February Newsletter

Language arts:

This month we are moving from studying non-fiction into a poetry unit! We will be studying features of poetry then we will make our own poetry books featuring original works by each student.

Also-because I am such a benevolent teacher J, I have extended the deadline of our genre tickets project! Prizes will still be given through this month for reading 5 and 9 books. This is, however, a graded project, so do check up on your child’s progress!

Art:

We have a special guest coming to share a fun art project just in time for Valentine’s day! In order to participate, your child will need:

·         A shoebox or similar sized box

·         A paper bag

·         Glue

Time to Restock!

As we begin 3^rd quarter, check with your child to see if he/she needs a replacement for any of the following. I have had a growing number of students needing to borrow my supplies because theirs have disappeared or are used up!

·         Spelling/writing notebooks (1 for each)

·         Pencils

·         Glue sticks

·         Scissors

Work Check

Just a reminder for our 3^rd quarter: spelling choices/reading log entries (4/wk) are due each Thursday. Late work will be accepted for one week then will remain an F. The biggest reason grades changed last quarter was due to whether or not students remembered their Thursday work. Don’t forget to check our class blog for links to spelling and reading homework in case it is forgotten!

classroom involvement opportunities

I have had a few parents express interest in helping out in our classroom. I have a few needs to offer and if you are interested in taking up these projects, please give me a call:

1. classroom library-We have our books just on a shelf, however we are working on our genre project and I think it would help the class if we could organize the library into genres. I would give you a list of the genre's and the supplies to categorize the books.

2. spelling tests-I would like to try something different. We have 3 spelling groups and I would love to try to get 3 groups testing separately at one time. Normally I give all 3 tests at once but have to fly through and just say each word. I would like for the students to hear their words in context of a sentence and give the students who need it more time to finish. I would need 2 people from 1:00-1:30 on Fridays.

3. blog posting-each week, 2 students write posts for our classroom blog. It would be wonderful to have a parent with strengths in English to work one on one with them to edit their writing pieces while we do our guided reading groups Thursday afternoons.

The following times work best for room 206 for most situations:
10:30-11:00
12:30-1:00
1:00-1:30
possibly 2:30-3:00

My heart behind classroom help is to give you time to get involved with the students. I would rather increase their contact time with someone who can help them rather than have someone make photocopies or grade papers. If you have been wanting to get involved, let me know what you have in mind and we will work out a schedule.

Report Cards...!

Yes, report cards came out today! Agh! Some kids beamed with stories of how much money they'd get when they got home, others looked a little down with some lower grades. Here are a few things to remember:

1. All envelopes need to be signed and returned by Monday
2. Grade trends-I've noticed that the main source of grade changes from 1st to 2nd quarter was simply whether or not students turned in completed assignments. Here were some of the game changers:
1. turning in spelling choices
2. turning in completed spelling choices
3. turning in reading logs
4. turning in completed reading logs

what's the difference? Each week when I assign reading logs and spelling choices, I write how many entries they must complete in parentheses next to it. It looks like this on the board:

Spelling: choices (4)

Reading: log (4)

Each day, I emphasize that they must turn in 4 entries on THURSDAY. A lot of kids have been turning in only 2 or 3 entries for our reading logs, which only gives them 50% (F) or 75% (C) for the week. We talked through that again this week, so hopefully that helps them!

Thank you!

A huge thank you to Hunter and his family for donating a Minneapolis Star Tribune to our classroom! We have been using it to focus on previewing a text, finding the main idea, cause and effect, and sequencing. What a useful and real-life tool!

As your child's teacher, I hope you each know that I sincerely appreciate all that you as parents invest into your children. It carries over into our classroom and makes a difference. Thanks again to each who have volunteered in our class, donated materials, or given input and feedback. They have all been helpful tools in my first year here!