Sunday, May 22, 2016

Weekly Wrap Up

Do you know if your child knows his/her address and your phone numbers? How about whether or not they know how to leave you a voicemail? I recently did a quick check, and found quite a few of them don’t know this. Many of them also don’t know how to use a traditional telephone, or what a dial tone is. As your child is getting a little older and more independent you might want to make sure they can do this in case of an emergency. Also, if your cell phone is locked but has an emergency access, you might want to show them how to use that.

For all you parents of summer birthday kiddos, your child is welcome to celebrate this month or early in June. We have 11 summer birthdays in our class, so it’s going to take some coordinating so that each child has their own special day. If your child is a summer birthday kiddo, and you want to celebrate in school, please pick a day that works for you, and let me know as soon as possible. 

Can you believe there are only 15 days of school left this year?  Wow!!!  Since we are at the point of starting to wrap things up, we are wrapping up math fact logs. This is the last week I will ask for math fact logs to be kept. That doesn’t mean your child is done studying his/her facts though. They should keep it up all summer long or they’re likely to forget the facts. The week of Memorial Day will be our last week for keeping reading logs. Just like math, keep reading over the summer to avoid back slide in levels!

Are you aware of what your child is doing online? Do you know what apps they have and might be using to communicate with others? I’ve been listening to some of the discussions the kids are having about apps they’re using, and I urge you to not only be aware of what they have, but also know how they’re using them and how they’re communicating with others, and potentially with strangers. I teach them digital safety with the programs we use in school, but some of what I see and hear about the apps and the potential of them really goes beyond that. Please look at your child’s devices and talk with them about them, discuss how to stay safe online, and what your family rules are for safety and privacy. Also, explore their apps, look for ways to leave comments or messages, and look for the use of hashtags. Hashtags mean they can click them and see things others posted with the same hashtag, even people they don’t know! It may or may not be appropriate for your child. If you need resources to help you, I recommend http://www.netsmartz.org and https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews  (this one is good for app reviews).

Here's what we're learning about next week:
Reader’s Workshop AND Science: Animal Research Clubs/Habitats
Writer’s Workshop: Fairy Tale Adaptations
Math: Elapsed Time and End of Year Review

Remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Friday, May 6, 2016

Weekly Wrap Up

If your child has a summer birthday, and would like to celebrate later this month or early in June, that’s fabulous. We have 11 summer birthdays in our class, so it’s going to take some coordinating so that each child has their own special day. If your child is a summer birthday kiddo, and you want to celebrate in school, please pick a day that works for you, and let me know as soon as possible. Thanks!

Is someone in your house is handy at fixing broken things? Is so our class could use your help. One of our electric pencil sharpeners is no longer sharpening pencils. The motor runs, but the pencils aren’t getting sharp. Before I buy a new one I’d rather try and see if this one can be fixed. If anyone is willing to take it apart and see if it that’s possible, let me know and I’ll send it home with your child.


We’re getting very close to taking our end of year math fact tests, including addition and subtraction! Students are expected to score at 80% or higher in order to be considered proficient in their facts. Thanks for helping monitor your child’s continued practice of their math facts!

Our class will be taking the SBAC tests the mornings of May 10, 11, 13, 18, and 19 from 9:15-11:00ish. Please try to avoid scheduling appointments that will require your child to be out of school any of those mornings.

Here's what we're learning about next week:
Reader’s Workshop AND Science: Animal Research Clubs/Habitats
Writer’s Workshop: Fairy tale adaptations
Math: Measurement of Volume, weight and mass

Remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!