It's a Non-Party

Since we cannot have a Valentine's Party, we will instead have a "Non-Party."  Please feel free to use the comments section here to discuss and communicate among yourselves about what you would be willing to send in for the "Non-Party."  No one needs to feel as if they have to send in anything.  I just want you to have the opportunity to make arrangements if there is interest.  Thanks!

Online Learning Activities

Good afternoon.  I shared a website with the students that offers several excellent math learning activities.  The site is for PBS's Cyberchase.  The first activity requires students to match equivalent fractions.  You can find it here: http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/melvins-make-match/  Another activity is to find 13 ways to make one half.  That is at this link: http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games/thirteen-ways-looking-half/

Thanks for the emails and notes asking about how I'm feeling.  I am fine, but will probably have a cough or congestion for several weeks.  Once it sets in, I don't give it up too easily.  The online grade book was reopened Monday while I was out.  I plan to update all grades this weekend.  If you have been checking, I'm sorry for the delay.  Look for updated grades on Sunday and work to come home Monday.  Thanks so much!

Also thanks go out to the moms of 7 and 13 for heading up the teacher luncheon last week.  Thanks to those of you who contributed items for that.  You all go above and beyond to make the teachers and staff here feel appreciated.

Snow Days and Holidays

It's been awhile since my last update.  It seems as if everyone had a great Christmas break.  If the students got half of what they've claimed, they were truly blessed!  In the meanwhile, we are back to work and trying go get into our routines again at school.  The mysterious snow day Friday will throw us off a little, but we are moving along in the right direction preparing for TCAP.  Expect report cards tomorrow.

Today we are out of school to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend visiting the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.  I took a group of students there several years back, and I have to say that it might be the most memorable day of my teaching career.  It is a deeply powerful and moving place.  The museum is located in the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated.  The lessons and stories shared there are well worth the price of admission.

On a much less serious note, this Friday is our field trip to the symphony.  Please send in your permission slips, lunch option, and money as soon as possible.  Have a great day off, and I'll see everyone bright and early tomorrow!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

I hope that everyone is enjoying their break and the countdown to Christmas.  I have loaded up my sleigh and am up with my family.  Again, I want to thank everyone for their generous outpouring to help make our party a good one.  Nearly every student donated something, and we had plenty of variety.  The students seemed to have a lot of fun.  Did they talk to you about our Gift of the Magi comparison?  We watched a traditional telling and compared that to the Sesame Street version starring Bert and Ernie.  I was a bit nervous that the class would think themselves too big for Sesame Street, but they loved it.  It is one of my favorite Christmas specials each year!  

For those of you who may be interested in tracking Santa's progress on Christmas Eve, check out this link: http://www.noradsanta.org/en/ 

What are your plans for Christmas?  Leave a comment sharing what you are doing and what your favorite present is!

PS:  Don't forget to save those wrapping paper tubes!  Also, I have tried and tried to post the carols our class rewrote, but I am having trouble getting blogspot to accept and upload the new files.  I have not given up, but I am getting discouraged!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

3 Weeks and Counting!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  I heard about some of the great trips you took last week.  I'm glad everyone made it back safely!  As we get into the final push toward the holidays, I wanted to update you on the service projects we will be a part of in the next three weeks. 

• Pajama Project--Our team is collecting change during lunch in order to provide pajamas and books to children in need.  We are doing this as a school-wide service project.  Each day some students from our class will man the table to collect the change.  On Wednesday we will actually sort, count, tally, and graph the collections from that day!  I am really excited to show the students how much can be accomplished when everyone helps out just a little bit!
• Care Packages to Soldiers--We will be writing letters and sending care packages to soldiers who are serving in Afghanistan over the holidays.  At this point, I'm not sure how many we will be adopting, but some of the items they would appreciate include snack foods, shelf-stable meals and soups, and white tube socks.  As you are shopping over the next couple of weeks, if you are able, consider adding one of these items into your cart. 

I know that financially, things are tight for many this year.  Please do not feel you have to participate.  I want the class to be a part of the projects so they can see that anyone can make a difference.  If you are able to donate, that is great.  If not, it's okay.  We all give back in our own ways! 

Finally in today's newsletter I mentioned that this month's book order will be online only.  In order to ensure that the books come back in time for our break, an online order is the quickest and easiest way to get it done.  All of the flyers are available for you to look through online, but I will send the paper flyers home tomorrow.  If you have any questions or problems, please let me know.  The website is: http://clubs.scholastic.com/  Our class code is HWFT6.  If you want to order books to give as a gift, let me know so I can pull them aside and keep it a secret!

Have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are within an hour of dismissal and I can almost taste the pumpkin pie!  I hope that this short little break brings you rest, good food, and some quality family time.  I will be headed up to the St. Louis area to visit my family and of course my little nephew; I can't wait!  I am eager to hear all about your trips.

Since the copy machines were broken this week, I was unable to send out a newsletter.  I did want to share an extra credit assignment offered over the Thanksgiving break.  In the spirit of our current essential literature book, students may write a letter to their favorite author.  The letter should include a brief introduction and then the students may ask the author whatever they want to know.  Upon our return to school, we will actually mail out the letters that are written to authors who are still alive.

Also our vertical team will be sponsoring a change drive the week following Thanksgiving.  All donated money will be used to support the pajama program-a charitable organization that provides needy children with pajamas and a book for the holidays.  Our team will collect, count, wrap, tabulate, graph, and share the results of donated monies. 

In the spirit of thanksgiving, our class wrote essays about those things for which they are most thankful.  Check out the comments section to read what they shared.

Math Book Login

Your child will start a new assignment this evening called daily math.  The specific information about how to complete this assignment is on the newsletter.  If you would prefer to access the textbook online instead of having your child bring the book home each evening, that is an option for you.  The directions for registering online are on the back of the daily math assignment sheet.  Visit the website on the assignment and use the Class access code: 7D90DF83A166C61EF0A4  Since it is such a long code, I figured I would give you a chance to cut and paste!   Please let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks!