Colonial Christmas 2010

New York

Do you want to know about New York? Of course you do. First it was located in the middle Atlantic. The middle Atlantic was a group of colonies in the middle of the thirteen colonies. New York has the Hudson River Running through it. To the north is the great lake Ontario. The second thing I would like to talk about the history of New York. The Dutch hired Henery Hudson to find the short cut to China. Then in 1621 the dutch company claimed the land. King Charles 2 sent soldiers from England to claim New Netherland . I n conclusion now do you know about New York I know you do thank you for reading this paragraph.

New Hampshire

The New Hampshire colony has an amazing history. To begin with Fernando Georges and John Mason started the colony in 1621. They were given land by England. They were given the land for its natural resources. Now I’m going to tell you how long the journey was and how the ships moved. When the Colonist went across the Atlantic Ocean it took 60 days. The Colonist boats were air powered. Now you know New Hampshire amazing history.

North Carolina

I will tell you about North Carolina. First I will tell you about some interesting facts about North Carolina. It’s interesting how they carve the trees into masts. A mast is what holds the sail up. Also it is interesting that King Charles and Robert Heath came but Robert heath never made use of his land. Now I will tell you about when it was made and who started it. My colony was made in 1629 when King Charles ruled it. Also King Charles was the king from England. I hope you learned some interesting facts.

Delaware

I will tell you about the colony Delaware. First I will tell you about who came to Delaware first, why they came, and when. In 1621 the Dutch got to Delaware because the king sent them. Then the Swedish got there and beat the Dutch and then England arrived and beat Sweden. In 1681 William Penn became the ruler because king Charles 2 put him in charge. Also I will tell you 3 facts about the colony Delaware. Delaware was in the middle Atlantic. Maryland was to the south and to the north was New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 1682 William Penn’s constitution stated that children had to learn a practical skill of trade. In school they had to read by 12. Almost 100 years later during the revolution a major battle happened here. George Washington’s troops where in the battle of Trenton. In conclusion know you now about the colonel Delaware.

Rhode Island

When you read this you will learn something’s about the colony Rhode Island.
This colony became a colony in 1636. The person who started the colony is
William Blackstone. William Blackstone moved to Rhode Island in 1635.
William was the areas first European settler .The next thing is why people made
Rhode Island and where Rhode Island was located. Rhode Island was located in
New England . There is a lot of water and only a few mountains. Rhode Island was
made so they could have self government. They did not want to be told what to do
by a queen or king anymore . Finally I would like to tell you three interesting facts.
The first fact is that woman made their own cloth and sewed their cloths because they could not go buy them if they were not rich. Another fact is many colonists raised sheep on their farms. Woman used spinning wheels to turn sheep’s wool into thread. I hope you learned something’s about the colony Rhode Island.

Seek First to Understand

This week in 60 seconds

Add ed.wmv

Elves

Look at our Elves

Spelling Words/ OW/OU and rules for adding ed

browse
shower
howl
couch
stripped
striped
married
jammed
named
tried
bored
noun
loud
mouse
crowd
fountain
admitted

Think WIn

I am Thankful

am thankful for four things. First I am thankful for money. Money helps us go bowling so we can have fun. Money lets us buy our home, food and clothing .Another thing I am thankful for is family. I am thankful for my family because they care about me and Jerelle. Because they take care of us so we don’t live on the street Also I am thankful for family because I have someone to play with. Cody is my best friend and he plays with me a lot . I like to play madden with him but I also like to play catch . Finally I am thankful for lots of food to eat. On thankgiving we always make a big dinner to eat. We eat really good turkey and mash potatos. Evry one stuffs themseleves with food. It is awesome to eat so much food. . That’s why I am thankful for family.

Things I'm Thankful For

I will tell you some things I am thankful fore. First I am thankful for family. I am thankful for family because they help me when I get hurt. My family supports me
By caring for me and by buying me food and clothes. Second I am thankful for money.
Money makes me thankful because I can buy stuff that can help me in life. I can buy food, water, clothes, blankets and, fuzzy slippers that make my feet happy. Know you now some things I am thankful for.

