Dear Families,

We had a great, very busy week. The children so enjoy  sharing their poems,  All the children are doing  a great job.  We will choose our classroom participants for Peach Blossom Assembly on Friday, Jan. 24th. No parents will attend on  this day, but are welcome on the January 27th Assembly.  Keep practicing at home, as there are only a few days left before our classroom participants are chosen. We look forward to another busy week ahead. Learning just catapolts this time of year!!!!!  Such fun!

LANGUAGE ARTS –   We will do a short study on Penguins this week. We will work on fluency in reading as well as answering comprehension questions with complete sentences. The children enjoyed reading and learning about Martin Luther King Jr. this last week. If you want to order books from Scholastic, I will finalize the order on Jan. 25th.

MATH – We continue 0n Chapter 7,  a unit on Geometry, Fractions and Probability. Our test on this chapter as well as our money unit will be on Thursday, Jan 23rd.  The chapter reviews went home on Thursday. Remember to faithfully do 4 minute math drills at home. 

SOCIAL SCIENCE – We continue on Unit 1, Families Now and Long Ago.We will have a test on this chapter on Thursday, Jan. 3oth. The chapter review will come home in the homework  folder on Friday, January 24th.

 SCIENCE – We will continue  with our Weather Unit. 

HEALTH – The children are enjoying our Nutrition Unit and are getting very good at classifying the different food groups. We will be doing many activities with this study of nutrition this week.

BIBLE – We will be studying Ruth and how God used her to accomplish His purposes.

SHOW AND TELL – This week will be Team A.

PEACH BLOSSOM ASSEMBLY– Parents are invited to the Oral Interpretation Assembly, Monday. Jan. 27th at 12:30 PM in the North Lobby Chapel. This is where we have Worship on Mondays and Chapel on Tuesdays.

ONE HUNDRED DAYS OF SCHOOL – The 100th day of school is Monday, January 27th.  We will celebrate on Friday, January 24th with some fun activities. Our “Snowman Breakfast” is also rescheduled for that day.

FUNDRAISER –  The children are doing a wonderful job selling chocolates!! Check out  your World’s Finest Chocolate boxes  from now until January 31st. Please turn in your money in the envelopes enclosed in your boxes to the campus secretary, Mrs. Roberts, not your teachers , (student’s name and teacher need to be written on them).

LEARNING RESPONSIBILITY – We have had many boys and girls forgetting work envelopes and homework folders, which are due every Friday. We have spent a great deal of time talking about this and coming up with ways to help us become more responsible.  Beginning this week we will start thinking bench time when we forget.  This will help the children come up with a strategy to help them remember. Any support you can give in this area would be greatly appreciated.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES –  Elementary conferences are scheduled for the week of  Feb. 3-7. School is dismissed at 12:00 PM each day during that week.Your scheduled appointment time will be in the work envelope on Monday, Jan. 27th. Please sign and return by Friday, Jan. 31st.  If you need to change your time, please call Mrs. Roberts at 299 1695, ext. 103.

STATE OF THE SCHOOL ADDRESS  – Superintendent Debbie Siebert will hold the fifth annual State of the School Address on January 27th at 7:00 PM in the GL Johnson Chapel.  As a school community it is beneficial for everyone involved to have a clear understanding of how well we are meeting the mission of Fresno Christian Schools. Along with reporting on  the school program Mrs. Siebert will present information regarding the financial picture of our school. As we work together to strengthen Fresno Christian the more information we have about all aspects of the program the more effective our unified efforts will be.

VALENTINE’S PARTY–  We will celebrate on Friday, Feb. 14th.  Our party will be from 1:20 – 2:40.The children will exchange valentines with one another. Please be sure  your child brings a valentine for everybody. Each child should bring a shoebox with his/her name on it by January 31st.

Bible Verse – Jan. 21-24 

Help me to do your will,  for you are my God.  Lead me in good paths.  Psalm 143:10  19 pts.

Spelling – Jan. 21- 24 –  Lesson 21 

skate

slide

start

smile

snow

swish

score

scream

sport

squeal

scene

sprint

school

splash

from

January

discernment

wisdom

Dear Families,

We have had a VERY busy, but WONDERFUL beginning to our 2014 school year. The children have made a smooth transition from  a long vacation back to work in the classroom. I am so proud of them!!!  Our second half of the year will be great!!!

LANGUAGE ARTS – We are making great progress with our comprehension questions being answered in complete sentences. Some groups will get new vocabulary this week.  I will not be giving vocabulary tests, but you can ask your child which page we are working on at school.  They acquire vocabulary very fast now so just a little review at home will be necessary.  If your child is struggling, I will let you know so you can work on it.   

BOOK PROJECT – We have a Poetry Book Project due on January 31st. The rubric went home on December 7th, but I included it in this week’s homework just in case it got lost or put  away with all the Christmas decorations!  Also, the one you got in December was incomplete with the front side missing!!! You do not need to use the same poem you chose for Peach Blossom, however, you may if you wish. I will be keeping this project to put up for Open House in the spring.

MATH – We are working on Chapter 7,  a unit on Geometry, Fractions and Probability. This has proven to be challenging for some, however, it will continue to be reviewed in upcoming chapters. Remember to faithfully do a 4 minute math drills at home.  

SOCIAL SCIENCE -We began Unit 1, Families Now and Long Ago. Beginning this quarter, there will be an assessment at the end of each chapter.  A chapter review will go home about a week before the test. We will also review at school. This will begin to prepare them for 3rd grade Social Science where grades are given for tests.

BIBLE – We will be studying Samson.

 SCIENCE – We will  continue our unit on Weather and Seasons. We will also start a unit on Health and  Nutrition.  We will studying the four food groups and what constitutes healthy eating. I would also like to invite any parent who is in the health or medical field to come and share with the children about their professions.  Let me know if you would be willing to come and share with us.

