yim

Newsletter for week of October 29

Download oct261yim_07.doc

Riddle:  What nut makes you sneeze?     Answer:  A cashew!  A little Friday humor!  Have a great weekend!

If you would be willing to donate a prize for our reading contest, please send in a note and the month for which you will supply the prize.  If everyone is willing to help then I will have a prize for the top two winners.  Remember to keep prizes simple.  Examples could include things such as $5 gift cards to the following places:  McDonald's, Bruster's, Border's Bookstore...  I just need you to send in a note including the month you will donate, beginning with December.  Thanks!  I know the students can't wait to start!

Quick reminders:  Reading logs for October are due Wednesday; Next AR party is Wednesday; All Mixed-up Tale assignments are due at this time.  Some students took them back home today because they had just filled out the story map.  They need to write a story using the writing process as well.  The story map defines the elements of their tale.  They should fill that out after the story is complete.  Or they may have used the story map as a type of story outline, but it does not serve as the story itself. 

We had a BLAST on our field trip to Etowah Mounds and New Echota!  The students came home exhausted after a very educational, LONG day!  Thank you so much for being so timely in picking them all up afterward!  And a special thanks to our chaperones for their involvement!!

Attached is this week's newsletter.

How about a contest?

                                            This week's buzz!!

Are Webkinz taking over your household and all of your child's time?  You find yourself saying that your child used to like to read but now they don't?!  Well, thanks to a parent suggestion, I think I've got just the cure!  Beginning in November, I would like to enlist your help with a reading contest that we will use with our monthly reading logs.  For the student who reads the most minutes in each month, I will award a class prize.  This has worked well in the past and seems to really motivate students to want to read more (and what parent doesn't want that?!)  What I am asking from you is to volunteer to provide one prize for one month.  I have November taken care of, but would need one prize for each month thereafter, until May.  The idea is to keep it simple.  Food prizes are okay, but another suggestion might be something like a $5 gift card to Borders or some other book store so the winner may pick out his or her next book to read!  Or maybe you want to give a gift card to a store where they can pick out their next Webkin (just kidding!).  Thanks in advance for your help with this.  Kids LOVE contests!

We are finishing up our Traditional Literature and will be moving into Informational/Nonfiction reading and writing over the next nine weeks.  The students were given an assignment on Monday that is to be completed and turned in by Friday.  They have been given instructions to write a "mixed-up" tale.  There is a rubric to go along with the assignment and a story map to be filled out.  Please encourage your child to be working on this a little each night so that they are finished by Friday.  They need to use each stage of the writing process to complete, along with other specific instructions which have been given.

Up next in Math is "mighty" multiplication!!  We are moving right along.  The students should be mastering addition and subtraction at this time.  If you need more 5 minute practice drills please jot me a note and I will send extras home.  I will be sending home the ones for multiplication 0-5 next week.

Thank you for such generosity in sending all of your recent donations from your money for trips and projects, to snacks, to your precious time.   I cannot say it enough how much you are appreciated.  The children love each week when their parents come in for story time as well!!  It means a lot to see you here and to know that our class is not the only place within the school that you are donating your time.  We are very lucky to have you all! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! 

From the hive...

What's all the "buzz" about this week?  For starters I would like to remind you that report cards will be sent home on Monday.  Your children have worked very diligently over the last 9 weeks on many new and reviewed concepts.  They deserve to be commended for pushing through all of the testing earlier this month, as well as on the things which they are currently working!  They are progressing nicely with their subtraction facts.  Thank you for working so hard with them on those, and for sending back the oral subtraction checklists.  Please continue to work on addition and subtraction, and soon multiplication facts for practice will come home. 

I have really been enforcing classroom procedures and routines that were set in place in August.  You may have been seeing more specific comments or "oops" slips coming home lately as I am striving to emphasize the importance of completing and returning homework on time, as well as specific appropriate times to complete certain tasks (restroom breaks, water bottle refills, etc. discussed at Open House). The problem with making exceptions to the rules, are that then you end up making them all of the time and for everyone.  Even if you don't usually see notes from me, I have been sending them occasionally where needed for this reason.  Please continue to stress to your child the importance of being on time and prepared for class each day.  This will assist in minimizing the amount of downtime on valuable instructional time.

Just a reminder that we will be going on our field trip this next Thursday, October 25, from 8AM-5PM.  Your child will need to bring a sack lunch or will be purchasing a school sack lunch depending on what you ordered on your permission slip.  Please have your yellow jacket wear our class t-shirt on Thursday.  We are looking forward to a fabulous day!  Children may also bring a healthy snack and water bottle for the bus.  Thanks again to our two parent volunteer chaperones!!

