The Golden Gazette

Celebrate! It's 2009!

 Can you believe it...the school year is 1/2 over already.  I hope everyone had a wonderful break and that you are ready to really learn a lot in 2009.  Did you get a lot of rest?  You are going to need it, because we will be zooming along in our learning!

  I wanted to thank everyone again for all of the wonderful Christmas gifts.  The individual gifts were so nice and unexpected.  I really have been enjoying the gift cards and I had fun spending my class gift as well.    My surgery went well, and I would have felt a lot better if I hadn't gotten pneumonia afterwards.  I've been taking my medicine, so I should be ok to be back at school on Tuesday.  I may be a bit tired, but I know you will help me out with anything that is too much for me. 

  You know that we will not have a spelling test this week, but you will get a homework packet Tuesday.  Our 1st test of the new year will be on Monday, January 12th. Your challenge words for the week are:  Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Georgia.

  In science, we will be starting our light unit.  I have a lot of fun activities planned, so I know you will enjoy it. 

    In social studies, we will be finishing up our unit on the 13 colonies over the next few weeks.  I will give you a test date by Friday.

We will also be starting class book projects in both science/social studies groups.  We will complete a book together and send it off to be published.  Your parents will have to opportunity to purchase a copy of the book from the publisher when we finish it.  This should be a lot of fun!

We will start a new USA Studies Weekly this week.  We will be doing it all together in our room instead of splitting for groups with Mrs. Fowler.

  We will also finish our class book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, either this week or next week.

  Our next holiday will be on January 19th, when we will all be off for MLK Day.  Wellstar will be back to teach us about Internet Safety on Wednesday January 21st.  Talent Show auditions will be on January 22nd.  The school dance will be on Friday, January 23rd.

  Report cards will go home during conferences.  The week of January 26th will be early release every day so that I can conference with your parents in the afternoons.

That's a lot for January, isn't it?

See you Tuesday...Mrs. Golden

It's almost Winter Break!

We had a great week last week.  Everyone did a wonderful job on their instruments...I think we may have saved the spring festivals by doing such a good job.  It was fun to hear everyone playing, both together and individually.  They were very creative and almost everyone had really spent some quality time coming up with an idea and putting them together. 

High Touch on Friday was a lot of fun.  We learned that light travels in rays and waves.  We played with lenses and prisms and mirrors!  We will begin our classroom study of light after the break, but we will cover it quickly since we have already covered the standards in High Touch.

Monday is our Thanksgiving Feast.  I am looking forward to everyone learning even more about what the 1st colonists ate here in North America.  We have started our study of the 13 colonies.  I had planned to test before the break, but I don't think we will get far enough to have a major test.  We will review when we get back, then test when we've covered all of the material.

  We have a spelling test on Monday.  We will not start our next unit until January 6th, when we get back.  You have a math test on Thursday.  I know you will do a great job.  Everyone is working so hard to pass all of their timed tests this grading period.  Don't forget that you have to pass them all again when you get back from the break!

The spelling bee is Tuesday at 8:30.  I know Sammi has been studying hard.  Meghan has too, and she will take the stage if Sammi can't.

We will try to print the rest of our narratives on Wednesday in computer lab.  If you have not finished typing yours, please bring in a flash drive and you can take it home to finish.

Our Student Council food drive for MUST Ministries ends on Thursday.  Our class goal is 200 cans, and we only have 40 as of Friday.  If you can bring cans or boxes, we could really use the help.  As faculty rep for the Student Council, I'd love to have our class bring in the most cans.  I've promised a treat if we reach the 200 can mark.

  Friday is a big day.  I hope that everyone will be there to enjoy the day.  Our holiday breakfast is from 8-9.  We will then have specials.  After specials, we will enjoy our 2nd nine weeks celebration.  I have offered several students the opportunity to earn back a free space on their behavior cards, if they can go 2 days without a mark.  It may be too late for some, but there are several students who are close to earning back the celebration.  (We are still in need of candy bars for the celebration.  I have several bags of microwave popcorn.  If you can volunteer to pop it and put it in individual quart bags, I will be happy to send it home with your child.)  After the celebration, we will have our 2nd nine week auction.  We don't have many items for the auction yet, so if you would like to send in some items, it would be deeply appreciated by all of the students.

