Dear Parents,

I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday with family and friends.  It was so good to see your children and hear about their wonderful experiences during the break.  They came in very excited about seeing each other and getting back to work.  

As we move into the New Year, we will begin our structured spelling program.  Our first level student has already begun the work and is progressing nicely.  The second and third level students began work in their books today and will continue to complete their lessons in class, until they are finished with the last two lessons in Wordly Wise.  When they have finished those two lessons, they will begin working in their Spelling Books at home.  Their lessons will be due on Thursday and they will be quizzed on their words after we check the lesson.  I appreciate your support with this continued responsibility.  If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

In Science, we have been studying the Five Kingdoms of Living Things and examining the characteristics of all living things.  We are growing our own yeast and have made bread from our culture.  We have studied fermentation and the symbiotic relationship between plants and animals as we exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.   We have also examined several organisms from the Protista Kingdom under the microscope.  

The students continue to do great things in math and enjoy working with the materials every day.  Many of the students are memorizing their math facts and are progressing nicely.  Please encourage and support your children in this very important area.  A set of flash cards in the car can make a difference in how quickly they master the facts.  The St. Jude Math-a-Thon program begins this week and I hope everyone will participate.  Participating students will receive a math workbook, filled with problems and puzzles that reinforce math and problem solving skills. They will solicit contributions for their work in the book.  It is a charity fundraiser for the hospital and an annual event at M.A.  Please look for more information in Friday folders.

Parent conferences are scheduled for February 18, President’s Day.  However, if you would like to come in before school, during lunch or after school between now and then, please let me know.  I will do my best to accommodate your schedule.   I am also available Monday, MLK Day, if that would work best for you.

Our Parent Information Meeting is this Thursday, January 17 at 4:30.  I look forward to seeing you then and at the upcoming Parent Conferences.

Warm regards,
Marynet King