‘Tis the Season…

To be joyful!
Thank you, everyone for coming out to support Quest at the Rudolph the Reindeer Run! We had an incredible turn out and it was so nice to see all the smiling faces.

Teaching this week: Mrs. Alexander

Dates to Remember
Mon  Dec 3: Beginning the 3rd grade service project (more info below)
Tues Dec 4:
Wed  Dec 5: STEM Lab
Thurs Dec 6: Library (don’t forget library books!)
                     T-shirt tie-dying
Fri  Dec 7:  Dollar Dress Down for the Angel Tree
                    Early Out

Pet Food Drive
Each year, students at Quest complete at least two service projects. This project is very near and dear to me, as we are partnering with the Shepherd’s Bowl Community Kitchen. A need that we have identified at the Kitchen is for a variety of supplies to care for cats and dogs. We will be collecting supplies from now through Wednesday December 13th. Some suggestions for donations are:
– bags of dry dog/cat food (any size)
– collars or leashes
– pet treats
– warm blankets or pet beds
Additionally, a donation of pet food coupons has been made, so if it is more convenient to make a monetary donation please do so at the Q1 office. We will use any donations in conjunction with the donated coupons to purchase more pet food. Thank you, all, for your support of our project and for the less fortunate in our community.


Gift Ideas
We have noticed that some of the students are starting to need little things like 
*  Mechanical pencils (Size 9 Lead),
*  Box of 24 crayons (Our desks don’t have room for the larger boxes, and we will send them home)
*  Box of 12 colored pencils
*  Headphones (Some of the student’s headphones have broken, they have not withstood being dropped well).
Please check with your student and see if they are in need of any of these things.

Grinch-y Days
The holiday season is a joyful and exciting time, and we feel so thankful to be able to share these days with our students. We would like to place extra emphasis on positive behaviors we see. Using Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, where the Grinch’s heart grows 3 sizes, we will be awarding hearts to students for showing exceptional Responsibility, Kindness, and Respect. Students are challenged to earn 3 hearts from now through December 14th. Each heart earned will be placed on the Grinch outside of our classroom.  We will also use this activity as a transition into our spring semester classroom management program. After the winter break, our classroom will continue to focus on the positive behaviors students exhibit. Students will earn tickets throughout the week, then redeem the tickets for classroom store currency.

Reading
Weekly Focus: Leadership
This week’s essential question: How can one person change the way you think?
Shared Reading: Jane’s Discovery
Literature Anthology: Finding Lincoln

This week, our comprehension strategy is Visualizing and our skill is Cause and Effect. 
Our spelling words will focus on r-controlled vowels.

Math
Last week, we began multiplication by learning the foundational strategies. This week, we will continue with multiplication by applying the strategies to solve multiplication problems. We will also begin the 1 minute challenges of Multiplication Madness. Review and reassessment will continue for those who have not reached Mastery on perimeter and/or multiplication strategies.
We have completed our pilot period for PathBlazer Math. This week, we will be starting our new pilot in a program the kids are familiar with. From now, through the next several weeks, we will be using Front Row Ed as our independent, differentiated program.

Homework
At least 20 minutes of reading every day! Comprehension and overall academic success is linked to the amount of time a child spends reading. Prodigy is updated with our current objectives. Please dedicate at least 15 minutes of battle time at least 3 nights this week.

Work hard. Be kind.