Telling Time

This week we are going to focus in on telling time to the hour and 1/2 hour on analog and digital clocks. We will also be learning to write time in both formats. Have fun with this at home and have your student read and write time!

Something to do on March 14

Book Signing and Reading with national author Margie Carroll Date: March 14, 2013 Time: 1:00 PM Location Madrona Hills Ace Hardware Open to the General Public
Margie Carroll, a former educator, who after retiring, turned her talents to writing children’s nature books. Her photography is stunning and Margie’s work has been in art galleries throughout the south and southwest. She is a regularly featured author and photographer for “Mountain Life Magazine”.
The stories are told through the eyes of a young animal and there is always a resolution to the problem or situation at hand. These animals are captured on film in their natural settings and it often takes more than a year to photograph the story.
Margie will sign her books and do three readings during the course of her afternoon at Madrona Hills Ace. At the end of each reading, there will be a drawing for that book. Between readings, she will autograph her books.
Margie will be joined by the wild birds of Turtle Ridge Wild Life Center. These educational birds will fly in the store, a breath taking experience. Participants will also have a chance to make a wish on real baby ducks by tossing a coin in their pond. All the coins go to support the babies of Turtle Ridge Wild Life Center

Discover Saturday with Mrs. Aguirre

Bird Eggs and Nests: Discovery Saturday
Saturday, March 9, 1-4 p.m.
The flap is all about our flying feathered friends. Let’s unscramble the details about eggs and nests from a variety of birds. Learn what it takes to care for eggs so they don’t end up cracked up. Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center will join us! Free with admission.

The Buzzzzz

The Buzzzzz in B5

Dear Families!!

Wow so much going on this time of year. I just wanted to give you the heads up on a few things!

Heifer Project

If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, please send in donations by Friday. If you would like to learn more please go to Heifer.org.

Seussical Musical

We’ll be having our musical performance Tuesday February 26 at 6:30. (This is also a family shopping night for the Book Fair.) Students are to dress in bright colorful clothes for the Dr. Seuss theme performance.

Spirit Wear

Ordering is now to February 26.

Family Read In and Young Author’s Night

The book fair will be open for evening shopping and we’ll be having a family read in as well as writing for our students displayed. This will be from 5:30 to 7:00 on February 28.

Volunteering in the School

We have a couple up coming opportunities for helping out in our building.  During the book fair, we need volunteers before and after school as well as in the evening. If you are interested please stop by the office to sign up.

Also on March 7 we’ll be working to thin out the Naturescape. I am looking for volunteers to take small groups of kids out to help. If you are interested please let me know.

Don’t forget conferences will be March, the Wednesday evening and all day Thursday before Spring Break. 

Falcon Fast Facts

Great job on starting this program! Let me know how it's going for your family. Don't forget to send in challenge cards when your child has mastered their facts. If you have missed these facts, let me know so I can send a new set home to you. Please remember to have your student practice their fact nightly.

Subtraction

We have been focusing on subtraction for the last month. Students are comfortable using numbers less than 10 and are working on ways to solve equations with numbers less than 20. Our goal is fluency in numbers less than 10...no fingers!

Opinion Paper

Your student is bringing home an opinion paper today. We did today's using a framework that we are teaching the kids. Your student has been practicing this framework for about a week. Next week we will be practicing how to write an opinion paper without the framework. A great thing to practice out home would be to do this verbally. They could give you their opinion on TV shows, games, books or various other things. Our current focus is to do this with a book but we have been using the idea to talk about other topics in class.

Catching up!!

In the craziness of life, I have stopped blogging and it's my goal to return to it. I will be posting off and on to get you all update on what's going on in class! I can't wait to share what the class has been working on...and boy are we busy!

Book Order Update

Hello!
I sent out emails telling I would be dropping off book orders tomorrow. If you did not get an email and you did order a book, email me and I'll get in touch with you. Thanks for your patience with getting this order to you.

Scholastic Order

It's on it's way! I have the tracking number but the information hasn't been updated since Friday. I will keep you posted!

