Welcome back students and families!
I am so excited to start this new school year off with your students. I have missed all our veteran students and cannot wait to see our new recruits! For those of you who don’t know me, I am Ms. Anna and I will be filling in for Ms. Kaley while she has a little R&R with baby Marvel (probably the cutest this on this planet FYI). I can feel the anticipation building through the school as we are all scurrying to get our classrooms ready for Monday. I know the students are also probably getting those butterflies building a little bit, so let’s do our best to work together to make this a wonderful transition back to school.

Just as a reminder, New Student Orientation (incoming level 1’s and any new level 2’s or 3’s) will be this Friday from 1-1:45 PM. Please drop your students off and direct them to Ms. LaVonna who will be holding a big yellow sign with “Ms. Kaley” on it.

School starts Monday the 18th at 8:30 and the school doors open at 8:15. School will be ending at 1:00 every day that week so please don’t forget! 

Below is the link to a We Join In snack sheet. Please make an effort to sign up!

http://wejoinin.com/sheets/cyjjn

Again I am so very excited for this new year. It is such a privilege to work with your children and get to know their individual personalities blossom.
Thanks for all you do!

Ms. Anna

Hello,

Kaley and baby Marvel are going home today. Let’s help them out with dinners. Please sign up at http://wejoinin.com/sheets/ydenl.

Thank you!

Ms. Jalee

Hello Everyone!

This is Ms. Jalee another lower el teacher at MMA. I am excited to tell you that Ms. Kaley had her baby today, August 5th at 1:11 pm. Marvel is 7.2 lbs and 19.5 inches. Both mom and baby are doing great.

I have created a wejoinin page for us to help out Kaley and her family with meals. All the info is on the page.  Here is the link:http://wejoinin.com/sheets/ydenl

Ms. Jalee

Orientation

Got an email saying that orientation for the 15th will only be from 1:00pm-1:45pm.  This orientation is just for first graders and any new students in 2nd and 3rd grade.

Baby Update

My baby has a official due date!  Marvel Mae Parsons will be born August 5th.  Ms. Jalee has contacted me and said she will post to our blog for anyone who wants to sign up for dinners.

Room Mother Update!

Our new room mother will be Jaida Ryan.  We are still looking for another room mother helper too 🙂  Thank you Jaida!

Hello current families and welcome new ones!

Just wanted to post a few updates!  Firstly, is the 2014-2015 school supply list

School Supply List 2014-2015

*buying school supplies for MMA is not mandatory.  If the school needs to provide your child supplies, please contact the office or your child’s teacher

Just for some clarification on the supplies, if your child is going to be a 2nd or 3rd grader, you will see “NEW STUDENTS and REPLACEMENTS for RETURNING STUDENTS” UNDER a certain supply.  Some students need to replace a supply, which is mostly because they need to replace a binder.  Those students who need to replace a 2 inch white binder are:

Amira- 1 binder

Aiden- 2 binders

Brenna- 1 binder

Reagan- 1 binder

Bryn- 1 binder

Peyton F.- 1 binder

Payton M.- 1 binder

If you can label your child’s name on as many supplies as possible (even each pencil…trust me) it helps 🙂

Secondly, I want to welcome our new or transferring students!

First Grade (Level 1s):

Stevie

Tyler

Arianna

Ethan

Dezy

Dustie

Lucy

Gabe

Alexis

Second Grade (Level 2s) 

Ian

3rd Grade (Level 3s)

Leyla

We may gain more students before the school year starts 🙂

Thirdly, if you are a new family to our classroom (and even returning), I am currently 38 weeks pregnant, about to be 39 weeks in a few days.  I am on maternity leave until October.  Ms. Jalee and other helping teachers will be sending out a sign up for dinners, so if you would like to participate in that, keep an eye out, it will be coming soon 🙂

Even though I will be out of the classroom, I am testing out arrangements to FaceTime with our classroom iPad, so I can check in with the students.  Ms. Anna, who was my assistant last year, will be the lead in the classroom.  My new assistant, Ms. LaVonna, will also be assisting in the classroom.  Our school’s curriculum specialist, Kacee Weaver, will be in our classroom often to make sure students get lessons.  I have carefully mapped out cultural, Geometry, science, and other lessons that will keep your child on track.

As a reminder to all families, please feel free to communicate with me via email, as well as Anna and LaVonna.  We welcome any and all questions.

We need Room Mothers!  Please let me know if you would like to be our main room mother or assistant room mother!  There will also be a sign up sheet at Back to School Night.  Our room mothers are in charge of parties, snack sign up, field trip drivers, and setting up as needed volunteering opportunities.  

Important Dates:

September 4th from 6:30-7:30 is a our Back to School Night!  It will be treated like an open house where you can chat with us (I plan on coming)

August 15th is a 2 hour orientation for first graders and new students.  Those students will arrive at 1pm.  Ms. LaVonna will greet our group outside.  Orientation will last until 3pm.  New students may bring their school supplies.  We won’t unpack supplies until the official first day back (August 18th).

August 18th-August 22nd are all early dismissal days- 1pm dismissal

If I think of anything else or other updates arise, always refer to here!

Cheers!

Ms. Kaley

Welcome to the last day of the 2013-2014 school year!  I can’t believe it is here already!  The students have been exceptional this year and I am very proud to have such a wonderful class.

Congrats to our graduating 3rd graders:

McKelle

Ben L.

Sage

Julian

Ben N

David

I hope you all have a fabulous summer!

Next school year I will be on maternity leave for a few weeks.  My plan so far is to come back October 6th, which is just is time for Fall conferences.  If that changes for any reason I will let you know!

