June 9, 2020

Dear Families,

This will be my last message to you for the 2019-2020 school year.

A couple of housekeeping items:

• Don't forget our Drive Thru "Goodbyes" on Thursday 11:00-12:00 and Friday 11:00-12:00. You can get your writing folder and any other school work that I have in the classroom on those days. I'll have it all waiting at the curb for you. It would be very nice to have an idea of who is coming on what day so I don't have to haul everything out both days. If you know for sure which day you will be coming, send me a quick email and let me know. If you're not coming at all, let me know that too!
• There will be a Drive-Thru retirement celebration for Mr. Clements, Mrs. Miller, and Mrs. Swanson on Thursday, June 11, from 6:00-7:30. Come wish them well!

Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege of working with you and your amazing children this year--it is a good group to go out on! Every class I have had at RHL has been wonderful, largely because of you amazing parents who are so dedicated to raising children who will be world-changers--through their respect, kindness, and love. And kids--Keep Learning! You have grown up and changed so much since you started in my class. You will have a great time in 2nd and 3rd grade, and you are ready to move up! I am so excited to see who you will be in a few years, and what you will be interested in! I know I have some future writers, future artists, future engineers, future, architects, future musicians, future scientists, future pastors, future mothers, future fathers, and probably a future UN delegate, and maybe a movie star in this group! Go out and do great things!

So, thank you for a lovely year! Please keep in touch, and I hope to see you on Thursday or Friday!

Kerri/Mrs. Stewart

June 4, 2020

Dear Families,

This will be my "next to last" post for our LitLink 1/2 Class, as we are coming up to the end of the school year! I have a lot of information to share with you, so please read carefully!

1) The last day of school for students is Friday, June 12!

2) Our last Zoom class meeting will be tomorrow, June 4, at 1:00 PM.

3) Next Thursday and Friday, June 11 and 12, if you would like to come to school for a "Drive by Goodbye" you may come and see your teachers, wave goodbye, and pick up a little treat along with student writing folders from 11:00-12:00.

4) Also on June 11 and 12 you may turn in any materials (like StoryTown books) that you have checked out, and pick up any meds you have at school.

5) Usually at the end of the year, I administer an informal reading inventory. If you would like to use this with your child, it will give you a good idea of your child's reading grade level. Here is the link: https://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/2688/2753469/Richek_AppD.pdf

6) A company called "Vooks" is offering free subscriptions for the month of June. This will give you lots of books and lesson plans to go along with them, if you would like some summer reading materials. https://www.vooks.com/parent-resources

7) It is always fun to create a memory book, to help your student remember their friends, teachers, fun memories, and experiences. There are a number of free memory book templates on Teachers Pay Teachers. This is a great way to wrap up the year.

8) After many years of serving our school, our principal, Mark Clements is retiring. I would hope that you and your students would take the time to send a letter or email thanking him for the efforts he has made on our behalf. Our school would not be what it is without his vision, and the guidance he has given over the last 15 years. This would be a great co-writing activity for your family to do together!

9) Just a reminder to please be sure to check your email this summer. We do not know what the Fall will look like, and many things need to be finalized. If you are planning to return to RHL, please stay in touch with us!

10) This is the part where I usually break down crying. It is so difficult to have to say "Goodbye" under these circumstances. It is especially hard this year as it is my last year as a classroom teacher--ever! That is something I am trying to wrap my head and heart around. I will say more next week, but I want to thank you for making my last year fun and memorable--I am so thankful to have had the chance to know each of you and your wonderful children. I hope we will be able to stay in touch.

I hope to see everyone at our Zoom meeting tomorrow and on the 11th or 12th to say goodbye!

Mrs. Stewart

Kerri Stewart is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: LitLink 1/2 Class Meeting

Time: Jun 4, 2020 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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May 27, 2020

Hello Families,

I am looking forward to seeing you on Thursday at 1:00 for our Zoom meeting. Be ready to share at least part of you story that contains your onomatopoeia words! Then we will be listening to a story that has an interesting "twist" at the end.

See you on Thursday!

Mrs. Stewart

Kerri Stewart is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: LitLink 1/2 Class Meeting May 28

Time: May 28, 2020 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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May 20, 2020

Dear Families,

It was really great to see so many kids in our Zoom class last Thursday! I hope we will have 100% turn out this week!

This week we will be learning about "onomatopoeia" and how authors use it to make their stories "come alive"!

This Week's Learning Opportunities:

(Please remember--you don't have to complete these by Thursday when we have our Zoom class! Take your time and enjoy!)

• Literature: Find and read stories that contain onomatopoeia online or in your home library. Some suggestions: The Story About Ping, Blueberries for Sal, Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears, and Tiny Little Fly. These can all be found as Read Aloud Stories on Youtube.com
• Writing and Art: Write and illustrate your own story using onomatopoeia. Embellish your onomatopoeia words with color, font size, capitalization, underline or outline, etc.

Please be in touch this week--I would love to see what you're doing! Have a great one, everybody! See you on Thursday!

Mrs. Stewart

Kerri Stewart is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: LitLink 1/2 Class Meeting May 21, 2020

Time: May 21, 2020 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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May 13, 2020

Dear Families,

Thank you to everyone for getting in touch with me last week! I appreciate hearing from you and hearing about all the things you are doing! I hope you moms had a great Mother’s Day on Sunday!

Here’s what’s coming up for the week:

Zoom Meeting on Thursday at 1:00:

We will be talking about our interviews with people who experienced the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Be ready to share something you learned or found interesting!

We will begin our next unit on “Funny Stories” by listening to one of my favorites, “King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub”, and then discussing how rhythm in stories can make them fun and appealing.

Learning Opportunities for this Week:

Literature: Find books at home that have rhythms or words that appeal to the senses.

Writing: Write your own story using repeated phrases to add rhythm (booom, boom, boom or glub, glub, glub).

Social Studies: Create a salt dough relief map of the state of Washington, showing our mountain ranges, mountain peaks, lakes, and other landforms. Let’s see where those volcanoes are!!

https://www.netstate.com/states/geography/wa_geography.htm (some geography info)

https://kidworldcitizen.org/3d-salt-dough-maps/ (How to make a salt dough map)

Art: Create a masquerade mask (such as the ones in “King Bidgood”) and participate in RHL’s “Mask”arade Ball!

https://www.firstpalette.com/craft/masquerade-mask.html (ideas for creating traditional, superhero, animal masks)

https://spark.adobe.com/video/tQPGqnEIHl6VY (This video explains how to participate in our “Mask”arade!)

As always, there is no “due date”--just try some things out and enjoy!

Finally, here is a resource you may wish to use from iReady. The questions are the same types of questions students would find on an iReady test. So doing some of these pages can help prepare your child for testing in the fall. HOWEVER--There is a lot of material here--PLEASE do not rush out and print all 500 pages for your child to work on! They (and you) will be overwhelmed! Rather, take a look through the material online. Maybe have your student take a look with you, and find those areas that are confusing or unclear for your child. Then print out a couple of those pages to practice. Or try some of the hands-on activities suggested. Don’t try to do all of this in the last month of the school year! Use these pages as a resource! (And thank you Mrs. Buzalsky for sharing with us!)

Printable At-Home Learning Activity Packs K-8

Additional Mathematics Resources for At-Home Learning K-8

Additional Reading, Writing, Language Resources K-8

And please--let me hear from you this week! I would love to see what you’re working on from home. Send pictures!! I miss seeing those kids!

See you on Thursday!

Mrs. Stewart

Kerri Stewart is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: LitLink 1/2 Class Meeting May 14

Time: May 14, 2020 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Hello Families! It was great to see so many of you last Thursday for our Zoom meeting. Things have changed a little bit since last week!

We are now being asked to record weekly contact with our families. So please, if you cannot attend our Zoom class on Thursday, plan to email me and let me know what you have been doing for homeschool throughout the week! This is a new request coming from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and I will need to show that I have been in touch with you weekly! This does not mean that you have to complete all of the learning opportunities I am suggesting for you, just that we need to be in touch, and ideally, that I will be in touch with the kids! So you can make it easy by attending that Zoom class on Thursdays at 1:00. Here is the invitation to the class:

Kerri Stewart is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: LitLink 1/2 Class Meeting

Time: May 7, 2020 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 915 6551 1787

Password: 341129

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Meeting ID: 915 6551 1787

Password: 341129

Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abGNcMWSq

This week's Learning Opportunities:

• This week we will be focusing on non-fiction reading and listening. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, I would like to have the kids read and learn about volcanoes. I have included some sites where you can find good articles for kids about Mt. St. Helens and other volcanoes. Firsties (and some 2nd graders) will need parent guidance and help with their reading, and please--take the time to discuss and relay your personal experiences! So here are some sites where you can watch or read: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jxeh-yAXek https://www.getepic.com/collection/821993/volcano https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/search-results/?q=volcano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhH6ehrXXZc (This is the old Forest Service film we used to show in the 80s. I like it because it has some good views of the mountain pre-eruption, and also because I know one of the guys in it!) https://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/pdf/sc08_a4icr_web.pdf (Pages 112-117) This is not intended to be a science lesson (that is just a side benefit!) but a lesson on how to get information from non-fiction sources, and how to ask questions about what you want to know.

