Notes From Ms. Leake
We are spending this last week reflecting on the growth we’ve made as learners. Students are finishing up with Personal Narratives in writing. In Math, we’ve learned to put together and take apart numbers using a variety of strategies. In Reading, we’ve talked about strategies for reading chapter books or books in a series.
I feel fortunate to have worked for a second year at Lewis. The commitment of the community makes Lewis a special place to work. Have a relaxing summer and we’ll see you in the Fall.
Are looking for a fun learning activity this summer? My intern, Sarah Meyers, will be offering two enrichment programs this summer: Spanish club and book group. Spanish club is offered to students entering 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade. Book group is offered to students entering 3rd grade. For dates,times, and prices please see the fliers outside room 12 or contact Sarah at 503-270-9721 srtasarita@gmail.com.
Ms. Sarah’s Classroom Notes
It is hard to believe that we are in our last full week of school! (This is our last newsletter!) Many of you have asked me if I am ready to be done. Yes, I am tired and am looking forward to having some time off with my family, but I am going to miss you and your children so much! This has been a wonderful year of learning and growing! I am so proud of each of the children in my class and feel truly honored to have had the chance to teach them this year. I value the connections I have made with each of you and the support you have offered has made such a difference in our classroom community. Thank you for working with me in helping your child be the best they can be. As we say goodbye for the year, please know that I will continue to be here as a resource for you and will keep an eye on all of the children as they continue on in the coming school year.
This week began with an adorable drama performance by both our class and Teacher Dana’s kindergarten class. They all did a fabulous job! Thanks to Ms. Tori for all her hard work in preparing the kids for this culminating experience.
We are wrapping up worktime with week, as well as math, and writing. On Thursday, we are headed to Berkley Park for some fun time with our buddy class. We did a wonderful art project on Tuesday, inspired by the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle. They are great! (Thank you, Meg for helping us with that big project.) All of the children’s art will come home next week in an art portfolio. There are many treasures that I know you will want to keep. On Wednesday we welcomed a new friend to our class. His name is Jerry and he will finish the year with us. Help me in welcoming him and his family to our class! I want to remind each of you that you can use Raz Kids, as a reading resource, over the summer (www.raz-kids.com) If you have lost the password, please check with me and I will get you another copy. This online resource is a fun and easy way to keep kids working at their reading level throughout the summer.
Classroom Notes from Mrs. Logue’s First Grade
The last few days of first grade have arrived for you and your child. It is hard to believe summer break is right around the corner and it is wonderful to see all the growth that has taken place in our one short year together. What an incredible group of children this has been! So much creativity, willingness and interest in learning , ability to share feelings and resolve problems verbally, loving books, writing and doing math, (using their great math brains!), curious nature detectives as we explored Insects, animals, amphibians and rocks. Students have gone from non-readers to fluent readers, from timid to confident, from counting to 10 to writing to 100 and adding, subtracting and solving story problems to 20! It’s one of the things I love about First Grade… seeing this amazing spurt of growth in learning and social skills. Thank you, families, for all your support of your child’s education! We are linked together and as you sat and listened to your child read, helped with homework, read to your child, helped with lost lunches and library books and talked with your child about what they were learning or what they were feeling you demonstrated how much you valued education and cared about your child. Together: Caring adults-Children-Teachers- we make it happen!
We are continuing on schedule and normal classroom investigations and practices these next four days. We will have an end of day party on the 10th if you would like to contribute a goody to share. Also, WALKING FIELD TRIP TO THE WOODSTOCK LIBRARY next Tuesday June 9th at 1 to 2:30. Please fill in library card applications if you would like your child to receive one that day…quite an exciting and honorable event! Volunteer Breakfast is 8 to 9 am this Friday and keep a look out for your child’s art and writing portfolios coming home soon, to be celebrated and cheered!
News from Ms. Davis and Ms. V, rm 16
Thanks so much to all of you for coming to our Portland Museum. It was nice to have you join us in celebrating our study of Portland’s past. We started this week off with a downtown walking tour. Children had an opportunity to learn about Portland’s architectural past. Ask your child about what he/she remembers about A.E. Doyle. In class this week children are working on creating fables and acting them out using shadow puppets. Ask your child about his/her fable and the puppet that he/she is designing. On Friday we are joining our buddy class in Berkeley Park for an ice cream party in the afternoon from 12:45 – 2:45. Please join us if your schedule permits. This has been a tremendous year for us and we appreciate all of the support that you have offered throughout the year. Enjoy the summer! We wish you all the best of luck next year!
