January 14 Library Visit
January 18 All School Meeting and Spirit Day
January 21 No School
Jan 31-Feb 1 No School
Homework Due by Friday, January 11th
1. Read for at least 20 minutes every night.
2. Complete 20 minutes of typing practice.
3. Complete at least 30 minutes of math practice (click here for DreamBox).
4. Optional - Compete Opinion Paragraph of the Week
Prompt: What time should children go to bed on school nights? Give 3 reasons to support your opinion.
Upcoming Out and Abouts
This Tuesday, Levels 2 and 3 will attend a presentation from Metro called I Just Don't Buy That, which challenges students to be thoughtful consumers, resisting the pressure to buy more and more stuff. We will also have an in-class science lab this week about force and motion to help with planning for our mini golf course. Next week, we will have a visit from the creators of Twin Pine Country Club - a free neighborhood mini golf course in Portland.
Classroom Economy Updates
This week, Plovers will make their first rent payment! Students earn up to 10 dino dollars a week for completing their classroom job, which they have held since October. For students who have not earned or saved $50 for their rent payment this week, I will provide extra work that can be completed for bonus pay. One way students can always earn bonus pay is by completing the opinion paragraph of the week that I post in the homework section above.
The classroom economy helps students learn valuable life skills such as organization, the value of saving, and delayed gratification in an authentic way. Rather than being told about the importance of these skills, they actually experience them. They are also given documents to deal with—for example, weekly job reflections and bank slips for deposits and withdrawals—to emphasize the importance of record keeping and attention to detail. Some goals of our classroom economy are for students to:
- Learn the value of earning a paycheck by completing their classroom job responsibilities.
- Demonstrate stewardship and citizenship.
- Learn how to budget their spending, balance a checking account, and make scheduled rent payments.
- Discover the importance of saving money to purchase what they want from the class store.
- Find out that every decision has an opportunity cost.
Tower of Books Check-in
CONGRATULATIONS LILAH AND QUINCY FOR COMPLETING THE TOWER OF BOOKS CHALLENGE!
With the start of a new year, it is a good time for families to check in on the Tower of Books Challenge! Together, figure out how many more books your Plover needs to read to finish their Tower and make a plan for completing that goal by the end of the year. After Winter Break, your student may need support getting back into their homework routine, which should include reading every night. You can help your Plover make a homework calendar and find a quiet place to work. Here are some other homework tips to help create or re-establish a successful routine!