Hello Everyone!

Upcoming Week:

3rd graders take their Language PRACTICE SAGE test Monday morning.  The PRACTICE SAGE Math test will be Wednesday morning.  For tomorrow and Wednesday, please send a water bottle and a snack with your 3rd grade child.  Please help your child that it is just a practice test.  USOE has very strict regulations on what I can do when your child tests.  I can help with technical difficulties to a degree, so if your child gets emotionally upset because they can’t read a word or feel like they can’t do it, please have a talk with them today/tonight that breaks are allowed.  Students are NOT timed.  If a child does take longer, that child may finish up with another class who is finishing up testing.  I will take 3rd graders outside for recess in the morning for a little bit and then we will be in the library on Monday and Wednesday.  If your 3rd grader is absent tomorrow or Wednesday, those students will test with another class.

1st and 2nd graders will do morning work in our classroom with Ms. Emilee.  3rd graders who finish early will go back to class and work on morning work too.  Wednesday morning in our monthly health lesson from Ms. Julia, so 1st and 2nd graders will have that.

Volunteers for this week:  I am not going to push Spelling tests on 3rd graders this week.  It will be optional for 3rd graders to take a break this week from their spelling tests.  We need 1 or more volunteers for spelling tests Thursday morning (9am).  Please email me if you would like to help.  Anyone who wishes to help with reading this week, times open are: Tuesday (morning or afternoon), Wednesday afternoon, or Thursday (morning or afternoon)

Past Week:

Thank you for all the parents who supported and came to our Fall Party.  It was a GREAT success!  For November, a lot of classes do a Thanksgiving feast with their class and invited parents.  Our class does a Holiday Feast in December.  Jaida and Sarah, that will be our next sign up situation 🙂

Lessons this past week:

Level 1s: Money, Partitioning squares into equal pieces, Halloween stories

Level 2s: Halloween stories

Level 3s:  Halloween stories, SAGE practice

Cultural: Zoology

Level 1s: Fish

Level 2s: Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises

Level 3s:  Platyhelminthes and Nematodes (types of flatworms both parasitic and non)

November Project- DUE Nov. 20th

Students will do a home project for November that focuses around family and history.  Projects will be shared on November 20th in the afternoon.  

Level 1 project: Interview a grandparent or great-grandparent about their life.  If no grandparents or great-grandparents exist, have your child interview a neighbor, aunt/uncle, family friend etc. (Just not mom or dad).

Interview Questions *Please choose 10-15 (or more if you would like) This link contains 150 questions.  You are welcome to make your own questions too 🙂

Once your Level 1 interviews their family or family members (Example: both grandparents), make a poster (big or small) about that person (Example: collage of pictures, things that they liked or experienced)

Level 2 project: Ancestor/Genealogy project.  Students will make a family tree poster and present their posters to the class.  Please have your child understand who they are talking about. They don’t have to know everything about that family member, but I would hope they would know their name.

Level 3 project: Family Recipe project.  3rd grade students will need to ask their family members if they have a passed down recipe or special/favorite item that gets made for Thanksgiving or special family events.  Students will learn to make that recipe at home and bring into class to share.  I would like 3rd graders to share the lineage from the recipe (a report on who started the recipe, how many times it has been passed down etc.)  If your family doesn’t have a passed down recipe, find one together and maybe start one for your family!  Example: if your child chooses a green bean casserole recipe, then have him/her write about the history behind the green bean casserole).  Really do involve your child in the cooking process.  Definitely have your child read the recipe, find the measurement tools, do the measuring for you.  You are acting as a safety measure and guide.

3rd graders will bring in the dish they are sharing and share with just our class on Nov. 20th.  If it has to stay hot, you can send it in a crockpot to keep warm until the afternoon.

Have a great upcoming week!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Hello Everyone!

Upcoming Week:

We have a lot going on this coming week.  It is Red Ribbon Week (Anti-Drug Campaign).  This year’s theme is Respect Yourself: Be Drug Free.  We will have something going on everyday this week.

