I hope everyone had a fabulous Labor Day Weekend! We won’t have another break until the middle of October, which will give us time to get our schedules and routines cemented down.

In math we have been using Front Row Ed, and this week I will be introducing the students to two new websites.  Each site is described below so you understand what the students are talking about as they use each one:

Front Row Ed:  This site is a great place to learn, reinforce and practice the various concepts we have learned in math.  It allows me to find any holes your child may have and tun guides them through the missed concepts so they are not behind.  I can also assign your child the concept we are working on in class and reinforce what we have learned in class.  The last thing that it does is move the students from one concept to another at their own speed, once they have mastered the current concept.  I use this program in class and may add Front Row to homework, but not right now.

Reflex Math:  Reflexmath.com is a math fluency site.  We will be using it in class to solidify  your student’s math fact fluency in addition, subtraction and we will add multiplication and division either after we have completed these units, or when your child completes the addition and subtraction portion of the program.  They may access this site at home and practice, but please do not let their siblings or any one else use their account.  It is adaptive and if anyone else uses their account, it will skew your child’s results and practice.

Prodigy Math:  Your student will be bringing home a letter on Tuesday explaining this website.  This is the website we will be using for homework.  Your child should use Prodigy 3 nights a week for about 15 minutes each time.  This site is game based  and is adaptive according to your child’s learning needs.  There is no need to report your student’s use of this site, it reports student use to me at the end of every week.

Spelling Sort
All students will be on the same sort again this week.  This will allow us to learn additional sorts as a group before choosing a variety of them for homework.  Individual sorts will start next week.

Sort 45

Have a great week!

Last week was wonderful and this week should be much the same.  We read several books about going to school and the various character traits we found in the main characters of the stories.  We also have learned a lot about expanded notation and place value models.  We watched two videos about being kind and I will post those at the bottom of this week’s post.

This year Quest hast started a STEM class that the students will have on Mondays.  Miss Rackham will be their teacher for the 30 minutes and will focus primarily on technology skills and coding.  We will reinforce the skills they learn in class.  I’m so excited the students will have this opportunity.

Homework

Spelling: This week we will have spelling homework and the entire class will be on the same sort.  Each day we will learn a new sort and then the students may practice the sort at home that night.   The sort can be downloaded here:

yellow sort 44

Reading:  Please read at least 20 minutes a night.  It’s important to read out loud for part of your reading time so that your fluency improves.  Also, we will be starting 1st grade reading buddies on Tuesday so if you have a picture book that you would like to share with your buddy, please feel free to bring it with you on Tuesday.

Math
We will not start our math homework until next week as we will be taking assessments this week that will help me know where to start you on the homework. 

Reporting Homework
To report your homework for the week, click on the homework tab and then on Homework Reporting Tab.  Please have all homework recorded by Sunday Night.  

Here’s the link for a new fun app: 

Welcome to the first full week of school.  We’ll be starting into our math curriclum and have our first writing assignment by the end of the week.  Homework this week is very simple: Read for 20 minutes every night, and have your child practice Magic.  If you don’t have playing cards, the children may check a deck out from me to use.  The kids are so excited about this activity and it’s a great way to learn math fluency.

I’m very excited to announce that we will be starting 1st grade buddies this week.  We will be helping Mrs. Bischoff’s class with their sight words,  and listening to them read, while in turn they give us an opportunity to practice our reading fluency and expression.  It’s a win, win situation for all those involved.  If you can encourage  your child to practice reading out loud, it will help them be a great tutor.

I have found that there were two things left our supply list that would be very helpful in our classroom:
1)  A Lanyard for their ID Badge.  I have purchased a holder for them that will attach to their lanyards.

2) A pair of headphones or earphones.

The post from last week has the link for volunteers and the instructions on how to sign up for Remind101 which is a texting service that allows me to send out group texts which will include reminders, talking points, and other information
Your child will be bringing home an Enrichment Class Agreement that I need to have you go over with your child, have both of you sign and return to me as soon as possible.

You have great children and I’m so excited to be a part of their lives not only for the next nine months, but forever.  “Once they’re mine, they’re always mine.”

