Hello!

Busy weekend, our school went to The Utah Montessori Conference all day Saturday.  Once again it was a great learning experience and gave us the opportunity to connect with other schools.

This week we were able to book a February field trip to Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolate Factory in Salt Lake.  This field trip will be February 12th at 10am.  The tour will last about an hour and then we will head back to the school.  Ms. Anna and I thought this would be a fun Valentine’s Day treat.  The kids are looking forward to learning where chocolate comes from and how it’s made.

January’s Home Project is due this Monday.  We will take the afternoons this week to share them!  I’m looking forward to seeing the children share their famous person!

February is come to school with your child!  It is also PTC time!  I will be sending out 2 wejoinin.com links for both of these sign ups this week.  For come to school with your child, you will have to sign in with the office so they know you and I have made an arrangement for you to be in the classroom.  Now, this experience is for observation.  If you decide to come, you are there to watch.  The school has asked that you do not interact with your child or another child.  I will have a chat with the students about parents coming in the class.  They are used to observations from administration in the school, so we will go over that they are not to bother you as well.  You may ask questions after your time is up.  I will allow 1 parent at a time since we have the whole month for you to come.  Observation time will commence at 9:30am.  Please keep an eye out for both sign ups this week.

This week in group lessons:

Level 2s: drawing angles and measuring

Level 3s: math review, characteristics of a parallelogram, fractions on a number line

In cultural:

Zoology/Physiology:

Level 1s: Reptiles

Level 2s: Teeth

Level 3s: Octopus

Geography:

Level 1s: Map orientation

Level 2s: Volcano facts book

Level 3s: Rain gauge

Botany:

Level 1s: Parts of a plant overview

Level 2s: Leaf rubbings

Level 3s: Medicinal plants

Have a good rest of your weekend and week!

Cheers!

Ms. K

I have posted the details to your child’s projects on the Home Project tab.

Please remember that these projects do NOT have a lot of time in-between due dates.  These next couple of projects are the biggest and most comprehensive (March’s will be our own science fair).  Please work hard and thoughtfully on them as the school will see these projects!

You are invited to The International Festival for Lower El and if you have a child in Upper El.  Dates are posted under the Home Project tab.  Mark our calendars!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Welcome to a New Year!

We had 16 lovelies come join Ms. Anna and I Friday January 3rd.  We spent the day:

1. Talking about our holiday break

2. Clean/switch lockers and desks

3. Play 4 classroom games as a group

4. Talk about our home projects for January and February and the rest of the year

5. Have free time the last little bit of school

The next home project is the Deceased Famous Person home project.  Students are to choose a famous person from the past and do a board or large poster on them.  They also are to dress up as their famous person!  This project is due January 27th.  I will be posting details to January’s project and also February’s this weekend.  If you joined me for Back to School Night in the beginning of the year, we discussed how Jan. and Feb.’s projects don’t allow a lot of time in-between each.  Feb.’s project is for the International Festival due Feb. 5th!  Lower El’s presentations, which you are welcome to come to will be Feb. 6th.  Mark your calendars please!

Hello!

Our school is looking for donations of: coats, hats, blankets, boots, and gloves.  There will be a collection for these items in the glass entryway to the left.  Items donated need to be in by December 20th, the day we get out for Christmas break.

Book reports are due this coming week!  Please have your child do his or her cereal box project and have them in Monday the 16th!  Review instructions under the Home Project tab.

This week our class voted for a free morning on Thursday the 19th, the day of our Holiday Feast.  They will make 3D snowflakes and make graham cracker gingerbread houses along with other Holiday crafts.  We will need:

-White frosting

-Graham crackers

-Assorted candy that would be good to decorate on our “gingerbread houses”

HOWEVER! This crafty Thursday morning is EARNED.  Students and I discussed at our class meeting this week that EACH student will get 3 strikes (like in baseball).  So, if a student is asked multiple times to get on track for something or their behavior is not preferable, they will get a strike.  Students discussed that once they get their strikes that is it.  Those students who strike out will do morning work cycle while others who earn their craft time do their activities.  

Please remember to sign up for our feast and also for attendance!  Our feast starts at noon and will run until 1pm.  Whenever our feast is over we will see if there is time for Botany.

December 20th from 9:30-10am is Lower El’s time to perform their holiday songs.  Our class will be performing Jingle Bell Rock.  You are welcome to come and watch!  We also discussed at our class meeting this week that for our performance:

Level 1s: will be elves!  They will have a name tag for their elf name that they got during Writer’s Workshop last week!

Level 2s: will each be a reindeer!

Level 3s: will be Santas or Mrs. Clauses. Please dress your 3rd grader in red on the 20th!

All students need to bring a pair of sunglasses for our performance.  We will be making the rest of our “costumes” in class.  Dress your kids nicely for our performance!

What we did this week in group lessons:

I did reading testing with all the level 1s this week.  Those who move up to a new group will next week.

Level 1s: 3 dimensions with marshmallows (geometry)

Level 2s: Identifying polygons and cubes (geometry)

Level 3s: Features of a triangle (geometry), What is a thesaurus? (language)

Open lessons: ordinal/cardinal (small math)

In cultural this week:

No History due to our our field trip to the ballet

Zoology/Physiology:

Level 1s: Frog life cycle

Level 2s: Parts of the nose

Level 3s: Leeches

Geography:

Level 1s: Naming of the continents

Level 2s: Earthquakes around the world

Level 3s: Wind vane

Botany:

Level 1s: The Very Hungry Caterpillar reader’s theater

Level 2s: Compound leaves: Pinnate and palmate

Level 3s: Gamopetalous

Friday: Studio, Christmas movie since our Australian visitor had to cancel on us at the last minute.

Some students are forgetting winter coats, gloves, snow pants, boots etc.  Please provide these things for your child!

We’ll those who are coming next week at our feast!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Hello and Happy (cold) December!

Speaking of cold, please send your child to school with winter gear.  Some children are coming with just a zip up hoodie.  Please send them with gloves, a hat, and boots if there is snow.  Here is the forecast for this coming week:

Monday 9th- high of 19 

Tuesday 10th- high of 27

Wednesday 11th- high of 33

Thursday 12th- high of 38

Friday 13th- high of 36

Monday the 9th is our field trip to the Nutcracker Ballet.  Please don’t forget to pack your child a lunch.  We will be eating at 10:30-11:00am.  Our bus will be here at 11:15am.  We will be picked up at 1:30pm.

This week in group lessons:

Level 1s: 3 dimensions

Level 3s: Parts of a triangle part 3

Open lessons: quarter layout (money)

In cultural:

History:

Level 1s: Grammar and time

Level 2s: Constellations

Level 3s: Carboniferous period

Zoology:

Level 1s: Amphibians

Level 2s: Mammal study

Level 3s: Making stocking earthworms

Geography:

Level 1s: Planisphere map

Level 2s: Jello earthquake model

Level 3s: Day and night breezes

Botany:

Level 1s: There once was a daisy play

Level 2s: Dented margins

Level 3s: Types of corolla (petals)

Friday: Studio, Library, Heat (physical science), snowflakes for junior high

Have your child work on their book reports!  They are due soon!

I will be testing level 1 reading this coming week and will be putting those who are at a higher level in different reading groups.

Please don’t forget to sign up for our Holiday Feast! See the link to the right of the blog.

Take care and stay warm!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Didn’t we just bid adieu to October?  Crazy…

Speaking of December, it is a short one and it is jammed packed with lots of things to do!

First thing to take care of is to get your child’s permission slip in when we come back from Thanksgiving Break.  Thank you for those who got there’s signed and back to me the Friday we got out on break, that was most helpful!  Remember, permission slips must be in 24 hours before we go to The Nutcracker Ballet in Ogden.  This field trip will NOT require any parent chaperones.  Please also to make sure to get your child’s $2.00 fee in to the office either through the link to the right of our blog or in person.

December’s project is a book report!  Projects are due the week of December 16th.  Students are to read a book for their reading level.  If your child is seeing Ms. Kathy for reading, she will be doing mid year reading testing the first week of December.  You can email me if you would like those results.  This month’s book report project is called Cereal Box!  Please visit the Home Project tab for more information!

In December we do a Holiday Feast.  December 19th is the date, that is a Thursday.  It will take place at lunch time (12:00pm).  We will need helpers with food/drinks, tableware, etc.  I will send out a we join link for those who want to help.  This is our big get together of year and you’ll DEFINITELY  will not want to miss out!

Now for what we did before Thanksgiving Break!