Monday- Motivational speaker 9:00am-9:30am

Tuesday- Door decoration judging (We are going with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme that says “Drugs are a Nightmare!”  I will take a picture and post it for next week).

Wednesday- Red Ribbon theme poster/picture and judging

Thursday- Planetarium assembly 9:15-10:15.  We will push Spelling Tests until the afternoon.

Friday- Wear Red!  Students are welcome to support Red Ribbon week by wearing red.  Please still be in dress code 🙂  Fall Class Party in the afternoon!

Volunteers for the Week: Let me know if you would like help read this week.  Mondays in the morning (Monday after 9:30 this week), Tuesday (anytime), Wednesday (anytime), Thursday (10:20am-11:15am & afternoon).  Spelling volunteers for Thursday afternoon starting at 12:45pm.

From Our Room Mothers Jaida and Sarah:

Hello parents,

Upcoming in November:

Students will do a home project for November that focuses around family and history.  Projects will be shared on November 20th in the afternoon.  

Level 1 project: Interview a grandparent or great-grandparent about their life.  I will post questions to ask, but you are welcome to help your first grader write their own.  If no grandparents or great-grandparents exist, have your child interview a neighbor, aunt/uncle, family friend etc. (Just not mom or dad).

Level 2 project: Ancestor/Genealogy project.  Students will make a family tree poster and present their posters to the class.  Please have your child understand who they are talking about. They don’t have to know everything about that family member, but I would hope they would know their name.

Level 3 project: Family Recipe project.  3rd grade students will need to ask their family members if they have a passed down recipe or special/favorite item that gets made for Thanksgiving or special family events.  Students will learn to make that recipe at home and bring into class to share.  I would like 3rd graders to share the lineage from the recipe (a report on who started the recipe, how many times it has been passed down etc.)  If your family doesn’t have a passed down recipe, find one together and maybe start one for your family!  Example: if your child chooses a green bean casserole recipe, then have him/her write about the history behind the green bean casserole).  Really do involve your child in the cooking process.  Definitely have your child read the recipe, find the measurement tools, do the measuring for you.  You are acting as a safety measure and guide.

It has come to my attention that I scheduled the Science Festival over Spring Break, whoops!

The NEW DATE will be April 7th (the following Tuesday)

Welcome March!

Home Project Month

At the end of this month, DUE MARCH 31st (a Tuesday) we will hold our classroom Science Festival.  Students will be asked to choose something they are interested in learning more about in the field of science, examples: a planet, the whole solar system, a simple machine lever, circuits, etc.

Students will be given the assignment to choose something they are interested in for the festival.  We will go over what would be good choices and students will get chances to research ideas this week.  Projects will be scored off a simple rubric.  We will invite the lower elementary classes and upper elementary classes to come visit our classroom too.  Parents are welcome to come for this classroom event!

Be sure to get your Gala tickets! Gala proceeds help fundraise for our school!  Come enjoy the night out.  

Spring Fever in the Classroom

With the weather being up and down, spring fever is starting to begin its annual return to our classroom. Student become a little more on the rambunctious side and they get a bit moody with one another.  We are taking more time to go over and practice our grace and courtesy with one another.  This week we brought in a tool we used last year, an app that gauges the class’ noise level.  The students set a star goal this week that the app awards them for using their inside voices in the classroom.  They made their star goal +1 extra star.  This awarded them their Dr. Seuss movie and snacks this past Friday.  We will continue to use the app until further notice.

Team building activities/games will also be used 🙂

Ms. Emilee

Ms. Emilee is my new assistant!  She started this past week, but this coming week will be her first full week.  She is getting acclimated and is learning more and more about the works each day.

Sneaking things to School

Some students are sneaking toys into their backpacks and when they go and get their coats for recess, they get their item to bring outside.  We’ve talked with a couple of the students we have seen bring things.  Please help us enforce backpack/pocket checks before your child comes to school.  Thanks!

