What is going on in school this month?
This month is a busy time of the school year! Our Halloween bingo school fundraiser was a
The first quarter is coming to an end and us success and we raised over $7,280 which will
teachers will be sending out report cards by help pay for new desks and chairs for our
November 17th so please
kindergarten classes. Thank you to all the
check your mailboxes!
families who were able to make it! We all had
fun and I’m glad I get to see some of the
Halloween costumes.
Please remember that we have our picture days
on November 5th-6th, 2015 which have been We are also hosting a book fair in our library
split up between last names (please look at the from November 12th-13th, 2015. Teachers will
calendar). If your child is not able to make it, be sending home catalogs
we will have a make up day for pictures that with the available books to
will be in February. Please submit payments buy so send checks or cash
with the attached envelope and fill out the slip with your child if he/she or
letting us know what pictures you would like you would like to purchase
to order.
some books.
You can find all the important school events on Our second field trip of the year is taking place
the calendar, which will be attached at the end on November 20th, 2015. We will be sending
of this newsletter. There are important dates home field trip forms with your child on the
that need to be remembered as we will not have 16th. If you would like to be a chaperone,
school these days:
please fill out the parent-chaperone form that
November 18, 2015
will also be send on the 16th. We need at least
November 25-27, 2015
10 parents to volunteer so please sign up as we
And we will be closing early on November 11, need help!
2015.
What are we learning?
During this month, we will be learning about To tie our language arts and science lessons
America’s history and who founded the together, the students will be presenting their
Americas for our Social Studies unit. Students shoe boxes to the class. We will be working on
will be able to name and state which country presentation skills by speaking clearly, using
Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, appropriate volume and pitch, speaking at an
Jacques Cartier, and Christopher Newport understandable
were from (SOL 3.3 and 3.5). It is important sequentially,
rate,
and
organizing
using
ideas
contextually
that students learn about America’s history and appropriate language (SOL 3.2). Learning how
now is the perfect time to learn about it! This to speak to an audience is an important life skill
will tie in nicely with the upcoming holiday of and I’m sure your children will enjoy speaking
Thanksgiving, where our school will be about what their shoe boxes contain.
hosting its 7th annual Thanksgiving dinner.
And if you have the chance, please send in Our math unit will be focusing on geometric
nonperishable foods with your child as we will shape properties. There are many types of
be donating them to a local homeless shelter.
shapes in this world and students will be able
to identify, describe, compare, and contrast
For our science lesson we will be having fun characteristics between a circle, square,
with simple machines (SOL 3.2). Simple rectangle, triangle, cube, rectangular prism,
machines are used everyday so the students square pyramid, sphere, cone, and cylinder
will learn about how/when/where/why we use (SOL 3.14). To help teach this lesson I will be
them. At the end of the lesson we will be using tangible 3D figures for the students to
constructing a project where students will put hold and observe in order to see what makes up
together shoe boxes and students will show the that shape. I will encourage students to help
use of all simple machines. If you could please and quiz each other
bring in shoe boxes that you are not using, that on the shapes so that
would be a huge help for our projects! We are by the end of the
going to begin our shoe box project on the 16th lesson
they
and finish by the 20th so please send a box in hopefully
with your child by the 16th.
more
shapes.
about
will
know
their
Anything else?
If you find yourselves with nothing to do for I would like to thank some parents for helping
the day, here are a list of public resources that out with October’s events. Thank you to Mr.
could prove to be a fun time with your and Mrs. Gaiman, Mr. Seuss, Mrs. Piccolt, Mr.
children!
and Mrs. Martin, and Ms. Rowling for helping
-Richmond Public Library East End is having set up and direct this years Halloween bingo
Tuesday evening family movie nights starting night. As mentioned earlier, we earned a lot of
at 6pm
money that night and had a fun time eating
pizza and cookies while winning awesome
prizes. Thank you also to Mr. Lewis for
coming in and reading stories every Tuesday
to the children. They really enjoy our read
alouds and ask when you’re coming back!
Lastly, thank you to Mr. King for setting up my
classroom for Halloween. The students were
thrilled to see the decorations and pictures
around the classroom.
-Jamestown will be hosting two events this
month, which you can find the full details at I would like to point out that Stephen King
www.historyisfun.org/events/. There are the submitted his writing to a local publishing
revolutionary war lecture series and the foods company and they are reviewing his work
and feasts of colonial Virginia.
While which could be posted in Richmond Times.
Jamestown may be an hour away from Clive Lewis was also nominated for the
Richmond, it is full of historical information Challenge 24 Richmond competition, where he
that pertains to what we are learning this will be competing with other third graders
from Richmond. If he gets in the top 5, he will
month.
-Another famous Richmond spot is Maymont advance to the state competitions!
Park. There is an abundance of things to do in
the park, with only a $5 suggested donation. Thank you for reading this and please look at
You can learn a lot about Richmond’s history the attached calendar for the complete list of
and why this is an important park.
November events.