Mr. Roth's Classroom

February Newsletter

2009-02-11T20:56:00.003-05:00

News from Room 304

Lakeview Elementary • Grade 5 • February 6, 2009

ISTEP Conferences
It is time for ISTEP remediation conferences. If your child did not pass the ISTEP test- language arts, math, or science, we are required to meet. In this short meeting (5-10 minutes), we will discuss possible strategies to help your child. I am sending home a sign-up sheet today. Please fill it out and return the paper to school. Thanks so much for your cooperation!

Spelling
Our spelling words for the next month will be states, capitals, and abbreviations. The students are expected to know how to spell the capital of each state and its abbreviation. They are not expected to know how to spell the capital, however, the students need to know which capital belongs with which state. The test will be counted as a grade in both spelling and social studies. This grade will be a large portion of their social studies grade. We are beginning with the mid-west states first. Our test will be on Friday. If your child has already mastered the mid-west states, we will do the mid-Atlantic/New England states next.

Valentine’s Day
We will be having a Valentine’s Day party. We usually get
A LOT of sugary treats during parties. If you were planning
on sending in a snack, please send in something healthy.
Pretzels, crackers and cheese, grapes, etc. The students
are welcome to do valentines. There must be one
for every student in the class. Please do not feel like you
have to send in valentines. The class list is on the back of
this sheet.

Mark Your Calendar
Midterm Sent home Feb. 6th, please sign and return it as soon as possible.

NO SCHOOL on Monday, February 16th.

Book Reports are due February 20th –several points are taken off for every day it is late.

TEACHER TIP
From Mr. Roth
Don’t wait until the last minute to get things done. By rushing through things you are more likely to make silly mistakes and miss easy points. Be responsible enough to know that the due date to your project is coming up and be working on it ahead of time to get it done. (Book Report) This is a good habit to get into now to make your life less stressful later on.

Contact Information
Call me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your help and support from home!
Cell Phone #929-7465
Or
jroth@mccsc.edu
Notes in the Assignment Notebook work also. Please remind your child to show me if there is a note.

Homework for Wednesday Feb. 11

2009-02-11T18:35:00.001-05:00

Persuasive Writing prompts due tomorrow
math boxes and study link 8.5
States and capitals test Friday

Book Reports due Feb. 20th

If you still have a midterm please turn that in to me as soon as possible.

Homework for Tuesday Feb. 10

2009-02-11T18:34:00.000-05:00

Mathboxes and study link 8.4
Study states and capitals for Friday
Science Humdinger papers due tomorrow

Book Report due Feb. 20th

Homework for Monday Feb. 9th

2009-02-11T18:32:00.000-05:00

Mathboxes 8.3 and study link
Make sure you are studying for your states and capital test on Friday
Social Studies paper is due tomorrow as well.

Book Reports are due Feb. 20th.
Keep Reading!!!

Homework for May 21

2008-05-21T15:20:00.001-04:00

There is no homework for tonight.

6th grade don't forget to bring your swim suits tomorrow for the picnic.

Only 3 days left

Homework for May 19

2008-05-20T07:45:00.000-04:00

Spelling page 164 and 165

my math class has page 650 numbers 5-11

Homework for May 15

2008-05-16T15:34:00.001-04:00

The only thing that is due on Monday is the Reading Projects. No excuses for not having them done on Monday. Work hard and finish them up.

Homework for May 14

2008-05-14T15:21:00.000-04:00

Math tonight is page 633 7-21
Be working on your book projects

Homework for May 13

2008-05-13T15:20:00.000-04:00

Newspaper questions
look up 10 vocabulary defintions
I still have a handful of people that need to complete their projects for tomorrow.

Homework for May 12

2008-05-12T15:19:00.000-04:00

Well today was the Egg Drop and some people had a more smashing time than others. Overall it went well.

Other work that needs worry tonight is our States and Country report. These are due tomorrow. Everyone needs to make sure they have thier tri-fold, their 2 page report, and a presentation ready to go. Good luck finishing them up tonight.

Homework for May 8

2008-05-08T15:09:00.001-04:00

spelling, and vocab test tomorrow

spelling assignment pg 157 due tomorrow

math page 615 numbers 11-19

Homework for May 7

2008-05-07T13:01:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a good day off yesterday and is ready for the home stretch.

