Hi there parents. Well, we are down to the end of the year and we sure do have a lot of activities coming up.

The first one to be aware of is our field trip to Zion. We will be doing this on Monday, May 16. Students need to wear sturdy shoes and bring themselves plenty of water to drink. We will be hiking. Hats, sun block, and cameras are good things to bring, as well. I do have enough parents signed up to go to help out with students. It should be a lot of fun.

Remember that Reading Revolutions are due on Monday May 16.

We have our Wax Museum on Wednesday, May 18. Students will come to school dressed as their person and will meet me in the gym first thing in the morning to set up. A letter was sent home on what they were to put on their poster board. If you didn't get that letter, it is quite simple, just have them put the name of their person they are being, and write five facts about that person. Make sure the facts and the name are big enough that people can read what they have written. Family and friends may view the museum from 9:30 until 11:00.

We will be touring the Cedar Middle School on Thursday, May 19. We will ride a bus there and then will be walking back to the school.

The orchestra students will have their final concert on Tuesday, May 17. This will be at Cedar High School at 6:00.

Our Field Day will be on Monday, May 23. Watch the weather and dress appropriately. Students will be outdoors most of the day. We will be having the teachers vs. students soccer game at the end of the day.

If your child reached the Presidential level with the Reading Revolution then he/she will be going to the Canyon Park with Mrs. Payne on Tuesday, May 24th for a delicious breakfast.

Our fifth grade patriotic program will be Thursday, May 26 at 2:00 in the gym. Please come and watch your child perform. The students will need to wear a red or blue shirt on this day.

Students must have ALL of their assignments in with an 80% or better by Tuesday, May 24 to participate in the tent-a-thon on Wednesday, May 25. If your child does qualify for the tent-a-thon, they will need to know how to put up their own tent, if they bring one.

If your child is missing a library book they need to get those in immediately. If he/she can't find the book they will have to pay for it. If the book is not returned to school or paid for by the last day of school, your child will not receive his/her year book, or their promotion card, until we get the book or the money.

Please remember that school will let out at 2:30 on the last day of school.

I have really enjoyed my year with these students. It will be hard bringing it all to an end. They are all such great kids. Thanks for all of your help and support this year, I have greatly appreciated it. Sincerely, Mrs. Little

Hi parents, I am so sorry that I haven't up-dated my blog in so long. I have completely spaced it; it is that time of year where spacing things comes very easy.

Anyways, I hope you are keeping track of your child's progress this quarter. I know that the majority of students are doing a way good job staying caught up with their assignments this quarter, but there are a select few that are not. A new progress report will be coming home next Wednesday, May 4th. Please make sure that your child is staying caught up and if they do have missing assignments, remind them to get those in as soon as possible. If they don't get their missing work into me within a two week period, the missing assignments become no make ups. This means an automatically disqualification from Worker's Holiday. I don't want this to happen for any of my students, so please help me help your child in staying caught up.

Our testing has been going well so far. We will be taking the last of our language testing today. Next Monday we start our science End of Level test. It will be taken in the afternoon at 1:00. We won't take the Math End of Level's until the following week. May 10th at 10:30 will be the first math test. So, if your child needs to still take U-Tips tests for science and math, they can. They have until next Monday for science and a week from Monday for math.

Remember that May 16th is the dead line for all Reading Revolution reports. If your child still hasn't got either report in for fourth quarter yet, they need to get busy with their reading.

We have changed our date for our fieldtrip from the 13th of May to the 19th of May. We needed to change it to a Thursday. I only have one mom that has wanted to go, so far. If anyone else would like to come, please let me know as soon as you can.

I will try to remember to keep my blog up-dated for you all, so you know what is going on for the last month of school. I can't believe it is about over; I am so sad.... Thanks so much for help this year with your child, it has been greatly appreciated. I have really enjoyed my students this year, they have been a lot of fun to teach.

