Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter

for the week of April 30 May 4

Some reminders:

* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations:  Private 

       birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any 

        circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* Watch our morning procedures live every morning at 7:40!     Here’s     

         the link:   https://sn2prd0202.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=h1gdeXv9QU-61f2ujR9BMQEh_FUl6s4IB040bp39N9SAc0qTf5YNWU3dQhIhn7y9OzIWhb4BRHU.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.livestream.com%2fhighlandelementary

* May 7^th—tryouts for K-2 talent show after school. Bring your music!!

          Students staying for tryouts and practices MUST have a written

          permission note from their parents in order to be allowed to stay

          after school.

* Aluminum cans/tabs—recycling project for HES Green Team.

        An outdoor collection spot will be on the school grounds for    

        morning drop-off the week of April 30-May4. Proceeds will be

        donated to the HES Relay for Life Team.

*This week we plan to do some collaborative work with our kindergarten

           friends as we learn about the Kentucky Derby and some of its 

           traditions. We need paper towel rolls to use for one of our

           projects. If you have any to send to us, please send them by

           Thursday.

Language Arts

    In this next week we will be reading a story entitled Mole and Baby Bird  All of our spelling words for the week will have the dipthong /ou/.  In grammar we will be learning about exclamations, and syllables with the VCV pattern. In reading we will focus on identifying sequence. We will also be talking about using a glossary.

Math

   We will continue our unit of study on measurement. We will be working on length, volume, weight and area, as we learn how to measure each, and what tools are best for measuring each unit. We are working with both standard and non-standard units of measurement.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter

for the week of April 23-27

Some reminders:

* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations:  Private 

       birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any 

        circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* Watch our morning procedures live every morning at 7:40!     Here’s     

         the link:   https://sn2prd0202.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=h1gdeXv9QU-61f2ujR9BMQEh_FUl6s4IB040bp39N9SAc0qTf5YNWU3dQhIhn7y9OzIWhb4BRHU.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.livestream.com%2fhighlandelementary

* May 7^th—tryouts for K-2 talent show after school. Bring your music!!

* Aluminum cans/tabs—recycling project for HES Green Team. Outdoor  

        collection spot will be on the school grounds for morning drop-off 

        the week of April 30-May4

Language Arts

    In this next week we will be reading a story entitled Tippy Toe Chick, Go!  All of our spelling words for the week will have the dipthong  /ow/, /ou/.  In grammar we will be learning about commands, and syllables with the consonant+le pattern. In reading we will focus on identifying character, setting and plot. We will also be talking about synonyms, and looking at reference sources.

Math

   We will continue our unit of study on measurement. We will be working on length, volume and area as we learn how to measure each, and what tools are best for measuring each unit. We are working with both standard and non-standard units of measurement.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of April 16-20

Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* Watch our morning procedures live every morning at 7:40! Here’s
the link: www.livestream.com/highlandelementary

*Spring picture proofs have gone home. Please fill out your order and
return it with the money by April 18th. Orders turned in late will
be charged extra.

* The 5th grade BETA is collecting money for Butterflies for Maddie.
Butterflies are 25 cents each. T- shirts are also available. Your
child has already taken an order form home, and orders are due
by April 20th.



Language Arts
In this next week we will be reading a story entitled Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper’s House. All of our spelling words will have the suffixes –ful and -ly. We will continue working with adjectives as we look at adjectives that compare. In reading we will focus on identifying cause and effect. We will begin looking at words with the vowel sound /oo/ as in the word moon. We will also be talking about antonyms.

Math
We have completed our study of fractions of a whole, and fractional parts of a set. We will have our final test on Monday. On Tuesday we will begin our new unit of study on measurement. We will be working on length, volume and area as we learn how to measure each, and what tools are best for measuring each unit.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of April 9-13

Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* Spring Break: the week of April 2-6

Language Arts
In this next week we will be reading a story entitled Peter’s Chair. All of our spelling words will be compound words. We will continue working with adjectives as we look at adjectives for how many. In reading we will focus on identifying character, setting and plot. We will review words with silent letters, the /r/ sound written wr, and the /n/ sound written kn, as well as the long I sound spelled ie and igh. We will begin looking at words with the vowel sound spelled with ue, ew and ui.

Math
We have completed our study in geometry and have been working on fractions of a whole, and fractional parts of a set. We will be working with the words congruent, numerator and denominator as crucial vocabulary.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of March 26-30

Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* Physical Education fitness testing this week—be sure to come
dressed for PE every day!!

* 1st grade's Easter Egg Hunt will be Friday, March 30. Please send the
individually wrapped or sealed plastic eggs w/trinkets to school
with your child by Wednesday.