• Once your child has learned a little about volcanoes, I would like them to prepare some "interview" questions for someone who lived through the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Again, you will need to guide them in how to formulate their questions--have them think about what they really want to know about that experience! Then please have them set up an appointment for their interview and ask their questions. (The goal here is to help them formulate questions--not to write all the answers down or just get "the facts". Try to help them ask questions about the experience, the feelings, the fears, the excitement!) They can interview grandparents, friends, neighbors, or teachers--I would love to set up Zoom interviews with any of the kids to tell them about my experience!! We will discuss some of the things they learned about in our May 14 Zoom meeting!
• If you choose, you could do some amazing art projects to go along with volcanoes or Mt. St. Helens. The Portland Art Museum has a virtual exhibit of volcano art here https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/volcano/ that would be fun to tour. You could make your own Mt. St. Helens snow globe https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Snow-Globe-With-a-Jar using Sculpy clay to form a "pre-eruption" Mt. St. Helens. A charcoal drawing or fingerpainting of the eruption would be amazing, or get the whole family involved for a large mural. There are tons of Mt. St. Helens posters out there, and kids could design their own poster, or design a license plate for Washington with Mt. St. Helens on it.

Okay, I think that should be enough for now. Please let me know if you have any questions. I hope to see you on Thursday at 1:00!

Kerri

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Dear Families,

I hope you have all had a good week at home--learning, staying healthy, and enjoying your family time. Here is what is coming up for the week:

Zoom Meeting

We will have our next class Zoom meeting on Thursday (tomorrow) at 1:00. Please sign in with your email account (which will show your name). For security reasons I do not want to admit anyone showing just a phone number! I am really looking forward to seeing all the kids and you.

• Please have your child be ready to "Show and Tell" a little bit about what they are learning. They could show a book they have read, a story they have written, a craft they have made, or some artwork they have created. They could tell about conversations they have had, a new skill they have mastered, or a job they are doing.
• Parent meeting--after we Zoom with the kids I would like to talk to parents for just a few minutes. Be thinking about the format for Zoom meetings going forward--Do we want to continue with all-class meetings, or would it be more beneficial for kids to meet in small groups? Would you like to have Zoom advisement meetings? As needed or on a regular basis? Individual or group? Would you prefer to "email" advisement meetings? I just want to get your input to make sure that your needs are being met.

"Grading for Second Semester"

As you know, K-8 at River HomeLink is non-graded. We will continue to follow that policy during this remote learning time. I will continue to suggest "learning opportunities" for you to complete in the way that best meets your family's needs. Additionally, I will be sending you information regarding essential learning that needs to take place in order for your child to be ready to move on to their next grade level in the fall. Please take a look at this and be sure your child is ready! Of course, if you have any questions, please let me know!

Learning Opportunities for the Week

Guess what? I "assigned" a lot of work last week--research and everything--so this week will be just the same as last week. I think it is reasonable for you to have a couple of weeks to work on this. If you have already completed this "assignment" then you have some extra time to dig a little deeper and maybe do some additional non-fiction reading about your topic or a different topic. Or try one of the other art projects.

Literature--Be able to locate information in a non-fiction text. You can use these online science books if you wish: https://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/fwo.html

Writing--Use information you have located in the textbook and other sources to write an informational article about a science topic you are interested in. This should be like a "mini-report" organized by topics. I would expect 1 page for 1st graders, and 2-3 pages for 2nd graders. Focus on organizing your topics so that your article is easy to understand.

Social Studies--Learn why it is important to gather information from more than one source (vocabulary: bias, accurate/accuracy, verify)

Art: Complete an art project or craft to go along with the topic you wrote about. Some ideas/websites are listed here--check out some of their great projects!

https://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/30-playful-ways-to-teach-young-kids-about-rocks.html

http://casahaus.blogspot.com/2010/09/make-your-own-jellyfish-tutorial.html?m=1 https://www.craftymorning.com/make-dandelions-using-fork-kids-craft/ https://buggyandbuddy.com/mosaic-art-project-for-kids-using-dyed-pasta https://www.flickr.com/photos/artsyt/3592528765/in/faves-42638903@N07/

https://k8art.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/fossil-necklaces-grades-23/ https://www.makelifelovely.com/

I think that is all for now. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Kerri

Friday, April 24, 2020

Important Change!

Due to the new announcement from OSPI and the district regarding "grading" for the rest of the school year, I am changing the date of our LitLink 1/2 Class meeting (followed by a short parent meeting) from Monday, April 27 at 1:00 to Thursday, April 30, at 1:00. I'm sorry if this inconveniences any of you, but I need a little time to get some questions answered so that I can relay accurate information to you. Please take a look at the letter ("Second Semester Grades") that the Battle Ground School District sent out on Thursday, for the latest on what's happening for the remainder of the school year.

Thank you! "See" you Thursday! Mrs. Stewart

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Dear Families,

It was great to see so many of you during our Zoom meeting on Monday! I loved seeing the smiles and excitement from the kids. We will do another meeting on Monday, April 27, at 1:00 (same schedule as this week) and hopefully everyone will be able to attend. Check your email for the invitation! There will be a quick "parent meeting" after the meeting with the kids, so if you have any questions or anything that would be good for the group to know about, please be ready to share!

Our school district is currently operating under the general guidelines that were set up when this remote learning model started. Those guidelines go through April 24, so things may be changing next week. Please stay in touch so you know what the expectations/requirements are going forward.

Learning Opportunities for the Week

Literature--Be able to locate information in a non-fiction text. You can use these online science books if you wish: https://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/fwo.html

Writing--Use information you have located in the textbook and other sources to write an informational article about a science topic you are interested in. This should be like a "mini-report" organized by topics. I would expect 1 page for 1st graders, and 2-3 pages for 2nd graders. Focus on organizing your topics so that your article is easy to understand.

Social Studies--Learn why it is important to gather information from more than one source (vocabulary: bias, accurate/accuracy, verify)

Art: Complete an art project or craft to go along with the topic you wrote about. Some ideas/websites are listed here--check out some of their great projects!

https://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/30-playful-ways-to-teach-young-kids-about-rocks.html

http://casahaus.blogspot.com/2010/09/make-your-own-jellyfish-tutorial.html?m=1 https://www.craftymorning.com/make-dandelions-using-fork-kids-craft/ https://buggyandbuddy.com/mosaic-art-project-for-kids-using-dyed-pasta https://www.flickr.com/photos/artsyt/3592528765/in/faves-42638903@N07/

https://k8art.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/fossil-necklaces-grades-23/ https://www.makelifelovely.com/

Thank you to those of you who have been trying these ideas--I appreciate it!

If you are still having trouble knowing how to get going with Google Classroom or Zoom, please check out the video tutorials that Battleground Public Schools sent to you in an email on April 20. These are really helpful.

That's all for now! See you on Monday at 1:00

Kerri

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Hello Families!

As promised, here is your Wednesday afternoon LitLink Letter. Please take a look through the entire thing, and then email me and let me know that you got it. (I need to be able to show two-way communication with everyone this week!) If you want to give me some details about what you are working on at home, I would love to hear!

Learning Opportunities for the Week

Here are some ideas for learning opportunities for the week. I know many of you are working on your regular at-home school activities, but I would love it if you would try at least one of the ideas I am sending. When you finish, take a picture and share it with me--I would love to see what the kids come up with!

Literature: This month we are focusing on non-fiction texts, and how to find information in a text book. Please go to the link https://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/fwo.html and take a look at the online science textbooks. If you will look at chapter 2 (Animals) in either the 1st or 2nd grade textbook, you will find lots of ways to get information--ways other than just reading! Last week I asked you to focus on the Table of Contents. This week I would like you to look at diagrams and picture captions. Kids should learn the vocabulary “diagram” and “caption” and be able to tell what they are, and how they help us learn about the main idea of the text. Why can a diagram sometimes explain things more clearly than just text? Why is it important for a picture to have a caption, and how does the caption direct your thinking? Can you find any “charts”? How is a chart different from a diagram? If you have time you can look through other chapters and find diagrams, captions, and charts. Make sure your student understands what these are and how they can help with understanding!