I am Thankful

Thanks giving is a time to be thankful. I am thankful for two reasons.
First I am thankful for my parents. The reason why I’m thankful for my parents
Is because they give me a home to live in , food to eat and cloths to were. It’s wonderful. They are caring , helpful , loving , supportive and keep me safe. The second thing I am thankful for is pastors and ministers. They teach us things about god. They help us and other people. Pastors and ministers are caring, kind, generous and helpful to churches and us.Now you know why I am thankful.

Thanks giving writing

I am thankful for two different reasons. First I am going to tell you about my most favorite family. My family takes care of me by loving me a lot. My mom gives me comfort when its cold. Finally I am thankful for pets. You feed them, give them water, and you get to love them. This makes me thankful for someone to love. As one you can see I hope you know what I am thankful for now

A demonstration of think win/win, win/lose/ lose/lose

What Im Thankful For

I am thankful for two different reasons. First I am going to tell you about my most favorite family. My family takes care of me by loving me a lot. Also my mom gives me comfort. Finally I am thankful for pets. You feed them and give them water and you have to love them. This makes me thankful for someone to love. I hope you know what I am thankful for now.

By Hailey

Why I am Thankful

Thanksgiving is a time to stop and be thankful. One reason I have to be thankful is because we get to stop and see my family. Every time there is thanksgiving my family comes. My Grandparents, Cousins, aunts, and uncles all play, cook and sit outside. Second I’m thankful for god. God is good for thanksgiving because he tells you what to cook. We like God because he made us and he is helping us with a whole bunch of stuff we do. Now you know why you need to stop and be thankful.


By Gannon

What Im Thankfu For

I want to talk about why I’m thankful at thanksgiving. First I will talk about food because I’m thankful for it. You can eat as much as you want of, turkey, mash potatoes, cranberries, and after thanksgiving you can eat turkey sandwich. You have lots of food to share with your family. The second thing I’m thankful for is people coming over. I like seeing my family like cousins, ants, moms, sister, grandmas and brothers. I hardly get to see my brothers because they live up in Alaska. In conclusion now you know about thanksgiving.

What we are Thankful for

Northwest Tribe

The Sioux Tribe

What does it mean to be a success?

“Success is that you’re kind to other people and means your positive and you make sure you let your conscious tell you from right or wrong.”

By Anita


“Success is being hardworking, positive, thankful, giving, and helpful.”
By Ally

“Success is trying to be your best. Don’t lie to people. Be a friend to people. You can have friends too. Everybody can be successful.”

By Dominic

“Success is being thankful, a great citizen, trying as hard as you can, respecting others, doing the right thing most of the time, listening to your conscience and letting it be your guide.”

Gannon


“Success is that you do good work and a fabulous job. So keep up the good work and be a big success. Don’t go around bragging saying I am so cool and be saying today is a good day. Remember be a success.”

Hailey

“Success is getting a job done and having your self think it is your very best. Success is hard work that pays off.”

Jocelyn

“Success is that you complete your work and do your best”

Kayden

“Success is being thankful to win something. When I get a trophy or a medal I don’t brag. I’m always proud of all my hard work.”

Riley

“Success is being a hard worker and a team player. Success helpful and kind and doing what’s right”

Taiyme keys

“Success is being caring to your friends.”

Yadira Morales

The Northwest Tribe

The Northwest Tribe
By Jocylen and Anita

The northwest tribe was amazing. You will learn about the northwest by reading this paragraph. By reading this you will learn about food, clothing, habitat, homes, weapons, tools ceremony and what our tribe is doing today.