Well, until next time, take care. Sincerely, Mrs. Little

I am so sorry parents for not taking the time to up-date my blog. I have been so busy that I have, honestly just forgot about it. Anyhow, I hope all of you are doing good and are ready for this last quarter.
You should have received a progress report today. It is the first progress report for fourth quarter. Please, please, please check to see if your child has anything missing. If he/she does make sure they get those items in before the next print out, or they will become no make-ups. This means they will never get to make the assignment up.
In the next two weeks we have our Spelling Bee, our D.A.R.E graduation, the Regional Science Fair, for those students who made it, and Easter Break to look forward to. The Spelling Bee will be this Friday, April 1st at 2:45. On Friday, April 15th at 2:00 will be our D.A.R.E graduation. Starting Wed., April 20th-24th will be our Spring Break. I think we are all looking forward to a little bit of a break.
When students get back from their East Break, they will jump right into their end of level testing, so please make sure that your child is here daily, so they don't miss their end of levels.
Thank you so much for helping your child do his/her U-Tips review at home. We really try to get to the computer lab when we can and it isn't that often, so the more they can do at home, the better off he/she will be.
In each of our subjects right now, with the exception of S.S. and Science, we are doing review for end of levels. We have 3 more weeks of Science and then we will start reviewing for science, so if your child is wondering what U-Tips test to take first, have them do the Language, then Science that we have already done and then the math.
Thanks again for all you do to help me out with your child. It's been a great year, because of all of you parents. Sincerely, Mrs. Little

Well, third quarter is now over and we will be starting fourth quarter next week. I can't believe how this year has flown by.
Students will have until Thursday, March 17th, to get any missing assignments into me, to help them qualify for Worker's Holiday. For our Worker's Holiday, we will be walking to the PE building- at SUU to swim for the morning, so make sure your child comes with their towel and swimming suit. We are asking for a $2.00 donation for the students that are qualified to go. This activity will take place on Friday, March 18. We will be walking there and back, so make sure to watch the weather and have your child dress appropriately. Make sure he/she brings a change of underwear, as well.
I hope students are getting those Science Fair projects finished up. Just a reminder that the Science Fair will be next Friday, March 25th. Parents can come view these projects any time between 1:00 and 3:00 PM.
The school musical, "School House Rock", will be this Thursday, March 17th and Friday, March 18th at 6:30 PM. If you can find some time to come see it, please do. The students will get to see the production on Friday at 2:00.
We will be having our Arts night on Thursday, March 31st. If your child is going to be in the talent show, please make sure they get their entry forms to Mrs. Leavitt by March 21st.
I really enjoyed visiting with all of you last week. Thanks for all of your help you give me and your child. Sincerely, Mrs. Little

Hello there everyone. I just wanted to give you a heads up for Monday, Feb. 28th. If there is snow on the ground on Monday morning, please send your child to school with their winter clothing, their plastic trash bag and their hot chocolate mix. We are thinking that the storms that are predicted to happen this weekend, will leave us with enough snow for Monday, so we can do our dog sled races.
We will be taking our writing test on Wednesday, March 2nd. Please make sure your child comes to school that day. It is a mandatory test that students have to take, so it is very important that they are here on Wednesday. The only day a student could make the test up, would be on Thursday, March 3rd.
Be looking for the Science Fair rules to come home next week. I hope all the students have got some good ideas for their projects. The Science Fair will be here before we know it, so get going on those projects, if you haven't done so already.
I look forward to meeting with all of you again for SEOP's. Thanks for all of your help and support with your child. Sincerely, Mrs. Little

Hello everyone. Just a little bit of a heads up for the next couple of days. If there is at least 2" on snow on the ground in the morning(Thurs., Feb.17th), please send your child to school with their winter wear, plastic bag and hot chocolate for our dog sled activity. If there is no snow tomorrow, we will plan on Friday afternoon for this activity, if there is even snow then. If there is no snow, what-so-ever, we will stay with the original plan of having our Worker's Holiday on Friday afternoon, instead. It will be either a movie or a game day. Students will have to choose which one they would rather go to and stay with that activity the whole time. If you are still confused and need to call me, my cell phone is 463-0441, or call me here at school at any time.

