Dragon Notes 10.25

Halloween
Halloween is coming! We will be having a costume parade along Ellenwood, around the Point, and into the playground for students PK-8, followed by a party on the playground. This will start at 2:30! Parents are invited to come and watch. 

We shared some notes on costumes with students, but we wanted to share them with parents as well.
  • No masks or full-face face paint – we should still be able to tell that it is you!
  • No inflatables – we don’t have the space in the building for it!
  • Students should be able to participate fully in PE and other activities throughout the day. 
  • There should be nothing in the costume that could be mistaken as a weapon (this includes handcuffs, please!)
  • We have a wide age range at our school. Costumes should not scare small children. 
We’re excited to celebrate with you!

School Pictures Are On The Way
Our photographer has updated us that we should get school pictures October 28 – make sure to check backpacks!

Calling all siblings! (A note from Admissions)
Admission season has begun! Does your family have a child who is not currently enrolled at TSMSOC? If yes, we would love to have them visit our school! Please reach out to Corinne to discuss next steps in the admission process. cgroark@stmichaelschool.org

Car Magnets! 
Thanks to our 8th graders for helping us distribute our new car magnets during dismissal this week. If you would like to have one (or two!) to put on your car/s, please reach out to Corinne or pop in to the office. Thank you for helping us spread the word about our school!

Yard Signs!
If you would like to keep your yard sign up year-round, we would love it! If you have space to store it, we will ask that they be displayed again early next year. If you do not have space, please feel free to return any parts of the sign to school and we will store them here. (The pins that hold the toppers are especially important - please return those as well if you can.) Reach out to Corinne with questions. Thanks!

Invitation from The Church of St. Michael and St. George
Sunday October. 27, Nov 10 and Nov 24 at 9:00 - 9:45 AM in The Hub
Growing Small Humans: A Parent Discussion Forum led by Beth Human. Children are born with their own personalities -- likes, dislikes, struggles, talents, aptitudes, abilities, etc. One of the most difficult things about parenting is finding the balance between guiding a child in the way they should go and forcing them on a pathway that doesn't fit. This discussion group provides a space to support parents navigating this difficult terrain. All adults are welcome!

Fall Fest
Please join The Church of St. Michael and St. George for the 4th annual Fall Festival! There will be live music, firepits, games, s'mores, and more.

Please also consider bringing food donations at the event for Trinity Food Pantry and ARJ. The following items are needed: Olive oil or vegetable oil, sugar, flour, peanut butter & jelly, ravioli with meat, pasta sauce (cans please), cereal (hot and cold), canned meats (chicken, roast beef, ham), ramen soups (cups or packages).

Pop-top cans are preferred for those who have no can openers, as well as smaller sizes of sugar and flour for easy carrying. 

Classroom Highlights
Ms. Barb: This week PreK worked on a pumpkin project.  The children cut out a  circle and small green pieces of paper.  They used the green pieces of paper to make their initial on their pumpkin.  Lastly, they cut out a rectangle to glue on as the stem.

Ms. Erin: This week JK focused on pumpkins. We cooked a pumpkin and used the pulp to make mini pumpkin pies. We counted the seeds then sorted them into piles to plant and cook.

Ms. Elise: This week, Kindergarten focused on skip counting by 5s and 2s.  

Mr. Milo: We have begun reading The Curse Of The Cheese Pyramid by Geronimo Stilton aloud as a group. Students take turns reading aloud and/or follow along during readings. 
We continue our work with reading the clock and counting money. We have also been reading short passages of text and answering multiple choice questions to ensure reading comprehension.

Ms. K. Eppert: Students have started a new math unit that focuses on addition regrouping. Students are using place value skills to solve two, three, and four digit addition.

Ms. Pombrol: Our sticker sale was a smashing success! We had a lot of hands-on practice using the business skills we learned about in The Lemonade War. Our class did the marketing and advertising for the sale, requested petty cash from the school, counted inventory (before and after), managed a cash box, and calculated profits. This mirrored the experiences of Evan and Jessie in our book!  

Mrs. Myrick: In chemistry, 8th graders have mastered ionic bonding and the concept of electrons being transferred from one atom to another.  They are now working on covalent bonding and the concept of electrons being shared between two atoms. 

Mrs. Bean: 8th Graders are learning all about the stock market in preparation for the Junior Achievement Stock Market Competition that they will be participating in on November 6th. They are eager investors and are ready to show off their knowledge! In English, they are preparing podcasts to share with the community about the Kwame Alexander books they read this fall. 

Ms. Abby: Students enjoyed our halloween scavenger hunt around the neighborhood this week. Next week, we will finish up our halloween celebrations in PE with spooky gross motor centers and halloween yoga. 

Mr. Eppert: PE: Students continue to bike on Monday's and Wednesday's. Students continue to work on playing games in PE such as kickball, pickleball, and dodgeball. 

Ms. Ginger: Taking advantage of our beautiful fall weather, JK, Kindergarten,  1st and 2nd focused on their observation skills as we continue to compare and identify changes in trees near our campus.  In addition, we have been collecting many colorful leaves.  Children are excited to find such a variety of colors.  We are learning names of some of the trees we see on our walks in the neighborhood.  

Ms. Maurys: This week, we are celebrating  La semana de la Calabaza – ”Pumpkin Week!” Students will be describing pumpkins, counting, spelling the word, coloring, and reciting poems. It's a fun way to engage with the season. 

Mr. Mark: In music 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th are working a beat and rhythmic patterns while exploring percussion instruments. 4th/5th and the middle school have begun forming bands and starting working on performances for the winter show.

Pre-K and JK Kindergarten have done a lot of singing and movement with an emphasis on fun seasonal songs about fall and halloween.

Ms. T. Eppert: Studio art is working on line and value drawing, taking as their subject Halloween themes: pumpkins, skulls, and human hands.

Dr. Human: Students started learning about Roman mythology and were not excited about the career path of haruspex.


Upcoming Dates
October 25: Trivia Night
November 1, No School
November 16-17: Book Fair at Left Bank Books
November 21 and 22, Parent-Teacher Conferences, 3-6 pm
November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break 
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