# data[].attributes.body
I was thrilled with the president projects the students put together and presented last week. Here is just a glimpse at a few of the highlights.

*Please forgive the poor quality of the photography, unfortunately the camera on my phone has shattered and remains in dire need of repair!

# data[].attributes.body
The Bears class has a very special group of visitors last Friday, thanks to the generous efforts of Sam and his mom, Maleana White (Fonoimoana). Maleana runs an adult therapy farm for people suffering from PTSD anxiety, depression and similar conditions.

After the experience our class shared with the five baby goats she brought in to meet us, I can attest to the efficacy of such an endeavor! Each and every one of our 20 Bears was visibly uplifted in some respect following our time with these goats, myself included.

Her Instagram is @healing_with_the_homies, be sure to check it out!

And a BIG thank you for your visit @healing_with_the_homies❤️!

# data[].attributes.body
Dear Families,

Greetings! Let's jump right in.

The students really gave me their best today, impressively pushing through and mastering several math concepts. As we continued Chapter 9, both classes completed three lessons just today, (lessons 9.5, 9.6, and 9.7.) Tonight's homework is the My H.W. pages from each of these three lessons, you can find them on pp 641-642, pp 649-650 and pp 655-656 of the math book.

Over the next few days we will be doing the chapter's lessons 8-12, which puts us at Lesson 13 by Monday of next week. I anticipate that the students will be ready to take the chapter test by Wednesday.

This week's homework accompanies each of these lessons and can be found on the following pages in the math book, pp. 661-662, 667-668, 681-682 and 687-688. I have also attached copies of these math pages to this newsletter, click on the attachment below to print copies at home. (All images contained in this newsletter are clickable and will direct to the file or website.)

ELA Unit 5 is coming to an end this week, with our unit test scheduled for Friday. Until then, we will continue to to focus on literary elements of character, theme, making connections and main idea with supporting details. We will also be reviewing punctuation concepts including apostrophes and possessive nouns and adjectives, using proper capitalization and adverbs.

Your student is responsible for reading a book for independent reading by Friday, previously selected from the accompanying curricular books. Please be advised, many of the students have already finished their independent reading, as I have provided reading time in class, so you will likely not see this come home as homework.

On a related note, the kids continue working in teams to produce their plays.  This collaborative effort is a multi-level project that is best accomplished by taking it one step and one day at a time. Because we have such a rigid schedule in the DLI program, practice time in-class is extremely limited, and the effort must take a backseat to the other curricular requirements.

Nevertheless this assignment is something that 90% of the students relish, while the remaining 10% stand to benefit the most. Therefore, whatever the students can accomplishment at home will help our progress tremendously. If possible, please encourage your student to try to have his or her lines memorized by this Friday, (however a good effort is all I ask at this juncture.) Stay tuned for more detail on these plays, including when, where and for whom we will be performing.

Last Friday I discovered a stack of homework folders that the previous teacher had left behind. Not only are these folders brand new and PERFECT for transporting homework between school and home, they are even Renaissance Academy-branded! In other words, this was like second Christmas for teacher, and subsequently your student now boasts a brand new homework folder. If and when I send important letters, permission slips or documents to parents, I will do so using this folder. You will also find your student's unfinished work and/or homework pages inside this folder... (hopefully;).

Now that the majority of our students have been approved to begin using their new email accounts, we will be diving into and exploring a myriad of new programs and resources over the next few weeks. Such programs include Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Slides, Flocabulary, EPIC Reading, Readworks, CS Google, Nearpod, Typing Club and maybe even education.minecraft.net.

The majority of these programs can also be used at home, so I will be providing links and instructions to parents for the purpose of initiating home access, if interested. You will soon be able to visit the RESOURCES page of our class website to find that information, I am very close to completing the site and it will likely go live before the weekend.

Stay tuned!

Two more items on our class to-do list: creating an online journal via Google Docs, and creating a "Play of the Week" file for each student to self-reflect on a personal accomplishment or "win" at the end of each week.

I will select the best of these feats and feature any media and the reflection story in the weekly newsletter.

Additionally, this effort will provide kids an opportunity to create a live digital record of their best works in elementary school/middle school and even high school, should your student choose to keep it up in the future. This online portfolio can be accessed anytime, perhaps even for college application purposes in a few short years.

In last week's newsletter I provided instruction on logging your student into Epic!, this week I want to provide you with a little more detail on the program, and I have a special offer for those families interested in continuing with Epic beyond the next 30 days.

Epic is an award-winning digital library that will help foster your child’s love of reading and self-directed learning.

Studies show that a home library significantly improves a child’s academic success during the school year and beyond. Kids on Epic! get instant, unlimited access to an incredible selection of 35,000 books, learning videos, and more, all personalized for your child’s evolving reading level and interests (from animals and DIY to STEM & more). You can access Epic! on your smartphone, iPad or computer — so kids can read and learn anytime, anywhere.

Epic! is offering an exclusive 25% OFF discount to families in our classroom, available for a limited time only when you sign up at www.getepic.com/teacheroffer. You’ll be given a FREE 30-day trial and instant, unlimited access to the Epic! library. If you decide to continue using Epic! after 30 days, the exclusive teacher offer price $5.99 per month, instead of the usual $7.99/month.

Sign up at www.getepic.com/teacheroffer to encourage your child’s love of reading and learning, and get immediate access to 35,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more!

Field Trip to Capitol: We are still in need of one parent to help us with the field trip on 03/10/20. If you would like to come with us for this half day field trip, please sign up here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hYKDmouFBfkJuPcIs5rHqM4lKSQQKbr6fegXuV8ckPc/edit.

Thank you so much for all your ongoing support and participation!!

Cheers,
(Miss) Jessica Benson

# data[].attributes.body
If you would like to contribute to our classroom this week, we are completely out of several high-necessity items. If you can donate any of the following items to our classroom, I would be very grateful! Thank you!

LAMINATING SHEETS🚨
CLOROX WIPES
PAPER TOWELS
WHITEBOARD CLEANER OR WINDEX
TREATS/CANDY/FRUIT SNACKS for REWARDS
HIGHLIGHTERS