Ms. Kaley's Classroom Room 24

Hello!

Please remember that September’s home project is DUE MONDAY! 9/30

I will give the details for October’s book report this coming week, so look under the “Home Project” tab at the top of our blog soon!

Thank you Level 1 parents for returning your child’s reading!  I call them book baggies…but overall, I am receiving 7/9th of them.  Please make sure you send them back EVERYDAY.  I check the box to make sure you signed off their nightly reading.  Before they went home this weekend I gave them a new book for the week.  Please make sure they are reading it 4 nights out of the week.  I saw some lovely flash cards in some of the baggies, so thank you for helping out your child!  I spoke with Nancy and even if your child finds the book very easy it is very important they still do the reading!  Nancy’s program will get harder, but the goal is to build fluency and speed!

I have been doing reading groups everyday with Level 1s and some other levels.  I call them my pink reading group.  We read in the morning right after Morning Meeting and before time test.

I read with those who are on a Pre-Primer and Primer level 2x’s a week.  Those on a 1st grade level read with me also 2x’s a week. 2nd grade level reads on Tuesdays with Ms. Jill, 3rd grade level on Wednesdays with Ms. Holly, and 4th grade level on Thursdays with Ms. Krista.  Those who are 5th and higher, which is 2 students in our class, will have their own group.  There might be a group later on for those who read at this level, but for now, I will have them read on Thursdays in our class.

We had our 1st Spelling test this week! Spelling tests are every Thursday.

Start thinking about if you would like to come to Black Island Farms on October 24th.  I’d like to know who my certified drivers are, so if you did the background check program since being at MMA, please let me know so I can start working on that.

After lunch on Mondays and Tuesdays is our Writer’s Workshop time.  We have been learning about different methods of story telling for the past couple of weeks.  This coming week we will take a break to make time for all the home projects.

This week in groups lessons:

Level 1s: Polygon drawer

Level 2s: Reflex/Convex angles

Level 3s: Classification of Triangles

In cultural:

History: No History

Zoology:

Level 1s: My vertebrate book

Level 2s: Whales

Level 3s: Jellyfish

Geography:

Level 1s: Hemispheres N & S

Level 2s: Tectonic plates map

Level 3s: Atmospheric layers

Botany:

Level 1s: Food from plants

Level 2s: Blade: Simple/compound

Level 3s: Kinds of flowers overview

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.  Enjoy your Sunday!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Hello!

This week we got a new class pet, a spotted gecko named, Mango.  This kids LOVE her and take great pride in caring and observing her.  She eats crickets and small grasshoppers.  If you have any of these wonderful critters hopping around your property, please give your child the task of collecting some and bringing them in to feed our lovely new addition 🙂

The Upper Elementary elected the new student council for the new school year!  Their first task is to involve the Lower Elementary!

Ms. Anna and I have been assessing how to manage checkoff for the morning while keeping students accountable.  We have decided to try a class checkoff board that will allow students to visually see how many works they have gotten checked off and what is left.  This board will NOT replace work charts, it is a visual tool to help students.  At the end of work cycle, Ms. Anna and I can then divide and conquer with our iPads and input who did what into Montessori Manager.  Doing this will allow Ms. Anna more time to roam and help more students.  Right now, we are consistently using Montessori Manager as we do work cycle.  If a student achieves 4 or more works, they can go outside to recess.  If not, they stay in until they can complete their work.

Starting this coming week: MOST level 1 students will start a take home reading program!  Starting Monday, most level 1’s will get a plastic baggie with a book in it and a list of sight words to work on.  This is kind of like their “special homework.”  We at MMA are asking that the books are to be read MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, and THURSDAY.  The packet MUST BE RETURNED EVERYDAY TO SCHOOL because I will be checking to see if you as the parents/guardian are signing off on their reading.  Every Monday your child will receive a new book!  The list of sight words has a lot on there.  We are asking that you ONLY work on FIVE AT A TIME.  Our lovely and wonderful, Ms. Nancy, who put these packets together for your child, explains things you can do with your child on the letter that is STAPLED to the OUTSIDE of the packet.  PLEASE KEEP AND DO NO LOSE THAT LETTER.  It has helpful information.  

There is scientific evidence that if ALL children read for 20 minutes EACH DAY, that there their reading skills, comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling improve.  No matter what level your child is on, please help us by having your child practice reading at home 🙂

This week in group lessons:

Level 1s: Circle drawer, Numerator and denominator of fractions

Level 2s: Angle introduction and obtuse, straight, acute, right angles

Level 3s: Small math shelves tour, Regular and Irregular Polygons

In cultural this week:

History:

Level 1s: Daily timeline

Level 2s: Colder than cold experiment

Level 3s: Rope timeline

Zoology/Physiology:

Level 1s: Characteristics of vertebrates

Level 2s: Nutrition

Level 3s: Introduction to Cnidaria

Geography:

Level 1s: Longitude

Level 2s: Earth’s crust- creative drawing

Level 3s: Seasons and sundials

Botany:

Level 1s: Importance of plants C- Things made from plants

Level 2s: Veintation of a leaf

Level 3s: Flip up parts of a flower

Friday: Studio, Simple Machines

Home projects due by September 30th! You have one more weekend!

Academica West is coming on the 25th to do background checks for field trip certified driver’s.  What was failed to be mentioned is that there was a We Join In sign up and they are only taking 9 people that night.  If you have already done the background check it is good for like 5-8 years.  If you are new and want to get it done, Academica West is located in Kaysville, just right off the exit.  They mentioned to the teachers over the summer that you are welcome to go to their office to get it done.  I would call first to double check.

352 N Flint St  Kaysville, UT 84037
(801) 444-9378

This Friday there is NO SCHOOL.  It is Professional Development Day for the teachers.

