Hello Temescalian families,
It’s such a delight to be spending these days with your joyful, engaged children! Moving into a new year brings with it so much energy and opportunity! We’ve been have big discussions around the current LA fires, climate change, and what is the greenhouse effect and what is contributing to rising temperatures. Easing back into the flow of writing, our Temescalian writers spent time thinking about their new year’s goals and writing reflections in choosing their Word of the Year. A Word of the Year is different for everyone. It is a word that is chosen as a point of focus during the year. It’s different than a resolution in that it’s not as specific and can be applied to daily life in a broader fashion. Feel free to ask your student these reflection questions:
What feeling do you want to experience most next year?
What is your word of the year? How will your word of the year motivate you?
What are some of your goals for next year?
We also started Typing Club in class! If Temescalians would like to practice typing at home, they need to log into the class account via this web address: tbstyping.typingclub.com
When you first log into the program, you’ll need to click on “Log in with Google”. You may need to log into google using your Temescalian’s email and password.
Email: your child’s first name + first two letters of their last name + 2030 @theberkeleyschool.org
For example, if your child’s name was Aly Catolico, their email address would be alyca2030@theberkeleyschool.org
Password: grad2030
If your Temescalian would like to practice typing at home, please encourage them to keep their fingers on the home row and keep their eyes on the screen. (The screen has the outline of fingers on a keyboard that will indicate which finger they should be using to press the correct letters.)
In the Temescal class, we’ve had the joy of connecting with 6th graders and supporting them in their Cardboard Arcade projects. Throughout the building process, Temescalians have served as their go-to advisors, providing valuable feedback on ways to improve their designs and create games that kids would truly enjoy.
In our Number Corner, students continue to develop their understanding of fractions on our calendar. This month’s calendar feature fractions represented as parts of a whole rectangle, square, hexagon, or circle. In their search for patterns, Temescalians are making observations about equivalent fractions and compare different fractions of the same whole. Each fraction is represented in a variety of ways so that students have the opportunity to recognize equivalent fractions, for example 1/4 = 2/8. The color pattern supports the repeating fraction, so that every market that depicts 1/2 is also green. See our calendar below!
Lastly, on Monday, January 20th, TBS will observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day with our annual MLK Jr. Day of Service, turning it into a “day on” for volunteering and giving back. Here’s how you can participate:
Volunteer: Sign up to help local East Bay non-profits via our volunteering sign-up sheet.
Donate: Drop off essential supplies at the UAC for our donation drive to support vulnerable communities. Families can drop off new or gently-used items from this list of requested items.
Spread Kindness: Join us at the UAC to write notes of care for seniors and others in need.
Mark your calendars and join us in honoring Dr. King’s legacy through community service!
In partnership,
Aly