In group lessons:

Level 1s: Golden bead point to solid (geometry)

Level 2s: Making angles with pipecleaners

Level 3s: Hypotenuse of a triangle

Open lessons: Dime layout, Exchange game (money)

In cultural:

History:

Level 1s: Learning about AD and BC timeline

Level 2s: Life and death of a star

Level 3s: Devonian Period

Zoology/Physiology:

Level 1s: Introduction to amphibians

Level 2s: The ear

Level 3s: Intro to Annelids

Geography:

Level 1s: Mercator map

Level 2s: Earthquakes

Level 3s: Global atmospheric movement

Botany:

Level 1s: There Once was a Daisy reading

Level 2s: Palmate margins

Level 3s: Corolla/Petals

Friday: Family Tree projects, Meaning of Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving crafts

Happy Thanksgiving!  See you all in December!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Hello!

Our class is working on something special for the Gratitude Feast on Thursday the 21st.  The 3rd graders created a poem together about being thankful.  The 1st and 2nd graders are teamed up in pairs of 2, most groups containing one 2nd grader, one 1st grader.  Each group will draw a visual to each line of the poem.  On Thursday, the 3rd graders will read the poem.  the 1st and 2nd grade pairs will sit with their 3rd grade buddy and hold up their visual as each line is read.  We will finish up the visuals and practice more this coming week to be ready on Thursday.

I will be making permission slips for the Nutcracker Ballet field trip, December 9th, this week.  I will be sending them out Wednesday. If you can have them back ASAP, that would be fantastic.  All permission slips MUST be in 24 hours before the field trip.  Please do not forget to submit your child’s 2 dollar fee for the ballet through the payment link on the right hand side of this blog.  I have heard from one parent so far on submission, so please don’t forget to email me or leave me a comment on the blog that you completed the payment.  That way I can mark your child off on my check off list 🙂

This soon to be Friday is our Thanksgiving party.  In the morning we talk about the history of Thanksgiving.  Since we don’t have studio this Friday, we will do recess first and then lunch, like we do the rest of the week.  By the time the kids get cleaned up it will be around 12:40pm.  I need a few more helpers for Friday.  If you are coming to help, please be at our classroom at 12:30pm.  After they get cleaned up,  I’ll sit them down and explain each of the crafts.  They are then free to choose until 2:30pm.  

Group lessons this week:

Level 1s: Intro to point of a line (geometry)

Level 2s: Interior and exterior angles (geometry), Marshmallow angle review

Level 3s: Features of a triangle (geometry), Arrays of multiplication with fruit loops

Open lessons: fractions equivalence with pizza visuals, how to read a ruler to whole inch, half an inch, 1/4 an inch

In cultural:

History:

Level 1s:  BC and AD timeline.  Introduction to a century with golden bead

Level 2s:  Formation of a star

Level 3s:  Silurian Period

Zoology:

Level 1s: Fish report

Level 2s: Shrews and hedge hogs

Level 3s: Roundworms

Geography:

Level 1s: 3D Earth to 2D using a grapefruit

Level 2s: Faults

Level 3s: Weather reader’s theatre

Botany:

Level 1s: Land and water food chain paper model

Level 2s: Pinnate margins

Level 3s: Position of the calyx

Friday: Studio, Library, Great Barrier Reef animals and learning watercolor painting

Home projects are due Monday and this coming week!

Have a great (wintery) weekend!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Just FYI, November’s Home Project is posted in the Home Project Tab

Please email me for any questions!

Thanks!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Happy November!  Hope you all had a lovely Halloween Thursday night.

I will be posting November’s Home Project this week.  Since November is about giving thanks and family, this project’s title is called “Family Tree” and is due November 18th.  In a nutshell there are 2 choices: 1) do a basic family tree with some history of where your family came from (siblings may do option 1 together), 2) choose one of your family members to interview and do a report on.  Cannot be mom or dad.  I will post instructions soon, so please visit our Home Project tab by this Friday!  I’m planning on having things posted by Wednesday.

We shared and finished up October’s Pumpkin Book Reports this week.  They were magnificent!

Halloween was relaxed.  The students did a few works and we completed our first class book, The Witches by Roald Dahl appropriately on Halloween.  We then watched the movie to compare the book to it.  The only difference the students saw was how the movie changed the ending compared to the book.  The students wanted a book related to Christmas next, so Ms. Anna and I are on the look for something fun to read before the let out of Winter Break.  Suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Level 1 parents: Mini History project is Due Monday! Please see week 10 for instructions.

