Panda News:

October is Safety Month.  We will have a visit from the Stratham Police Department tomorrow.  They will talk about Halloween Safety and the kids will get to explore the police car.  On Thursday, October 23rd, Diane Griffith our guidance counselor, will do a presentation on personal body safety.  She will show a video and have a discussion with the kids.  If you would like to join us for this it will be at 12:30-1:00 in our classroom.  Also next week, the Stratham Fire Department will come to talk about fire safety.

Language Arts: 

We practiced writing uppercase H & K.  We used wood pieces and our slate boards to practice.  We also worked on the word see.  The Pandas learned about the sound th.  It is the only time in school they can stick out their tongue to make the sound.   We started to work with partners during Reader's Workshop.  They enjoy sharing books with one another.  

Math:

We introduced number stories.  This is a skill that will be worked on all year.  The Pandas practiced telling and solving simple stories.  For example,  I have 3 apples and my friend gave me 2 more apples.  How many apples do I have know.  We worked on a variety of strategies to solve the problems.  This a great thing to do in the car to practice.

Social Curriculum:  

We talked about two characters this week.  They are "super flex" and "rock brain".  They are characters to help the children be more flexible in there daily thinking.  You may here your student refer to these characters throughout the school year.  We talked about what it means to be flexible and what it means if you are being ridged and stuck.  

Upcoming Events:

Book of the Week- Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
Upcoming Letters- U & L
Word of the Week- a
Phonics- a
October 21st- field trip to Portsmouth Music Hall (chaperones please meet us at The Music Hall by 9:15. also there will be not be any snack so please have a bigger breakfast) 
Parent Conferences- 10/29 & 11/7 early release (please sign-up if you have not) 
Halloween Celebration- Students and Staff only 10/30 (please see signup genius for more info)