The northwest tribe ate many different foods. To start with I would like to talk about fish. They smoked and dry them in the sun. They had oysters, cod, salmon and salmon eggs. The critter from the sea was very important to their diet. The next thing is they gathered different kind’s of food. They gathered cranberries, sal berries, huckleberries, acorns. Some of the berries were dried and turned into raisins. Dried food was eaten in the winter when fresh berries couldn’t be picked. Now you know what the northwest tribe ate.

The northwest tribe had many interesting weapon and tools. To start out with I would like to talk about the stone hammer. It was made out of rock. It was to make canoes and houses. Next I would like to talk about harpoons. Harpoons were used to catch whales and kill seals. It was made in sections and then tied together. They had very interesting tools and weapons.

The northwest coast tribe is doing different things today. That’s what I would like to talk about. First I would like to talk about is where they live. They where given some land called reservation. The reservations were very small. Next I would like to talk about celebrating. They still build their canoe the way they would back then. They still have there special arts like carving. In conclusion now you know what they do today.

By reading this paragraph you will learn about the Northwest tribes clothing. First they used bark. They used the bark of a cedar tree and made it into strips. The bark was not hard because they rolled it around in their hands. Most of their clothes were made of bark. Anther piece of clothing they wore was a large hat. They made the hats out of cedar tree bark and they were water proof. They had designs on them. The designs were fish. Now you know about some interesting things that the Northwest tribe wore for clothing.

Their homes were awesome. An interesting fact was they had a hole in the roof.
They used the hole in the roof for a chimney to let the smoke out. They had
a wooden shutter to close the hole and keep out the rain. Another awesome
thing about the houses was how big it is. It was so big six families could live
In it. The house was 160 feet long. There was a sunken place in the middle where
the children played and the woman cooked. Now you know how cool the house
was.

The Northwest tribe had an awesome ceremony called the potlatch. First I would like to tell you what it was for. It was for someone who got married or had a baby sometimes they had a potlatch to celebrate how wealthy the chief was. The second thing I would like to talk about is what was there and what they did. They did lots of singing and dancing. They gave gifts and there was lots of food. Sometimes they had so much food they filled the cones with food . They had an awesome potlatch ceremony.

In conclusion I hope you learned a lot about the Northwest.

The Sioux Tribe

The Sioux Tribe
By Kayden and Gannon

The Sioux tribe was one of the most powerful tribes of the plains. By reading our work you will learn about our tribe. You will learn about what we ate, our homes, ceremony’s, clothes, homeland, and our weapons, and tools. Last but not least you will also learn what the Sioux tribe is doing today.

There is a few things the Sioux tribe ate. One thing we ate pemmican made out of wild cherry, dried buffalo smashed into powder, and buffalo fat. Pemmican is the thing that we mostly ate during winter. We made and ate a lot of it. This was a main food. We hunted lots of buffalo to make pemmican and it took us a long time to find wild cherries. Finally I will tell you about deer meet. Deer meet is good because we can make jerky out of it. Jerky is made out of dried deer. Jerky was good for our tribe because we can save it for winter. Now you know two things our tribe ate.

I will tell you two things about our homes. First I will tell you about our teepee. Our teepee was made out of long sticks and buffalo skin. We also used logs to hold it up. Another home they lived in was the earth lodge. The earth lodge is under a hill covered with grass. In the winter the Sioux lived in the earth lodge and also to hold there horses in it too. The earth lodge was warmer then the teepee. Now you know about our homes.

I want you to know what is important about the sun dance ceremony. To began with the Sioux did the sun dance ceremony after a hunt. They did it to thank the buffalo for food. In the sun dance ceremony you put needles in your chest and tie a string to the needles. Next I will tell you how the sun dance ceremony is dangerous. The sun dance ceremony is dangerous because it can blind you because you are looking at the sun the whole time. The dance is dangerous because if you put needles in to far it can kill you. As one can see the Sun Dance ceremony had several important facts about it.