Music and Technology Notes from Mr. Jamesbarry
Just a little over a week of school and there is still so much to do! All four musical groups, The Beats, Recorder Club, Band and Strings will will be performing this Thursday June 4th at the end of the year Music Concert. This concert will start at 6:00 PM on the Lewis stage. Musicians should show up at 5:30 in the music room to warm up and tune. All groups will keep their regular scheduled rehearsals until then. Thursday will be the last time we meet this year. Band & String students will turn in their instruments after the performance. I hope everyone can make it. Students have been working hard to put on a great show. See you all on Thursday.
Classroom Notes From Mrs. Ross (Gordon), Third Grade, Room 17
Our third grade field trip to downtown Portland was perfect! We had the best showing of parents or older siblings who were fantastic chaperones.. The weather was great! Plus, the students were so good on the multiple public transportations that we took going and returning. On our return to Lewis many of the students wanted to share that President Obama stayed at the Benson Hotel. Some students even knew what the President ate for breakfast. Other students shared that there was a secret panel in the wall of the restaurant in the Benson Hotel that opened up to reveal a wine cellar. When we viewed the wine cellar, the most costly bottle of wine went for $2,100. I don’t think that we will all rush down to the Benson to place our order.
I am so proud of our students who wrote, made costumes, and acted in the Lewis Compost commercial on Tuesday morning. It is a project that brought our class together to accomplish something that was a challenge to all of us. Although I have worked in commercials as an actress, I have never shared this type of project before with my students. Our class would like to give a big thank you to Julia Hamlin who suggested this project and made it all possible.
News from 5th Grade - Ms. Jen
Thanks to the parents that came with us on our walking field trip Tuesday to Reed College Cooley Art Gallery. We enjoyed seeing the Urban China exhibit. It is a busy week finishing up units and novels. Students will have their last Geography map test, an Astronomy test, and a Colonial American history test this week. Please see my email and webpage for deadlines on missing and late assignments and this week’s homework assignments. We are ending our Mars simulation this week. Which country/team had the most points? Please continue to send in the information and the $5.00 if additional family members are coming to our 5th grade picnic on June 10th. Please look for any textbooks and novels at home. We are missing some books!!
Mrs. Pechette’s First Grade
Gardening this week was exciting as we tasted sugar peas and fennel. We gave compost to the asparagus. In the Butterfly Garden we looked for insects and new flowers. We found lots of weeds! During the next few days Mrs. Lundeberg will spend time with each child looking back at their art and making a portfolio. When the portfolio comes home next week, make opening it a special event. Gather the family and take time to appreciate the collection. Our days are moving along smoothly, following our schedule and routines. Emotions that surface are soothed quickly, usually by other children. We care a lot about each other! One of the most important routines you should keep with your children is daily reading. They have worked hard to become good readers and need to remember what an important part of our day reading is. Whether reading for pleasure or information , please keep their excitement for reading alive this summer!
Notes from Room 5 by M.L. Amsbury
June themes for room 5 feature aqua, the color of water. We will be experiencing the feel and texture of water. We also have activities and games involving
pretend fish.
We will be experimenting with bubbles. And, as the weather allows, we will be playing with water, water balloons, and other watery things.
The June counting story is:
FIVE LITTLE FISH, SWIMMING IN THE LAKE.
The first one says: “Here comes the bait.”
The second one says: “It looks like a worm to me.”
The third one says: “Ohhhh, yummmmmmmmmy.”
The fourth one says: “Take a good look.”
The fifth one says: “On, no, there is a hook!”
Then o-o-o-o-o went the wind.
And out went the lights.
And five little fishes, went swimming out of sight.
The students from room 5 had a great time at
field day last Friday. There were quite a few water activities and everyone came in quite drenched.They enjoyed running
around the playground with all of the other
Lewis students.
As the weather is predicted to continue warm this week, will continue with lessons built around water.
Room 1 News
It is amazing how quickly this year has gone by. We have accomplished so much. We had a wonderful time on our trip to the Chinese Garden. I was very impressed by how well our class payed attention and followed directions. The chinese food was a big hit with the kids. It was a great trip. Thank you to the parents who came and helped on the trip.
Our production of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Three Little Kittens went very well. This class loved their drama time. I was so proud of how well they all did their parts.
Please remember the volunteer breakfast on Friday, from 8:00 until 9:00 for all volunteers that have helped in our classroom during the year. I want to again thank all of our wonderful volunteers in Room 1
On Friday we are going to have a celebration with our Buddy class. We are going to have lots of fun outdoor activities and also ice cream sundaes. If you would like to contribute, please sign up to bring something. The sign up sheet is outside the classroom door.
Next week we will be making autograph books, portfolios for our art and cleaning up our classroom. On the last day of school, June 10th there will be an assembly as a closing activity.
