Classroom Parent Newsletter Composer

Dear Curious Cubs Families, November has arrived, and I'm continually impressed by how this class shows up for each other every day. I watched Sofia confidently teach a math game to a kindergarten class last week, and it reminded me that teaching is one of the best ways to deepen understanding. This month in math, we're building multiplication and division understanding through equal groups and arrays. Your child is learning to see multiplication not just as memorizing facts but as a way of organizing equal quantities — a concept that connects to everything from cooking to building. In reading, we're tackling nonfiction: finding the main idea and supporting details. Ask your child: 'What's the most interesting fact you learned from your reading this week?' In writing, our opinion unit is in full swing. Students are learning to state a claim and back it up with reasons and evidence — a skill that showed real power when the class wrote persuasive letters raising $85 for the local animal shelter. Celebrations: Sofia led a math game tutorial for a younger class with patience and clarity. Marcus finished his first chapter book independently — ask him about it! And the whole class should be proud of their animal shelter fundraiser. Key Dates: Nov 10 — No school (Veterans Day). Nov 15 — Multiplication Fact Fluency Challenge (practice sheets coming home Nov 8). Nov 20 — Early dismissal at 12:30. Nov 22-24 — Thanksgiving break. How You Can Help: Try this at home — grab some eggs, buttons, or crackers and ask your child to arrange them in rows and columns to show an array. Then ask them to write the multiplication sentence (e.g., 3 rows of 4 = 12). It's a simple, fun way to reinforce what we're learning. As always, I'm here if you have questions or want to chat. Reply to this email or catch me at pickup. Warmly, Mr. Okafor