Ms. Christie's Classroom

Stamp Game- Color Printer Version– Most students use this for addition, and subtraction only. A few students use it for multiplication and division as well.

Test Tube Division Board– Use skittles, m&m’s, or beads placed in cups with the board. Use this for long division.

Checkerboard– print and tape together. Use with printable bead bars below. This is for doing Multiplication.

Small Bead Bars– Use for Checkerboard, multiplication, and skip counting/adding.

Online versions of works– This website has an online version of golden beads (place value, making numbers, addition and subtraction), stamp game (addition and subtraction), and peg board (for square root)

Greetings everyone,
Hopefully everything went well this last week as we are all trying to figure out everything regarding distance learning. Today, The State Board of Education has extended distance learning for all Utah schools until May 1st. We will continue to provide online instruction and paper packets to use with the online instruction (so you don’t have to print them) or by themselves. Just a reminder to try to sign up for the online learning, if possible, and if you have access to the internet. It can be done on a phone, tablet, or computer. There are lessons and experiences we put on there that we just can’t do with a paper packet. If you can’t log in, please let me know and I can help you out. If the packet is all you can do then that is fine. It will still have great worksheets and assignments for your student to do.

We are doing 2 weeks at a time for packets. We will have the next packet ready for pickup this Friday at 9-11 am or 4-6 pm. This packet will be for after spring break and will go for 2 weeks (April 6th to April 17th). Please return any completed work, that you can’t submit online, in the folders we gave you at the same time you are picking up new packets. Our director has also asked that you pick up your child’s belongings this week as well. We put all items from their lockers etc in a plastic bag with their name on them. The office can grab them for you when you come get your packet.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if your child is not understanding an assignment. I am here to help as much as possible from a distance.

Thanks everyone!

Greetings all:

As we head into our second day, I wanted to clarify a few things that I am getting a lot of questions on.  Hopefully this answers some questions we all are having.

First, Google Classroom. 

This is where all assignments are being posted.  When you log in, make sure you are logging in with your students SCHOOL account (format is first.last@mmalions.org password is FirstSSID#) Then enter the class code.

• for sixth:  zzjeejh
• for fifth:   q6y4hy4
• for fourth: 3yl44k4

once you are logged in, head up to the “classwork” tab.  This will clear out some of the noise that you see when you are looking at the “stream” tab and help organize things for you.  In the classwork tab, you will see a variety of folders.  You only need to pay attention to three of these folders

1. the “daily” tab.  This is where all daily lessons are posted.  We as a team are putting together one new lesson a day for each grade level.  The lesson itself, all supplementary videos, and the follow ups are here.  These worksheets have also been given to you in hard copy in your packet.
2.  The “weekly” tab. This is where all lessons are posted that students are to be working on all week. This includes things like essays that are to be typed up on Utah Compose.  The information in this tab has also been given to you in your packet
3. The “Ms. Christie” tab. This is where all class specific items are posted.  This is where you can find login information for all online applications we are using as well as the IXL assignments and all of that good stuff.  This was not provided in your packet as it only deals with online information.

Of course, please know that while Google Classroom is an indispensable tool for us at this time because it allows us to supplement and enhance our lessons, all important resources and print outs have been given to you in your packet.  This means your student can continue to work regardless of access to a computer.

Second, the Remind App. 

This is a tool I am using to improve my ability to communicate with you.  While I am always available through email, I do not always get it as immediately as I need to.  My computer does not always notify me that I have received a new email, nor am I sitting at my computer all day.  Remind goes straight to my phone and sends me a notification so I can immediately respond.  This has been extremely helpful to me as we work out the kinks of the online system.  Please, if you have not already, get Remind set up so we can be in communication.  They even have a really wonderful app so you too can have it right on your phone and get by the minute updates from me as they become available.

Also, just a reminder if you used Google classroom yesterday. Hopefully the new folders and layout will help everything be clearer. We did have to combine some assignments and move them around. If you don’t see an assignment you did yesterday, that is why. Don’t stress about it. Just start today’s work and go from there. Thank you all for your patience and understanding as we all navigate this new system.

Remind App

Several teachers having been trying a new app to communicate with parents more effectively. It is called Remind. I am including the link below. I will still be using this blog to do general class updates. This app will be for personal communication to you about your specific child. We can also send pictures and other information that is relevant to your child only that we can’t do on the blog. It is a new process, so hopefully everything works out, but if you have any problems send me an email. Hopefully, this will help increase communication and make it easier, quicker, and more efficient to keep you informed about your specific child.

