One more treat on FRIDAY!!!

We will be drinking fruit punch Capri sun 100% juice.  If your child cannot have this, email me.  Thanks

Blog Woes and Homework Clarification-
Please let me know when my Blog isn’t making since.  If I write something and you can’t tell what I mean….most times, others can’t either.  Send me a message about it, so I can fix it.  For example, yesterday my Christmas Party permission link had a confusing question about the movie.  I fixed it because it was brought to my attention.  Remember, I make mistakes and am always learning.  Next, technology is awesome but sometimes it doesn’t work.  I can’t control this, so let me know when something isn’t showing up online and I will do my best to resolve it promptly.  I do work from 8-4, Monday through Friday.  So, I don’t usually see emails until the next working day.   If homework can’t be completed for one reason or another, don’t panic.  I am always good with it coming in later then not at all.  So enjoy a night of Dance Practice or Soccer or Bowling….homework isn’t expected to be done all on one night.  I am a busy Mom of 5…I know it gets crazy!!!

I try to keep homework about the same each week.  It is only supposed to take 40 min, 4 days total.  So, 160 minutes.  Please do stress the kids out and have them do it in one big chunk.  If you can’t get to it, there is always time to read on the way to where ever your heading.  Reading is the most important thing.  So always try and get this done at the minimum.  Now, I do plan on changing homework from time to time.  That’s just how it is.  I send home worksheets for kids to do until they reach mastery.  It is only for a few kids in different areas of math.  So, not all of them get these.  I don’t assign Prodigy, but if you have a kids that are restless, have them do Prodigy on their own.  OR EVEN better, have them work on their Multiplication facts.  Again, these are just ideas if they need more.  

Next, write their user name and password down somewhere at home.  I can email them to you but I can’t post them in the classroom or on this Blog.  It is a “new’ Privacy Law that came into effect this year.  I can email it to you if you request them.  This user name and code is the same codes they have always had (THE ENTIRE TIME AT QUEST)  They keep this at Quest forever.  So, they should all know it.  BUT sometimes they forget them and if they could open a drawer and see it, their memory would be jogged.  All group codes are on this BLOG but no private codes for individual students are.  

OK, we have a handful of programs that we paid to use at Quest.  Most programs have ELA (English Language Art) and Math on them.  But we only buy some of the program, not all of it.  For example, FrontROWED has been bought for math this year.  I use it for Math.  I don’t use it for ELA, some teachers do.  I started to use it for ELA in the beginning and found that Wonders had more advantages that I liked.  So, ELA is only being used with the Wonders Program.  Wonders has been bought for three years.  So, they will have this for a good while.  These are the main two programs that you will see in homework.  We have several other programs I use in the classroom, but not as homework.  Readworks in a free program that I use, thus it does has some issues….or it probably won’t be free.  I hope this little blurb clears up some of your program questions.  If I go any deeper, it will be overwhelming.  We are a tech school, thus we have lots of sites we use throughout the week.  But these are the ones parents need to become familiar with for homework.

For Christmas, I have a few kids asking what I like.  I really love practical gifts.  Here are some ideas:  Bigger size dry erasers for my whiteboard.  I would love them in colors but black works too.  Quality dry board erasers (I recently bought some from the dollar store and they are worthless).  Our classroom is in need of tissues.  My favorite drink is Diet Mountain Dew.  Pencil lead.  Someday, I would love watercolor sets for each kid.  We have 25 in our class.  I always need colored card stock, Post it notes, a clipboard, you could even pay the office a few bucks, I could use for copies or classroom magazine.  Our class could use a Basketball or two.   Thanks for thinking of me.  Teaching your kids is enough….I really love them all!

Any question you have, please come and see me.  All I ask, is that you make an appointment, so that we have time to cover all the concerns.  I am available after school from 3-4.  

Thanks for sharing your kids with me…I LOVE THEM!!!