LEARNING RESPONSIBILITY – We have had many boys and girls forgetting work envelopes and homework folders, which are due every Friday. We have spent a great deal of time talking about this and coming up with ways to help us become more responsible. Beginning the week of Jan 20th, there will be a thinking bench time at recess where your child will come up with a way that will help them remember to bring what is due. Again, this is to help prepare them for the higher grades where a lower score may be given for a late assignment. Since life happens,grace will be given the first time work is not turned in on time. We have discussed this at school and they know that they are not in trouble if they have to be on the thinking bench. Any support you can give in this area would be greatly appreciated. 

PEACH BLOSSOM – Please continue working on your poem selection. We are practicing at school as well. Please note the handout for tips on learning and presenting the poems. The children are so enjoying listening to everyone’s poem. 

SHOW AND TELL – This week will be Team B.

FUNDRAISER – Check out  your World’s Finest Chocolate boxes…that sells itself….  from now until January 30th. Before you check out new boxes, please send the money in the envelopes enclosed in your boxes to the campus secretary, Mrs. Roberts, NOT  your teachers , (student’s name and teacher need to be written on them). Your hard working child(ren) will receive their ducks after they turn in each box.

KID’S CLUB – Attention Parents! Kids’ Clubs are fun lunchtime activities led by parent volunteers. PTF is looking for volunteers to lead a club or help lead a club during the spring season. New this school year, sweet treats for the classroom with the most parent volunteers in Kids’ Clubs! Please contact PTF Kid’s Club coordinator, Jennifer Dansby, at

681-4605 or jenniferdansby@sbcglobal.net, if you have questions or would like to volunteer. Volunteer sign-ups are due by Friday, January 24th. THANK YO SO MUCH!

WAFFLE BREAKFAST – Since we missed the waffle breakfast before Christmas, we are going to celebrate winter with a snowman themed waffle breakfast on Friday morning. January 17th. Your child will not need to eat breakfast before school as we will start right when we come in Friday morning!

WINTER CALENDAR                   

1-15 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

1-20 – Martin Luther King Holiday – No School

1-27 – State of the School Address – 7-8:30 PM – G.L. Johnson Chapel

2-3 – 2-7 – Parent Teacher Conferences -School dismissed at 12:00 PM 

2-10 – Lincoln’s Birthday – No School

2-14 – Happy Valentine’s Day!!   Party 1:20 – 2:40 PM

2-17 – President’s Day – No School

2-26 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

Dear Families,

The children have been enjoying our Christmas devotions and studying the reason for the season…..JESUS!!!  

It has been a whirlwind since we came back from Thanksgiving vacation with benchmarks and all. We will NOT be using parent helpers this week during our Reading or Math times. We are busily working on our parent gifts.

TOGETHER WE CAN – Thank you for all who have given to our food drive for the Pinedale community. It has been wonderful to see the  buckets fill up, knowing we are helping those in need, all in the name of JESUS!

STEPHEN CARE HOMES – Our class will be going to the Stephen Care Homes to sing for the residents there. We went last year in the Spring and it was a special blessing to them. The date is Wed. Dec. 11th.  Before we leave at 8:30 AM we will be having a Belgium Waffle Breakfast. Your child will not need to eat breakfast that morning at home. Everything will be provided.  We should be back to our campus by 11:00 AM and we will be going directly to dress-rehearsal for our Christmas Program that night.  Please do NOT plan on taking your child after caroling. Everyone needs to return to People’s Campus. We will be taking carpools. Please return the carpool permission slip that came home last week if you have not already done so. Many thanks!

SECRET ANGEL –  On Friday, we read the  story “The Last Straw.”  It is about doing acts of kindness and sharing special secret surprises with those we love. We then drew names (boys drew boys and girls drew girls) and from Dec.9th until Dec. 12th, your child will be a secret angel to a special friend. He/she can draw a picture, write an encouraging note, bring a small sweet treat, pencil, sticker, eraser or any small token that says “I am thinking about you and praying for you.” The children should try to bring something every day.  Then, on Dec.12th, when we have our Birthday Party for Jesus, they will bring a final gift (no more than $7.00)  Above all, keep it a secret. They are very excited about this activity.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS – Our class will have a special  gift exchange and celebration honoring Jesus’ birthday on Thursday, Dec.12th . That is the day the children will reveal who they have been blessing as a secret angel.They will bring a gift ( no more than $7.00) Please do not put on the tag who the gift is for, just who it is from, which will be  your child’s name. The festivities will begin at 12:30 PM.  All are welcome to attend.

LANGUAGE ARTS –We will be doing buddy reading and whole group reading this week with some of our holiday books.

 MATH –    We will continue to work on our money contract, however, we will not be having a test on this chapter now. It will be included during our next Math test in January. This will be reviewed throughout the rest of the year as well. Any practice at home counting change will be very helpful.

SOCIAL SCIENCE –  We will be discussing Christmas Traditions in other countries of the world.    

BIBLE –  We will conclude our study of Christ’s birth. The children have so enjoyed this. We certainly have emphasized that the true meaning of Christmas is God’s gift in sending his Son, and not about all the gifts.We have discussed how truly blessed we are,  not only at Christmas, but each and every day.

PEACH BLOSSOM – Please check the handout that came home on Dec. 2nd  which includes the requirements and the dates for this assignment. 

REPORT CARDS – The 2nd quarter report cards will come home on Thursday, Dec. 12th.

SHOW AND TELL – This week will be both Team A and B. Your child may bring something to share ONE time during the week.