Then...Winter Break.  I know that you are looking forward to being out of school, as well as getting all of those presents.  I hope that if you are traveling, or have friends or family coming to visit, that everyone has safe travels. 

My family and I will be spending the holidays here in Canton.  I will have my sinus surgery on the 29th.  I should have enough time to recover before the break is over and I'm planning on being back on January 6th.

What's happening...December 8th

We had a great week last week.  We have a lot of fun activities and a lot of learning taking place in the next 2 weeks.

Almost everyone has finished typing their narratives.  We will continue to print them when we have computer lab.  This week we have guidance, where we will continue our Steps to Respect lessons.

This Friday is RFL Hat Day.  For just a one dollar donation to relay for life, you can wear your favorite hat all day.  We will have our 3rd High Touch on Friday, too.  This time we will be learning about light.

We will not have challenge words this week.  Everyone is so busy with holiday events, I don't want to overwhelm you or your parents.  We will have a test on unit 14 on Monday.  Don't forget that your instrument is due this Friday, December 12th.

Our sound test will be on Wednesday.  You have your notes to study from.  It will not be very hard, but please study so that you can do your best. 

Our Thanksgiving feast will take place on Monday 12/15.  Please make sure you let me know what you would like to bring.  We have more than enough cornbread and maple syrup.  We also have enough napkins and silverware.  If you have not brought in a signed note from your parent letting me know what you plan to bring....I need it ASAP.

We will continue learning about the 13 colonies in social studies.  Our 13 colonies test will be on Thursday, December 18th.

Don't forget that we are in need of items for our auction on December 19th, as well as canned drinks, candy bars and popcorn for our 2nd nine weeks celebration.  Please feel free to make whatever donations you are comfortable with.

Our holiday breakfast will also take place on Friday, December 19th.  Our wonderful room moms will contact you about the breakfast.

I hope everyone is planning to have fun and get lots of rest over the winter break.  With all of the colds and coughs going around GM, this will be a great time for everyone to recuperate and recharge for the new year.  Please think good thoughts for me and my family over the break.  My husband is still recuperating from his rotator cuff surgery.  It is a long, drawn out process and he is going a little stir crazy.  I am planning to have sinus surgery on December 29th.  That should give me enough time to recuperate before school starts back on January 6th.  It may drive my children crazy, having both of us getting better at the same time, but hopefully we will both be back to 100% before spring.

Have a great week!  Go STEELERS!!!

Back to work...

I hope everyone had a restful break.  We are back working hard in these last few weeks before Christmas.

We started learning about the colonists this morning.  We will continue our study of all 13 colonies and test on the chapter before the break.  It will be important to learn the names of the colonies and where they are located on the map.

In science, we will continue our study of sound.  Our test will be next Wednesday.  We have a lot of fun demonstrations planned for the next week or so.  I know you will enjoy taking part in them.

You took home your Unit 13 spelling packet today.  We will test on Monday.  We will test on Unit 14 the next Monday, then take a break until after the 1st of the year.  Your challenge words for this week are:  colony, triangle, square, rectangle, sound, pitch, vibration, fable, fairy tale, friend, principal, principle, and Christmas.

We will be having our 2nd nine week party and our auction on Friday December 19th.  We will need canned drinks, candy bars and popcorn...as well as a movie to watch (rated G, of course).  We had lots of great auction items last nine weeks...and we are looking forward to another great auction this time.  If you would like to donate to our auction, we would really appreciate it.  Your children have worked hard for their money and love spending it!

Our winter party will be a breakfast (from 8-9 am) on December 19th.  Our wonderful room moms will contact you with information about the party.

We will also be having our Thanksgiving feast on Monday, December 15th.  I will send home information about it in the Thursday folders this week.

Thanks so much for all you do for our classroom and your children.  It is a joy to be their teacher!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

Everyone did an excellent job on their poems for the Grandparents and Special Friends luncheon.  I was very proud of how well they did, especially since I was out during the time they memorized their poems.  It was wonderful meeting all of the grandparents that were able to attend.

I really appreciated you thinking of my family during my husband's surgery and recovery.  He is doing better every day, and talking about going back to work for at least a few hours, next week.  I missed being at GM with my class, but they seemed to weather the changes well.

