Hello Temescal Families,
We had a busy short week, packed with learning and fun. Here’s an overview of what we have been filling our days with:
Three of our very own Temescalians were the first to speak at our all-school Assembly. They stood proudly in front of the entire school and welcomed everyone with these words: “Indigenous Peoples’ Day recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. And it urges Americans to rethink history. This day is set aside to help raise awareness of the rich history, culture, and traditions of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.”
Thank you to our brave classmates!
We started spelling work this week. Over the next few weeks, students will practice various spelling tasks and activities, all of which will reinforce their understanding of English spelling patterns.
We’ve read several books this week as part of our cultural studies curriculum. Students are making ‘text-to-self’ connections and noting similarities and differences in the books to the world around them Click through the links to get a full description of each book.
Go Show the World, written by Wab Kinew, illustrated by Joe Morse, pays tribute to many Indigenous heroes and leaders of North America.
The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, written by Dana Alison Levy, is a comedic and realistic portrayal of an American family with two dads and four ethnically diverse adopted boys.
Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel, by Anthony D. Robles, illustrated by Carl Angel, translated by Eloisa D. de Jesús, had students enthralled with the story of Lakas, a young Filipino American boy who fought to stop a landlord from selling a building where his friends lived.
Math this week consisted of many different activities and lessons: Students played ‘Close to 100,’ a card game that reinforces double-digit addition and problem-solving, Dreambox, ‘Skunk’, ‘Make 20,’ and practiced multiplication facts by finding the area of individual shapes.
As we move into our second unit of Bridges math, we will further our exploration of multiplication!
Continuing with our study of plants, we learned about Photosynthesis. Ask your kiddos which part they played in the Photosynthesis skit. We’re pretty sure this was a highlight for our week.
We rounded out the short week with Choice Time. The activities included: A game of ‘Heads Up 7 Up,’ a Kapla block tower taller than Emily, drawing cars and comics, a creative banner, friendship bracelets, cute animal drawings, and a Pokemon town. All of which was jammed into 45 minutes of Friday afternoon fun.
Upcoming Events:
Family and Friends Reading: Friday, October 25th, 8:45-9:15
Pumpkin Carving: Please send your student with a medium-sized pumpkin by Monday, October 28th! We will start scooping on the 29th and carve on the 30th. The more adult help, the better! Room coordinators will be arranging volunteers.
Halloween Parade and activities in the classroom on October 31st: The parade is from 8:45-9:15. Room coordinators will be recruiting volunteers to help during this special day.
Friday, November 1st: Field Trip to Luna Mexicana performance at the Paramount Theater in Oakland. We will be taking BART and have four extra tickets for chaperones. We will leave school at 8:40 and return for lunch.
As always, reach out with any questions.
In community,
Emily and Jackie
