December Greetings!

Just a friendly reminder that our
Books & Bites evening event is coming up on Wednesday, December 7th at 6:30.  We will all gather in the classroom for light appetizers, desserts and beverages from 6:30 - 7:00.  At 7:00 Mrs. Perine's class will move to the library for their presentation and Mrs. Angus' class will begin presentations in the classroom. 
The students have been working hard and are very excited to share their published books with friends and family.  Hope to see you there!

5th Annual Adopt a Family!

Recently we have been reading books and learning about people who are less fortunate all around the world, and in our own country. Again this year, in the spirit of giving, our class will be adopting two families in need from
The Forgotten Children's Organization.
Our class Giving Tree is now in the classroom decorated with gift tags listing personal information about each child. If you would like to donate to the families, we invite you to come in and choose a tag from the tree. You can also send a note in with your child, telling whether you would like to donate to a boy or girl. Please wrap your gifts with the gift tag attached, and send them back to school by Friday, December 16th. Thank you for your kind generosity.

Our Christmas Celebration will be Thursday, December 15th, from 1:30 - 3:20.  We will be creating crafts, singing songs, and munching on marvelous holiday treats.  Please join us for this special
holiday celebration!

Help! We Need Cans!
Please send in clean tin cans . . . 6 oz. (tiny), 28 oz. (large), and 32 oz (larger).  We will be recycling these at the end of the year for our Manatee Tin Canatees - personal trophies designed especially for each student. Thank you!

November News

Soup Fest

Wednesday, November 23 from 10:30 - 11:20

This month we are learning about the homeless, less fortunate, and the function of soup kitchens. We will read several books on this topic in order to gain a greater awareness of the needs of other cultures. Check out our Shelfari to see the books we are reading daily in the classroom.  We are having a Soup Fest to further our understanding of the concepts.  Please join us on the 23rd for soup and crackers!

Books & Bites

Mark your calendar!  Please plan on attending our authors' reading of student-created books.  Students have been working very hard to complete these personal masterpieces.  They are excited to be reading their books on Wednesday, December 7th at 6:30.  The Red Group will be meeting in the classroom, and the Blue Group will be meeting in the library.  Please come and be entertained by these great stories written from the hearts of your children.
Light appetizers, desserts and coffee will be available.


Parent-Teacher Conferences
Conferences begin this Thursday, November 17th.  This year we are limited to 20 minute intervals for each conference.  Please be prompt as many conferences are scheduled back to back.  Thank  you for your cooperation and understanding. 

Whole-Body Listening Larry at School

We have been reading a book about how to be a good listener at school.  Listening Larry has taught us how to listen with watching eyes, quiet mouths, still feet, listening ears, still hands, bodies facing the speaker, thinking brains, and caring hearts (empathy). 
Students helped create a chart that helps remind them to be good listeners with their whole body.  You can learn more about the program and the book, here at Social Thinking.com.
 

Manatee Halloween Party Slideshow

Make a free slideshow design

Lice Alert!

Helpful Information to Prevent Lice
Unfortunately, a 3rd case of lice has been reported in our classroom. 
We have taken action by removing all pillows, cushions, stuffies, as well as closing the reading loft until further notice.  As a preventative measure, our classroom carpets have been treated with industrial strength lice spray furnished by the district. 

Please, please check your child's hair every day.  Eggs and lice are hard to detect, but easier to see next to a window with natural light. 

Our preventative tips are:
a) spray hair daily with Lice Shield
b) keep hair tied back or braided
c) put coats and backpacks in the dryer after school every day -
    on high for 30 minutes to kill lice
d) have students put coats inside backpacks when they're at school

If you find eggs or live lice:
a) use mayonnaise to coat hair, leaving in for an hour
b) rinse with olive oil or vinegar
c) use Rid, found at most drug stores - follow directions carefully, repeating for several days, until no sign of eggs or lice are found

We apologize for the situation and inconvenience.  In order to control this outbreak, we need to all work together to end this problem.
 
If you have any questions, please call or email us at:
Amy Perine 530-4642 or perinea@psd401.net
Wanda Angus 530-4643  or angusw@psd401.net

FYI

The Pierce County Library System is hosting a free interactive event with Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center.  The Gig Harbor Point Fosdick Library will offer an Instrument Making Workshop on Saturday, November 12th at 10:30. 

No registration required.  Grades K - 8  

Happy Fall!

Pet Rocks

This year our students are absolutely fascinated with rocks and minerals.  They have been collecting, sharing, and writing about their love of rocks.  So, as a class, we are going to revel in the world of Pet Rocks! 