Don't forget that all email and Cobb County websites (including the GM website) will be down beginning at 5pm today.  They are not scheduled to be back on-line until 6am, Monday December 1st. 

Have a wonderful break, be safe if you are traveling, and get lots of needed rest.  We only have 3 weeks after the break before the end of the grading period.  Those weeks are crammed full of learning, special programs, High Touch, our Thanksgiving Feast, and  our winter party.  We will be very busy, but will learn a lot and have a lot of fun.

Always remember that I am very thankful that I have the chance to touch the lives of every child in my classroom.  What are you thankful for this holiday season?

Grandparents and special friends luncheon

I think a letter went home about this, but with everything going on right now, I'm not sure.  Anyway...here is the info for the luncheon and program tomorrow.

We will present our poems in the room at 12:10.  Lunch is from 12:25 - 12:55 at tables 5 & 6.  Students will need to be back in the classroom by 1pm.

I had to take an extra day with my husband, but I will be back tomorrow.  Have a great day!

Mrs. Golden

What's happening...week of 11/17

Thanks for doing such a great job with Mrs. Carder and Mrs. Verma on Thursday and Friday.  Please be on your best behavior for Mrs. Ostrowski this Monday and Tuesday.  Unless there are unforseen difficulties with my husband's surgery, I'll be back on Wednesday!

We will be having a Code Red drill this week.  You know to sit quietly during the drill.  I know you will do a great job with the drill.

Book orders will be in this week.  I will contact any parents who need to know when they come in.

Your explorer test is on Thursday.  I know you are ready for it.

I hope you enjoyed your High Touch "Good Vibrations" experience.  We will begin our own unit on sound with an experiment on Monday.  Please show Mrs. Ostrowski what good scientists you are.

You will have a spelling test tomorrow, but no spelling homework this week.  We will begin a new unit after the break.

Thursday is our Grandparents and Special Friends luncheon.  If your child does not have someone attending, please let me know so I can arrange to have someone eat with them.  I understand that it is hard, if not impossible, to always be at these types of events, but I don't want anyone to feel left out.

The book fair is this week in the media center.  Monday, Wednesday and Thursday hours are 7:30 - 4.  Tuesday, it is open until 6.  Friday, it will close at 3.  I have not been there to put a wish list on the board, but our class is always eager to accept books, especially picture books that can be read to the entire class.

The Student Council / Must Ministries canned food drive will begin on Monday, December 1st.  Please help us line the halls of our school in December!

The Thanksgiving Feast has been moved until after the break.  More info to come!

The Cobb County School System intranet system will be down for repairs to the building where the server is housed.  It will go down on Friday afternoon, and won't be pack on-line until 6 am Monday, December 1st.  That means I will not be able to receive emails at my school address.  You will not be able to access the GM site or any of the links on that site.  Thanks for understanding.

Let's have another great week of learning!

Question of the week:  What is one thing you learned about sound at High Touch last week?

Test

Feedburner Test by Schulman

Explorer webquest

Download explorer_scavenger_hunt.doc

Working hard...

You did a great job, keeping up with all of our work last week.  It seems like we are always working hard...but remember what I always tell you...it is your job to work hard at school!

Keep working on your skeleton book report.  They are due next Monday.  We will present them to the class next week, too.

We will have a spelling test next Monday, but we will not have challenge words.

The reason we will not have challenge words is because you will be working hard to memorize a stanza of a poem for our Grandparents and Special Friends Luncheon.  I want you to take the time to memorize the words and to be able to say them with fluency and feeling.  You will get your stanza to memorize on Monday.

We will work on another USA Studies Weekly during guided reading this week.

If you were in my science class when Mrs. Huffman came to watch...you did a great job of following directions and learning about friction.  Both classes enjoyed the friction lab and the lever/fulcrum lab last week.  We will not start another science unit until after our next High Touch.

We will continue our unit on Explorers in social studies.  You are really learning a lot and I am proud of all the reading you have been doing.

We have several more activities on Tall Tales that we will complete over the next 2 weeks.  We will also discuss Fairy Tales and the use of voice in our reading and writing.

Speaking of reading, don't forget that Monday is the last day to order from Scholastic until after the 1st of the year.  I will place the Scholastic order on Tuesday. 

I've had a great weekend, and I hope you have too.  See you tomorrow!