Two of the Sioux clothes I will tell you about are a vest and buffalo rob. To begin with they wore a vest made out of deer skin. After a hunt they would skin the deer and the men would sew it into vests and other clothes. They need these clothes to keep warm. Next I will tell you about the buffalo skin we wore. We wore a Buffalo robe in the winter. They skin the buffalo and then they had to stretch it and scrap it. Those are two clothes the Sioux wore.


I will tell you two facts about our homeland. First our homeland was wherever the buffalo went. We followed the buffalo because they were the main food source for our tribe. Without the buffalo we would not be able to make the stuff we had, like teepees, clothes, sleds and our tribe would have starved. The second fact about our habitat is it is in the Great Plains. The Great Plains is in the middle of the USA. Our area is as flat as a pancake, we have no mountains and it is covered with grass. Now you know two facts about are homeland.

The Sioux had many weapons and tools but there is one weapon and one tool our tribe had that I will tell you about. Before I tell you about a weapon, I will you tell you about the bone flesher. The bone flesher is for scraping guts out of the animal you killed. You make the bone flesher from the ribs of a buffalo. The next fact I will tell you about the tomahawk. You make the tomahawk by a stick and rock. The tomahawk was an ax it was also used in war. This is some of the tools and weapons we used.

The Sioux tribe has changed as time has past for several reasons. Number one we have reservations the army gave us. When we were conquered the army would took our land and put us on a piece of land called a reservation. Our reservation is in North Dakota. Next our tribe has changed because we no longer live in teepees. In North Dakota we live in cites in houses. As you can see our tribe has changed overtime.
In conclusion the Sioux tribe was one of the most powerful tribes in the Great Plains. They had a very interesting culture.

1st Things 1st

Put 1st Things 1st

Put 1st Things 1st

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3q7KIzUDmg

Bones

Character Matters

Thank you parents

Thank you for all coming in for conferences. Your student really enjoyed sharing their work with you. I feel having students be responsible for sharing how they are doing in class is a powerful tool in helping develop the idea that they are personally responsible for their own success.

Thanks again,

Justin Grillo

Thoughts from the week

Students have been busy finishing their native american project and beginning to analyze their class scores as they prepare for student led conferences.

We have finished another story in our basil and have integrated read naturally into our weekly reading. Read naturally will work on students fluency and is completed on a computer. Kids seem to always in enjoy the non fiction stories found in the program.

Math continues to go well. Please continue to work on your students facts. They need to master their basic addition, subtraction and multiplication facts by the end of third grade.

Spooky Gram

Thanks to everyone for helping with the Spooky Grams. The class of 2020 made around $250 to spend on a field trip!

Spelling List Nov 1-6

Study the words using the spelling practice site found under great links.

groan
grown
seam
seem
piece
peace
by
buy
toe
tow
horse
hoarse
meet
meat
tale
waste
waiste

Halloween

Awesome Science Experiment

Spooky Gram

Spooky Grams Go On Sale Next Week

Spooky Grams Go On Sale Next Week

If you have a morning that you would like to help let me know.

Weekly Letter

Dear Parents,

We have been learning all kinds of fun stuff! One of the things we have been learning about is Native Americans. Next week we are going to have a Pow Wow. Each of us needs to bring some food from our tribe and dress up like our tribe. We will build our homes in the classroom. It should be a blast. Another thing we have been learning more about math. We have been working on more addition facts and how to add by tens. Finally we wrote a paragraph about our make believe bug. We put our bugs in the display case and placed our paragraph next to it. This was the first complete paragraph we have written this year. Now you know all about the great stuff we have been doing.



Sincerely,

Your Third Grader

HOMEWORK CHALLENGE

I have challenged the kids to bring their homework 10 days in a row. If they meet the challenge I will make them a cake.....Help them remember to do their homework....

