Recommended Websites

As promised in your September Newsletter here are several websites that are educational and worth checking out.
www.nasa.kids.com
www.kiddonet.com
www.funbrain.com
www.aplusmath.com
www.superkids.com
www.mathcats.com
www.betweenthelines.com
www.funschool.com
www.puzzlemaker.com
www.noogrin.com
www.biography.com
www.discovery.com
www.educationplace.com

Classroom Jobs

Most weeks your child has a classroom job. These jobs are designed to promote responsibility and a sense of community in the classroom. Ask them if they have a job this week and what that job may be. Extend this responsibility by giving them jobs at home if they do not already have them. Encourage them to complete the jobs without being asked to. Reward them when they succeed. Our students are capable of so much! Help prepare them for the workplace now, by showing them how to do a good "job".

Counting Change

In Math, we are studying coins. I am noticing that students need the most practice with identifying coins and their worth. Not exactly counting money but knowing which coin is a nickel and how much that is worth. Many of them don't realize that each coin has a different value that doesn't change. When you really think about it, identifying coins and their values is complicated. WHAT CAN YOU DO? Show your student change and ask them to identify them. Quiz them on how much each is worth. Don't try to get them to count change just yet. Let's get down the identification first.

Jordan Says Hi!

Jordan Fulton is a student in Room 5. He has worked so hard today. I wanted to let everyone know how well he is doing today. Ms. Coleman and his classmates are very proud of him.

Peace Place

Today Mrs. Stodola came in and talked to students about peaceful. She helped install a peace place in the classroom. This corner is place in the classroom where students can opt to go to help them calm down. This is NOT a consequence but a step for students to learn how to calm down. Talk to your student about the Peace Place and remember not to punish them for choosing to calm down, this is the goal.

Shadows

As you may already know students are studying shadows. This is a great time of year to do this as it is still sunny outside when they come home from school. Encourage them to play shadow tag or experiment with different objects to see if they can see their shadow. For example, do clear objects, like a glass, cast a shadow? What about water? Call attention to their shadow and its shape at different times of the day. All of this will increase their experience and knowledge of shadows and make learning Science a little bit easier.

HOMEWORK PACKETS

Finally, homework packets went home. I know you are as anxious about that as I was. Here are some homework tips.

1. Review the packet as soon as you get it to make sure you have all the materials needed to complete.
2. Do a little at a time so it is not overwhelming to your child.
3. Mark off the assignements as you complete them.
4. Keep all assignments in the Homework Folder so they don't get lost or torn up.
5. Sign the packet only when all assignments are done.
6. Packet is due Thursday.

Thank you so much for your continued involvement. By the way, Mrs. Connors, First Grade now has a blog too. Look for link on this site.

Running Records

I am amazed. Today I did a modified assessment. I just gave students a quick running record which is an assessment of their oral reading. I must say I am pleasantly surprised. Most students are pretty good readers. This tells me that they are much more capable than most second graders. Keep reading with them, they are doing so well.

Spelling Words

I have had many requests for spelling words. We will have spelling words each week, but students will not be assessed in the form of a test. Instead they will be encouraged to work the words and spelling patterns into their writing which is a much more meaningful assessment. This does not mean we dont "do" Spelling. We do it each day, but students are encouraged to learn to spell not learn individual words for a short period of time. Below are the words that fit the pattern for this week. (The same words plus a few more will be repeated next week)

1. has
2. wag
3. bad
4. six
5. will
6. sat
7. had
8. fix
9. him
10. if

August 18

There is no homework this week. Next week the first Homework Packet will go home, however the Weekly Progress Reports WILL go home this week. I am working on them now. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Room 5 is doing a stellar job right now. They are learning how to think critically and behave responsibly. This is a really great group. If you have time, stop by the classroom.

Our PBS lessons right now focus on being safe. Talk to you student about basic safetly. How to walk safely to school or the bus stop. How to behave safely in public. I find that I often overestimate how much some kids know. Remember, there is no such thing as a child being too safe!

Peaceful-ness

One of the best things about Keeven is that it is a PBIS school. This means we focus on the positive behaviors to reduce the negative ones. One of the things your child is learning about this week is Peacefulness. We discuss what being peaceful looks like and what it sounds like. Ask your child what being peaceful in the hallway or the cafeteria looks like. They should also be able to discuss what it sounds like. Students have worked really hard on these concepts. I am proud of them. Hope you have a peaceful weekend. See you Monday!

August 13

We had a good day today. Students came in ready to learn and excited to see one another again. I want to commend all parents who have already sent in school supplies. I was shocked and amazed at the sheer amount of supplies that came in my door. WOW! Talk about dedicated parents. Because we use all supplies communally, your good timing benefits all the learners in Room 5.

We spent a lot of time getting to know one another and learning the routines of school. In Math, we introduced counting cubes and students spent time exploring them. In Reading, we laid the foundation for Reading Corners, which should be up and running by next week.

Homework packets will not go home until 8/24/09. Keep your eye out!

Thanks again for all you do.

Thank You

Thank you to all the parents and students that came to "Meet the Teacher" Night. It was wonderful meeting each and every one of you. Just seeing you got me all excited for the first day of school. So I want to say a big welcome to Harrison, Eric, Sierra, Ade'Ja, Ke'shawn, and Chris. See you guys Thursday morning!

Meet the Teacher Night

Tonight is Meet the Teacher Night. I am so excited to see everybody. This is going to be great. I have a great activity planned to help you get to know the Promethean board. Check back later....