Stark

Marvelous May

MARVELOUS MAY

It's hard to believe that May is here and we are looking to the end of a wonderful year!  The children have accomplished so much and are a fantastic, caring group of students.  I will certainly miss their smiles and enthusiasm for learning.

We have been learning about life cycles of the painted lady butterflies.  The caterpillars have formed their chrysalides, and we are anxiously awaiting the emerging butterflies.  A few days after they have reached their final stage in their life cycle, we will release them in our outdoor classroom!

We have "boarded" our jet, left Japan and have landed in the "Down Under"!   The children are so excited about learning more about this country. "Japan Day" was such a hit, that we are planning on having "Australia Day" on May 14th!  We currently have a guest speaker lined up and several other activities planned.  Here are a couple of interesting web sites that your child might enjoy  visiting:

Animals of Australia and Australia Downunder

Congratulations to Alex, our Character Winner for the word Accomplishment.  He is very deserving!

Special Thanks To:

• Allison's mom, Will's mom, and Hannah's mom for sending in special "brain food" during the CRCT testing
• All parents who sent in your children well rested and prepared for the testing
• Thanks to all who participated in the many Relay for Life activities.  Thus far, $8,552 has been raised!!!
• Thanks for those who have sent in completed and signed enrollment forms. Also please remember to place 3 postage stamps on the envelope for mailing purposes.

Upcoming Dates:

May 5: "Drumming Up Stories"-Performing Arts program here at Mt. Bethel featuring interactive stories from around the world

May 9: All library books due

May 11: Mother's Day (The children are working very hard on a "special" project  especially for you!)

May 12: Reader's Theater(various teachers will present favorite stories.)

May 14: Australia Day (morning)

Representative from Cobb County Library will present information regarding their Summer Reading Program (afternoon)

May 15: End of Year Party

May 21-24: Reading is Hot , Hot, Hot (More information will follow)

Field Day (8:00-10:30) Remember to wear class t-shirt; sunscreen and bring water bottle clearly marked with name.

May 20: Yearbook  Signing (Outdoor Classroom, 1:10-2:00)

May 22: All supplies will be sent home

May 23: Last Day of School (Do not bring backpacks, or lunch bags.)

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!!!

VIP

Let's say hello to our VIP, Michael!

VIP

Let's say hello to our VIP, Amelia!

Welcome Back

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break!  It was great to have a few days just to relax and catch up on some of my "neglected" projects at home!  The next few weeks will be very busy and the end of the year will be here before we know it!

We have several Relay for Life events coming up which raise money for the American Cancer Society.  I hope you will support one or more of these activities.  This week we are collecting "Coins for a Cure". Students can bring in any amount of change to  donate to the American Cancer Society.

This coming Friday, April 18th at 7:00 PM is the Relay for Life Talent Show at Dodgen Middle School.  Come see your friends and  (maybe some teachers)  perform.

Tuesday, April 22, is the annual Staff Kickball Game from 2:30-3:30.  Come see your teachers play kickball, lead cheers, and  sell snacks!  Tickets are $3.00 and students must be accompanied by an adult. ( I will be leading cheers!) I hope to see you there!

CRCT:

We continue to review skills and test taking strategies in preparation of the CRCT. We are practicing "Active Listening" and have been using the Smartboard and Senteo to help us.    I appreciate the extra time you have been giving to your children with the homework that has been sent home as well as practicing online. Testing will take place during the mornings of April 23-25. The tests will cover Reading, Language Arts, and Math skills.  There were many excellent test taking tips inside the Bugle, most importantly, remind your children of the importance of doing their best on tests and GOOD LISTENING, while keeping in mind we do not want unnecessary worry or anxiety. A good night's rest, nutritious breakfast, and a warm hug will be beneficial!  In the past, I have asked parents to send in a healthy snack for us to share during testing days.  If you would be willing to send in grapes, apple slices, or cheese (string or cubed) for 10 children, please let me know.

Special Request:

We are running low on Kleenex, paper towels, hand sanitizer, and Wet Ones.  If you can send in any of these items we would greatly appreciate it.

