The B Hive 2.23

Dear Families,

I hope I am finding you well on this once again rainy day.  EXPO is only one month away and we are busy working on getting amazing things ready for your viewing pleasure.  Check out what we've been up to this week:

Reading - We are still reading and very much enjoying The City of Ember.  We have reached the climax of the story and are working our way to the resolution at the end.  By next week, we will begin our next read aloud, which is Bud, Not Buddy (historical fiction).  We will talk about the great things that historical fiction brings to us as a genre.  For our reading work and reading groups, we are working on responding in writing to the books that we are reading and using great reading strategies in our groups and in our independent reading. 

Math - Whew!  It is time for division.  This is a challenging concept for many because this is the first year that students really dig into this concept. It also can be challenging because you have to have your multiplication facts in place.  So if you know this is a struggle for your student, please help them do reflex or other things to continue to work on knowing those facts.  There are many ways to practice division using our Study Links or IXL focus links. I can also provide additional worksheets for practice if needed. 

Word Work - Words came home today for next week.  Please help your student remember to study.  They should be sorting and practicing their words every day.  They need to make sure they know the meanings of the words, the spelling, and the pronunciation. 

PBL - Our driving question is "How can we use the history of Detroit landmarks to join in on the revitalization of the city?  We are at the point where we know the important parts of the history,  now we are moving into the second part of the question.  How can we join into the revitalization?  Your student will bring home an extra homework assignment this weekend.  They need to think deeply about a challenge they see and then create a solution for this challenge.  Please have them bring the paper back on Monday.  These ideas need to be people, time, and money manageable. 

There are several posts below this post about things happening here at STEAM.  Please continue to read on and check out our twitter to see what we're up to. 

Best,
Mrs. B

Interested in Running?

Don’t miss out on this once a year opportunity! Girls on the Run at A2 STEAM starts March 5^th!

Hello! My name is Amy Lawson and I am the site leader and head coach for A2 STEAM Girls on the Run (and also a proud STEAM parent). For those of you who are not familiar with GOTR, it is a program for 3^rd-5^th grade girls which inspires them to develop essential skills to help them navigate their ever-changing worlds and develop a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness. Research shows that by adolescence, girls’ confidence drops about twice as much as boys’. Friendships become more complicated and challenging, girls' perception of their academic ability declines, the likelihood of anxiety and depression increases and participation in physical activity plummets. The Girls on the Run curriculum helps girls to recognize their personal strengths and teaches them how to stand up for themselves and others. Through running games and activities, the team prepares to complete an end of the season 5k together. As a coach, I have witnessed how the GOTR curriculum inspires girls to be better friends, to advocate for themselves, and to become leaders in their community. I have seen how their self-confidence grows over the season. Girls who did not think they could finish a 5k in March joyously walk, run, or skip across the finish line in May. We are building our Girls on the Run team at A2 STEAM, and we would love to get your daughter involved. We meet after school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-5pm from March 5^th-May 16^th. You can learn more, and register online, at http://www.girlsontherunsemi.org !

Pasta for Pennies Starts Soon!

Pasta for Pennies

Dates: March 12th-March 23rd

Flash 48- March 10th-11th

Online Giving:

-Individual students who create their own online giving page and raise $50
or more online will receive a limited edition HERO SQUAD t-shirt from the
National office in New York!

-Each classroom can win their own pizza party! Flash 48

-Schools raising $1500 or more online in addition to the program
will receive a bonus past or pizza lunch for the teaching staff to enjoy.

Celebration Party:

-Schools raising a minimum of $750 receive an Olive Garden
pasta party or a Hungry Howie’s pizza party for the top fundraising
classroom.

-Schools raising $1500 or more will receive a 2nd place
Hungry Howie’s pizza party to celebrate.

Flash 48:

Each classroom will have a online giving page. They will have
48 hours to raise $250 online. Each classroom that reaches the
$250 goal by the 48 hour deadline will receive a prize for the students
and teacher.

Author Visit Coming Soon!

