Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Newsletter for 10-1 to 10-12- 2012

Because I was not in on Friday of last week, and since this is coming out so late, this will be the newsletter for the next two weeks.  On Tuesday of this week, the kids got their spelling and vocabulary lists.  Because we had some network problems with our computers the last two days, I was not able to print this out at school.  Since the list is coming out later that expected, the test will be on Monday, October 8th.  This Friday, October 5th, was our first PBS party.  Those who were on orange, red, or ODR, or those who had three or more yellow cards could not attend.  They will had an educational opportunity instead during that time.  This Thursday, October 4th, was our first time at the PBS Store where students could use Marshall Bucks to purchase items.  We go to the store at 1:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. The school still needs volunteers to work the store during the school day.  If you spare one day a month to help out, that would be great!  Coming home on Tuesday, October 2nd is the form for our "Bring Your Hero for a Hero Sandwich Day" event on October 26th, 2012.  Please get these forms into me so I can pass them on to my parent helper to coordinate who is getting what.  We will also need volunteers to assist in set up for this event.  The more contributions and help we can get, the better the event will be for the students' heroes.  On October 31st, we will be having a half day of school.  Students are to report to school for the afternoon only on that day.  I am handing back many low scoring spelling and vocabulary tests  the last couple of weeks.  Students can correct their spelling by using the words, spelled correctly, in a sentence.  Students can correct their vocab tests by fixing the items they got wrong.  In need of some reading extra credit?  If your child missed getting a reading log into me, just have your child read extra for the remaining weeks.  I give one point for each minute read which could help raise any low reading grade averages if your child reads more than the required 140 minutes.  Also note, that on Wednesday, October 3rd, the students should be getting their Book-It forms.  For each completed form turned in, that has a minimal of 20 minutes read for each day of the month, that student will receive a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.

Math News
The students last week were first introduced to variables and working algebraic equations.  This week and next we will be working with algebraic expressions and equations where students have to solve to identify what number the variable represents.

Reading News
We will continue working on monitoring our thinking while reading, this week the students will practice having a conversation with their book.  Next week, we will be doing our Reading MEAP.  Please be sure your child is in bed on time next week and fed a healthy breakfast prior to coming to school.

Writing News
I am still accepting "All About Me" project rubrics, especially from those who had computer issues at home.  I am surprised how few rubrics I received. This is a major project that will have big effects on your child's grade if it is not turned in or turned in on time.  After Thursday, any rubrics not turned in will receive a deduction of 10 points per day.  Our next writing piece will be a personal narrative. 

S. Studies News
This week we will explore the five themes of geography and studying other people around the world.  Students will be creating anchor charts for these sections.  Later on, over the next two weeks, we will be learning how to read and use a time zone map.

Science News
The volume experiment took longer than expected.  It was actually divided into four parts, and given the size of the class, each section is took a little bit longer to complete.  This week the students will measure with a triple beam balance, measure lengths in centimeters, and learn about the metric system.  On Friday of this week, the kids will be doing a fun experiment to practice the scientific method.

No comments:

Post a Comment