Friday, December 20

Ho, Ho, Ho!  Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful day we had!  We began with a puppet show.  Then they worked with Dr. Pettet on setting new goals.  After that we had our Unwanted Christmas gift exchange - which was a hoot!!  We even worked in a Read-In in the hall.
The sad part of our day was the end.  Today we had to say goodbye to two of our team members - Tyler and Kiersten.  We are all very sad to lose them and will miss them very much.  We also wish them happy times and many new friends at their new schools.

Before I wish you one last Merry Christmas, I want to do a quick update on the An Interview with History project.  In all the fun and festivities of the week, I was unable to get the digital resources that the students collected printed to take home.  So, the main task they should work on over break is transforming their two-liter bottle into the person they are studying.  Have fun, be creative, and work hard!  And, of course, they should READ over break.  Traveling makes great reading time!

Merry Christmas everyone!  I will see you in 2014!

Thursday, December 19

I am happy to announce that the Grinch finally found his heart, thanks to Team33.  It was a wonderful day filled with fun and a lot of sugar - beware :)

Don't forget tomorrow is our Unwanted Gift Exchange and PJ day!  See everyone then.

Wednesday, December 18

Christmas is coming! The dungeon's full of rats! ...Wait, that's not how the song goes!  It is how the book goes.  We are almost finished, with the book.  Just a few more pages until the end, but we are definitely at the climax.  Poor Despereaux, who was trying to save his Princess Pea, is now lost in the dark dungeon with a bunch of dirty rats. We hope the next few pages will be better for our small mouse friend!  Tomorrow we will find out!  In the morning we will be watching the 3rd grade holiday presentation, with some of our own team members participating in the choir!
After the presentation we will finish the book and watch the movie!  In honor of the book we will have chocolate marshmallow soup (better know as hot chocolate) and popcorn as a snack.  When the movie is over we will be heading to lunch, recess, specials, and then the party! What a day!  I can't wait!


Side Note:  Many of the students did a GREAT job on their Lesson 8-9 Spelling and Vocabulary today!  There are a few students who will still need to pass the assessment before enjoying the activities tomorrow.  Please talk with your student to see how they are doing on it.  If they have not passed, they really need to study tonight!  If there is any confusion, you can always check the grade book.  You can use your parent login, or students can use their own login.  (Don't let them fool you. They do know it - it is their 4 letters and 4 numbers.)  A missing grade for the Week 18 assessment indicates that the student has not passed the Lesson 8-9 assessment.

Tuesday, December 17

Today we worked more on our An Interview with History projects.  We spent a chunk of the day learning how to gather our online resources. If you want to engage your child in a conversation about their school day, ask them how Google is like a refrigerator.  They should be able to tell you that, Google stores information the way that a refrigerator stores food.  The big difference between Google and a refrigerator is that when food goes bad in a refrigerator, someone cleans it out.  When information goes bad on Google, no one cleans it out.  All the bad information just stays.  That is why we use the reputable databases found on our website.  I believe almost all of the students were able to find at least 2 resources for their project.  I will be printing them off and sending them home, so that the students can review the resources over break as they make their two-liter bottle model. If your child needs a two-liter bottle please let me know.  I have a few at school.

Today we also took another try at the Lesson 8-9 Spelling/Vocab test.  This is the last grade going in the grade book, so I am being a stickler and requiring a 90% or better.  Many students met the requirement, but many need to study some more.  Please ask your child how they did and feel free to use the online quiz site, ThatQuiz,  to help them practice.

Monday, December 16

What a productive day!  We started by adding NWEA data to our Feedback and Data Binder, along with updated Reading Counts reports.  Please review both reports with your student tonight, and work together to fill out the reflection page.

Today we also took the Lesson 8-9 Spelling and Vocab assessment, or should I say we BOMBED it.  Only one student in the both TeamShoultz and Team33 passed the assessment.  That student was Emma W.  Way to go Emma!!  The rest of us are just chalking it up to being a Monday!  So we are going to study harder tonight and try again tomorrow.  Students brought home a paper to help study, and they can also use the ThatQuiz page online to help. Students will be able to continue taking the practice test until they score a 90% or better.  Then they can still review what they missed in order to get a higher score tomorrow.

The third big accomplishment of today was starting our Interview with History project. All students should be bringing home an orange paper explaining the project.  To earn the first 2 points on the project, they just need to return the bottom portion with a parent signature.

