February 2018

Dear Parents,

      We enjoyed meeting many of our new parents at the Orientation meeting! If you weren’t able to attend the meeting and would like the PowerPoint presentation, please let us know. We’ll be happy to send it to you.

       Our 1^st grade Target students have had a great start! We have been working on building a Target community which includes recognizing individual strengths and weaknesses, listening to the input of others and taking shared responsibility for group activities. The students have really enjoyed learning about the life of DaVinci. They can certainly relate to his many interests as a Renaissance man. DaVinci will be coming home with your child sometime this semester. Instructions for the DaVinci journal will be included in the bag. If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an e-mail.

       Our fifth graders are working very hard on Inventure! Inventure is an annual STEM competition sponsored by Georgia Tech. We are entering the planning and creating phase of the engineering design process. Be on the lookout for information about our local competition on February 13^th, where you will have the opportunity to see your child’s project on display!

       4^th graders did an amazing job on their service learning project! We were so proud of them for ‘reaching beyond themselves’ to make over 50 lunches and warmth kits for people in need! Thank you so much for the support and donations. Our next unit will be Genius Hour. The students have begun their topic selection and initial research. Please be on the lookout for the Genius Hour letter and calendar coming home soon. Genius Hour is our focus for Spring semester in 4^th grade, so it is very important that they stay on track with deadlines to create a quality presentation. We can’t wait to see their creativity shine in their presentations!

       3^rd graders have had a great start to Mission Possible! They have learned the basics of programming and coding, so we’re ready to get our Reacon Rovers moving! We have arranged for the Cobb County Police Department to do a demonstration of their bomb-detecting robots. The students are so excited to see how the police use this highly sophisticated technology to improve public safety. 3^rd graders will also have an upcoming homework assignment to research and create a robot trading card. Be on the lookout for more information. 

      2^nd grade students are finishing Audrey Aims and will soon begin the cubism unit. The students have had so much fun following Audrey around the world! They have learned about fiber identification through microscopy and the solubility of adhesives, while also using their creative thinking skills to re-create famous works of art. We will continue the creative thinking during the Cubism unit as we study the life and works of Picasso. The underlying theme to the unit is ‘letting go of perfection’. Such an important lesson for all of us!

       Genius Hour presentations will be due in April and May. Letters and calendars with your child’s specific date for Genius Hour will be going home for 3^rd and 4^th grades soon. 1^st and 2^nd graders will be doing Genius Hour Jr. Their letters will go home at a later date.  

      As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

                     Thanks for your support,

                             Mrs. Parsons and Mrs. Sanders

January 2018

Dear Parents,

    We are excited to have new friends joining our Target classes! Our new parent orientation meeting will be Wednesday, January 10^th at 8:00am. Please attend if you are able. We’ll have some information about our program curriculum, routines and expectations to share with you. For now, new students need to bring 2 pocket folders and a composition book. 

    We’re also excited to have our old friends back after a long break. We are looking forward to continuing the fun and learning with our spring units.

     5^th grade will continue with Inventure, focusing on the latter stages of the engineering design process. We’re looking forward to putting our plans into action! Please be on the lookout for information about our local competition and needed supplies for prototypes.

     4^th graders will be wrapping up Survivor with a service learning project. Please be on the lookout for information about needed donations. After our service learning project, students will delve into Genius Hour. In 4^th grade, we focus on a comprehensive body of research and bringing our information to a wider audience. We are looking forward to selecting topics and starting our research. Looking ahead, we will be completing a STEM mini-unit at the end of the year involving bridge construction called “Bridging into 5th Grade”.

     3^rd grade students will be working on a programming and coding unit called Mission Possible. Students will learn programming and coding skills and apply their knowledge to program real robot. Our ReCon Rovers are charged up and ready to go!

     2^nd graders will be wrapping up our Audrey Aims: PBL unit for the next few weeks. After that, we will begin problem-based learning unit, Cubism. We will study art (mosaics) and art history (Cubism), while incorporating math-based lessons about perimeter and area. Students will also learn strategies to solve the Rubik’s cube! Students who have done this unit in the past have become OBSESSED with the cube, so we have plenty of 4^th grade experts to help.

     Our first graders are being introduced to one of the most notable geniuses in history – Leonardo da Vinci! Students are discovering the work, times and continuing impact of the ultimate Renaissance man. He may even make a special visit to your house! They will read, write, discuss, observe, draw, analyze and create as they learn how to be successful Target students!

   1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th graders will receive information on Genius Hour expectations soon.

   As always, please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns.

              Welcome back!

                  Mrs. Parsons and Mrs. Sanders