This coming Friday November 8th is an early release.  Students will be dismissed at 1pm.  Please mark your calendars!

This coming week will be primarily cold.  Please start sending a coat and warm clothes with your child.  By Thursday it will get back up into the high 50’s, but the rest of the week will not be as warm.

This week in group lessons:

Level 1s: Solid, surface, edges (geometry), Money introduction with penny board layout

Level 2s: Adjacent and complimentary angles (geometry)

Level 3s: Base, vertex, and altitude (measuring types of  triangles in geometry)

Open lesson: Adding fractions, subtracting fractions

In cultural this week:

History:

Level 1s: Timeline of my life

Level 2s: Gravity and inertia

Level 3s: Cambrian period

Zoology:

Level 1s: Fish printing

Level 2s: Platypus

Level 3s: What is a flatworm?

Geography:

Level 1s: Continents and tracing- map making

Level 2s: Graham cracker folding (Earth’s folding)

Level 3s: Defining weather

Botany:

Level 1s: Food chains

Level 2s: Set B of leaves

Level 3s: Types of Calyx

Friday: Studio, Library trip, Electricity

Have a good rest of your weekend!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Hello!

Few things to pass along to you all!

On Fridays, please no characters on shirts!  Not even sports teams.  If your child wears a hoodie, they must put them in their locker while inside the building.  I have the heat on in our room if it is chilly, but if it becomes cold, please have your child wear a sweater.

Fall Festival is Saturday October 26th.  This is the day we can wear costumes.

I am looking at having an afternoon Fall/Halloween small party for the kids on Friday October 25th.  Please let me know if you would like to participate and help out.  I have some craft and snack ideas I just need the help getting the supplies and helpers on that day for it to be successful.  Please email me if you would be interested!

October’s Pumpkin book report is up!  Please look under the Home Project tab!

Thursday, October 24th is our first field trip to Black Island Farms.  Permission slips went out Friday.  They are brightly colored.  I asked the children to try and return them by Wednesday 10/16.  That way I can work on putting together rides.  However, at the very latest, permission slips are due NO LATER than 10/22! 

Here is the information for Black Island Farms:

3178 S 3000 W  Syracuse, UT 84075
(801) 825-6236

If your child needs a ride, please drop them off at the school at normal time.  Please no later than 8:30am, so I can take roll.  Certified drivers will take your children.  If you are a certified driver, please be at the school by 8:20am at the latest!  If you wish to take your own child or want to carpool with another parent form our class, I, nor the school can have any part in your arrangement.  The carpool must take place off school ground and I can not arrange anything for you.  Please see the pink page (2nd page) for times on the permission slip.  If your child loses their permission slip, please look under the Field Trip tab.  I will post everything under there as well, as well as the permission slip so you can reprint it.  We are allotted 1 chaperone per 5 students.  Accounted for chaperones for field trips will always go to certified drivers.  If you wish to come you are welcome, but you will have to pay separately.  If you have younger children I would suggest a babysitter for this field trip.  Their numbers are limited and between our class and Ms. Jalee’s class we meet the exact maximum number of 55.  However, I would call Black Island Farms to double check, but from their emails they seem strict about their numbers.  On other field trips we go on, paying for a sibling has been okay.

In group lessons this week:

Level 1s: quadrilaterals, ways to make 10, making wholes with fractions, one step word problems

Level 2s: vertical angles and vertical angles are equal, one step word problems

Level 3s: one step word problems

In cultural this week:

History:

Level 1s: Birthday beads

Level 2s: Centripetal and Centrifugal forces

Level 3s: Introduction to the Timeline of Life

Zoology:

Level 1s: Fish- External parts

Level 2s: Manatees and Dugongs

Level 3s: Hydras

Geography:

Level 1s: Zones

Level 2s: Tectonic plates booklet

Level 3s: Earth’s atmosphere usefulness

Botany:

Level 1s: Use of plants

Level 2s: Forms set A- with art

Level 3s: Calyx and Sepals

Friday: Studio, Static electricity

Please sign up for Fall Conferences if you haven’t!

Wednesday I will let the kids have a free morning.  They are welcome to bring 1 or 2 board games or card games.  No electronics.  

Cheers!

Ms. K