Wishing you all happy holidays and a wonderful break!

Here are a few moments of our festive two days we had this week!  Thank you all for your generosity and the gratitude you have shown me these past couple of weeks! ❤

                                                               Happy Winter!

Why did the lizard bring a blanket to school? 🦎  Because it was a little cold-blooded!  This week, our Kindergarteners explored the world of scaly reptiles! We learned interesting reptile facts through books and continued practicing our sketching skills by creating detailed diagrams of a reptile of choice.

Toward the end of the week, we began discussing amphibians. So far, students know that reptiles have dry, scaly skin, while amphibians tend to have smooth, slimy skin—and that both groups are cold-blooded. We also learned that amphibians belong to three main groups: frogs and Toads, salamanders, and caecilians.

ECO was a blast this week! Students played another Predator vs. Prey game and had a lot of fun building animal habitats, which quickly evolved into building the largest snowball. We were glad to enjoy the sticky snow before it melted!

We ended the week with a beautiful whole-school sing-along. 🎶❄️ We look forward to two days this week filled with festive activities!

A note from Art:

To celebrate and wrap up their clay unit, the kindergarteners will be having a tea party in art class on Monday with Mrs. Aucter. They are excited to use the teacups and saucers they created!  Mrs. Aucter will be serving lukewarm Bigelow Mint Medley tea with a small amount of sugar. If you would prefer that your child drink water instead, please contact Mrs. Aucter at kim.aucter@mmuusd.org.

Buddy, Birds, & Measurement!

 Hello,

This week was full of snow flurries and fun! ☃❄❅

Students have been busy learning all about birds, revisiting life cycles, and on Friday, we slithered into our new unit on reptiles. Ask your child how birds are different from mammals! (They have feathers, wings, lay eggs, have beaks, and no teeth.) Then ask how they are the same! (Both are warm-blooded and have vertebrae—also called backbones.)

One of the highlights of the week was creating adorable owls while learning fun and fascinating facts about them. Each owl was unique and beautifully made, with lots of creative textures!

In math, our young mathematicians have been measuring up a storm! We measured our feet and compared them with our classmates’ feet, then measured classroom objects and strips of tape using cubes and popsicle sticks.

*Thank you so much for helping out with leaving toys at home these last couple of days!

Mammals & Habitats

 Q: Why don't leopards play hide and seek?

A: Because they're always spotted!

Q: How do you stop an elephant from charging?

A: Take away their credit card!

Q: What time is it when a lion walks into a room?

A: Time to leave!

These jokes sum up the excitement we had this week! Our days were filled with learning about mammals, herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. Ask your student: What makes a mammal? (They have fur or hair, give birth to live young—not eggs, unless you're a platypus—nurse their babies, and are warm-blooded!)

Kindergartners also had fun playing a predator-prey game where, if they were the moth, they had to avoid being caught by a bat. (And can you guess which one is not a mammal?)

Kindergarteners also finished their research project on their VT animal, complete with a clay model and a handmade habitat. They were all so engaged in this creative build. My apologies in advance for any sticky glue that may not have fully dried—and for the moss that might crumble!

    Dates to remember!

• December 1 - December 17: UCS Food & Gift Card Drive

• December 10: Student 2hr Early Release/Staff PD Day

• December 12: UCS PTO Kids Day Out (4:00 - 7:30p)

• December 24 - January 2 Vacation