I hope you all had a great Spring Break. I think this was the best one that I have had as a teacher so far. Please keep in mind though that 2 years ago I blew out my knee when I attempted skiing over spring break. And last year I spent it in snow stormy Iowa while my roommate went to California for the week. Not the best track record. Anyway, I had your kids write about their spring breaks in their journals today and some of the responses were pretty funny. They ranged all the way from "I can't remember a thing I did!" to "I got green Ted Drewe's!" and "I flew to Baltimore and then Florida". The most impressive memory was the kiddo who could tell me what she did at 3:15 on Saturday and then 11:55 on Sunday. I must say, this child is probably very good at staying organized and being on time. But now that we are all back at school, here's the game plan for the week.
Reading
We are working on homophones (sound the same, different meanings and spellings ex. hear and here) and slogans this week. These are both very hard concepts to understand and memorize so any extra conversations and examples you can find at home will help a ton.
Math
We are going to cover adding fractions a bit more to review from our lessons before break. We will also be introducing more money concepts, especially writing checks. This will feed in perfectly to our next social studies topic.
Social Studies
We are going to spend the next couple of weeks talking about government and economics. I will be sending a little more information about this home towards the end of the week. FYI though, we talked about how gas prices are going up and down today. I told your kiddos that you parents are dealing with this right now and they were just shocked to know how relevant this topic was in their lives. Money talks at home a lot of times go farther than money talks at school can. Take this opportunity to teach your kiddos!
Achievement Tests
Our achievement tests are coming up in a few weeks and we will be spending some time in class getting ready for them. We will take practice tests and learn good test taking strategies.
Reminder
No school on Good Friday
In school on Easter Monday
Have a great week!!
Monday, March 24, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Week of March 10th
Science
The space project is coming to an end. Here are the due dates for things:
Friday 3/14 - The whole packet is due (We are doing stars and constellations today and distance from the sun on Wednesday in class.)
Friday 3/14 - Book Review
Wednesday 3/26 - Powtoons
We have decided that because of our snow days we will not have time to give the kids a test on their space unit. Their packet and projects will give us enough grades for the unit.
Reading
We will have a normal reading lesson this week with spelling and vocabulary. This spelling words are posted on my Spelling page.
Memory
We have just enough weeks left in school to learn one of the 10 Commandments each week.
The space project is coming to an end. Here are the due dates for things:
Friday 3/14 - The whole packet is due (We are doing stars and constellations today and distance from the sun on Wednesday in class.)
Friday 3/14 - Book Review
Wednesday 3/26 - Powtoons
We have decided that because of our snow days we will not have time to give the kids a test on their space unit. Their packet and projects will give us enough grades for the unit.
Reading
We will have a normal reading lesson this week with spelling and vocabulary. This spelling words are posted on my Spelling page.
Memory
We have just enough weeks left in school to learn one of the 10 Commandments each week.
4th Quarter Goal
Hello Parents,
I had such a revelation this morning as we were in the middle of Religion class. For those of you that are teachers, maybe you can relate with this scenario: You plan your lessons and you think you know where they are going, and then a kid talks. Sometimes it's an ordinary comment and then sometimes it's a game changing comment. They hit you with an idea that is even better than the one you had planned and you have no choice except to go with it. Well that happened this morning and I want to share with you what our class has decided to do.
We discussed how we are made in God's image and how that makes us more special than the rest of His creation. This then led to us being unique and having fingerprints. And then somehow we got to talking about how many things God does for us that we should be thankful for. As we read Psalm 103 the song "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman immediately popped into all of our heads and I can't tell you how uplifting it is to hear your kiddos sing this song.
Psalm 103:1,8 "Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name....The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."
After singing this song, one of the kids said, "We should try to find 10,000 reasons to thank God!" So that's what we are doing this quarter. I am covering my door with paper and leaving markers beside it. I just love this idea and encourage you to come and add to our list when you are in the building. We take so many things for granted and it's easy to overlook the endless blessings God gives. My first reason to be thankful on the list is going to be your kids and their faith.
I had such a revelation this morning as we were in the middle of Religion class. For those of you that are teachers, maybe you can relate with this scenario: You plan your lessons and you think you know where they are going, and then a kid talks. Sometimes it's an ordinary comment and then sometimes it's a game changing comment. They hit you with an idea that is even better than the one you had planned and you have no choice except to go with it. Well that happened this morning and I want to share with you what our class has decided to do.
