Friday, October 21, 2022 (Updated)

Happy Friday,

Last Friday our field trip to Bay Square had to be called off due to a COVID outbreak  As soon as everyone is well and out of quarantine, we will reschedule.

Important Updates:

Parent Teacher Conference Link and Code

Use this link to access Conley/Wheeler parent teacher conference scheduling.
 www.ptcfast.com/parentlogin.php, 

The code for this conference (Wheeler/Conley Fall 2022) is:
 1GR1429284

Class Visit 11/4

On Friday, November 4. Mrs. Conley's friend, Zoe Borenstein, will be coming in to share the many incredibly fun aspects of her career as a personal chef. She will explain how reading and math are used in her job each day.  Zoe will talk about specific recipes and share some stories of how she uses her math skills while she is cooking for private dinner parties. Zoe will be bringing in her organic granola bar for the students. Everyone will receive a small piece. I have already sent emails to parents of those with dietary concerns. Here is the recipe. Please contact me immediately if it is not okay for your child to have a piece of this. Mr. Wheeler and Mrs. Conley's homerooms are NOT nut free.

Organic granola bars ingredient list:

1 cup nut butter

¼ cup honey

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup mixed nuts/seeds/dried fruit

1 tsp salt

Pumpkin Decorating

Our homeroom classes are both decorating pumpkins to look like one of the characters in our class read aloud. They will be displayed in the hallway for the whole school to enjoy.

If you are able to contribute material; that would be great!

The main characters have pet praying mantises, a pet hedgehog, a chameleon, a snake, and a cricket.... The characters make root beer floats. Any material to help us make these items would be helpful.

October 31st Update

On October 31 students are allowed to wear pajamas to school. 

Reading and Writing Update:

6 word memoirs

Idiom Game Cards

This card game helps us review common idioms. Students each have a card, and Mrs. Conley begins the game by reading the first clue. Someone in the class has the answer to the clue and then has their own "Who" question for another student. The classes time themselves to see how quickly they can get through 30 cards. 

We have a second card game that reviews: alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes, and metaphors. It is played in the same manner that the idiom game is played. 

In language arts class we are learning about generating story ideas for personal narratives.  We have written about people that matter to us, places we enjoy, and the first times and last times we did something important.

We are working on grammar and punctuation daily!

In reading we shared Patricia Polacco's An A for Miss Keller.  In the story Patricia learns how to write a personal narrative about someone who means a lot to her.

We also enjoyed  The Stranger by Chris van Allsburg. The story gives hints about who this stranger is... and it is Jack Frost.

We are taking notes and learning about characteristic traits and making inferences. While we are reading our own books; we are on the look out for similes, metaphors, and hyperboles! 

Here are some conversation starters:

Animal House and Iz

They're going bananas.

hyperbole ( "I could eat a thousand of these.")

Math and Science Update

In math Mr. Wheeler has noticed remarkable progress in work ethic, stamina, and quality of work. Students are playing a variety of math games, on and off of their IPads, have become masters of multiplication, and can calculate area, perimeter and volume with the best of them! Next week we will have our Unit One Knowledge Check, and students should be proud to show off all that they have learned. 

In Social Studies students are engaged in a parallel course of study, leading to the European discovery of the Americas. One of these courses of study is a small group research project centered on groups of native people, thriving in North America before European Explorers made their way to the continent. The other is engaging with historical technologies and discoveries that made the age of exploration possible. Students had some very lively conversations regarding the most significant technological upgrades of the era, and some very interesting viewpoints were shared. 

Things are moving at a blistering pace, and everyone is looking forward to an awesome fall!