A New Semester

Dear Parents,
I hope everyone is having a good week. Well, we've finally started studying the new material for this year; because the new work is more difficult than last year, I hope all the kids can come to school on time so they don't fall behind in their studies.
This week we started our new math, reading and phonics books. So far all the kids have been off to a good start....
In math class we've been doing review of writing numbers, counting and patterns. So far the work has been pretty easy for the kids, but I'm sure it will increase in difficulty once we start the new material. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated about how all the students are doing.
In phonics class we also started the new text book. Like math, phonics has so far been review. We'll been reviewing beginning, middle and ending phonic sounds.
In reading class we read the new stories "Day by Day", "Nap, Cat", and finally " Max the Cat". "Max the Cat" is a great short story about a girl named Pam who has a bad cat named Max that likes to sit on her cap and mat....I think the kids really enjoyed reading the story.

Aston has been making progress. He's done very well counting, as well as with his addition and subtraction. One area I hope he can improve on however, is his concentration. This years course work is very difficult, and I worry that if he doesn't pay attention during class, he might fall behind.
Devon has made great progress with his reading. He's been very eager recently to read in class and I think it's great that he's showing a greater interest in reading! However, like Aston, I worry that his lack of concentration might start hindering his learning. Hopefully as the semester goes on he will be able to pay attention a little more....
It's great to have both
Kyle and Serena are back in class. We missed the two of you last month. Welcome back!!!
Claire has done well this week. She's picked up right where she left off last semester and continues to make progress in her studies. Her math and reading are coming along nicely and she should make tremendous progress in the coming months.
Albert has fallen a little behind this week. I've tried to find extra time to allow him to make up the work he's missed, but I worry that the work load might get too heavy for him. So far the classwork has been review of material we covered last year, however in the coming weeks we will begin studying new material that will be more challenging for the kids.
Bonnie is doing really well. She really excels in math. She knows her numbers, as well as addition and subtraction. Keep up the good work Bonnie!
Irene should do well this year. She isn't as quiet as she used to be, she's been talking much more in class and I think she should make a lot of progress real soon!
Tricia has done well this week. She's only been in class a short while but she seems to be doing well.
Benson also seems to be doing well. He was a little shy and sad yesterday (Wednesday) but he warmed up and started to enjoy himself. He should do well....it might just take a while for him to feel comfortable. I'm sure he is going through a very stressful time now with a new elementary school and a new bu xi ban.
And last but not least...Phil...Phil is still very quiet. I don't think he knows a lot of English yet, but I'm sure in the next few weeks, as he's exposed to more and more, we will begin to see him improve.