Conferences

This is just a reminder that conferences are right around the corner!  Please let me know if you will not be able to attend your conference time or if you have any questions.

Fiction Reading

We are continuing to progress through our reading unit on Fiction.  Students are learning about the various elements of fiction and the different types of fiction (realistic fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, fairytales, etc).  We have recently been looking carefully at character development.  When reading with your child at night, you can help them by asking them some questions about what they are reading.  Some great ones include:

• What happened in the story?
• Where does the story take place?
• How would you describe the main character?
• How did the main character change in the story?
• Where there any lessons the main character learned?
• What do you think the theme is of the story?
• What is the genre of the book?

Taking time to dialogue with your child about literature will definitely help them carefully examine text at home and at school.

Field Trip

We will be going to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra on Friday, March 20th.  Please return your permission slips by February 7th.  More information will be coming soon if you are interested in being a chaperone.

Global Play Day

Classrooms at Dryden will be participating in Global School Play Day, taking place on Wednesday, February 5th.  Countries and schools from all over the world come together on this one day to celebrate the necessity of unstructured play in our students’ lives at school.  Research shows that unstructured play has a positive influence on:

• physical and mental health 
• language development
• problem solving
• risk management
• independent learning skills 
• academic skills
• classroom behavior
• healthy emotional attitudes
• better adjustment to school life

The learning will continue as the students play- it just may appear differently. Individual classrooms will determine the length of play from an hour to a half-day, as it allows in their schedule. There will be opportunities for students to document and reflect as they play and learn. We encourage you to send a game or toy to school with your child on February 5th. NO ELECTRONIC GAMES/TOYS PLEASE!  We will do our very best to ensure that the games and toys are returned in the same fashion that they came to school. You may bring items to school on Tuesday and Wednesday. They will be sent home on Wednesday.

For further information about Global School Play Day, visit http://www.globalschoolplayday.com/ or contact Laurie Wasik, Student Learning Coach. 

Book Fair

We will be having a school book fair Tuesday through Thursday next week.  We will be visiting the book fair on Tuesday, but students may bring money or use the account you set up to purchase books any day through the book fair dates.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

It is Getting Cold Out There!

Just a reminder that it is getting cold out there!  We have had beautiful snow this week!  Please remind your child to pack for the weather.  This includes hats, gloves, snow pants, and boots.  These layers will help them stay warm.

Building an Igloo

In class this week, students designed an igloo.  They had to plan and design their igloo.  We learned all about how igloos are designed and how they keep people warm.

Conference Times

Every family should have received their conference times last week.  Please let me know if you have a conflict and you need to reschedule.

Science Unit

We are starting our next science unit on Monday.  It is called Inheritance and Variation. This is a unit that helps students become familiar with basic genetics.  They will learn that we inherit traits from our parents through a unit that focuses on plants and animals.