* Spring Break: the week of April 2-6

Language Arts
In this next week we will be reading a story entitled The lady in the Moon. All of our spelling words will be words with the long i sound spelled /ie/or /igh/. We will continue working with adjectives as we look at adjectives for what kind. In reading we will focus on identifying realism and fantasy. We will look at word with silent letters, the /r/ sound written wr, and the /n/ sound written kn.

Math
Last week we completed our study in geometry by building 3 dimensional models of the shapes we have studied with straws and twist-ties. I think we have some possible engineers in our midst!!
This week we will continue work with fractional parts of a whole, and fractional parts of a group. We will be working with the words congruent, numerator and denominator as crucial vocabulary.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of March 19-23

Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* Tuesday, March 20th-- Spring/Group Pictures will be taken.

* Spring Break: the week of April 2-6

* We continue to welcome Miss Tiffany Davis into our classroom on a
weekly basis as she presents lessons from JA to the children.
Please ask your child what they have been learning each week. This will be our last week .

Language Arts
In this next week we will be reading a story entitled Mister Bones. All of our spelling words will be words with the long o sound spelled /oa/or /ow/. We will continue working with adjectives as we look at adjectives for size. In reading we will focus on identifying the author’s purpose of a story. We will continue to use the complete writing process (brainstorming, pre-writing, draft, revise/edit, publish) to complete another piece for our writing portfolios.


Math
This week we will complete our study in geometry. We will begin to look at fractional parts of a whole, and fractional parts of a group. We will be working with the words numerator and denominator as crucial vocabulary.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of March 12-16

Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* Tuesday, March 20th-- Spring/Group Pictures will be taken.

* Spring Break: the week of April 2-6

* We continue to welcome Miss Tiffany Davis into our classroom on a
weekly basis as she presents lessons from JA to the children.
Please ask your child what they are learning each week.

Language Arts
In this next week we will be reading a story entitled The Dot. All of our spelling words will be words with the long e sound spelled /ea/. We will continue working with adjectives as we look at adjectives for color and shape. We will introduce the inflected ending –ed with words ending in y in our grammar lessons. We will review /ai/, /ay/ and possessives in grammar. In reading we will focus on identifying the theme of a written text. We will continue to use the complete writing process (brainstorming, pre-writing, draft, revise/edit, publish) to complete another piece for our writing portfolios.


Math
This week we will continue our study in geometry. We will be identifying and building 2 and 3 dimensional shapes, identifying sides, vertexes, faces, and other characteristics to label shapes correctly, and finding things in the world around us that are made from the shapes. We will also be working on positional and directional words

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of Feb 27- March 2


Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* This week is Read Across America Week. We will celebrate Dr.
Seuss’ birthday on Friday, March 2nd with guest readers. Prior to that we will
be doing other activities as well:
wear PJ’s on Monday for Dr. Seuss’ Sleep Book,
wear a hat on Tuesday for The Cat in the Hat,
wear many different colors on Wednesday for My Many Colored Days
wear mismatched socks on Thursday for Fox in Sox

* March 1st- Healthy Highland Night 5:00-6:30 Free dinner, student exhibits
available for viewing

* Tuesday, March 20th-- Spring/Group Pictures will be taken.


Language Arts
In this next week we will be reading an assortment of Dr. Seuss Stories. All of our spelling words will be words related to our study of Dr. Seuss. We will be talking about rhyme and rhythm, two characteristics of Seuss’ style in writing. We will continue to use the complete writing process to complete another piece for our writing portfolios.

Math
This week we will begin our study in geometry. We will be identifying and building 2 and 3 dimensional shapes, identifying sides, corners(vertexes), faces, and other characteristics to label shapes correctly, and finding things in the world around us that are made from the shapes. We will also be working on positional and directional words.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the weeks of February 13-17 and 20-24


Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* Tuesday February 14th---Jump Rope for Heart Day (signed permission
forms are necessary for your child to participate in this fun
activity!!) Money is due by the 13th.

*Tuesday February 14th—1:15-2:15 Valentine Party (our child has brought home
a list of their classmates names in order to assure that every child gets a
card from every other child.)

* NO SCHOOL Monday, February 20, 2012

* March 1st- Healthy Highland Night 5:00-6:30 Free dinner, student exhibits
available for viewing

* Tuesday, March 20th-- Spring/Group Pictures will be taken.


Language Arts
In this next 2 week period we will be reading the story Where Are My Animal Friends? We will have spelling words that have comparative endings –er and -est. In grammar we will be talking about comparative endings (-er, -est). We will be working on identifying contractions that contain not. We will be doing some more intensive work on our writing skills as we complete a “How to” piece, going through each step of the writing process.