Tomorrow will be just as busy as we continue our  Interview with History project and review for our Math test.  Keep up the good work everyone!

Friday, December 13

Happy Friday the 13th!  It was a really happy day here at school.  We were happy about our NWEA scores going up, up, up! We only have a few more students who need to finish up the test, and so we are hoping the scores will go home next week.

Due to NWEA testing, we did not have an Examview assessment this week.  Next week there will be a test over the Lesson 8-9 Spelling and Vocabulary Packet.  Students will need to be able to spell each word or word part and match them with the correct definition.  This will be the last grade of the grading period, so please study.

See everyone next week.  Have a great weekend.

Thursday, December 20

Making a List, Checking it twice!

There are so many exciting things happening  this season that I feel like Santa, making a list and checking it twice. Here are a couple that you won’t want to miss out on!

NWEA: Tomorrow is our last NWEA test.  Team 33 will be taking the Math portion.  Team Shoultz will take the Reading.  Students did a great job on today's testing! 

Good Cheer Basket: We are still collecting food for our Good Cheer basket.  Any donations are appreciated.

Team 33 Winter Party:  Team 33 will be celebrating the season on Thursday, December 19.  A huge Thank you goes to Jamie Green for organizing the party, and all the parents who are volunteering their time and talents to this festive occasion.  The party will begin at 1:30. All parents and family members are welcome.

Unwanted Christmas Gift Exchange:  This exchange is back by popular demand.  For any of you that are new to the program, here is how it goes….  Students find something at home that they do not want anymore (one student’s trash is another student’s treasure), they ask their parents for permission to give it away, then they wrap it and bring it to school.  We then play dirty Santa with the gifts.  The students love it!  The funnier the gifts the better, and I am always surprised how each year at least one child tells me how they got exactly what they wanted from the Unwanted Christmas Gift Exchange.

Teacher/Classroom Gifts:  If you are planning on purchasing a gift for the teacher/classroom this year please...keep it small.  I great suggestion would be to give games.  Our indoor recess selection is slim, and we have many more indoor recess days ahead of us.  Legos, board games, card games, etc.  New or used.  They would all be greatly appreciated by the students and teacher alike.

Learning Continued Christmas Bash:  Thursday the 19th is our last Scheduled Learning Continued. The students who have been participating , will be celebrating their dedication with a party.  They have permission to bring soda, cookies, or whatever they would like to contribute.  We will be playing fun games and enjoying each others company.  Parents are welcome.  We will begin a 2nd round of Learning Continued in January.  Stay tuned for more information.

Christmas Break:  Christmas Break begins at the end of the day on Friday, December 20.  Please have a safe and happy holiday!  We will resume school on  Monday, January 6th.

Wednesday, December 11

We hope you’re ready to be FROZEN tonight!

We are all very excited for our movie date tonight and just wanted to clarify a bit of information

before the big event.

· Ticket prices are buy-1-get-1, which makes them $4.25 each. If you are buying an odd number of tickets, try to bring cash for at least 1 ticket so we can pair you with someone else to get the discounted price.

· Snacks are not discounted, but they do offer a kids pack which includes drink, popcorn and a pack of gummies for $5.50.

· Although we would love to have parent participation, students may be dropped off, but must be picked up by 8:45. (No younger siblings should be dropped off without supervision.) Please come into the lobby to pick up your child.

See you at the movies!!

Tuesday, December 10

Homework tonight is to finish the last writing prompt in the ISTEP practice booklet. It will be due Friday and needs to include enough details to take up the entire page and a half.  It should also be written using big, strong, COMPLETE sentences.  Tomorrow is the big day.  I am still hoping to see everyone at the movies!  There are still a few permission slips out.  I made a few calls tonight, and will make more in the morning.  So if you have not yet turned in your permission slip please email me or turn it in first thing tomorrow.  Here is another copy, or you can just send me an email/write me a note to let me know you will be there.

Monday, December 9

Have you heard of The Tale of tale of Despereaux?  Not the movie...the book.  They are very different.  In Team33 we are reading the book so students can discover just how different they are.  At the end of next week we will watch the movie so we can compare and contrast the book with the movie.  I have assured all the students that they will hate watching the movie, after reading the book.  Of course, the book is SOOOO much better!

I have heard that FROZEN is an incredible movie! I can't wait to see it with all the 4th graders on Wednesday.  Many slips have already been turned in.  If you have not turned in the form for Frozen, please turn it in tomorrow.  I will be personally calling anyone who has not turned it in by the end of the day tomorrow.