Homework
HOMEWORK
Week 37
Name: ____________________ June 1-5
Monday:
1. Reading: Read for 20-30 minutes. Summarize for, or discuss with, parent. Record what you read below.
Book I Read:_____________________________________________
Read from page ____ to _____
2. Handwriting: Do worksheet assigned.
Parent Signature: _____________________
**************************************************************************************
Tuesday:
1. Reading: Read for 20-30 minutes. Summarize for, or discuss with, parent.
Book I Read:_____________________________________________
Read from page ____ to ____
2. Handwriting: Do worksheet assigned.
Parent Signature: _________________________
****************************************************************************************
Wednesday: 7:45-8:30 AM Homework Club for help with homework.
1. Reading: Read for 20-30 minutes. Summarize for, or discuss with, parent.
Book I Read:_____________________________________________
Read from page ____ to ____
2. Handwriting: Do worksheet.
Parent Signature: ___________________
****************************************************************************************
Thursday:
1. Reading: Read for 30 minutes. Summarize for, or discuss with, parent.
Book I Read:_____________________________________________
Read from page ____ to ____
2. Handwriting: Do worksheet.
Parent Signature: _________________________
**************************************************************************************** ***No spelling or math homework this week. We are going to intensively review cursive handwriting before the year ends!
News from Mrs. Bennett’s Room
This week we continue to work in social studies on “traveling the Oregon Trail”. In reading, the two groups that I have are working on Reader’s Theater pioneer plays. The students will present these to the rest of the class. We are also working on our last science unit, which is “Circuits and Pathways”. Students are learning about electricity and how it travels. We have one last art activity as well, which is marbleizing paper, and is always a fun project. It’s hard to believe, and always a little sad too, that we are so near the end of the year. It has been a great school year!
Room 7, Life Skills with Mr. Post
For our World Cultures unit, last week we focused on China and Taiwan. Students watched a video that compared country and city living in China. We learned about the Chinese Zodiac and students found out what animal represents the year they were born. Then we made “Chun Lians”, which are good luck expressions for the Chinese New Year. They are strips of red paper with gold-colored Chinese characters that show the animal-year that each student was born and characters such as “harmony”, “love”, and “happiness”. Students saw slide shows of Taiwan and Morocco to compare the different types of landscapes and people. Students also explored the Sagwa games and activities on PBSkids.org (Sagwa is a cartoon about a Chinese cat).
This week we will do some activities to review the countries we have studied. This Monday Mr. Lee did an activity with fortune cookies—we read our fortunes in the cookies, then made our own fortunes and baked them in biscuits. This Friday is our field trip to the Chinese Garden, and we will preview it on their website that has a section with A to Z pictures of things in the garden.
Ms. Swan’s Second Grade
***On Monday, I sent home a letter outlining our end of the year activities. If yours has “gone missing” or you have any questions, just let me know. Basically, it is letting you know what day stuffed animal day is, when our walking mini-field trip to Berkeley Park will be and all sorts of other important information.
***This Friday, June 5th, an OMSI presenter will be coming to our class. Please be certain you have sent in your $6 fee because we have to pay them THIS week! Our presenter, Martin, will be discussing “From the Inside Out: An Introduction to the Human Body.” After the talk, we get to work at a number of hands-on stations that he will be setting up for an hour before school. It should be great!
***If you would like to sign up to send in one item for our last day of school ice cream treat, there is a flyer hanging outside of our classroom. If you can’t make it in, just send a note or give a call and I will sign you up!
***Congratulations to Raphael, Khevin and Elizabeth who all turned in all 39 of this term’s homework assignments on time!
***We will be sending our Art Night masterpieces home in individual folders this week!
Classroom Notes from Fifth Grade-Mrs. Gould
The War for Independence is over! The colonists have won! Could you hear the cannons booming and see the fireworks from your house? Your child should have a special appreciation for the Fourth of July after living through our simulation the last few weeks. No homework this week; we are done! However, your child may still need to complete book reports before Monday. If you are coming to the picnic next Wednesday, we still need your reservation and money. Please turn it in by June 5th. Since this is probably our last newsletter, I want to thank you for your support this year! Have a great summer vacation and good luck in your new school next year. I hope that your child will drop by from time to time to let me know how they are doing in the sixth grade!
News From Room 4 Kindergarten-Miss Cindy and Miss Emilee
What beautiful weather we continue to have; hopefully, it will last during our last field trip on Friday, when we go to Berkeley Park for our end of the year celebration with our buddy class. We will be serving ice cream sundaes and hope you can join us in the afternoon. Please be sure to sign up for treats needed, or just to come out and enjoy the time with us. This week the kindergartners finished up the last of our work time centers. Everyone has grown so much, both academically and socially this year and I am so proud of all their progress. Please continue reading with them throughout the summer-they are fantastic readers! I have now taken over the class; Miss Emilee will continue being in class and will be updating the kindergarten blog she has set up; she will also be teaching some lessons until the end of the year. I still need help for next Tuesday, from 9:30- 11:00 or so. If you are able to volunteer the help the children close up the classroom it would be greatly appreciated. Please remember the volunteer breakfast on Friday, from 8:00 until 9:00 for all volunteers that have helped in our classroom during the year. It is my (and other teachers) way of thanking you for your dedication and help during this year. I am very glad to be cooking and serving you. We cannot wait to let the butterflies in our room go. We will be releasing them into the garden soon.
