Movie and Popcorn Party!

Good afternoon!

I'm sure many of you heard last week--we earned our last marble!  The class has been earning marbles all year with stellar behavior and respect, and they were able to fill up a glass bowl, to the top!  They have chosen a movie and popcorn party as their prize.  Last week we voted on the movie that they would like to see.Our party will be on Thursday, February 2 after lunch.  We will be watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and eating popcorn that afternoon.  For a Christian review of this movie, click here.

If you would not like your child to view this movie during class time, please let me know as soon as possible.  You are welcome to pick them up early, or they will be given an alternative activity to do during the time. 

The kids are excited to enjoy the fruits of their hard work!

Coins for Math

We will be beginning a new math chapter next week (if we have no more snow days, Lord willing!), which is focusing on counting coins and adding and subtracting money.  In order to help connect this learning to the students' lives, I would love for them to use real money to help them count, rather than just the pictures in the math book.  If your child would like to bring in a baggie of coins (including a variety of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and even half dollars), they can bring in a Ziploc baggie labeled with their name.  They will keep the bag in their desk and will be able to use the coins during our math lessons.  When the chapter is over, they can bring their money home OR they can put it in the chapel offering.  This is not required, but is a great way for the students to use hands-on strategies to apply their learning to their lives.

Dress Up Days and Servant Events

Good morning!  Below is the schedule for this week's dress up days and servant events.  They are fun ways to celebrate National Lutheran Schools Week--what better way to celebrate being part of a Lutheran school than serving others and being goofy?!

Monday:  Ice day (dress in pajamas all day?  :P)
Tuesday:  Dress Like a Camper Day, Support our Community (make cards for Tri-City Pregnancy Network)
Wednesday:  Dress Up Day (dress fancy; free dress guidelines apply--see page 27 in the Parent/Teacher Handbook for more information)
Thursday: Spirit Wear (BL tops, jeans, sweats, sports shorts, or joggers on bottom), Support our National or Global Community (write thank you notes to our veterans)
Friday:  Indoor Olympics (dress crazy in your Indoor Olympic team colors)

Open House:
We have an open house on Thursday night!  We hope you are able to join us from 6:00-7:30 on Thursday night.  The book fair will be open at that time, as well!

National Lutheran Schools Week

National Lutheran Schools Week (NLSW) is January 22-28.  It is a week that is celebrated by Lutheran schools across the country, and is dedicated to celebrating what it means to be part of a Lutheran school.   This year we are trying something different for National Lutheran Schools Week than we have in the past.  We will only have three dress up days (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday).  On Tuesday and Thursday, we will be focusing on service projects.  The information is below.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  :)

Monday (1.23.17) Dress Like a Camper Day:  on behalf on the Scholastic Book Fair theme: Happy Camper-Smore Fun with Books

Tuesday (1.24.17) Support Our Community (service projects in individual classes)

Wednesday  (1.25.17)  Dressed Up Day (dress fancy--free dress standards apply--see the handbook for more information)

Thursday (1.26.17)  Support Our National or Global Community (service projects in individual classes)

Friday (1.27.17)  Indoor Olympics; dress according to your team colors and name

Book Fair Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers needed!  Book Fair is coming up!  Jan 22-27!  

The Book Fair will be open before, during, and after school all week.  Anytime you could volunteer there will be help needed!  

 Specific needs:

 ~Set up: Friday Jan 20^th immediately after school (3:10)

 ~Class Previews: Mon, Jan 23: Extra help all day, but LOTS of help for Pre-K preview 10:25-10:45am.  All you do is help a couple little buddies write down the books they would like their parents to consider buying for them.

~Open House Thurs, Jan 26^th 5:45-7:30pm

~Wrapping up the fair and taking it down: Fri Jan 27 starting about noon.  We will need to complete teacher book lists, pull books to be purchased for the library, and pack up the fair.

~During the week busy times (extra help appreciated!) Tues-Thurs will be 10:10-10:30 (first recess) and 11:15-12:45 (both wings lunches and recess)

Please contact Jeanette Allwardt to sign up or with any questions

 509-374-1207 (text ok)

jallwardt@gmail.com

Spelling and Memory Work

Due to our unexpected short week, I will be giving the students the long weekend to study their spelling and memory work.  We will have the test on Tuesday, January 17.  Their reading log and flash cards are not required, but if students choose to read and do flash cards over the weekend, or if they read and/or did flash cards on the snow days, they can get the log signed and bring it in for extra credit points.  If they choose to do the extra credit, it is due Tuesday, January 17.  :)

Help Needed! Auction Item

We have the opportunity to provide an auction item for our Sip, Savor, and Support event.  This event is happening on March 25 and is the biggest fundraising event for the Bethlehem Lutheran Scholarship Endowment Fund (BLSEF), which provides scholarships for students at our school. 

For our item, I would like to do a reading totebag.  I have ordered the bag and we will decorate it in class.  What I need from the 2nd grade families are donations of books and/or gift cards for books (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) to include in the bag!  The more enticing things we have in the bag, the more it will auction off for, which means more money to help more students attend our wonderful school!

I would like to have the bag to have a kids theme, so children's books would be great.  Also, any gift cards that are collected will go in the bag so the person who wins the item will be able to purchase their own book choices.

I will be getting a book order out sometime in January or February, so that would be a great way to contribute, as well.

I'm including a picture of the general idea of the bag to help give you an idea of what I'm hoping to accomplish.  :)

Glad to be back!

I am excited to see the kids in a little bit to start off 2017!  I hope you all had wonderful Christmas breaks!

A few notes:
~Our memory work test will still be on Friday. However, I will give the students extra time to study in class.
~Our spelling test will also be on Friday.  I will be grading the test out of 10, helping the students to focus on a shorter list, since we had an unplanned shorter week.  This also gives students a chance to earn some extra credit in spelling. :)
~We will be having indoor recess if it feels like 10 degrees or less outside.  That being said, please always send your student in warm enough clothing to go outside, in case it warms up a bit before recesses.

A Special Thank You:
Thank you to the three moms who coordinated our Christmas party--Carly's mom, Katie's mom, and Alyssa's mom.  Also, thank you to the people who came to the party to lend a few extra hands--Isabella's mom, Gracey's mom, Olivia's mom, Cash's grandma, and Quentin's mom.  Thanks for making our Christmas party possible!