I hope all of you have received your child's progress report, along with the newsletter that was sent home today. There are a few items that need to be signed and returned to me asap. I will need the newsletter signed and returned, as well as the Three for Me slip, Science Fair permission slip and the SEOP schedule.

It is the end of the year and a lot of events and things sneak up on us, so always be sure to check the school's web site, as well as the blog, so you are informed ahead of time.

Thanks so much and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to visiting with all of you here in a couple of weeks. Sincerely, Mrs. Little

Well, we have hit the mid-term mark for third quarter, so please make sure your child is staying caught up. The next progress report will be coming home next Wednesday, Feb. 16th. We are shooting for Friday, Feb. 18th to be our next Worker's Holiday. Be sure to look for more information in our next Newsletter.
Be looking for a Valentine list to come home in the next couple of days. If your child wants to bring in Valentines on Monday, they will need to bring one for the whole class. We will be having a small party in the afternoon, on Monday, Feb. 14th. I don't think we will need any treats for this party, though. The students will already be on a sugar high by the time we get to celebrating, I am sure.
Remember there will not be any school on Monday, Feb. 21st, due to President's Day.
On Tuesday, Feb. 22nd, Science permission slips will be coming home. They will need to be signed and returned back to school by Friday, Feb. 25th. Remember that all fifth graders are required to do the Science Fair this year. The rules and information on how to get started, if you haven't already, will be sent home the following week on Feb. 28th. I hope that if you have a science experiment that is going to take over a 3 week period to test out and do- that you have started it already, because students only have until March 25th to get the science experiment completed. We will be having our Science Fair on Friday, March 25th. Parents can come in and view experiments from 1:00-3:15.
I wanted to remind some students and parents that the first Reading Revolution for 3rd quarter is due next Wednesday.
I appreciate all the help and concern I get from parents. Keep up the good work you are doing with your children. Sincerely, Mrs. Little

Hello there parents and students. Wow! Can you believe it is already February? I can't. I don't know where time goes anymore. Anyhow, be looking for a progress report to be coming home tomorrow- Wednesday, Feb. 2nd. We haven't sent one home with the students in awhile, so be sure to go over it with your child, so you can see that he/she is staying caught up.
You probably noticed a D.A.R.E letter and permission slip that came home with your child on Monday. If you are going to allow your child to be in the D.A.R.E program, please have that letter signed and returned to school by next Monday, Feb. 7th. If you are not wanting your child to attend the program then please indicate that you don't want him/her to attend on the letter. We will have D.A.R.E every Monday at 9:00, until the middle of April. It should be a lot of fun and a great learning experience.
We are going to try to have our Winter Survival activity this Friday, however, we cannot do it without snow, so if there is not any snow left on the ground Friday, Feb., 4th, we will postpone it until the next snow day. We will be sure to give you a days notice, so that the students are ready for it. This activity is a lot of fun. The students get to learn about hypothermia, what to do if they get lost, and how to make survival kits. Then for a fun activity, we have some dog-sled races ( the students are the dogs ) for a fun little physical activity. We have always had a lot of fun with this activity. We go over to Cedar Highs Soccer field to do it, so if you want to come and join us and help out with the fun, let me know. I would love to have anyone who would like to come. Like I said, it is supposed to be this Friday, but if there is no snow, it will be on the next snow day that we have.
We are moving into Static and Current electricity in science and we will be having a guest speaker coming into give us a Power Presentation on Monday, Feb. 7th. It is always important to learn how to be safe around electricity.
I hope all of you received your child's spelling list for our big Spelling Bee this year. If not, let me know, and I will see what I can do to get you a new one. The Spelling Bee will be on April 1st, and that day will be here before you know it, so get studying those words kids, so you're ready....
The Science Fair will be here before we know it, as well. I hope you have ideas in your heads and you're starting those experiments, so you have the time to test them out. The Science Fair will be on March 25th. Letter will be sent home at the end of Feb., so be looking for more information. By the way, fifth grade students are required to do a Project this year.
I will be sure to keep you all up-dated when all these big activities get closer to being due, so just keep reading the blog.
Thanks for all of your help. Sincerely, Mrs. Little

Hi there parents. Sorry it has been a little over a week since I last up-dated my blog, but I have had a hard time getting into my blog, lately. Hopefully, you are not having the same problem.

