CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS
Upcoming Dates & Annoucements:
- February 6th: 11:30 Dismissal, winter long weekend begins
- February 9th-10th: No School
- February 11th: Class Resume
- February 13th – Classroom Party! Children are welcome to make their own boxes and bring them in, as well as valentines for all 25 classmates! We love love! We are attaching a link to sign up for Valentines party items!
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d7gT-A3IzW2HG9SIOZt2ucb0toFjuY-i5U_IaOLtU_I/edit?usp=sharing
- Several of our WCDS families will be traveling to Chile with FC Wheeling Soccer over spring break, including Miss Meredith and Mrs Fuentes, and will have the opportunity to visit a local school while they are there. As our students are learning Spanish as a foreign language, we are excited about the chance to support children in Chile who are learning English. If you have any bilingual English/Spanish children’s books at home that you would be willing to donate, they will be shared with the school as a way to support their English language learning. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library books are often bilingual and are a wonderful option to donate! Thank you for helping us share language, learning, and kindness beyond our classroom. Muchas gracias!
This week in our classroom was filled with love, laughter, and a little winter magic! Our room has been transformed into a sea of red, pink, and white as we excitedly prepare for Valentine’s Day. The children have been buzzing with anticipation, and their kindness toward one another has made our classroom feel extra warm despite the chilly temperatures outside.
We bundled up, zipped our coats, and bravely headed out into the cold for a sled ride—lots of rosy cheeks and giggles included! On Monday, we celebrated Groundhog Day and learned that the groundhog saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. To mark the occasion, we read Groundhog’s Dilemma by Kristen Remenar. In this charming story, Groundhog worries about disappointing his friends when he sees his shadow and must announce more winter. Along the way, he learns an important lesson about honesty, friendship, and doing the right thing even when it is difficult. Inspired by the story, we explored shadows ourselves! With flashlights in hand, students cast shadows onto paper and carefully traced what they observed. We even brought out an old-school projector so students could draw giant shadows on the wall—an experience that felt nothing short of magical.
In Social Emotional Learning, we talked about “tasting your words.” Students discovered that unkind words can taste like rotten eggs or burnt rubber, while kind words are as sweet as icing or candy. To bring this lesson to life, we played BeanBoozled, and let’s just say there were some very memorable reactions. Bodhi summed it up perfectly: “My face was turning green the entire time!” Through laughter, students gained a deeper understanding of how their words affect others.
TASTE YOUR WORDS:
On Wednesday, we read Ice Boy by David Ezra Stein, a gentle and imaginative story about a boy made entirely of ice who longs for friendship and connection. As he begins to melt, he discovers warmth not just from the sun, but from companionship—beautifully showing students the importance of belonging and caring for one another. This story launched our exploration of the water cycle. Students rotated through hands-on stations to investigate solids, liquids, and gases. At the liquid station, they filled bags with water and hung them around the classroom to observe where evaporation happens fastest. The solid station invited students to paint snow, combining creativity with science. At the discovery station, students tested which materials absorb water—does foil soak it up like a paper towel? Young scientists were hard at work making predictions and observations!
Thursday brought even more Valentine excitement as we read The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond, a sweet story about spreading love through thoughtful, handmade valentines. Students created large, sparkling hearts with paint and glitter that will be used when delivering letters to classmates. Their creativity truly shined, and they are counting down the days to share these special messages.
In math, we have been building strong number sense by practicing math facts to 10 using our fingers (or “math gloves!”). Students are learning to recognize quantities on their hands and some are even beginning to decompose numbers into smaller parts—big thinking for little mathematicians! We also had a blast with “Super Bowl Math.” Students divided into teams—the Seahawks and the Patriots—painted their faces, and competed to solve addition equations. Each correct answer moved their football down the field. The Patriots took the win… but we will have to see if that prediction holds true this Sunday!
Our phonics learning continues to soar. Their enthusiasm for phonics is remarkable; their little minds are craving these skills, and it is exciting to watch their confidence as readers grow each day.
Miss Hanna’s group learned s-blends and are confidently reading and spelling words with these tricky combinations.
Miss Arden’s group practiced am and an (the “whiny a”) and were introduced to a new red word. Red word books were sent home in backpacks and will travel back and forth each week for practice—just a few minutes a night makes a big difference!
Miss Lori’s students learned their last vowel which was ‘u’ and are nearly through the entire alphabet.
Enjoy your winter long weekend!
See you Wednesday!
Hanna and Arden
DAILY DISCOVERY
SHADOW DISOVERY
MATH:
HOMEMADE VALENTINES:
WATER CYCLE EXPLORATIONS:
SNOW MUCH FUN:
