Wolf families,
On November 10th and 11th I will be in Chicago presenting at the Progressive Education Network conference on last year's class play curriculum. These are also the dates for fall conferences. I will therefore be holding conferences on November 3rd and November 7th. Please sign up for a conference on the attached form: Fall Conference Sign-Up. I hope these dates do not inconvenience anyone. If none of these times work for you, please email me and we can schedule another time. Thanks for your understanding,
Shanti
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Halloween Celebration and Dia de los Muertos
Wolf families,
On Monday, October 31st, preschool - 6 students will have a Halloween celebrations. In the week before, students will be working with their partners to create representations of different prairie animals. On the 31st, students are welcome to bring costumes to school and change into them after lunch recess. Families and friends are welcome to join us for both the costume and pumpkin reveal as well as fall treats in the indoor play space at 2:45pm. This year, Chef Gabby will preparing all treats with the help of the Cottontail Rabbits and Prairie Racerunners.
Students will also be celebrating Dia de los Muertos on Wednesday, November 2nd from 9:00 - 9:30am. Please join the students for a variety of presentations as well as the traditional alter. Danielle has placed a sign-up sheet with volunteer opportunities at the front desk with Amber.
Hope to see you at all at these exciting events!
On Monday, October 31st, preschool - 6 students will have a Halloween celebrations. In the week before, students will be working with their partners to create representations of different prairie animals. On the 31st, students are welcome to bring costumes to school and change into them after lunch recess. Families and friends are welcome to join us for both the costume and pumpkin reveal as well as fall treats in the indoor play space at 2:45pm. This year, Chef Gabby will preparing all treats with the help of the Cottontail Rabbits and Prairie Racerunners.
Students will also be celebrating Dia de los Muertos on Wednesday, November 2nd from 9:00 - 9:30am. Please join the students for a variety of presentations as well as the traditional alter. Danielle has placed a sign-up sheet with volunteer opportunities at the front desk with Amber.
Hope to see you at all at these exciting events!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
ITBS Testing: 10/19 - 10/25
Wolf families,
On Wednesday, the Wolves will begin ITBS testing. The testing will continue until the following Tuesday. Testing can be nerve racking for children and it is therefore important for parents and teachers to calm nerves and ensure that students are eating appropriately and sleeping well the night before testing. Please talk to your students about the importance of rest during this time.
It is also extremely important for the benefit of all children that your child arrive at school between 8:15 and 8:25am so that they are ready to begin testing promptly at 8:30am. Our class time is extremely valuable and starting testing on time means that we can end on time and move on to other curriculum. It can also be very disruptive for other students when a child walks into the classroom when testing has already begun (research shows that disruptions like this can greatly alter test scores!). I therefore ask you to make every effort to ensure that your child is at school early. Thanks for you help in ensuring a serene testing environment for all students.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
On Wednesday, the Wolves will begin ITBS testing. The testing will continue until the following Tuesday. Testing can be nerve racking for children and it is therefore important for parents and teachers to calm nerves and ensure that students are eating appropriately and sleeping well the night before testing. Please talk to your students about the importance of rest during this time.
It is also extremely important for the benefit of all children that your child arrive at school between 8:15 and 8:25am so that they are ready to begin testing promptly at 8:30am. Our class time is extremely valuable and starting testing on time means that we can end on time and move on to other curriculum. It can also be very disruptive for other students when a child walks into the classroom when testing has already begun (research shows that disruptions like this can greatly alter test scores!). I therefore ask you to make every effort to ensure that your child is at school early. Thanks for you help in ensuring a serene testing environment for all students.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
ITBS Testing: 10/19 - 10/25
Wolf families,
On Wednesday, the Wolves will begin ITBS testing. The testing will continue until the following Tuesday. Testing can be nerve racking for children and it is therefore important for parents and teachers to calm nerves and ensure that students are eating appropriately and sleeping well the night before testing. Please talk to your students about the importance of rest during this time.
