Mrs. Latimer's and Mrs. Black's Class

TOP 5 A.R. POINT EARNERS:

1.  Lauren   21.5 points

2.  Molly      15.7 points

3.  Isabella     14.3 points

4.  Caroline    13.3 points

5.  Shelton      10.4 points

All Reflections forms are due on Monday.  The stories have already been written.

We have thoroughly enjoyed learning about Patricia Polacco through her stories.  Please come by and look at all of our responses to her literature hanging on the wall to the right of our classroom.  I think you will be impressed.  Our October author is Kevin Henkes.

Our field trip to New Echota is on Tuesday.  We will be leaving school around 9:15 and returning before afternoon dismissal.  If you are packing a lunch for your child please make sure it is in a disposable bag.  Please make sure your child's permission slip is returned.

This Friday (October 3rd) is Garrison Mill's fall festival and fun run.  See you there!

Summative Assessments:  We will be testing antonyms and synonyms, numeration, and the unit seven Sitton Spelling cloze, skill, and dictation tests.

Math:  We are continuing to work on regrouping with addition.  There will be a seven minute timed test on Monday and a five minute banana split timed test on Friday.  Practice those facts.

Social Studies:  The current unit on Georgia will be completed this Thursday. 

On Friday at 10:00 there will be a munch and learn in the media center.  The topic is on the new report cards in K, 1st, and 2nd grades.  Mrs. Huffman, Mr. Bayer, Mrs. Satterthwait, Mrs. Dion, and I will be there to answer any questions you may have about our new reporting system.  I hope we will see you there.

Today we read The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco.  The class made water colored butterflies that we will turn into character maps tomorrow.  Ask your child to retell the story to you.  It is wonderful!  This book is also an A.R. book.  Encourage your child to take the test after we review it tomorrow.

Don't forget to help your child set a goal for the banana split timed test on Friday.  We will be rewarding the students who meet their goal and or move on to the next test.  Thank you for helping your child practice.  We saw a lot of improvement last week.

We went to the media center today for check out and story time.  Please make sure your child is staying on top of his/her A.R. points.  There are only two weeks left in this grading period after this week.  Five points are required this grading period.  An A.R. report will be attached to the Thursday papers.

We received a letter from Patricia Polacco yesterday.  It answers many questions asked by the class as well as giving more insight into the life of this great author and illustrator.  It is a long letter, so instead of sending a copy home with everyone, we will post it to the blog soon.  Anyone wishing to have a copy may print it from there.

  Don't forget to send in your clipped box tops.

There will be a summative assessment on synonyms and antonyms next week.

There is a correction to yesterday's blog about the math project.  It is due on Monday, not Friday.  The directions went home in your child's folder today.  If you have any questions please let us know.

We earned our first COMPLIMENT celebration last week.  The class voted for a pajama day on Monday.  Please send in shoes for P.E. if your child wears slippers.  No stuffed animals or pillows please.

Field trip permission slips need to be turned in this week for our trip to New Echota.

Congrats to our TOP 5 A.R. point earners!

1.  Molly: 15.7

2.  Lauren:  14.9

3.  Caroline:  10.7

4.  Shelton:  10.4

5.  Isabella:  10.3

There will a prize for the top 3 point earners at the end of the nine week grading period.

Math:  Stapled to your child's assignment sheet is a piece of paper for your child to write his/her goal for Friday's banana split timed test as well as a way to achieve this goal.  If your child is starting a new test the test number is at the top next to your child's name.  If your child is still working on a test the test number and last percentage is next to the name.  A reward will be given to each student who meets or surpasses the goal set.  On Monday we will be giving a summative assessment on place value.  Each student will need to show a given number four different ways (tens and ones, expanded notation, base ten, words, or tallies).  The next math unit is addition with regrouping.  Please continue to practice counting money as well as odd and even numbers.  We will assess odd and even numbers again this week for anyone who didn't pass the last assessment.  There will be a new math project next week due on Friday.

Thank you Mrs. Daniels for making file folder games for us.  Thank you Mrs. Dunn for reading to us on Friday.  Thank you Mrs. Harper for making next week's copies for us.  We appreciate your help and support!

This week's new words will go home as usual on Monday.  Just a reminder that the next three Friday tests will be summative assessments and count toward determining the number placed on the report card for this grading period.  Don't forget that the tests include words from previous units not just the current unit.  Review past words missed as well as practicing new words.

Writing:  We started writing our PTA Reflections entries last week.  We will complete them this upcoming week.  The theme is WOW!  Please look for the parent permission form to go home this week.  Please sign and return so your child's paper may be entered in the contest.  I hope we have 100% participation.  We will be working on synonyms and antonyms this week.  Ask your child what each one is.  Hopefully your child will tell you that antonyms are opposites and synonyms are words with the same meaning.  See if your child can give you examples of each.

Please fill out and return the sack lunch sheet sent home in your child's folder today.  This is due back by Wednesday. 

We are back to the normal math project homework due on Friday.  Please make sure your child writes and solves a math problem related to a current event found in the newspaper, on line, or in a magazine.  Problems based on ads are also acceptable.  All math work needs to be shown as well.

The class created their own graphs based on survey information using the computer program Graph Club in the lab today.  Se if you can connect our study of graphs to Friday's word problem.

Please return the field trip and performing arts permission slips as soon as possible.

