Hi Everyone!
I want to remind you all that we will be closed this Thursday and next Monday for Lincoln's birthday and Presidents' Day. Friday there will be no hot lunch because the rest of the school is closed.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Bookstore Coupons:</span> The coupons for 57th St. Books are in your mail folders. They are good until Feb. 22. This is a special event the bookstore is running for Ray School families, so I hope you take advantage of it. Coupons are for 10% off an entire purchase (20% for members).

<span style="font-weight: bold">Valentines Day: </span> We'll be having a small party on Friday for Valentines Day from 3:30-4:30. If you would like to send in a treat or valentines, that would be great. I probably don't need to say this, but don't spend a lot of time getting your child to write out a valentine for each child. If they want to pass some out, send enough for each child and have your child sign the back or you can sign them. We'll be having them make valentines for each other on Friday (picking names like we did at Christmas time).

<span style="font-weight: bold">Volunteer Opportunity:</span> We would like to help the children make a quilt as part of our study of Africa. I have some muslin but we need to cut it into squares. If you would be willing to do this for us, please let me know. We'd need it by next week. The Sewing Club is going to sew the squares together for us.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Post Office:</span> We are almost through writing our letters. If you haven't sent in an address, please do so by Wednesday morning. We'll be displaying copies of our letters on the board outside our room. The originals are going to be sent out on Wednesday. We have a postage scale in our room now, circa 1968, that the children are using to compare weight. Weight is an abstract concept and hard for children this age to understand, so we're starting very simply with comparing heavy and light objects. We'll be adding a balance scale to the room later on.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Africa:</span> We've started our study of Africa by looking at fabric patterns (kente cloth). We've read the story &quot;Ananzi the Spider,&quot; retold by Gerald McDermott, and &quot;The Spider Weaver&quot; by Margaret Musgrove. We have a book box of books from and about Africa, both fiction and non-fiction. (How do you tell if a story is fiction or non-fiction? Chances are if the animals are wearing clothes or speaking English, it's fiction) Ms. Diane, our art teacher, is also teaching us how to make paper kente cloth, and we may try our hand at some fabric designs. The children are also interested in African music, particularly African Playground by Putumayo. We'll be listening to Miriam Makeba and Ladysmith Black Mambazo as well.

Some of the things we hope to explore:
Food
Drums and other music
Kenya, South Africa and Ghana (Ms. Annohr, a 2nd grade teacher, is from Ghana)
Stories: Ananzi stories, Abiyoyo, Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
Animals
Houses
The Nile River
Madagascar
Galimotos

I hope you are all enjoying this warm weather. We are. This is a good time to remember to put your child's name on their hats, mittens, scarves, etc. They wear them outside, run around and get warm, take them off, and then lose them. We try very hard to keep track of all their clothing.