There is one correction I want to let you know about from the last blog, and that is the date of the Science Fair. We have changed the date to March 25th, instead of April 1st, due to South's Spelling Bee being on April 1st. I hope this doesn't inconvenience any of you, because this is truly the only day we can have it.

We are on our way into 3rd quarter. Please note that the next progress report you will be receiving from your child, will be on Feb.2nd. This is a couple of weeks away yet, so please check with you child daily to see that they are staying caught up. I try to become a little more strict with the students, as far as them getting their assignments in on time, during third and fourth quarter. If they haven't handed in missing work within the two week period, from print-out to print-out, then their missing assignments will either become a no make-up, or they will only get half credit on their missing assignments. I am trying to prepare them for next year.

I have most of the permission slips back for the Alvin Ailey dance performance, scheduled for next Friday, Feb., 28th, but there are a few students that haven't gotten them back to me yet. If your child doesn't come with that permission slip signed they will have to stay back with another teacher and do work.

Please note that Reading Revolutions for this quarter are due on Feb. 15th and March 16th.

Thanks so much for all of your help, it is greatly appreciated.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope all of you enjoyed the Holidays.

Well, we have one more week before second quarter is over. The final progress report for seconds quarter will be sent home next Wednesday, Jan. 12th. The students will only have one day to get their make-up work in to qualify themselves for Worker's Holiday. Worker's Holiday will be Fri., Jan. 14th. We will be having a pajama day and a read-a-thon. I will be printing a missing assignments report today, so those students who are missing items, can get started on them right away. There will not be an after school class next Thursday, because I will not be at school that day, so if your child would like to come early in the morning Mon., Tues., or Wed. of next week, I would be more than happy to help them out then, if he/she needs the extra help.

I wanted to let you know that South will be having their Science Fair on April 1st this year. I know this is a couple of months away, but wanted to give you a heads up, so that you can start helping your child with an idea for his/her project. Permission slips for the Science Fair will be sent home on Tues., Feb. 22nd and will need to be returned on Fri., Feb. 25th. We will be handing parents the rules for the Science Fair at SEOP's.

With our subjects at this time, we are just starting a new unit in Science. The unit is on magnets and electricity. In Reading, we just finished the novel "My Side of the Mountain", and are now comparing the movie to the novel. In math students are learning Fractions. In S.S. students are learning about the Gold Rush. In Spelling we are on list #12. In Writing we are still practicing the 4 square with the 6 traits and in Grammar we are into learning about all the different verbs.

If your child is not keeping up on their Reading Revolutions, please help remind him/her to do that. The students should have a minimum of 4 books read at this point. I have many students that are way above that and then some that haven't turned in one, so check with your child to see how they are doing with this.

I have really enjoyed this group of students this year. They are all such cute kids. It will be hard to let them go.

Well, until next time take care and thanks so much for all of the help you give me and your child in our classroom.
Sincerely, Mrs. Little

I just wanted to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy, New Year, too. Enjoy the Holidays and please remind your child that if he/she has any missing work that during this break time would be a great time to get stuff done. We will only have two weeks left in the quarter when the students return back to school, so the more they can get done during the break, the better off they will be.

I will see all of you students back on Monday, January 3rd.

Happy Holidays everyone!!!!

Can you believe it is this time of year already? Wow! Time sure does fly by fast. Before you know it we will be saying our good byes and moving onto next year. Well, knowing how fast time can pass us by, please keep in mind that second quarter will soon be coming to an end and students need to make sure that they are staying caught up. Students received their progress reports and their missing assignments report today, so they all should know if they have things that still need to be turned in, or if they are all caught up. I have about 7 students who are all caught up and the rest of the class has 2 or more missing assignments, so be sure to talk with your child about anything they might be missing. We will be having our after school class tomorrow, Thurs., Dec. 2, if any students need any extra help or need to get caught up on a few things.

The Choir and Orchestra students will be having their concert on Friday, Dec. 10 at 2:30. If you have a child in either one of these programs, please come watch them perform.