WORK ENVELOPE – Our work envelope WILL NOT come home on Monday as usual, rather I will send it on Thursday with all of our regular work as well as our Christmas theme projects.  Also, all  of our Christmas art projects will come home that day as well.  Please send a large paper bag to take home all our “stuff”. We will also be cleaning out our buckets, so we will have neatly organized buckets when we return from Christmas vacation. Imagine that, neat and organized!!!!

HOMEWORK – The Reading Log and math homework that came home  on Dec. 6th  will not need to be returned until Friday, Jan. 10th. You only need to record one week’s worth of Reading Log (100 min.) We will not be doing a Book Project for the month of December. In the homework for Dec.6th, the requirements for the next project was included, however it will not be turned in until Jan. 31st . Our next genre in January will be Poetry. You can be thinking about a book for that assignment. 

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM – Everyone is invited to a “Candlelight Christmas” on Wednesday, December 11th, at the FCS Gym. The program will be from 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.  Please drop your child off in the Music Suite (just to the right when you enter the gym.)  I will be in there waiting for them. When the concert is over, you will also pick them up here.

SKATING PARTY – Both grades will be going skating on Friday, December 13th at Cal Skate of Clovis.  Travel will be by CARPOOLS.  For those who offered to drive carpools, thank you. However, we will not need your services because most are meeting at Cal-Skate.  Reminder,you can go directly to Cal-Skate…..you do not need to come to school first. Children are free to leave directly from Cal-Skate for Christmas vacation if that works best for you.  School is dismissed at 12:00 PM.  The schedule for skating is as follows:

1st Session – 8:15-9:55 AM / Classes:  Tally, Raymundo, Fraser Weimer
2nd Session – 10:15-11:30 AM / Classes: Ferguson, Hancox,VanderKooi,  Broersma

All skating fees for second grade students are pre-paid through our class account.   Parents and siblings that skate will need to pay the $6.50 for each skating session at the door.  Non-skating parents who would just like to come and watch kids skate will need to pay an entrance fee of $3.00 at the door.  Parents that wish to be a spectator at one session and skate at the other session need to pay $9.50. Roller blades may been worn but they must have flush bolts, (no sharp exposed bolts/screws).  If your skates have a heel brake it must be in good condition, no screw showing. Roller blades will be inspected by Cal Skate employees and if they do not meet the standards, you will need to use roller skates.Children are free to leave directly from Cal-Skate for Christmas vacation if that works best for you.  School is dismissed at 12:00 PM. 

LOST AND FOUND – Please have your student check the Lost and Found rack.  There are quite a few unclaimed items. Anything left after Dec. 13th will be donated to charity.

Calendar

12-11 – Singing at the Stephen Care Homes

12-11 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-11 – Christmas Program – 5:30 PM  – FCS Gym

12-12 – Birthday Party for Jesus – 12:30 PM

12-13 – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-13 –End of Quarter 2.

12-13 – Happy 8th Birthday Justus Rocha

12-13 – Skating at Cal-Skate

12-16 – 1-3 – Christmas Vacation – Happy Birthday Jesus!

12-25 – Happy 8th Birthday Cyriche Zarandin

12-29 – Happy 8th Birthday Adrianne Paderna, Ryleigh Chavez & Joshua Brown

1-5 – Happy 8th Birthday Tryphena Gunawan 

1-6 – School Resumes – Happy New Year!!

1-7 – Happy 8th Birthday Caleb Mynderup

Spirit Day is every Friday…wear your favorite FCS shirt!!

       There will be no Spelling Test or Bible Verse Test this week.

I pray you and your family have a JOYOUS Christmas making memories with those you love and celebrating the birth of our Savior, God’s greatest gift –JESUS!!!

Dear Families,

Greetings to you!  I trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating with friends and family God’s abundant blessings!!   Thanks for all your help in making our blessing afternoon very special. We couldn’t have done it without you, and the children loved it!!!  The program was so fun also!!!

We are entering a wonderful season of the year, JESUS’ BIRTHDAY!!! We have many activities planned in honor of God’s greatest gift.

TOGETHER WE CAN –  This our last week to bring in our contributions for the food drive. It will be benefiting the Pinedale community. Please bring your items to our classroom and we will have a big red bucket to put them in. It is a great opportunity for our children to share with those in need!! We are having a contest between the classes as well,, so let’s work hard for those in need first and maybe even a prize for us at the end. 

LANGUAGE ARTS – We will be working on Leveled Readers during these next two weeks and some will be reading a short chapter book. We continue to stress the who, what, why, when and where of our stories as well as using phonetic skills to blend unfamiliar words.

MATH – We are working on Chapter 4, Money, with counting coins up to $1.00. It would be helpful for you to throw some change out on a table and have your child count it.  We start counting with the coin that has the highest value. They also are now encountering multi step story problems.They will not take a test on this chapter. During the coming months, there will be lots of work with counting money. We also continue to do Math drills at school on a daily basis.  Please make these drills a part of your daily homework routine as well.  It is very obvious who practices at home.  Remember, it is a 4 minute drill and if done faithfully, it helps your student master the facts quickly.  Second Graders should have passed addition facts to 20 by the end of the semester.

SOCIAL SCIENCE –  We will be learning about Christmas Traditions in other countries of the world. 

BIBLE –  Our study this week will be the angel appearing to Mary and how afraid she was because she was so young and not married, learning that God picked her from all the other women to be Jesus’ mother.  She was favored in God’s eyes.We will also start our writing and illustrating “The Story of Christmas.”

SHOW AND TELL – This week will be Team A. Your child may bring something to share two times during the week.

