Saturday, February 28, 2009

March 2, 2009

Due to a skiing injury, I’m taking some time to rest and ice my knee. This week, I’m going to try to be at school mornings to work with the children. I should hear soon when my surgery will be scheduled. After the surgery, I’ll probably be out from 4-6 weeks. We’ll try to make the transition as smooth as possible for the children and the guest teacher. I’ll be back as soon as I’m able!

Our goal this year at Forest Ridge is to improve students’ writing. During the week, I’d like to encourage you and your child to write together. Write what you will be doing to help the guest teacher and others in your room to be successful. Remember your goal is to do your personal best and to learn! Writing together encourages your child to see you having fun with writing, and allows you an opportunity to spend time with your child while he/she learns. Please have your child bring it in by Friday.

Reading logs are due on Thursday.

Friday, February 20, 2009

February 23, 2009

Thank you for all the 2-liter bottles! We had plenty for our worm towers!

Our goal this year at Forest Ridge is to improve students’ writing. I can really tell the great improvement in students’ writing with the students whose parents have helped their child with this assignment this year. It’s not too late to start!! The topic this week is: “How I Made My Worm Tower”. Students need to list step by step the procedure used in making the worm towers. Parent help on this could be in the form of questions, such as, “What was the first thing you did?” “What came next?” “Did you do anything before that?” If your child was absent on Friday, have your child choose something else you’ve done together to give directions. Discussing and writing together encourages your child to see you having fun with writing, and allows you an opportunity to spend time with your child while he/she learns. Please have your child bring the writing in by Friday.

In math we are learning when we need to use multiplication or division to solve simple story problems. (3x5, 24 divided by 3). I’ll be testing students this week on their multiplication and division skills.

Spelling and math homework were sent home on Friday last week. “Words to Learn” list will be sent home on Tuesday. These words will be recycled throughout the year. They’ll probably even show up on another word check that I give later. Almost everyday we work for about 15 minutes on learning spelling patterns, so your child will become a lifetime speller. We don’t just memorize words!

Take home folders (with reading logs attached) need to be turned in on Thursday.

Friday, February 13, 2009

February 17, 2009

We’ll be making worm towers this Friday. Each child needs two 2-liter bottles with the caps. If you have some at home, would you please send them to school? Thank you!

Our goal this year at Forest Ridge is to improve students’ writing. I can really tell the great improvement in students’ writing with the students whose parents have helped their child with this assignment this year. It’s not too late to start!! The topic this week is an imaginative story (make-believe, where something unbelievable happens like talking animals or magic). Topic: “The Day My Shoe Talked to Me”. Be sure to include a beginning, middle, and ending.

Writing together encourages your child to see you having fun with writing, and allows you an opportunity to spend time with your child while he/she learns. Please have your child bring the writing in by Friday.

In math students are learning when they need to use multiplication or division to solve simple story problems. (3x5, 24 divided by 3).

In health students are learning about making good choices t o help their hearts stay healthy.

Students are working on imaginative stories and an expository story about space in writing and science.

Spelling homework will be sent home later this week, as well as a “Words to Learn” list. These words will be recycled throughout the year. They’ll probably even show up on another word check that I give later. Almost everyday we work for about 15 minutes on learning spelling patterns, so your child will become a lifetime speller. We don’t just memorize words!

Take home folders (with reading logs attached) need to be turned in on Thursday.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

2-Liter Bottles Needed

We need 2-liter bottles for worm towers that we'll be making on Friday, February 20. If you have one or more, please send them to school with your child. THANK YOU!!!

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

February 9, 2009

Check out the FREE opportunity at the Straub Environmental Center for your child at the top right side of the blog! You can also order books online. Directions are on the blog.

Our goal this year at Forest Ridge is to improve students’ writing. I can really tell the great improvement in students’ writing with the students whose parents have helped their child with this assignment this year. It’s not too late to start!! This week’s writing: Think of a time you felt a strong emotion, happiness, anger, hurt, embarrassment, fear, etc. Tell the story behind the emotion. Explain in detail what happened to cause this emotion. Include a beginning, middle, and ending.

Writing together encourages your child to see you having fun with writing, and allows you an opportunity to spend time with your child while he/she learns. Please have your child bring the writing in by Friday.

Students are reviewing 2-digit (second graders) and 3-digit (third graders) subtraction in math. We are also working on multiplication by studying groups of things and multiples.

In health we’ve just begun a unit on the heart.

I hope you have had some opportunities to play “Cover 50”, and the two array games that I sent home last week. If students didn’t bring their arrays back to me, I did not send the game information home. Please make sure your students return the array cards so they don’t get behind in math. Please keep all the games to play at home during the rest of the year.

Spelling homework will be sent home later this week, as well as a “Words to Learn” list. These words will be recycled throughout the year. They’ll probably even show up on another word check that I give later. Almost everyday we work for about 15 minutes on learning spelling patterns, so your child will become a lifetime speller. We don’t just memorize words!

Don’t forget to have your child doing chores earn money to help purchase animals to show caring for impoverished countries. Please have your child bring his/her money in by Friday.

Also don’t forget to have your child select a gently used book to wrap and share with a classmate on Friday. Friday is the Valentine’s Day party.

Take home folders (with reading logs attached) need to be turned in on Thursday.

My Gift to the World by Daisha and Family

If I could give a gift to anyone it would be money to the Heifer Project. I would give them money because I believe they would be able to purchase enough livestock to help many, many families. I think the Heifer Project is a great program because it helps teach people how to provide their families with the basic essentials to survive. That is why I would give my gift to the Heifer Project.

Gift to the World by Hayley and Family

My gift to share with the world is an apple tree. I can give the animals a habitat and a place to nest. Others will have shade and apples to eat. Also you may be able to build a treehouse. My apple tree could help the world.

Book Orders

Book orders are due on Thursday, February 12. You can now order online. Right click on the PDF file on the right side of the Blog to find out how. You'll need to save the file to your computer before opening it. The link to the website is to the right of this column under "Links".