Upcoming Dates:

April 18: Relay for Life Talent Show

April 18: If You Give a Mouse  a Cookie and Other Story Books~Cultural Arts Presentation (K-2)

April 22: Relay for Life Staff Kickball Game 2:30-3:30

April 23-25: CRCT

April 25: PTA "Spring Thing"

May 1: Reading Records Due

Special Thanks:

• Shiloh's dad  for a  wonderful lesson on "Edible Tree" Art Project during our grade level planning.  Drop by and view the photos on the wall outside our classroom! Thanks also to John's mom and to Allison's mom who assisted.
• Everyone who participated in the PTA music program.  The children did a great job honoring our own Mrs. Duvall!!

As always, thank you so much for sharing your children with me!

VIP

Let's say hello to our VIP,  Shiloh!

VIP

Let's say hello to our VIP, Jamiree!

Mark Your Calendar!

                                                                                                        

Lights, Camera, Action!  Mark your calendars for our musical performance,this coming Thursday evening, April 3rd.  The children have been working hard with Ms. Jordan during  Music Class and they are ready for "show time"! We hope you make plans to come and enjoy this exciting show which will feature the connections between art and music.  Please have them wear their class t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

Be sure to come early to view the wonderful CHILDREN'S ART SHOW!  A sample of your child's art was sent home in today's Behavior Folder.  Family and friends are invited to view the creative art work in the Multi-Purpose Room from 3:00-7:00!  The homeroom with the highest attendance will receive a popsicle party!

See you at the Art Show and then the performance !

Students should meet at 6:15 in the Art Room.

                                          

March News

We have had an exciting two weeks!  The children looked so nice as we traveled to the Fox Theatre to see the production of Charlotte's Web.  Thank you so much to Will's mom for joining us.  Our trip to the Cobb Civic Center to see the ballet, La Sylphide, was wonderful.  We all learned so much about the art of ballet.  I want to compliment all the students for their respectful behavior on both trips!  I was very proud of them.

Japan Day: What a fun day we had as the children "traveled" to Japan!  Each class visited every second grade classroom for a wide variety of activities.  Before entering the classroom, each child presented their "passport" to be stamped.  They learned to play Gomoku, a Japanese math game; played Sudoku; bingo with Japanese numbers; learned more facts about Japan by playing Japan Jeopardy on the SmartBoard; visited a Japanese "museum"; made origami samurai warrior hats from Japanese newspapers; learned calligraphy with brush and ink; made beautiful cherry blossom trees; and enjoyed a Japanese tea party complete with rice balls (made by a former Mt. Bethel parent), enjoyed rice cakes which the students ate with chopsticks, and sipped tea while listening to Japanese music. What an exciting day! (Scroll down to see scenes from our tea party!)

Upcoming Dates:

• March 17-21: Exceptional Children Awareness Week
• March 19: Kids on the Block Puppet Show (featuring puppets with disabilities)

March 20: Report Cards (Behavior Folders will not come home)

March 31-April 4: Book Fair

April 3: Second Grade Music Program (Ms. Jordan will  be sending home information)

Art Show (prior to the program, 4:00-7:00; Multi-Purpose Room) You don't want to miss see you child's wonderful art work displayed! Class with the highest attendance wins a popsicle party!

April 7-11: Spring Break

April 22: Relay for Life Kickball Game~Please refer to the pink letter regarding the many activities planned for Relay for Life!

As always, thank you so much for sharing your children with me!

Japanese Tea Party

March News

March Happenings:

•   March 3: Field trip to Fox Theatre to see Charlotte's Web(Remember to dress up for this special trip!)
• March 3-7: Read Across America (Please refer to the green flyer sent home.)
• Book Swap during this week: (Please refer to the Bugle for the scheduled activities during this week.)
• March 4: Early Release: 12:20 Dismissal
• March 5: School Picture Day(form sent home)
• March 7: Field Trip to Cobb Civic Center to see LaSylphide Ballet (Wear Class T-shirts)
• March 13: Japan Day (More information to follow)
• March 17-21: Exceptonal Children's Awareness Week
• March 19: Kids on the Block Puppet Show (featuring puppets with disabilities)
• March 20: Report Cards
• March 28: Reading Records Due
• March 31-April 4: Book Fair
• April 3: Second Grade Music Program (Ms. Jordan will be sending more information)
• April 7-11 Spring Break

Special Thanks:

• Thank you so much for making my birthday a special one!  I love the beautiful flowers and special cards! 
• Mrs. Wright, Media Specialist, who is doing a wonderful job teaching our students about the dictionary; atlas; encyclopedia; almanac and various forms of literature.
• Outstanding students who chose to do the special enrichment project for Japan!  Great effort was shown.
• Everyone who turned in pledges for Jump Rope for Heart!

