Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Hi everyone,

I am currently in Illinois at a language arts conference.  I am learning so much about the Daily 5 and Cafe methods of teaching.  It has been a fantastic learning opportunity for me, and I am very excited to come back and put my new learning into practice!  I will be back tomorrow (Thursday) just in time for our fun Halloween festivities!

There are just a few things I wanted to update for you.  Last week we met with Mr. Mullen's sophomores to listen to some Halloween stories and brainstorm story elements for our scarecrow stories.  The kids have been working very hard during writing time to write their original scarecrow stories.  Watch the bulletin board for those stories to arrive soon.  If you get a chance to check out the bulletin board, make sure you have an electronic device that can scan a QR code (phone, iPad).  If you don't have a QR code reader currently, you can download one for free from the App store.  I have used Microsoft TAG very successfully.  You will truly enjoy what you see and hear if you scan our QR code from the bulletin board!  (PS - if you don't have a way to scan our QR code, come and ask to borrow my iPad from the classroom.  We really want you to see it!)

Scholastic book orders went in last week, so if you ordered books for your child, they will most likely be delivered to the classroom by next week.  I can't imagine they will be delivered by tomorrow.

Last week, the children filled our gem cup.  In our classroom, they can receive a gem for good behavior, quiet hall walking, exceptional listening skills during teaching times, and receiving compliments from other teachers.  The kids came up with some ideas of what they would like to do to celebrate their success, and the winning vote was movie with a special snack.  So last week Friday, I brought in a movie for us to watch at the end of the day, and I also brought popsicles, strawberries, Simply Fruit fruit roll-ups, and 100% fruit juice boxes.  The kids LOVED their special reward.  We are working again to fill the gem cup!

Another thing that came up last week was the topic of Show and Share.  The kids have shown an interest in bringing objects from home to show and share with their friends.  These are the guidelines I've shared with my kiddos.  Show and Share is only on Friday (if we don't have school on Friday, we will not do it on Thursday or a Monday).  They may bring in anything they like as long as it is small enough to fit into their schoolbag, it isn't an electronic game, and it isn't alive (no pets).  Children DO NOT need to bring in something to share - this is completely optional.  If kids remember to bring something, that's great.  If not, there are no worries.  A child can choose to share something verbally with their friends or choose not to share anything that particular Friday.  So there will be no Show and Share this week, since the kids have no school on Friday.

Hope all is going well for everyone.  I will be writing report cards on Friday, and I truly look forward to meeting with everyone on either November 7th or 8th for conferences.  I can't wait to share with you all of your child's successes and goals for the year.

Take care,
Patti