• Friday, December 18th
• No school for students!
• Monday, January 4th
• School resumes
• Chess Club after school
• Open Gym with Mr. DC, all dads interested in making Crestwood an even better place are welcome to attend @ 6:30-7:45 pm. 
• Tuesday, January 5th
• Variety Show practice after school 
• Wednesday, January 6th
• Girl Scouts after school
• Thursday, January 7th
• Choir practice before school 
• Variety Show practice after school 

• ...to Mrs. McCray, Mrs. Hart, Mrs. Satterthwaite, Mrs. Dempsey, & Mrs. Essick for their help in planning and chaperoning our holiday party on Thursday. We had a blast!

Writer's Workshop
     Students worked hard this week to publish their persuasive essays using Google Docs.  We'll have a writing celebration when we return in January; look for an invitation!

Reader's Workshop
     We learned about a few parts of speech: nouns, adjectives, and verbs.  Students listed holiday words, and we classified them into each category.  We drew the words out of cups to follow an Adj/N/V pattern to create a poem.  We loved reading, and then singing, it aloud together.

  

Aniya, Mo-Mo, Ivy, Autumn, & Scarlet enjoy the sing-along assembly. 

Santa Claus made a special appearance at our assembly to confirm all Crestwood students made the Nice List!  Although he did look veeeery familiar. . . :)

Sanni, Ivy, & Brenden concentrate as they learn how to make hot chocolate reindeer (they're having fun, I promise!).

Madison, Parker, & Autumn play Pin the Nose on Rudolph.

• Monday, December 14th 
• Crestwood's Support-a-Family continues, donate anything   
• We'll do an informal class and grade level Spelling Bee to select qualifiers for the school Bee in January.  
• Chess Club after school
• Tuesday, December 15th 
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• Wednesday, December 16th 
• Rolling with Character extra recess!  Qualifying buses, ECE, & Parent Pick Up students get a little extra time outside for showing great behavior during arrival and dismissal. 
• Girl Scouts after school 
• Thursday, December 17th
• Choir @ 8:00 am 
• Holiday sing-a-long assembly @ 1:30 pm; parents helping with parties can arrive at this time for setup 
• Holiday parties in classrooms @ 2:00-3:00 pm 
• Friday, December 18th 
• No School
• Monday, January 4th
• School resumes 

• Please send $2 for our holiday party that will take place on Thursday, December 17th.  
• I know many families like to express their appreciation for classroom teachers by giving a gift during the holiday season.  In lieu of a gift, here are some items that Room 28 would love:
• Markers: we use them for illustrating memory sheets, resolutions, and other writing pieces.  Our community markers are starting to get pretty dry, so a few new sets would be awesome!
• Clorox/Disinfectant Wipes:  it's that time of year. . . we've been pretty diligent about wiping off handles, surfaces, and commonly shared items.  We haven't had any major sicknesses sweep our classroom (knock on wood); let's keep it that way!
• Indoor Recess Games:  the ones we have our great, but after a few years of love, some games are starting to fall apart or are missing important pieces.  January & February usually mean a lot of time spent indoors, so some new games would keep us busy and having fun.  

• for donation $2 for our holiday party! It really helps out when all kids donate a little so we can have a LOT of fun!
• for encouraging your child to continue their random acts of kindness calendars at home.

Writer's Workshop
     We completed our persuasive essays this week!  Our conclusion paragraphs include a response or call to action.  Writers do this by asking a question or bossing or begging their reader to do something specific.  We also did a little research to add a relevant fact or two to our essay in order to make it more convincing.  Students learned how to properly give credit to an outside source by including, "According to the ____ website..." or "The ______ says..." We will begin publishing our fine work next week!

Reader's Workshop
    All students completed their reading assessments; some even did a second and third one to ensure their text was challenging enough!  We also studied there, they're, & their homophones.  Students made anchor charts their Reading Journals with examples and sketches of each word.  We also read "10 Amazing Baby Facts" from Storyworks and made corrections to ensure each fact used the appropriate homophone. 

Math
     Long division really challenged our thinking this week.  We learned an acronym to help us remember the steps:  Does (divide) McDonald's (multiply) serve (subtract) cheese(check)burgers (bring down)?  We worked very hard at practicing these steps as a group, with partners, and independently.  Students checked their work using multiplication and addition if a remainder was present.

Science
     Students practiced identifying different characteristics of rocks and minerals with Mrs. Branding.  They used the Mohs Scale to describe the strength of different minerals.  

Our character focus this week was kindness.  We talked about how this means to show caring and compassion to others.  By pure coincidence (and surprise!), my friend Mrs. Nicas sent each student a Kindness Challenge calendar.  Please help your child post it in a visible spot in your home and encourage him/her to complete the random act of kindness each day!

