Celebration of the Constitution – Freedom’s Light – Field Trip

Sep6

Today your child will be bringing home a permission slip for our first field trip, taking place Friday, September 15.  Please review, sign and return this slip no later than Monday, September 11.

Lacey has volunteered to arrange carpool for this first field trip.  If you are interested in driving and chaperoning, please contact Lacey Wolfinger.   Please tell her how many TOTAL children, including your own, you can drive.  The sooner we can arrange the rides, the better.

We need 4 or 5 volunteers, enough to transport 27 students from the school to Bountiful park and back again.  We will be leaving from the North Shore parking lot at 8:30 and leaving Bountiful park at 2:15.

Once Lacey has the drivers squared away, a WeJoinIn will be made and it will be your responsibility to place your child in the car you would like them in.  If you are making your own arrangements, please notify Lacey of these details so she can communicate with me.   I cannot make these arrangements myself.

You can contact Lacey at: laceywolfinger@yahoo.com

I am putting PDF copies of the permission slips under the PDF tab on the home page. In the event your child loses their copy, you can print one at home.

 

 

Week 3 – Important Dates to Remember

Sep3

It’s hard to believe we are already entering our third week of school.

Your kids have their first home project, elements, and have been given time in class to get started.  The majority of the remaining work will be completed at home, with the finished project due in class Monday, September 18.

Our class is bonding well and friendships are being formed.  It is important to speak to your child about using time wisely in class, even though what they might really want to do is chat with their new friends.  We will be discussing time management this week and how to balance work with breaks in order to become amazing learners.

Silent Reading – Please make sure your child brings a book from home to read during our silent reading period.  This is a quiet transition time each day after recess into our afternoon cultural activities.  We have a small class library, but I have noticed there are numerous children not interested in the books available in our room.   If you know your child is particular in their reading habits, please help them select a book from home to bring to school each day.

Dates to Remember

  • September 7: Back to School Night –  6:00 pm
  • September 12: 6th grade Parent/Student Redwoods Meeting –  5:30 pm
  • September 15: Freedom’s Light Constitution Day Field Trip* – permission slips                                             coming home this week
  • September 18: Element home project due

*I’m looking for a parent willing to organize carpool for our class field trips.  We have numerous field trips this year that will require parent drivers/chaperones.   Please email me if you are interested in taking on this role for our class this year.

Week 2

Aug27

Morning Work Cycle – This week in class we will begin math, language and writing assessments.  These assessments provide a baseline from where to begin teaching your child.   We strive to administer these assessments in a stress free way, so that your child can do their best work.

Cultural – We will study matter as an extension of our first Great Lesson, The Birth of the Universe, and in preparation for our first home project.  Students will select an element on which they will do an in depth study.  They will create a poster to present to Ms. Marleen’s lower elementary class in September.  Details of the assignment will be provided Thursday, August 31 and is due Monday, September 18.

UC Berkeley time crystalsSpelling – This year we will be using a new spelling program that is differentiated for each child.  A whole group spelling lesson will be given on Thursdays, from which your child will create their own spelling list.  Children will work with a spelling buddy to practice their words in class, take practice tests, and administer final spelling tests Wednesday mornings.

Pre-labeling page numbers will simplify the implementation of our new spelling program. We are beginning this program Thursday, August 31; therefore, I am looking for several parent volunteers to number the pages at home.  We need the journals ready to go Thursday morning.  If you are interested in working off  volunteer hours at home, please send me an email as soon as possible.

 

Snack Sign Up 2017-2018

Aug20

In the spirit of following Dr. Montessori’s recommendations for child nutrition, and in order to align with school policy for snack, our classroom will be participating in child/family provided snack.   This routine will allow children the opportunity to hone practical life skills of food preparation and clean up.  Students will provide and prepare snack for 28 students.  Please adhere to the approved items as it will streamline snack time and eliminate messy spills and stains in our classroom.

In order to ensure that snack does not become a distraction, our class is limiting the approved items to the following list:

  • Mini bagels with cream cheese
  • Fruit (ex. apples, clementines, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, cucumber, melon – cut at home, grapes, cherry tomatoes)
  • Cheese Sticks
  • Veggies (ex. carrots, broccoli, celery)
  • Crackers with cheese (pre-cut)
  • Granola Bars (no chocolate chips please)
  • Fruit Leather (no fruit snacks or fruit roll-ups please)
  • Mini-muffins
  • Whole Grain bread with jam

Please do not send popcorn, cereal, chips and salsa or ranch dressing.  These items will be sent home with your student.

If your child is bringing their own snack, please ensure it is a healthy one.  Chips, Cheetos, cookies, fruit snacks or other items high in sugar are not appropriate and will be saved until lunch.

School Supplies and Preparation 2017-2018

Jul22

It’s every kid’s favorite time of year…School Supply Shopping! If your child’s supplies are in good shape from last year (no broken binders or pencil pouches please), I encourage you to reuse them.  Please do not label each item with your child’s name.  See the school supply preparation instructions for details (below the supply list).

In addition to your child’s individual school supplies, I am requesting that each grade level provide the item listed below. As we run out of these consumable items, I will send out another request.**

If you need assistance supplying your child’s personal school supplies, please let me know prior to the start of school.

  • White 2” 3-ring Binder (Working Binder – can use last year’s binder if it is in good shape)
  • White 1” 3-ring Binder (Portfolio – can use last year’s binder if it is in good shape)
  • 25 page protectors (to be used for student portfolio – can use last year’s)
  • 1 pkg wide ruled notebook paper (placed in the working binder)
  • 2 pkg dividers (5 subject with pockets – can use last year’s)
  • 3 wide-ruled composition notebooks (black)
  • 1 pkg colored pencils
  • 1 highlighter (any color)
  • Pencil Pouch – zippered pouch to keep items from spilling if dropped
  • Slippers – Please see the dress code guidelines for appropriate slippers
  • Water Bottle – Reusable

**4th Grade – 1 roll paper towels

**5th Grade – 2 boxes Kleenex

**6th Grade – 2 pkgs 3×5 ruled index cards (white)

Optional but helpful

  • Comfortable pair of scissors – No safety scissors please, medium or adult scissors are best.
  • Handheld pencil sharpener
  • 1 flash drive
  • Low-profile clip board

School Supply Preparation

Prior to the first day of school, your child will need to prepare his or her school supplies. This is your child’s first homework assignment. Please assist your child in following the directions below.

The only items that should be labeled with your child’s name are listed below, everything else will go into the classroom supply cupboard for later use.

Working Binder

  • Create a spine label with first and last name (we will make covers for the binders during the first week of school)
  • Place 5 dividers in working binder
  • Label a tab for Language, Writing, Math, Cultural, Science
  • Divide package of lined paper evenly between all sections

Portfolio

  • Create spine label with first and last name (we will create a cover as part of an in class activity)
  • Place 5 dividers into portfolio
  • Label a tab for Math, ELA, Cultural, Executive Functions, Report Card Reflections
  • Place 5 sheet protectors behind each divider

Pencil Pouch (with zipper)

  • Label with first and last name
  • Colored Pencils
  • Pencil Sharpener*
  • Flash Drive*
  • Highlighter
  • Scissors*

 

*optional

Thank you for assisting your child in being prepared for the first day of school. Having these items ready to go will help our class get off to a great start!