Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

On March 2ND it was a very exciting day in the Barn! It was second grade's "Move-up Day", the 100Th day of school and Dr. Seuss' 106Th birthday! While the second graders were busy learning what life would be in third grade, the first graders were having their own special celebration. They started out the afternoon with a guest appearance from the "Cat in the Hat"! (Poor "Horton the Elephant" was home with a cold, so couldn't join in the fun.) The children listened to a story from Dr. Seuss entitled My Many Colored Days and then created a class version of the same book. Each child created his/her own "Cat in the Hat" and had fun answering trivia questions and puzzles from favorite Seuss stories. The afternoon concluded with birthday treats in honor of Dr. Seuss followed by a video of one of his classic stories. It was great fun to celebrate a favorite author on this afternoon!

Book Club

Thank you for all the wonderful support and sharing that went on this month with our first book club on the theme "Friendship & Reaching out to Others". The children did a wonderful job retelling the stories of the week, sharing a journal reflection on the theme of the story and all their ideas of what they felt was funny, compelling, a reminder of events in own lives, etc...We will take a break from book club this February to participate in a Story Path curriculum on Africa and in March we will investigate "Balance & Motion" in our next physical science kit. So... we hope to pick up book club again in mid-April and May. Thanks again for your support! Miss Tracy

Bake Sale for Haiti

Hannah & Inga have brought a proposal to the primary classroom o how we might help the people of Haiti. They would like to hold a donation bake sale at the "Sweet Heart Swirl" on February 20th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Commons. Please bring a baked or store bought treat to the dance and some loose change to support this wonderful cause! In the following week after the dance Inga & Hannah will report back to us on how much money was raised and where the families placed the donation. Thanks to all for your generosity!

Elves Workshop

I big thank you again to Molly Mansker-Stoker for organizing this year's very successful "Elves Workshop"! The Barn was a buzz with fun activities and all the parents that came up to assist Miss Molly in this wonderful adventure! We hope your families all had a restful holiday!

First Grade Math Update

First grade students have worked hard this Fall to learn strategies for solving addition and subtraction facts through 10. We are now adding a piece to our curriculum to work on memory and speed in recalling facts. Two or three times a week your student will participate in 4 minute timed drills on fact recall. These "timings" will follow addition and subtraction patterns and the results will come home in Take-home folders. A "pass" is considered to be only one problem incorrect. If a student doesn't pass a quiz, please use that sheet as a study guide because the "timing" will be retaken at the next opportunity.

Here are the speed strategies the children are being taught:
1. Solve math problems by row or column, but don't skip around.
2. If you make a mistake, cross it out and write the new answer, don't erase.
3. If you get stuck on a problem, circle it and keep going.
4. If you finish your sheet before the timer goes off, check over your work and
rework any circled items.

Thanks for your support! Miss Tracy & Miss Brenda

November Reading Calendars are due!

November reading calendars will be due on Monday, November 30th and the December calendars will also go out on that date. Please read, read, read, over the Thanksgiving holiday! Miss Tracy

"Kids Who Care" is a huge success!

To date, our kids have donated 228 items to Central Kitsap's Food Bank since late September. We will deliver our last 108 items this Monday before Thanksgiving. Our next goal is 50 items by the winter break. Thank you for supporting our community!