South Side Sentinel

This has been an unusually warm winter and is one for the record books, daily. We start out really cold in the morning, but by 2:00 recess coats are off and warmth is upon us. Please remind your kiddo's to keep track of their coats, many are found outside in the evening or over the weekend.

Looking forward, we have a lot of work ahead of us. Second grade has really been pushing students to know their math facts to 20, they have been adding and subtracting with borrowing. This becomes a challenge when students still do not know their doubles, doubles +1 or even 10 facts. A fun way to practice at home is by playing addition or subtraction war with a deck of cards.

It's now time to break out the challenging pieces heading into spring.

Third grade will start focusing on WYTOPP testing, they will take practice tests called modulars. These give students a chance to experience the platform, the way questions are worded and expectations. As third grade has moved through the year, standards have been covered for the questions, but we often find the wording is different from a daily conversation.

Please be sure to check your student's red folder every night it comes home for notes from teachers, spelling lists and work to see what they have been doing.

Please note the following pieces we are working on here at South Side:

Third Quarter Character Traits: Attitude

It's important students learn to focus on positive attitudes. Many of our kiddo's emit the "I can't do this" attitude. They may not know right now, but they can do hard things and will be successful when they try. We celebrate when students try to lift up others and persevere through the hard times.

There is a lot to do every night, teachers understand busy family schedules. Please make sure there is down time for your kids, allow them to quietly read and study their spelling words and get to bed at a reasonable time. They are growing and eating a lot!