Last week, we sent home a red and blue note with each student. Please be sure to return the red note to school if you have students who will not be returning to Upland Terrace this fall. We would love for all our students to stay with us here at Upland, but we do understand that family plans change. This important information is helpful for us as we plan staffing for next year. The sooner we can have this information, the better. The blue ...
Week of Feb. 8
This week's read is a real treat! Our students love this series by Jory John and Pete Oswald, including The Good Egg, The Bad Seed, and The Cool Bean. This couch potato spends his days lazing about while everything he could want is within his reach. Until one day the power goes out and the potato must peel himself off the couch and venture outside. He learns a powerful lesson in the beauty of ordinary days spent with friends in the fresh air. ...
Week of Feb. 1
This week we are reading Jasper & Ollie, by Alex Willan. It's about two unlikely friends—a thoughtful sloth and an impatient fox- who decide to go to the pool. But they both get there in different ways and at different times. Jasper the fox races to pool, but can't find Ollie the sloth when he gets there. Ollie takes his own sweet time - smelling a daisy, helping the mailman, and getting ice cream. This book has a fun split/screen effect, so ...
Week of January 25
This week we are reading the fun and imaginative book Sign Off, by Stephen Savage. There are no words in this book, but the pictures tell the story of what happens when no one is looking! Do people and animals on signs come alive? It's a delightful and creative way to see signs and their meaning. This is a Beehive Book nominee, so we'll vote on it in every class this week! ...
Week of January 4
To kick off the new year, we are reading a fun Beehive book all about developing grit and determination. A stray kitty gets a job in a Japanese house with sumo wrestlers, chasing mice in exchange for food. But when eating like a wrestler slows him down, kitty realizes he must train like a wrestler, too. Through hard work and perseverance--and with a little help from a big buddy--SumoKitty is born! A funny and heartwarming story inspired by the ...
Week of Nov. 30th
This week we're reading the humorous tale of 3 popular snacks - Cookie, Pretzel and Cheese Doodle- the heroes of a sweet and salty story about survival. The 3 snacks had been warned about the dangers outside of their packages, but they don't care! They are on a mission to explore and have fun, and no monster kid is going to stop them. But when they read the ominous note from mom on the counter about what to eat, they realize it's time to come ...
Weeks of 11/16 – 11/24
To celebrate Thanksgiving before the break, we've been reading the perennial favorite Turkey Trouble, by Wendi Silvano. Poor turkey realizes he doesn't have much time left before he could become the main course. So he sets out to disguise himself from Farmer Jake. But is he really hidden that well? The farm animals are not impressed, until turkey hits upon his best disguise yet! ...
Week of 11/9
This week we're reading another Beehive Book nominee called Skulls! by Blair Thornburgh. You probably don't think much about skulls, but every person has one. And this is a good thing! This delightful, skull-positive story educates kids about why we have skulls and helps dispel any fears kids might have about their skeletons, flipping our view of skulls from a spooky symbol to a fascinating, cool, and crucial part of our bodies. We'll vote on ...
Week of 11/2
This Week we start reading Beehive Book nominees! And this is a great one in the picture book category. The wall in the middle of the book gives the characters a sense of security, because they always want to be on the "right" side of the wall. But then things change, and what seemed safe is not so safe anymore! This is a fun, innovative way to develop a story and interact with the characters. For those who don't know how Beehive Book ...
Week of 10/26
Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds is loved by all the students at Upland Terrace! That's why I usually save it for the week of Halloween. Jasper Rabbit is back, after appearing in another story by Aaron Reynolds, Creepy Carrots. Jasper really wants his mom to buy him a green pair of underwear, not his usual white. But when he gets home, he finds out this underwear is way more creepy than he thought it would be. Jasper tries lots of ...