Sorry it is so long but please read it all carefully. It has some very important information and dates.

Gala basket

The school’s annual gala fundraiser is coming up in March. Our class was assigned to get donations to fill our basket that has a theme of Sports fans. Ideas would be balls of all sorts, goals, gloves, bats, Frisbee’s, camp chairs, blankets, water bottles, snacks, or gift cards. If you can donate anything along this theme that would be awesome. Email me if you have any questions. Here is an Amazon wish list that has some ideas for our basket if you want to quickly order something. MAPA has a limited amount of coupons for a free cookie or slushee at Maverick for every child who donates something. They are first come first served.

Amazon Gala Wishlist

March Home Project

The theme for March’s Home Project is Ancient Civilizations. They need to do a report about the ancient civilization they signed up for in class. They can do their project in many different ways. If you have any questions about anything just send me an email. If your child has their own idea that is great as well. Just email and make sure it will work out. I really want this to be a creative and fun project that follows their interests. It is due Monday, March 23rd.

• make a Diorama
• do a power point
• write an essay
• make with playdough or other materials a 3-D map of the geographic area they are in
• Research the language and write/translate something from that time
• recreate a famous structure or building
• oral presentation/report
• brochure about the civilization
• recreate art work or make art in the style of artwork that is from that civilization and time period
• recreate a famous battle with playdough or painting
• recreate the plants and/or animals from that area
• combine several choices into one

Literacy Week

• Monday Feb 24th-
  • Kick off with a read-a-thon from 1:30 to 2:30. Depending on the classes choices this Friday will determine if they can bring blankets and snacks. I will let them know at the end of the day.
  • Book swap all week. Bring a book you are willing to donate and then choose a book to take home.  If you have books from your house you would like to donate please bring them on Monday.
• Tuesday- Spelling Bee
  • Stevie and Kailyn are going to the spelling bee from our class. We will all be going and observing them. It starts at 9:30am in the large gym. Parents are invited.
• Wednesday
  • Students display a picture of their favorite book with a short summary that is hung up outside our classrooms.   Classes will be taking a book walk around the school to view these.
• Thursday- Literacy Night at MMA at 5:30-7 pm
  • Students will have a chance to earn a dress down day on Friday the 28th during the evening activity.
  • Bring your friends and family for a night of fun. We will have a book fair, a tea party, book making, poetry reading, and many other fun activities.
• Friday
  • We would like to have community readers come in on Friday. We have some junior high students who are coming into our class as well to read. If any parent or adult would like to come into class and share either all or part of their favorite book we would love that as well.

Field trip reminders

The permission slips will be coming home next week with more details. These are both amazing field trips and the kids look forward to them from the time they are 4th graders and see their peers going.

We are going on a 5th grade field trip to JA Biz Town on Tuesday, March 10th. We need parents drivers and chaperones for this field trip. Please email me if you are interested as we only have a few slots open. It is in SLC. The 5th graders all applied for different jobs and the sixth graders who went last year interviewed them. Our class is in charge of Delta Airlines and Hill Air Force Base. Ask your child what job they were offered after the interviews. They took this very seriously and had some intense interviews.

We are going on a 6th grade field trip to Clark Planetarium on Wednesday, March 11th. We are taking the Frontrunner and do not need drivers.

Come have FAMILY FUN! Friday, February 21 from 5:00 pm- 9:00 pm at the Classic Fun Center in Layton, for MMA Skating Spirit Night. Entrance to the skating rink is free. There is a small fee for rentals and other activities.

Buy Gala Tickets Here!

Donate to the Gala Here!

Work Charts

This Friday everyone who was here was sent home with their weekly work chart. Please take a look at it, sign it to show me that you have seen it, and bring it back on Tuesday. They should be putting a check next to each item they do. If the work has a highlighter check mark it means that a teacher has seen the work they did, looked it over to see how well they did on it, and discussed it with them. They are responsible for bringing the work chart to a teacher to get it checked off at the end of work cycle. Everyone should be getting the daily expectations done every day. They also have time on an average day to do between 4 and 8 works during a work cycle, depending on the difficulty of the work and how much they are concentrating and staying on task. Four works is considered the absolute minimum they should be doing a day. As teachers we are trying to help every child, in the way that works best for them, to be in a place to get their works done every day. It is very important because if they are not working, they are not learning and most likely they are distracting other students from learning as well. If you have any questions about your child’s work chart please feel free to email me. They should be coming home every Friday from now on.

Quick update.

