Author Archives: amy.nelson

Dress Code & Book Fair

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uniform-colors1As the weather warms it is a good time to revisit the school dress code standards.  Click here to access the complete Quest Academy dress code page: Dress Code

Here are a few we would like to specifically remind you about:

  • Skirts, shorts or skorts are to be no shorter than 2 inches above the kneecap.
  • All shirts must be long enough to remain tucked in.
  • All students must wear closed toe and closed heel shoes with socks and stockings. Socks or footed tights must be worn at all times.
  • Shoes cannot have lights or wheels.
Our BUY ONE, GET ONE Book Fair will be Monday, May 2nd through Friday, May 6th in the gym.  Come check it out!  This is a great time to stock up on fantastic books for your child to read this summer!

Book fairI have had many parents ask what the most important thing is to do for their child.  My answer is simple:  READ, READ, READ!! Please push your child to read each night as the end of the year approaches and end of year testing begins. Dibels testing will begin later this week.  Our Scholastic book orders due by Thursday, May 5th.  Click here for the link to order.  Class code is N8TKQ. 

Field Trip Fun

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We had such a wonderful time at our field trip to the Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base and with the Hill Air Force Base Fire Fighters!  Thank you so much for all of the volunteers that helped and especially our military helpers who made this possible for us.  I’d also like to give a huge shout out to Spencer VanWeerd for hooking us up with the fire truck and facilitating that great learning and exploring for our students.  Also, a big thanks to Eric Rippley for talking to our kids about aviation.  
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Homework 4/25-4/29

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For this week’s homework, there are 5 components required:
1. Reading (20-30 minutes every day!)
2. Word Sorts
3. Spelling
4. Math, including Addition and Subtraction Fact Memorization
5. Timed Reading

1- Math Homework: “My Math Place Value Review Homework 1″ and “My Math Place Value Review Homework 2″ are electronic files only, so I will be unable to send hard copies of them home with your child; you will need to print the files from the links below.Complete addition and subtraction timing sheets daily with Xtra Math.  
Click here 0-18 facts to print out addition math timings
Click here fiveminutemathsubtractiondrills0-12 to print out subtraction timings. 
  • Complete a 2 minute timing every night for both addition and subtraction facts. Please make your child do EVERY problem in a row not skipping any. Then draw a line where they end and they will start there the next day. They should get in about 3 or 4 timings each side. If you have questions let me know.
  • Get on and do Xtra Math practice. *Practice your math facts (addition and subtraction) regularly by utilizing any of the math facts activities listed here: Math Facts Activities (You might try activity #7: Front Row Ed Fact Practice if you haven’t already.  Students who don’t like being timed are really liking this one!  Our class code is tcri3k).  The XTRA Math sign on’s are located on the Math Fact Activities Purple Link Underlined. 
2- Reading 20-30 minutes per day, record on reading log on our Weekly Homework form. There are several sources for reading: “Reading for all Learners” also known as”Buddy books” from school, books from home or the public library and our online reading program Raz-Kids.  Our class Raz-Kids login is: anelson74 

3- Timed Fluency Reading Passages 
This activity should be completed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  
  1. Visit the following website: http://www.haslett.k12.mi.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=11283&:
  2. Select “Level 200″. For this week, please read # 204 (Habitat Help) for MONDAY and TUESDAY, and passage #205 (Wildlife Refuges)  for WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY. 
  3.  Complete a one-minute timed reading and record your score on the Homework Form. Feel free to use this online timer: http://www.online-stopwatch.com/timer/1minute/ . Find your score by subtracting the number of incorrect words read from the total number of words read in one minute (for instance, if you read 98 words, but read 5 of the words incorrectly, your score would be 93).   
  4. Re-tell the story with as much detail as possible, and in your own words, to a parent.
5- Weekly Word Sort and High Frequency Word homework.  Here is the link to print our weekly homework form: Weekly Homework Organizer with Timings

High Frequency Words for this week are:
right
look
think
words
around
REVIEW WORDS:
same
called
other
SENTENCE
I think the book is right there.

SORT GROUPS:
RED GROUP:    Charlie, Bryton, Isabella, Hannah
YELLOW GROUP:  Kaylee, Kathlyn, Brynn, Leah, Payton E, Kyler, Jessica, Spencer, London, Isaac, Peyton S, Jake, Saelim, Tegan, Clay, Athena, Rosa, Bryker
BLUE GROUP:   Alexa, Owen, Tenaya
PURPLE GROUP: Adalai

Field Trip Groups and Permission Slip

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The link below will access the Aerospace field trip groups for next week. Thank you so very much to all of our wonderful volunteers that are joining us on our field trip.  There are still 2 students who have not had their parents sign the electronic permission slip.  This must be done in order for those students to participate, so please take care of that as soon as possible.  Thanks so much for sharing all your amazing kids with me everyday.  
Click on the following link for the field trip groups: 
Aerospace Field Trip Groups Template (1)

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Field Trip and Spring Activities Permission Slip

FAQ: Reading Fluency

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I’ve had several parents ask what rate their children should be reading at, or how many “Words Per Minute” their student should be able to read (this includes their nightly reading fluency timings), so I thought it might be helpful to post some information regardingfluency1 reading fluency.  

Here are some answers:

1. At what rate should my child be reading for this point in the school year?
At this point in the school year, your child should be able to read about 70 Words Per Minute (WPM), accurately, according to several sources, including the Reading A-Z guidelines.  Some guidelines recommend only 53 WPM for first grade and others recommend as high as 82 WPM by the end of first grade, but in my experience, if your child reads at or above 70 WPM, he or she will likely do well on the final DIBELS test of the year.  

