Work Time: Students have working so hard these past few weeks. Many students now have work plans and are really focusing to finish those work plans. It is a great skill for them to think about time management and setting goals. We take about different strategies to finish their goals such as starting with the hardest first, marking which three you can get done today, and trying works from ever area. Each day ask your child what they were able to accomplish, how did that make them feel, and what are their next goals.

Students had so much fun this week counting their 100 objects, writing 100 words, building with 100 legos. This was a great day to celebrate 100 days in school, but it also was a great way for students to think about all the ways to make 100. They had to really use problem solving skills, grouping strategies, and literacy to write 00 words and what tehy built will 100 legos.

Science: This week we finished our balls and ramps unit! The students did a great job learning about how to compare different properties of balls. I sent home clay and their science journals on Friday. Hopefully you were able to spend some time going through the journal with your child and asking them what they learned from the unit. Did you have a chance to make different ramps and talk about what makes the balls roll faster, easier, more efficient?

Geography: This week we started studying China! We celebrated the Chinese New Year by decorating our own dragon. Students learned about the folk tail , The Story of Nian. We also learned about the panda and labeled different parts. The next week we will continue learning about China and the great wall!

Black History Night: Black History Night is this Thursday, Feb. 26th from 5:30-7:30 . Please RSVP so that we can make sure to have enough food for everyone. It is going to be a great night to hear and see all the work students have been doing to honor those who fought for civil rights. The K/1 videos will be playing in the library and Mrs. Gardner's room.

Reminders:
I will be out of town Wednesday-Friday for a wedding. Ms. Richerdson and Ms. Balcome will be our guest teachers while I'm out. I know the students will be in good hands and enjoy having guest teachers in the class.

2/23-3/6 Open Enrollment-for Kindergarten
3/8 Daylight Saving Time begins – Turn clocks forward 1 hour

100th Day of School!!!!

Wednesday is the 100th day of school. Wow, it is amazing we have already been in school 100 days. Take this time to reflect on how much growth your child has made!!! On Wednesday we will be doing a lot of fun activities , such as counting 100 objects, jumping for 100 seconds, reading as a class 100 books, and so much more!!!!! I sent home a letter Friday for your child to collect 100 things. Small items are great and I will have extra in case someone forgets!!!

Valentine's Day! Leading up to Valentine's Day this year we tired to take part in an act of kindness everyday. Some examples of what we did for acts of kindness were: cleaning the school halls, cleaning our buddies classroom, writing special cards and giving donuts to all the teachers, writing Valentines day cards to the Leschi Community senior center. Ask your child which act of kindness they liked doing best and how it made them feel.

Thank you to all the families who came to help with the valentines day party! It was so nice to have everyone there helping the kids and get to see them so excited to pass out sweet cards to their friends.

Readers/Writers Workshop- We have been continuing to work on finishing up our All About books. This past week students worked on Fun facts about their person of interest. This next week we will finish up our books and students will start working on their presentations. Students will be editing their writing, adding finial details and planning out their presentations. We are going to be filming their presentations to show at Black History night next Thursday.

Geography: Last week we started learning about China! We learned about animals in China, such as the red panda. We also learned a little about the Great Wall, which we will be doing a project later on. We learned a lot about the Chinese New Year! Mr. Glenn was so kind and even brought in fortunes for every student in class. Part of the Chinese New Year tradition is to receive a fortune. Ask your child what their fortune was. This year the Chinese New Year is on Feb. 19th, which we will celebrate a little in class.

Buddy Classroom: Each student in our classroom has a special 4/5th grade buddy from Mrs. Deese's classroom. We try to get together every few weeks for projects, reading together, and just getting to know each other. This week our Buddy classroom is working on writing fiction stories. They asked us to pick out our favorite story. Each child choose a favorite fiction story which our Buddies are going to write their own ending to, we can't wait to see what they write!

STR resident:
This year we will be having a student resident in our classroom. He is attending UW's Seattle Residence Program to receive his Master's degree in Special Education. He is working part time in Mr. Goldwater's classroom and part time in our classroom. Here is a little more info about Jacob!
Dear Parents,
I am so excited for the opportunity to work with your children! I am in the process of getting my Masters in Education through a program called Seattle Teacher Residency. The philosophy of a “resident program” suggests that the most valuable component of learning how to become a teacher is through actual time spent in the classroom. Therefore, I am spending the whole school school year at working at Leschi with different teachers. I spent the first trimester working with Mrs. Snyder and Mrs. Diaz, and now I am working with Mr. Goldwater and Mrs. Castiglia for the rest of the year. I will receive my endorsement in Special Education and plan on teaching Special Education next school year.

On a personal level, I am recently married as of August 2014. In my free time I enjoy reading, hiking, and riding horses. If I were stranded on an island with one book, I would choose Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. When my wife and I have a free weekend, we escape to Issaquah and ride her horses up Squawk Mountain. Well, that about wraps it up! Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. I look forward to getting to know you throughout the rest of the school year!
Sincerely, Jacob Schmitt

Eadlyn turned five months, last week! Wow time goes by fast.

Feb. 8th

Work Time: WOW! It is amazing to see all the work the students have been doing lately. In the past two weeks, many first graders have worked very hard to finish their work plans. We've talked about strategies to plan out how they are going to accomplish their goals for the week. Starting with the hardest work first, highlighting works each day, trying to finish three each day, etc. This planning and time management is a great skill that students will be able to carry with them through out their lives.
Some kindergarteners even received a work plan this past week. They were showing their determination to challenge themselves, work on a variety of works, and be independent. The goal is to continue to introduce workplans to kindergarteners each week. Ask your child what was one their goals and how they are managing their time to finish it each week!

Black History Month: Students have really been diving in to learn more about many different African Americans that have impacted history in a variety of ways. We've been learning about the challenges Wilma Rudolph over came as a child, a women, and an African American. The students have been fascinated with her determination to win three Gold Medals. For the month of February the students are working in groups to research various African Americans throughout history who have made a difference. The students choose to research Charles Drew, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama. Students are working together in groups to research and write All About books about their person of interest. ON Feb. 26th for Black History Night, you will be able to see a video of your child's presentation as well as other classrooms presentations.

Readers Workshop and Writers Workshop:

For the next few weeks students have been working on researching and writing an All About a significant African American from history. The students are learning how to look for new information, working together in a group, and write in their own words an All About book. Ask your child how their research is going, what is their favorite part, what have they learned about so far?

Geography:For the past two weeks we have been learning about Japan. We were able to watch a documentary on a famous sushi Chef from Tokyo. Mr. Glenn then came in and made sushi with us while we watched a famous Japanese cartoon, My Neighbor Totoro. The students also made their own Co fish flags for CHildren's Day. They have learned to count to 10 in Japanese and write a few Kanji symbols.

Science: We have started our unit on Balls and Ramps. So far students have been learning a lot about how to look for similarities and differences using our senses. They took a look at different attributes of rubber balls and polystyrene.

Star Student: For the month of February I will not be choosing a start student. Every Monday morning we will be having special guest speakers for Black History Month. We will not be reading out start students on these mornings.

Valentines Day Party: On Friday I sent home a letter about our Valentines day party. We will be having the party from 11:50-1:15. We will be enjoying some Valentines day snacks, passing out cards, working on a craft, and playing a few games. I will be sending out a link to sign up on Volunteer spot if you would like to help contribute to the party or participate in an activity. We're using VolunteerSpot (the leading online Sign-up and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming Sign-ups. Here's how it works in 3 easy steps: 1) Click this link to see our Sign-Up on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/cdCZJ7 2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like. 3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on VolunteerSpot. Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.