We’ve had a busy and exciting start as we settle into life in Room 206.

On the very first day, we joined Ms. Melissa’s and Ms. Anna’s classes for a “linking in” activity. Each student decorated several paper strips with things that described them—favorite activities, interests, and more. We then connected all the strips to create one long paper chain. It was such a fun way to get to know one another, spark creativity, and build connections across classrooms

We also began our class novel, When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller. This Newbery Medal winner beautifully blends Korean folklore with an uplifting quest about the power of stories and the bond between a girl and her grandmother. After just a few chapters, students are already hooked! As we read, we’re using sketchbooks to capture and illustrate our visualizations.

Our first Word of the Day was phenomenon. It’s such a rich word that we’ll keep returning to it throughout the year. Ask your student what phenomenon means to them. We collect our words directly from our read-aloud, and this novel is packed with great vocabulary.

In math, we jumped in with partner games and a review of perimeter. Students discussed real-world situations where knowing the perimeter is useful—like when decorating our classroom! We started our math block with Mr. Zafeiris, setting the stage for lots of great problem-solving ahead. We also started the Everyday Math program and students were excited to receive their math journals and are already showing great focus and engagement.

In science, we partnered with Ms. Anna’s class for the Lollipop Experiment as a fun review of the Scientific Method. Students observed their (organic!) lollipops, made hypotheses based on prior knowledge, and then tested them. Ask your student how their hypothesis turned out!

This week, Ms. Filisa visited each class to read The Magical Yet, as our Plato theme this year is The Power of Yet! After the reading, each student shared their own “Magical Yet,” which will be proudly displayed in the school lobby.

We’ll continue exploring Growth Mindset throughout the year. I also shared the book Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, which sparked lots of curiosity and thoughtful questions. We’ll revisit those ideas together next week!

Finally, we’re building our reading stamina. Reading at home is incredibly important—whether it’s a novel, magazine article, or anything else that sparks your child’s interest. The key is simply to read! Over the next few weeks, students will design their own reading logs to track progress and see how their stamina and engagement grow over time. These logs will be used both at home and in school.

We’ll be using Google Classroom again this year, and each student has their own Plato email address. A copy of this email/password is kept in their writer’s notebook for easy reference.

It’s been a wonderful start, and we’re excited for all the learning and discoveries ahead!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!