Have a great week!

I’m so excited for the school year! I will need your help in the following areas, please sign up below.  This is a great way to fulfill your 30 hours of volunteering requirement.  This time the link really works. 
Thanks in advance!

Click Here to Volunteer

REMIND SETUP
If you haven’t signed up for Remind yet, please do, it really is a powerful way to communicate with you, right on your phone.  It comes in like a text message.  Here’s how to sign up:

Text @5db95     to 81010    

I don’t send a lot of texts, but will send reminders the first part of school to remind about library.  Last year we had a total of 5 overdue books the whole year and I would love to have even fewer this year. 

Also, Remember to save your boxtops, soup labels etc….  3rd Grade won 3 of the 4 quarters last year and we would love to repeat again this year.

See you all on Wednesday! 

I can not believe I have come to the last post of the school year.  I say that because if there is anything that I think you need to know about during the summer, I will post it here.  I will also send out Remind Texts if there is something that is very important!

Please remember that Tuesday May 26th is our Pizza Party for bringing in the most boxtops, coke codes, soup labels, etc…..  

This week is all short days.  We will get out everyday at 1:00 so the teachers may receive the needed inservice in preparation for next year.  

I hope everyone has a whole list of books they want to read this summer.  I know I do. I think half of them are professional reads about teaching reading, and the other half are things that I just WANT to read and can’t wait to get started on.  I’ve gone to the library and checked out my first 3 books and I’ve been on Amazon and purchased 2 there. 

GOOGLE SLIDES
I will be inviting all of the students to two different Google Slides that they may add to throughout the summer.

First One: When you finish reading a book, I would love for you to add a slide and give a quick summary of it.  You get one slide per book.  Please don’t change anyone else’s slide, but do read the slides and see if you might want to check out and read.  

Second One:  As you do various activities, go onto a slide and write a paragraph about what you did.  If the slide show gets too big, I will start a new slide presentation.  I think it will be fun to see the variety of places and things you do over the summer.

I have loved teaching this class and I really do love Quest!  Thanks for a great year!!!! 

I will posting a Parent Survey this week that I would appreciate you taking the time to fill out.   I would love your feedback!  Thanks in advance.

First of all can I just tell you haw much fun we’ve had with Google Slides in the last week.  I’m sure that many of you know that due to the fact they even log on and work with each other at night.  If you have a a chance, you should watch what they’re doing and the way they are learning to work with each other. I’m thinking we will do some sort of google slide project over the summer so that we all keep writing and reading, with some type of forum to be involved with.  

This week we will be finishing up our slides and doing a group presentation, and putting the finishing touches n the play.   A couple of notes about the play.  We will be having our dress rehearsal on Monday at 10:00.  We will do a school performance on Thursday at 1:15 and another performance at 5:00.  The play should only last about 35 to 40 minutes.  

At the night performance, we need to use the south entrance to the school (the door by my our classroom)  and be there by 4:45.  The Kindergerten is having a program in the main entrance.  Please be as quiet as possible when coming through the halls.   If you need your child to stay at school until the performance, please let me know.

Friday is the field trip and we are asking that the students be to the Frontrunner no later than 8:15.  We are also asking that the students wear their TIE DYED t-shirt.  I will be sending those home Monday or Tuesday.  They turned out very cool and it will be fun to have our class wearing their “cool” aqua colored  t-shirts.


May 18th   Dress Rehearsal 10:00 Please send your child with their costume on this day.
May 21st    Class Musical  1:00 and  5;00
May 22n    Living Planet Aquarium Field-trip  we return at 3:45
May 26th   3rd Grade Pizza Party and Movie (No need for home or school lunch this              day)
                    Early Out at 1:00
May 27th  Talent Show 
                   3rd Grade Activity
                     Early out at 1:00
May 28th   Last day of School!
                     Meet the Teacher (Sniff, sniff) I don’t want to pass them on!
                       Field Day
                       Early out at 1:00


HOMEWORK

MATH
Please do 3 nights of Front Row Ed

READING
Please continue to read 20 minutes a day.  I have found a very cool web site called Reading Theory.  I will give your child their user name today and the password is LoveRams3.  This and Raz Kids are great sites to use this summer to keep kids reading.