We discussed how we are made in God's image and how that makes us more special than the rest of His creation. This then led to us being unique and having fingerprints. And then somehow we got to talking about how many things God does for us that we should be thankful for. As we read Psalm 103 the song "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman immediately popped into all of our heads and I can't tell you how uplifting it is to hear your kiddos sing this song.
Psalm 103:1,8 "Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name....The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Week of March 3rd
Operetta
We will be having Operetta practice every afternoon this week.
Pennies for Playground
Our class has been volunteered (by me of course, but don't let them know that) to count the coins that are brought in each day. We will then be making a bar graph to put in the hallway as we keep the totals. This will be the majority of our math period this week. You can count on facts sheets going home with them every day though.
Reading
We will be reading a different Dr. Seuss book each day and working on different grammar, spelling, or literary skills with them. This is because Dr. Seuss' birthday is this week. Also, we will not have time to do a regular Reading story with a spelling list and reading test because of all the other things this week.
Science
Your kiddos will be working quite a bit in class on their science unit. Last week we introduced them to Powtoons. They should have brought home the sheet of instructions on it. There are links to my example powtoons as well as directions to set up an account and then where to find the tutorial. I suggested that the kids just play around on it and see what they can create before they try to do their project on it. This may save you and your kiddo some headaches when doing the actual assignment. Please let me know if you have any troubles with setting up their account. Otherwise, we told them to be creative and have fun exploring and learning about their planet.
Friday
Friday is pajama/comfy day. Friday afternoon we will be showing the K-4 kids a Dr. Seuss movie in the gym. I will allow each kid to bring in one item to sit/lay on. This could be a pillow or blanket, but please no large stuffed animals.
We will be having Operetta practice every afternoon this week.
Pennies for Playground
Our class has been volunteered (by me of course, but don't let them know that) to count the coins that are brought in each day. We will then be making a bar graph to put in the hallway as we keep the totals. This will be the majority of our math period this week. You can count on facts sheets going home with them every day though.
Reading
We will be reading a different Dr. Seuss book each day and working on different grammar, spelling, or literary skills with them. This is because Dr. Seuss' birthday is this week. Also, we will not have time to do a regular Reading story with a spelling list and reading test because of all the other things this week.
Science
Your kiddos will be working quite a bit in class on their science unit. Last week we introduced them to Powtoons. They should have brought home the sheet of instructions on it. There are links to my example powtoons as well as directions to set up an account and then where to find the tutorial. I suggested that the kids just play around on it and see what they can create before they try to do their project on it. This may save you and your kiddo some headaches when doing the actual assignment. Please let me know if you have any troubles with setting up their account. Otherwise, we told them to be creative and have fun exploring and learning about their planet.
Friday
Friday is pajama/comfy day. Friday afternoon we will be showing the K-4 kids a Dr. Seuss movie in the gym. I will allow each kid to bring in one item to sit/lay on. This could be a pillow or blanket, but please no large stuffed animals.
National Lutheran School's Week
National Lutheran School's Week
There's a lot going on at the Elementary Campus next week.
Pennies for Playground
All week we will be collecting change to help improve our playground. Each class will have a container to collect change in. The goal is to have more pennies than all the other classes. There's a twist though, you can try to "sabotage" other classes by putting silver coins or dollars in their containers. One penny will give the class a positive point and 1 silver coin/dollar will give the class a negative point. Whichever class has the most pennies at the end of the week will win a prize!! Save your coins and look through those couch cushions and dryer vents!!
Dress Up Days
Monday - Go Green for Jesus
Tuesday - Team Tuesday (wear your favorite teams spirit wear)
Wednesday - Dress Your Best (wear your sparkles and tuxedos)
Thursday - Wear Your Best Uniform
Friday - Pajama Day
We will be spending time in small groups where the whole school gets mixed up together. In our small groups we will be doing devotions, fun activities, and other fun things together.
Special Events
Wednesday - Breakfast for Belize/Uganda (7:30-8:15 am in the gym)
Thursday - Grandparents Day/Special Guest
Thursday - Operetta (7pm)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)