The Cooper School Daily

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Reading

The story of Thanksgiving tells of people facing hardship and the power of a helping hand. This week, Third Graders reacquainted themselves with this timeless tale through the nonfiction Fact Tracker of Magic Tree House called Pilgrims. Mary Pope Osborne does a wonderful job making this piece of American history accessible to students as well as comprehensive and factually accurate. This ties in perfectly with our current Reading and Writing units of nonfiction and allows students to add to their list of nonfiction text features, including little Jack and Annie popping up to give important facts.

Thanksgiving Writing

It is a Cooper School tradition to take some time out of our everyday writing and really focus on gratitude. Third Graders are familiar with this concept and are able to tap into their lives to think about what they are grateful for and why. Each day this week, students also thought about and wrote three things they were specifically grateful for that day. This was anything from a friend that helped them when they dropped their things on the floor, to being grateful for their parents for making them breakfast. Studies have shown that keeping a Gratitude Journal helps improve overall happiness and these Third Graders are on a roll. After brainstorming a list of things they are grateful for all year long, students chose just six to write out and add to their gratitude books. Look for these beautiful and thoughtful books at our annual Harvest Feast on Monday at 10:30am.

Parent Teacher Conferences

I would like to thank all of the parents for joining me this week for Parent/Teacher Conferences. This is a wonderful way to have a face-to-face with parents and connect about your student. This meeting gives me a chance to brag on all the wonderful things your students do each day and to hear about the stories that you hear at home. The home-school connection is important to the overall success of each child and I feel grateful to have all of you be a part of your child’s education.

Important Dates:

  • Monday, November 20th      Harvest Feast, 11:30 Dismissal
  • Tuesday, November 21st      Thanksgiving Break, No School
  • Monday, November 27th      School Resumes
  • Friday, December 8th            Concert at the Circular Church
  • Thursday, December 14th    Parent Coffee
  • Thursday, December 21st    Pajama Day, 11:30 Dismissal
  • Friday, December 22nd         Winter Break Begins