Ms. Hahn’s Newsletter
October 2, 2016
Reading
We only had time for a few reading lessons this week. The students read “King Midas and the Golden Touch”. On Friday we began reading Chocolate Touch. The students did a great job connecting the two stories. Next week reading groups will continue reading Chocolate Touch and answering comprehension questions about the book. The whole class lessons will be about themes of books and character traits.
Math
This week the students learned to read and create pictographs. On Friday the students made up questions to match a bar graph. Then they had to answer the questions other students made. Next week we will continue learning about graphs and then begin learning about perimeter.
Please remember to have your child play math games at home at least two times a week. Please indicate your child played the math games above the spelling list under reminders.
Science and Social Studies
On Monday the students looked closely at cattail plants. The students looked at the shoot, stem, leaves, and flower of a plant. We discussed how this plant is adapted to the wetland.
Next week we will begin reading our social studies book, Illinois Our Home. We will discuss how history is like a time line. We will also be learning what makes a primary or secondary source of information.
Gardening
Monday we planted spinach and put on the cold frame. The students will need to water the plants and make sure they don’t get too hot under the cold frame. Hopefully, we will have some sunny days so the plants can germinate.
Writing
The students continue to create a Google Slide show about the animal they researched. It is amazing to see how much the students can learn about the computer in such a short time. They are learning how to add pictures, transitions, bullet points, fix spelling, change font, change colors, and other things. You can ask your child to show you the slide show on their Google Classroom account.
Other
Please remember to send your child with a water bottle to school. They might have PE outside and will need to drink water.
Dress code for PCCS says that students cannot wear leggings to school. All shorts must be mid-thigh.
Earthkeepers
The highlights of the week happened at Earthkeepers. On the first day the students learned about producers and consumers. They hunted for signs of sun munchers, plant munchers, and animal munchers. The students learned about soil, air, and water specks. On the second day the students became entangled in a food web. They also learned how the earth has changed through history. Please check out the pictures on the website.
Next week we will continue some Earthkeeper activities. Your child will also bring home the Y Key task. To earn the Y key your child will need to complete different activities at home.
October’s Green Challenge: Eat Real
Did you know… According to the Food Corps Annual Report (2010-11), the average American elementary-age child receives only 3.4 hours of food education per year… less than the average amount of TV these children watch… PER DAY! (And that TV imparts its own variety of food education in the form of commercials…) It’s time to buck that trend. Food gives us the sun energy that allows us to function. It links us to our environment, upon which we are dependant for all varieties of food. Whatever we choose to eat, food connects us to the ecosystem and to one of the most basic ecological realities of life on earth — the flow of energy through a food chain. Food is also central to our social and cultural identities. It links us to our ancestors and our heritage; it is central to our cultural and personal celebrations, and shared meals provide opportunities for families and friends to become closer.
The Green Challenge for October, Eat Real, is all about focusing on healthy, local, sustainably produced whole foods. This topic connects to September’s challenge through the links to health and wellness; it connects to our Sustainable Schoolyard through the use of home (school)-grown food. It is in line with our school’s vision because we will focus on sustainability, such as the lack of packaging, transportation and processing involved in Eating Real.
The Eat Real Challenge kicks off with the assembly on Oct. 4, 8:15 am in the gym. Parents are welcome to join us; we are excited to have guest speakers this month! Another highlight of the month will be Farm to Table on Oct 12. The official Food Day is on Oct 24. We will have events and curriculum for classes to participate in, including our PCCS Feed your Family Grocery Store experience. For that, we are seeking Food Donations starting Oct 11.
There are tons of great resources and reading material out there for folks interested in food issues and eating real. Here are just a couple:
- http://www.foodday.org/ Learn about this national celebration of healthy, sustainable and affordable food, including a quiz, video and more!
- http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/ is a blog about a family who pledges to go 100 days without processed foods — (there’s a tab on top for the original 100 days; also for a 10-day mini-challenge… you could sign up!)
- https://eatingrules.com/october-unprocessed/ Take the challenge — go through the entire month of October without eating processed foods (or set your own goal!)
Upcoming Dates
Monday, October 3- Picture Retakes
Tuesday, October 4- Green Challenge Assembly
Monday, October 10- No School
Wednesday, October 12- Farm to Table Lunch