The Homework Page is now updated.  Tonight's homework is Feedback and Data Binder Reflection page, Math worksheet, and Read.  A few students did not get their behavior log signed over the weekend, so they should have brought it home to get it signed this evening.

Thursday, December 5

Two Time Top Dog!

We had a very productive day.  We reviewed the Lesson 8/9 Spelling and Vocab packet. It really seems like the students are catching on to how to manipulate the word parts.  We also finished up our center work.  Tomorrow will be our Week 17 ExamView assessment over this weeks learning objectives along with a some review of previous learning objectives.

This weeks Learning Objectives:

• Build strong sentences.
• Recognize the genre Realistic Fiction by its features.
• Compare and Contrast Realistic Fiction stories.
• Categorize the short o sound combinations of au, aw , and al .
• Increase spelling through the study of word parts.

Wednesday, December 4

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  In their free time students have been working hard to decorate the room with a hand made Christmas tree and beautiful paper snowflakes.  It looks wonderful! I think it might even look prettier than last years.

Couple important notes for today:

1. There will not be Learning Continued tomorrow.  There is a conflict with a district meeting that is scheduled.  I sent a green slip home with each child that is signed up to stay for Learning Continued. Please sign the slip to let me know you are aware or you can just reply to this email.  Either way, I just want to ensure that they have a safe place to go after school.

2.  It is that time again.  The time of year to be thankful for all we have and be aware of those that are struggling.  We now have a Good Cheer basket in the classroom.  Anything you are able to send, even just one can, will make a big difference to a hungry family this season.

Tuesday, December 3

I want to start by appologizing for the lack of communication this week.  I have been playing catch-up from Thanksgiving break, and of course I have had meetings everyday.  I will get better ;)

Next I need to make sure you are up-to-date on some important information:

• The Week 17 Overview went home Monday.  You can use this link if you want to review the information again.  It is also on our website under Literacy Link Newsletters.
• Secret Santa Shopping is tomorrow and Thursday for our class. Please send money in a sealed envelope and remind the children the importance of keeping their money private.
• The monthly dinner date has been changed to a movie date.  Information came home on a blue form.  Please fill out and return the blue form as soon as possible. If you need another copy just click the link.
• Green 4H forms went home this week. I am one of the leaders and would like your child to be a member of our group.  Please contact me if you would like additional information.
• Homework site has been updated. A few parents asked for a link to the demonstration video.  You can use these links and it is also linked on the Homework page.
• Winter NWEA is next week, but we are not worried!  We've got this!
• Christmas is coming! Our party will be Thursday, December 19th.  More information on our Christmas celebrations is coming soon.

Team 33 Tweet

What's Happening? 12/02/2013 - http://t.co/hsba3w2V4O

— Needham Team 33 (@NeedhamTeam33) December 2, 2013

from Twitter https://twitter.com/NeedhamTeam33



December 02, 2013 at 05:01PM

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Team 33 Tweet

Yep that's five gems on the behavior clip. Congrats to our top dog! pic.twitter.com/fmGG60JANp

— Needham Team 33 (@NeedhamTeam33) December 2, 2013

from Twitter https://twitter.com/NeedhamTeam33



December 02, 2013 at 07:45AM

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Team 33 Tweet

What's Happening? 11/29/2013 - http://t.co/tj4E3SpfB6

— Needham Team 33 (@NeedhamTeam33) November 29, 2013

from Twitter https://twitter.com/NeedhamTeam33



November 29, 2013 at 05:01PM

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Happy Holidays

So sorry for the redundant posts.  I am trying out a new technology and promise to get it worked out. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving Break! See you Monday!

Team 33 Tweet

What's Happening? 11/28/2013 - http://t.co/UIWyNvGdYI

— Needham Team 33 (@NeedhamTeam33) November 28, 2013

from Twitter https://twitter.com/NeedhamTeam33



November 28, 2013 at 05:02PM

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Team 33 Tweet

What's Happening? 11/27/2013 - http://t.co/cZmXCHGx8n

— Needham Team 33 (@NeedhamTeam33) November 27, 2013

from Twitter https://twitter.com/NeedhamTeam33



November 27, 2013 at 05:03PM

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Team 33 Tweet

What's Happening? 11/26/2013 - http://t.co/sf3IHkT5hW

— Needham Team 33 (@NeedhamTeam33) November 26, 2013

from Twitter https://twitter.com/NeedhamTeam33



November 26, 2013 at 05:02PM

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Tuesday, November 26

HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!  I wish all of you the best break ever!  Of course, I will be worried the entire break, so I hope everyone also stays safe!  Today we took a moment to go around the room and discuss what we are most thankful for.  Top on the student's list were their family!  I am also thankful for you.  I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to work with your amazing children, and the support you have given all year long.  I am truly blessed and thankful!