Congratulations to our very  own Carly, who was selected by her peers as the Character Winner for the word Tolerance.We are proud of you!

Also, congratulations to our 2nd Grade Odyssey of the Mind team for representing our school at the recent competition in Dalton!  Way to go, Madison, Alexis, Hannah, and Allison!! We are very  proud of you!

VIP

Let's say hello to our recent VIPs! Grace, Philip and Carly!

February News and Notes

What a fun-filled week this has been! I am overwhelmed with your generosity and kindness! The fruit the children brought in made a beautiful Fruit Basket.  The cards and letters are precious! I can't wait to use the spa products! Also, thank you so much for the gift certificates and beautiful flowers. I want to thank Shiloh's dad, Aaron's mom for arriving before school to coordinate the activities. Also, thanks in advance to the moms of Allison and Carly for providing coverage while I attend the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon hosted by our wonderful PTA on Friday. A final thanks goes to Hannah's mom for coordinating the volunteers!  Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for making me feel appreciated!  A special thank you for all that you do! 

February is upon us and we are excited about the  skills we will be learning this month! 

Informational writing is our focus this nine weeks.  We will learn how to organize our research and compose paragraphs with a topic sentence, detail sentences and closing sentences. Students should be composing sentences with complete thoughts, correct grammar usage, capitalization, punctuation, and using legible handwriting.

We will also be reading non-fiction books and looking at the various features they contain, such as: table of contents, indexes, glossaries, headings, captions, illustrations, tables, diagrams, and maps.

We continue to focus on Venn diagrams, fractions, equal parts, whole, compare, contrast, estimate, interpret, temperature, centimeter, meter, thousands...these are only a few examples of vocabulary used in our 3rd Nine Weeks Unit of study in math.  We will continue with subtraction and addition with regrouping as well. Here are a few activities to enjoy: Have fun with your child measuring items found around the house.  First estimate how long they are then measure them.  Do this using inches, feet, yards, centimeters and meters. Pick a recipe you and your child could make together.  Have your child measure the ingredients.  Discuss the fractions with your child as the ingredients are measured. Click on this link for additional fun activities: Harcourt Math 

We will soon be packing our bags and traveling to Japan!  As we learn about the  people and their culture we will  compare and constast their lifestyle with ours.  Japan is the subject of our enrichment project this nine weeks. This is optional, but if your child wishes to research this topic, the project will be due February 29. Remember this project is designed to be as simple or as complex that is appropriate for each individual child. (Ideas such as a poster, diorama, traditional report, book...these are only a few ways your child can explore this topic.)  A few fun sites are:

Kids' Japan     Zoom School: Japan    Daily Life in Japan

We continue to work on test taking skills and strategies. The CRCT will be given the week of April 23rd.  Although it seems like a long time away, please avoid scheduling doctor and dentist appointments during this week.  Please encourage your child to practice on-line tests at home. Becoming familiar with the format of the tests will be most beneficial.  You may want to bookmark this link for the on-line testing practice if you have not done so already: CRCT .

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART~ Feb. 13th-14th

The children will be jumping rope during PE.  Be sure to return the donations collected on this day as well.  Mt. Bethel students raised almost $30,000 last year and  ranked 31st out of 25,000 participating schools in the country ! For more information click on the Jump Rope for Heart link.

Valentine's Day, February 14, will be a fun-filled day!  The children should bring a valentine for each classmate as well as a valentine for their book buddy on this day.  Their valentine box project should be brought in on Thursday as well.  The valentines can be homemade or purchased. 

Looking Ahead:

February 18: Presidents' Day Holiday

February 19: Teacher Workday/Student Holiday

February 22:Six Flags Reading Logs are due. Please encourage your child to complete 6 hours of recreational reading and complete the reading log sheet.  All logs must be signed off by a parent.  What an easy way to earn a free admission to Six Flags Amusement Park this summer!