We will be having a Christmas party on Friday, Dec., 17 and I have sent home a sign up sheet and a letter explaining what we will be doing for the party. If your child can bring something for the class party, please just mark next to the item they would like to bring and send the letter back to school with them, so I know what we will have and what we won't. We will be having a gift exchange that day, as well. Girls will need to buy a gift for a girl and boys will need to buy a gift for a boy. Please, do NOT go over $3.00 for a gift. Keep the gift simple. If you are not able to get a gift at this time, please let me know and I will do what I can to help you out with one.

We will be making fudge in a bag for our final experiment in matter. We will be doing this on Wed., Dec. 15. We are asking for a .50 cent donation, if possible, to help us buy the stuff we need to make it. I hate asking for any donation this time of year, so if you can't donate the .50 cents, it is no big deal, please don't worry about it.

We will be starting the Christmas break after school on Fri., Dec. 17th and we will be out of school until Jan. 2nd. Students will return to school on Mon., Jan. 3, 2011.

I wish all of you parents a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Happy New Year. May God Bless you all. Thank you so much for all of your help. Sincerely, Mrs. Little

Hi there parents,
I wanted to remind you that our annual Share Fair is coming up on Monday, November 22. This will be held in the gym and will be at 2:00-3:15. I hope you and your child have enjoyed researching your child's heritage together. I can't wait to see all of the fun presentation in store for me on Monday. If by chance you are still struggling on what to do with your poster, come in and look at some examples.
It is mid-term, so we will be having our worker's holiday this Friday for those students who have everything in with an 80% or better. We have a fun activity in store for these students, so please encourage your child to get any last minute assignments in by tomorrow, or they will miss out on all the fun. The students have earned a class party, as well, so along with the worker's holiday, on Friday, we will also be having our party in the afternoon for our class reward. I told students that if they want to bring in treats for the class that they can, but I am not assigning any one person to a certain item to bring. If they can bring something, great. If they can't, no big deal. I told the students that they can either wear their PJ's, or sweats for our party.
Please remember that Thanksgiving Break will be Wednesday, Nov. 24-Sunday, Nov. 28. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your break students.
Thanks parents for all that you do to help me and your child in succeeding this school year.

Happy November to you all! Can you believe that it is this time already?
I thought I better up-date you on a few events that are coming up in the next couple of weeks. First of all, I would like to tell you about the Green Ribbon Week that starts this Friday, Nov. 5. It is kind of like Red Ribbon Week, only it deals with things like eating smart, staying active and being safe. We will start this off with an assembly on Friday, where the students will receive their bracelets for the week. The students have to wear these bracelets in order to get their awards each day of the week, so please remind them to put them on each day. Green Day will be Monday, Nov.8. Students are to wear green to school with their bracelets, as well. Tuesday, Nov. 9. Students are to wear yellow, along with their bracelet. Wednesday, Nov.10, students are to wear red and bracelet. On Thursday, Nov. 11, students will wear orange, along with their bracelet, and on Friday, Nov. 12, students will wear purple. There will be little activities the students will do each day of the week, as well, to learn the lessons of being healthy, and staying active. It should be a lot of fun.
We also have our Share Fair coming up. The Share Fair will be on Mon., Nov.22 at 2:00 and will go until 3:15. This activity is a lot of fun and allows students to research there heritage and to learn about their ancestors. Students will get all of their information at school, so be looking for those letters to come home. The letters will explain what students will need to have on their posters and how you can put the whole presentation together. Be sure to contact me if you have any questions. My students should have taken their interview questions home already. They have until Fri., Nov. 12, to get interview done and questions handed into me. Once they have the interview finished they can write up their document form by turning their question answer paper into answers only. Students can be as creative as they want to be with their posters. If you would like to come in to see some of the posters we have kept, from past students, please feel free to do so.
We have another Worker's Holiday coming up on the 19th, so please make sure you child is staying caught up on their assignments, so they can qualify for this.
In our subjects right now we are learning about Matter in Science, The Constitution, in S.S. In reading we are starting a new Novel, as well as doing fluency centers and dibels. In math we just took a test on dividing with single digit numbers and prime and composite numbers. In spelling the students are on list number 6. In Language we are practicing our 4 square writing and we are getting into the use of verbs in our grammar.
Thanks for all that you do to help out with our success this year.