Today we worked mostly in class on a variety of things. Finished another chapter from Indian in the Cupboard, finalized research for our States and Country Reports, went over Vocabulary words for the week again (sheet due tomorrow), revised some writing that we have been working on, and did a little leisure reading.

Projects coming up
6th grade egg drop Tomorrow
states and country reports and tri-folds next Tuesday
Book projects the 19th

Homework for May 5

2008-05-05T15:26:00.000-04:00

spelling page 156
language arts 5th grade page 434 and 6th grade 464 #1-15
Look up your 10 vocabulary words

My math class had page 600 numbers 2-32

We also did research for our states and country projects that are due a week from tomorrow. (May 13)

Book Projects are due (May 19)

6th grade your Egg Drop Competition is this Thursday. Have your contraption ready to go.

Homework for May 1st

2008-05-01T15:32:00.000-04:00

Finish reading Chapters 7 and 8 from Indian in the Cupboard - quiz over the two chapters tomorrow.

Finish any math homework that needs to be completed.
My class had a review day.

We did research over our states and country projects - due May 13

Reading project due May 19

6th grade egg drop contest a week from today

Homework for April 24

2008-04-24T13:01:00.000-04:00

spelling page 151
Science section #1-5

Homework for April 23rd

2008-04-23T15:18:00.001-04:00

Spelling page 149

Vocabulary page

My math class has a chapter 11 test tomorrow

Homework for April 22nd

2008-04-22T15:26:00.000-04:00

Happy Earth Day

We worked on an Earth Day paper today

Everyone has newspaper homework for tonight

and my Math class has review pg 576 numbers 2-62 the evens to finish

Homework for April 21st

2008-04-21T15:39:00.000-04:00

Spelling page 148 the practice and the write sections

Language Arts page 422 1-15

Math page 569 2-14

Homework for April 16th

2008-04-16T15:30:00.001-04:00

No homework tonight.

The Variety Show today was a big hit. Congrats to all who performed.

Homework for April 15th

2008-04-15T15:46:00.001-04:00

Due to the sixth grade going to Leonard Springs today there is no homework.

Remember, the Variety Show is tomorrow.

Homework for April 14

2008-04-14T15:36:00.000-04:00

spelling assignment
math has a computation page to finish

6th grade tomorrow is our Leonard Springs trip. Make sure to dress in layers and bring a sack lunch with you.

Keep working on your state or country reports

Homework for April 11

2008-04-11T15:19:00.001-04:00

No homework over the weekend.

Be reading for your book projects.

Homework for April 10th

2008-04-10T15:21:00.001-04:00

spelling test tomorrow. It is a review list so there are more words that the typical 20.

Vocab quiz tomorrow.

A vocab page was assigned today that needs to be handed in tomorrow.

my math class has page 546 #11-35

Homework for April 8th

2008-04-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

The only thing for tonight is to finish the newspaper questions.

My math class also has page 535 1-33

Homework for April 7th

2008-04-09T07:59:00.000-04:00

spelling page 138
and look up 10 vocabulary definitions

Homework for April 4th

2008-04-04T15:17:00.000-04:00

No homework this weekend.

Have a good one.

Homework for April 3rd

2008-04-03T15:29:00.000-04:00

Vocabulary worksheet
spelling page 135
study for spelling test tomorrow
and vocab. quiz

Homework for April 2nd

2008-04-02T15:39:00.000-04:00

10 vocabulary words to look up

We started Persassive Writing today
Were introduced to our inquirey projects
Took a chapter 10 test in my math class
Learned about pocessive pronouns
and worked on our reading projects

Homework for April 1st

2008-04-01T15:35:00.001-04:00

Happy April Fools Day

Homework tonight:
Newspaper questions
Math has a test tomorrow over chapter 10

Homework for March 31st

2008-03-31T14:55:00.000-04:00

Spelling page 134 the practice and write sections.
Math page 508 8-30 and the computation page

Homework for March 28th

2008-03-28T15:46:00.000-04:00

No homework over the weekend
Spring Fling Dance tonight at 5:30
Bring a rake or a hoe and help clean up our nature trail tomorrow from 10 to 1.

5th Grade Bradford Woods info needs to be in by Tuesday of next week

Have a great weeekend.