I have several items I want to update you on, so I am going to make a list, and check it twice, and hope I don't leave anything out:

• Celebration:  As you know we have been working VERY HARD and understanding and meeting writing expectations.  Today was a TRUE celebration!  Every student in Team33 and TeamShoultz has successfully completed 1. Picking-apart-a-prompt, 2. Planning a writing, and (most impressively) 3. Creating a full page or more of writing.  I know this task was easier for some than others, but that we worked together as a team to help everyone be successful is STUPENDOUS!  Congratulations 4th Graders!

• FROZEN: Please do not go see Frozen this weekend!  We would like to all go see the movie together.  We have arranged for a special discounted showing on Wednesday, November 11, 7:00 at Canary Creek Cinemas.  The cost will be $4.25 a person.  We are still working on a discounted snack.  All friends and family are welcome! We would like to ensure that ALL 4th grade students are able to participate, so PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR. More information will be coming home after break.

• Snacks: I hate to ask because you already do so much, but if you are able to pick up a little extra when you go to the store over break, the students would be ever so thankful.  We are completely out of snacks and small Dixie Cups to serve them in.  The Dixie Cups are just the small paper cups and they do not need to be brand name.  Snack ideas are dry cereal, pretzels, graham crackers, raisins, animal crackers, etc.  Thank you so much for any assistance you are able to give. 

• NEWSLETTER: The December Needham Newsletter is now available.

• Helping the Homeless: Emma is doing her part this Christmas Season by collecting  socks with her Girls Scout Troop for the homeless.  They can be gently used or new.  They are collecting for adults only.  If you are able to help, please send the socks to class by Tuesday Dec. 5^th.  Thank you very much for your help. 

Team 33 Tweet

Check out our Read-In Photo Album. We had some serious fun while reading today! http://t.co/gH93Rgigue

— Needham Team 33 (@NeedhamTeam33) November 26, 2013

from Twitter https://twitter.com/NeedhamTeam33



November 26, 2013 at 03:22PM

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Team 33 Tweet

Another clip we mustache to the hall of fame. Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/nCkF6UIwOW

— Needham Team 33 (@NeedhamTeam33) November 26, 2013

from Twitter https://twitter.com/NeedhamTeam33



November 26, 2013 at 02:56PM

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So excited for our Read-In tomorrow! #LoveReading @NeedhamEleSch @myfcs http://t.co/xkHkTou3Ui

So excited for our Read-In tomorrow! #LoveReading @NeedhamEleSch @myfcs pic.twitter.com/xkHkTou3Ui

— Needham Team 33 (@NeedhamTeam33) November 25, 2013

from Twitter https://twitter.com/NeedhamTeam33



November 25, 2013 at 05:24PM

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Monday, November 25

Wow! What a work day!  Today we focused on writing to a prompt.  We all pretended it was the real ISTEP Writing Session, just so we could get a feel for how we would do.  I saw a lot of progress, and I saw a lot of ways we can improve.  We will keep working on!

Tomorrow we will have a Read-In during Literacy Block.  I will provide the hot chocolate and popcorn, and the students are allowed to bring pillows, small blankets, and even stuffed animals.  What ever will make them comfortable as we spend the morning reading.

Note: Feedback and Data Binders were not sent home tonight because several students need more to to complete their test.  Results will go home Monday after Thanksgiving break.

Only those students who did not complete more than a page for last week's "I'll always Remember" prompt have homework.

Wednesday, November 20

We are really making progress with  identifying the main idea, supporting ideas, and details. In class we have been focusing on finding Main Ideas (P1), Supporting Ideas (P2) and Details (P3) in articles and writing prompts.  The students are are quickly working their way to being independent at this skill.  Tonight's homework is a great chance to practice.  We collaborated on the article Botanists.  They should practice with the article Land of Ice and Snow. Use Botanists as a model if you get stuck.