Writing and Art: After you have learned about diagrams and captions, I would like your student to make either a diagram or a picture with a caption. They may choose any “non-fiction” thing they like and draw it. (Please, no unicorns, Ninjago, Star Wars creatures, or princesses).Make sure it is big enough to fill an 8x10 inch page so they will have room to label/caption. If they are making a diagram, they need to decide how they will direct their reader’s eye to the things in their diagram (straight lines, arrows, curved lines, dots). Examples: Draw a bike and label the parts of the bike, show the life cycle of a living creature, draw different kinds of rocks and label them, show steps in a process such as how to brush teeth. If your child has a hard time thinking of an idea, look through the science book. Don’t copy the science book, but use the diagrams to inspire. If they are making a caption, then they need to clearly draw a picture and write at least one or two sentences explaining what the reader should focus on in the picture. Example: Draw a picture of a dog, a horse, and a rabbit. Caption: Dogs, horses, and rabbits are all mammals. They are mammals because they are warm-blooded, they have fur or hair, they are born alive, and they drink milk from their mother. They could draw a picture of a fir tree and write: Fir trees are evergreens, which means that they do not lose their leaves in the fall. They can be home to many living things, such as birds, squirrels, and insects.

Please talk to your child about what it is they want their readers to learn from looking at their diagrams and pictures. And neatness counts! Please help them take time and do careful work on this project!

If you really want to get creative and take more time, you could make a model or gather and mount a collection (bugs, leaves, flowers or flower parts, buttons, stamps) Label the parts so it looks like a diagram, or write a caption explaining what you’ve put together.

Some ideas:

Edible cell http://www2.nau.edu/~lrm22/lessons/edible_cell/edible_cell.html

Edible model of the sun https://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2007/materials/solar_cookie.pdf

Oreo Phases of the moon https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/workshops/phasesSeasons/OreoPhases.pdf

Insect collection https://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/10216/how-to-build-a-bug-board/

Social Studies: For Social Studies this week I will be posting a question in our Google Classroom about fact vs. opinion. Please have your student go to Google classroom and answer my question!

My Updated Calendar

As I expected, my calendar has changed in the last couple of days--many meetings are being scheduled! I am attaching my new schedule for you--which is also subject to change!

Zoom

I am really missing seeing those little faces, so I am thinking about scheduling a Zoom class meeting on Thursday around 12:30. That being said, I am just learning Zoom and haven’t set up a meeting yet, so be patient with me if it turns out to be “unorganized”! I will practice tomorrow and see how it works. If it’s a “go” watch for an email invitation from me!

That is all for now--miss you! Stay home and stay healthy!!

Kerri

April 10, 2020

Hello, dear Families!

One last message for the week, and then I will try really hard not to send anything out until Wednesday next week.

Below you will see posted my "schedule" for the upcoming weeks. I imagine there will be some changes to this as we go forward, but it is pretty flexible--basically I will be in front of my computer, unless I have meetings--so please feel free to email me at any time. For the times listed as "Email check-in" I will be sending you a quick "How ya doin'?" email. Please feel free to send back a simple "OK" if that is all you have to say. If you want to write more, ask questions, or just visit a little, please feel free to do that too. I just need to "hear" from you once a week! If I have specific questions or something I need to know from you, I will send out a very specific email just for you. Please try to answer in a timely manner.

On Wednesday I will send out my LitLink Letter along with any "learning opportunities" I have for you. Right now I am not planning to hold any Zoom type classes--it has been crazy enough watching a group of adults trying to navigate Zoom--I can't imagine what it would be like for first and second graders! And so far we are being told not to worry about "assignments" and grades--so these really are "learning opportunities". However, that may change at any time--things are changing every day, sometimes every hour! If there is something I really need you to do with your student and report to me about, I will let you know. And I will send out more videos so the kids can see me. But please be patient--I am just learning to navigate all this remote learning, Google world, and as you know, I am not a "tech-y" gal at all!

If you need your student's login information, help logging in, or general information about finding me or other stuff on the web, please let me know!! There is a plethora of very cool online learning tools out there--I will try to narrow it down to some things that I think could be meaningful for your kids, and send that to you next Wednesday.

Okay, thank you, everyone, for getting in touch with me this week--I heard from all of you! I REALLY miss the kids! I mean, REALLY! Please give them a big hug from me, and tell them that I am thinking about them everyday. I feel so blessed to be able to work with such great children (and their mommies!). I know they will learn a lot from you in the upcoming weeks. Remember, you know what is best for your child--do what you can, let them move at their own pace, be "family friendly", and don't worry about messing them up--you won't! And please, let me help if you need anything!!

Missing you all,

Kerri

Here is a quick video that will give you some tips on Google Docs.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B8fDZ-ddkHcp-4H012lCqbLHZ9Dy0pBY/view?usp=sharing

April 8, 2020

Hello Families!

And welcome to our new normal! This certainly is not the way I was planning to wrap up my career in the classroom, but we will do what we can to make the best of a challenging situation. Let me just start by saying how much I will miss you and the kids over the next months, but I have complete confidence in your ability to teach them, and teach them well! And I hope we can arrange a time for all of us to gather together once this is over. In the meantime, stay in and stay healthy!

Now, as promised, here is the long, detailed email I told you I would be sending out today. Thank you for taking the time to read it!

Communication

I will plan to send a "LitLink Letter" to you once a week, just like I usually do. This will include any info you need to have, as well as learning opportunities for you to explore with your kids. I will post this information on my teacher website (go to River HomeLink page, find "Staff", and click on "Teacher Website" under my picture) and in Google Classroom. (Google Classroom is designed to be accessed only by students, so you will need to have your child's login and password to get into the classroom--email me if you need them).

And I will need to hear from you! Please plan to email me once a week to let me know how you are doing. This will not be a "monthly review of progress", but a chance to check in and stay in touch. I am available via email any time--I will get back to you as soon as I can if you have questions or need help!

Learning Opportunities

I have been asked to provide "learning opportunities" for you to use at home with your students. These are not "assignments", and they will not be graded. These are ideas for you to use to cover the information your child would have been learning in my class. So there will be ideas for writing/literature, social studies, and art instruction.

Now, I am going to keep this very simple, because what we are going through right now is stressful, and I don't want to add any more stress to your life. This will be kind of the bare minimum for learning for my class--HOWEVER! I know there are some of you who would like to go deeper and use this time to try a unit study, or even an entire family study, and I would love to help you design that. If you are interested, just email and let me know--we'll have some fun and get creative!

So, here are some simple opportunities for you to try this week:

Writing: Have your child go to Google Docs and write an informative article about what has been happening in their home/life for the last few weeks. Focus on a strong introduction and conclusion. Let them experiment with fonts, colors, and sizes. When they are finished, have them share their writing with me. (If you are unfamiliar with Google Docs, let me know and I will walk you through it!)

Literature: Explore non-fiction text with your child. You can go to https://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/fwo.html

to find McGraw-Hill Science textbooks online, or you can use a textbook you have at home. Have your student look at the Table of Contents and understand how to use it and how it is organized. (I will be recommending activities using textbooks all month, so don't feel you have to learn all the features this week!) Then choose a chapter to begin reading together.

Social Studies: Use the textbook (above) to learn the difference between a fact and an opinion.

Art: Create a cherry blossom painting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRTafpDkljs (advanced)

or use fingertips dipped in white and red paint to make a cherry blossom painting.

Again, these are learning opportunities--not assignments! Use what works for your family!

I will be sending out links to some online sites next week--let's just get started with this for now, and see how it goes.

I think that will do for this week--I hope that you are all healthy, and that you are loving your time at home, learning together. Please be intentional homeschoolers! We have the chance to show our district how powerful home learning can be!

And please, please, please be sure to email me this week! Stay in touch!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Week B March 9-13, 2020

Dear Families,

We are wrapping up our unit on Hans Christian Andersen and beginning our unit on Poems and Rhymes.

This Week's Learning

We will learn about the continent of Africa, and make a map showing Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. We will begin learning about both rhyming and non-rhyming poetry, and will write a class poem about an African animal. We'll listen to the story "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain" and will begin putting together a book of poems about Africa.

Parent Days

Thank you for those who were able to come and participate in Parent Days this past week. I hope it was beneficial for you! I don't think we have anything unusual on the calendar now until SPRING VACATION which begins on March 30!