Homework for March 27th

2008-03-27T15:45:00.000-04:00

Now that I am back from my 3 day workshop and my 2 days of meetings here at school we are back in the swing of things.

Todays homework is reading workbook page 271 and 272

I also informed each person today what their missing assignments are since the start of the 4th quarter. They are to take them home tonight and finish them by tomorrow.

Book orders are due tomorrow if anyone wants to order books.

5th grade Bradford Woods sheet needs to be in by next Tuesday April 1st.

Homework March 18th

2008-03-18T15:51:00.001-04:00

Newspaper questions

look up the 10 reading vocabulary words

math page 482 numbers 1-22 and the computation worksheet

Homework March 17th

2008-03-17T15:19:00.000-04:00

Welcome back. I hope everyone had a relaxing Spring Break.

Spelling page 126 the practice and the write sections

Language Arts
5th grade page 342 #1-10 and pg 344 #1-10
6th Grade page 340 #1-20

Write 2 Limerick Poems

Homework March 7th

2008-03-07T13:56:00.001-05:00

No Homework today
Have a Great Spring Break!!!!!!!!!

Homework March 6th

2008-03-06T15:19:00.001-05:00

Spelling pg 125
Worked on Main Idea and Supporting Detail in Reading
Persuasive Writing
Math test Chapter 9

Tomorrow is Beach Day and Dollar Day. Wear your Beach outfit (no bathing suits) and bring an extra dollar or two for Riley's Hospital.

Also we are having our Spelling, vocab, and reading tests tomorrow.

One more day until Spring Break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Homework March 5th

2008-03-05T16:14:00.000-05:00

spelling page 123
Math test chapter 9 tomorrow along with a computation sheet for tonight
read biographies in class today
added sounds and questions to our writing

Quarter day tomorrow along with Pajama day.

Homework March 3rd

2008-03-04T15:19:00.000-05:00

Language Arts for 6th grade pg 266 1-15
and for 5th grade pg 270 1-15

Newspaper Questions

Math as a review test

Book Reports were due last Friday if you haven't turned on in yet I need it no later than tomorrow.

Report Cards go home on Friday

Spirit Day tomorrow is support your favorite team day
It is also Dime Day so bring in any extra dimes that you might have.

Homework March 2nd

2008-03-04T07:49:00.000-05:00

Today was Read Across America Day as well as Dr. Seuss's birthday.
We started the day with a school wide read in the gym.
Then we came back to the room and worked on Spelling pg 122 and then looked up our 10 vocabulary words for the week.
In math we did some review for our test on Thursday and page 468 numbers 1-22 were given for at home practice
In the afternoon we did some rotations with Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Publow before going down to see the 1st graders perform their Open Book program.

Homework February 29

2008-02-29T13:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Leap Day. I hope everyone makes the most out of their extra day.
Today we finished up some things that have been going on in our room this week.
We continued to practice our writing strategies. We took a spelling test and a vocab test. We also worked on a read along puzzle. In math we explored the designs of polygons. At the end of the day we all geared up for the dance fundraiser for Riley's Hospital that will be going on next week. There was a flyer sent home today that talks about our Spirit Week next week as well as the daily fundraisers.

As a look ahead to next week, report cards will be going home next Friday. All make up work needs to be handed in at the start of the week so it can be added to the overall grade. Have a great weekend.

Mr. Roth

Homework February 28

2008-02-28T15:29:00.000-05:00

spelling page 121
Reading workbook pg 151 and 152
Math pg 462 numbers 8-18
worked on detail paragraphs
social studies 6th grade page 59 numbers 1-5
5th grade page 138 numbers 1-5

BOOK REPORTS ARE DUE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!

Homework February 27

2008-02-27T15:34:00.000-05:00

Read Reading story if you are in my reading group
Everyone has 10 vocabulary words to look up
Math pg 456 numbers 6-21
We finished our Biographies today
We worked on adding detail to our writing

BOOK REPORTS ARE DUE ON FRIDAY!!!!!!

Homework February 26th

2008-02-26T12:10:00.000-05:00

Spelling page 119
Newspaper Questions
Math page 457 numbers 1-15
There was a video in Science that we watched over the planets and the universe.
We wrote a couple paragraphs practicing what we did yesterday in class.

