This weekly classroom newsletter from Ms. Sinicropi provides highlights from the past week and homework assignments for the upcoming week. The past week's lessons focused on phonics like long vowel rules, compound words, and alphabetical order. In reading, the class began a new unit called "By the Sea" and read stories about the ocean. Writing lessons covered writing poems. Math lessons measured with non-standard units and included pictographs, tangrams, and number lines. Upcoming homework includes practicing math skills like counting and measuring as well as returning signed forms for upcoming events like a parade and Mother's Day lunch.

1. Crossroads Charter
Academy
Big Rapids, MI
April 18, 2011
Ms. Sinicropi’s Classroom News
This Week’s Highlights Homework
Phonics  Monday – Play the card game of war to practice
We will learn about the long vowel rule that when comparing numbers.
a vowel is NOT followed by a consonant it is
 Tuesday – Practice writing the sounds heard
going to be long and say its name as in words like
flu and hi. We will continue to work on when spelling. Dictate a sentence, word, or have
compound words, alphabetical order, adding your child write a story.
sounds to make words, and hearing the sounds  Wednesday – Practice measuring things with
that make up words. non-standard units. For example, measure a
Reading pencil with paperclips.
We will begin a new unit called By the Sea with a  Thursday – Practice counting to 130 or higher and
read-a-loud called A Walk by the Seashore. This is writing name with only first letter capitalized and
a great unit to discuss our five senses! We will the rest lowercase.
also read the story called Ocean and work on the  Friday – No School! It wouldn’t hurt to practice
comprehension skill of comparing and
counting pennies, nickels, and dimes over the
contrasting.
weekend. We have just started putting all three
Writing coins together to practice the switch of counting
We will continue to work on writing poems. We from 10’s to 5’s and then by 1’s. Practice
will learn how to find the right ingredients for our identifying and counting quarters to one dollar
poems and how to hear the music in them.
also.
Math
We will learn how to measure using non-standard - If you notice your child having difficulty with
units and continue to work on the concepts of any of these activities, please keep practicing
pictographs, tangrams, and number lines. them at home. It will help them greatly in
Science/Social Studies mastering that skill quicker.
We will we learning and celebrating how to take
Special Notes Upcoming Events
Sign & Return Forms
There have been a lot of notes being sent home on
 April 18 & 19 – Talent Show Tryouts 3:30pm
many of the things we have taking place in April
and May. Make sure you are keeping track of  April 22 – Good Friday/No School
them and returning what is needed. Here is a list
to help!  April 28 – Big Rapids Children’s Parade
- parade permission slip Family Fitness Night 6-7:30pm
- cap & gown form with payment
- Mother’s Day Lunch on the Lawn RSVP  April 29 – Out-of-Uniform Day $1
- conference time request sheet