February 29: Japan Enrichment Project Due

February 29: Reading Logs Due

March 3: Charlotte's Web at the Fox

March 4: Early Release Day ( 12:20 Dismissal )

March 5: School Picture Day

March 7: Performing Arts Ballet at Cobb Civic Center

READ ACROSS AMERICA Week~March 3-March 7

We have lots of fun and exciting activities planned for this week!  More information will follow.

January News and Notes

                             

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and wish you the best for 2008!  We have hit the road running and continue to be very busy here at Mt. Bethel.  We have eagerly begun the second half of our school year.

I am looking forward to visiting with you during conference week and discussing the progress your child is making. I always enjoy this time of the year for we are able to reflect upon the year and to set goals as we look ahead at the remaining school year. Please be prompt for your scheduled conference time. To help me stay on schedule, please gently knock on my door at your scheduled time.  As a reminder, behavior folders will not be coming home until after conferences.

Six Flags 6 Hour Reading Club

This is another great opportunity to earn a free ticket to Six Flags.  Information and the reading log went home Monday.  Just record the number of minutes and titles of books for a total of 360 minutes (6 Hours), sign  and return the log on or before February 22. Tickets will be distributed at the end of the school year.

Venn diagrams, fractions, equal parts, whole, compare, constrast, estimate, interpret, temperature, centimeter, meter, thousands...these are only a few examples of vocabulary used in our 3rd Nine Weeks Unit of study in math.  We will continue with subtraction and addition with regrouping as well. Here are a few activities to enjoy: Have fun with your child measuring items found around the house.  First estimate how long they are then measure them.  Do this using inches, feet, yards, centimeters and meters. Pick a recipe you and your child could make together.  Have your child measure the ingredients.  Discuss the fractions with your child as the ingredients are measured. Click on this link for additional fun activities: Harcourt Math 

We will soon be packing our bags and traveling to Japan!  As we learn about the  people and their culture we will  compare and constast their lifestyle with ours.  Japan is the subject of our enrichment project this nine weeks. This is optional, but if your child wishes to research this topic, the project will be due February 29. Remember this project is designed to be as simple or as complex that is appropriate for each individual child. (Ideas such as a poster, diorama, traditional report, book...these are only a few ways your child can explore this topic.)  A few fun sites are:

Kids' Japan     Zoom School: Japan     Daily Life in Japan

We turn our focus to the study of the Solar System. We are looking forward to hosting High Touch, High Tech later this month. This is always a wonderful in-school field trip which the scientists engage the students in some fun, hands on activities. A couple of great sites for enrichment and fun are NASA'S Starchild Learning Center and NASA'S KIDS CLUB.

Congratulations to Aaron for being selected our Character Word winner for the word : RESILIENCE.  Way to go, Aaron, we  are very proud of you!!

   We welcome a new student, Amelia, to our Mt. Bethel Family!  We are so excited to have you join our class!

LOOKING AHEAD:

   

January 21: MLK Holiday

January 22-28: Conference Week ( 12:20 Dismissal)

January 30: 21st Technology Demonstration (8:30-9:00) 

January 31: January Reading Records Due.  Please tally the number of minutes read. I am so proud of the reading the children are doing!

January 31: High Touch, High Tech

February 6: Early Release (12:20)

February 13-14: Jump Rope for Heart (information will be coming home)

February 14: Valentine's Day (Bring box and valentines)

February 22: Six Flags Six Hour Reading Log is Due.

As always, thank you for your continued support.

VIP

Let's say hello to Hannah, our VIP, and her friend, Petey!

December Notes

Thank you to our room moms and everyone who volunteered to help with our Winter Party!  The children had a great time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for my gifts.  Your generosity and thoughtfulness is so appreciated!

• Thank you to all who contributed to the Caring and Sharing donation for our lunch and  custodial staff as well as our clinic nurse. Your generosity touched their hearts and helped made their holidays brighter!
• Congratulations to Will for being selected our Character winner for Compassion!  Way to go, Will.  We are proud of you!

Here are a few  important reminders:

• Conference Week is scheduled for Tuesday, January 22nd through Monday, January 28th.  School will be dismissed at 12:20 each day and conferences will begin at 12:30.  Report cards will be given out during this time, not as indicated on our school calendar. If you know of a day or time that you cannot attend a conference during that week, please email me and I will try to accommodate you.  You will be  receiving a conference time  after the winter break.
• Please hold the date, Wednesday, January 30th, 8:30-9:00 for a little Smartboard demonstration in our classroom.  The children are so excited to share with you some of the new technology they are using!
• The January lunch menu in the Bugle is incorrect.  I have sent home a corrected menu.