Consultations

This is week B.

Monday: 9:30 Iya D. 10:05 Melissa W.

Wednesday: 10:45 Ircania 11:20 Makeups

Thursday: 9:30 Chrissy 10:05 Melinda B.

Classroom Partners

Monday: Amy B., Iya D., Ircania

Thursday: Chrissy, anyone available?

That's all for now! Have a great week! Stay healthy!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Week A March 2-6, 2020

Hi Everyone! This is a quick version of the LitLink Letter!

We will not have class on Monday, March 2. This is a Parent Day, and students are not required to attend. Parents, please see the schedule of workshops offered for you on this day and on Tuesday, March 3, and sign up for the ones that interest you!

On Thursday we will have classes, and we will be finishing up our Hans Christian Andersen unit. My classroom partners on Thursday are Iryna and Melissa O.

Consultations will not take place on Monday—please watch for an email from me with a rescheduling time. Wednesday consultations are 10:45 Karly 11:20 Sadie. Thursday consultations are

9:30 Viktoriya, 10:05 Melissa O.

Thursday partners are Iryna and Melissa O.

Looking forward to a great week!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Week D February 24-28, 2020

Greetings Families!

Thanks for the great week! I really enjoyed seeing your kids' Hans Christian Andersen projects, and hearing what they had to say about them. Great job, everyone! Here's what's coming up:

This Week's Learning

We will be finishing up our fairy tales this week! (Yes, we will!) This has been a challenge for the kids, but they have worked hard on their stories, and should have something really nice to share! Then on Thursday we will be having ART DAY!! All art, all day! We will be finishing illustrations for our fairy tales, decorating a royal robe, and making a statue a la the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen harbor. The fun never ends in LitLink 1/2!

March 2 and 3

March 2nd and 3rd are parent days at River HomeLink. We will be offering several workshops for parents and teachers to help improve our practice and make our school even safer and more successful. One workshop that I would recommend for everyone is the training on "Run, Hide, Fight". This will prepare us for what to do in case an intruder or dangerous person should come on campus. It is, unfortunately, important for schools and families to have a plan in place for a situation like this, and to know how to communicate with our kids about that plan. This can be challenging when dealing with very young children, and I am hoping this training will answer some questions about the best way to handle this important information.

Consultations

This is Week D!

Monday: 9:30 Eve 10:05 Hayley

Thursday: 9:30 Mallory

I have time for makeup consultations on Wednesday at 10:45 and 11:20, and on Thursday at 10:05. If you missed your consultation earlier this month, please email as soon as possible and let me know which of those times would work for you to do a makeup!

Classroom Partners

Monday: Eve, Hayley, Melissa W.

Thursday: Sadie, Mallory

Have a great week, everyone!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Week C February 17-21, 2020

Hello Families!

Are you all ready for another busy week? We start off with the President's Day Holiday on Monday, so no classes for us! Then here is the plan for Thursday:

This Week's Learning

Thursday we have a few kids who need to finish up their iReady Math. Reading results are in and I am very pleased! We'll go over them at your next consultation! We will continue to work on our Fairy Tales and then at 1:45 on Thursday we will present our Hans Christian Andersen projects to the class!

Projects Due!

That's right--our special Hans Christian Andersen projects are due on Thursday. Please have your child bring in their project and plan to show their classmates what they have made. If you would like to come in for the presentations, please do so! It is always fun to see what the kids create. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please go back and check my last few emails! You still have 6 days to finish up!

Jury Duty

As I mentioned before, I have been called for jury duty this week. The way it works is I have to call in the night before to see if my juror group is needed--so I won't know until after 5pm if I have to go in the next day. If I do have to serve on Thursday, we will have a sub, and will postpone our special project presentations until Monday, Feb. 24 (which will probably be a snow day!) I will email everyone as soon as I know one way or the other! So please keep an eye out and tell your friends!

Forecasting

We will begin forecasting for next year's classes this week. I have heard from most of you and have added your names to the lists for the classes you would like to have. We will do the best we can to place your child in the class you want, but this will not be possible for everyone! Some classes are already almost full due to students who are returning. We will do everything possible to make sure your child is placed in a class where they can be most successful and happy! Please be sure to make it to your consultation so we can get forecasting done!

Consultations

This is Week C!

Monday: No School--Amy B. and Candice--could you come in after school on Thursday to forecast? Or at 10:45 on Wednesday?

Weds: 11:20 Jess B.

Thursday: 9:30 Savannah 10:05 Annette

Classroom Partners

Thursday: Karly, Savannah, Annette

I really had fun with your kids this last week. They were so gracious with their Valentines, and so thankful and kind to each other and to me. I love their giggles and excitement--they're such a great group of kids!

I think that is all! Watch for my email Monday night, and have a great long weekend!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter February 10-14, 2020 Week B

Dear Families,

Well, things are getting busy around here! There's a lot coming up, so read on!

This Week's Learning

We will continue learning about and reading Hans Christian Anderson stories--The Princess and the Pea, and The Emperor's New Clothes. We will continue working on the fairy tales we are writing, and hopefully get them finished, illustrated, and bound so they will be ready to share. And we will finish up iReady reading and math.

iReady

Speaking of iReady--most kids have finished their reading test and are moving on to math. Things look good so far, and I will be able to share their results during our consultation time as soon as everyone finishes up!

Special Project

I asked you to plan and complete a special project for a Hans Christian Anderson story at home with your student. Our original due date for this was Feb. 10, however since we've missed so much school due to snow, holidays, and field trips, I am changing the due date to Feb. 20. This will give you some time to finish up, or get started if you have not done so! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please go back and read the email from me for Jan. 13-17. You can also check my teacher website for that message. The ideas I suggested are only ideas! Please feel free to do something else if you wish. Many kids were interested in doing a diorama or an accordion picture after we talked about those--so be creative and have fun! The kids will present their project to the class on Thursday, Feb. 20, so plan to bring them in that morning--and stay around for the presentations too!

Valentine Party

Feb. 14 is Valentine's Day, and we will be celebrating by having a Valentine party in class on Thursday, Feb. 13 (because I just have to have a Valentine Party with my first and second graders!) If you would like your child to participate, please have them prepare a Valentine for each person in the class (see attached roster) and be sure to have them sign their name so we know who the Valentines are from! They do not need to make a Valentine "mailbox"--we will be doing that in class. Just have them bring their Valentines in to school on the 13th. It is helpful if they bring them in a large ziploc bag, then they will have a bag to carry the Valentines they receive home! We will be having our party during the last hour of school on Thursday (1:45ish--3:00). If you would rather not have your child participate, that is perfectly fine. You can plan to pick them up a little early that day.

Please go here https://signup.com/go/tmhbiNb to sign up for items to bring for the party!

Class Preference for Next Year

Shahla has sent an email out for all K-8 families requesting that you complete a form for your class preference next year. You will notice that my name is not on the list. This is because I already sent an email to you asking for this information. If you have not responded to that email, please let me know as soon as possible what your plans are for next year. (Stay in LitLink ½, move to LitLink ¾, change to ClassLink ½, ClassLink ¾, change to EAC 1-3, change to CoreLink1-3). You may tell me your first and second choice if you wish.

And just to make my life more interesting...

Just a heads up--I have been summoned for jury duty! My week of service is right after President's Day, Feb. 18-21. If I happen to be chosen to serve on a jury, then we will have to rearrange our presentation day, and maybe some other stuff. Hopefully it will be a slow week for crime in Clark County, and I will not have to go in--will keep you posted!

Consultations

This is Week B!

Monday: 9:30 Elena Z. ?? 10:00 Melissa W.

Wednesday: 10:45 Ircania

Thursday: 9:30 Chrissy 10:00 Melinda

Classroom Partners

Monday: Amy B., Ircania

Thursday: Chrissy and anyone else available?

Wow! Lots of information this week. The upcoming month should be a lot of fun! Let me know if you have questions!!

Kerri

LitLink Class List

1. Hadley

2. Paxton

3. Jamie

4. Jacob

5. Isaac

6. Jordan

7. Shirley

8. Madi

9. Rowen

10. Gwyn

11. Aaron

12. Lila

13. Belle

14. Deklan

15. Elijah

16. Asher

17. Lewis

18. Lucia

19. Jessika

The LitLink Letter Week A Feb. 3-7, 2020

Dear Families,

Here is a quick update on what's coming up next week:

Learning

We will continue with Hans Christian Anderson's stories--and we will be writing and illustrating our own Fairy Tale books. We'll focus on plot and story action. We will focus on use of space as we do our illustrations.

iReady

I am planning to do iReady testing with the kids this week and next. We will start after lunch recess at 12:30. I'm planning to keep this pretty low-key, and kids are doing such a good job logging in that I'm not anticipating a lot of stress surrounding iReady. This will hopefully give us some good information about progress in reading and math.

