Welcome to a busy, focused filled week!  We have had a wonderful morning and beginning of the week!  Many thanks.

Thanks for the snacks coming in.  Please remember to pay your 85.00 classroom fee-I have ordered Time and Spanish Magazines and the bills are due!!  Thanks.  It is okay to pay some now- even $20.00 will help to pay your child's magazine subscriptions.  Thanks.  You can pay the rest later.

Picture day is Wednesday.  We are all going to try and wear our Ray t-shirts each Friday for gym day and for Friday Spirit days!!!  Have your child wear green and white if they do not have Ray logo!!!!

Language Arts:  We are  our read aloud - The Trumpeter Swan by E.B. White.  Ask your child about this story-can they make a prediction about what might happen?  Our shared reading is Angel Child, Dragon Child, which we started today.  We are working on the vowel "E" and patterns we see in reading (_e_, ea, ee, _y, ei, etc.)  We will take a test on Angel Child, Dragon Child this .  We are writing in our Journal and our Writer's Notebook.  Ask your child about these.

Homework:  Your child should take home their Open Court book (Angel Child, Dragon Child) to practice reading the story fluently.  L.A./Social Studies/Science  homework-Your child will have their Time Magazine with them.  They will read two of the articles, writing a paragraph (each paragraph should be at least five sentences long) on each article.  The first article "An Artic Passage (page 2), should be read and they should answer the "Think!" question (which is also on that page).   The question reads "Does it help or hurt the environment if more ships use the Northeast Passage?"  Explain your answer.  The second article, on page 6, "The Big Garbage Patch" should be read and they should write a persuasive paragraph, giving their opinion on "Who is responsible for the world's oceans?  Both of these articles involve water (a nice connection to our Science  unit on Water!)  These two paragraphs are due on Friday.  Please have your children return to school each day with the Time Magazine, as we will use it in class (at least on Thursday.)   Thanks.  Please help your child with sentence structure.  Thanks.  Can they come up with a fun, powerful first sentence?  For extra credit they can label and color the World Map that they have with them.  This map should be turned in on Friday with their paragraphs.

As always, your child should be reading each night. 

Math:  We will complete lessons 1.11-1.14 this week.  We will have our test on Unit 1 on Friday.  Your child will have their Math Journal 1 with them on Thursday.  This book must be returned on Friday.  The test will cover money (how would you show 65 cent, etc. using coins), telling time, name-box collections (write 10 names for number 27 -we have been doing this in class) and completing a bar graph.  Reviewing homework assignments are always a good review. 

Homework:  Monday through Wednesday, worksheets, study for the test Thursday evening using their Math Journa 1.

Science:  We will investigate surface tension of water using a soap and salt solution of water.  We will also estimate how many full drops of water can fit on a penny.  We will set up our Science Lab Book for recording our pictures and our observations.

Art:  We will be finishing our Calico Animals (if not already finished) and this weeks lesson is titled "Just Look" - Analysis of a painting for its aesthetic properties.  What will your child be able to tell you about a painting entitled Two Cats, by Franz Marc?  Ask them after Wednesday!

Social Studies:  See above under language arts.  Thanks.

Have a Great Week!  Again, thanks for all your help.

Jean Clement