 SECRET ANGEL –  On Friday, we will read the  story “The Last Straw.”  It is about doing acts of kindness and sharing special secret surprises with those we love.We will then draw names and from Dec.8th until Dec. 11th, they will be a secret angel to a special friend.  Your child can draw a picture, write an encouraging note, bring a small sweet treat, pencil, sticker, eraser or any small token that says “I am thinking about you and praying for you.” The children should try to bring something every day.  Then, on Dec.11th, when we have our Birthday Party for Jesus, they will bring a gift (no more than $7.00), for their secret friend and reveal the person they have been blessing. Above all, keep it a secret. They are very excited about this activity.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS – Our class will have a special  gift exchange and celebration honoring Jesus’ birthday on Thursday, Dec.11th . That is the day the children will reveal who they have been blessing. Please do not put on the tag who the gift is for, just who it is from, which will be  your child’s name. There will be a sign-up outside our door for the items needed for our celebration. All are welcome to attend.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM – Everyone is invited to a “Candlelight Christmas” on Wednesday, December 11th, at the FCS Gym. It will be a wonderful evening of praise to our newborn King!!! The program will be from 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM 

SKATING PARTY – Our school will be going skating on Friday, December 12th at Cal Skate of Clovis.  Please return the form by Friday Dec. 5th indicating your transportation plans for that day .These are due by Friday, Dec. 6th.  This will give me time to set up carpools, if needed. Thank you! The schedule for skating is as follows:

All skating fees for the students are pre-paid through our class account. Parents and siblings that skate will need to pay the $6.00 for each skating session at the door.  Non-skating parents who would just like to come and watch kids skate will need to pay an entrance fee of $3.00 at the door.  Parents that wish to be a spectator at one session and skate at the other session need to pay $9.50.

Roller blades may been worn but they must have flush bolts, (no sharp exposed bolts/screws).  If your skates have a heel brake it must be in good condition, no screw showing.  Roller blades will be inspected by Cal Skate employees and if they do not meet the standards, you will need to use roller skates.Children are free to leave directly from Cal-Skate for Christmas vacation if that works best for you.  School is dismissed at 12:00 PM. 

PEACH BLOSSOM -Please check the handout that comes home on Dec 1st, which includes the requirements  for participating in Fresno State’s Peach Blossom Festival. This is a FCS requirement for all 1st-6th classes. Although this is not due until we come back from Christmas vacation, I strongly suggest you try and choose your poem before January. Your child should begin learning it with parental guidance. We will practice at school as well, after Christmas vacation. This is always a great experience for the children. You need to pick your poem and bring me a copy by Jan. 10th. Thanks for your help!

 Spelling – Lesson 17 – Dec. 2-6 

saw

draw

pause

lawn

ought

paws

taught

bought

straw

thought

because

caught

brought

August

sure

goes

Dear Families,

Thanksgiving Celebration– Our Thanksgiving Blessing afternoon is Monday, November 25th. We will be having a feast,  making a “Blessing Mix”, doing a craft and having a Thanksgiving Desesert.  All are welcome to attend. The festivities will begin at 11:15 AM.  Thank you to all our wonderful parents for helping with this special day of making memories. We will NOT be using parent helpers this week.                              

Thanksgiving Program – We are culminating our study of pilgrims with a program for our families.   First Graders are the Pilgrims and the Kindergartners are the Indians. Second Graders will be the Americans.  Second Graders are to wear red, white and blue. If you do not have these clothing items, please do not go out and buy anything. Just wear the closest thing you have. It will be just fine. The program will be on Tuesday, November 26th at 11:00 A.M. at the SMC.  Some have asked if they can take their child after the end of the program and that will be fine, if that works best for you.  

Math – We took our test on this chapter last Friday.  This is a very crucial chapter, laying the foundation for future Math.  If your child did not finish,  it will be in the envelope on Monday, Nov. 25th.  Please finish and return by Friday, Dec. 6th.                

Show and Tell – There will be no show and tell this week.

Book – It Program – Book-It for November is due Monday, Dec.2nd.  Twelve books will earn a pizza certificate.

Work Envelopes –  All of our Thanksgiving theme work will be coming home in the envelopes on Monday, Nov.25th.  For some of the students there will be papers that did not get finished, or in some cases not even started. We were doing many varied assignments and there is a vast difference in how quickly some accomplish tasks. These papers do not need to be finished and returned unless it says “Do”.Their unfinished Math Contract is an exception to this.

Together We Can – We will be having a K-12 project that helps those in need  during the holidays. This program will run through Dec 6th. Please check the list of items that we are collecting before you go shopping or raid your pantry. We’re calling it “TOGETHER WE  CAN!”  All of our collections will be benefiting the Pinedale community. Our High School has a “Book Buddy” program with Pinedale already. Please bring your items to our classroom and we will have a big red bucket to put them in. It is a great opportunity for our children to share with those in need!! We are having a contest between the classes as well, so let’s work hard for those in need first and maybe even a prize for us at the end. 

Stephen Care Homes – Our class will be going to the Stephen Care Homes to sing for the residents there. We went last year in the Spring and it was a special blessing to them. The date is Wed. Dec. 11th.  Before we leave at 8:30 AM we will be having a Belgium Waffle Breakfast. Your child will not need to eat breakfast that morning at home.  We should be back to our campus by 11:00 AM and we will be going directly to dress-rehearsal for our Christmas Program that night.  Please do NOT plan on taking your child after caroling. Everyone needs to return to People’s Campus. We will be taking carpools. If you are able to help with transportation, there is a sign-up sheet outside our door.  All children who are not 8 will need to bring their booster seat for that day.

Christmas Program – Everyone is invited to a “Candlelight Christmas” on Wednesday, December 11th, at the FCS Gym. The program will be from 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

11-25 – Blessing Celebration – 11:15 AM

11-26 – Thanksgiving Program – SMC – 11:00 AM

11-27-29 – Happy Thanksgiving – No School

12-11 – Singing at the Stephen Care Homes

12-11 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-11 – Christmas Program – 5:30 PM  – FCS Gym

12-13 – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-13 –End of Quarter 2.