Math
This week we will continue working on both addition and subtraction problems, with & without regrouping. We are concentrating on reading word problems and looking for words in the problem that tell us what type of problem it is. Your student should be able to tell you some of the more common words that indicate addition or subtraction.
Please continue to stress to your student the importance of knowing their basic addition and subtraction facts! We should be well past using our fingers to add/subtract by now. Students who have not mastered the basic facts are having a hard time completing the multi-step problems.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of February 6-10


Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances. (This is in the school handbook)

* Tuesday February 14th---Jump Rope for Heart Day (signed permission
forms are necessary for your child to participate in this fun activity!!)

*Tuesday February 14th—1:15-2:15 Valentine Party (our child has brought home
a list of their classmates names in order to assure that every child gets a
card from every other child.)

* Tuesday, March 20th-- Spring/Group Pictures will be taken.



Language Arts
This week we will be reading the story I’m a Caterpillar . We will have spelling words that contain the r controlled vowels: -er,-ir,-ur. In grammar we will be talking about am/is/are/was/were. We will be working on identifying contractions, and making contractions from two words as well as making two words from the contraction.
As we read our story we will be focused on drawing conclusions from the writer’s text.


Math
This week, we will be doing problems that involve 2 and 3-digit numbers, both addition and subtraction. We will begin by using our work mats & counters, and move toward understanding the subtraction process without the help of our mats and counters, even as we regroup numbers. Please continue to stress to your student the importance of knowing their basic addition and subtraction facts! We should be well past using our fingers to add/subtract by now

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of January 30-February 3


Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances.
* Tuesday, March 20th-- Spring/Group Pictures will be taken.

Language Arts
This week we will be reading the story Frog and Toad Together: The Garden . We will have spelling words that add –ed. In grammar we will be talking about verbs for now and the past ( present and past tense). We will be looking at words with an r-controlled vowel, reviewing -or & –ore, and adding -ar. We will be working on base words with the inflected endings of –ed and –ing.
As we read our story we will be focused on finding the plot of the text. We will be retelling stories in sequence to demonstrate that we can find the plot.

Math
On Monday, the 100th day of school, we will be doing some activities centered around the number 100. The rest of the week, we will be doing problems that involve 3-digit numbers, both addition and subtraction. Please continue to stress to your student the importance of knowing their basic addition and subtraction facts! We should be well past using our fingers to add/subtract by now.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of January 23-27


Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances.


Language Arts
This week we will be reading the story Jan’s New Home . We will have spelling words that add –es. In grammar we will be talking about verbs that do NOT add s, and words that end in -es or add -es to make them plural. We will be looking at words with an r-controlled vowel, -or and –ore. As we read our story we will be focused on finding the theme, or main idea of the text.

Math
We will continue our work on rounding to the nearest 10, and estimating sums based on those rounded numbers. We will continue to use our “rounding mountains” to help us with rounding skills. We will be working on some addition word problems that involve 3-digit numbers, and continue to review comparing and ordering numbers up to 3 digits.

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of January 16-20


Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances.
* NO SCHOOL MONDAY, JANUARY 16th (M.L.King Jr. Holiday)

Language Arts
This week we will be studying some things from the Chinese culture as we get ready for MULAN. Performances are Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Tickets are available in the school office. We will also be looking at M.L.King Jr. and some other famous black Americans and their impact on our society.
No spelling/reading tests this week!!

Math
We will continue our work on adding and subtracting 2 digit numbers, and introduce rounding to the nearest 10. Please remind your student to practice their basic addition/subtraction skills. These old skills are the basis for our new skills, and should be automatic!
We will also be looking at Tangrams—a Chinese traditional math skill as we relate our Math to MULAN—performances are this weekend, please come and support our students as they perform!

Ms. Pierce’s Newsletter
for the week of January 9-13


Some reminders:
* This reminder from Ms. Flowers—Birthday Party invitations: Private
birthday party invitations shall not be distributed at school under any
circumstances.

Language Arts
This week we will continue Unit 3- CHANGES by reading the story Ruby in her Own Time. Skills covered will include plot/sequence, synonyms, compound words, and a review of the CV pattern to make a long vowel sound. Spelling words will have the endings of –ng,and –nk. Grammar will focus on verbs that add an -s.

Math
We will continue our work on adding and subtracting 10 from any number, and begin to focus on two and three digit addition and subtraction algorithms. Please remind your student to practice their basic addition/subtraction skills. These old skills are the basis for our new skills, and should be automatic!