Monday, November 18

Model Planning Page

We worked our buns off today!  REALLY!  As always we had a lot of fun doing it.  Today we focused on planning a writing. We went step by step through the process.  I modeled each step and then guided the students as they planned their own writing.  They did a wonderful job!  As you can see we used a hamburger model for our planning.  Because of this, we laughed an joked about buns ALL DAY LONG! It was wonderful!

We also updated the literacy portion of the Feedback and Data Binder.  Be sure to check out the data!  We made lots of improvements in making inferences last week and our data shows it! If you want a sneak peak of what we are working on this week, check out our Week 15 Literacy Link.

Friday, November 15

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Today, we had planned on reviewing our opening and closing sentences for our ISTEP writing practice, and then writing our stories over the weekend.  After a quick review of the planning pages, we decided we need a lot more practice planning the story before we work on writing it. So I want to let you know, I let the kids off the hook this weekend.  I told them not to write there story over the weekend.  We will work on it more next week and they will be writing for homework next week.

Hope everyone has a grand weekend.

Thursday, November 14

Tonight is the READERS ARE LEADERS night at Needham Elementary. Come to hear community leaders read great books. Then stay for dinner from 5-7:30. Cookie dough orders will also be distributed during this time.

Tomorrow we will have the a week 14 assessment. It will cover the following learning objectives:

• Making inferences
• Picking apart a prompt and planning your writing
• Vocabulary (not spelling) of the Lesson 6-7 list.

For tonight's homework, students are supposed to finish their planning page. (They are not supposed to write the story.) Tomorrow we will review their planning page, and discuss good opening and closing sentences. They will get to write their story over the weekend and we will share them on Monday.

Wednesday, November 11

Today was a work day.  The students worked on unfinished business from last week.  They worked on our new Spelling and Vocabulary Packets. They worked on making Flashcard Foldables to help us study.  They worked on reading Young Hoosier Book Award books, and of course reading books at their lexile. While they were working so hard, I was finishing up individual writing conferences with each student.  It has been inspiring to sit with each child as they read their writing and have the opportunity to discuss their writing skills with them.  We have learned a lot from each other during the process.

Tomorrow will be another work day.  We will continue to focus on making inferences and writing to a prompt.  I am really excited about the improvement I am seeing in both areas.

Tomorrow is also Learning Continued and Readers are Leaders night.  If your student wants to stay for Learning Continued, I must have a signed permission slip.  Cookie dough orders can be picked up during Readers are Leaders night from 5-7:30.

Tuesday, November 12

Tomorrow will be Team 33's book fair buying day.  If you want your child to purchase books, please send their money in a sealed envelope with any specific directions you want them to follow.

Another proud member of the
Behavior Clip Hall of Fame!

This Thursday is our 2nd Learning continued session.  If your student wants to stay for Learning Continued and has not yet filled out the LEARNING CONTINUED form, please send it in right away.

The new word part list, LESSON 6-7 Vocabulary and Spelling,  is now posted. I am very impressed with how the students are doing with studying and understanding prefixes, suffixes, and root words.  There efforts are showing on the weekly assessments, and will show when it comes to high stakes testing.

We are realizing an area of weakness is making inferences.  We reviewed the Week 12 assessment today.  Most students did not do well on the reading portion, which was based on making inferences.  The good news is we can get better.  As I modeled how to find the clues in the text, I saw light bulbs flashing on in many students eyes.  We will keep working on making inferences along with writing to a prompt this week.

Monday, November 11

Happy Veteran's Day to all those who have served, and all those at home who sacrifice to make it happen.  We owe our lives to you!  Today students are working on a piece of text called Mere Moments: The story of Pearl Harbor.  Some of them completed the assignment in class, but all of them were told to take the assignment home and review it with their family for better understanding.  I hope this will allow the opportunity for a discussion about what exactly it is our service men and women do for us.  Find out more details about tonight's homework assignments by visiting our Homework page.

Please note, that do to a change in our schedule, students will be bringing home Feedback and Data Binders tomorrow. Today we did not have enough time to put them together, because we went to the high school to enjoy a wonderful performance of Skippyjon Jones.  Be sure to ask your student to share their experience.

