Ms. Kaley's Classroom Room 24

Hi Everyone!

Past Week:

This past week I introduced fractions lessons.  Level 1s are working on labeling the fraction families (whole, halves, thirds…up to tenths family).  Level 2s reviewed naming fractions and did super!  I will be giving them their own practice for this coming week to demonstrate their mastery and work with anyone who needs more time with naming the fractions. Level 3s went over the nomenclature of numerator and denominator and they are in a good place too!  I will begin Geometry with Level 2s and 3s this week and begin learning money with Level 1s this coming week (penny and nickel).

This week in cultural we finished the first cultural rotation with Botany.  We are back to History this coming week.

Level 1s: Parts of a plant, care & needs of plants, what plants give us

Level 2s: Parts of a leaf and leaf venation

Level 3s: Parts of a flower

Language groups were also introduced this week.  I have three groups that are mixed abilities, but each group moves at a different pace.  My three groups are: The Antelopes, The Badgers, and The Crocodiles (Crocs).  Each language group will be exposed to each part of speech appropriate to their grade level and will also learn what their roles are.  We will also go over writing skills, word study lessons, and comprehension.

Thursday was International Day of Peace.  Our classroom and Ms. Stef’s teamed up to color a peace flower.  Our class also went over the importance of peace and examples of peace.

October’s Peacemaker Report:  On Thursday I went over the October home project.  For clarity, your student will get to choose a peacemaker from history.   They can be living or have passed.  I noticed that the project is set to be due Oct. 20th, but that is during Fall Break.  I am moving the due date to October 27th!  Students will fill out the information page, but then are required to present their project.  Some ideas on how they present are: can write a report to read to the class, make a poster of the peacemaker, dress up as the person and tell about them, make a puppet to tell about their peacemaker- the choice is your student’s.  I’m going to attach the information needed for the peacemaker report in the Projects tab.  Print off the template and have your child find the needed information on their peacemaker.  More points for your child’s progress report will be given based on how well they know their person and having a complete project.

Friday we learned about the Morpho butterfly and did a Morpho butterfly craft.  The students then colored two more South American flags (Brazil and Chile) for their country collection.  We went over what earned Friday time is and those students who completed enough of their work cycle works got to take out some of the game, color, or make a paper craft.  Those who missed a few works had those works highlighted in their planners in orange and were asked to complete those works before beginning their Friday time.

Upcoming Week:

Tuesday I have in school all day training for DIBELS (a reading assessment tool).  All the lower elementary teachers are asked to attend.  Ms. Misha and our other assistant will help oversee the day.  The students will still have morning recess, cultural lessons, and then go to specials.  Ms. Misha and the other assistant will also roam for student work check off in the afternoon.

Tuesday from 5-8 is Skate Night in Layton.  A small flyer went home this past week.

Friday is the beginning of studio!  The mornings are dedicated to the three rotations that students attend.  In the afternoon, we will continue talking about the rainforest and how common foods we eat come from the rainforest. We will also do a grace and courtesy check in and go over what are socially accepted norms (saying please, thank you, holding doors etc.)

Have a great upcoming week,

Ms. Kaley

Hello Everyone!

Past Week

This week we got Math Facts up and running.  Math facts are 5 minute “time tests”.  I have split up everyone to go on different days during certain parts of the day.  These results are recorded and the information is used to make sure facts are being understood and if any reviews are necessary.

This week we had Geography in cultural:

Level 1s: Naming the continents, longitude and latitude, hemispheres

Level 2s: Parts of the Earth (inside) all week

Level 3s: The Sun’s size, Sun’s energy, and how we get day/night and seasons

Math groups have been going well and this coming week I will be adding Fractions lessons and begin language groups.  Students do their own independent language works that they need to practice, but the purpose of our language groups will be to go over follow ups to the shelf works, writing lessons, and reading/comprehension lessons.  I meet frequently with each student multiples times a week to make sure learning is being practiced and any adjustments to lessons/individual works are planned according to where it is needed.  Ms. Stef W’s class, our mentor class, will also play a part in some of those lessons.  Our mentor goal is to work together to give all students the lessons that are needed, no matter what age or grade.

Upcoming Week:

On Thursday, it is International Peace Day.  To honor this day, our class and Ms. Stef’s will do a craft in the afternoon.  Cultural lessons will still be given, but students will work on the craft until they are called.  Our craft will be a peace flower.  As a home extension you could have a conversation with your child about what peace means to them and why do they think peace is important to teach and practice.