Notes From Ms. Leake
We are wrapping up the year. This week we are taking a look at the students as readers and writers. Our theme this week continues to be Communities. We’ve been working on mapping skills. Students have mapped their bedrooms, the streets where they live and the classroom. Now our focus is on using a compass rose and a map key to read a map. Next week we look at what makes a community. We’ll learn about goods and services and the people who choose jobs to support a community. We’ll walk up to Woodstock Street and fill out a survey on the types of businesses in our community.
Don’t forget to turn in your permission slip to go to the Brookside Wetlands. We are also looking for someone to organize the Summer birthdays.
Notes for Keefer
This week our class is preparing for our Oregon Trail Gallery which is tonight at 6:30PM. The students have been working very hard trying to survive the Oregon Trail. Spirit week is going well and everyone is looking great! Don’t forget that field day is friday! Dress for warm weather and wear sneakers! Have a great warm week!
This is the last week of homework! If you have any late work, get it in next week.
Music and Technology Notes from Mr. Jamesbarry
Just two weeks of school and there is still so much to do! This week Booming Beats will be performing at the Lewis End of the Year Picnic on Friday May 29th @ 6:00 PM. Bring a picnic dinner and enjoy the music. And all four groups, The Beats, Recorder Club, Band and Strings will will be performing on the evening of Thursday June 4th at the end of the year Music Concert. This concert will also start at 6:00 PM on the Lewis stage. All groups will keep regular scheduled rehearsals until then.
Students have been playing drums in general music classes. We celebrated the 29th anniversary of the the Mount Saint Helens eruption with a volcano percussion piece and dance. In our technology classes 5th grade students are working on a short documentary, while 3rd graders just finished a film scoring project.
News From Ms. Davis and Ms. V, rm 16
The 21st annual Lewis Talent Show was phenomenal! Cheers to all the children who participated! Last Friday morning Gregory MacNaughton visited us and orchestrated an art project based on the Urban China exhibit currently going on at the Reed gallery. Our project is based on urban Portland and will be displayed in the children’s Portland History Museum. Their museum will be open on Wednesday evening from 3-6 or Thursday morning from 8-8:30. Your child is excited to share his/her learning with you. Today we went on a field trip to explore Mt. Tabor park. Ask your child about some of the activities that he/she did at the park. Our last field trip will be this coming Monday, June 1st. We will going on a downtown walking tour. Thanks for your continued support. It is hard to believe that the school is coming to a close.
Notes from Room 4, Miss Cindy and Miss Emilee
Another exciting week in room 4. Tuesday we went to the Chinese Gardens. The students had a wonderful time viewing the gardens, playing on the playground and trying Chinese foods.
This week we will begin new work-time centers focused on the non-fiction book “On The Move”. In science we are observing real chrysalises and pill bugs and millipedes. Check the class blog for photos and information on our science observations. This week we begin to explore three dimensional shapes and construct some of our own.
The last few weeks of school will be filled with fun activities. We will no longer have time for sharing. Please help your child keep toys and non-school related items at home.
Friday is Field Day! Please remember to send your child to school with appropriate clothing and footwear for a day full of fun sports.
Classroom Notes From Mrs. Logue’s First Grade.
Thanks to all of you who made our Teacher’s Appreciation Week so awesome! The morning treats, car wash, luncheon, duty help, desserts, sweet notes and flowers were so appreciated by all of us! Next week it is our turn to say thank you! The staff invites all volunteers to join us for a breakfast celebration of your great work on June 5th at 8am to 9am. Child care will be provided so you may come eat, drink, relax and share conversation with other Lewis Volunteers. Today was our last library day with Ms. Tori. She has done a great job this year helping the kids choose books and learn about all the interesting choices we have at our own library! Hopefully, before the year is over, we will be taking a walking field trip to our local, Woodstock library, I will keep you posted! Please return all borrowed books from the library and from my room too before the end of next week. Speaking of books… the amazing Scholastic Book Fair is currently underway and if you buy one book you get a second one free! Come check it out in the Lewis Library after school. Fairy Tales, poetry, money, time and insects top our studies this week. Stop by and see our collection of insects we are investigating: mealworms, butterflies, and our growing tadpoles. We welcome our friend David back from a month long journey in Vietnam. We missed him and are really enjoying all his stories of the adventures he had! Keep reading to your little first grader, they will never forget your sweet times together!
