Videos have been fixed

Someone brought to my attention that the videos I have been posting were not working. I have fixed the privacy issue now so they should all work. Try it again - they are awfully cute! :)

New Year and Some New Things

I have been soooo bad about updating the blog! With Christmas crafts and parties and trying to wrap up the end of the quarter things just got out of control. Hopefully I will be better about it this year!

It is so good to have the kids back in the classroom. We are doing a lot of fun things from here until the end of the year. I am going to need a lot of help in the classroom. If you can fit me into your busy schedules I would greatly appreciate it.

On (most) Wednesdays we will be doing science experiments! I am really excited about it and so are the kids. I am going to be furnishing most of the supplies but I may ask for donations if it gets to be a little expensive for me.  Today we did Diet Coke and Mentos explosions. The kids loved it and they actually learned a little something while having fun :)

On the topic of supplies, we are running low on a few things. If you happen to think about it while you are at the store, we need more erasers (both pencil toppers and the big pink ones). We also need more glue sticks, markers, and Clorox wipes. I sincerely appreciate anything that you can send in. I know things are tight with money right after the holidays so please do not feel bad if you can't afford it right now. Trust me, I get it!

We are going to be getting into our Daily 5 Reading Centers a lot more this half of the year. That will mean less worksheets (YAY!) and more time involved in real reading and writing. I am super excited about it but a little nervous to turn over the reigns to the kids. They are going to be in charge of monitoring themselves and their progress. They are "let loose" in the room to read by themselves, read with someone else, practice words and spelling patterns (Word Work), listen to reading, and work on writing. I am also adding in a pit stop with the teacher. I will use this time to check their work and help them with places they are struggling. If you are interested in learning more about it you can look at the website here http://www.the2sisters.com/the_daily_5.html

REMINDER! The awards assembly is THIS Friday! Notices were sent home yesterday if your child will be receiving one. They love to have parents there if you can make it work :)

Homework packets will be back next week.Yipee! If you have questions about what needs to be done this week just give me a call or email me.

Thanks for all you do!!

Christmas Performance

It's so late but here is the performance from our Christmas show. They sang I'm Gettin' Nuttin' For Christmas and they used American Sign Language to go along with the lyrics. They had a blast learning it and I'm sure you had just as much fun hearing them practice it over and over and over again :)

Class Book and Coupon Books

Hello!
It has been a crazy month and I cannot believe that it is almost December! I have not been very good at keeping the blog updated. I have gotten very wrapped up in all that is taking place in our classroom.
As you know, we are deep in the process of making our own class book. We are going to have it shipped off and published this weekend. All of the pages are coming together and the illustrations are being finished up. I couldn't have done it without the help of Mrs. Jensen and our high school assistant Elizabeth! If you plan to order a book the order forms need to be in by TOMORROW! Even if you do not want to purchase your own copy I need to have the order form returned with your signature and the student's name on it so that their page can be included in the book that will stay in our classroom! They have worked so hard on this and I would hate to see them disappointed when their page is missing.

On another note, the coupon books that were sent home a couple of weeks ago are also due tomorrow! If you have not sold the books I need to have the entire packet returned! If we can get all of the books returned our class will get a prize courtesy of Student Council and Mrs. Braun and Mrs. Tabor! This is very important to get those books back. They are all worth $20 so if we are missing even just a few the cash racks up quickly. Our school is responsible for that money and we would hate to see any more dimes taken from this place :)

I hope that your kids are still coming home with smiles at the end of the day. Please never hesitate to call or email if there are things that we should talk about.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Conferences and the National Anthem

Conferences have been going very well! If you have missed your conference and would like to reschedule please contact me as soon as possible. I will be sending home the reports with students who could not make it to their scheduled time sometime next week. Also, if you cannot come in but would like a phone conference that is also an option.

The kids have been working really hard on singing the Star Spangled Banner (our national anthem) every day. They stand with their hands on their hearts, facing the flag and sing with pride! Here is the video that we took on Tuesday! They are an excellent group of musicians!

Homework will be going home again on Monday, please remember that it is due on the following Monday. If your child has a tendency to lose the packet they are welcome to turn it in on Friday. Also, let me know if there are changes you would like to see in your child's homework packet. I am happy to accommodate any learning preferences you have.

I am really enjoying getting to know the families more. Conferences have been a great time for me to interact with you all and I have sincerely appreciated the warm responses I am getting. Please never hesitate to come in to the classroom!

Homework over break

I will not be giving out homework over the Fall Break. I would hope that you use this time to relax as a family and experience things outside of the normal daily routine.

If you would like additional practice materials to use at home I would be more than happy to get some things together for your student. I will not grade anything that is done over break, it is just a tool to continue practicing skills over the week.

Please let me know by Wednesday if you are interested!

Reminders and updates

Just a few reminders as things are getting crazy before break!

-- Parent/teacher conferences are October 25th and 26th

*You should have received a letter about your scheduled date/time on Wednesday. This is due back to me by Monday October 1st.

-- Cookie dough sales are due back on Tuesday October 2nd

-- I will be out on Friday October 5th. If you have any questions or concerns that you will need addressed before break, please email or call me before Thursday.

-- Homework is due on MONDAYS. I have scheduled it this way to give you the weekend to work on it with your student. Please check their work to make sure it is getting done.

I am going to be reassessing students on skills learned throughout the first quarter. If you would like to come into the classroom to volunteer I would greatly appreciate your help. This week and the 2 days before conferences I am going to need as much help as I can get. 

I am really trying to differentiate my teaching as much as I can in order to reach all of the students at their level. Please do not hesitate to talk to me about what I am asking them to do on assignments or homework. I want to make sure that we keep the lines of communication open.

I greatly appreciate everything that you do for your kiddos. They are a very special  group of students and I am so glad I get to work with them.