Hello Everyone!

Sorry it has taken me so long to get my blog up-dated. I really have no excuse other than I have just forgot that I have one.
Anyways, there are some events that are coming up that you will need to be aware of, and they start after the Harvest Holiday break. On the Tuesday that we get back, we will be starting our Red Ribbon week. I have sent home a letter that explains what your child will need to have ready for each day of the week. In case you didn't receive that letter, here is a run down of what will be going one each day. On Tuesday the theme will be Rock Star Day; Be a "rock star" and just say NO. Students will need to dress up as their favorite rock star. Wednesday the theme will be Hippie Day; Peace out to drugs. Students will come to school dressed hippie style. Thursday is Sports Day; Champions don't use drugs. Students are to wear their favorite jersey, or cap. On Friday we will have Superhero Day; I have the power to say NO. Students come dressed as their favorite superhero. The poster contest was optional in our room, but if your child did a poster, those are due tomorrow, Wednesday, October 20th.
Our PTA is also doing the Reflection this year and the Theme for that is "Together We Can". This activity is also optional in our room, but students will receive 50 extra credit points if they choose to do it. Entries are due Nov. 10th.
The PTA is also doing a Healthy Lifestyles Week the week of November 5-12th. They will call this fun event "Green Ribbon Week". We will have all sorts of activities that will help us learn how to be more healthy. We will be sending more information on this event as it gets closer.
We are just getting into second quarter, so remind your child to stay caught up from the get-go, because life is a lot easier, for all of us, when they do. A lot of my students are well on their way with the Reading Revolution Reports, but I do have a few that still need to get going. If students are reading their 20 minutes each night, it should be very easy for them to get 2 books done in a quarter, if not more.
I do appreciate all of you coming to meet with me at SEOP's. I hope that if any of you ever have any questions or concerns that you will call me. I have really enjoyed this group of students, so far this year. Thanks for all you do to help me out with your child. Sincerely, Mrs. Little.

Happy Mid-Term

     Hi there parents and students.  I hope all of you are enjoying the school year thus far.  I know that I sure am.  I can't believe it is mid-term already.  Time does fly when you are having fun.

     Parents, please make sure you check with your child to see if they have finished their first book for their Reading Revolution book report.  The first book report is due tomorrow, Sept. 17th.  If they are not quite done with their book, they can take the time to finish it, but will have to hurry to get another one done by the end of the quarter.  If your child is reading their 20 minutes each night, this should be very easy for them to do.

     We will be going on our first field trip next Friday.  As you know, we will be going to Mammoth cave, so make sure your child is dressed appropriately for this activity.  We will be doing some other hiking, as well, so a couple of water bottles would be great to send.  This field trip fits into our curriculum by learning about the land forms that are created through plate movement and weathering and erosion.  It's a great time.

     We will be having our first Worker's Holiday on Monday, Sept. 20th.  This activity will be for those who have no missing assignments and have an 80% or better.  The students will be playing a kickball game and doing fun outdoor activities for their award.  Students have until tomorrow, Sept. 17th to get their missing assignments into me to qualify for this Worker's Holiday.

     In each of our subjects we are getting more involved with our units within our curriculum. In Reading we are reading stories that go along with the Theme "Who Am I".  We do a lot of activities with setting, plot and characterization.  We also are practicing our fluency, as much as we can.  We are building our stamina in reading to self and to someone.  In Science, we are finishing up with plate movement,earthquakes and volcanoes.  We will start weathering and erosion, next week.  In LA we are finishing up with our thinking hat skills that help us with our writing and in grammar, we are learning about simple subject and predicates.  In S.S. the students are learning about the early settlers.  In math students are moving into  multiplying whole numbers.  They just finished up with adding and subtracting with decimals.  So, as you can see, we are staying real busy.