Tuesday    May 12th  SAGE Testing 2:00
                    Library 1:00
Thurdsay  May 14th  SAGE Testing 2:00
Friday        May 15th  Surprise Activity (I would love some Parent Volunteers, Please see below!)
May 18th   Dress Rehearsal 10:00 Please send your child with their costume on this day.
May 21st    Class Musical  1:00 and  5;00
May 22n    Living Planet Aquarium Field-trip
May 26th   Early Out at 1:00
May 27th   3rd Grade Pizza Party and games
                     Early out at 1:00
May 28th   Last day of School!
                       Field Day
                       Early out at 1:00

SURPRISE!!!!!!
For our field trip, we are going to make TIE DYE Shirts.  On Friday we will be dying the shirts that we would love the students to wear on our field trip on the 22nd!.  If you would be willing to come help us from 1:30 until we get done, would you please e-mail me.  I would love some expert advice, I’ve never tie died, so this is going to be quite the adventure.  

HOMEWORK

MATH
As a school, we are piloting  a couple of internet sites to determine which site will provide the best supplemental math practice for our students.  Our class is using Frontrowed.com and will report what we like and what we do not like about it.  With that in mind, this week we will be using it for our homework and I need each child to use it at least three times this week.  I will tell your child which area they are currently scoring the lowest and have them work on that area.  At the end of the week, I will post a survey about your thoughts on Front Row Ed.  (This is one of the things I love about Quest, we get to help decide which programs are the best for our students)

READING
Please continue to read 20 minutes a day.  


SPELLING TESTS
We are taking spelling tests on the most frequently misspelled words that we have worked on all week.  Any of the words that are missed will be sent home, as well as worked on at school during word work.  Any words that were missed will be retested on Friday and the correctly spelled words will be added into their scores.   Don’t worry about the colors, that’s just to help me know which list they were on.  These lists won’t be completely ready until Tuesday, sorry, they take a little bit of time to compile.

Important Dates to Remember:

Monday   Dibles Testing      8:30
Tuesday   SAGE Testing      8:45
                  Library        
Thursday  SAGE  Testing    8:45
Friday       MaKennah’s Birhday
May 12th  SAGE Testing 2:00
May 14th  SAGE Testing 2:00
May 18th  Dress Rehearsal 10:00 Please send your child with their costume on this day.
May 21st   Class Musical  1:00 and  5;00
May 22n   Living Planet Aquarium Field-trip
May 26th  Early Out at 1:00
May 27th   3rd Grade Pizza Party and games
                     Early out at 1:00
May 28th   Last day of School!
                       Field Day
                       Early out at 1:00

Things are moving so quickly and can’t believe we’ve been together over 160 days!  I’m sorry to inform you that everyone in my class is going to be retained for at least another 2 years.  I know, this is not really true, but I love the kids in our class and it’s going to be very hard to have the end of the year sneak up on us.!

HOMEWORK

MATH
As a school, we are piloting  a couple of internet sites to determine which site will provide the best supplemental math practice for our students.  Our class is using Frontrowed.com and will report what we like and what we do not like about it.  With that in mind, this week we will be using it for our homework and I need each child to use it at least three times this week.  I will tell your child which area they are currently scoring the lowest and have them work on that area.  At the end of the week, I will post a survey about your thoughts on Front Row Ed.  (This is one of the things I love about Quest, we get to help decide which programs are the best for our students)

READING
Please continue to read 20 minutes a day.  This week, we will be taking our last Dibels test for the year.  Reading out loud for practice is strongly encouraged.


SPELLING TESTS
We are taking spelling tests on the most frequently misspelled words that we have worked on all week.  Any of the words that are missed will be sent home, as well as worked on at school during word work.  Any words that were missed may be retested on Friday and the correctly spelled words will be added into their scores.   Don’t worry about the colors, that’s just to help me know which list they were on.

Yep! We are going to the Living Planet Aquarium on May 22nd!!!!! Here’s the permission slip with all the info.  If you need a printed copy please comment here, or have your chid ask me for one.

Aquarium Permission