Teaching Staff

Mrs. Karen Crosby - ext. 420

Mrs. Connie Domicolo - ext. 416

Mrs. Alison Hendershot - ext. 445

Mrs. Diane Veldran - ext. 467

Mr. Fred Street - ext. 442

Mrs. Catherine Toepfer - ext. 401

Mrs. Jackie Van Hassel - ext. 466

kcrosby@fboe.org |  ahendershot@fboe.org  jvanhassel@fboe.org

Mrs. Domicolo

February

        Can you believe that we are midway through this school year?  February is quickly approaching and promises to be a very busy month. The concepts listed below will be explored in the following academic areas:

Math-

The Vocabulary of Geometry

            Three-dimensional Shapes

            Points, Segments, Rays and Lines

            Parallel Lines

            Polygons

            Drawing and Measuring Angles

            Line Symmetry

Language Arts-

            Vocabulary development

            Daily journal writing

            Spelling (including bonus words)

Identify story structure           

    The history of Groundhog Day will be discussed.  The students will engage in several activities that accompany the celebration for Punxsutawney Phil. We hope that he doesn’t see his shadow on February 2^nd this year!

            We will discuss the contributions of former presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington as President’s Day approaches.  Students will have the opportunity to make a valentine for their “special someone” as Valentine’s Day draws near.

As you can see, February will be loaded with many fun activities. Ask your child about them. Please continue to check your child’s homework  folder daily.  As always, don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
 

Mrs. Toepfer
ctoepfer@fboe.org

News from Mrs. Toepfer

February

Wow….the hundredth day of school is fast approaching! I cannot believe how fast this school year is flying by!

In our reading groups we have been working very hard! I hope you can see the progress that your children are making; I know I can!

1^st Grade-We are working on sight words, letter sounds and word families as well as reading fluency. With sight words it is important to practice, practice, and practice.  Most of the words are rule breakers, so it is not easy to try to sound them out.  There are sight word flashcards available at most stores, so if you can, please pick up a set and practice.  If you need a set, let me know and I will photo copy my set for you.  I would love it if you could read with your child for 15 minutes every night.  It is great quality time and just a few minutes each day will help your child in the long run with reading skills.

2^nd Grade-Our fluency is getting much better. Your children are learning how to use sentence clues and phonics skills to break apart those challenging words.  I advise that your children read for at least 15 minutes every night.  It is a great habit to get into and will help to foster a love of reading.  Remember the 5 finger rule…if your child cannot read five words on a page, then that book is too difficult.  Encourage him/her to make another selection.

3^rd grade-Wow! These 3^rd graders are really starting to soar! Their reading is improving day by, day and I couldn’t be more proud! Some of the words they are able to decipher, decode, and read are very hard! It is refreshing and exhilarating to see and hear their progress!  As with the 1^st and 2^nd graders, please have your children read for 15 minutes every night.

Math-In grades 1-4, I remain in the roles of both in-class support and pull-out instruction. The pull-out instruction goes week to week.  If your child’s homeroom teacher sees that your child can use some extra help in a math area, I will take him/her in a small group and work on that skill.  In 1^st grade we are working very hard on money skills-pennies, nickels and dimes.  In 2^nd grade we have started subtraction with regrouping. In 3^rd grade we are working on division and geometry as well as continued practice in subtraction with regrouping.  In my 4^th grade group we will continue to work on measuring, money and geometry.  If I assign homework, your children have until the next week to finish it. They need to complete it!

Computers are great tools! If you have one, use it for educational games as well as work.  There are wonderful web sites designed to help students learn and do it in a fun way!  When your child needs to work on a skill, go to Google, type in that skill and “games,” and a host of websites will come up tailored to that skill. I advise using websites that are .edu and .org before you use a .com, unless you know the name of the site is one of quality such as “scholastic” or “starfall.”

Have a wonderful February…Groundhog Day…..100^th Day….Valentine’s Day…..Presidents Day….Mid-winter recess….and any other special days you have this month!