2. But isn’t it just as important for my child to comprehend his/her reading?
Yes, of course it is!  Reading comprehension is most definitely as important as fluency!  That is why we focus a lot on re-telling the story after a timing and we work on learning comprehension strategies here in class.

It is important to know, though, that there is a very strong correlation between reading fluency and reading comprehension, which means that those students who read at a more fluent rate are likely comprehending more of their reading, too.  When your child works to build his reading fluency, his reading comprehension will likely increase, too.

3. What if my child is struggling with becoming a fluent reader or achieving a higher Words-Per-Minute rate?  What can be done?
Unfortunately, there is no “magic bullet” for building reading fluency.  There are, however, 10, and only ten, very simple ways to build fluency:

10-ways-to-become-a-better-readerTruthfully, the best way to boost your reading skills is to….read!  Your child needs to be exposed to the task of decoding words on a very consistent basis.  Of course, we spend much of our school day reading, however, research has shown how incredibly important it is to reinforce this skill at home – every day.  Encourage your young reader to read as much as possible, and remember: consistency is the key.  Build a consistent reading time into your day and stick to it – every day!  

Weekly Reminders

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monarch-butterfly-pictures41- TUESDAY:  Library Day   *Library books due

2- FRIDAY: 
    *Homework due
    *Spelling and sort tests
    *Students are welcome to show their Quest pride by wearing their school spirit shirts (with uniform pants)

3- READ, READ, READ!! Please push your child to read each night as the end of the year approaches and end of year testing begins. Scholastic book orders due by Tuesday, April 26th.  Click here for the link to order.  Class code is N8TKQ. 

4- Save the dates:
1st Grade Field Trip for Tuesday, April 26th.  Bus will leave promptly at 9am.  Field trip permission form must be signed and home lunch sent to school.  6 students parents still need to sign the permission slip below: 
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Field Trip and Spring Activities Permission Slip


5-1st Grade Patriotic Concert on Thursday, May 19th  5:30-6:30pm.
The entire first grade will be performing a Patriotic Concert on Thursday, May 19th at 5:30 in the Junior High gym. Please have your child to the Junior High gym by 5:15 that evening, dressed in a RED SHIRT and uniform pants.  Any patriotic accessories, such as hairbows, pins, belts, ties, etc., are encouraged!! (Please avoid any tall accessories, such as tall hats, that could potentially block the view of other children standing behind your child.)  

We would like to honor any veterans in the audience, so we encourage you to invite any friends or family members who have served in the military to join us!  The performance will not last more than an hour.  

The first grade will be performing this same concert the next morning, May 20th, for students and faculty, so please be sure your child wears a RED SHIRT and patriotic accessories the next morning, too.

6-Quest Academy Annual Carnival on Friday, May 20th 5:00-8:00pm

Homework 4/18-4/22

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For this week’s homework, there are 5 components required:

1. Reading (20-30 minutes every day!)
2. Word Sorts
3. Spelling
4. Math, including Addition and Subtraction Fact Memorization
5. Timed Reading
*** We are still learning, please turn in your homework every week***

1- Math Homework:  Complete the EVERY OTHER problem on the math homework pages.  PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILD’S WORK.  I’ve been receiving a number of homework pages done incorrectly. Practicing incorrectly REINFORCES those MISTAKES.  Thank you!  
  • Complete the My Math homework pages and staple them to the Homework Form. 
2- Reading 20-30 minutes per day, record on reading log on our Weekly Homework form. There are several sources for reading: “Reading for all Learners” also known as”Buddy books” from school, books from home or the public library and our online reading program Raz-Kids.  Our class Raz-Kids login is: anelson74 

Reading minutes can also include books from the category list for the library “Tower of Book Challenge”.  We only have 8 books, I know we are reading so much more than that.  Keep it up Mrs. Nelson’s class-let’s catch up to Mrs. Dunmeyer’s 28 books! 
For more details on this challenge click here:  Tower of Books Challenge

3- Timed Fluency Reading Passages 
This activity should be completed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  
  1. Visit the following website: http://www.haslett.k12.mi.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=11283&: 
    1. Select “Level 200″. For this week, please read passage # 202 (Ocean Habitats) for MONDAY and TUESDAY, and passage #203 (Desert Habitats) for WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY. 
  3.  Complete a one-minute timed reading and record your score on the Homework Form. Feel free to use this online timer: http://www.online-stopwatch.com/timer/1minute/ . Find your score by subtracting the number of incorrect words read from the total number of words read in one minute (for instance, if you read 98 words, but read 5 of the words incorrectly, your score would be 93).   
  4. Re-tell the story with as much detail as possible, and in your own words, to a parent, using the guidelines described below:
Non-Fiction Re-tell Rope 3Fiction Re-Tell Rope 3














If you are able to read the entire passage in less than a minute: start again at the top of the passage and read as many more words as you can until the one-minute timing is over.  For scoring, include the total words read during the entire minute. For instance, if you read the entire passage (137 words) and then read part of it again (39 words) before the one-minute timing was over, your score would be 176 (if you had no mistakes).

5- Weekly Word Sort and High Frequency Word homework.  Here is the link to print our weekly homework form: Weekly Homework Organizer with Timings

High Frequency Words for this week are:
man
too
any
day 
some
REVIEW WORDS:
because
after
write
SENTENCE
When can we read about bugs?

SORT GROUPS:

Red Group:   Charlie, Bryton, Isabella, Hannah
Yellow Group:  Kaylee, Kathlyn, Brynn, Leah, Payton E, Kyler, Jessica, Spencer, London, Isaac, Peyton S, Jake, Saelim, Tegan, Clay, Athena, Rosa,Bryker
Blue Group:  Alexa, Owen, Tenaya
Purple Group: Adalai