I want to wish Happy Holidays to everyone and a very happy and healthy New Year!  Enjoy your family time together.  I am so excited that I will have my family together next week! If you are traveling, be careful, have lots of fun and return safely.

December Happenings

We have so many exciting activities going on this month. We have begun our Economics Unit and my "employees" are busily working on their "products" to earn top "wages" which will be used to purchase craft items for family members.  If they perform exceptionally well, they may even earn a "bonus"!    While discussing their day, use the words: needs; wants; producers; consumers; opportuity cost; and productivity.  Market Day is scheduled for this Friday, December7th.  This is when they get to be consumers and purchase items produced from four different classrooms!                                        

Our class will be visiting the Cultural Celebrations Around the World display next week.  This is an annual event that the children look forward to.  They learn about many ways children around the world celebrate their special holidays.  I invite you to drop by the Media Center  any time next week to view the beautiful displays as well.  The PTA and parent volunteers do a wonderful job in displaying the many celebrations that are represented by our student population.

SPECIAL REQUEST:  "Sharing and Caring from the Heart"

Please note the flyer regarding the donation for our custodians, lunchroom staff and clinic nurse that came home on Monday. These are very special people at our school and we would like to help make their holidays brighter.  Any donations would be appreciated.  Please send in by the 13th.  If you choose to send in a check, please write it to CASH. Thank you to those who have already sent in donations!

Upcoming Events:

• Beginning Monday the Cobb County Fire and Emergency Department will be visiting our classroom and conducting four lessons about fire safety.
• December 19: Winter Party (11:30-12:30)
• December 24-January 4: Winter Holiday
• January 7: Teacher Workday (Student Holiday)
• January 8: WELCOME BACK!! (December Reading Records Due)

• A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:

• All parents and grandparents who came to our Thanksgiving Program (The children loved performing for you!)
• Everyone who sent in items for the celebebraton
• Shiloh's dad, our art parent and moms of David and Allison who provided coverage for my class during Grade Level Planning...the students loved learning more about spiders
• Moms who have graciously volunteered to be with my class while I attend the staff holiday brunch

As always, thank your continued support and the opportunity work with such wonderful children!

Author's Celebration!

   

VIP

Meet Alexis, our "VIP" and her friend, Petey!

Mystery Reader

Thank you to our Mystery Reader, Macie's mom!

Mystery Reader

Thank you to our Mystery Reader, Alexis' mom!

News and Notes

 

I would like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We truly have so much to be thankful for and at the top of my list are the beautiful children I get to be with each day. Their smiles and eagerness to learn make each and every day special for me!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

"Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go"...do these words bring back memories?  Please make plans to join us for a Thanksgiving Celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 9:00, followed by pumpkin pie!  All parents and grandparents are invited!

  We are nearing the end of our study of Native Americans and we will begin to focus on the first colonist at Plymouth and Jamestown. A wonderful website for the students to visit at home is :

http://www.plimoth.org/education/olc/intro.html

Have fun together with this great site!

Almost everyone has published their very first "masterpiece"!  I am in the process of binding the stories, and we will  have our very first author's celebration.  Our focus now is on Narrative Writing (writing stories about personal experiences and memories.)

We have begun subtraction with regrouping.  This is a difficult concept for children.  Please stress the importance of learning the subtraction facts and extra reinforcement at home would be very beneficial.  Here are two sites that we use in the classroom on the smartboard for practice:

Harcourt Math (Scroll down to Chapter 9 for subtraction regrouping activities) and Counting Money.

Special Request:  We go to the Media Center each Thursday.  Please help remind your child to bring their books back on Thursday so that they may check out new ones.

Looking Ahead:

• We are planning an exciting economics unit that allows the children to learn about supply and demand.  Second graders will be applying for job opportunities creating products that will be sold to follow students.  The children will be awarded "play money" for their work. Good work ethics will be discussed and money will be alloted dependent on productivity and performance.  The children are  not yet aware about this upcoming unit of study, but we are busy getting things ready! We may be requesting supplies to create these products...more to follow!