Homework February 25th

2008-02-25T15:48:00.001-05:00

Because of the snow day last Friday we spent some of our morning catching up. We took a spelling test over last weeks words and we will have last weeks vocab quiz tomorrow. We had the opportunity to preview the book fair that is going on all week in the library. We will be going back down to shop on Wednesday. In language we learned about demonstrative adjectives. 6th grade had page 260 numbers 1-15 and 5th grade had pg 164 numbers 1-15. We discovered ways to add detail to our writing and developed strategies to help us overcome writers block. The math homework for my class is on pg 447 numbers 8-21.

Homework February 20th

2008-02-20T15:37:00.001-05:00

With a 2 hour delay this morning we missed out on some class time. We did however get a chance to do spelling page 113. There were a couple proof reading paragraphs that each student needed to edit. We were able to discuss our writing prompts further and look for ways to improve those. We continued our research on our biographies in the computer lab. Everyone should be to the point now where we are starting to formulate our papers. My math class does not have homework tonight but there is a quiz tommorrow over sections 9.1-9.4.

Homework February 19th

2008-02-20T10:37:00.001-05:00

Reading: 10 vocabulary words to look up
Newspapaer questions to answer
math pg 427 2-13 and page 433 15-23

Homework February 18th

2008-02-18T15:21:00.000-05:00

Spelling page 112 They took a pretest over half of the words to see how they could do. Then on the back they were to proofread the paragraph on the bottom of the page and fix the mistakes.

Language Arts. 5th grade pg 260 numbers 1-10 and 262 numbers 1-10
6th grade pg 256 numbers 1-10 and 258 numbers 1-10

We had a great discussion today about how to look at our writing in order to improve it. We looked at some example prompts and talked about the goods and the bads of each one.

Math today we learned how to use protractors. There is no homework tonight for math.

We spent some more time today in the computer lab researching information for our biography reports.

Don't forget that Book Reports are due Friday February 29th
also
If you have not returned your midterm please do so as soon as possible.

Friday February 15th 2008

2008-02-15T13:08:00.001-05:00

There is no homework this Friday.

If you have not sent in midterms yet please do so as soon as possible.

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the Valentines day celebration today. We had plenty of treats and great Valentines for everyone.

Have a great weekend.

Homework February 14th

2008-02-14T15:20:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentines Day Everyone

Today's homework:
Spelling page 109 (test tomorrow)
In reading we went over our vocabulary words (quiz tomorrow)
My math class had pg 423 8-21
Writing was done in class today. We wrote to a writing prompt which we will discuss and revise next week.

Tomorrow is our Valentines Day celebration. If you have contacted me about bring in a treat please feel free to send one in.

Homework Februrary 13th 2008

2008-02-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

With the 2 hour delay this morning we didn't get a chance to complete our normal routine.

We did however get math done. My math class had a chapter 8 test today.
We read our reading story together "Casey at the Bat"
Reading workbook page 131 and 132 were given
We started our biographies in the computer lab to finish off the day.

A New Semester

2008-01-24T09:21:00.000-05:00

Well I guess this post has been a little while in the making. Sorry for the delay. We have been busy here at school these last couple weeks. Now that we have finished up our book, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, we have gotten back to our weekly short stories in Reading. In Social Studies we have started looking at some of our states capitals as well has continued our current events study through our weekly newspaper and Scope magazine. The universe has been the topic of discussion lately in Science. We have been talking about early Astronomers and their theories about the universe. Put all of this together with writing, literature groups, book reports, math groups, a couple convocations, and a holidays and you can see that we have been going nonstop since our return from Christmas vacation.

With all that is going on in our class it is important that each students takes responsibilities for their work and what they have to get done. We have been working real hard on establishing a routine for getting our agendas filled out at the end of each day. We have a time set aside where we review what we did for that day and each student writes this information in their assignment books. Having that agenda or a simple notebook is key to keeping a running record of the assignments given in class.

Book Reports

2007-12-13T10:07:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder the book reports for the second quarter are due tomorrow, December 14th. Each student has had this reminder in their agendas all week.

December Activities

2007-12-06T10:11:00.001-05:00

As always the month of December provides a calendar full of events.

- Our list of events kicks off this Friday with another Student Council Popcorn Day. Students may bring in their 50 cents to receive a bag of popcorn to eat after lunch.

