Dear Families,

I’ve talked to our class about their first home project which will be due the week of Oct. 13.  Our cultural subject this quarter has been botany (the study of plants).  I’ve asked each child to choose a plant to research and present.  I’ve suggested  that they use the library and the internet, or any other available research options.  Some of the younger students or early readers will probably need help from an adult.

I want them to understand what their chosen plant looks like, where it grows, what it’s life cycle is like (they’ve been learning the difference between perennial, annuals, biennials), if it’s edible or poisonous, what is smells like, etc.  If they would like to prepare a written report that is great as long as they are able to read it themselves.  If not, they just need to be prepared to tell the class about their plant.  Please encourage them to practice presenting it at home with a parent or someone else.

I am asking each student to bring some sort of visual aid to accompany their presentation.  I love to see their creativity, but if you need some suggestion here are a few options: mobile, student-made booklet, drawing, power-point, poster, photos, actual plant, shadow box (shoe-box with drawings or arranged items inside), or any other creative visual aid.  Their presentations should be about 10-15 minutes.

If you are a parent of a second or third grader please make sure your child is bringing home their spelling words every Monday to practice for the spelling test on Thursday.  Most of the students have already been doing this, but a few haven’t.  They should be writing them on an index card or other paper and studying them at home every day.

Parents of third graders should have received a paper explaining the new IXL online math program available through the school.  I sent the paper with their username and password home on Friday. This is a great program that will help prepare them for the end of year SAGE test.  Please encourage them to use IXL often at home.  We only have 3 computers available in our class and those have to be shared among 28 students.  It is crucial that the third graders become comfortable typing and using a computer in preparation for the upcoming tests.

Below is a picture of our recent plant experiment involving stems and how they draw water and nutrients to the rest of the plant.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Ms. Krista

Dear Parents,

The kids have been so excited about using Raz Kids online reading program.  If you haven’t had a chance to check it out at home please do so.  This is an ideal program for your child to practice their 20 minutes of reading after school.  I’ve heard from several parents who have told me how much their child loves to read now since they starting using Raz-Kids.

Please go to http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login.  Enter “mskristasclass”.  Then choose your child’s name from the list.  They will have access to hundreds of books on their reading level.

Dear Families,

We have really been enjoying school this year with your children.  Above is a picture of our class plant experiment. This is a special experiment to see if our words can affect the growth of a plant.  We have planted bean seeds in two pots.  Each day the children speak kind and encouraging words to one pot in hopes that it will grow faster and better. They are not speaking anything to the other pot, but are just allowing it to grow.  We will see what happens!

Below is a picture of our new school sandbox.  They were so excited to go play in it today for recess.

We had a great peace assembly with our guest speaker/singer, Andrew Kutt on Thursday.  We sang fun songs about the solar system, our earth, and being kind to each other.

Thank you to those who have provided snack for our class so far!  We appreciate your generosity so much!  Thank you for all the support you provide for our class.  We are so happy to be the teachers of your wonderful children!

Dear Parents,

For those who weren’t able to make it for back to school night I’m posting the information that I handed out that night.  This is just a summary of different things we do in our classroom.

Ms. Krista and Ms. Sharon’s class Overview

2014-2015

Normalization:
The first 6 weeks of school are called the “normalization period.” During this time, students learn the rules and organization of the classroom. They become familiar with how to use their individual work-chart and how to work independently, etc. Please have your child at school during this important time.

Cultural Subjects:

The cultural subjects include history, botany, geography, zoology, and physiology.  Please let me know if you are willing to share knowledge or expertise in any of these areas.

Friday Schedule:

The lower-elementary students will rotate through music, art, and P.E. classes throughout the morning from 8:40-11:30am. Friday afternoon will focus on our Continent Studies—Africa (first semester) and Europe (second semester)

Teacher/Parent Communication:

I will be using the class blog for listing upcoming events and information.  Please Subscribe to my blog by going to   http://blogs.mariamontessoriacademy.org/krista  Click “Subscribe to Ms. Krista’s class by email”.  You will receive an email asking you to verify.  Click the link to verify.  You will then automatically receive an email each time I post something on the blog.    If you need to get in touch with me please email me or call me at the school number. If you need to talk about issues regarding your child I am happy to make an appointment with you.

Celebrations of Life:
This is a celebration in honor of your child’s birthday.  Parents are invited to attend. Please provide a picture and brief explanation for each year of your child’s life. Sorry, no food or party favors are allowed.  If your child has a summer birthday then I will schedule his or her celebration of life sometime midyear.

Continent Study Project:
During each semester each child will be assigned to do a presentation on a country or territory in the continent we are studying. This semester each child will be assigned a country in Africa.   The International Festival will be held in December this year.  Each child will need to be prepared to present a country from the continent of Africa at the festival.  I will provide more details as we get closer.

Home-Based Projects:
Each student will be expected to do a home-based project several times during the year, which also includes book reports. This is an opportunity for them to do a presentation on something they are excited to learn about and share with the rest of the class. I will provide more information as they are assigned.

Reading:
Research has shown that reading for at least 20 minutes a day helps create successful readers and writers. I highly encourage you to have your child read to you at home daily.

Seasonal Clothing:
Please make sure your child is adequately dressed for the seasonal changes. They will need boots, gloves, hats, and coats during the cold weather season. Please always send a jacket as the weather can change unexpectedly.

Attendance:
Please have your child here on time. It is very distracting and disruptive to our line time and work-cycle when students arrive late. Students are allowed 5 unexcused absences a year. Please contact the office if you know your child will be absent. Students are allowed 5 tardies per quarter. If tardies exceed this amount the student may be referred to the administration. (Please read through the parent handbook at mariamontessoriacademy.org for complete policy guidelines.)

Illness:
In an effort to keep all our students and teachers healthy, please keep your child home if they are sick. Students are not allowed to call from the classroom phone. If a child needs to call home they will need to go to the office. Parents will be notified if their child has a fever or is throwing-up.

Water bottles:
Each child is expected to have their own water bottle in the classroom. Water bottles will be sent home on Friday to be washed. Please return them on Monday.

Snack:
Snack is a part of MMA’s philosophy. Preparation. An online sign up sheet is used for our classroom snack. You will find the link on my blog under “sign-ups”.  If everyone can sign up for at least 2 different weeks during the year than snacks will be covered! Snacks also need to be healthy to follow MMA’s health policy.

Lunch:
We have one microwave in our class for use during lunch time. Many children bring lunches that need to be heated. Please make sure all microwavable items will take no longer than 2 minutes to heat.
Field trips:
I will be scheduling several fieldtrips during the year. Transportation is a challenge and we need authorized drivers. Please talk to the office if you are willing to become an authorized driver for our class fieldtrips.

Please be sure and read the monthly school newsletter for upcoming information. Look at the school calendar for important events and no-school days and early outs.

We look forward to teaching your children this year!

Sincerely,
Ms. Krista and Ms. Sharon

Dear Parents,

I wanted to remind everyone about back to school night this Thursday, September 4th from 6:30-7:30.  This is for parents only.  We will be having an informal open house where you can come, see your child’s class, and talk with me and Ms. Sharon for a few moments. Sign-ups will be available for anyone who would like to volunteer to help out with our class for field trips, reading, educational presentations, etc.

We’re looking forward to seeing you all!

Ms. Krista