• Monday, December 7th 
• Crestwood's Support-a-Family continues, donate anything   
• Chess Club after school
• Open Gym for dads & male role models with Mr. D.C., 6:30-7:45 pm  
• Tuesday, December 8th 
• Dining to Donate Night @ Bread Co. in Sunset Hills, 4:00-8:00 pm 
• Wednesday, December 9th 
• Early release @ 1:40 pm 
• Science Fair Parent Info Meeting, Library @ 6:30-7:30 pm 
• Thursday, December 10th
• Dad's Club  @ Smugala's, 7:30-8:30 pm 
• Friday, December 11th 
• Box Tops due for second quarter.
• Saturday, December 12th
• Pancakes & PJs, $6/person, 8:00-11:00 am 

• Please send $2 for our holiday that will take place on Thursday, December 17th.  

Writer's Workshop
     We've been working very hard on planning and drafting persuasive essays.  Students chose a topic that was important to each of them and came up with supporting details to back up their thinking.  They created a box & bullets to plan their essay and set to drafting.  We also learned about figurative language, specifically metaphors and similes, and tried a few in our writing.  We also practiced including more advanced transition phrases.

Reader's Workshop
    Students began their oral reading assessments with Miss Dausmann.  They did their best to demonstrate decoding skills, fluency, and comprehension.  The reading level goal for this point in the year is Q, and each students' level will be listed on his or her report card.

Math
     We began exploring division, and boy did we push ourselves!  We used our knowledge of basic facts and trailing zeroes to estimate quotients.  We also practiced using models to divide two digit numbers by a one digit number.  We learned some big hints that story problems give us that are a signal to divide: each person gets, he shared, she made equal groups, the same amount, divide, split, and passed out.  

Science
     Students learned about plate tectonics and how their movement affects the surface of our Earth.  They also began exploring and classifying rocks. 

• Friday, November 20th
• Midterm reports are coming home today; please review, sign, and return on Monday.  
• Monday, November 23rd
• Crestwood's Support-a-Family continues, donate cleaning products this week.  
• Chess Club after school 
• Wednesday, November 25th-Friday, November 27th
• No school; Happy Thanksgiving! 
• Monday, November 30th
• Support-a-Family continues; please donate personal care/toiletry items.
• Chess Club after school 
• Academic All-Stars @ LHS @ 6:00 pm 
• Thursday, December 3rd
• Wacky Hair Day to benefit Support-a-Family; bring $1 to donate & participate.  
• Strings Concert @ 6:00 pm 
• Friday, December 4th
• Happy birthday, Aniya! 

• If you would like to order a new Flyer Family t-shirt for your child, please send $10 and your child's size to Miss D.  I will communicate your child's family name and color for an order that will be placed next week.  

..to my sweet friend, Mrs. Nicas, for coming to visit on Monday.  We loved taking time to exercise our creative muscles with painting, writing, stamping, snacking, sticking, and more.  

Mr. D.C. supervises while Crestwood students introduce their Veteran.  

Guest Veterans watch the introductions. 

We salute you, Ms. Winebrinner! 

Haylee and Christian listed things and people they are grateful for.  

Ivy & Aniya show off the flags they created.  

Students made book bags to take home.  

During Flyer Families this week, students pained ceiling tiles!  Mr. Dave is going to be working hard over the next few days to get these on display! 

Reader's Workshop

     This week, we've been practicing our reading fluency.  Fluent readers practice repeated reading until it sounds smooth.  They know many words by heart and use expression.  Fluent readers speak clearly and audibly.  We created fluency folders to house different poems, passages, songs, and speeches that we'll use to practice our fluency.

Monies & Abby practice repeated reading together. 

We used "Today I had a Rotten Day" by Ken Nesbitt to practice pausing for punctuation and phrasing words together. 

Writer's Workshop

     We learned so much about essays by studying one from a student who thinks we shouldn't watch too much TV.  We noticed she included a thesis, or main idea.  She also used transition words to share 3 supporting details.  Essays are written in first person, and the author is usually passionate about the topic.  Students used a box & bullets to plan an essay about an inspiring person.  

Math

     We worked SO HARD with two digit multiplication this week!  We know it's one of fourth grade's toughest skills and just takes a lot of practice to master, so that's what we did! Students did the area model and traditional method while playing Monkey Multiplication.  We also used clothespins to track multiples to keep their basic skills sharp.  Finally, we noticed that Rocket Math is really paying off; we are getting pretty quick (and accurate)!  

C.J. & Iqra show off their Face the Math exercises. We solve problems and follow the according directions to draw and color the picture.

Autumn, Sanni, Scarlet, & Jayden practice making multiples. 

Science

     Students began working with Mrs. Branding again this week and learned about the 4 layers of the Earth.  Ask your kiddo to describe each layer to you!  

• Monday, November 16th
• Crestwood's Support-a-Family continues, donate cleaning products this week.  
• Chess Club after school 
• Tuesday, November 17th
• Environmental Club after school
• Wednesday, November 18th
• Flyer Families will meet and paint their ceiling tile!  Wear Family t-shirts, please! 
• Early release @ 1:40 pm
• Girls Scouts @ 3:30 - 4:30 pm 
• Friday, November 20th
• October & November birthdays are celebrated in the cafeteria.  All students who purchase a school lunch will get a special treat! 
• 2nd Quarter midterm reports will be sent home.  