12-13 – Happy 8th Birthday Justus Rocha

12-13 – Skating at Cal-Skate

12-16 – 1-3 – Christmas Vacation – Happy Birthday Jesus!

12-19 – Happy 8th Birthday Ryleigh Chavez and Joshua Brown

12-25 – Happy 8th Birthday Cyriche Zarandin

12-29 – Happy 8th Birthday Adrianne Paderna

1-5 – Happy 8th Birthday Tryphena Gunawan 

1-6 – School Resumes – Happy New Year!!

1-7 – Happy 8th Birthday Caleb Mynderup

 No Spelling or Bible Verse this week.

MAY YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING CELEBRATING WITH THOSE YOU LOVE THE GOODNESS OF OUR GOD.  WE ARE SO BLESSED.

Dear Families,

The Indians, Pilgrims and Americans are preparing for their wonderful program.  It won’t be long now. We will put our finishing touches to our part of the program this week. It will be lots of fun!!!!

Language Arts – We continue to read informational text from our theme work and practicing restating the question to form a complete sentence. We are learning to use pronouns to replace the longer nouns to make our sentences shorter. This type of work will continue throughout this quarter. In our seatwork, we have been doing many varied assignments and there is a vast difference in how quickly some accomplish tasks. These papers do not need to be finished and returned unless it says “Do”.  We will be starting Literature Studies beginning in January. This will be coupled with our Anthology books, and will give them more variety. Writing –Our next writing prompt will be on a Narrative about a personal experience with a beginning, middle and end with descriptive words. Benchmark assessments for this prompt will be in December.

Math -We continue on Chapter 6 which is subtraction with regrouping. We worked very hard last week on this concept.  I believe all of the kids understand the process as I have worked with all of them individually at some point last week. When working with them at home, remind  your child to use the same process each time and you can’t go wrong. That process is looking at the second number in the ones column and seeing if it is bigger than the top number.  If it is, we regroup and if it is the same or smaller, there is no need to regroup.  We call that kind of problem first grade math, as they did much double digit adding and subtracting last year without regrouping.Their Friday homework this week will be practicing this skill.  Please check your child’s work so you can catch any mistakes they are making. Our test on this chapter will be Friday, Nov.22nd. We have worked very hard on this contract, however, not everyone will finish.  This will be a requirement since this is such an important concept and the foundation for much of their future math. If your child brings home an incomplete contract in their work envelope on Nov. 25th, it will need to be finished and returned by Dec. 6th. Please continue being faithful in doing a 4 minute Math Drill each night. Many received Math Awards last week.  Our goal is to have passed +18 by the end of the first semester, Dec. 13th.

Social Science –  Our unit is “Governing the People”.

Bible –  We will be focusing on the theme of Thankfulness and being grateful to God for our many blessings.

Thanksgiving Celebration– Our Thanksgiving Blessing afternoon is Monday, November 25th. We will start with a Thanksgiving Feast at lunch time in  our room.  After lunch and recess we will be making a “Blessing Mix”, doing a craft and having dessert. The festivities will begin at 11:15 A.M. There is sign-up on the door  for the needed items for our meal.It will be a wonderful time!  Many Thanks! All are welcome!

 Thanksgiving Program – We are culminating our study of Pilgrims with a program for our families. Second Graders are the Americans and should wear red, white and blue. If you do not have these clothing items, please do not go out and buy anything. Just wear the closest thing you have. It will be just fine. The program will be on Tuesday, November 26th at 11:00 A.M. at SMC Main.  It should be lots of fun. Some have asked if they can take their child after the end of the program and that will be fine if that works best for you. It will not be a heavy academic afternoon!!!!!

Show and Tell – This week is Team B.  Your child can bring something to share two times during the week.

Homework Folder and Envelopes –  Please be faithful in returning these every Friday.  It makes organizing their work so much faster if we have the envelopes. The book  project for November is due on Nov. 25th, even though the Rubric paper you got says Nov.22nd.  I just wanted to give a little extra time for those who needed it. Your child may still bring it with their Homework Folder on Friday, Nov. 22nd if you wish. Just a reminder that it is a Mystery book. No points will be given if it is just a picture book. The folder for this project came home in the Homework Folder on Friday, Nov. 8th for those who had not already requested it.  There will be NO Book Project for December. January genre will be Poetry. The homework and  Reading Log coming home on Nov. 22 will be for the first week of December. There will be no new assigned homework for Thanksgiving week.

Book-It – Book-Its for November are due Mon. Dec. 2nd. Twelve entries will earn a pizza certificate.

TOGETHER WE CAN –  We will be having a K-12 project that helps those in need  during the holidays. You will receive a handout in the Work Envelopes on Tuesday, Nov. 12th. This program will run through Dec 6th. Please check the list of items that we are collecting before you go shopping or raid your pantry. We’re calling it “TOGETHER WE  CAN!”  All of our collections will be benefiting the Pinedale community. Our High School has a “Book Buddy” program with Pinedale already. Please bring your items to our classroom and we will have a big red bucket to put them in. It is a great opportunity for our children to share with those in need!! We are having a contest between the classes as well,, so let’s work hard for those in need first and maybe even a prize for us at the end. 

 11-18 – Fundraiser at Sweet Tomatoes –  11AM – 8 PM

11-25 – Blessing Celebration – 11:15 AM

11-26 – Thanksgiving Program – SMC – 11:00 AM

11-27-29 – Happy Thanksgiving – No School

12-11 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-11 – Christmas Program – 5:30 PM  – FCS Gym

12-13 – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-13 -End of Quarter 2.

