Halloween Pictures

Just wanted to remind people that are planning to come to the party tomorrow AND bring a camera, that I would LOVE copies of the pictures you take (in a smaller size of course) so that I can make a slide show on the blog of all of the students at the party.  That would be great!  Copies can be sent via email, on a CD, or on a flash drive.  Thanks in advance!

I plan to have time to do a group shot which would be great as well if people could capture that. I will have my camera but I am hoping we get some more photos as well!  :)

First Rainy Day Recess

Well the rain is officially here and so is rainy day recess!  About half of the class chose to work on homework instead of "playing" in the classroom - WOW!  That was pretty impressive!  :)

We had some classroom set up changes today due to severe talking in class so we will see if that calms down the talking and behaviors in class.  Fingers crossed!

Tomorrow, as a reminder, is Halloween and so comes our Halloween Party.  We will be starting no earlier than 12:30 so if you're interested in coming to help, please don't come before that.  We will be changing into costumes, eating lunch, and playing a few quick games.  Time will be limited because of the 2 hour early release and students leaving at 1:35.  We will stop the last 10 minutes to get the class cleaned up as a group and then they will be off to enjoy the raining Halloween!  :)  Thank you to everyone who sent in money for the Halloween party.  :)

Also, book orders are due on Friday.  If you have a coupon for free books from last month's online order please remember to use that ASAP!  :)

Guest Blogger: Lily

This week all of us have been working on a prompt. The prompt was what's the most valuble thing to you and can't be brought in a store.My most valuble thing that I chose was responsibility along with the other core values I know honesty, caring, and respect. I chose responsibility becauseit's not boght in a storeand it's very important to me. Responsibility is important to me because it shows a big part of ourselves and me.


- Lily S.

Have your student write the name of the guest blogger for a bonus point!  :)

Book Orders Coming Home Today

It's the end of the month and book orders are on their way home today.  Students are really excited about this month's books so I can't wait to see what they decide!

I encourage you to order online because our class and your student BOTH get a free book when you order online which is a great deal!  Remember to enter code J2J6H to enter into our class orders.  Orders are due back November 2, which is next Friday already!  :)

Happy book hunting!

Have your student write down a title they are interested in getting in their planner for a table bonus!  :)

Rainy Tuesday

Well the rain has officially hit, and hit hard!  We had quite the downpour during class.  Being out in the portable you REALLY hear that rain!  Just as a reminder, please make sure that students are coming with coats and jackets so that they stay warm when they are outside and make sure that they can stay healthy for as long as possible.

Students have been working hard responding to the prompt, "Think of the most valuable thing you own that wasn't bought in a store.  Explain why that item is important to you."  As a school we are trying to work together to make our writing stronger and so we are all (yes, K-5) giving this prompt and seeing how our writing measures up year to year.  This will give us a lot of information to not only help inform our instruction for the rest of the year but also give us an idea of what we need to focus on for ou grade levels.  You may have heard some complaints about this prompt because many students are struggling with having the restrictions that is cannot be "store bought" but the goal is just to have an idea of what their informational writing is like at the beginning of the year, so rest assured it will all be okay!  :)

Students may have also let you know that we got rid of our "Hoot Loot" because many people told me they felt it was distracting and as an incentive tool it wasn't useful.  So, we changed over (based on class vote) to table points.  I have noticed a huge difference in behavior since we have done this which is great.  We still have our good and bad moments but overall behavior has been much better.  The students will be working toward goals that they will select later this week.

Lastly, the Halloween party is on the horizon (only a week from tomorrow!) and so just wanted to remind you to send back your party RSVP forms for supplies and money.  We will be pooling money to buy sandwiches for the kids so we can have lunch altogether during the party.  Each student needs to donate $2, if possible.  Thanks!  You can also sign up online at: http://missdsp4.shutterfly.com/

Conferences

Conferences seem like a long way away but they are going to be right around the corner before we know it!

Sign ups have been posted since curriculum night and there are still several spots open.  If you haven't signed up yet, please email me ASAP to set up a conference date and time and I will let you know what is open. 

Thanks for thinking ahead!

Guest Blogger: Lilja

Today we have another guest blogger - Lilja!  She has decided to tell us a wonderful sneak preview of her next story in writing!