Upcoming Dates:

November 23-24: Thanksgiving Holidays

November 30: Optional Enrichment Project Due

November 30: Reading Records Due

December 3-7: Economics Unit

December 10-14: Cultural Celebrations of the World (Media Center)

December 19: Winter Party

December 24-January 4: Winter Break

January 7: Teacher Workday

January 8: Return to School!

Special Thanks To:

• Everyone who sent in coffee, letters and other items to support our soldiers
• Students who purchased books from my "Wish List" during the Book Fair
• Parents who helped out with the Native American Festival
• Madison's Mom who chaperoned on our field trip
• Alex's mom who presented an art lesson, and to Hannah's mom and John Henry's mom for assisting during our Grade Level Planning
• Moms of the following students who volunteered to send on items for our Thanksgiving Program and who volunteered to serve: Aaron, Alexis, Carly, David, Willl, Hannah, Alex, and Michael

As always, thank you for your continued support!

VIP

Say hello to Macie, our VIP, and her friend, Petey!

Character Winner

Congratulations to our character winner for the character word: Citizenship!  We are so proud of you!

Touch the Earth

Enjoy a few scenes from our field trip, "Touch the Earth":

                                                                                                       

                                         

Native Americans

We have learned many things about our Native American Friends!  Enjoy scenes from our Native American Fall Festival!

                                                 

Mystery Reader

Thank you to our special Mystery Reader, Philip's mom!

Mystery Reader

A special Thank You to Grace's mom, our Mystery Reader!

VIP

Meet our "VIP", Alex, and his friend Petey!

News and Notes

Excitement is all around us!  The workers have been busily installing the 21st century technology equipment.  Our new SmartBoard and LCD projector have been installed. The children come in each morning to check out what new item has been added! The goal is for everything to be up and running by the end of the month.  Thanks to a grant awarded to the second grade teachers from our wonderful and generous Mt. Bethel Foundation, we will also have another piece of new equipment...a document camera!  This camera can scan and project images from books, math manipulatives, science and social studies materials onto the SmartBoard.   

  We concluded our first math unit on double digit addition with regrouping and counting money to make change.  This is a difficult concept for second graders and I encourage you to continue reinforcing these skills with your child. Also, continue to check out the links on this blog for additional help as well. Another site that features practice with money is: Counting Money. The students continue to practice the addition and subtraction facts for speed and accuracy with the new computer program, FastMath.

We begin our second unit this week. Our focus will be on the following skills:

• time
• bar graphs
• subtraction with regrouping ("borrowing")
• comparing numbers; missing values
• geometry (plane and solid figures)
• problem solving

Please refer to the parent letter for this unit for suggestions of activities you can enjoy with your child at home.  There are some great ideas. 

I am so excited to see so many students taking advantage of RAZ-KIDS. This is a wonderful program to strengthen and reinforce your child's reading skills.  Of course, the time spent reading can be included on the daily reading calendar!

"Fun; exciting; a time to "stretch" our imaginations; cool"...these are some of the thoughts the students have regarding Writer's Workshop!

We have been learning to apply various "leads" in our writing.  The children love discovering the type of leads authors use in their books and try to use the same style in their own stories.  Try this: As your child is reading to you in the evenings, see if they can tell you the type of lead the author uses to begin the story. Hint: (Telling/Thinking Lead :tells the main idea first then goes on with the details; or, Startling Lead: makes the reader "jump" or shows a strong emotion and leaves you wondering what's going to happen; or, Questioning Lead: the story starts off by asking your reader a question; or, Talking/Hearing Lead:uses dialog or sound words to let the reader listen in to hear what's going on.)

We are also focusing on "wondrous words" (adjectives) to make our stories more interesting and come to life! The students have chosen one of their "favorite" stories and are in the editing process.  They will be published authors soon!!

The students recently wrote letters to our soldiers.  This was a school wide project which 707 letters were mailed and will be delivered by Thanksgiving!! They were heart warming and sincere.

CARING  AND SHARING  OPPORTUNITY:

In today's behavior folder is a letter regarding: "A" Company needs your love and support.  This is a very special opportunity to show our love and support for our US troops serving in Iraq and with our special connection with Mrs. Bergstedt's son-in-law.  If you would like to help out with this effort, please send in the bags of coffee by the deadline, November 12th. The children are so excited to be able to help make the holidays brighter for our soldiers! More letters would be appreciated...this would be a wonderful family project!