Thanks

Water Sucker

My Bug
By reading my work you will learn about the Water Sucker. First it can fly very fast, up to 50mph. When it flies this fast it makes a high pitch buzzing sound that sounds like a lawn mower. The sound is annoying. Next it is helpful to pool owners. It eats bugs out of pools and cleans pools with its sucking moth part but it does not eat the legs of other bugs. It is very gross, you may not want to swim in the pool .Now you know about the Water sucker

The Moon Light Fly

The Moonlightfly.
The Moonlightfly is cool for two reasons. First my bug can glow in the dark.
It glows in the dark when the moon comes out. The Moonlightfly glows all over its head, thorax, abdomen and wings. The second reason it’s cool is because the bug is beneficial. This is the reason why it is beneficial. If it bites you it makes your hair shinier. You can’t feel a thing. It doesn’t leave a mark ether. In conclusion now you know that the Moonlightfly is sweet.

Zomka

I will tell you two facts about my bug, Zomka. First I will tell you one fact about the crushing chomping mouth. It crushes and chomps when it eats grass. It can eat a whole field of grass. My second fact is it gives you vitamins. It gives you vitamins when it bites you but don’t worry it won’t hurt. The vitamin that the bug gives you is vitiman C. Vitiman C helps you not get sick. I hope you like my bug Zomka.

The Jackspear

My bug the Jackspear.


The Jackspear is an interesting bug. It is both harm less and bad for your body. It is bad for your body because if it lands on you it lays eggs. When the eggs hatch red larva comes out and bites you with there teeth. The larva will bite and go into your skin. Next my bug the Jackspear is harmless because the larva only stays in your skin and doesn’t eat into your skin and kill you. It wont kill you because it dosent eat into your bones. Now you know 2 reasons about my bug

The Flyer

The flyer

My bug the flyer is amazing for two reasons. First it is amazing because it can go really fast. The flyer can go up to 70 mph. My bug uses its legs to travel. When the flyer goes fast it can only go fast for 1 minute. The next reason my bug is amazing is it can go five ways to go places. The flyer can go forward, left, right, back and upside-down. It does this when it is chasing a bug and when it is going fast. Now you know two things about my bug.

By Dominic

Austin Fly

By reading this you will learn two interesting facts about the Austinfly. First when the Austinfly stings you interesting things will happen. The sting will hurt at first but then it will make you smarter. You will feel smart for 2 years and then it wears off. The second interesting fact is it will glow in the morning. The head glows so it can see. It flickers when there is danger around it. Now you know about the Austinfly .

Bee Fly

The Beefly.

I will tell you two facts about my bug .Fist I will tell you one thing about the Beefly .It eats grass. My bug eats grass. because it does not like other bugs and the grass make my bug stronger .Next it makes you smarter with is moth .It bits you because it is trying to help you learn things like math and reading .You are probably wondering how it makes you smarter .You are going to have to keep wondering because it is still a mystery .Now you know the live of the Beefly.

By Allison

Classroom events

We continue to become more familiar with our Native tribes. Students are learning that tribes around North America had distinct cultures that were influenced by the region they lived. After researching they have begun to use Arc GIS to develop a map of their information.

We also recently finished our first paragraph using, Step up to Writing. I am impressed by how quickly students have caught onto the ideas behind this pattern of writing. A good foundation in second grade was obviously laid.

Our math is progressing quickly and the class averages our our tests are extremely high. Thank you for helping your student with their homework and studying their facts.

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind

Native Masks: I said,"NO TALKING"!

Native Masks

Native Masks

Native Masks

BE PROACTIVE

Everyday each student has an opportunity to lead the class as homework presenter. All students have done an excellent job doing this important job.

Calvin er Gannon

This week in 90 seconds

What's Happening?

Fun Times

 

Reading Work

Insect Work

Habit 5 Seek First to Understand the Be Understood

Insects

Letter Home

Dear Parents,


How are you doing this week? We have been doing great. Read on to learn about our week. First we finished our salmon maps. Did you know that salmon eggs are hatched in gravel and when they are born they have an egg sack. Each of us placed where the salmon where born, the predators, dams, and how far they had to swim to the ocean on our maps. Next we studying how to compare and contrast different subjects. We have started to use a vein diagram to organize our thinking. Over all this week has been busy.