12-13 – Happy 8th Birthday Justus Rocha

12-13 – Skating at Cal-Skate

12-16 – 1-3 – Christmas Vacation – Happy Birthday Jesus!

12-19 – Happy 8th Birthday Ryleigh Chavez and Joshua Brown

12-25 – Happy 8th Birthday Cyriche Zarandin

12-29 – Happy 8th Birthday Adrianne Paderna

1-5 – Happy 8th Birthday Tryphena Gunawan 

1-6 – School Resumes – Happy New Year!!

1-7 – Happy 8th Birthday Caleb Mynderup

Remember to wear your spirit wear every Friday!!!

Bible Verse – Nov. 18-22

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion;  for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.  Isaiah 12:6  22 pts.

Spelling – Lesson 16 – Nov. 18-22

our

now

out

how

hour

down

mouth

south

towel

about

flour

flower

houses

around

above

away

Dear Families,

Just two more weeks until we celebrate Thanksgiving with the Indians and Pilgrims!!!  There will be lots of picture taking, for sure!!!!  The program starts promptly at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday,  Nov. 26th at Student Ministries Center. You might want to come a little early to get a good seat. It will be lots of fun. We are also excited for our Blessing afternoon on Monday, Nov.25th. Please check the sign-up sheet outside our classroom door. Our hearts are full of thankfulness for God’s abundant blessings!!!

TOGETHER WE CAN –  We will be having a K-12 project that helps those in need  during the holidays. You will receive a handout in the Work Envelopes on Tuesday, Nov. 12th. This program will run through Dec 6th. Please check the list of items that we are collecting before you go shopping or raid your pantry. We’re calling it “TOGETHER WE  CAN!”  All of our collections will be benefiting the Pinedale community. Our High School has a “Book Buddy” program with Pinedale. Please bring your items to our classroom and we will have a big red bucket to put them in. It is a great opportunity for our children to share with those in need!! We are having a contest between the classes as well,, so let’s work hard for those in need first and maybe even a prize for us at the end. 

Language Arts – We are reading informational text from our theme work and practicing restating the question to form a complete sentence. We are learning to use pronouns to replace the longer nouns to make our sentences shorter. This type of work will continue throughout this quarter.  We will be starting Literature Studies beginning in January. This will be coupled with our Anthology books, and will give them more variety. Writing –Our next writing prompt will be on a Narrative about a personal experience with a beginning, middle and end with descriptive words. Benchmark assessments for this prompt will be in December.

Math -We are working on Chapter 6 which is subtraction with regrouping. We worked very hard last week on this concept.  I believe all of the kids understand the process as I have worked with all of them individually at some point last week. When working with them at home, remind  your child to use the same process each time and you can’t go wrong. That process is looking at the second number in the ones column and seeing if it is bigger than the top number.  If it is we regroup and if it is the same or smaller there is no need to regroup.  We call that kind of problem first grade math. as they did much double digit adding and subtracting last year without regrouping.Their Friday homework this week will be practicing this skill.  Please check your child’s work so you can catch any mistakes they are making. Our test on this chapter will be Friday, Nov.22nd. Please continue being faithful in doing a 4 minute Math Drill each night. Many received Math Awards last week.  Our goal is to have passed +18 by the end of the first semester, Dec. 13th. 

Social Science –  Our unit is “Governing the People”.

Bible –  We will be focusing on the theme of Thankfulness and being grateful to God for our many blessings.

Thanksgiving Celebration– Our Thanksgiving Blessing afternoon is Monday, November 25th. We will start with a Thanksgiving Feast at lunch time in  our room.  After lunch and recess we will be making a “Blessing Mix”, doing a craft and having dessert. The festivities will begin at 11:15 A.M. There is sign-up on the door  for the needed items for our meal.It will be a wonderful time!  Many Thanks! All are welcome!

 Thanksgiving Program – We are culminating our study of Pilgrims with a program for our families. Second Graders are the Americans and should wear red, white and blue. If you do not have these clothing items, please do not go out and buy anything. Just wear the closest thing you have. It will be just fine. The program will be on Tuesday, November 26th at 11:00 A.M. at SMC Main.  It should be lots of fun. Some have asked if they can take their child after the end of the program and that will be fine if that works best for you.

Book Order –Included in the work envelope on Monday, Nov. 4th, there were book order forms for Nov. and Dec. as well as the Holiday pamphlets. I will place the order onWednesday, Nov. 13th.  If you want to order some gifts for Christmas for your child as a surprise, I will be happy to keep them aside and give them to you privately. Since we are ordering early, all of the most popular books should sill be available. The books will come in before we go home for Christmas. Please place all your orders online.  Our class activation code is J4ZNG.

Show and Tell – This week is Team A.  Your child can bring something to share two times during the week.

Homework Folder and Envelopes –  Please be faithful in returning these every Friday.  It makes organizing their work so much faster if we have the envelopes. The book  project for November is due on Nov. 25th. Just a reminder that it is a Mystery book. No points will be given if it is just a picture book. The folder for this project came home in the Homework Folder on Friday, Nov. 8th for those who had not already requested it.  There will be NO Book Project for December. January genre will be Poetry.

Book-It – Book-Its for November are due Mon. Dec. 2nd. Twelve entries will earn a pizza certificate. 

11-11 – Veteran’s Day – No School

11-12 – Happy 8th Birthday McKenzie Sue

11-16 – Happy 7th Birthday Jana Williams

11-17 – Happy 8th Birthday Bella Beal

11-18 –  PTF Fundraiser – Sweet Tomatoes – 4-8 PM

11-27-29 – Happy Thanksgiving – No School

12-11 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-11 – Christmas Program – 5:30 PM  – FCS Gym

12-13 – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-13 -End of Quarter 2.