Take care & Cheers!

Ms. K

Hello Hello!

Sorry for the late post, I got home late last night and haven’t had a chance to update!  The wedding was fabulous and it was nice to get a crab cake…

I want to thank Ms. Anna and Ms. Kim Patterson, our wonderful room mother who took over for me Friday afternoon.  Anna said amongst the excitement of it being Friday, they were very good and enjoyed doing the science experiment.

Also, a thank you to Dixie Brenchley and Kim Winward for coming in Thursday to help put together math binders!  Thank you ladies!

The kiddos are getting better at work cycle and those who are first graders and who are new are getting into the routine.  Veteran students are quickly getting back into their lessons.  Normalization ends October 1st and I am happy that I am observing great progress.

Since I am posting this Monday, the start of a brand new week I will let you know that reading groups have started this week.  Some students will read with my every day, some every other, some twice a week, and some students will see other teachers based on where they are at.  If you are interested in helping with reading, please email me!  I will asking you start after normalization.  If you want to help with reading groups please make sure to commit since reading is super important and it a goal for our school to better our student’s reading levels.

In week 4 I focused on individual lessons.  Level 1s met with me for Geometry on learning about rectangles and review on triangles.  They and some other students also got a lesson on a reading work.  I spent the focus of week 4 getting everyone  caught up in their math and where they should be.

For cultural this week:

History:

Level 1s: Keeping a journal for a week

Level 2s: 3 forms of Matter

Level 3s: Clock of Eras

Zoology:

Level 1s: Story cards of vertebrates and invertebrates

Level 2s: Bats (mammal study)

Level 3s: Sea sponges (Porifera)

Geography:

Level 1s: Latitude lines

Level 2s: Earth’s crust and review of parts of the Earth

Level 3s: Day and night

Botany:

Level 1s:

Level 2s:

Level 3s:

Friday: We started STUDIO!!  It went very smoothly and our class said they loved it!  For science they did a gobstopper experiment to learn about observations and the experiment process of the scientific method.

Reminders:

Please pack your child cutlery!  We don’t have anymore extra forks and knives.  We do have some butter knives, but students are still without cutlery.

On Fridays, for free dress, please no characters on their clothing i.e., no: superheroes, sports teams (bummer, i know…), logos, and cartoons.

Please make sure your child has PE shoes for Wednesdays!

Home Projects are DUE September 30th! Please see the Home Project tab at the top of our blog for details.  I told them NO research on video games and game characters.

Here’s to another great week!

Cheers!

Ms. K

MMA Contract

When school started a student contract was sent home with each student.  I have not received a few of them back.  If you and your child has not signed this contract, please print it off and bring it in this week.

MMA Contract

Photo Release

The link below is for the Photo Release.  Signing this form will give the school access to photograph your child and post pictures for the blog and classroom projects.

Photo Release

Hello everyone!  Hope you are having a good weekend.  Ms. Anna and I are both under the weather with the infamous “back to school cold.”  Something is going around our school, so please help us by reminding your child to wash their hands often and use tissues.

Before I dive into our week I need some volunteers to come into school.  I have been staying at school to build language binders, but some sections need lined paper put in them, however, I need some extra hands to finish the language binders. The student’s math binders need to be built as well.  Their math binder needs binder dividers and lined paper.  If anyone can help out I would greatly appreciate it.  I will have to check with the office to see if they will let parents in their workroom to make copies for the language binder.  Let me know what time and day you would like to help.

Believe it or not we NEED more binder dividers.  If anyone would like to help me out in this area I have pegged it to be about 2 more packs PER student.  This will cover everyone.

I am leaving for a weekend trip back to Maryland on Friday the 13th.  I will be there in the morning to teach the first week of Lower Elementary Studio, but will need to leave at noon.  Ms. Anna will take over the afternoon.

This week we started work cycle!  All new students are placed and are learning new lessons.  First graders have gotten a new lesson every day this past week.  They will see new lessons in small math, reading (rainbow reading), and spelling this week.

For all students I want to stress the importance of reading.  Every student in our class should be reading 20 minutes every night.  

For those students who are new or need more practice in reading, our wonderful curriculum specialist met with us this week and will be giving each of those students a baggie with a book in it.  This book is to be read EVERY night and it will be changed out every week.  To also help with reading, we will be doing reading groups. Some students will be grouped with other students in other Lower Elementary classes.  Their group may also be overseen by another teacher, so it will give your child an opportunity to meet other children and get to know other teachers.

This week in group lessons (leveled lessons):

Level 1s: sight words, big book reading, geometric solids and the triangle drawer (Geometry), Fraction family labeling (Fraction insets A i.e.: “This is the whole family, “This is the halves family…”), golden beads addition (large math)

Level 2s: Intersecting and perpendicular line review (Geometry), introduction to addition fraction cards (Fractions)

Level 3s: Formation of plane figures and two-dimensional shapes (Geometry), introduction to fraction addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division cards (Fractions)

We started Spanish this week!

In Cultural this week:

History- No School Labor Day

Zoology/Physiology:

Level 1s: Vertebrates and invertebrates

Level 2s: Male and female (Physiology)

Level 3s: Introduction to Poriferan (sponges)

Geography:

Level 1s: Introduction to the globe

Level 2s: Parts of the Earth with clay

Level 3s: The Sun: its features and energy

Botany:

Level 1s: Lifecycle of plants sequencing

Level 2s: Parts of a leaf overview

Level 3s: Parts of a flower overview

Friday: Acrostic name poems, Introduction to Oceania, What is a hypothesis? with magnetism experiments

Have a good rest of our weekend

Cheers!

Ms. K