Thursday, November 7

I am so impressed with the kids work on idioms!  Their projects turned out FANTASTIC!  We laughed for quite a while as we read through them this morning!  I was also very impressed with the kids who stayed for Learning Continued.  They really worked!  The focus was our Goal Packets, and they were meeting goals left and right! - Just realized that's another idiom :)

The other project the kids are working on in class is writing to a prompt as part of the ISTEP review.  They have had time to work on their writing in class, but tonight they should complete the first writing prompt in their packet.  We will be grading them tomorrow for correct grammar, complete sentences, and including all information from the prompt plus additional details. If there story includes dialog with correct usage of quotation marks, they get extra points! I can't wait to read all of their wonderful memories!

Tonight is the skating party.  I will be there with my two children who love to skate.  I hope to see everyone there.

Tomorrow is crazy sock and Needham spirit wear day.  We are showing that Needham students know it is CRAZY TO DO DRUGS!

One last thing:  PLEASE! Do not feel any obligation to buy; but if you have not yet bought fruit from a Franklin FFA member, you only have a few more days to get your order in.  I only send out the reminder because my family buys the fruit every year and it is some of the best fruit you can get at a very reasonable price and it comes in just in time for the holidays. If you know a Franklin FFA member, place your order soon.  If you do not know a Franklin FFA member, my son would be happy to place your order for you. Here is the Price List and you can just email me if you would like to order.  Orders need to be in and paid for by November 10.  The fruit will be delivered before Christmas break.

Wednesday, November 6

First thing in the morning I was a doubting Thomas.  I really didn't think we could get everything in. But we all dirtied out hands and got to work. It was a race against the clock. But, after all was said and done, the kids took it upon themselves to make it a productive day.  Indoor recess was also a blessing in disguise because we had a lot of fun watching Kid Snippets. In the end we all made short work of the day.

As you can tell, our focus for today was idioms.  They can be tricky business so it might be a good reinforcement to talk about these idioms and more.  Students are also completing an idiom fold able tonight for homework. They should understand what to do, but I will stay close to email tonight just in case.

Tomorrow students are asked to bring a can of food for Red Ribbon Week.  This is to represent that "Drugs Can Lead to Bad Nutrition."

Tuesday, November 5

It was GREAT to be back with the team today.  I really did miss them yesterday!  We started by going over our new Learning Objectives, and Weekly Overview then we went right into center time.  It was very productive. Thanks to a wonderful parent volunteer, Mrs. Hawkins, we were even able to get many of our secret cards on the lexile wall.  Be sure to ask your student where they placed their secret lexile card.

Tonight is a special program that you won't want to miss!  It is the 4-H project fair!  Come to Scott Hall on the fairgrounds tonight between 6-7 to see many wonderful projects that you could be involved in as a 4-H member.  While you are there you can even register for the Needham/Webb 4-H club, or many other clubs that meet your interest.  I truly hope to see many of you tonight so you can learn about this worthwhile program.

Tomorrow is Favorite Team Jersey day as we TEAM UP AGAINST DRUGS.  Of course I will be wearing my TEAM 33 jersey!

Friday, November 1

HAPPY NOVEMBER! (For all of you who caught my error last month - it really is November now! Here is the NEEDHAM NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER to prove it!)

I want to start by thanking all of our wonderful "Mummies" who helped us have a "Howling" good time at the Fall party.  Whether you sent in goodies or came to celebrate with us, we appreciate you!

Besides all the party goodies, two important pieces of information went home today:

1. Pictures - I think they all turned out GREAT! If for any reason you don't think so, picture retakes will be Tuesday, November 12. If you would like your child to have his/her picture retaken (even if you didn't order the first time around) this is your chance! You will need to return the original photos.

2. Learning Continued - Many of you are already familiar with the benefits of this program from last year.  An extra hour of academics really does make a difference in a child's success.  I would like to encourage ALL students to participate.  Please read the linked form for more information.

Next week we will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week. We are celebrating by having dress up days each day: 

• 4^th,  Monday:  Red Ribbon Week –Wear Sneakers “Don’t Let Drugs SNEAK Up On You!”
• 5^th,  Tuesday:  Red Ribbon Week – Hat Day “HAT’s Off To Those That Put A CAP On Drugs By Being Drug Free!”
• 6^th, Wednesday:  Red Ribbon Week – Favorite Team Gear (jersey or shirt) “TEAM Up Against Drugs!”
• 7^th,  Thursday: Red Ribbon Week – Bring a canned food “Drugs CAN Lead To Bad Nutrition!”
• 8^th, Friday:  Red Ribbon Week – Crazy socks & Needham Spirit Wear “Needham Students Know You’re CRAZY To Try Drugs!”

