Reading Workshop
Our young readers have delved deep into the work of Ezra Jack Keats. We have made lots of discoveries along the way, including that his characters grow and age from picture book to picture book in noticeable ways! We don’t know many other authors who do that in picture books! Also, we discovered that he loves to use mixed media to create illustrations. As we explore more and more of his books, we love them more and more.

Swimming Lessons
This week marked the second of four swim lessons for the First Graders. They are an impressive bunch of swimmers! This week, with our two lifeguard instructors, we practiced floating and kicking on our backs, kicking hard with our legs and feet, and being comfortable with our heads underwater. For obvious reasons, this is a big highlight of our week.

Leadership
We started a great conversation about leaders and leadership this week at TCS. We started by discussing what leaders do and by making a word cloud about how to identify a good leader. Students generated phrases like “role model,”“does the right thing,”and “cooperates with others.” Then we brainstormed a list of people who were leaders to us. The list was fascinating. Students identified peers, teachers, parents, movie and book characters, and presidents of the United States going all the way back to George Washington! It was the perfect way to start an ongoing conversation about what it means to be a leader in our community.

Important Dates
•   Tuesday, May 2 – Parent Coffee, TCS Backyard, 8:00am
•   Wednesday, May 3 – 1st Grade Field Trip to Storm Team 2!
•   Friday, May 5 – Grandparents Day, 9:00am-11:00am
•   Friday, May 5 – Pass It On, Charleston Museum, 5:00pm
•   Sunday, May 7 – TCS Family Picnic, Magnolia Plantation, 3:30pm-5:00pm