep these at home to use as they choose).  Instead, I will send a homework packet home on Mondays.  Completed homework packets will be due on Fridays.  Each day's homework will include reading for 15-20 minutes, along with a worksheet to review our words of the week or other previously learned concepts.  I will continue to give a words of the week spelling test on Fridays. Your child will receive a completion grade for homework.  Detailed homework instructions will be included on the cover page of each week's homework packet.  


Pinebrook Veteran's Day Program:
Please read the following message from the Pinebrook office regarding our Veteran's Day Program:

Calling All Veterans!

You are invited to participate in Pinebrook's Veteran's Day Celebration

At Pinebrook Elementary, we love to celebrate and honor our families, especially those who have served or are currently active in the military. We would be honored to have you join us and share your stories with two classrooms of students (parents and extended family military members welcome) for our Veteran's Day Celebration to be held on Monday, November 12^th from 8:00am-10:15am.

Schedule of events:

8:00 – 8:25 Veterans check in at the front desk and proceed to the library

8:30 – 9:10 Program Begins / Veteran's share their story with two different groups of students

8:30 – 8:50 First Session

8:50 – 9:10 Second Session

9:15 – 9:30 Photos of Veterans with their students

9:30 – 9:45 Pinebrook Veterans Day Parade

9:45 - 10:15 Juice, Coffee, Bagels for Veterans

Please RSVP through Google Forms at the following link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqCiNfjx6aXv_q4WjfRByUFiPoHjSvdiT40rKpP8KQuSPdag/viewform   

Turkey of the Year:
Turkey of the Year voting continued today, and will go on for the next few Fridays! Your child must read to vote for the staff member he/she would like to see come to school dressed in a turkey suit.  One hour of reading equals one vote. Each Friday, please sign and return that week's voting slip.  If you lost the voting slips, please write a note to indicate how many hours your child read during the previous week, sign it, and send it to school on Friday. 

Focus Areas for the Coming Week:

• Reading:  We will finish our Word Detectives unit, in which we learn strategies for solving tricky words.
• Writing:  We will begin our  "How to" writing unit.  This is writing in which we teach our readers how to do something.
• Math:  We did not finish our fractions unit this week due to our Halloween celebration.  We will finish it next week.
• Social Studies:  We will learn about the significance of Veteran's Day and prepare for our Pinebrook Veteran's Day celebration. 

It's been a delight to visit with so many of you at conferences.  Thank you for taking time to talk with me about your child's progress!  Thank you for being vested in your child's social, emotional, and educational development.

Don't forget...the kids don't have school Monday or Tuesday due to Teacher Work Days.  Enjoy the long weekend!