Just a quick reminder, I will be out of the classroom on Monday, November 4.  I will not be able to access email until I return on Tuesday morning.  If you need to get a message to your child during the day, it is important you call the office at 738-5780. The students will be taking the Week 12 assessment on Monday while I am gone and should study their Flashcard Foldable or Word packet or the weekend. 

Thursday, October 31

Happy Halloween!

Team 33 did not let the rain stop them today!  We were rockin' in the classroom!  We finished the centers for the week. We reviewed the homework skills. We read at our Lexile, and we we worked on our goals.  GREAT DAY!

Tomorrow we will NOT have the week 12 assessment.  The students were asking for some clarification on a few learning objectives and I wanted to review a few more skills, so we decided to wait on the assessment until Monday.  That works well because I will not be in the classroom on Monday, so and the students already know how to take their assessment on Examview.  It will also give a few extra days for studying, which never hurts. 

Tomorrow is our classroom Fall Party from 1:30 - 2:00.  Of course, everyone is invited.  Hope to see you there. If you are able to come, I would like to encourage you to bring your smartphone.  We have created a digital bulletin board that we are very proud of.  All you will need to interact with it is a QR Code Reader.  If you do not already have a QR code reader on your phone, I would like to recommend i-nigma.  The link will take you to the Apple version, but it is also available for Droid, Blackberry and Windows phones; and it is free.  The fun you will have with the interactive bulletin board will be priceless.

Wednesday, October 30

You mustache good behavior to be a top dog!

Today was another incredible day in Team33.  We learned a lot and had fun too.  The Daily Journal interview went very well also.  Be sure to ask your child all the tools we talked about in the interview.

If you haven't already heard, Franklin has moved Trick-or-Treating to Friday to match our Fall party!  Well they actually did it due to weather concerns, but we won't tell anyone that ;)

Tuesday, October 29

Three More Top Dogs!

Team33 students really have become famous!  The Daily Journal called today and wants to come do another story on them.  They will be visiting our classroom tomorrow afternoon. This time they will be interviewing the students about all the technology they use, not just BYOD.  Once again, I think they will be amazed! Be sure you wear your best smile for tomorrow's interview.

The Homework page has been updated so you can print if you need an extra copy of tonight's homework.

Monday, October 12

Look who has CLIPPERIFIC behavior!

We are off and running with another exciting week.  We reviewed our Week 11 assessments, and recorded our data in the Feedback and Data Binders.  They are ready to be reviewed with parents.  Please fill out the reflection page with your student for homework tonight.  We also reviewed the Learning Objectives and looked at an overview of the week with the Week 12 Literacy Link. These documents and more are all available on our website: http://goo.gl/FX5ak

Just a reminder, our Fall Party is this Friday, November 1, from 1:30-2:00.  All family members are welcome!

Friday, October 25

Look who made the front page of the Daily Journal - TEAM33! I told you they would be impressed!

These and other great pictures are all available at the from the Daily Journal - Elementary school bridging classroom technology gap http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/local_story/Elementary-school-bridging-cla_1382675659/#.UmrJMtK-2uJ

Have a great weekend.  I can't wait to do it all again next week!

Thursday, October 24

Wow!  Your children are amazing.  I thought they would impress the Daily Journal, but I had no idea just how much they would impress me! They were using their personal devices to:

• Access Dictionay.com and Thesaurus.com while working on their riddles.
• Research additional information about Mt. Etna, and even found some cool facts that made the text we were reading outdated.
• Blog quality posts and comments to Kidblog.
• Read Online Reading Resources to meet their lexile goal.
• Create digital videos for our digital display in the hall.(Coming Soon)
• and even to access their grades on PowerSchool.

Once again, WOW!  I am not sure when the article is coming out in the Daily Journal, but watch for it! It's going to be a good one.

Later in the day Mrs. Deeter visited out room to talk to us about filling emotional buckets.  We all want to be Bucket Fillers. To learn more about filling buckets, watch this informative video:

I hope to see everyone tonight at McDonald's by I65.  The Needham Fundraiser is from 4:00 - 7:00.  I am planning on being there from 5:30 - 7:00.  (I told the students it might be 6:00 before I got there because my daughter needed a ride to the FCMS Football Game, but it has been cancelled, so I should be there by 5:30 to see all the kids who need to be at basketball practice by 6:00. Remember, costumes are encouraged, but not required.  It is really just an excuse to spend a little more time with you.