It is also extremely important for the benefit of all children that your child arrive at school between 8:15 and 8:25am so that they are ready to begin testing promptly at 8:30am. Our class time is extremely valuable and starting testing on time means that we can end on time and move on to other curriculum. It can also be very disruptive for other students when a child walks into the classroom when testing has already begun (research shows that disruptions like this can greatly alter test scores!). I therefore ask you to make every effort to ensure that your child is at school early. Thanks for you help in ensuring a serene testing environment for all students.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
On Wednesday, the Wolves will begin ITBS testing. The testing will continue until the following Tuesday. Testing can be nerve racking for children and it is therefore important for parents and teachers to calm nerves and ensure that students are eating appropriately and sleeping well the night before testing. Please talk to your students about the importance of rest during this time.
It is also extremely important for the benefit of all children that your child arrive at school between 8:15 and 8:25am so that they are ready to begin testing promptly at 8:30am. Our class time is extremely valuable and starting testing on time means that we can end on time and move on to other curriculum. It can also be very disruptive for other students when a child walks into the classroom when testing has already begun (research shows that disruptions like this can greatly alter test scores!). I therefore ask you to make every effort to ensure that your child is at school early. Thanks for you help in ensuring a serene testing environment for all students.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Watershed Mapping
The Wolves have begun choosing locations for their mapping project. Check out all the great math the students used to calculate the area of each part of the grid! Tomorrow, students will begin to look at topographical maps. Next week, we'll start creating sketches of topographical maps of our respective sections of the grid.
Harvest Preserve
The Wolves spent the afternoon walking to Harvest Preserve. The preserve is a beautiful sanctuary right off of Scott Blvd! What an amazing piece of land just a few miles from Willowwind! The Wolves walked to the preserve and spent much of the walk discussing the ridges and valleys of the east side of Iowa City. These conversations will serve as a great base for examining topographical maps. Walking up and down hills made the locations of waterways extremely apparent to the students. We ate lunch on the banks of the pond pictured above and then spent some time hiking the trails. The students especially loved jumping the rocks across the pond!
Picture Day
Tuesday, October 11th is picture day! Order forms can be picked up at the front desk. Please fill them out and return them to Amber no later than Tuesday before school.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Walk/Bike to School Day: This Wednesday
This NEXT Wednesday, October 5th is national Hike It / Bike It to School Day! We are so excited to be participating in this nationwide wellness initiative!
Students and families who live close enough to safely walk or bike to school may do so from home. Those who do not, can park at the First Avenue HyVee (812 South First Avenue). We will be gathering on the South side of the building near the bike path. Parents are welcome to join in the walk or bike with their child. The route will be marked with balloons. HyVee's nutritionist is donating fruit and drinks for breakfast and she wants to join us for the walk. We will aim to leave the parking lot around 7:45 a.m.
K-6 students will be practicing sidewalk and street-crossing safety this week as a part of their Movement class. They have discussed the importance of bright clothing and biker's should be reminded to always wear a helmet.
If you choose to bike, bring a lock!
Whether from your home or from HyVee's parking lot we hope to see you join in!
Students and families who live close enough to safely walk or bike to school may do so from home. Those who do not, can park at the First Avenue HyVee (812 South First Avenue). We will be gathering on the South side of the building near the bike path. Parents are welcome to join in the walk or bike with their child. The route will be marked with balloons. HyVee's nutritionist is donating fruit and drinks for breakfast and she wants to join us for the walk. We will aim to leave the parking lot around 7:45 a.m.
K-6 students will be practicing sidewalk and street-crossing safety this week as a part of their Movement class. They have discussed the importance of bright clothing and biker's should be reminded to always wear a helmet.
If you choose to bike, bring a lock!
Whether from your home or from HyVee's parking lot we hope to see you join in!
Field Trip: Harvest Preserve, Bring Your Bike!
This Wednesday afternoon, the Wolves have the opportunity to explore Harvest Preserve. This beautifully restored land is just a few miles away from Willowwind. Since Wednesday is also walk or bike to school day, we thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for students in the Wolf class to decrease their carbon footprint and bike to a nearby location! Please bring your child's bike and helmet to school on Wednesday. If your child does not have a bike, please let me know as soon as possible.
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