Sincerely,


Your Cool Kid

Salmon Lifecycle

http://explorer.arcgis.com/?open=d719e0dbc8a64d4fbed35232523e01c7

Arc GIS Salmon Lifecycle

http://explorer.arcgis.com/?open=8d4c2fd29bde4aefb4cc1fa91d9c21fe

Salmon Fest 2010

Problem Solver

Writing our summary

Classification Work

Animal Classificaition

Letter Home

September 10, 2010

Dear Parents,

We are learning many different things everyday. First we have been learning about animal classification. We have researched facts about mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. After finding the facts we made a power point with pictures and other information. All of us thought it was really fun. Another thing we have done this week is take tests. We took a reading test and a spelling test. Our class learned how to graph our scores in our data folders. Finally we learned new lessons in math. We reviewed doubles, plus one and plus zero. Also we reviewed how to tell time to the nearest ½ hour and talked about missing addends. In conclusion we had a very exciting, fun week.

Sincerely

Your Kid
PS Salmon Fest. Thursday 8-2:40…I will need a lunch..

What will be said on our graduation day

Class of 2020 will be remembered because they are

Good citizens

Kind/respectful

Love science

Enjoy school

Hard workers

Good listeners

Get along with others

honest

Yadira's Mission Statement

Yadira
My mission is to

be a painter .

work hard in math

enjoy school

get along with others and be respectful

listen to others

Taiyme's Mission Statement

Taiyme
My mission is to


be hard working
be kind to people around me
be respectful to my family
be happy
be energetic
be good at sports
play the drums

Riley's Mission Statment

Riley
My mission is to:

have a good time at school and be good.

be proactive and enjoy myself .

work hard an be good.

have people remember me as a good sportsman

be remembered as a good mathematician

Haliey's Mission Statment

Hailey
My mission is to:

work hard at school.
be patient
be a hard worker at math
be more artistic
be honest
be positive
get better at science
feed my pets
help others in school
enjoy nature and being outside
play piano
Share with others
play with the people that want to play

Gannon's Mission Statement

Gannon
My mission is to:

be a hard worker

be responsible for my papers

kind to my friends

happy if I get things

athletic at sports

good listener in school

be a good helper in town

good to kids and others

kind to dogs

Thankful to others

Anita's Mission Statement

Anita
My mission is to:

Be kind to other people as I get older and taller.

Don’t kick or hit

be respectful to others

not to yell


not to laugh at anybody when they make mistake

do well in school

to do better at basketball

Jocelyn's Mission Statement

Jocelyn
My Mission is to:

Work hard in school
Be kind to others
Be helpful
Be proactive
Be a person that enjoys life
Works hard at home
Be a good sportsman

Allision's Mission Statement

Allison
My mission is to:

Work hard as a kid.

Listen to my class and friends

Work hard in math

Be caring

Be honest

Work hard as a good listener

Work hard in school at all time

Be hard working

Be positive

Be kind

Salmon Fest.

Hello,

We will be taking a trip to the Salmon Festival on the 16th of this month. The Salmon Fest takes place in Leavenworth and in the past has been a great trip. This trip fits into our studies of animal classification and Native Americans. We will be taking a van and a suburban to save money. I will drive one vehicle and the other will be driven by a bus driver. If you are interested in joining us, I think it may be necessary for you to drive your own vehicle. I would like to have at least two parents on our trip. Look for permission slips coming home today.

