Ms. Laura's Class

Greetings!

Hoping everyone had a restful weekend.

Looking towards the week ahead:

Monday is a half day.  Please remember to pick students up at 1 PM.

Tuesday, fourth graders have an in-school assembly.

Happy Birthday to Ashton and Charli this week.

We still have lots of weeks with no one signed up for snack.  Please sign up for snack here: https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/events

I realized late tonight that due to our field trip Friday, it is likely that students did not go home with their unfinished works for the week in their planners.  I will email parents with students who have unfinished work individually tonight, please take a couple of extra days to get that done since I wasn’t on the ball this weekend.  Thanks

Any questions or concerns, as always, please email me at lhughes@mariamontessoriacademy.org

We have a field trip THIS FRIDAY to Bountiful.  We desperately need drivers.  You DO NOT need to stay for the entire time, but you are welcome to stay and chaperone as well.  Please sign up here: https://www.trackitforward.com/site/389525/event/435154

When you sign up, please leave a note saying your student’s name and how many children you are able to take.  This helps us to ensure that everyone has a spot in a car, for example: “Laura+3”

IF you are willing to drive your own child, but circumstances prevent you taking another child, please comment with the child’s name and the number 0: “Laura+0”

Thank you all for helping to make this trip a success.

Greetings!

The first Take Home Project went home on Thursday.  The assignment is to research a North American Native American tribe and learn about the following: food, water sources, the biome they lived in, the clothes they wore, religion or religious practices, shelters, tools, travel (and if they were nomadic or stationary), language, social information (games, social structure, etc.) types of art, weapons, etc.  I expect the tribe to be fully researched.  Student’s research can be presented however they choose: poster, traditional report, 3D model, diorama, etc.  Students will present their project to the class and will explain the different aspects of the tribe they chose.  I am in the process of developing a rubric and will post it on the blog when it is created.  due October 3.

Thank you to all those who came to Back to School night, it was great to catch up with you.  If you were not able to make it, but would like the packet of information that I provided that night, please shoot me an email and I will send one home with your student.

Our first field trip is this Friday.  We are still in need of drivers.  Please contact my room mom at eventhair@yahoo.com if you are able to drive and let her know how many students you can take.  Alisha will then assign students to cars.  NO STUDENTS WILL BE LEFT BEHIND. WE WILL ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS HAVE RIDES. Alisha and I are working to make the process of assigning rides for field trips less complicated in the future.  We will leave North Shore parking lot at 8:15 and will be back by 3:00.

This year we are no longer using IXL for our at home math practice.  We are using Imagine Learning instead.  Please  visit: math.imaginelearning.com to start using the practice.  Username and Password is your student’s ID.

Please be aware that I will be out of the classroom on Tuesday due to a doctor’s appointment: Mr. C will be taking my place for the day.

Any questions or concerns please contact me at lhughes@mariamontessoriacademy.org.  As a reminder, please don’t reply to the blog as it is connected to an email address that rarely gets checked.  Thanks!

Hello All!

Please check out our month overview for September:

Sept 13- Back to School Night, 6-8 PM.  Even if you have been in my class before, please attend this.  This is a time for me to give you information on my classroom, upcoming field trips, home projects, and my expectations for the year among other things.  There will be two sessions during the evening put on by administration to discuss the Montessori Method if you are new to the school.

Sept 19- Dan Guthrie the weather man visits the school for our 4th graders.

Sept 21- International Day of Peace, Celebration of the Constitution field trip.  Permission forms for this were due Friday.  Ms. Autumn has kindly extended the deadline for this till Tuesday since so many students didn’t get me the permission form on Friday.  please turn in forms to the office before Tuesday if you intend on attending this. CARPOOL: Please contact my room mom at eventhair@yahoo.com to organize rides for this field trip.

Sept 24- EARLY RELEASE (professional development)

Sept 25 – Aquarium water van visits MMA for the 4th grade

Oct 1 – End of Normalization.

Thank you all for your support with finishing work as it comes home! This year is shaping up to be a productive year and I am excited to see what it holds. No students went home with any work on Friday and I hope that continues into the school year.

Current book:  In class, I read aloud a book with a strong moral during our settle in time after recess.  This month, the book is “Ban this Book” by Alan Gratz.  This book features a 4th grade protagonist who’s favorite book is banned from the school library.  In response she starts a banned book locker library where she allows students to check out books from the banned book list.  The book tackles the topics of censorship, book banning, and standing up for what you believe in.  Please be aware that this book briefly mentions sex – not the act itself, but as the topic of one of the books that were banned.  As the protagonist Amy Anne would say: “No one has the right to tell you what you can or cannot read, except your parents.” Please contact me and let me know if you are uncomfortable with your child being in the classroom during the reading of this book as a whole or the sections of this book that mention sex.

Any questions, comments, concerns: please email me at lhughes@mariamontessoriacademy.org

Hello all!

Some students went home today with a sticky note filled with works that were not completed during the week.  I have asked that all works be completed over the weekend and brought back first thing on Tuesday morning (there is no school Monday due to Labor Day).

The class and I had a long talk this morning about the responsibility of getting work done during school hours: that they are responsible for managing their time so they don’t have homework, that no more is assigned during the week than can get done, and that even adults have to bring our work home sometimes if we don’t get it done at our jobs!

I will be sending out emails to parents of students with those sticky notes individually this week.

Please email me if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you!

Hello! Sorry this is going out a little later than I would like.

