Tuesday, January 21

I hope everyone had a wonderful day off. I wish I could say I did, but I have been sick in bed all day. I did get up long enough to go to Immedicare and find out I have bronchitis along with a high fever.  Needless to say, I will not be at school tomorrow.  During Literacy block students will have time to work on memorizing the spelling of word parts, continuing to work on their assigned Compass Learning Lessons, and of course read their goal book.  Please be sure everyone has their goal book at school. I hope to see everyone on Thursday.

Tuesday, January 14

The Homework page has been updated with important information.  Please be sure to check it out.
You should also receive a call tonight about Math Bowl.  Please encourage your student to participate in this worthwhile program.

Monday, January 13

It was a great day today!  The first full day in quite a while, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I think the kids are even ready to get back to work!  Today we tried something new with centers.  I am not sure how it will go, but we are going to give it a shot for a little while.  My hope is to increase the amount of time each small group works specifically with me.  I can tell I am going to have to keep tweaking just a little, but my hope is that it will be worth it in the end.  For this reason, there is not a Literacy Link this week - but we will get it figured out and I will be sure to update you next week.

Homework page has been updated.

Friday, January 10

Students are bringing home some exciting opportunities today!  Please go through the papers in their backpack with them, so they do not miss out.  Here are a list of opportunities you should be looking for:

1. MATH BOWL SIGN UP:  We are proud to hold the 1st place Division Title for the 2013 competition.  Now we are looking forward to working toward holding that title again this year.  We are looking for anyone interested in developing a deeper understanding of Math through games, challenges, and competition. You don't need to be "Good at Math" to join.  You just need to be willing to have fun, work hard and collaborate with others.  We hope you will join us! Permission slips are due by the 1st practice on Wednesday, January 15th from 5:30-7:00 in the Needham Library.

2. Poetry Contest: Time For Kids is sponsoring the yearly Poetry Contest. Students are challenged to write a humorous poem using creativity, originality and rhyme.  All poems should be turned in to Mrs. McCain by January 21.

3. I Love to Read Challenge: Record your time reading for the chance to win $500 and $250 for your classroom.  Due to the weather the time for reading was extended.  All reading totals are due by March 7.

Please take advantage of these opportunities to engage your child in enriching and educational activities.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thursday, January 9

I LOVE MY JOB!  It felt so good to be back with the kids today!  We began by playing Fact or Fiction. We all wrote 5 things we did over break, but one of them was fiction.  I have to say, these students did some incredible things over break - and that is a fact!  They also did some great work over break!  Miss Shoultz and I marveled at their bio-bottles all day.  Very impressive!  If your's student isn't quite finished, no worries.  They have until Monday, and this is really one of those projects I want them to enjoy and take pride in.  

Homework has been updated on the website.  It is to read their articles and books they found for their Interview with History project.  Most students have three sources already.  I will be going to the Public library tonight to help anyone who couldn't find a print resource at school and tomorrow I will help the last few find articles if they had difficulty.  They will have until Monday to finish reading the information.  Some students may need some help reading the information with a parent, and others might just like sharing what they read with a parent.  Either way, please discuss what they are learning with them.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

WELCOME TO 2014!

I have finalized grades today for Reading and Language.  Be sure to check them out and let me know if you have any questions.  Otherwise, what you see is what will appear on the Report Card for the 2nd grading period. To see your grades you can click the Check Grades link on the Team33 Website. Students can log in with their school login (four letters + four numbers) our you can use your parent login.

I am excited to see how the bottle bios are coming along.  If you have not started creating your two-liter bottle person, no worries. I have realized that more than one typing error on the project outline made the directions more than a little confusing.  So, here is an updated copy of the Interview with History Project Outline, along with the pictures to help you get some ideas for your Bio Bottle.   These pictures were from former 4th grades who, as you can see, had a lot of fun completing this project. I hope you do too.  Let me know if you have any trouble along the way.

I really have missed being with all of you, and am looking very forward to seeing everyone on Monday.  I do hope you enjoy the remaining few days of break though!

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!