SOCIAL STUDIES:

We have begun to focus on the Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands and the Plains regions. We will be learning about their shelter, food, clothing, transportation, culture , and comparing their lifestyles. We look forward to our field trip to participate in "Touch the Earth".  This is a great opportunity to get a close look at the Native American culture.

SCIENCE: Our next unit will be on Energy.  Please have your child bring in a picture or two from magazines or the Internet that demonstrates energy. These are due next week.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MADISON, PHILIP AND SHILOH WHO ENTERED REFLECTIONS, and to AARON, DAVID AND ALEX WHO HAVE WHO HAVE WORKED SO  HARD AND HAVE SACRIFICED THEIR AFTERNOONS FOR SEVERAL WEEKS  TO ATTEND PLAY PRACTICE. WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!!!

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Oct. 29-Nov. 2: Book Fair
• Oct. 30: Mt. Bethel Night at Chick-Fil-A .  Our administrators will be serving!!  Portion of the proceeds will  benefit Mt. Bethel
• Oct. 31: Reading Records Due
• Nov.1: Native American Fall Festival~Wear Native American Attire
• Nov. 5: Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
• Nov. 6: Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
• Nov. 8: Field Trip to Wills Park~WEAR CLASS T-SHIRTS

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

• Carly's mom and Aaron's mom who supervised our classroom while I attended the training for the 21st century technology
• Parents who volunteered to help at our Native American Fall Festival
• Mr. Cooper and his special actors who have worked so hard on the  2nd and 3rd grade musical production, On the Radio. I can't wait to see it for I hear it is awesome !!
• To my wonderful students who make everyday special!!

SPECIAL REQUEST:

Please send in a green checking pen.  Also, ask your child if their red checking pen needs to be replaced. Also, just a reminder, please do not send in sweet snacks for snacktime (No candy, cookies, cupcakes, etc.) .Thank you.

                                                 

Book Buddy Fun!

                                                                                                      

Come check out our "Pumpkin Patch" we created with our fourth grade Book Buddies from Mrs. Graham's Class!

Responsible, Philip!

Congratulations to Philip who was selected by our class as the person who most demonstrates the character word : RESPONSIBILITY.We are proud of you!

      

VIP

Meet Will, our "VIP", and his friend Petey!

   

October Happenings

With so many activities coming up, please download the  upcoming happenings:

Download oct.Upcoming Events.doc

VIP

Meet our "VIP", Allison, and her friend Petey!

Mystery Reader

Thanks to our "Mystery Reader", Allison's mom!

 

Mystery Reader

Thank you to our very "SPECIAL" Mystery Readers!!

 

October News

There are a few upcoming reminders I wanted you to be aware of:

• Oct. 4: PTA Reflections Entry Due
• Oct. 9: School Picture Make-Up Day: If you wish to have your child's picture retaken, please return the original pictures and envelope.
• Oct. 12: This date is listed on the School Calendar as a Teacher Workday/Student Holiday, however, it is a REGULAR SCHOOL DAY.  (Sorry, boys and girls!!)
• Oct.  15: Parent Volunteer Training (Last opportunity to be trained) 9:00 in the Media Center
• Oct. 16: Class Photos
• Oct. 17: Early Release Day~Students dismissed at 12:20
• Oct. 18: Gift Wrap Delivered
• Oct. 22-26: Red Ribbon Week (More information will follow)
• Oct. 25: McBethel Night at Chick-Fil-A; 5PM-8PM; You don't want to miss seeing Mrs. Lattizori, Mrs. Fleming and Mrs. Bachrach serving!!!

Special Thanks:

• Madison's mom and John's mom  for being our Parent Volunteers while I attended a grade level  team meeting on Wednesday.  Also a special thank you to Shiloh's dad for presenting a wonderful art lesson which the children enjoyed!
• Mt. Bethel Foundation for providing materials for our Science Lab which enhance our science curriculum
• To  my students who were wonderful scientists during High Touch, High Tech program, "Gas Blast". Take a look at the photos below:

As always, thank you for sharing your children with me!

Few scenes from "Gas Blast", High Touch, High Tech!