Daily Update:
Another frigid morning gave us another indoor start, but we held out hope for warmer afternoon temps so we could head outside! Today’s spelling word was “illumination,” which we managed to spell correctly—thanks to a Minion clip giving us the idea. Our Show, Not Tell prompt was “She was a bad loser,” though it seems most of us are pretty good losers, so it was a challenge to demonstrate that concept. After finishing our Heggerty Listening games and reading maze, we tackled a UFLI lesson on syllables with the SmartBoard, markers, and whiteboard paddles. We also squeezed in some Read to Self time before heading off to make and deliver popcorn to the other classes. We just love sharing kindness!

After Recess:
The Grade 1 & 2 students practiced skip counting by 2s. Since recess was indoors, we went to the gym to skip-count our basketball shots up to 20. I suspect some of the timers were suspiciously slow in stopping the clock, but we had fun anyway! We discussed how samples can help us estimate, completed a worksheet, and wrapped up with an online quiz on single-digit sums. Meanwhile, the Grade 3s worked on explaining the “using doubles strategy” for adding two-digit numbers, explored other mental math techniques, and got some DreamBox time.

After Lunch:
Hooray, we finally made it outside! A bit of fresh air and some time to run around did wonders for our energy levels. Coming back in, we found paints, brushes, and canvases set up for our Hot Air Balloon Collage. After a quick tutorial, we painted in layers and mixed our colors. We then paused to head to PE, hoping the paint would be dry by the time we returned.

PE:
In PE, we focused on basketball drills and then moved into a short scrimmage, getting everyone involved in the action.

End of Day:
Following PE, we skipped our Book of Gratitude again to continue working on our balloon paintings. Once we checked our morning work and signed our Home to School books, some students enjoyed free choice time before we packed up and headed home.

Picture of the Day:
The concentration is real when it’s time to paint—everyone was laser-focused!