Holiday Party Good Times!

Look What I made!

My very own Gingerbread House!

I'm going to eat it all by myself! Yummy!

Reading Buddies

The Beacons are

Reading Buddies

with the Superstars!

The day before winter break, the Beacons "buddied-up" with their Superstar partner and first read to them and then the Superstar read to the Beacon buddy. It was a wonderful experience and is a planned once a week activity for the new year. We all love reading and this is a wonderful way to share the love.

Mrs. West and the Superstars shared their knowledge of how countries around the world celebrate jolly ol' St. Nick's arrival. It was very informative and fun. The Beacons added their knowledge of the countries they have studied as well.

ARF! Hey you guys, read to me, too. Please! I LOVE READING! I'm begging you! ARF!

Hip Hop Rules!

Introducing,

our very own Seabury

HIP HOPPERS !

Novena!

Novena! As taught by L.B.'s mom

Yesterday, we had the distinct pleasure of learning about the Colombian celebration of Novena from our Beacon parent.It was a wonderful lesson learning about the Novena, the 9 days before Christmas (which actually begins today), the Novena customs of saying prayers and singing Christmas songs in Spanish. We all learned a lot especially how to use percussion instruments to go with the rhythm of the songs and hearing about the cool food such the hollow bread that has cheese inside. Yummy.

Weekly Update December 15, 2009

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

We are "wrapping up" this week with some exciting learning as we approach our 2 week Winter Break this Friday at noon. We hope you have a wonderful break filled with festive times, family and friends.

Here's what's going on in Beacons' World this week!

Reading: Students have been reading myths and information about the solar system. We have been too busy to hit the S.R.A. cards but the reading skills in the class are rocketing! Please continue to read to your child every day during break for it improves your Beacon's all important listening comprehension skills; and have your child read to you every day as well. The holiday break is a perfect time for your child to read to younger siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles,and younger friends. Perhaps there will be some great books under the tree! If you need some suggestions, please don't hesitate to ask us. We love to read children's books as much as the Beacons do.

Writing/Science: These subjects have been linked hand-in-hand this week as students create their own power point presentations! They are integrating research skills, writing skills, science information, and technology as they create a pretty slick looking slide shows. We'll have a Parent Day at the end of next trimester where they will present their hard work to you.

Math: Students have been finishing up the unit on multiplication and completing their higher level thinking enrichment work this week. A few students have moved onto the world of division; but the majority of the class will begin the new year with the wonderful world of division.

Social Studies: Students received a packet chock-a-block full of Greek and Roman information. We have learned why the word "alphabet" is called an alphabet. (Your Beacon would love to enlighten everyone. Hint: It is derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet). We are learning the Greek alphabet and Greek greetings along with everyday words and students are loving learning this. We've compared the Greek and Roman (Latin) languages to that of the African Swahili alphabet and words that we learned last trimester. The students were so excited. We have also learned about the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses and their respective names, most notably why the planets have Roman gods' and goddesses' names and not those of the Greek names. Hmm. I wonder why. Just ask your Beacon. In addition, we are learning about the Greek Olympics and the geography of the country. It is an exciting time in the Beacons' Social Studies class as we incorporate science, reading, math and science as part of our integrated Social Studies curriculum.

"One of the greatest joys of December is telling people that we care and Love them".

May the joy of this season be with you and your family.We look forward to another exciting week when we return to school in 2010 ! Happy New Year!

Betsy and Tamara

Weekly Update December 8, 2009

Beacons' Winter Music Program

Your Beacons were marvelous tonight! They all sang their hearts out and were absolutely wonderful. We were so proud of them. They truly filled us all with holiday cheer!

Here's What's Going on in the Beacons' World:

Reading: We're continuing to focus on SRA cards to build comprehension, reading strategies, vocabulary and word skills. We also have been reading Greek and Roman myths and we are finishing the Roald Dahl classic, Matilda.

Writing: We've been working on building sentence fluency and identifying parts of speech. We worked with adjectives and conjunctions. We even got to listen to the Schoolhouse Rock favorites, "Conjunction Junction" and "Unpack your Adjectives". I listened to those when I was a kid!

Math: We're getting close to wrapping up our unit on multiplication. However, we will still continue our fact practice throughout the year. This is an important year for students working at the third grade level to become solid in their multiplication fact skills as so much in math builds upon them.

Science: Our space colonists have begun their research projects on a planet, dwarf planet or moon of their choice. They are eager to find out more and start using the computer to type their information!

Social Studies: We are learning the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses as we study Greece and Italy. Students will gleefully share with you my reading of the story of Persephone, the pomegranate and her mother, Demeter. I had a real pomegranate and they all got to sample the pomegranate seeds! Very exciting time for your Beacon to feel as though he/she was reenacting a Greek myth!

"Music is the poetry of the air"~Ricter

Here's looking forward to another exciting week with your Beacon,

Betsy and Tamara