Moskauski Minutes

PARENT EMAIL PAPER: Communication between home and school is very important to me.  I like to keep parents up-to-date with class news and information.  I have always sent home “Moskauski Minutes” newsletters.  Due to budget cuts, our copy amounts have been limited and I have been looking for ways to save my allotted copies for instructional purposes (copying tests, reading logs, etc.).  For the past few years, I have sent home my newsletters electronically.  I sent emails out to the parents to serve as regular communication.  This has worked very well, and I would like to continue this again this year.  Please print neatly and fill out the information on the form in this week’s Monday folder with the best email address to contact you with.

HIGHLIGHTS: Please check and sign the little half sheets of paper that are in the Monday folder.  If you sign it (doesn’t matter if it a yes or no), we will be able to earn fun, free gifts for the classroom.  Please check and sign your name.  We do not need all of the information filled out if you are not interested.   Your child will earn two Dragon Dollars for turning in all signed paperwork.

BOG:  The children will be taking the BOG (Beginning of Grade Test) on Wednesday.  Douglas sent home information about the test in last week’s Monday folder.  If you have any questions about the test, please feel free to contact me.  Please make sure your child comes to school on time on Wednesday.

HOMEWORK: Last week we visited The Media Center and the children had the opportunity to check out two books each.  We discussed the importance of reading both fiction and non-fiction books.  Please make sure that your child is alternating between fiction and non-fiction each night for the nightly reading homework.  

OPEN HOUSE: Open House is scheduled next week on Thursday, September 19^th from 6:00 to 7:45.  Save the date!

ORDERING BOOKS FROM SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUBS:

Now it's easier than ever to find the perfect books for your child -- shop Scholastic's online Book Clubs Web site. Choose from a much-wider selection of books than in the printed flyer. Plus, you can send your orders directly to me online and use your credit card to pay. Best of all, we earn extra bonus points for the classroom library every time a parent places an order online. It's so simple! Here's how it works:
SIGN UP at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the "Register" button in the "First Time Here?" section. Register for your own user name and password. When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code H8846. This unique code ensures that your order is sent to me.
SELECT the books you'd like to order -- choose from thousands of titles -- many more than in our monthly flyers.  SEND your order to me online by the due date and your child's books will be delivered directly to my classroom. Ordering online is fast, easy, and secure.  You may also choose to send in your payment directly to me.  Please make any checks out to “Scholastic Book Clubs”.  Book orders for the month of September are due by Tuesday, September 24^th.

CURRICULUM NOTES ABOUT THIS WEEK: Our reading focus for the week will be on non-fiction text.  We will learn how to use text features (headings, subheadings, captions, pictures, diagrams, bold words, etc.) to help us with our reading.  We will continue practicing with asking and answering questions about our reading to demonstrate our understanding of key details in the text.

In math we will be continuing our work with subtraction.  We will also be looking at how subtraction and addition are related and continue our work with word problems.  In science we are continuing our unit on plants and will be learning more about parts of a plant and seed.  In writing we will be learning about the writing process, and beginning a new personal narrative story.  Lots of fun things in store this week!