We did not do Letter Home Journals this past week.  Instead we wrote to Patricia Polacco, our author of the month.  We will be back to doing our LHJ on Thursday.

Wee Deliver is Garrison Mill's personal post office and it will be open for business soon.  I encourage you to send your child mail regularly.  There is a large, blue mailbox in the front lobby where you can place mail to be delivered.  If you are unable to drop mail off for your child feel free to send it in to me and I will make sure it gets mailed.  The envelope should include your child's name and address as well as a return address and stamp(sticker or drawing).  Our class address is 203 Apple Way  Farmville, GA 30002.

Thanks Mrs. Daniels for our SWEET 16 treats on Thursday.  We enjoyed the caramel apples!  Thanks Mrs. Harper for copying for us this week.  We appreciate the help!  Thanks Mrs. Pedersen for taking care of our Scholastic book order.

We will be going to the computer lab this Monday instead of Tuesday.  We will be working on graphing.  This is one of our new math skills as well.

TUESDAY IS AN EARLY RELEASE DAY!  DISMISSAL WILL BE TWO HOURS EARLY.  PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

Just a reminder that all of the papers graded by us are sent home stapled together on Thursdays.  All of these papers are formative assessments unless marked as summative.  A formative assessment isn't "averaged" or used to determine a report cart grade.  It gives us a picture of how your child is doing in specific areas related to the standards taught.  Summative assessments determine the report card grades.

This week's spelling tests on Friday will continue to be formative.  However, the next three Fridays the spelling tests will be summative and count towards the report card.  Please don't forget to help your child practice words missed on previous tests as these words will appear again and again throughout the year. 

Math:  This week we will begin a unit on graphing.  We will turn survey information into bar graphs, pictographs, tally tables, and pie charts.  We will also continue with our Monday 7 minute timed test as well as our Friday 5 minute banana split timed test.  Tuesday continues to be our Exemplar day.  We will have a place value summative assessment soon.  Your child will be asked to show a number several different ways (words, expanded form, base 10 blocks, tallies, etc.).  Please set aside time each week to help your child memorize addition facts 0-18.  We are seeing a lot of counting on fingers. 

Progress reports will be sent home on Thursday.  We will only send reports home with students struggling academically or behaviorally.  Please sign and return the progress report or indicate on your child's assignment sheet that the progress report was received.

UPDATES, UPDATES, and more UPDATES!

Today the class heard the story Babushka's Doll by Patricia Polacco.  It is a wonderful story with a great lesson at the end.  I suggest going to the Patricia Polacco website and checking comprehension before taking the A.R. test.  On the left side of the website all books are listed.  Click on Babushka's Doll and then go to quiz.  The questions have drop down menus and answer choices.

   Thundercake is the next book we will read by Patricia Polacco.  We will be doing a fun activity with this book on Tuesday.  We will also complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting these two books.  Don't forget to ask your child about the activity that goes with this story. 

Thursday, September 11th is Patriotic Day.  Please wear red, white, and blue.

We will be visiting the media center on Friday for check out and story time.  Please encourage your child to check out an A.R. book. 

Social Studies:  The class will begin their first S.S. unit on the compass rose.  We will begin learning about directions on Thursday.  Mrs. Sanders will begin teaching in our room next week.

All Scholastic book orders are due by Friday, September 12th.  Please make all checks payable to Scholastic.  If you are paying with cash please pay with the exact amount due.  I wanted to point out a few different books/authors as suggestions for possible purchases this month.  A new Shel Silverstein book can be found on page one, Freckle Juice by Judy Blume is on page two, Ramona books by Beverly Cleary and E.B. White books are on page five.  These are all authors we will be studying this school year. 

TOP 5 ACCELERATED READERS: (before A.R. night)

1.  Bryce     5.1 points

2.  Shelton  4.9 points

                     3.  Jordan    4.1 points

                     4.  Lauren    3.9 points

                     5.  Auburn   3.7 points

Congrats to Anna, Lauren, Kristopher, and Auburn for passing the seven minute addition timed test 3 times with a score of 90% or higher. They are all moving on to the seven minute subtraction timed test.

Please review and work on the following math skills with your child.  We are seeing many students struggle with these concepts.

SKIP COUNTING BY 2, 3, 5, & 10       

COUNTING MONEY                     

                                         MEMORIZING ADDITION FACTS

We learned a new math phrase to help with rounding today.  See if your child remembers it.  Four or below, it won't go.  Five and above, give it a shove.

Thank you, again for all of the donated supplies that have been coming in since Open House.  We are so grateful for your support.  We have another request.  We will be needing white paper plates for an upcoming math center.  If anybody has any lying around the house they would like to donate we would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you to everyone for all of the supplies you've sent in over the last few weeks.  We really appreciate your generosity.

Don't forget to clip and turn in your Box Tops.

Reading:   Our new author this month is Patricia Polacco.  We read My Ol' Man this week.  We will be creating a character study and poem based on this book.

Computer Lab:  This week we worked on key boarding skills with the program Type to Learn.  Please encourage your child to practice these skills.

Accelerated Reader:  The points sent home today were printed during lunch before our guided reading  and DEAR time.  It is possible your child took an A.R. test during that time period that isn't reflected on the sheet sent home with the weekly papers.  A test has been passed only if the score is 4/5 or 7/10.