- Next week is the Santa Shop. We will have a preview day where our class will get to go and see what is available and to figure out prices. Then later in the week we will go back to make our purchases. For those who have never been to a Santa Shop before let me explain. A variety of small Christmas gifts are brought in and made available for students to buy for family members for Christmas. After they are purchased at the Santa Shop the students will receive them in a bag at the end of that school day to be taken home.

- Friday December 14 is Rolly Polly Day. Student Council will be taking money and orders Monday - Wednesday of next week if you would like to receive a Rolly Polly wrap for lunch on that Friday. A form will be sent out letting everyone know the types of wraps that are being offered and the cost of each.

- Tuesday December 18 we will be having a small awards ceremony during the day where awards from the first 9 weeks will be passed out.

- And finally Friday the 21st will be our last day before Christmas break. My hope is to enjoy the season that day with a variety of holiday activities.

I wish everyone a Happy Holiday.

Christmas Is In The Air

2007-12-02T18:30:00.000-05:00

Here is a little holiday decorating that has recently hit our room.

Book Reports and Midterms

2007-11-27T15:27:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day vacation. We are now ready for a 4 week roller coaster until Christmas. I just wanted to remind everyone or give you the heads up if you are hearing about this for the first time that book reports are due December 14th. After completing a book, each student has to complete one of the activities posted in the classroom. They must complete a different activity then the one they did last time.

Also, midterms will be going home on Friday. Because of the time it takes to gather the grades and get them out to all the parents by the time you see the grades we will only have 4 weeks instead of 4 and a half to finish off the term. If you have any questions please let me know.

Thanksgiving Week

2007-11-19T20:17:00.000-05:00

There will be no spelling lesson or reading story this week due to the shortened week. We will be finishing up some projects and activities we have been working on in class as well as a few Thanksgiving things.

Retro Dance

2007-11-18T22:04:00.000-05:00

On Friday night Lakeveiw had its first Family Retro Dance. Fun was had by everyone that was there. Music from the 60's, 70's, 80's, and a few hits from today were played as everyone danced the night away.

Study Buddies Friday October 26

2007-10-28T14:46:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from our Study Buddy activity last Friday. For the first time we all went down to the computer lab. In the lab we helped our 1st grade buddies learn how to use Microsoft Word. We did all sorts of fun things such as font styles, sizes, and colors, clip art, word art, and practiced saving our documents. Everyone had a great time doing something a little bit differently this week.

A Presentation for Science

2007-10-25T17:55:00.000-04:00

We were recently privileged to have Mr. Mike Roberts come to our school to teach us about wildlife and taking care of our great outdoors. In the afternoon the 3-6 grade gathered in the auditorium while Mr. Roberts introduced us to all sorts of animals. He talked about what it would have looked like at Lakeview 400 years ago and all the different wildlife animals that were around at that time. He also taught us about the habits of such animals as the turkey, fox, and the white tailed deer. We were very fortunate to have Mr. Roberts come to Lakeveiw.

One other quick announcements. We will be having half days of school next week on Thursday and Friday. The students will be dismissed at 11:30.

I hope everyone is enjoying their fall season.

Upcoming Student Council Events

2007-10-23T18:14:00.000-04:00

Student Council Upcoming Events

Boo Grams
Boo Grams will be sold in the cafeteria during lunch on Friday October 26, Monday October 29, and Tuesday October 30. The Boo Grams will cost $0.50 each and be delivered October 31 at the end of the day. Each gram will include a sucker in the form of a ghost along with a personalize message to the person you are sending it to. Parents if you are interested in sending your child a Boo Gram please fill out the form on the back of this sheet.

Popcorn Sale
The next Popcorn day will be Friday November 9 during lunch. Each bag of popcorn will cost $0.50. Students will be able to buy their popcorn after they are finished with their lunch and then eat it outside at recess.

School Dance
When: Friday November 16th
Time: 7:00 – 9:00
Cost: Free
It will be a school wide family retro dance following the PTO meeting. There will be a D.J. playing oldies, hip hop, country, and more. Concessions will be sold by the student council and will range from $0.25- $2.00. So wear your best 70’s outfit.

Collect-A-Million
We are still collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald house. Have family and friends save those tabs and then send them in. We have two large containers located outside the office for our collection. We are a little over half way to our goal.