12-13 – Happy 8th Birthday Justus Rocha

12-13 – Skating at Cal-Skate

12-16 – 1-3 – Christmas Vacation – Happy Birthday Jesus!

12-25 – Happy 8th Birthday Cyriche Zarandin

12-29 – Happy 8th Birthday Adrianne Paderna

1-5 – Happy 8th Birthday Tryphena Gunawan 

1-6 – School Resumes – Happy New Year!!

1-7 – Happy 8th Birthday Caleb Mynderup

Remember to wear your spirit wear every Friday!!!

Bible Verse – Nov. 12-15

Sing to the Lord,  for He has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.  Isaiah 12:5  21 pts. 

Spelling – Lesson 15 – Nov. 12-15

child

what

church

while

which

where

watch

when

chosen

preacher

match

lunch

reach

pitcher

write

something

Dear Families,

We had a wonderful conclusion to the month of October studying about harvest and pumpkins. We now turn our thoughts towards this beautiful season of the year…..Thanksgiving. Our focus at school will be one of thankfulness and counting our blessings.  God is so good!!!!

Thank You – Many thanks to PTF for providing  a wonderful reward watching the movie “Croods” and enjoying a popcorn bar and many other sweet treats. The kids soooo enjoyed themselves. They are excited to start our next fundraiser!!

Language Arts –  We are working on the hidden meaning behind words and inferential comprehension. Writing – The children will be working on a Narrative about a personal experience with a beginning, middle and end.  We are working on incorporating some of our vocabulary words into our writing which really “dresses” up our piece. This is one of the categories that will be assessed in our next benchmark which will be in December. 

Math – Chapter 6 which is subtraction with regrouping is especially challenging for some.  It is VERY important to listen and follow as I teach as these are new concepts for the children.  Those who are not able to focus are lost when independent work begins. Any encouragement you can give your child in this area would be appreciated.  Please continue being faithful in doing a 4 minute Math Drill each night. We have many who are now in the Math Club. 

Social Science –  We will begin “Governing the People”.

Bible – Our study will focus on Joshua this week.

Thanksgiving Unit  – We are learning about immigrants in Social Science and the contributions they have made to America.  Among the immigrants we study are the Pilgrims who sailed from England.  We will culminate our studies with a Thanksgiving Program with the Kindergartners and First Graders. First Graders are the Pilgrims and the Kindergartners are the Indians. Second Graders will be Americans. They should wear red, white or blue. If you do not have these clothing items, please do not go out and buy anything. Just wear the closest thing you have. It will be just fine. The program will be on Tuesday, November 26th at 11:00 A.M. The place on People’s Campus is yet to be determined. There is school in the afternoon, however, your child is free to go after the program to begin their Thanksgiving vacation. If you know your child will not be here for the program, please let me know, as that will be helpful in preparing the groups for our program.  Thanks!

Thanksgiving Celebration– Our Thanksgiving Blessing afternoon is Monday, November 25th. We will start with a Thanksgiving Feast at lunch time in  our room.  After lunch and recess we will be making a “Blessing Mix”, doing a craft and having dessert. The festivities will begin at 11:15 A.M. There will be a sign-up on the door on Nov. 4th  for the needed items for our meal. Hopefully, since there are many items, everyone will be able to participate.  It should be a wonderful time!  Many Thanks! All are welcome! 

Book Order –Included in the work envelope on Monday, Nov. 4th, will be the book order forms for Nov. and Dec. as well as the Holiday pamphlets . I will place the order on Wednesday, Nov. 13th.  If you want to order some gifts for Christmas for your child as a surprise, I will be happy to keep them aside and give them to you privately. Since we are ordering early, all of the most popular books should sill be available. Just a reminder, you can order from any of the Book Clubs, regardless of the grade.  The books will come in before we go home for Christmas. Our classroom code is J4ZNG.

Show and Tell – This week is Team B.  Your child can bring something to share two times during the week.  

Homework Folder – The children should have chosen their book for the  project that is due on Monday, Nov. 25th..  The genre of literature is a Mystery with 80- 100 pgs. The rubric for this assignment came home on October 25th. Please be sure and check the work sheets that are included in the folder each Friday. Some are coming back with many mistakes. This is really important in the next couple of weeks when we have Math sheets with regrouping in subtraction. This is a very challenging skill for some, but with repeated practice it will become more automatic. 

Book – It Program – Book-It for November is due Monday, Dec 2nd. Twelve entries will earn a pizza certificate.

Operation Christmas Child -We are collecting  Samaritan’s Purse shoe boxes. Shoe boxes are due by Thursday, November 7th. If you need a box, there are still some available in the office. Thank you for participating in this worthwhile program as we share the love of Christ to those less fortunate.

11-5 – Happy 8th Birthday William Serimian

11-6 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

11-7 – Operation Christmas Child boxes due

11-11 – Veteran’s Day – No School

11-12 – Happy 8th Birthday McKenzie Sue

11-14 –  PTF Fundraiser – Sweet Tomatoes – 4-8 PM

11-16 – Happy 7th Birthday Jana Williams

11-17 – Happy 8th Birthday Bella Beal

11-27-29 – Happy Thanksgiving – No School

12-11 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-11 – Christmas Program – 5:30 PM  – FCS Gym

12-13 – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-13 -End of Quarter 2.

12-13 – Happy 8th Birthday Justus Rocha

12-16 – 1-3 – Christmas Vacation

12-25 – Happy 8th Birthday Cyriche Zarandin

12-29 – Happy 8th Birthday Adrianne Paderna

1-5 – Happy 8th Birthday Tryphena Gunawan 

1-6 – School Resumes – Happy New Year!!