No group lessons held, besides reading groups, so I could check off students and give lessons.

In cultural this week: Zoology/Physiology

Level 1s: Birds

Level 2s: The nose, The tongue, Teeth

Level 3s: Echinoderms (sea stars, sea urchins, etc)

Friday: Studio, Dr. Seuss movie and snacks

Have a great upcoming week!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Hi Everyone!

Class Holiday Feast:

This Tuesday is our class feast. I forgot to edit the one sign up in the last post. Our feast is the 16th from noon-1. Please sign up to help bring food in last week’s post. If you are wanting to attend to eat with your child, please sign up for attendance too. Our feast will take place in the South Kiva. If you are btinging food and attending, please come at 11:30 so we can set up.

International Festival and Afternion Crafting!

International Fesival starts Wendesday! Upper El goes first (Wednesday) in the morning.   Wednesday afternoon I plan on having an afternoon of holiday crafts. If you would like to volunteer please email our room mother, Jaida. The kids got excited when I told them about the crafts.

Thursday, we will have a regular morning. Thursday afternoon will be our International Festival from 1-2:30.

Friday we will watch Arthur’s Christmas and also visit the Junior High’s International Festival from 10:30-11.

in group lessons this week:

Level 1s: endpoints, skip counting by 2s, 5s, 10s (practice with them!)

Level 2s: geo board angles, pictographing

Level 3s: rounding review to nearest 10s and 100s place, how to divide on paper, not with materials (practice with them!)

in cultural: Zoology/Physiology

Level 1s: all about Amphibians

Level 2s: The eye and the ear

Level 3s: Annelids intro, earthworms, and leeches

Friday: studio, simple machines: catapults, Level 3 earthworm pillows

Have a good week! Hope to see many of you this week!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Hello!

School is almost finished!  This coming week we will start slowing down work cycle and have the children help with inventory, cleaning the shelves, and packing up.  3rd graders will be taking home their things on Thursday, so if you want to provide them with a large bag so they can take stuff home, I highly recommend that.  I will hold onto Level 1 and Level 2s binders for next year.  Our hope is by field day we will have the room cleaned and packed up.

Sign up for Conferences! Please bring your child with you!

If you would like to sign up for Ms. Kaley’s baby shower on the 27th, please sign up a few posts below.  The baby’s name is Marvel Mae!

If your child is NOT returning next year, please can you shoot me an email and let me know.  That way I know whose binders to hang on to and prepare over the summer and who to send everything home with.

Home Projects are due Monday!  It is a free choice!

Just a few heads up for 3rd grade parents!  Tuesday the 27th is the Bridging Ceremony for 3rd graders being welcomed into Upper El.  It will be a short ceremony outside on the stage.  It will PROMPTLY start at 11:30.  After they are done the 3rd graders will eat lunch and play with the Upper El.  Also, I am hearing that the SAGE results will not be available until DECEMBER!  (crazy, I know).

Next Friday, the 23th, is FIELD DAY!  Our field day will start at 9am and end at 11am.  It takes place on the field and we will be outside all morning.  Your child will NEED: sunscreen, tennis shoes, water bottle, a towel, bathing suit, change of clothes, water shoes/extra shoes to change into.  The fire department will be here in the afternoon towards the end of the day to spray down the whole school in the parking lot.  

Kindergarteners will be shadowing our class Monday and Tuesday for about a half hour.  We have 8 that will visit 🙂

If your child would like extra points, here are the last states.  Tennessee and South Dakota were missing from last week’s so I apologize for missing those.  Here are the rest!

Tennessee- TE

South Dakota- SD

Vermont- VT

Virginia- VA

Washington- WA

West Virginia- WV

Wisconsin- WI

Wyoming- WY

Thank you to those parents who came on our field trip!  We had quite the eventful time when our bus didn’t show up and we had to reorganize.