Consultations

This is Week A!

Monday: 9:30 Iryna 10:45: Elena Z.

Wednesday: 10:45 Karly 11:20 Sadie

Thursday: 9:30 Viktoriya 10:05 Melissa O.

Classroom Partners

Monday: Elena, Viktoriya, Jess

Thursday: Iryna, Melissa O.

That's All for now!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter January 27-31, 2020 Week D

Dear Families,

My, this has been a strange month! So many disruptions to schedules! But we'll keep pressing on--we're almost done with January!

Dragons Love Tacos

Thank you to all of you who attended the Oregon Children's Theater production of Dragons Love Tacos. I hope it was fun for everyone--and I hope you stayed dry! What a wet day!

No School on Thursday and Friday

Thursday and Friday, Jan. 30 and 31, will be non-student attendance days. Teachers will be working on end of semester paperwork, new student intake, and preparation for the upcoming parent days in March. Enjoy your home learning!

This Week's Learning

We will look at Europe and specifically Denmark, as we learn about Hans Christian Anderson. We will read "Thumbelina" and learn what a fairy tale is, and we'll talk about the components of a good fairy tale- character, setting, conflict, and resolution. We will plan and begin writing our own fairy tales. We will take the Words Their Way spelling inventory (it would help if 2nd graders could review sh, th, ch, and any long vowel sounds you've covered, as well as ed and ing endings). We will not be doing an iReady this week--they are still working on finishing the district iReady's that are happening. We will plan to do iReady the first week of February.

Zearn

I am in the process of getting the next batch of Zearn Mission homework pages printed and ready for you to copy. Stop by the classroom for Mission 4-6!

Consultations

This is Week D

Monday: 9:30 Eve 10:00 Hayley

Wednesday: I am available at 10:45 and 11:15 for makeup consultations. If you missed yours due to snow, late start, field trips, illness, or holidays and are going to be on campus, let me know if you would like one of these times and I would be happy to meet with you!

Partnership

Monday: Eve, Hayley, Melissa W.

That's all for now. Have a great week!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Jan. 20-24, 2020 Week C

Dear Families,

Can you believe that it is already the middle of January? The New Year is flying by! Hope you have enjoyed our snowy weather. Here's what's coming up:

This Week's Learning

This will be a different week since Monday is a holiday and Thursday class is cancelled due to our field trip. We will pick up with learning about Europe, Hans Christian Andersen, and fairy tales when we get back to our regular schedule on Jan. 27.

Field Trip on Thursday

We will be going to the Oregon Children's Theater on Thursday to see "Dragons Love Tacos". The play starts at 11:30 and you should plan to be there, ready to be seated, by 11:15. I would plan a snack before the play and lunch after (around 1:00pm). For those not attending the play, enjoy a day of home learning!

Volunteer Forms

Please see the email I sent out earlier regarding Volunteer Forms. If you received that email, you need to get your form completed for security reasons! Please be sure to take care of this ASAP!

iReady

I am planning to do an iReady reading and math diagnostic during the first week of February. I was hoping to have that done this week, but the snow changed my plans. I should have some good information to give you regarding your child's progress in reading and math after testing.

Partnership and Consultations

Due to the MLK holiday on Monday, and the field trip on Thursday, I will be doing email consultations for my people who are scheduled to consult on those days. That would be Amy B., Candice, Savanna, and Annette. Those I consult with on Wednesday I can still meet with. And I would love to meet with those who missed Wednesday of Week A. So I would like to meet with Karly and Sadie at 10:45 and Jess at 11:20 on Wednesday. Since we don't have class this week, we will not need classroom partners.

No Print and Press or Primary Science(LaLonde)

On Thursday, there will be no Print and Press class or Miss LaLonde's Primary Science class due to the field trip. Mrs. Chu's Primary science class will still be meeting on that day.

No Classes on Jan. 30

Classes will not be held on Jan. 30 and 31 due to end of semester reporting that teachers must do.

Wow--I feel like January will go down as "The Lost Month" this year! It looks like the snow is out of the picture for right now--I would still like to get one good, solid snowfall so the kids can get out and play in it!

Everyone, enjoy your holiday weekend, and I will see you next week!

Kerri

Hello Families!

Several of the K-2 classes will be going on a field trip to Oregon Children’s Theater on Thursday, Jan. 23. We will be canceling Print and Press, Primary Science, and our regular LitLink class on that day. For those of you attending the field trip, this will give you a little extra time to get to Portland—you should plan to be at the theater by 11:15 at the latest! I would plan to give yourself at least an hour to get through the Portland traffic. The play will be over at 1:00 and you should be able to get lunch at that time. You may want to head back over to Vancouver before traffic gets too bad.

For those of you who are not attending the field trip, please enjoy having an extra day for at-home instruction time with your 1^st/2^nd grader.

Please email if you have any questions! Thank you!

Kerri Stewart

The LitLink Letter January 13-17, 2020 Week B

Hello Families and Happy 2020!

I hope you all had a fun and relaxing Winter Break--it was great to see everyone back at school this past week.

It looks like we may be in for some snowy weather soon, but here is what I have planned for Jan. 13-17--we'll see if we actually get to it!

This Week's Learning

We will continue looking at globes and learning about continents, oceans, and hemispheres. We will make some maps and play a little Jeopardy game. We will focus in on the continent of Europe, and on the country of Denmark, as we begin learning about the Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen. We'll read "The Emperor's New Clothes" and then draw an emperor and design luxurious robes for him (maybe even with glitter). We will be doing some writing about winter and preparing for winter.

Special Project Coming Soon

I will be asking you to do a special at-home project with your student as part of our Hans Christian Andersen unit. This project will not be due until Feb. 10 (or maybe even later depending on the weather!) so there is no rush, but I thought if you are going to be snowed in it might be nice to have a project to work on! So...in class we will be reading a number of Andersen's fairy tales--Thumbelina, The Princess and the Pea, The Nightingale, The Ugly Duckling. I would like your child to choose one of these stories, or any other H.C. Anderson story, and do some kind of project that goes along with the story. Some examples might be:

Create a board game depicting the story

Make miniature items from sculpy clay that Thumbelina might use

Design a "wardrobe" for the Emperor/ or sew an outfit for him

Learn about swans and do a charcoal drawing of a swan

Make a cage for a nightingale

Design an experiment to see if you can feel a pea under a mattress. Record your data and report.

Learn about differences in Andersen's "Little Mermaid" and the Disney version. Write a paper about it.

Make a charm bracelet depicting characters from the story.

Make a poster showing characters from the story.

Act out a scene from the story and make a video of it.

These are just some ideas--please feel free to come up with your own ideas if you wish! We will share our at home projects during class on Feb. 10.

Field Trip Coming Up

Our class will be attending "Dragons Love Tacos" on January 23! More details as far as times, etc., coming soon!

I think that's all for now--we will see what next week brings as far as weather! Have a great week, everyone!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Week A Jan. 6-10, 2020

Dear Families,

Well, here I go trying to get a jump on things. Do not look for a communique from me on Jan. 5--I will be enjoying every last minute of my vacation! And I hope you will be too! So here are a couple of things you need to know for the New Year:

First of all, we come back to school on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. It will be Week A, so I will be meeting with the following people for consultations:

Monday: 9:30 Iryna B. 10:05 Elena Z.

My classroom partners on that day will be Elena, Viktoriya, and Jess.

On Thursday, Jan. 9 I will consult with:

Viktoriya at 9:30 and Melissa O. at 10:05.

Classroom partners will be Iryna and Melissa O.

We will begin our unit on Hans Christian Andersen when we get back from vacation--it should be a fun one!

Everyone, have a great break, get lots of rest, and enjoy your time with your kiddoes!

I will see you in the New Year!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Week D Dec. 16-20, 2019

Hello Families!

Well, as I'm trying to recover from the carb load of yesterday, I want to thank all of you who sent in bread with your kiddoes! We had a great time sampling this staple food, and were able to try lots of new things. The kids did a great job sharing about their bread too! Here's what's coming up:

This Week's Learning

This week we will wrap up our unit on Food with our Food Fair on Monday afternoon. Each child will be able to set up a "booth" or "restaurant" that will showcase their favorite food, explain a little about their food, and then share it with classmates and any guests. Booths (desks) do not have to be fancy--maybe a tablecloth, a sign telling the name of their food or "restaurant", anything you would like to send in to help your child make a nice display. And please don't stress about food! I am planning to bring in a crockpot with beanie weenies in it (now that I know all you healthy, non-Southern people don't know about beanie weenies!), a tablecloth, a sign, some small dixie cups to serve in, and some plastic spoons. Here is what our schedule will look like:

1:40--Set up "booths"

2:00 Food Fair begins--parents are welcome to come in and sample!!