This week each student will receive a river rock to design and create their very own pet rock.  They will name their rocks, write about their rocks,  and take digital pictures to create a Rock Hall of Fame.  We will also estimate, weigh, compare and then chart each rock's size and weight.  And of course we'll read lots of books and sing lots of songs about rocks. 

If you, or anyone you know, has a rock/mineral collection, we invite you to the classroom to share your knowledge. 

Box Tops!

Please send your box tops in.

They can be found on these products.

The Deadline is Friday, October 14th.

Money Savvy Kids

Our class will be starting the Money Savvy Kids Program soon.  The Department of Finance created this program to help "kids get smart about money."   

"Designed for children ages six to eleven, Money Savvy Kids @Home is the perfect starting point to teach a child how to get smart about money. Leading the way is the award-winning, interactive Money Savvy Pig piggy bank which helps children explore such topics as the history of money, where does money come from, the importance of earning money and, of course, the four basic money management choices: Save, Spend, Donate and Invest."   For more information, go to Money Savvy Kids.

Family Photos

Please send a family photo in with your child before Friday, October 14th.  They will  keep it at school and use it to create a collage of their favorite things.  Thanks!

Upcoming Events:

Tuesday, October 18th - Picture Day!

Friday, October 28th - Fall Festival, 6:00 - 8:30

Monday, October 31st - Manatee Craft Event 1:30 - 2:15

                                         Halloween Parade 2:40 - 3:10

Please do not send your child to school with costumes containing weapons, masks or inappropriate slogans.  Thank you.

Open House

PURDY ELEMENTARY OPEN HOUSE 

Tuesday, September 20, 6:30 - 7:30

Please come and join us in welcoming the new school year.

Come to the Manatee classroom for a personalized tour by  your child. 

Check out the Purdy Library for ipad demonstrations and

Purdy Panther apparel sales. 

 Sign up for your November Parent-Teacher

 conference in the commons.

Pierre the Penguin: News-Worthy Nonfiction

Our class has been reading Pierre the Penguin: A True Story, by Jean Marzollo.   It is about Pierre, a 25 years old African penguin, housed at California Science Academy, that was going bald.  This left him with an embarrassingly exposed, pale pink behind.  Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of blubber to keep them warm, penguins rely on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to plunge into the academy's penguin tank and ended up shivering on the sidelines while his 19 peers played in the water.  So a marine biologist developed a wet suit for him, which allowed him to swim again, and regain his normal activities.

Students are enamored with Pierre and his wesuit success.  They have been watching the Science Academy Penguin webcam during feeding time to observe them in their habitat.  You can also take a peek at the webcam here.  Feeding time is at 10:30 and 3:00 every day, and includes naration, which lasts for about 15 minutes.  The class also watched the following news brief video:  Pierre the Penguin and his Wetsuit.  Below is a photo of Pierre with his wetsuit, prior to the regrowth of his feathers .


Welcome to the Multiage Manatee Class!

Welcome back to the Blue Group (2nd Graders) and welcome to the Red Group (1st Graders)!  We are excited to be back at school!

The first six days of school have been focused on learning classroom procedures and rules.  The Golden Rule is our overarching philosophy in the classroom.  (Treat others as you want to be treated).  You may hear your child talk about the Golden Rule and how important it is in school and life.  We have read Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners, by Lauri Keller and Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. 
Blue Group students are currently partnering with Red Group students to create an ABC book about character and manners and how important they are to Multiage Manatees.

Thank you to those of you that have turned in the Student Information and Parent Volunteer Sign-Up forms. We appreciate your prompt attention to these valuable forms that help us get organized at the beginning of the year.  We will be posting our volunteer schedule and class directory very soon.

WATER BOTTLES!
Feel free to send water bottles in with your child to use at school.  We ask that the bottles be "easy-snap" closures to prevent spills.  The convenience of water bottles gives your child more opporunity to hydrate and avoid the long lines at our two water fountains. 


Our specialist schedule is in place, and ready to begin on Tuesday, September 13th.
(We will also send a hard copy of this schedule home on Thursday for your convenience.)
Monday - Art/Science         Our library day is Tuesday 1:35 - 2:15.
Tuesday - Music/Art
Wednesday -P.E./Music
Thursday - Science/P.E.
Friday - Science/Science

Blue = Blue Group (2nd Grade) Mrs. Perine
Red = Red Group (1st Grade) Mrs. Angus

Daily Schedule

9:00  Writing Prompt/Math Review
9:30  Big Group Carpet
945   Literacy Block (Daily 5)
11:10  Lunch
11:30  Recess
12:00  Read Aloud/Handwriting
12:50  Specialist
1:30  Writing
2:15 Recess
2:35  Math
3:15  Get Ready to Go Home

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. PerineA@psd401.net or 530-4642

AngusW@psd401.net or 530-4643