This week in group lessons:

Level 1s: Types of angles, binomial cube second lesson

Level 2s: Pin wheel, binomial cube second lesson

Level 3s: Geometry monster

In cultural this week:

History:

Level 1s: Sundial

Level 2s: My address in the universe

Zoology/Physiology:

Level 1s: Review of vertebrates

Level 2s: Brain intro

Level 3s: Invertebrate review

Botany:

Level 1s: Plant review

Level 2s: Parts of a twig

Level 3s: Flower dissection

Friday: Memory book, states test, science, desk cleaning

Have a great weekend!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Hello All!

Sorry if this is a little late.  April AND May are a free choice project.  Projects will be due the 28th.

April- Free Choice!- Due NO LATER than April 28th

Students of all levels will choose to either do research or do a book report.  As a free choice, they have a creative freedom to how they want to present their project.  If your child chooses a book, please make sure it is a book appropriate for their reading level.

An easy way to present their project is to get a cardboard project board.  The ones that kids use for science fairs.  They are easy to display and there is lots off room to put pictures and information.  However, posters and other means of presentation is completely up to how your child wants to present.

I’ve had some requests for reports on their pet.  If it is a dog it needs to be on a leash and have a muzzle or leash over their muzzle in order to be brought in.  Cats need to be brought in a carrier.  These are the rules, no exceptions.

Thank you!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Ms. Anna and I have noticed over the past week that the students seem to have “Winter Fever.”  It seems to be that time of year again where the kids are noisy and are losing what they learned with their grace and courtesy.  On Thursday had to reign them back by assigning Level 1 and Level 2s a certain rug place.  Level 1s were overseen by me and Level 2s were overseen by Ms. Anna.  Level 3s were tested to see if they could choose and be independent on their own.  With the rest of the class being overseen, the Level 3s were able to get more done.  In fact, with everyone hunkered down more everyone got more work accomplished.  This structure gives the students the reminder that we need to respect spaces and when each student is working to not bother one another.  We had each student raise their hand when they got a work done.  Myself or Anna would then check it off and they were then allowed to clean up and put that work back to get another.  This process will last into next week.  We want to see what the students are choosing and making sure they are doing quality.  We have witnessed other students copying others, so this process will take care of that too.  This really allowed Anna and I to track their work.  After a week we will dismiss those students who have learned the ability to be independent and have relearned their classroom respect.  Those who need more practice with choosing works or respect will continue to be a part of the circle until the lesson has been taught and practiced.

Ms. Jalee has submitted our field trip to the Planetarium for next month.  Know that I will have 5 free tickets to those parents who would like to come. One ticket will have to be for Heather or Adam Misner, so that will leave 4 extra tickets.  First come first serve.  We are leaving at 8:09am via the Utah Tracks.  We will be returning to the Tracks station at 3pm, so students WILL HAVE TO be picked up at the Tracks station.  Directions, times, and fees will be mentioned on the upcoming permission slip and under our our field trip tab I will provide detailed information in the next coming days.

March’s home project is our Science Fair.  The students will be focusing on the scientific method along with their proposed question.  I will post more info on the science fair under Home Projects this weekend.

On the 27th, parent night will take place (Safety in the school).  A flyer went home this week as a reminder.

This week in group projects:

Level 1s: Divergent, convergent, and parallel lines

Level 2s: Triangle angle star

Level 3s: SAGE practice math test, multistep word problems

In cultural:

Zoology/Physiology:

Level 1s: Birds intro

Level 2s: Circulatory System

Level 3s: Sea urchins

Geography:

Level 1s: Compass rose

Level 2s: Igneous rocks

Level 3s: Recording weather

Botany:

Level 1s: Parts of the stem

Level 2s: Cross stitching

Level 3s: The stamen

Friday: Studio, Library, Science fair talk

Have a great weekend!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Thank you to those parents who came and also drove on Wednesday for our field trip!  The students really enjoyed going!