Mr. James, MMA’s IT Specialist, is working on making everyone’s accounts for IXL and Imagination Learning.  This year my classroom will only receive IXL accounts for 3rd graders.  1st and 2nd graders will get accounts for Imagination Learning.  Once Mr. James has all the accounts updated we will begin our use of the Computers on Wheels (COW) every Wednesday afternoon for an hour will begin.  This will also be a time that 3rd graders will receive Utah Compose lessons and SAGE skills.

MMA’s 5K is coming up!  Reminder that it will be Sep. 23rd.  If you need a form I have a few extra.

Anyone been to South America?– We are learning about South America!  If you know anyone who has spent some time in South America and would like to come in one Friday afternoon to share their experience please let me know!

Studio Fridays begin!– Studio Friday is upon us!  Studio is an experience that allows each child to get an hour lesson on science, art/music, and social studies.  Studio begins at 8:40 am and ends at 11:30am.  Each lower elementary teacher teaches one of the 3 subjects for a certain grade level.  My role for studio is to teach 3rd grade science.  I will see all 3rd graders of every grade through 3 separate rotations.

Have a great rest of your weekend and upcoming week.

Ms. Kaley

Hello Everyone!

Past Week

We had a busy week 3!  I was able to get through most of the new students’ reading assessment.  I will finish those new students up Monday and then begin doing our 1st graders.  These assessments are first priority at the beginning of each day.

Tuesday-  We had the Loveland Aquarium for the 2nd graders come to our school.  Our group of 2nd graders went from 9:00am-9:55am and learned about the rainforest and animals that love there.  This was a great resource for them because we are studying South America for our continent study and we will moving into the rainforest this week!  We had a shaky start to PE and Music.  Our Music teacher got the schedule mixed up with the Aquarium’s.  I was able to tell her that this our music time and our students were able to get some of their music class.

*On Tuesdays,  we have PE and Music in the morning.  The students will have recess first thing on Tuesday as they enter the school.  At 8:50, they are called to line up and then cultural lessons are given until it is time to go.  The afternoon will hold the majority of Math and Language lessons.

Wednesday- We had a beautiful morning work cycle and the students got their first monthly Botany lesson from Ms. Rachel.

Thursday-  Thank you to all those who came to the Parent Open House!  I handed out a yellow Field Trip Schedule and 2017-2018 Home Project Schedule.  I revamped the project schedule to be more inline with our Peace curriculum and lessons on building a community.  You can now have access to both of those schedules in the above tabs!  3rd graders also attended their first computer class this past week.  They go every Thursday at 9:45-10:15

Friday- We spent the day learning more about South America.  The students learned the flag colors of Venezuela and Colombia.  I then introduced our first animal from South American, the llama!  The students then did a Peruvian llama art project where they made Peruvian textile patters with black and white crayons and then watercolored over top.  While the background dried, a second paper was used to create the face of a llama.  It was then cut out and glued onto the painted background.  They turned out great!

*Pizza Fridays also began this week!  Please visit our school website or social media pages for the pizza form.  Each slice is $1.75 and you can purchase for multiple dates or single dates.

Upcoming Week/Info:

Accountability program for our classroom- I am almost done designing our accountability program for our students.  We had a set back with Ms. Gaby leaving MMA, who was our part time co-teacher and Ms. Misha had training for 2 of the weekdays.  Misha and I will be making the final revisions and then getting the information out to you all.  We should have it completed by the end of this week.

5K- If you would like to register for the MMA Color Run 5K and haven’t, I have orange registration forms in our classroom.  Have your child bring one home if you would like one. The date is September 23rd.

Skate Night- I saw on our school’s social media that there will be an MMA Skate Night at Family Fun Center in Layton on Sept. 26th from 5-8:30pm.  There are rentals available there if you need anything and they have dinner specials.

Yarn donation needed- We could use some more yarn for our projects.  If you would like, it is not required, please feel free to donate any kind of yarn.

Computers available- Mr. James, our tech/IT specialist scheduled the moveable laptop cart to our class every Wednesday from 12:30-1:30.  These laptops will be great for any research, IXL lessons, SAGE practice, report writing etc.  Sometime I will hold whole class or small group lessons that will need the laptops, but if needed, a student can use one for an hour for educational purposes.

Slippers and placemats- please remember that some sort of inside shoe is required at MMA.  Our school also doesn’t have a lunchroom and we use placemats to keep the desks clean during lunch.  Please provide your student these supplies, if possible.  Thanks.

