Lincoln School Newsletter

In Technology class, the Kindergarten and 1st Grade students continue to learn all about dinosaurs. They are navigating the PBSKids Dinosaur Field Guide website to play fun games, learn facts about dinosaurs, and watch interesting videos. The 2nd Graders are working on math skills and games using mathgames.com. They enjoy helping the different characters to get through their activities by using their knowledge of math. The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Graders are working on state test preparation. There are many tools that are on the test, and we are working with them, to familiarize ourselves with the format of the upcoming tests.

¡Hola! Spanish students in the 6th Grade are working on sports and pronouns. The students are going to continue to write sentences with pronouns and sports to state what sports they practice and play, and what sports their classmates practice and play. The 5th Graders have the L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs) program until April 11, 2025, during Spanish class. The 4th Graders are working on imperative vocabulary. They are learning what different signs mean. Signs that are often seen, such as Stop-Pare, Exit-Salida, etc., will make them aware and prepared in case of an emergency, if and when they travel to a Spanish speaking country.

ALLERGY SEASON

As we enter allergy season, I want to take a moment to remind you of the importance of managing seasonal allergies to keep your child comfortable and healthy. With the rise in pollen levels, many children experience common symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes, congestion, and runny noses. These symptoms can interfere with their ability to focus and participate in school activities.

If your child has symptoms of seasonal allergies, now is an excellent time to start or continue allergy medications. Consistency is key—daily use during allergy season ensures the medications work effectively. This can help prevent your child from missing valuable classroom time and important instruction.

~Nurse Cobos

Happy April! This month in Speech, we have been using spring, bunny, bug, and chick themed activities to target our students' goals. Our Preschool and younger students have been using spring themed sensory bins to target using longer sentences, requesting objects, following directions, using correct pronouns, having conversations, describing, and taking turns. Our older students have been using books to work on reading comprehension, increasing vocabulary, problem solving, answering WH questions, sequencing, describing, and working on their speech sounds. Two books our students enjoyed reading this month were Too Many Carrots and We're Going on a Nature Hunt. We look forward to continuing to work on increasing our students' speech and language abilities!

In 6th Grade, the students have completed their argumentative writing unit! They learned how to express their opinions by providing valid reasons and explanations, and even included counterarguments and rebuttals. We are now shifting focus to reviewing test-taking strategies and strengthening reading comprehension skills to prepare for the upcoming assessments. In 3rd and 4th Grade, the students are wrapping up their informational writing unit. Each student has chosen a topic to write a report on, and we’ve added a creative twist by designing posters to go along with their reports. Alongside writing, we’ve continued our guided reading practice, answering comprehension questions, and working on word study skills, like suffixes and the doubling rule. In 1st and 2nd Grade, the students are continuing to learn new sounds and blends as they build their vocabulary and reading fluency. We’ve also been practicing opinion writing using prompts and sentence starters to help students express their thoughts clearly. Their growth is showing every day!

In 2nd Grade Math, the students have been working hard on adding with regrouping. They are using graph paper to help them with their organization. The students are continuing to practice word problems and they are beginning a unit on time and money. Our 3rd Graders are working hard on mastering all of their facts. They are working on fractions and making equal fractions using their fraction models, tiles, and drawings. The students are also working on comparing fractions using their symbols. The 4th Grade has been busy with fractions. They are learning how to compare and order, as well as breaking them down. They have used drawings, models, and number lines. The students have also learned how to add and subtract fractions with like denominators. In 5th Grade, the students are learning all operations of decimals. They have learned how to add, subtract, and multiply. Starting soon, they will work on division. The students are reviewing their rounding and estimating by using them to help solve problems with their fractions. Our 6th Graders are working on their ratio unit. They have learned how to read and write ratios as well as make equivalent ratios. The students are learning how to make ratio tables to compare ratios. They are using their IXL and Savvas to help with their lessons.

In PT and OT, we are ready for spring! We have been doing some fun Spring projects. We made umbrellas for April showers and chicks too! We have been practicing our writing and coloring skills and using the Smart Board for spring puzzles. In PT, we have been pretending to jump in puddles and plant carrots. We are working hard on our ball skills for throwing and catching. We can’t wait for spring to be in full swing!

We have been very busy in Enrichment and Gifted and Talented classes. The Kindergarten and First Grade students have been participating in Fairytale STEM. They heard Goldilocks and The Three Bears, adapted by Maya Alperin, and used this story to explore SEL and STEM activities. The Kindergarten students built Goldilocks her own chair, while the First Graders designed and built Goldilocks a bed of her own! Grade 2 students are working on an engineering unit. The students heard Rosie Revere Engineer and are learning and practicing using the Engineering Design Process. Grade 3 students continue building models of Tiny Houses! In the process, we are studying geometry, area, and perimeter. These houses are coming out so cool! Grade 4 students have completed making original learning board games and are now enjoying playing them. Grade 5 G&T students have been enjoying exploring the Strawbees building system and using them to design and build bridges and catapults. Finally, the Sixth Grade G&T students continue studying mythical creatures. They have created Google Slide presentations to teach about their chosen creatures. The students are now designing and building a model of their creature as well as a trap that will contain their creature without causing them any harm.

¡Hola familias!

Spring is in full swing, and we’ve been busy learning lots of exciting things in Spanish class! Our Kindergarten students are exploring las partes del cuerpo (body parts)! We’ve been singing songs, playing games like “Simón dice,” and practicing how to say things like la cabeza, los ojos, and las manos, through movement and art. The First Grade is diving into verbos en español! The students are learning action words such as correr (to run), saltar (to jump), and leer (to read). We’ve been using these verbs in short phrases and practicing how to act them out. The Second Grade is wrapping up our unit on important Latinx figures. We’ve learned about individuals who have made an impact in Spanish-speaking communities and beyond. To close out the unit, we’re learning about each figure’s nacionalidad and where they come from, connecting geography with identity in Spanish. Our Third Graders are finishing the unit on la merienda, exploring and comparing snacks commonly eaten in Spanish-speaking countries and the United States. We’ve discussed foods like arepas, pan dulce, and churros, and the students have been practicing describing what they see and taste using Spanish vocabulary.

¡Gracias y hasta pronto!

In Physical Education, we've been finishing up our basketball unit. We taught the older grades how to ball "Knock Out," and the younger grades to "Make it, Take it." They really enjoyed the competition aspect of the games. In Health, we are talking about drugs and refusal skills to help students say "No!" We did skits with the older grades, which they really enjoyed.

The students are continuing to work hard each day. They are focused on strengthening their reading skills, which include phonics and vocabulary. They are also working on mastering their addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts. Please continue to practice math facts each day to help increase speed and accuracy.