Little Blue Bulletin 4/20-24

News! News! News!
Many of you probably have noticed Mrs. Montgomery's growing belly. Yes, she is expecting her third child! She is due in September. So wish her luck!

Don't Forget!

• Send back the empty report card envelopes as soon as possible. We need to have them back for June report cards.
• Open House: May 19th: 6:30 PM
  

AN EVENING FOR PORTAL PARENTS --

LEARN ABOUT STEP UP TO WRITING

For parents of students in grades K-3
Hear what your child is learning in school about paragraph writing and find
out what you can do at home to help with this important skill.

Presenters: Kim Silva-Beltran and Rhea Feldman
Date: Thursday, April 30 or May 7 (The same session will be offered twice.)
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
To Sign-Up: Return the flier that is going home in this week's Thursday
folder. Please sign up by Monday, April 27.

(If the demand exceeds capacity, we will hold a lottery to determine who can
come out of those who have replied by April 27.)

What have we done this week:

• Pets!Pets!Pets! We started our unit studying about pets this week. The students are VERY excited to learn about our favorite creatures. We promise we did not tell your child that he/she could have a pet at home. :)
  
• Shapes!Shapes!Shapes! We also started our math unit on geometry. Here is some vocabulary to use with your child.

plane shapes:
circle, square, rectangle, rhombus, triangle, corners, sides
solid shapes:
sphere, cube, rectangular prism, pyramid, edges, faces
position words:
above, below, in front, in back, right, left

• Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! We have spent the week discussing ways to save energy. On Wednesday, we did some nature art and read a Scholastic News about our planet. On Friday we reused cans to plant seeds. Thank you to those students who brought in cans.
• In Social Studies we learned the difference between goods and services.
  

PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS!
The Little Blue Village Calendar


Sharing:
4/27: Your favorite wild animal and why
5/04: Tell us about a book you like. (Bring in the book!)


Have a great two week break!
The Little Blue Teachers

Little Blue Bulletin 3/30-4/03

Have a wonderful spring break! We will see you all on April 20th.

Don't Forget!

• We are collecting cans for an Earth Day project. We need each child to bring in one or two small, empty, washed cans on April 20th and 21st. Please refer to the note that was sent home in the Thursday folder this week.
• Report Cards are coming home today. Please read the report card and review the goals with your child. Return the empty signed envelope to school. Thanks.

Note from the principal:

• April 22nd — Earth Day -- we will have a waste-free lunch — and a lunch on the lawn! Let’s make this a family event...many classrooms are going paper free that day! Remember: Take-out styrofoam is not earth friendly -- : )

• Survey Challenge! If 80% of families complete our survey by April 10th (date extended – one per student) the school will win a “popsicle party”! Yoo-hoo!! We’re almost there – but we need to hear from YOU. Your input and comments are critical: the survey results are used by the School Site Council to create the school goals. The survey will close on Friday, April 10, 2009. To complete the survey, and win a Popsicle party for our Penguins, follow these steps:
  
  1) Go to the school’s website, www.portalpenguins.org
  2) Click on the link to the survey.
  3) Complete one survey for each child attending Murdock-Portal.
  
  Thank you!
  
  Thank you for your participation in making our school a wonderful place! Again, your feedback for the survey is so important and we value your input.

What have we done this week:
The kids will tell you it has been a very busy week. They are tired and ready for a vacation.

• Fine arts centers: We journeyed around the village to make some fine arts projects. Mrs. Smithwick made a spring quilt. Mrs. Montgomery reviewed capacity with the "Quart Kid." In Mrs Tamondong's class, we made globes to show how we can make the Earth a better place.
• In math, we finished up our study of money and measurement. Please practice counting coins at home. Try having your children pay for items at the store, count change, or even make a budget.
  
• We are also practicing perfect handwriting. Please make sure your child shows good handwriting on all assignments. We are practicing showing effort.
  

PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK AND KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS!
The Little Blue Village Calendar


Sharing:
4/20: Three ways to protect Mother Earth
4/27: Your favorite wild animal and why


Have a great two week break!
The Little Blue Teachers