A quick peek at the week ahead:

Today we had our first Great Lesson – The Story of the Universe.  We read the story of the Big Bang as told by Neil D’Grasse Tyson, watched some videos about space, and then explored creation stories from cultures vastly different than our own.  Students then shared their creation story with the class in a dramatic fashion! We had a great time.

This week we are getting into some real work!  I am working on getting students into a schedule so we can start normalizing.  This being said, there should be no work going home at the end of the week.

Students went home with a parent survey – please take the time to fill this out.  It gives me a great view into who your child is, and what you feel their strengths are.  These surveys are super valuable to me, so thank you for taking the time to fill one out!

Tomorrow, students will be coming home with a NO permission slip.  Please sign and send these forms back if you DO NOT intend to allow your child to hold, touch, or care for our class pet bearded dragon.  Care for the bearded dragon is a big part of our day to day activity. Getting to care for our class beardie is a huge responsibility piece for students that they absolutely love! Please be aware that students are required to wash hands before and after handling the animal, and that this is strictly enforced in this classroom to keep ourselves and the lizard healthy.

Calling home for missing signatures on planners starts THIS WEEK.  I ended up giving students a grace period last week, but it is time to start holding them to that expectation.  Please be aware that students will call home and ask for you to come sign their planner (or bring it if it was forgotten).  The intent is to keep my students accountable for having their planner checked daily, and having the support coming from both home and school for this is HUGE, especially in the beginning of the year.

Snack signups are up: please check out trackitforward.com to sign up.  Please make an account when you sign up! This is where all signups will be throughout the year – for Parent Teacher Conferences, field trip rides, and more.

If you have any questions please feel free to shoot me an email!  PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THESE POSTS.  This blog is linked to an email that does not get checked regularly.  The best email to reach me at is lhughes@mariamontessoriacademy.org.  Thank you!

Welcome back!

It was amazing to see everyone’s smiling faces in this classroom yesterday, I am so excited to have everyone back and to hear the stories of adventure.

We are jumping right back in and starting setting up some habits that will carry us through the year.  Most notably the planners.  Every day, your child will bring home their planner with the things they did written in it.  Please initial the bottom of the day and send it back.  Most importantly though, make sure they have actually written something for the day! This is one of the ways I am trying to bridge the gap between the classroom and home, so you can see the lessons they were given and what they are working on in class so we can open a line of communication about successes and struggles in the classroom.  To help hold us all accountable, if your child does not bring back the planner the next day with your signature, you are going to be receiving a phone call from your child to either come in and sign or bring the planner to school for them.

Thank you for understanding as we get this year underway! I am excited to work with you all this year and get to know everyone better.

I am truly in shock that the school year has ended.

Thank you to everyone for their kindness and support as I worked through my first year in the classroom.  I absolutely loved getting to know each and every child and I am looking forward to August when I get to see everyone again.  Nothing will ever compare to this first year teaching, it has been incredibly memorable in all of the best ways.

As I am getting the classroom packed up, I am finding all sorts of misplaced items.  If I find something that I believe belongs to your child, it will be left in the school’s office and you will receive an email.

Not that you are ready to begin thinking of next year, but the class supply list is ready and is attached below.

Laura’s classroom supply list 2018-19

Thank you again for such a successful and wonderful year, and have an amazing summer! See you all in August!

Hello, Busy Week:

Tuesday – Field Trip to Crystal Hot Springs.  Meet at North Shore at 8:30, pick up at 3:00

Wednesday – (PJ Day) We are having our “slash” party in class!  This is to celebrate us being done with SAGE “slash” the 6th graders graduating “slash” the end of a great year “slash” Cinco De Mayo.  We will be cooking enchiladas!  We would really appreciate donated ingredients again.  Please view the list here: https://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/cgmok

Thursday – (Career day) Our only “calm” day

Friday – (dress down day) Field Day

Emails and blog posts will come out as the week happens I am sure.  Thank you for all of your support in these last two weeks of school.  Please make sure you sign up for a Parent Teacher Conference slot!

Sign up for Tuesday 5/22 here

Sign up for Wednesday 5/23 here

Sign up for Thursday 5/24 here

Quiet week this week, all of my information is about the upcoming weeks:

Sign ups for Parent Teacher Conferences are up. These will be fully student led, like in the winter.

Sign up for Tuesday 5/22 here

Sign up for Wednesday 5/23 here

Sign up for Thursday 5/24 here

I’m sorry for the late notice on this, but next Tuesday (May 15th) will be a field trip to Crystal Hot Springs.  Permission forms will be going home tomorrow, due back no later than Friday.  WE WILL NEED DRIVERS.  Please contact Mandy (mlshale@comcast.net) to volunteer. There is a $7 cost for this field trip which can be paid in the office or by following this to the payment link. (donations are welcome)

We will be participating in the school swap meet (often called the Market) on Monday May 14.  Students are encouraged to bring a product or service to sell.  Students will need to bring a blanket to outline their space on the day of the meet.  Parents are not to attend the swap meet.  If your child needs help setting up their service or product then they shouldn’t be selling that service or product.  However, parents can help transport goods to and from the school on the day of the meet.

Next week is school spirit week.  The days are as follows:

• Monday – crazy socks
• Tuesday – Crazy hair/hat
• Wednesday – PJs
• Thursday – Occupation day
• Friday – dress down

As always, any questions please feel free to email me at lhughes@mariamontessoriacademy.org