     I will catch you up in a couple of weeks on what to expect in October.  Thanks for all of your help, and until next time, take care and keep smiling.  Sincerely, Mrs. Little

      

Happy Fall

     Hello there everyone!

     Well, school has gotten off to a great start.  I love all of your children.  We are all going to have such a fun and exciting year!  

     You should be receiving your child's first progress report today.  If he/she is missing anything, they will have a bright yellow missing assignment's sheet attached to the front of their progress report.  If your child does have any missing assignments, he/she will need to have those missing assignment completed and turned in within the next two weeks.  Along with the progress report, you will also have a newsletter and a spelling letter.  The newsletter will let you know of the events coming up in the next month.  The spelling letter will let you know more about our spelling program for this year.  You will also be receiving your child's four pretests that he/she has taken.  I encourage the students to write the words they missed, on any of the test, 10 times each.  If they do this, they can change their score to 100%, if all words are spelled correctly.  If your child chooses not to do this, that is their choice and they keep the score they already have.  The students are welcome to do this with the fifth grade spelling tests, as well.  I do, however, need all four tests turned back to me by the end of September.

     We are still covering the same items in each subject area, but just in more depth.  Spelling will be changing next week.  We will be getting into the fifth grade words and tests will be given on Fridays.  Other than that, things are still pretty much the same.

     Please make sure to sign the planner coming home each week, with the total reading time minutes.  I am getting a lot handed into me, with no parents signatures.

     I do appreciate that all of you get signature notes signed and turned back to me, promptly.  I can't remember a time when parents have been so efficient.

     If you have any questions at any time, feel free to call me, or email me.  

                                                                                                           Sincerely, Mrs. Little 

Welcome Back

     Hi there everyone!  I hope you are all ready to get back into the groove of things, because I sure am.  I can't wait to start school this year!  We are going to have so much fun!  Be ready to learn lots of fun stuff, and be prepared in having fun while doing it.

     On the first day of school we will be discussing rules and consequences, rewards, classroom schedules etc., and you will be receiving the materials you will need from me to get started.  It is going to be more or less of a lecture day, and so it will probably get kind of boring at times, but please know that not every day is going to be like the first day of school, where I'll be talking the whole time.  You will find that you will be doing most of the talking and showing me how you learn things.   Please bring a bottled water when you can, because our room can get kind of hot at times, and I want you to stay hydrated.

     We will be jumping right into our subjects on the second day of school, so you will know what to expect out of each subject area.  You will also get an idea of how your daily schedule will go.

     Parents, I do want you to know that I do allow healthy snacks in my classroom and the students are allowed to have them at any time, as long as they are healthy.  I do this for numerous reasons and hope that all of you are okay with it.

     I do want to let you know what we will be learning in each subject area, for the first quarter.  In Writing, we will be learning about the Six Thinking Hats.  We will be starting with Ideas in the Six Traits of Writing, and we will be starting our Four Square Writing method.  In Math, we will be starting out with place value  and comparing and ordering numbers.  In Reading, we will be staring off with the Theme "Who Am I" and reading stories pertaining to this theme.  We will also learn about fluency and decoding words.  In Science, we will be learning about Land Forms and how they are formed.  In S.S. we will be starting off with learning about the early Explorers.  We will be testing the words learned in 2nd through fourth grade for the first two weeks of spelling.  Students will need to know these words in order to do their dictation sentences for their fifth grade spelling tests.  If you ever have questions about what is being taught in our classroom, please feel free to email, or call me at any time.

     I am looking forward to a great year with you and your child and can't wait to get started.

     Thanks for taking the time to read this and once again, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.   Sincerely, Mrs. Little

     Well hello everyone.  Well, we are down to the last 20 days of school.  I can't believe how this year has passed us by.  I cry every time I think about this class moving on without me.  I have really enjoyed teaching this group of kids this year.  

     Anyways, I wanted to let you know that we have finished the Language part of the End of Level testing.  I think the students did great.  They all took their time to get through the questions and from what I could tell, they all really felt good about the test.  We start the Math tests next week and we will be taking those on Monday, May 3rd and Thursday, May 6th.  The last test day will be on Monday, May 10th and that test will be on the Science we have learned this year.  Thank you for having your kids here every day, it is so very much appreciated. 

