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