October+8,+2009+(vol.+1,+issue+4)

= **__Important Dates__** = Oct. 15 – UN Assembly Oct. 18-22 – Term Break, No School Oct. 29 – Parent Teacher Conferences, No School for Students Oct. 30 – PTA Halloween Carnival, 6.30-8.30

//Thank you all for coming to our Back to School Night. It was great to have such a good turn out of parents. Your child will be greatly enriched by your participation in his or her school life. You should have seen the excitement on the children’s face when they saw our class portrait and letters from you!//

=**__ UN Day __**= There will be a whole school assembly celebrating UN day next Thursday morning from 8:45 -9:30. Students are asked to wear their national costume and/or colors or wear a national costume from somewhere they have lived. Please send in a change of clothes that they can get into for the rest of the day.

=**__ Junk Art __**= Thank you for sending in empty boxes and tubes for our junk art station. Students have been using these materials to create three-dimensional art products. You may have noticed some binoculars and cars coming home!

=**__Small Group Time__**=


 * What is a Family?** - We have been reading fiction and non-fiction books about family. Although family structures can vary, we learned that all families are connected with a special ingredient called “love.”


 * Family Graph Survey** – The children have been walking around the school with a clipboard and survey sheet, asking people how many family members they have. They record the answers on a graph and compare the different columns to interpret our graph. Mathematics made real!


 * Journal Entry** – Students have been writing in their journals weekly. The most popular topic- spending time with their family!


 * Drawing Shapes & Using Rhythm Sticks** – We are learning how to draw vertical lines from top to bottom, and horizontal lines from left to right. Then we are learning to draw a circle, a square and a triangle in correct strokes. We are making patterns with rhythm sticks to practice crossing the mid-line of our body. Mid-line crossing is necessary for developing a skillful dominant hand.