I put the wrong day for the Valentine’s party. It is FRIDAY the 14th. Sorry for any confusion.

Spelling Bee

We had an awesome class Spelling bee today. We got down to the final 4 students (Lily, Stevie, Kailyn, Mari) and they stayed in for quite a few rounds. I wasn’t sure if any of them would ever get out! Finally, we got our 2 winners. Stevie and Kailyn are going on to the school spelling bee. Congrats to them and good luck.

6th graders

Our classes 6th grade students are shadowing in the junior high all day this Thursday. They will be assigned a mentor and follow that student the entire day. They will go to classes and eat lunch in the junior high. They really love this opportunity and it is a great chance to see what the junior high is like and help them transition.

STEM Week was a great success. We had some awesome projects turned in. We also did some STEM projects throughout the week as a class. The fourth graders had to make a table out of paper, paper clips, and a limited amount of tape. The table had to support a big book for 6 seconds. They did not succeed with the first table they made, but after evaluating it and making some adjustments, the second table held the book for 8 seconds. Then as a class we had to design a catapult with only popsicle sticks and rubber bands. At first they didn’t think it could be done, but after trying it several times and sticking with it, we ended up with some great catapults. They then had the chance to shoot mini marshmallows throughout the room trying to make it into plastic cups. They had a really great time.

Spelling Bee

Tuesday, next week, is our class spelling bee. Everyone in class will participate. The top two students will advance to the school spelling bee. The school Spelling Bee is on Tuesday, February, 25th.

Valentine’s Day

On Friday the 14th we will have our Valentine’s Day activity. They can decorate a box to bring to school if they would like. We will have time to exchange cards. Then we will have a read-a-thon as well. They can being snacks to share during this time like cookies, chips, veggies, and fruit. They can also bring a blanket.

Chili cook-off

Our class tied for First Place in the chili cook-off! We to earned a pizza party that we will be scheduling soon. I am so proud of the children. They all helped make it and did all the work.

Please remember the Science and Engineering Fair is next week. The 5th and 6th grader’s need to have their project and display board turned in to me on Tuesday the 4th. This is a huge, school wide event that will be presented on Tuesday for the 5th graders and Thursday for the 6th graders. The 4th grader’s are working on a group project that will be displayed on Monday. This is a mandatory project and there will be consequences in class if they do not complete it. It doesn’t need to be fancy but it does need to fulfill all the requirements that were assigned in the packets handed out in December.

We are making mummified apples in class! We put slices of apple in different types of salt compounds to see which one would be best at making desiccated apple “mummy’s”. We weighed each apple at the beginning and we will weight them again in a couple weeks to see the results!

The sixth graders have worked on an amazing geometry project. They carefully measured the entire south Kiva, drew their findings to scale on graph paper, and then determined the perimeter, area, and even volume of the room. The other students also had the opportunity to figure out the area and perimeter using a copy id the map. The 6th grader’s were so excited and proud of themselves. They wanted to check how accurate they were, so we all went down to the office and asked the amazing ladies there if they could find out the actual square footage of the room. After several calls,  the office staff tracked down the information for us. We were only 45 sqft off!

Chili making went awesome today as well. Thanks to all who brought in supplies. The kids all thought it was delicious but a lot of them said it could use more spice. We will have to add a little more tomorrow. Just a reminder the Chili Cook-off is Thursday night at 5:30 to 7pm. Hope to see you there.

Some of my garlic I brought in today was sprouting so we planted it. Maybe we will have some garlic in a couple months!

Chili cook-off

The school chili cook-off is next week on Thursday at 530pm. As a class we are going to make some, hopefully, award-winning chili. Please sign up to bring ingredients.  I told the kids if we can get enough people to bring ingredients in we can make a double batch for the kids to eat for lunch that day. They are really excited about this. They keep joking they want it extra spicy so people will cry. I think I might need to step in on that one! I will be bringing in all the spices and small ingredients, but it would be great if we could get everything else signed up for. The link is below.

Sign-up

Spelling Bee

The school Scripts Spelling Bee is coming up on February 25th. We are having our class spelling bee the second week of February. I passed out all the words to study last week to those interested.  Let me know if you need a copy. Everyone in our class will participate in the class spelling bee and the top 2 children will advance to the school Spelling Bee.

Snack sign-up

Thank you to everyone who has brought in snack so far this year. The children love it and it really helps them focus, as well as helps us teach practical life skills. If you haven’t signed up and you’re able, almost all alots are open for the rest of the year. The link is below.

Snack sign-up

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