Student Council Elections
We will be having our Student Council Elections on Wednesday November 7. Each student in each class will vote for one candidate for each office. These offices range from President through Publicity Director. Keep an eye out for each candidate’s poster hanging in the halls around school.

4 Day Week = Fall Break

2007-10-15T20:56:00.000-04:00

We have just started a short 4 day week and are getting ready to ride that into fall break. Even though we are a day down doesn't mean we are going to just let it pass us by. Instead we are going to work twice as hard to squeeze 5 days out of 4. We will be covering spelling, reading, writing, social studies, and science just like we always have.

Our grading term ends this Thursday. If there is any pending work please make sure that it is handed the break. The grade cards will be handed out the following Friday.

Today was the last NWEA test, so we are now, finally, done with testing. I will be talking about the results of those test in our conferences. Which leads me into my last comment, Parent Teacher Conferences. Everyone has signed up for a time to meet. Some of you I have already seen and I the rest I am looking forward to our meeting. If something changes and you are unable to make the appointment, please call and let me know.

NWEA and Parent Teacher Conferences

2007-10-08T21:31:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. Sorry for the slight delay since the last post. When creating this site at the beginning of the year I really had high expectations for updating it more regularly. However, time seems to slip by faster each week. So I apologize for those that continue to access the sight looking for daily homework assignments. I will try to improve on this.

As it stands right now we are in the middle of taking the NWEA test for the fall. This is a series of three test, math, language arts, and reading, that help gauge students progress throughout the year. Friday was our fist test, math, and today we finished the reading portion. A week from today we will conclude with the language arts test. I am proud of the class for their effort in the computer lab. I know that just after taking ISTEP the last thing you want to think about is another test. Keep up the good work everyone.

We are also getting ready to start our Parent Teacher Conferences. There are two half days set up the first two days of November for PTC however, I prefer to do mine a bit differently. To ensure quality conferences and my own sanity of not having to conference from noon to nine, I like to schedule them over the course of a few weeks. Last week I sent home a sign up sheet for each parent to fill out. I would like each parent to please put your top three time choices on this sheet and send it back to me. I will figure out which of your time slots are still available and then send a slip home that same day confirming your day and time. If you are unable to make any of the time slots please let me know and we can make other arrangements. Thank you for your cooperation with this. I hope to see you all soon.

Friday Fun

2007-09-28T21:30:00.001-04:00

It's Friday!!!!

On Fridays we start the day off in P.E. Today was a kickball day. It was a close game with a few home runs and a few exciting catches. Afterwards, we all headed back to class to take our spelling and reading test for the week. Then it was off to math followed by lunch and recess. After recess we came back together to continue our series about civilizations. We have been talking all week in Social Studies about what it would be like to start our own colony and what it would be like if we were in charge. Today we watched the first episode of the CBS television show Kid Nation and discussed different techniques and strategies on how they started their town. Later in the day, we met up with our 1st grade study buddies. Each Friday, in the auditorium, we pair up with students from Mrs. Muehlings first grade class and help them with some sort of math or reading activity. Over the past couple weeks the 1st graders have been learning and doing activities involving apples. So today we colored a picture of Johnny Appleseed together while our 1st grader buddies told us what they had learned. Afterwards it was back to the room to finish off our video and and call it a day. I hope that everyone has a great relaxing weekend. See you on Monday. (To enlarge a picture all you have to do is click on it.)

NWEA Coming Right Up

2007-09-26T20:10:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to thank everyone for your help with getting ready for ISTEP test. It was a big help that we had great attendance and that everyone seemed well rested and ready to test. I am proud of the way the students stayed focus throughout the week.

Now that we have that behind us and we are starting our normal schedule we run into NWEA testing. This is the test that we take a few times each year in the computer lab to monitor our progress in the different subject areas. We will be having three test over the next two weeks. One next week and two the following week.

I also wanted to share my excitement about the Social Studies activity we have been working on this week. We have been exploring ideas about what it would be like to start our own civilization. We have talked about what it would take to survive, rules we might need, necessities that we might need to deal with, and hardships we might need to overcome. I am excited to see where the discussions take us and what sort of society we can create.

This week I will hopefully be taking pictures of the class in action. I am hoping to get some shots of us working in the room as well as playing in gym or at recess. Be on the look out this weekend for those shots. I will also be posting a new survey questions please check it out and vote.