2:40 Clean up and pack up

3:00 Dismissal

On Thursday we will be working on a craft project and doing some writing--just a fun, relaxing day.

Consultations

I have had to do email consultations with many of you this month, due to late starts, Thanksgiving, and many illnesses! Please check your email and respond to mine! I have to have your response to show monthly progress!!

Monday: 9:30 Eve 10:05 Hayley

Wednesday: Galina? Melissa O.?

Thursday: 9:30 Mallory 10:05 Megan A.

Classroom Partners

Monday: Hayley, Eve, Melissa W.

Thursday: Sadie, Mallory, Megan

Then it's on to Winter Break! I hope you all have a joyful holiday with your lovely children. I will look forward to seeing many well-rested moms in the New Year!!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Dec. 9-13, 2019 Week C

Dear Families,

Thank you to all of you who contributed goodies for our Gingerbread Cookie madness on Thursday! A special thanks goes to Eve Youngberg for making such big, beautiful, and delicious gingerbread boys and girls! I thought our decorated cookies looked amazing, and I know the kids had a great time! Thank you again for making this happen!

Here's what's coming up for the week of Dec. 9-13:

This Week's Learning: We will continue our learning about Foods by reading "Dragons Love Tacos" on Monday. We will be making our own salsas and sampling them while we work on a large piece of dragon art! On Thursday, we will be all about bread. We'll watch a movie about bread and how it's made, and learn what kinds of breads there are in different cultures. Then we will have a chance to sample bread from our friends (see below). We will also be writing--finishing up our gingerbread people descriptions--and meeting for some phonics instruction. (First graders will be working on consonant digraphs th, sh, and ch, and second graders will be working on making long i, and inflectional endings ed and ing.)

Bread Day!

Thursday will be bread day in class. It would be great if each student could bring in a bite of their favorite kind of bread to share with classmates--I will be bringing our family's traditional Swedish cardamom bread to share. Students can bring in an ethnic bread (tortilla, naan), a quick bread (banana, pumpkin, blueberry), a yeast bread (white, wheat, rye, oat), a celebratory bread (challah, nissu, panetone, matzoh), a flat bread (rye krisp, lefse) or anything else you like that I have not listed here! You can simply cut 24 bite-sized pieces and send them in a ziploc bag with your child if you like. Please help your student be ready to tell what they have brought in and why they like it.

Consultations

This is Week C!

Monday: 9:30 Amy B. 10:05 Candice

Wednesday: 10:45 Jess

Thursday: 9:30 Savannah 10:05 Annette

Classroom Partners

Monday: Candice, Melinda B.

Thursday: Savannah, Annette, Karly

Please remember to make up your classroom partnership time if you miss it! There are several of you who have not been in the classroom at all since September. Being in class helps you get to know your child's friends, see your student interact with others, and know what is going on--so be sure to be there!

Food Fair

Monday, Dec. 16 (NEXT Monday) will be our Food Fair Day! Each student will set up a "booth" (their desk) to display their food. They may bring in whatever items they wish to make their display--things like a small tablecloth or placemat, a nice plate, a sign with the name of their food--all are easy to do. If they are bringing in ethnic food, a flag of the place their food comes from would be great. A copy of the recipe for their food would be great.

Please send food in ready to be served (i.e. cut into bite sized pieces) unless you are planning to stay and help "dish up" the food. (Which would be great!) If it needs to be "served" please send in something like a small dixie cup with a plastic fork, or small paper plates with utensils. If it needs to be heated, we can accommodate a couple of crockpots or electric skillets in the classroom. Students may bring in a "main dish" and a "dessert" if you would like to do that--it is entirely up to you. Snacks are also welcome (I personally think cheese popcorn is about the best food on earth--so I may be bringing in that!)

Each child will have about 30 seconds to tell what their food is and a little bit about how it is made or where it comes from. This needs to be brief! Something like, "My favorite food is macaroni and cheese. It is made from noodles that are made from wheat, and cheddar cheese that is made from cow's milk, and milk that comes from a cow." Or, "My favorite food is steak. It is meat that comes from beef cattle". Or, "My favorite food is apple pie. It is made with apples that are grown in Washington, flour that comes from wheat, sugar that comes from a sugar cane plant, and cinnamon that comes from the bark of a tree." Please help your student plan and practice what they are going to say! This is a big part of the speaking/listening standard that I will be looking at for them!

Parents are welcome to attend our Food Fair! Your presence, interest, and questions just make it that much more fun! Let me know if you have questions!

That's all for now! Have a great week!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Dec. 2-6, 2019 Week B

Hello Families,

This letter is going out before Thanksgiving, but it is for Dec. 2-6, Week B. This is because I am not planning to send out a letter on Sunday night after Thanksgiving! I will be enjoying my last few hours of our break, as I hope you will be doing too. So read this today, then rest and relax with your family for the next five days!

Learning for Dec. 2-6

We will be reviewing OREO opinion writing (state your Opinion, give a Reason for your opinion, Explain your reason, restate your Opinion) as we write about the "best thing about Thanksgiving". We will also get to do some storytelling as we write a narrative about a gingerbread boy or girl. (And we'll probably sneak some descriptive writing in there as well.) We will begin reading some "cumulative tales", such as "The Turnip" and "The Gingerbread Man", and will re-tell them by acting them out. Reading groups will be happening this week too.

Vision and Hearing

We will be going for vision and hearing screening on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 11:10. Just want you to be aware.

Gingerbread People

We will be writing about gingerbread people, and hopefully we will be decorating gingerbread people on Thursday, Dec. 5, around 1:45. Please go to this link https://signup.com/go/SsFTnns at signup.com to sign up for something to bring in. Of course, any extra helpers would be appreciated. We love to have younger siblings in class, but we may not have enough extra for all of them to decorate along with us, so please keep that in mind before bring them to class that day!

Bread Day

Keep in mind that Thursday, Dec. 12 is Bread Day! I would love to have each child bring a sample of their favorite bread to share with classmates. Especially if the bread has special family significance--like a tradition that goes with it, or a cultural connection. Just a bite will do! I will be bringing in our family's traditional Swedish cardamom bread.

Consultations

This is Week B!

Monday: 9:30 Galina 10:05 Melissa W.

Wednesday: 10:45 Ircania

Thursday: 9:30 Chrissy 10:05 Melinda B.

Classroom Partners

Monday: Amy B., Ircania

Thursday: Chrissy, Galina

That's all for now! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your amazing children!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Nov.25-29, 2019 Week A

Greetings Families!

I hope you are all ready for the Thanksgiving holiday! This will be a short week, but I want to let you know about some things that are coming up on the calendar!

This Week's Learning

This week we will learn about "Still Life" paintings, and will be painting our own Still Life with Apples. We'll look at some of Paul Cezanne's apple still life paintings, as well as those by some other artists.

What is Coming Up--Parent information only! Please don't tell kids what's coming up!

Thanksgiving Break--begins Weds., Nov. 27. We'll see you back at school on Monday, Dec. 2.

Gingerbread--On Thursday, Dec. 5 we will be reading "The Gingerbread Boy" and will be decorating our own gingerbread people. We will need a number of items for decorating, including gingerbread cookies (large), frosting, sprinkles, candies, etc. I will provide our "background" paper plates.

Please email and let me know if you could bring in one of the following items on Dec. 5:

§ 12 Large (approx 6 inches tall) Gingerbread girl cookies

§ 12 Large Gingerbread boy cookies

(These are easy to make using a Betty Crocker gingerbread cake mix! Just follow directions on box!)

§ red icing

§ white icing

§ green icing

§ sprinkles

§ mini chocolate chips

§ mini marshmallows

§ red hots

§ mini m&ms

§ regular m&ms

§ red vines skinny vines (like, for hair)

§ mini candy canes

§ variety of mini candies (like, from the bulk foods section)

§ paper towels

§ plastic spoons, knives, popsicle sticks

Dragons and Tacos--we will be reading Dragons Love Tacos on Dec. 9, and making our own salsa to munch while we create extra large dragons. (We'll need some chips!)