In writing I am going to write about uninvited guests.Itis about a girl named Alison who has a mythical creature for a pet.His name is Zingbot.Zingbot is very generous with ideas and always tries to cheer up Alison.One day an evil spirit comes. Alisons brother is sure he saw the door knob move.He hears breathing and a grunt and knows right away that there is an evil spirit.Alison,her brother,her dad, and Zingbot hide in a closet until the evil spirit goes away.The next time the evil spirit comes the first thing he sees is Alison.Zingbot leaps in front the evil spirit and sacrafices himself to save Alison.Then he comes back as a ghost,still as nice as before.Then the evil spirit comes again.

Have your student write down the name of the guest blogger for a bonus tomorrow!  :)

Guest Blogger: Julia

I hope every one did great on they're final draft - Julia

If your student writes the name of the guest blogger in their planner they will get a special bonus!  :)

We Need Your Help!

Our class needs your help with an amazing donation incentive brought to us by Donorschoose.org.  For those of you unfamiliar with the site (please visit it, it's AMAZING) it is a non-profit website geared toward people donating money to classroom projects submitted by the teacher for things that the classroom needs or wants.

Donors Choose is starting an AMAZING incentive program where people (like you generous folks!) may go online and purchase a gift card for a future project for our classroom (and I have about 2 in the works).  Here is where it gets even better - now through October 15th, DonorsChoose will DOUBLE your contribution if you enter the code word PUMPKIN in at check out!  That can make a HUGE impact on our class and provide a huge benefit throughout our school.

If you are interested in supporting our class, please visit this link: http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/381550 and don't forget to enter the word PUMPKIN in at check out.

Thanks in advance for your continued support of our classroom!

Talking, talking, TALKING

Well students are chatting constantly.  It's not only frustrating for me as a teacher, but it is unfair to the classmates in our room who are doing what is expected who are getting their learning time taken away. 

Students in P4 are having a hard time understanding not to correct me and other students, especially while I am talking.  Now, we all make mistakes, of course, but it is important that students are learning to say things in a positive way and not rudely. 

This is something we are going to be working on a lot in our room this week and this year in general.  Learning appropriate ways to talk to other human beings is an important life skill to have a successful future. 

I appreciate those families who have a talk with their students about how to talk with other people to say things in a positive way and to give helpful criticism instead of being "bossy" or "rude".

Thank you for your support at home.

Guest Blogger: Ben

Thursday we had P.E.  We went outside to the field to play soccer.

- Ben C.

Have students write the name of the guest blogger in their planner for a bonus on Monday!

Class Store Donations Welcome!

A big thank you to those families who have so generously donated materials for our class store!  The kids are going to be SO excited and it is a great way to pass on toys or small items (books, pencils, pens, etc) that are no longer being used at your house!

The class store is scheduled for this Friday but students are going to have to EARN the right to participate and have the class store.  Right now, with a change in schedule due to MAP testing, students haven't been on their best behaviors.  Sleepiness, forgetting items at home, not listening to directions and ALL the talking has been getting in the way of our learning.  If we are losing time for learning, we are losing time for the more fun things as well.  Some students don't even have money at this point for our class store because with bad behavior and poor choices come fines.

My hope is that students can improve behaviors and earn the chance for the class store so it doesn't have to be rescheduled.

I appreciate the families that are having a frank conversation with their students about the expectations while they are at school as well as appropriate behavior.  Thanks for your support both at school and at home.

First Class Store Coming Friday

October is already here - wow is this year going by quickly!

Today was a rough day for behaviors in the classroom overall.  Our class has a LOT of personality which makes things difficult to contain all of that personality in a positive way.  After our math MAP test behavior wasn't great at all.  We had a chat in class about following expectations and hopefully tomorrow will be better.  Please help emphasize at home the importance of listening to instructions the FIRST time and respecting others by not interrupting while they are talking, since those are both common concerns in our class. 

This week we start music and art, which is super exciting!  We also have our reading MAP test on Thursday so make sure students are well rested and well fed that day.

Friday will be our first class store for students who have been participating well during class this week.  If you have any small items to donate to our class store that would be greatly appreciated!  Some examples are erasers, pencils, small toys, stuffed animals, etc.  Anything kids would get excited about, especially large packs of stuff from the Dollar Store are always good hits with the class!  :)  We would love any extra support from home and can't wait to see what you send in!  The kids are SUPER excited for Friday's store.

Thanks for keeping in touch with our virtual classroom!