The B Hive 2.19

Dear families,

What a rainy day!  Is this the start of our late winter, early spring weather?  I hope so as I am tired of snow.  I know there are students who feel very differently than me.  :)  We have another short, but busy week so check out what we're up to in Room 402. 

Last Weeks' Fun

Reading - In reading, we spent the week talking about the elements and structures of biographies.  We spent the whole week on a great biography called The Crafty Escape about two slaves who escaped from slavery in a very interesting way.  The students all chose another biography (or two or three) to read and we focused on what makes biographies different than other types of texts.  We are still reading The City of Ember and have about a week left.  The students will soon figure out what the instructions really do say. 

Writing - This week we tied our writing time to our PBL unit and did note taking and highlighting practice.  Students read a short biography on a person who worked at Motown records and created a fact card about them.  There was no word work this week, but there will be word work this week. 

Math - Students took the Unit 5 math assessment and showed how much they learned throughout that unit on fractions.  They then began our next unit on division.  Division can be very challenging to students who do not have their times tables memorized so you will see emphasis put back on Reflex during this time.  It really helps students in fractions and division to know their multiplication facts. 

PBL - We are solidly in the middle of a great project where we are learning about Michigan history throughout important landmarks in Detroit.  The students are SO interested and learning a lot.  This will be our EXPO project so look for more information on that soon. 

Dates to Remember...
Safety Assembly - Wednesday, Feb 21st at 9:15 in the MPR
Disability Awareness Workshop - Friday, February 23rd, all morning.  If you are able to help, please sign up here.  We can not run this event without parent support. 
Snowball Dance - Friday, Feb 23rd from 6:30 to 8:30
Early Release Day - Wednesday, Feb 28th (dismissal at 12:52, no childcare)

The B Hive 2.11

Wow!  We have a fun, short week coming up!  I hope you enjoyed your long day and the snow day!  We never left the house and it was quite nice.  There is a lot going on, so read on to find out what we're up to and what we've been up to. 

We hope to see you tomorrow for NAAPID!  All parents are invited and encouraged to come to see what we're up to here at STEAM.  Here is our schedule for the day.  Because of the snow days, things are a little mixed around, but you will get a good look into our typical day.  

8:20 to 8:50       Morning Meeting

8:50 to 9:45       Author Share (sharing our personal narratives)

9:45 to 10:45     Library (in our room)

10:45 to 11:15   Group Share (sharing our posters about early industry in Michigan)

11:15 to 11:40   Spelling Test (students are split into the three rooms)

11:40 to 12:30   Lunch

12:30 to 1:30     Collaboration Time (creating playdoh models of cars)

1:30 to 1:45       Recess

1:45 to 2:00       Read Aloud

2:00 to 3:15       Math Assessment/Reading

Wednesday is our Valentine's Party from 2:00 to 3:15.  It is a quiet celebration with fruit and cheese.  If you are able to bring in grapes, please sign up here.  Students can bring in Valentines and/or treats for the whole class.  We will enjoy a snack, pass our valentines, and watch a short movie.  It is also Count Day so please help your student  be there and on time.  Thanks in advance for your help with this.  

A few things to note...

We will be taking our Unit 5 assessment tomorrow, February 12th and our Unit 6 pre test on Tuesday, February 13th.  Look for those test in the next few days to see how your student did.  

Because of illness and injuries, we are experiencing a higher than typical amount of guest teachers in the building.  Ms. Reader will be out for some time because she had surgery on her foot and Senora Stuer will also be out.  I need your help in talking with your student about respectfulness of all adults in our buildings.  Some students are struggling with this.  

Ms. Pelton is gradually increasing her responsibility in the classroom and is taking over instruction in morning meeting, math, and a few math groups.  Things are going very well, and the students are taking the transition well.  Please talk with your son/daughter about continuing to respect Ms. Pelton in the same way that he/she treats me.  I appreciate your help in this.  

A few important dates...

Midwinter Break is this coming Friday, the 16th and Monday, February 19th.  There will be no school during this time.  

Friday, February 23rd is our Disability Awareness Day.  This event can not run without parent volunteers so we need you!  Sign up here to help.  

Wednesday, Febrary 28th is early release.  Students will be dismissed at 12:52.