Bread is for Eating--On Thursday, Dec. 12, we'll be learning about different kinds of bread from around the world. I will be bringing in my family's favorite cardamom bread to share. I would love it if each child could bring in a favorite family loaf (banana bread, cinnamon bread, tortillas, naan, rye bread, challah, even Dave's Killer bread, or a bagel, would work!) to share a couple of bites with classmates.

Food Fair--Monday, Dec. 12 will be our Food Fair. Kids will decorate a "booth" (their desk) to display their favorite food. Plan to bring in whatever you can that can be cut into bite size pieces for kids to sample--bring "serving pieces" such as small paper plates, napkins, sample size cups, utensils--to go along with your food. Hopefully we will not end up with 21 pizzas! Help your child be creative--think soups, salads, desserts, pastas, appetizers, seafood--all kinds of things! I will send out more information about this as we get closer to the date.

Consultations

This is Week A of December, even though we are still in November!

Monday: 9:30 Iryna B. 10:05 Elena Z.--we will do an email consult. Would anyone else like this spot?

Viktoriya, Karly, Sadie, and Melissa O.--We will do email consults unless you would like the 10:05 spot on Monday.

Partners

Monday: Elena Z., Viktoriya, Jess

Enjoy your holiday preparations, and I'll see you for a short week next week!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter November 18-22, 2019 Week D

Hello Families,

Another great (albeit, short!) week has gone by and we are past the halfway mark for November! Here's what is coming up for November 17-22.

This Week's Learning

We will continue our learning about food by talking about where our food comes from and how it gets to us. We'll look at a book called "The Milk Makers" and discuss the process involved in getting milk from the farm to the table. We will work in small groups to create posters that show the steps in this process-- Producer-> Processor-> Transporter-> Distributor-> Consumer--and we'll present our posters to the class. We will learn about the Pilgrims and their friend Squanto, and do some research on the foods eaten at the first Thanksgiving, and then we will write opinion pieces about which food we think is the BEST Thanksgiving food. It should be a fun week of learning and working together.

2nd Graders

Please keep working with your 2nd graders on long vowel patterns! We have covered long o in class.

Consultations

This is Week D!

Monday: 9:30 Eve 10:05 Hayley

Wednesday: 10:45 Melinda B. (makeup) 11:20 Karly ( Makeup?)

Thursday: 9:30 Mallory 10:05 Megan

Partnership

Monday: Hayley, Eve, Melissa W.

Thursday: Sadie, Mallory, Megan

Congratulations Jessika and Deklan!

Finally, Congratulations to all of my students for the incredible food maps they made! They worked very hard on maps that show food production in the state of Washington, then they voted on the ones they thought were best. Special shout outs to our winners: Jessika Zherebnenko for 2nd grade, and Deklan Parrish for 1st grade! Great job, everyone!

That's all for now--have a great week!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter November 11-15, 2019 Week C

Dear Families

Well, we have had a terrific week! The kids had such great attitudes and were very diligent students for me all week long. It is such a pleasure to work with such wonderful children! I am really looking forward to what's coming up!

This Week's Learning:

We will continue to learn and read about foods. We will finish our food map of Washington and make sure that we understand how to read map symbols. We'll be able to see what foods come from different parts of our state, and we'll discuss how climate affects food production. We will be reading "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" to learn and understand more about climate and weather conditions. We'll also be doing some writing, and I'll be meeting with reading groups to work on long o patterns.

Veteran's Day

Don't forget that Monday, November 11 will be a school holiday as we observe Veteran's Day. Thank you to all who have served our country!

Consultations

This is Week C!

Weds., Nov. 13 11:20 Jess B.

Thurs., Nov. 14 9:30 Savannah A. 10:05 Annette A.

Candice and Amy B.-- we'll miss our consultations due to the holiday. We will do an email consult this month, so please watch for it and get back to me asap!

Classroom Partners

Thursday: Savannah, Annette, Karly

That is all for now! Thanks for all you do to teach these kids and help them grow into such kind and caring people!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter November 4-8, 2019 Week B

Hello Families! I hope you all made it through the last days of October with no tummy aches, fevers, or meltdowns! Thank you to everyone who was here on Thursday for our Reader's Theater performance. For our first performance (with very little rehearsal time!) I thought it went very well.

Here's what is coming up for the week:

This Week's Learning

We will be starting a new unit on "Food, Glorious Food!" this week. We'll begin by talking about where our food comes from. We'll make maps of the United States and the state of Washington, and learn about different foods that are produced around the country and state. We will be reading "Stone Soup" and "Blueberries for Sal"--two great food-themed books. We will also be learning about Veteran's Day, which is coming up soon, and we'll be decorating stars to honor veterans.

Upcoming Holiday

Speaking of Veteran's Day, don't forget that Monday, Nov. 11 is the Veteran's Day holiday, and we will not be having school that day.

Consultations

This is Week B!

Monday: 10:00 Melissa W.

Wednesday: 10:45 Ircania

Thursday: 9:30 Chrisy 10:00 Melinda B.

Classroom Partners

Monday: Amy B., Ircania

Thursday: Chrisy, Galina

I think that is all for today--short and sweet. Stay healthy! Less than 8 weeks until Christmas!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Sept. 30--Oct. 4, 2019 Week A

Hello Families! I hope you have all had a great weekend--it really feels like fall, doesn't it? Here's what's coming up this week:

This Week's Learning

Now that we are finished with iReady, we are ready to jump feet first into our "regular" schedule. We will finish our leaf paintings using warm and cool colors. (This has been a great exercise in listening and following directions!)We will be finishing and "revising" (new vocab) our personal narratives about friends, then we will write an informative piece entitled "What is a friend?" We will begin learning about the friendship of Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh, and will study their paintings (don't worry--this will be the family friendly, "G" version of their story). We will prepare to paint flowers in the style of Van Gogh or Gauguin, focusing on texture and color. We will read some more stories about friendships, and then welcome another staff friend, Miss Alyssa (our school psychologist), into class to meet the kids and begin to get to know them. Miss Alyssa will be coming into our class every other week to talk with the kids about being listening skills, making friends, conflict resolution, and respectfulness.

Reading Groups

This week we will begin meeting in our small groups for reading, speaking/listening, and some writing instruction. I will be meeting with just one group per day--so that means each group will meet with me every other week. It won't be a lot of time, but will give me a feel for where the kids are in their reading progress.

Consultations

This week I will be able to give you information about your student's Math iReady!

Monday: 9:30 Iryna B. 10:00 Elena Z.

Thursday: 9:30 Viktoriya 10:00 Melissa O.

Wednesday: 10:45 Karly 11:15 Sadie

Classroom Partners

Monday: Elena, Viktoriya, Jess

Thursday: Iryna, Melissa O.

If you can't be here for your partnership time, please be sure to arrange for someone else to trade spots with you or take your place!

That's all for now--have a great week!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Sept. 23-27, 2019 Week D

Hello Families!

Well, here we are at Week D already! It feels like we are just getting into a rhythm! Thank you to everyone who was able to come to Parent Day on Thursday. I hope it was helpful. Please be sure to complete the survey and let Mr. Clements know any suggestions you have for our next Parent Day at the end of October.

This Week's Learning

This week we will finish up iReady Math testing, go deeper into a character study of Frog and Toad, try our first reader's theater with puppets, learn what a personal narrative is and write a personal narrative about a time spent with a friend, and do a warm and cool color art activity. We will also begin reading groups this week. Finally, I feel like we are getting going!

Resources are Here

The Evan Moor phonics and language resources we ordered are here from the print shop. I also have homework masters for Zearn Missions 1-3 if you were not able to get those on Thursday.

Consultation Schedule

Monday: 9:30 Eve 10:00 Hayley 3:00 Elena

Thursday: 9:30 Mallory 10:00 Megan A.

Classroom Partners

Monday: Eve, Hayley

Thursday: Sadie, Mallory, Megan

I think that's all! I will go over iReady scores at your next consultation. Have a great week, everyone!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter September 16-20, 2019 Week C

Hello Families!

Just a reminder that I will be out of the building spending time with my youngest daughter on Monday. (So excited to see her!!) We will have a substitute and it will be a MAN!! The kids are really excited--something different and new! Of course, because of the nature of our program, any additional parent help would be welcomed. I have tried to plan some fun and easy activities for the kids and the "man teacher", but moms always make a big difference in class!

iReady

The kids have done a great job on their iReady assessments--we have finished reading and will finish up math during Week D. Thank you to all who came in to help with login!

Consultations (Week C) Monday: Amy and Candice--I will contact you to reschedule Wednesday: 10:45 Jess Thursday: 8:50 Annette and Savannah (also 8:50 or 12:30?)