Our next field trip will be to the Clark Planetarium on March 13th.  We will be riding the front runner since it drops off right at The Gateway where the Planetarium is.  We will be going with Ms. Jalee’s class.  This will be an all day field trip.  Mark your calendars!

February 27th is Parent Education Night at MMA.  The topic will be about school safety and how can our schools become more safe nowadays?  Please visit this month’s newsletter on the school’s website to obtain more information.  There are also flyers on the front doors of the school.

This Tuesday, when we come back from President’s Day, the Upper Elementary will be holding their annual Science Fair!  3rd graders are invited to visit as to prepare them for next year when they will participate.  It will also give them ideas for our next and last assigned home project.  Our class will have its own Science Fair.  We will invite other classes to come and view when the project is due, which is March 24th.  I will be posting details in the Home Project tab soon.  1st and 2nd graders will be participating!  This project will also be evaluated.  Students will evaluate their own project as well as their peers will evaluate their projects.  Students will be looking to see how well they follow the directions, how well they know their topic, and how much of their project came from them.

This week in group lessons:

Level 3s: Editing a paragraph, multi step word problem solving (adding and subtracting)

In cultural this week:

History:

Level 1s: Time to the half hour game

Level 2s: Mars

Level 3s: Dinosaurs from the Jurassic Era

Zoology:

Level 1s: Reptiles book

Level 2s: Mammal study

Level 3s: Starfish

Botany:

Level 1s: Kinds of roots

Level 2s: Leaf sewing

Friday: Myth of Cupid, Who was Saint Valentine?, Valentine’s crafts

Remember to get your pizza money in!  You can pay through the online link!  Money is due on Wednesdays before noon to get your order in for that week.  Please let me know if you have paid online to make it easier for the 6th graders to distribute the slices.  I’ve had to hunt down pizza because I didn’t know a student paid online.  Thank you!

Happy President’s Day!

Cheers!

Ms. K

This coming week is busy!  We have the International Festival Wednesday and Thursday.  Lower El’s presentations are on Thursday. It is all morning, starting at 9am.  Please have their festival projects in on Wednesday so we can set up the classroom!  You are welcome to attend the festival on both days if you wish.

Parent teacher conferences are also this week!  Starting Wednesday and ending Friday.  Please sign up if you haven’t.

Monday begins Come observe our classroom month!  Each parent gets a half hour to view what work cycle is like.

Both sign ups are to the right of this blog!

3rd grade parents!  I got someone from Academica West to come out and help set up our 3rd graders SAGE accounts.  I’ve been working on it for sometime with them and your child’s name was not being linked to me.  Everything should be fixed by this week and I will start them on practice tests.  It is imperative that they practice at home as well!  There will be 3 sections: a writing sections with 2 small essays (informative and opinion), a language arts section, and a math section.

Pizza Friday is BACK!  Each slice is $1.75.  Money must be in by WEDNESDAY! No exceptions.  Money this year must be in check form.  NO CASH PLEASE! You may also pay up to only 4 weeks in advance.  All these reasons helps keep things orderly and counting quicker.  Pizza Friday begins this week, I believe!

This week in group lessons:

Level 1s: Point in geometry with artist Seurat

Level 2s: Angles in art with artist Mondrian

Level 3s: Editing a paragraph, homophone practice, characteristics of kites, perimeter robot

In cultural:

History:

Level 1s: Time to the hour game

Level 2s: Venus

Level 3s: Triassic period

Zoology:

Level 1s: Kinds of reptiles

Level 2s: Marsupials

Level 3s: Make an octopus

Geography:

Level 1s: Compass game

Level 2s: Geysers intro

Level 3s: Temperature

Botany:

Level 1s: Parts of a root

Level 2s: No botany because of SAGE set up, however, the level 2s worked on their leaf rubbings

Level 3s: Birthday and state flowers

Friday: Classroom games, Chinese New Year, Library

Hope you have a great week and hope to see you this coming week!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Cheers!

Ms. K