Ms. Anna will be taking the lead of the classroom and I hired a new assistant, Ms. Lavonna, this week.  She is an experienced teacher with many years under her belt, though she is new to Montessori.  However, she is very excited to begin.  When I come back, Anna will be working in the Office for the rest of the year and Ms. Lavonna will take the place as my assistant.

While I am gone Ms. Anna and Ms. Lavonna will be going over grace and courtesy and classroom expectations.  There will be some basic placement testing, so I can see who still remembers what and where to pick up.  Ms. Kacee, our new curriculum specialist will be in our room helping out with lessons.  Levels and small groups will also be divided in the afternoons so they can get their cultural and great lessons.  I am very confident everything will be taken care of.  My plan is to kick my feet up this summer and plan what should be gone over while I am on leave.  Even though I will be out I will be checking in through FaceTime on the iPad.  I will be getting to know the new ones and conversing with everyone on how they are doing and what they have been learning.

For your calendar prep, September 4th will be Back to School Night.  I plan on attending.  It will be 6:30-7:30

Enjoy your summer and you will hear from me throughout the summer!

Thank you for a wonderful year!

Cheers!

Ms. K

Thank you to everyone, parents and students, for setting up and participating in the baby shower this morning!  It was a lot of fun!  The games were great and the kids said they had a great time.  I can’t thank you enough!  <3

Also, I forgot to add for this Friday that Friday is PJ Day too 🙂  Students may bring a pillow and a blanket since we will probably watch a movie too.

We slowed down work cycle this week and had the students finish up their in class projects.  Level 1s and 2s have been writing their own creative story.  They finished up this week and them typed up and got to illustrate it and have their stories laminated and bound so they can share their stories with you at conferences.  Level 3s created their own board game.  They too will share theirs at conferences.  We also started organizing works and cleaning the room.  We finished up cultural this week in the afternoons so we could enjoy field day on Friday.

In cultural this week:

History:

Level 1s: Military Time

Level 2s: Astronomers

Level 3s: Drawing out the Time Line of Life

Zoology/Physiology:

Level 1s: Vertebrate review

Level 2s: Brain

Level 3s: Invertebrate review

Geography:

Level 1s: North America packet

Level 2s: Rock review

Level 3s: Weather Reader’s Theatre

Botany:

Level 1s: Parts of a plant salad

Level 2s: Kinds of trees

Level 3s: Flower bookmarks

Friday: Field Day and cleaning

Here is the schedule for this coming week!  Please remember it is 1pm dismissal all week!

Tuesday:

Ms. Kaley’s Baby Shower

Game Day: students may bring board games, card games, and Ms. Stephanie approved our class to bring any Kindles, iPads, iPods etc. to play app games.  If your child chooses to bring an electronic it MUST be okay with you as the parent and it MUST be labeled with their name on it.  I will keep all electronics up at my desk.  These rules worked very well last year and we had no issues.

3rd grade Bridging Ceremony

Conferences starting at 1:30pm.  Each slot is 20 minutes.  Please be on time.  Ms. Anna will not be present this night.

Wednesday:

Crazy hat or hair day

Kickball game at 10:30

Conferences starting at 1:30pm.  Each slot is 20 minutes.  Please be on time.

Thursday:

Crazy sock day

Store Day: students have been earning money all month to use for store day.  Like a yard sale, students will bring in items they want to sell (old toys, games, books, baked goods, etc.).  They will then pair up with a partner and price their items.  One partner will go shop while the other sells.  Partners will then switch.  We created store rules for how it should run and students are aware how this day should be treated.

Conferences starting at 1:30pm.  Each slot is 20 minutes.  Please be on time.

Friday:

Yearbook signing

PJ Day.  Students may bring a blanket and pillow since we will probably be watching a movie too

1pm dismissal

Hope you all have a fabulous Memorial Day!

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!

3rd graders shadowed Mr. John’s class this week.  They spent all morning and came back for the rest of the day.

Thank you for responding quickly to our evacuation drill Thursday!  Our class and Ms. Angie’s class were the first to get everyone to their ride.  We are going to make adjustments as a school with the 7th grade runners and some other small tweaks.  Other than that, it went very well!

May’s Home Project that is a Free Choice is due May 19th!

Thank you to those parents who helped with the 3rd grade party we held on Monday!

This coming week is our field trip!  Most have turned in their permission slips, but please get them in by Tuesday with your child’s $3.00 to the Office 🙂  I haven’t heard from anyone who wants to go, so please email me if you want to be a chaperone.  If you go, your ticket will cost $6.00 to get into the American West Heritage Center.  The address is posted on the blog from this week.

This week is the end of red folders!  We are going to wrap them up for the year.

The next 6 states are:

Oregon- OR

Pennsylvania- PA

Rhode Island- RI

South Carolina- SC

Texas- TX

Utah- UT

This week in group lessons:

Level 1s: Intro to angles, binomial cube

Level 2s: Find the triangle game, binomial cube

Level 3s: Geometry bingo

In cultural this week:

No History because of the 3rd grade party in the afternoon.

Zoology:

Level 1s: Tracing vertebrates from x-rays

Level 2s: Elephants

Level 3s: Scorpions and crab cakes

Geography: 

Level 1s: North America packet continued

Level 2s: Hardness scale

Level 3s: Weather review

No Botany because of evacuation drill

Friday: Cultural student led packet, Library, Mother’s Day activities, States test

Have a great Mother’s Day and weekend!

Cheers!

Ms. K