Recent Events

With recent events at Clackamas, and now in Connecticut, it is important that parents talk to their children at home in whatever manner you deem appropriate. However, PLEASE REMIND STUDENTS NOT TO BE TALKING WITH OTHER STUDENTS ABOUT THESE EVENTS AT SCHOOL. They shouldn't even be saying things like, "Did you hear what happened? . . . etc." Children are not emotionally equipped to process these events with classmates. If I see kids in distress or needing to talk to someone I will make arrangements for them to see me, Mr. E, or the counselor.

Thoughts and prayers out to many,

Tell my secret Santa...

Thanks!!
If you know who my secret Santa is can you pass on my THANKS to them!!

Math Fact Help!

In January we will be launching our Fast Falcon Facts program and we need your help to make this program a success.  We are looking for volunteers to commit to 1 or 2 hours a week Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.  Volunteers will be testing students and restocking the fact card files. 

 

We would also like to have a training for the volunteers and we are considering, Monday, January 7, 2013.  Please respond to this email and let your child’s classroom teacher if you would be interested in volunteering and if you can attend the training.

 

Math facts are an important skill for students to take on to middle school and your help and support will help them be successful.

Party Fund, Pencils

Thank you to those of you have already sent in funds. I am asking for $7 to cover the cost of the classroom parties we will have from now to the end of the year. Thank you so much for your support.Also thank you to those who have donated pencils to our classroom pencil fund. This will help us spend more time writing and less time at the pencil sharpener!

Coins

We've started talking about the name and value of coins. I am hoping you can help practice this at home since real coins are much more interesting than the images on paper. Our goal is to know the name and value of penny, nickle, dime and quarter. Students can also work on counting small collection of coins to find out total value.

Book orders

I've got one last book order to put in before vacation. Please have all orders in by December 7. I will be submitting the order that night. This should give it plenty of time to get here before our last day of school before vacation. Please let me know if the order is a gift. I'll put it in the office for pick up and send you an email.

There was a...

Today we read a book about about turkey's racing to be dinner and then finding out they didn't want to be eaten. The kids had the following writing prompt.

A tricky tom turkey didn't want to be dinner. This is how he got away.

Here are are the kids' ideas...

Harrison

The human put him in the oven. Then he catches on fire and he busted out of the oven and out the door. 

Kate

Because it didn't want to get eaten up.

Evan

Because they did not want to be cooked.

Aurora

He ran away.

Gage

He wanted to get out of the oven.

Kylie

They jumped over the fence.

Ronan

The turkeys jumped over the fence to get away.

Andrew

The turkeys ran and ran and ran and ran fast.

Aidan

The turkeys jumped to a fence.

Jana

He ran away from the farm and into the meadow away from everything except flowers, bugs, trees and grass.

Andres

He ran to Mexico.

Gavin

The turkeys ran away because they didn't want to be eaten.

Rory

He ran away over a fence.

Roman

My turkey ran out the door when it was all the way open. I laughed a lot.

Sarah

My turkey ran away to another farm that did not cook turkeys.

Nicole

It ran and ran and ran.

Ethan

He took an airplane.

Hailey

He ran away.

Grayson

He jumped over the fence.

Susan

He got away fast. He got away huffing and puffing.  He ran into the shed. There was a bag of turkey food in the shed. 

Riley

Cuz they jumped over the fence.

Skylar

The turkey away for doing a race and many medals.

Kelson

They got away over a fence.

Raul

At the night, the turkey covered the farmer's face with a scarf.In the morning he runs away. The farmer couldn't see. Now I won't be cooked.

Mia

So Tom had a plan to make an airplane out of sticks and leaves and fly away.

Mason

The turkey would be in the oven.It got out. It went out of my house and ran over the fence and it went across the bridge to the farm.

Book Character Dress Up Day has MOVED

Please remember that book character dress up day has been moved to the spring. Thank you for not sending students dressed in costumes tomorrow!

Paws For Reading

If you are ready to log in and log all the minutes read, please create your own log in and password. That way each family has one unique to them!

School Supplies

Please check in with your student on how they are doing on their school supplies. The biggest need is most likely pencils. They have been going through these!