Dear Parents, 

I recently read a book called “Stone Soup” to the children. It’s a story about happiness, working together, and giving your own gifts for all to prosper. I have asked students to bring in items so we can make our own stone soup. Monday 11/24, we will all sit together and enjoy the meal as a community family. 

The children will get a lesson on place settings, tablescape, and napkin folds. I am all set with volunteers.

Volunteers are Annie, Angela, and Kylie. Please arrive no later than 9:30am. Thank you in advance for your help. 

Tuesday 11/25 is movie + pj day. The children can bring in one small blanket/sleeping bag, and one small stuffy. 

Movie snack signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E49A5A72CA3FAC70-60686768-movie 

I will be creating a sign up for presentations and the potluck soon so keep your eyes peeled!

Kindly, 

Ms. Molly

Dear Parents,

I will be planning field trips soon, so if you would like to volunteer, please make sure all your paperwork is both submitted and up to date. Field trips are only successful if we have enough parent drivers/volunteers.

Presentations will be held the first two weeks of December.  

I want to give a SHOUT OUT to Sara H., Sopia Z., and Julie F., THANK YOU for all your help inside + outside the classroom. I appreciate you all!

• On October 27th we joined Ms. Lura’s class for Taiko Drumming. It was super fun!
• The morning of October 31st is our Fall Fun Day. We will learn about the parts of a pumpkin and have some fun! FYI: We do not wear Halloween costumes to school at Villa.
• Here is a list of some things the children have been working on…some or all students get these lessons. I give grade level lessons and lessons based on progress monitoring + observations (follow the child).

• ELA-Nouns/collective nouns, verbs, adjectives, the writing process, poetry, WTW, sentence strips, silly sentences, rainbow towers, story starters, commas in a series + list, handwriting (both print + cursive), storyworks
• Math-+ with the strip board, word problems, + with objects, math facts, fractions, study of lines, solid, point, line, attributes, X with large bead box, division lessons, area + perimeter, fractions, study of lines, types of triangles, angles, parts of a circle
• Cultural-All 5 great lessons, landforms, parts of the year, clock work, solar system, layers of the earth, layers of the atmosphere, landforms, parts of a mountain, stems + roots we eat, root system + propagation of a tomato plant, parts of a pumpkin, timeline of life research, branches of government, Paleozoic Era, continent studies

Coming up: Review branches of government, sun + earth, intro to fish + seaweed, cont. fraction work, measurement work, parts of an angle, review types of triangles, quadrilaterals, deeper dive into informative writing, opinion writing, adjective flag + descriptive writing.

Cheers, Ms. Molly

Dear Parents (of 3rd graders going into 4th),

In this folder there are 5 weeks’ worth of homework assignments to be completed over the summer. Students will turn their folder with completed assignments into a designated bin in the classroom when they come back to school on the first day.

The folder also contains an answer key for parents. Please remove this and keep it handy. The answer key provides the correct answers to the problems and also shows the solutions to some of them. The aligning state standard is noted beside most of the problems’ answers as reference. There are some problems, however, that do not have the state standard listed because they are not directly addressing a standard. 

We are asking that parents check their child’s math answers and write a note if their child is having difficulty with a particular problem or concept and then sign the page. Students should also work to master their math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Ideally, they would enter fourth grade with those facts mastered.

In addition to the math work, students are asked to read two books of their choice and keep a reading log. Students should choose a book from the list within this link https://k-12readinglist.com/reading-lists-for-elementary-school-children/.

Upon returning to school, students will present a project about one of books they read. Book project guidelines are enclosed in the homework folder.

Please spread the homework over the entire summer rather than waiting until the last few weeks.

Our experience has taught us that there is less regression and time needed for recoupment when students practice math and reading over the summer months. And, as the adage goes, Practice makes permanent!

Sincerely,

Christy Cantu

Elementary Director

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, we have several exciting events coming up! Here’s what’s on the horizon:

🌸 Spring Conferences will take place from April 28 – May 9. Together with your child, we will review their achievements and progress toward goals this year. You can sign up for a time that works for you here:
Spring Conference Sign-Up

🌎 South America Presentations will take place from May 5 – May 16. If you haven’t yet signed up for a presentation time slot, please do so here:
Presentation Sign-Up

🍽️ South America Potluck Luncheon will be held on May 16 from 10:45–12:00. This year, we’re holding it earlier than usual so it can coincide with our 3rd year celebration. Sign up to bring a dish or lend a helping hand here:
Luncheon Sign-Up

🎓 3rd Year Celebration – Please Note the Time Change!
To make room for the luncheon, our 3rd year celebration will now take place in the morning on May 16 at 9:00 AM. 3rd year families are invited to join us for a special hour-long celebration of all that your child has achieved in our classroom (If you're able to stay and help us set up for the luncheon, we’d love your support from 10:00–10:45 AM).

It’s a full and joyful season—we’re so excited to celebrate these milestones with you and your children!

Warmly,
Miss Molly

Dear Parents,

I hope you’re all having a wonderful week! We have some exciting events and activities coming up in our second-grade class, and I wanted to share the details with you.

Upcoming Field Trips – Volunteers Needed!

🐍 Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary – We have arranged a field trip to the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary on March 20th! Please sign the permission slip and volunteer to drive here: Sign Permission Slip.

🌿 Desert Botanical Gardens – The following week, we will be visiting the Desert Botanical Gardens. If you haven't signed the permission slip yet or would like to volunteer to drive, please do so here: Sign Up Form.

Special Events This Week

💖 Pink Shirt Day – Tomorrow!
Tomorrow is Pink Shirt Day for Anti-Bullying Week. Please have your child wear a pink shirt to show support for kindness and inclusion. We will be participating in school-wide activities to raise awareness and promote a positive community!

🎲 Game Time Celebration – Friday
The class has earned a one-hour game time on Friday! Your child may bring a board game or card game to play and share. Please try to keep it to games that are somewhat educational. No electronics or video games, please.

South America Projects – Starting Soon!

🌎 Just like we did in the fall with Africa, students will soon begin researching a South America topic of their choice! They will create a trifold presentation board, a 3D model, and a written report (for 2nd and 3rd years). Each child will become an expert on their topic and present to the class.

📌 Key Dates:

• Topics will be assigned before Spring Break
• Presentations will take place during the first two weeks of May (tentatively)
• Sign-ups for presentation time slots will go out soon

Thank you for your support in making these learning experiences meaningful and fun! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
Ms. Molly