October 18th, 2010
Dear Parents,
This Thursday, October 21st is our Math Game Night from 6 to 7PM. There will be a short presentation to explain about the Math curriculum and then there will be time spent playing the games with your child(ren). There will be childcare provided for younger siblings. Please let us know if you are coming and how many so we can plan enough for everyone!
We will talk more about Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. The children sure do enjoy this story. We will act it out this week, another thing they love to do with the stories. There is no new Bible Verse this week so we can review and practice those we’ve already learned. We want to make sure they are good and “hidden in our hearts” for when we may need them.
This week we will learn about “Gg.” We’ll work on the hard sound “g” makes, as in “gum.” We also learn about the “g” sound as in “giant,” but will emphasize the hard sound first. We’ll play a math game with goldfish crackers, learn a poem about gum, thank God for many things, and work on geoboards in math. Don’t forget to send items that begin with a sound “g” makes for tomorrow. When practicing at home they should be able to recognize and write the letter, say the sound or sounds it makes, and think of things that begin or end with that sound. If your child finds this hard please practice a little each night.
How is October’s Book It going? Keep reading at home. Those times together with a book are very important. I hear about favorite books all the time! Every day when we read books together at school I model comprehension strategies; how I think about what I’m reading. I teach them to make connections with what they already know, with other books, and with the world around them. They love to make connections! We are blessed that way now and it is our privilege to help our children through many wonderful experiences. We’re also making predictions as to what will happen next. These are all things readers do when they read to understand! Please send in your Book It calendars by the end of next week for a prize.
We don’t emphasize Halloween at Zion, but we do enjoy God’s harvest season. If the children want to share their costume for Show and Tell this week or next, they can bring it to show us on their day. We will have Trunk or Treat next Sunday, Oct. 31st, here at the church, from 5 to 7 PM in the parking lot. You can come in costume, or without, to enjoy all the games, activities, and especially the candy! They’ll have a place to park and then a different area for the activities and trunks full of candy. Come join many others for a fun evening of fellowship! If you are planning on attending it would be appreciated if you could bring a bag of candy for each child you are bringing. Last year it was such a success we almost ran out of candy! These can be left in the church office any time.
Parent Teacher Conferences are coming soon on Nov. 11th & 12th. They take about 15 to 20 minutes. A form is in the folder for you to choose the day that works best for you. I’m looking forward to visiting with each of you. There will be a half day of school Thursday, Nov.11th , dismissing at 11:15am, and no school that Friday for these conferences.
We have been busy learning about plants in God’s World. We’ve talked about the parts of a plant and the life cycle of a plant. This week we will plant seeds and observe how they grow into a plant. We will also plant some and not give them either water or sunlight to show how living things need these to live.
The students brought home a packet with their Art to Remember in it. This packet includes ordering information, including a brochure, an order form and a preview magnet. The magnet is NOT FREE. You may choose to buy the magnet or it can be returned to the school with no obligation. Orders, including payment and your original artwork, should be brought to school by this Friday, October 22.
Hold on to those leaves you have been pressing in the phone books one more week. We’ll be using them to make a gift for our elderly friends and ourselves next week.
Thank you to everyone for returning their book buddies, library books and take-home folders so promptly! You are awesome! They are learning to be organized and responsible!

God’s blessings,
Natalie Graumann