...for donating so many paper products to Crestwood Support-a-Family this week!  Students make a link in a paper chain for each item they bring, and that chain currently reaches from the office to second grade classrooms!  Wow!
...to Aniya's mom, Lieutenant Winebrinner, for your service in the Coast Guard and for taking time to answer some of our questions after the Veterans Day assembly on Friday.  We loved learning more about your responsibilities and are so grateful for all you do! Pictures from the assembly to come soon.  

This week during Class Meeting, we discussed honesty.  We shared reasons that it's sometimes tough to tell the truth.  We might be embarrassed, fear a negative consequence, or not feel super confident about we handled the situation.  Telling the truth is tough, but students expressed it's important to do so that we can building trust within our friendships and family relationships.  I have to say their wisdom on this topic blew me away.  I started thinking about the way I speak to kids when I know they're at a truth-telling crossroads.  I've found that, as a teacher, the best way to begin the conversation sounds something like this:  "I know one of the things kids and grownups have to work on all the time is being completely honest.  It's so important because it helps us learn to trust one another in the future.  I want to talk with you about something, and I'm hoping you'll choose to be completely truthful..."  I used that intro three times this week, and it worked like a charm!  Kids understood the importance of being transparent, and each of them showed a sense of pride for doing the right thing despite the previous mistake.  When it came time for consequences, they were willing to take responsibility.  Sure, these conversations take more time, and if you're anything like me, you might have to wait until you're in a calm state of mind to effectively communicate, but doing so gives kids a positive experience with 'fessing up to their wrongdoings.  The more positive experiences they have in doing this, the more likely they are to be truthful going forward.  Enough from me :), Here's a great article about how to teach honesty to kids.

• Monday, November 9th
• Crestwood's Support-a-Family continues, donate paper products this week.  
• Chess Club after school
• Girls on the Run after school 
• Wednesday, November 11th
• Veteran's Day assembly @ 2:30 pm
• Girls on the Run after school 
• PTO @ 6:30 pm - all parents welcome!
• Thursday, November 12th
• Dad's Club @ 7:30-8:30 pm, Smugala's - all dads welcome! 
• Friday, November 13th
• Ms. Meese's birthday!
• Scholastic book orders are due.  Parents, if you'd like to purchase books as a surprise holiday gift for your child, place your order online, shoot me an email letting me know to secretly hold onto the book when it arrives, and you can pick it up from school anytime between its arrival and our December break.  
• Jingles 4 Jammies - bring loose change to donate to Crestwood's Support-a-Family and wear pajamas.
• Dance-a-Rama @ 6:30-8:30 pm

...for all of the food items that have been donated as part of Crestwood's Support-a-Family.  My heart is full knowing that our school community takes care of each other.  

Reader's Workshop
     We focused on main idea of informational text this week.  The main idea is the overall topic of a text.  Authors use details throughout their writing that support the main idea.  They often give clues to the main idea in the title, headings, highlighted terms, beginning sentence, or ending sentence.  Students practiced reading short informational texts and recording the main idea and supporting details using a box & bullets graphic organizer.
     We also explored a new website, Capstone Library (username: crestwoodes, password: school).  Students enjoyed using this site because it offers a variety of high interest texts and will even read books aloud to students.

Math

     In Math, we continued studying different strategies for solving 2x1 digit multiplication problems.  Students practiced using models (rods & cubes), the break apart strategy, repeated addition, the traditional method, and the distributive property.  It's important we keep encouraging students to practice multiplication facts so that the next few weeks of more advanced multiplication and division feel manageable and not too frustrating.  At school, we played a new game, Zap it!, to work on our fluency.  At home, try doing practice verbally with your child.  If they are having trouble, help him/her make a t-chart of that set of facts and let him/her use as needed.  

Writer's Workshop
    We took a some time in between genre units of study to work on some of the basic skills of writing.  Students learned the structure of a complete paragraph, and we applied that format to write about our Halloween party.  We also completed some word ladders.  Word ladders are puzzles that require us to manipulate words by rearranging, deleting, and adding letters. We were able to harvest some new words during this activity as well:  dame, slosh, jot, and more.

Students are working on drawing still lives in Art.  

Students are working on drawing still lives in Art.  

Autumn & Scarlet practice multiplication using playing cards.  

Iqra & Haylee practice multiplication together.  

Aniya & Ivy work as a team to solve an equation.  

Parker & Monissa play Addition War.  

Christian & Matthew play Addition War.  

Happy Halloween! 

Parker pulls a string from the pumpkin pinata. 

Students use brooms to sweep pumpkins across the classroom.  

Students use brooms to sweep pumpkins across the classroom.  

C.J. & Monissa enjoy some delicious spiders. 

Check out our great costumes? 

Check out our great costumes! 

Oh hey, black cats! 

Aniya & Autumn work together to make spider webs.  

Check out our great costumes!