     Be sure to watch for the newsletter coming home next Wednesday.  It will have all of our end of year activities on it, so if I happen to miss something in my Blog, you can read it in the newsletter.

     Some of the most recent activities coming up are:  The Root-beer float party for the students that took the UTIPS tests will be on Tuesday, May 11th.  The Middle School Tour will be Thursday, May 13th.  Our Zion Field Trip will be Friday, May 14th.   Orchestra students need to remember their concert on Tuesday, May 18th at 6:00, at Cedar High School.  On Wednesday, May 19th we will be holding our annual Wax Museum from 9:00 to 11:00.  We will be having an ice cream party for the Judicial award for Reading Revolution, on Wednesday, May 20th.  On Friday, May 21st we will be celebrating the Congressional award  with a movie and popcorn party.  We will also be performing our Memorial Day program on this day, for parents and the school.  The program will be at 2:30.  Hope of America winners will be recognized at this program, as well.  On Monday, May 24th we will be having our Field Day.  On Tuesday, May 25th there will be breakfast in the park for the Presidential winners.  On Wednesday, May 26th we will be celebrating our last Worker's Holiday.  We will be having a tent day.  On Friday, May 28th we will be having our last day of school.  School will let out at 2:30.

     I know there is a lot to remember, but letters will be coming home to remind you all of the upcoming events for the rest of the year.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Thanks for all of  your help this year.  It has been a pleasure getting to know all of you and I hope all of you have a great summer. (If it ever gets here.)  Take care.  Sincerely, Mrs. Little 

     Oh my heck!  Did I forget I had a blog?  Well yes, I think I did.

     I am so sorry to the parents that actually read this thing.  I have been so busy being over the Science Fair and other things that I completely spaced other obligations, my blog being one of those obligations, and I am so sorry.  Do know though, that I haven't neglected your child; I promise.

     Well, it is that time of year where everything hits at once and we don't know if we are actually coming or going.  I would like to fill you in on the events that are coming up for the rest of April.

     We will begin our End of Level testing April 26th and end the testing on May 10th.  The students will be doing the tests online again this year.  The week of May 26th, the students will be taking the Language test Monday at 10:00 and on Thursday at 10:00 and 11:00.  On Monday May 3rd, students will take their fist math test at 10:00 and finish math test 2 on Thursday from 10:00 to 11:45.  On Monday, May 10th, students will finish up with the Science test at 1:00.  If you know your child will be gone any of these days, please let me know, so I can get them tested some other time.  It is very important that each student takes their end of level tests.    Right now, we ask that all students take the initiative to take as many U-tips tests as they can, so they can better prepare themselves for end of levels.

     On Friday, April 16th we are having our annual Maturation program.  This program starts at 2:00 and ends at 3:15 or right at 3:30.  Please try to make this if you can.  It always makes the students feel a little more comfortable if their parents are here to help with questions they might have.  Reading Revolution #1 for fourth quarter is due this day, as well.

     In our subject areas right now we are covering last minute standards that still need to be covered.  In reading we just finished up with our last novel and will be doing one last Theme for the year, which is, Images and Imaginings.  We will also continue to work on fluency and comprehension.  We will be doing our last dibel's testing starting next week.  In math, students have been working on probability and will be finishing it up this week.  In Science, students are well into their Heredity unit.  Right now, they are studying traits that are inherited and traits that are learned.  In Social Studies, students are learning about the Civil Rights movement.  Students are done with their spelling program, but still review the words quite a bit.  In Grammar, students are learning the difference between object pronouns and subject pronouns. We try to fit writing in whenever we get the chance.  We just got done learning about how to use our voice in writing.

     I can't believe it is all going to be over soon.  I am so sad.  I just love this group of kids and don't ever want to let them go.

     Thank you parents for all of your help and support you have given me this year.  You have all been great.  

     Be looking for a new blog to come out around the 10th of May.  I will let you know about the end of the year events then.  Thank again.   Sincerely, Mrs. Little