Thank you,

--
Justin

Parent Letter

Dear Parents,


We are working very hard already and having a great time. You are about to find out three different things that happened this week. First we started using computers. Every person in our class made a map using a program called Arcview GIS. We loved it! Also we made graphs using Excel. Each of us also have cards with our password and username so that we can get onto a really cool reading site at home. Go to the blog to find the link. Another thing we learned about was our morning meeting. At morning meeting we say good morning to everyone in class, flag salute, and do morning math. Some of us are in charge of leading the flag salute or saying our norms. Norms are tell us how to treat others and how we should act. Finally we are learning about different habits. We learned about being proactive which means we are in charge of your attitude, actions ,and product. Also we started to learn about putting first things first. We are writing a mission statement that we will share with you when it is done. In conclusion we had a fun first three days.



Sincerely,

Your New Third Grader

Naming Points on GIS

GIS Mapping

Welcome

Dear Third Grader,



Can you believe school is only a few weeks away? I hope you have had time to enjoy the sun and do something new and exciting over the summer.



I have done all the different activities that I love to do like, hiking, swimming, waterskiing, camping, traveling, building, and hanging out with my daughter Dakota and my wife Pam. This summer I saw the amazing cliff dwellings of the Ananzi Indians in New Mexico. You will learn about them in our Native American Unit. My family and I also drove all the way to South Dakota where my wife was raised. It is a very long drive, 30 hours, but on the way we stopped and saw Mount Rushmore and other interesting places. I will show you pictures of my summer when you come to school and I look forward to hearing about what adventures you had as well.



Before you walk into our classroom I want you to think about some very important things. First and most importantly, I believe that everyone can be a success. I also believe success is not something that just happens, but takes a person who is “Proactive”. Being proactive means that you know that you are in control of what happens to you. You know that if you study your math facts every night you will become better at your math facts. If you read every night you will become a stronger reader. If you study your spelling, you will do better on the tests. If you pay attention in class you will learn more. If you are kind to others they will be kind to you. Makes sense right!



Notice how the word “you” is in dark letters. Your parents and I can help you do your best but it boils down to the fact that you are in charge of your attitude, actions, and ultimately your success. You should expect of yourself to complete your homework every night. You should expect to treat others in a respectful way during class. You should expect yourself to pay attention. You should expect yourself to always give one hundred percent effort in all you do. When you teach yourself to expect the best you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. My greatest goal this year is to teach you how to reach your full potential.



I look forward to seeing you soon and if you see me at the fair come and say “Hi”.







Sincerely,





Mr. Grillo

Hello Parents,

I want to touch base with those who have an email address in our data base and outline a few things about our year and hopefully hear from you if you have any concerns or questions.

First I want to give you a brief idea of what to expect your child to do for homework each night. If your student comes home and tells you they have nothing to do, here are a list of things to remind them of.

1. Study math facts at least 2 times. Students should have their multiplication facts fluent by the end of third grade.
2. Complete the math work sheet and correct it
3. Read at least 20 minutes a night
4. Study spelling

Math homework will come home almost every night of the school year. It is imperative that complete the work in order to be successful.

Second we will be discussing the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. These habits were developed by Stephen Covey and are used within many successful organizations around the world. I encourage you to look up the seven habits and learn about them so when your student talks to you about how they must put "first things first" and " their circle of influence" you will understand what they are talking about. The program that has been introduced into schools is called " The Leader In Me."

We will use a blog to keep you informed about what is occurring in the classroom. When your child comes home and you ask what they did and they shrug and say "nothing" log on and see what really happened. I try to post something every few days. It is more fun if you comment on what has been done. I usually go through the blog with the kids at lunch time. Please make the address a favorite!

I don't expect to have much behavior issues this year however I will explain how the behavior system works in my room. In order for a student to get a "refocus" they have to get their name on the board and two checks. If they do earn a refocus they will call and let you know what they did to deserve a refocus. Three refocuses leads to detention after school. I do my best to be fair and to insure that students understand the expectations in my classroom. If a behavior creates a situation were the student can't learn, other students can't learn, or I can't teach, then the behavior is disciplined. I always talk to students to insure they understand exactly why they have received the refocus or name on the board.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. As you know you are the most important aspect of your child's education and thank you for your support!


Justin