Happy New Year, 2023!

Wishing the best of luck in 2023 to all families. We will begin the last unit of the second quarter: Winter. The students will explore winter weather, clothes, and animals through story books, arts, and learning activities.

Important Dates & Reminders

• January 16^th: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday/ Holiday
• Jan 25^th: End of the 2^nd Q/ AM class 1hr early release/ No PM class
• Jan 26^th and 27^th: Student holidays/Professional workdays
• February 20^th: President’s day/ Holiday

What We Are Learning

Themes

Seasonal Change: Winter

Outcomes (may vary by classroom)

What students will learn:

• Our lives are affected by the changing weather conditions.
• Weather affects daily routines, clothes, and activities.
• Weather impacts animals’ lives

Language Arts:

• Demonstrate an awareness of common signs and logos
• Begin to distinguish between print and pictures
• Follow the words with a finger to read left to right and top to bottom with assistance

Numeracy:

• Count forward orally by 1 - 20
• Identify the number after, when given a set of 10 or fewer objects

Social Studies:

• Begin to recognize there are different seasons

Science

• Investigate that natural and human-made things may change over time

Learning Activities for Home

• Daily reading 10 mins/ draw a picture with caregivers
• Winter clothes scavenger hunt: hide winter gear and clothes around the house and let your child hind them
• Matching winter gear with the correct body parts and wearing them properly (e.g., hat-head/ mittens-hands/ boots-feet)
• Math practice- count 1-20 orally, count a group of objects (less than 10), and find the number after (ask your child, “what number comes next?”
• Self-help and –advocacy
• I can wear my shoes and zip up my jacket. I can ask for help and explain what I need with “Can I __?”.​​​​​​​

Shared Reading

• Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
• The Mitten by Jan Brett
• The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll
• Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• Bear Snores On by Jack Tickle
• Sleep, Black Bear, Sleep by Jane Yolen
• Clothesline Clues the Jobs People Do by Katheryn Heling​​​​​​​

Health and Safety

• Keep your child home when h/she has a fever, constant coughing, is exposed to COVID-19, is asymptomatic, or has any other sickness: Fever equal to/ greater than 100.4 F/ Vomiting/ Diarrhea
• New symptoms: lost taste, shortness of breath, fatigue, feverish and chill, etc.

Winter Weather

• FCPS Winter Weather Decisions
• In the case of an emergency for a weather-related closing, delay, or early dismissal, the FCPS website will automatically include an alert at the top of each page with the appropriate information.

Transportation

• If a student’s bus is delayed, contact the Transportation Office at 703-446-2150.
• For any concerns after hours (after 5:30 p.m.), contact Safety and Security at 571-423-2000.