And one more BIG "thank you" to Alec's mom for helping us with our "Make a Difference" project.  I know the children will enjoy making blankets for two children in Ecuador.  If you are able, we are asking for a $2.00 donation just to cover the cost of the material. 

Thank you as well to ALL of my wonderful Story and Helper Parents!  You are very appreciated!

Have a great week!  Attached is this week's newsletter.Download oct19yim_07.doc

"Make a Difference" Project

Dear Parents,

I really do have good intentions about giving accurate information regarding our "Make a Difference" project.  The blankets for which I will ask a small donation actually is a project a local church is sponsoring and the blankets will go to an orphanage in Ecuador.  In our classroom we will make these blankets in memory of Dr. Looft.

Sorry for any confusion.... 

October 12, 2007

Download oct15yim_07.doc Dear Parents,

We've had a busy week working on "Spook"-tacular Spelling, learning about specific kinds of Traditional Literature, Book Clubs, and, or course, that CHALLENGING subtraction with regrouping!  What is especially difficult for many is the regrouping across zeros in a 3 or 4-digit number.  Please take some extra time and work with your child practicing this concept.  A few problems for practice daily until it "clicks" may be necessary.   We worked this week on trying to show the connection between regrouping with paper and pencil, and the use of base ten blocks.  We also demonstrated this concept through making change with paper money; for example, showing with dollars and cents:  $14.25 take away $10.75.  They started with 3 five dollar bills and coins, and had to make change before subtracting.  This helped some to make the regrouping connection.

In honoring the memory of Dr. Looft, the school sent information home a few weeks ago to encourage families or individuals to become involved in a service project on Saturday, October 27 in order to "make a difference" the way that she always did.  The school will compile a list (in the form of a book) of our "Make a Difference" service projects for her family as a gift.  I thought I would offer a class project in her honor with making a no-sew fleece blanket to give to a local Childrens' Home.  These are the blankets in which one side is a solid color and the other is a printed pattern, and the edges are fringed and tied together  If the fabric and edges are pre-cut, each child could tie one or two fringe edges together, symbolically connecting ("tying")the children to Dr. Looft and the good she so often did.  I would just ask for a "small" donation from the students to cover the cost of the material, and a parent to help assist  with cutting and the tying of the edges.  This won't take much time but will be greatly appreciated by the recipient!  If you are interested in assisting with this, please jot me a note as soon as possible and we will plan to have our service project in class.

Thanks so much for all you do!!  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group!!  Attached is this week's newsletter.  Have a wonderful week!

Attached is the newsletter for the week of October 8th.Download oct8yim_07.doc

Happy Fall!!

Dear Yellow Jacket Families,

Happy Friday!  We made it through the ITBS!!  Just a few notes:  The week of October 8th we will be having a county-wide Code Red drill.  It is only a drill.  I have reviewed the procedures with the students so that they are prepared for what to do. 

Please ask your child what T.A.M.E. stands for.  We are working hard to demonstrate our best manners in the cafeteria and Mrs. Whalen is bringing back "The Golden Tray" award! 

We are working on our subtraction facts and some of the students have demonstrated proficiency and are ready to move on into multiplication!  Although most are still working on subtraction, please continue to do the oral drill checklists with your child and as well, the 5 minute timed drill tests that I have sent home for practice.  It doesn't hurt to become even faster for those who already know them.

As I mentioned in my newsletter for this week, we are still in need of magazines and shoe boxes for literacy center activities; so if you happen to have extra, I would sure appreciate your sending them our way!  Thanks again.

As well, we are almost out of Lysol and Clorox wipes.  We use those to clean off our desks and cut down on germs!  There's a lot of sneezing going on lately!  :) Our paper towels are almost gone and we've been using them for "community snack" and to wipe off our slates.  If you are able to send in a roll of paper towels, we can definitely use them.  If you have not sent in an old sock with your child for his or her slate, please try to do that and it will save on paper towels.  Thank you so very much! 

I believe I have such a wonderful set of students and parents.  You are all so appreciated.  I can't tell you how thankful I am for all of the helper and story parents.  Thank you for making my job so much easier!!

Have a wonderful weekend!  I hope to see you Saturday at Octoberfest!  Be sure to check out the pumpkins.  They are AMAZING!!  You may also bid on any teacher outing while you are there.  This is a fun opportunity for your child to spend time with his or her teacher and friends!