The kids are definitely excited to be back! You can hear it in their voices as they converse with one another. We are working on building relationships among each other and reaching out beyond our familiar friends. Everyone needs a friend and we all need to be supported in the classroom. I will be challenging students to maybe go a bit out of their comfort zone to develop friendships with people they don't know. This skill - that of being able to make friends with just about anyone - is a really important one that will stay with kids throughout their schooling and maybe even into their careers. Being able to join with others to accomplish a task - collaborating - is an important skill that employers look for these days. And I know your kids are up for the challenge!
Thanks for sending in book bags. They are awesome! Some of you have ordered book bags and they are on their way! I've explained the reading homework and log system we will use this year to the students. They have a reading list recording page in their Bee Binders. They should record all the books they read at home. They will record the books they read at school, as well. We are going for completing 40 books from many different genres this year! Please encourage your child to read, read, read. Studies show that reading is the number one activity that promotes excellence in school academics and in life. Here is a link that might explain... http://www.best-books-for-kids.com/benefits-of-reading.html We will be working on Texas Landmarks the next few days, responding to our reading, and journal writing.
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But how could that be? The first day was so fun! Well, for one thing, the SUN was out and we could have outside recess! Secondly, students are already starting to fall into a routine - lining up in the hallway before the morning bell, placing their lunch boxes neatly in a row on the black shelf outside our front door, greeting each other with a firm handshake during morning meeting, turning work into the "Dawson bin", lining up on the green square in the pod....all these little classroom routines help us navigate through the day. Your kids are super animated and willing to put effort into their work.
I'd like to share a couple of things: PLEASE look at your child's agenda daily for a few weeks to make sure he/she is doing homework and to see anything else written in there. Ms. Perkins and I will have students write important information in their agenda. I also want your child to take responsibility for looking in the agenda every afternoon to make sure they are doing their work. You do not need to sign the agenda - we don't do that in fourth grade. Eventually, by the end of the year, your child should really be independently taking care of business, so to speak. The 2nd thing is PLEASE have your child bring in a smallish book bag. We are focusing on independent reading this year and I would like the kids to get used to reading 3, 4 books at a time and be able to take the books anywhere. Our desks get crowded and the white boxes are full with math/science books, so the over-the-shoulder book bag is the way to go. It doesn't have to be fancy, but I would like it to be smaller than a grocery bag. They will hang on the back of your child's chair at school and your child will be transporting books to different areas of the school, so they shouldn't be cumbersome. I have a friend who has a sewing business and she will make your child a custom bag for $16.24 ($15 + tax); email or call me to order. Several kids have ordered them already! Sorry to write such a long blog! Next time I'll include pictures! Welcome back Bobcats! We had a wonderfully successful first day of school. Your kids are so awesome. They were chill while we dealt with our supplies; it takes forever to put labels and names on all the spirals and folders! We did Morning Meeting: a whole class greeting, a sharing, an activity, and a morning message. We will implement MM throughout the school year in an effort to build class community and support one another. Everyone paired up with another student at lunch and interviewed their partner to get to know them! We will continue to share what each student learned about their partner this week. Students have homework tonight; they are to fill out The Big Day and bring it back on Wednesday. This HW assignment will give them an opportunity to share what they've learned about our class with you.
If your child hasn't brought a book bag to class, please do so by Friday. We are looking for bags that have a shoulder strap that can hang on the back of the student's chair. If you have questions about this, please ask me. You can order a book bag through me, if you'd like. I have samples in the classroom; just come on in and look at them when you can. Independent Reading is the focus in Austin ISD this year! I look forward to sharing many books with your kids! Hello All!
This week we explained the Reward system from today until the end of the year. Thank you for returning the signed form indicating that you read over the expectations. Today many students earned their first stamp! All it takes is keeping up with HW, following school rules, and being productive in the classroom. Also, I want to say that I truly appreciate all the gifts during teacher appreciation week. You are all so generous; this has been a fun week. We even enjoyed a luncheon on Wednesday provided by the PTA. I feel very lucky and blessed to be part of Baldwin Elementary! Next week is STAAR week - Math on Monday, Reading on Tuesday. Please don't schedule any appointments for your child either of these days, and remember that no one is allowed in the building during testing. We will start the test at 7:50, so please be on time to school!! In LANGUAGE ARTS this week, students continued to do a daily reading Staar practice passage; we worked on specific word study skills; we continued our poetry unit (you can view them in your child's google drive!); we started Wacky Research trifold projects using a favorite character from a novel; we continued Book Club, IStation, fluency group, and independent reading time. In SOCIAL STUDIES we finished our postcards written from the viewpoint of someone immigrating to Texas in the 1800's. We saw a video about Cinco de Mayo to learn what it really celebrates. We are ready to start learning about Texas in the Civil War and then we'll go into modern/contemporary Texas. UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS THAT ARE DUE:
My homeroom class - please remember due date for Scholastic Book orders is Monday, May 16! Yesterday, we took a field trip to the Austin Nature and Science Center. Students had a great time, despite the drizzle! We studied the rock cycle, examined fossils and pocketed one to take home, classified minerals and rocks, and took a short hike to see a flowing creek that is usually dry and the Balcones Fault.
Our guide told us about geochaching opportunities through the Nature and Science Center. It's called "Texas Nature Challenge". You can get on their website and contact them if you're interested. Here are some photos of our class at the Center! https://austintexas.gov/department/austin-nature-and-science-center |
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