Classroom Partners Monday: Candice, Melinda (and any extras please!) Thursday: Savannah, Annette, Karly

Parent/Student/Teacher Days Sept. 19 and 20

Please see below--and thank you for your flexibility!

That's all for now. I appreciate your patience as we get the new year rolling. Things always calm down by Oct. 1!

Kerri

Parent Days--September 19/20, 2019

Dear Families,

As you know, we will be having a special Parent/Student/Teacher Day on Thursday, Sept. 19 and Friday, Sept. 20. I have tried to put together a schedule that I hope will be meaningful and helpful for you and your student (Yes--bring your student!)

Here is what our/my schedule will look like next Thursday:

8:15-8:45 Block 1:

This is when I teach Print and Press. If your child is in my class, stop by and we will talk about goals for the next few weeks, and ways that you can help your student at home. If your child is in a different class for Block 1, then visit that class to hear what the teacher has to say.

8:50--9:20 Block 2:

I normally have consultations during this time, so I am planning to meet with Savannah and Annette and their kids to sign our September progress review. (Ladies we can meet together or one of you can take the morning spot and one can take the afternoon spot).

Most of your kids are in Primary Science at this time. Come to room 8 to meet with Miss LaLonde and set some goals for science class. If your child has a different class, go to that.

9:25--9:55 Block 3:

This is when you would come to room 8 for LitLink 1/2. I will have reading iReady scores available for you to see and go over with your student. Then I would like to have students take the Words Their Way Phonics Inventory (which is like a spelling test).

10:00--10:30 Block 4:

Around this time we will give the kids a little outside time (bring a snack too, if you like) and we will look at the data from the tests. Usually it is very clear which skills students need to work on. Then we'll bring the kids in and set some goals with them. I will have some materials for you use to reach your goals that you may take home if you wish.

10:35--11:05 Block 5:

For block 5 I thought we could talk about Zearn math and share some ideas about how to use this program effectively. I also have additional Zearn materials that I can show you if you feel you need more pages for your student to practice his/her math skills.

11:10--11:50 Lunch

I will repeat this entire schedule in the afternoon at these times:

11:55--12:25 Block 1

12:30--1:00 Block 2

1:05--1:35 Block 3

1:40--2:10 Block 4

2:15--2:45 Block 5

I hope this helps! We will be figuring it all out together. Looking forward to seeing everyone next week!

Kerri

The LitLink Letter Sept. 9-13, 2019 Week B

Dear Families,

We made it through the first almost full week of school! This week we will have a full schedule with no holidays, days off, or half days! So far, things are going great! Your children are fantastic! So kind, helpful, and eager to learn. Here's what's coming up:

This Week's Learning

We will be writing Thank You notes to Officer Raiser, Madi's and Rowen's grandpa, who visited with us last Thursday to talk about safety and following the rules. We will read about two friends, "Little Blue and Little Yellow", and then do some painting after we read the story. We'll experiment with color mixing and learn "primary colors", "secondary colors", "cool colors", and "warm colors". And we will learn the literary element "character" as we explore "Frog and Toad" and describe the characters in that story.

iReady

We will also begin iReady testing this week. My plan is to start after lunch at 12:30 and work until about 1:15-1:20 on Monday. Thursday, we will do the same thing. After iReady we'll take a recess break and then come in and do some fun stuff. We'll see how far we get this week--we may need to do some more testing next week. Having extra parents in class to help with logging in is always helpful! If you are available at 12:30 on M/R we would welcome your help!

Writing Folders

Many of you sent Writing Folders in last week. Just to make it clear--our writing folders stay in class. The kids keep their writing in the folder, that way they have access to a story later on in case they have new ideas that they would like to add to it. They get to bring their writing home periodically, and they bring the folder home at the end of the year. If you have not sent in a folder for your child yet, please try to send one in this week or next week. Thank you!

September 19 and 20

Please be watching your emails for information about September 19 and 20. I will send out information when I am sure of what we will be working on!

Payback Books

Payback Books went home on Thursday. If you choose to purchase one, the payment instructions are on the letter inside the envelope. If you would like more books to sell to family and friends, please see those instructions in the letter too! If you are not interested, simply send the envelope with the book back to school.

FVR

We will do Free Voluntary Reading each day in class. If your child has a book they are reading or a favorite that they would like to bring in for FVR, please feel free to send it in his/her backpack. They will bring it home at the end of the day!

Consultations

This is Week B--I have a couple of make-up consults due to the Labor Day Holiday

Monday: 9:30 Galina 10:00 Melissa W. 3:00 Elena Z. ?

Tuesday: 10:40 Iryna ?

Wednesday: 1045 Ircania

Thursday: 9:30 Chrisy 10:00 Melinda B.

Partners

Monday: Amy B., Ircania

Thursday: Chrisy, Galina

That's plenty for now--have a great week everyone! Kerri

LitLink 1/2 Week A September 2-6, 2019

Hello Families!

Well, we had a great first day of classes on Thursday! Your children are delightful, and I am anticipating a wonderful year of learning ahead of us! Here is what’s coming up:

This Week’s Learning

This week we will be focusing on Friendships! We will learn how our school and classroom rules help us all to be safe and happy so we can focus on our friends and learning. We will talk about those in our community who help us follow the rules and stay safe (and maybe even have a special friend visit who will talk to us about this!) And we will enjoy one of my favorite books--Officer Buckle and Gloria. We’ll also stick with a new buddy to learn some reading skills.

Zearn Math

I will be sending you your login information for our Zearn Math account as soon as I finish sending out this communique! Please watch for this! All you need to do is

GO TO: www.zearn.org

ENTER YOUR INFO: Username and password (which I will send you)

CLICK: Sign In

Let me know if you need me to adjust the “Mission” (i.e. “unit”) your student needs to be working on, and I will do so as soon as I get the chance.

Writing Workshop

We will begin Writing Workshop on Thursday. WW is a time for WRITING--not talking, reading, or looking around. Drawing/coloring may be added as long as it adds to the writing. I will be keeping all of the kids’ writing in class in a writing folder. If you could provide a simple “pee chee” style folder with pockets (and of course a delightful picture or decoration on front) and send it in with your child on Thursday, or even next week, that would be great.

New Lunch Schedule

We will be heading to lunch a few minutes earlier than was originally planned. We’ll leave class around 11:35 to walk to the cafeteria. That way we will be ready to get food and start eating at 11:40. We just need to provide a little more time to get the younger students through the line so the older students who are coming in later don’t get backed up. We will then head out to recess around 12:00/12:05.

Phonics, Grammar, Punctuation Materials

Please check with me this week if you are using StoryTown--I’m hoping the materials we had printed at the print shop will be available for you this week!

This Week’s Consultations

This is Week A--these are the people I will be meeting with:

Monday: Iryna and Elena--we will need to reschedule due to the Labor Day Holiday! I’ll be in touch!

Wednesday: 10:45 Karly 11:15 Mercedes

Thursday: 9:30 Viktoriya 10:00 Melissa O.

This Week’s Classroom Partners

Thursday: Iryna, Melissa O.

That’s all for now! Have a great week, everyone!

Kerri

Welcome to the 2019-20 School Year!

Here's what is happening for LitLink 1/2 families this week:

Tuesday, August 27

Come to meet with me (Mrs. Stewart) at 12:00 IF you are a new family or were unable to attend the spring orientation. Our meeting will last about an hour.

Orientation is required in order for your child to start school on the 29th. Students cannot come to class on the first day without paperwork completed, which is done at orientation.

If you are on campus Tuesday, I suggest getting your picture taken while you are here. Also, all volunteers need to have their picture taken for ID purposes. So, send in grandparents or anyone else that may be helping on campus!

Wednesday, August 28th

Come by the school between 10:00-12:00 or 1:00-2:00 to pick up curriculum and get your picture taken! I will be in room 8 to help you.

Thursday, August 29th

First day of class for the Monday/Thursday students!!

Block one starts at 8:15 am. (This will impact those of you taking "Print and Press")

Block 2 begins at 9:30 am. (This will impact those of you taking Primary Science or Art 1/2)

LitLink 1/2 begins at 10:45--Block 3--and goes until the end of the school day at 3:00 pm.

Friday, August 30th will be the first day of classes for Tues/Fri families.

Parents are welcome to stay with their students to make sure they are comfortable navigating their new classes. We will do everything we can to make sure each child is where they need to be for each block!

Consulting and Partnership

Week A will begin September 3rd. Our consulting and partnership time in the room begins on Thursday, Sept. 5 since we don't have class on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 2)