Today it is October,
The tenth month of the year.
Summertime is over
And autumn weather's here.

How amazing it is to think that we have already entered autumn, and parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner. I look forward to visiting with all of you regarding your child's progress both academically and socially.

We have been very busy learning about various story elements and working on comprehension and vocabulary skills. We are especially excited to begin reading with our Kindergarten Book Buddies! Next Thursday, October 8th we will help set a new world record for the most people across the globe reading the same book on a single day along with our new book buddies. Third graders will read the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar to their kindergarten friend and then have a sequence activity to complete with them. If you have a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar at home, PLEASE SEND IT as soon as possible. I have 15 copies, but am in need of 12 more! Thank you for checking those bookshelves at home.

In math, we have finished up our money unit and will continue to practice it a little each day to fully prepare for state math assessments. You can help at home by asking your child to count your change/money for you whenever you get a chance. Hands-on real world practice is always the best!

We have now begun reviewing addition with regrouping. Most students seem to do well with this skill. However, those who don’t have their basic addition facts memorized are so bogged down trying to figure out the simple facts, that completing an entire worksheet with four digit plus four digit numbers is OVERWHELMING to them. Please help your child by making sure your child is practicing math facts at least two times a week. Flash cards are always a great way to practice facts when mom and dad make it fun. We are also so fortunate to have internet today. There are so many fun and FREE websites where kids can practice math facts. Look at the bottom of my blog for some good ones. We are spending some time each day working on mental math skills and trying to help students build automaticity, but like everything else I still wish we could devote more time to it. Your help at home is so very much appreciated!