Hot Lunch May 30

The lunch menu for Friday, May 30 says "Cook's Choice".  For planning purposes, I have found out that 

Choice #1 will be baked ham and 

Choice #2 will be pulled pork sandwich.

Bon Appetit!

Dates to Know

It's that busy time of the year when there are so many things filling our schedule!  I will do my best to keep you posted through this Blog.  Please check out the following dates and mark your calendars!

Dates to Know:

Friday, May 23 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher In Service Day

Monday, May 26 - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

Friday, May 30 - 1:00 pm - K-4 Spring Concert

Tuesday, June 3 - FIELD TRIP - Abbe Museum

A letter and volunteer sign-up went home.  More information to come.

Thursday, June 5 - FIELD TRIP - Moose Point (rain date June 6)

Look for more information to come home soon.

Friday, June 13 - FIELD DAY 

An information sheet and volunteer sign-up came home today.

Monday, June 16 - Last Day of School - Noon Dismissal - Reports Cards 

Field Trip

Abbe Museum Field Trip

On Tuesday, June 3 Mrs. Pelkey, Mrs. Lent, and Mrs. Wright's classes will be going on a field trip to the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor.  This trip will reinforce our Maine Native American studies through the use of traditional story telling and art, and possibly a scavenger hunt.  

Volunteers are needed and welcome!  All volunteers must have filled out the paper work and attended a volunteer training this school year.  Please check with the office if you are unsure about your volunteer status.  Volunteers will also be asked to provide their own transportation (carpooling is encouraged), however students will be required to ride the bus.
  
More information on what to expect for the day, as well as a sign up form for volunteers, will come home next week.

Book Order, Fractions, and Thank You!

Book Orders

Book Order forms went home at the beginning of the week.  There is no due date written on them!  Book Orders are due Tuesday, May 13.  This will be the last Book Order that I send home for the school year.

Fractions

We have been working hard in our classroom exploring fractions.  Students have been working with half, thirds, and quarters of an object or a set of objects.  We have learned that fractions are equal parts of a whole.

Working on proving that quarters of the same size paper, in different shapes, are the same size:

Thank You!

This week was Teacher Appreciation week.  A big "Thank you" goes out to the Center Drive School PTG and parent volunteers who worked so hard to provide staff with a breakfast, lunch, and other tokens of appreciation.  Also, "Thank you" to the families of my classroom who go above and beyond to show support for your child's education.  I appreciate all that you do for me and the school!

Upcoming Happenings

Thank you!

First of all - a BIG thank you to Mrs. Tara Smith for being such a wonderful substitute teacher!  I was out the entire week before vacation, and Mrs. Smith stepped right in to keep things going.

Thank you, Mrs. Smith!

NWEA Testing

Just a reminder that NWEA testing will be taking place the next three weeks.  Please make sure that your child is well rested and has had a relaxing start to the day, including a good breakfast.  One way to help your child feel ready for testing is to send in a short note of encouragement written to your child on the day of testing. This is just a suggestion that many have liked in the past.

Testing dates for Mrs. Pelkey's class are:

Wednesday, April 30

Wednesday, May 7

Wednesday, May 14

Our class will be testing from 8:45 - 9:45 each session.  Although we are assigned a time slot, this is not a timed test.  Your child is encouraged to take his/her time and will be allowed extra time if needed.

What else are we up to?

In math, we are about to begin a unit on fractions.  Our goal is to understand that a fraction is an equal portion of an object or of a set.  For example: one half can mean "one half of a cookie" (an object) or "one half of the class" (a set).  A parent letter with more information on our fraction unit will be sent home this week.

We are just putting the finishing touches on our biographies, which will soon be on display on our hallway bulletin board.  We are also in the middle of writing an informational text.  Using Earth Day as a springboard, students are going through the writing process to inform readers of ways to protect our planet.  We are applying what we know about introductions, examples and details, and conclusions.  We are also using peer conferencing and self-assessment to create a finished piece to be proud of.

Our mapping unit will soon begin to focus specifically on the geography of Maine.  This will help introduce our unit on Maine Native Americans.  In this unit, we will learn about Maine Native Americans of the past and present, as well as explore the use of traditional tales and Wabenaki art.

Magic Tree House

Ella, one of our classmates, came across a great website that she wanted to share.  For all of you "Magic Tree House" fans (and there are a lot of you), check out the following website:

http://www.magictreehouse.com/

Ella has had a lot of fun exploring all of the website's features, and hopes that you will enjoy it as well.

Thank you, Ella!

Current Events

Welcome, Miss Pacheco!

Mrs. Pelkey's Second Grade welcomes Miss Pacheco to our classroom!  Miss Pacheco is a first year Education student at Eastern Maine Community College.  She will be visiting our room one or two days each week, for the next several weeks, for field observation.  

Book Fair

The Center Drive School library has transformed yet again into an exciting selection of books for our Spring Book Fair!  As a result, we will not have our regular library time this Monday, March 10.  Our classroom will visit the Book Fair on Monday, March 17.  At that time your child may bring in money for purchasing books, or they may choose to make a "wish list", in case you needed suggestions for what to buy ;)

The Book Fair will be open during Parent/Teacher Conferences.
Our regular library time will resume on Monday, March 24.