After ISTEP

2007-09-19T15:02:00.000-04:00

We are cruising through the ISTEP test. I am proud of how each student has really focused this week on the job at hand. It can become a long week in a very short amount of time but everyone is doing great. The sixth grade as been testing in the mornings while the 5th grade, because of the Science test, has been testing both in the morning and then in the afternoons. Thankfully, the weather has been great. We have had the chance to go out a few extra times to stretch our legs and get some of the jitters out of our system. We have one more full day tomorrow and then we coast on into the weekend.

Starting next week we will be getting into our normal weekly routine. We are going to be starting Science and Social Studies as well as Literature Groups soon after. I will also be sending home Midterm Grades at the beginning of next week, hopefully on Monday or Tuesday. After checking those out if you could please sign them and send them back to me. Thanks.

Finally if you haven't noticed I added a couple things to the side bar to your right. There is a fun poll question you can vote on as well as our new scrolling marquee.

Assignment Books and Newsletter

2007-09-11T09:43:00.000-04:00

As the beginning of the year hustle and bustle is starting to settle down and students are getting in the flow of their daily routines I want to make sure that everyone remains up to date on their homework. With all that goes on in the course of our busy day it is sometimes easy to forget an assignment or two. To help minimize this as much as possible I encourage any parent, who feels this would be beneficial to their son or daughter, to pick up an assignment book. This is a great organization method and will help you to know what is going on here at school. At the end of each day I will remind the class what homework they might have so that they can write it down and take home the necessary books.

I will be sending home a Newsletter this Friday with information about ISTEP testing. If you would like to send in a small healthy snack please let me know before sending it in. This way we don't have all of our snacks arriving on the same day.

Another Good Week

2007-09-07T23:14:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to throw a couple comments on here before we officially close out the week and get ready to enjoy the weekend.

Even though it was a shorter week we were still able to get a lot accomplished. We were able work through a story in our reading book, go over a few lessons in our spelling, worked on writing, and continued to review our test skills in the afternoon. Overall I would say it was a very successful week.

If I could pick one thing for us to continue to focus on as we strive to become better inside the classroom and out is to use our time wisely in class. The way our schedule is set up each day we tend to have a few minutes of transition time between subjects. It is very important that we use this time. I encourage everyone to be productive and not just waste your time away.

Thanks again for a great week. Enjoy your weekend and we will all be ready to do it again come Monday.

Book Reports

2007-09-05T08:18:00.000-04:00

This is just to let everyone know that the first book reports are due Monday October 1st. Everyone in here has chosen a book that they would like to read and we have been working on this now for about 3 weeks. When finished reading the book, each student is responsible for completing a "General Book Report Form," which I have hanging in the room as well as one of the ten activities on the Book Report bulletin board. I have been trying to monitor how well everyone is coming with their books. With this being around the half way point for the time allowed to read the book, please help me make sure that your son or daughter is on pace to finish the book on time. Thanks

More news on ISTEP coming soon.

Open House

2007-08-30T17:30:00.001-04:00

Thank you to all the parents who attended this years Open House. If you did not have the opportunity to attend please fill out the medical informations sheets that I sent home with your child on Friday (August 31st) and have them bring them back as soon as possible. Now that we are starting to get into the swing of things please be checking back to this site for more frequent updates on homework, test dates, projects, and other fun activities.

Welcome to My Class Blog

2007-08-13T22:30:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have never navigated your way around a blog site before, let me take a minute of your time to help you out with some of the basics. First of all, this section you are reading is where all the posts will be located. Any time I post information or pictures, they will show up right here. Once there are 5 or so post on the page or if the month changes, the posts will be sent to the "Archives." The "Archives" are located in the left side panel. You may access any post at any given time throughout the year by clicking on the the month you wish to view. Along with a post I will occasionally add pictures to better show you what we are doing in the classroom. To get a better larger view of the picture, simply click on it. If you choose to leave a comment, remember that anyone who accesses the site can read it. You may leave a comment by clicking on the link under each post where it say "Comments." Then, fill out the desired information and click "Publish Your Comment." Along with the archives on the side panel are a list of websites and links that take you to a variety of places online. I will be updating this list as the year goes on.

To practice making comments, please answer the following question as a comment: What is your favorite ice cream flavor?