I’m Back! 🎉
I’m happy to be back with the class after being away. I missed my students and am excited to jump back into learning with them!
Health & Safety Reminder 🤧🧼
There have been some nasty illnesses going around the school. I remind students to wash their hands daily, cover their coughs, and use tissues when needed. Please ensure your child gets plenty of rest and stays home if they are not feeling well. Keeping everyone healthy is a team effort!
Star of the Day ⭐
We will begin a new “Star of the Day” rotation on Monday! A calendar will go home today so you know when it is your child’s turn. Students get to lead our class in a math activity on their special day and share something special about themselves. Please return your child’s Star of the Day paper on their special assigned day.
A Goodbye to Emilliano 💙
Unfortunately, our classmate Emilliano has moved and is no longer with us. We will miss him and wish him the best in his new school!
Homework Reminder ✏️📚
Please remember to send in your child’s completed homework every Monday. I am seeing real progress in the students who complete and return it. It truly makes a difference!
Snap Words Practice 🔡
Snap words (also known as sight words) are words that students should recognize instantly without sounding them out. Practicing these at home will help build reading fluency. Please take time to go over these words with your child!
This Week’s Learning
📖 Reading & Phonics
We focused on short vowel sounds and word families (like -at, -it, and -op words). Students are practicing sounding out words and blending sounds together. Soon, we will begin working on blends (like “st,” “bl,” “gr”) to help build stronger reading skills.
One exciting moment this week was when the entire class read for 15 minutes straight! This was a big accomplishment, so we celebrated with a hot cocoa party! 🎉 Everyone loved it, and I was so proud of their focus and effort!
We are also continuing to build our Super Reader Decoding Skills, which help students figure out tricky words. So far, we have learned:
🔹 Pointer Power (using their finger to track words)
🔹 Think Power (thinking about what makes sense)
🔹 Reread Power (going back to try again)
🔹 Word Part Power (breaking words into smaller parts)
🔹 Fix-It Power (checking if the word looks right)
We are learning even more decoding strategies each day!
📝 iReady Testing & Review
This week, we completed the iReady diagnostic test. This is an important tool that helps measure student growth and guides what we need to work on next.
To prepare for the test, we reviewed many concepts, including:
✔️ Past, present, and future (understanding time and how things change)
✔️ Decomposing numbers (breaking numbers into parts)
✔️ Adding and what makes 10 (understanding number relationships)
iReady Scores 📊
Next week, I will send home your child’s iReady results. This will show if they are on, above, or below grade level. If you have any questions or concerns when you receive the report, please feel free to text me.
Looking Ahead
🔍 Next Week’s Theme: Groundhogs & Shadows
With Groundhog Day coming up, we will explore shadows and how they are made. This is a fun way to introduce basic science concepts! Can you please do me a favor & explain what a groundhog is to your child and about Groundhog’s Day-Sunday? Maybe even watch the news about it together.
✉️ Letter Writing
Students will also learn how to write a letter, and we will mail one home. Keep an eye out for your child’s special letter in the mail!
📌 Reminders:
✔️ Send in homework every Monday
✔️ Practice Snap Words at home
✔️ Watch for your child’s iReady scores next week
As always, thank you for your support! Please reach out if you have any questions.
Warmly,
Mr. Eubanks
Pleasant Lake Elementary