Have a great rest of your weekend and upcoming week.

Ms. Kaley

Hello Parents,

Past Week:

We had a busy week filled with activities that related to the Great Lessons!  We finished up the Great Lessons of the History of Writing and Math and extended the learning for the lessons on The Coming of the Universe, Coming of Life, and Coming of Man.

Our students also go to meet our Upper Elementary partner class (a mentorship), Ms. Stephaney’s and Ms. Ali’s class.  We spent an afternoon doing a partner group game called Saving Fred.  Students had to work together to save a gummy worm who capsized his “boat” (a turned over plastic cup) and put on his “life vest” (a gummy saver).  The kids loved it!  As our classroom and Ms. Stef’s classrooms normalize we will have the ability to send our kids to work with their mentor and also have some lessons in her room (if needed).  The same is with her students.

Cultural lessons began slowly this week. This week we began with History:

Level 1s: Months of the year and days of the week, made a calendar for September

Level 2s: What are the 3 States of Matter

Level 3s: Timeline of life overview and the Clock of Eras

Friday: South America and What is Matter?

Upcoming Week:

This coming week will be very busy!  I am excited to start giving lessons and begin the kids on their independent journey.

Monday- No School- Labor Day

Tuesday- The Loveland Aquarium is coming for just the 2nd graders at MMA.  All 2nd graders will attend a 55 minute class about the animals of the rainforest and the rainforest itself.

PE and Music begin on Tuesday!  Please make sure to have your child wear or bring sneakers to run around in!  This year, each special is an hour long.  Our time is at 9:50 and goes until lunch time.  To make the schedule work, students will be going straight outside for recess until 8:50am.  Once we come in then I will cultural lessons until it is their time to go to PE and Music.  After lunch, the students will do their math and language works as they usually do in the mornings of Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Wednesday- Hour long monthly Botany lesson with Ms. Rachel Bush in the afternoon 1:50-2:50.

Thursday- Computer class begins for 3rd graders only in the morning.  9:50-10:15

I will be doing the new students who are in 2nd and 3rd grade reading assessments first thing in the morning.  It has scheduled out to be 2 a day.  Next week, I will begin doing 1st graders.  The reading team will also begin their state DIBELS reading assessments too this week and into the next.

Reminders:

I will be sending home a bright orange form for the MMA 5K and Pancake Breakfast that will take place on September 23rd.  If you would like to be in the race, please fill out the form out and have your you or your student turn it into the office

Pizza Fridays will be starting!  You can find the pizza forms on our social media and I believe through the website.  Please have the forms filled out by Wednesdays in a sealed envelope with your student’s form inside and their name and teacher on the front of the envelope.  MAPA comes by our rooms and picks up the envelopes early Wednesday mornings.

Reading Volunteers- I am ready for you!  I have Wednesday scheduled for you all.  If you can’t do Wednesday, please let me know and I can make that work.  Please come at 9am.  We will be finishing up circle at that time.  Since I have more volunteers this year, some of you will see the first graders to check letter and sounds and begin nonsense words (ref, mak, tep etc.).  Some other students will need that kind of practice and some will be working on fluency to work towards grade level.  I should have a sheet for you all by Wednesday.

Consequence Program- My team and I are putting together a consequence program that helps students be accountable for their actions.  We wanted to design something that wasn’t a punishment program, but would allow them to see what goal they aren’t following in our classroom and levels that they can follow to help them work towards following all classroom and school rules/goals.  We will send out a parent letter soon with more information about it

The students are working on showing their circle rules when present during circle time.  There are 5 and the students know them pretty well.  It is getting everyone to follow them that is important.  Sitting next to a friend is a privilege.  Some of our students are consistently talking out of turn and will have to have an assigned circle space until they can follow that goal.  This is part of normalizing our class and laying a consistent foundation for our year that all students are held to the same standards.  On Friday, our class voted on their top 5 classroom community rules.  We have been talking about community within the school and within the world and how to be a good community member.  The goals that they made will be apart of our consequence program.

Yarn- Most students in our community are learning to finger knit.  They are getting faster and pretty good!  Some are ready for more weaving works and want to learn the beginnings of crocheting and/or knitting.  Ask your child if they are interested and if so, have them provide their own yarn.  Again, I have some, but to make your child’s project more efficient and organized, having their own would be ideal.

Have a great Labor Day and rest of your Sunday!

Ms. Kaley