1-7 – Happy 8th Birthday Caleb Mynderup

Remember to wear your spirit wear every Friday!!!

Bible Verse –  Nov. 4-8

Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Isaiah 12:4  21 pts.

Spelling –   Lesson 14  – Nov. 4-8

that

with

wash

then

both

cloth

thick

shine

wish

brush

shoes

polish

there

should

would

across

Dear Families,

As we move into this very special season of the year, I trust you and your family will make many memories as we thank God for His many blessings.  Our focus at school will be one of gratitude and thankfulness.  His mercies are new every morning!!!

Language Arts –  We continue to work on inferential comprehension at school and trust you are doing the same at home as you read with your child. We are also reviewing the problem and the solution in the story. Writing –   We will be working on a Narrative about a personal experience with a beginning, middle and end. They will learn the words to use when sequencing a writing piece. Benchmark assessments for this prompt will be in December.

Math –. Our chapter review came home last Wednesday and is due Wed. Oct. 30th.  We will have our chapter test on that day as well.  After our test we  we will  begin Chapter 6  which is subtraction with regrouping. This will definitely stretch them, however, this is a foundational, important skill. Please continue being faithful in doing a 4 minute Math Drill each night.

Social Science – We have finished “Our Resources” and will do a group project for the assessment and will not have the “traditional” test for this chapter. Our next chapter will be “Governing The People”.

Bible –  We will be studying the Ten Commandments..

Thanksgiving Unit– We have many activities planned for this unit of study.  We will be learning about immigrants in Social Science and the contributions they have made to America.  Among the immigrants we will study are the Pilgrims who sailed from England.  We will culminate our studies with a Thanksgiving Program with the Kindergartners. First Graders are the Pilgrims and the Kindergartners are the Indians.  Second Graders will be Americans. They should wear red, white or blue. If you do not have these clothing items, please do not go out and buy anything. Just wear the closest thing you have. It will be fine. The program will be on Tuesday, November 26th  at 11:00 A.M. The location has not been determined, however, it will be somewhere on People’s Campus!!!  If you know your child will not be here for the program, please let me know, as that will be helpful in our preparation. Thanks!

Thanksgiving Celebration– Our Thanksgiving Blessing afternoon is Monday, November 25th. We will start with a Thanksgiving Feast at lunch time in  our room.  After lunch and recess we will be making a “Blessing Mix”, doing a craft and having dessert. The festivities will begin at 11:15 A.M. There will be a sign-up on the door on Nov. 4th  for the needed items for our meal. It should be a wonderful time!  Many Thanks!

Absences – As we move into the Holiday Season, please e-mail any dates your child may be gone . I know several are taking vacations and I want to be sure your child has everything that is needed to keep up while he/she is gone.

Book Report – Your child will begin reading a mystery book for the next book project. The book should be at least 80-100 pages. The rubric came home in the Homework folder on Fri. Oct. 25th. If you are not sure if the length is ok, just bring it in and I will take a look,  but I will be flexible if need be, if it is a mystery  your child really likes. I will have some available at school if you don’t have one in mind or don’t want to go to the library. This project will be due on Fri. Nov. 22nd. Please let me know when your child is ready for the folder. There will NOT be a book project for December. Don’t cry to hard!!!!!  Our genre for January will be Poetry.

Show and Tell – This week is Team A.  Your child can bring something to share two times during the week.  If a child has not completed work for that day, show and tell is forfeited.

Book – It Program –  October’s Book- It is due on November 1st. The Book-It form for November is due on December 2nd. Twelve entries will earn a pizza certificate. 

Operation Christmas Child – Shoeboxes are due November 7th. Please consider taking the opportunity to show your child the true spirit of giving at Christmas. Pack a shoe box with your child to send to needy children throughout the world. The children have lists of the suggested items, many of which can be purchased at a dollar store or at reasonable prices. Please be sure to put in only brand new items and include small toys ( no weapons), school supplies, stuffed animals and hygiene  items.  Most important is to pray over the box and for the child who will receive it.  For more suggestions or to download a new form to go with the box, go to samaritanspurse.org.   Also, include $7 in an envelope for shipping and handling. Our classroom goal is 50 boxes!!!

PTF Reward  – Our class was the highest selling class for the fundraiser.  Our reward will be a movie and popcorn bar with other treats as well.  This will take place on October 31st.  Please sign and return the permission slip from PTF for your child to watch the movie Croods. This permission slip was in the Work Envelope last Monday.  If you have misplaced the paper you can just write it out on your own paper, sign and return it. It should be a great afternoon.

FRESNO CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS MARCHES IN THE VETERAN’S PARADE!

10-31 – Reward Movie and Popcorn Party

11-5 – Happy 8th Birthday William Serimian

11-6 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

11-7 – Operation Christmas Child boxes due

11-11 – Veteran’s Day – No School

11-12 – Happy 8th Birthday McKenzie Sue

11-16 – Happy 8th Birthday Jana Williams

11-17 – Happy 8th Birthday Bella Beal

11-27-29 – Happy Thanksgiving – No School

12-11 – Teacher Inservice – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-11 – Christmas Program – 5:30 PM  – FCS Gym

12-13 – School dismissed at 12:00 PM

12-13 -End of Quarter 2.

12-13 – Happy 8th Birthday Justus Rocha

12-16 – 1-3 – Christmas Vacation

12-25 – Happy 8th Birthday Cyriche Zarandin

12-29 – Happy 8th Birthday Adrianne Paderna

1-5 – Happy 8th Birthday Tryphena Gunawan 

1-6 – School Resumes – Happy New Year!!

1-7 – Happy 8th Birthday Caleb Mynderup

Spirit Day is every Friday.  Please wear your favorite FCS shirt.