Newsletter_Boogie-O-Rama

Hi,

We had a groovy day today! The kids did a wonderful job singing and dancing in the Boogie-O-Rama! Their outfits and wigs were very cool! Our speakers, Jody and Mallory, as well as our singing soloists, Alexa, Haylea, Aaliyah, and Dre, were awesome. I was extremely impressed!

Our class had a substitute on Wednesday and it didn't go very well. There was a lot of extra talking out, and some inappropriate behavior. So on Thursday, we all reminded each other in writing about the expectations for our class when we have a substitute. They know my expectations when I am here but some may not have realized that those same expectations are in place with a substitute. The entire class did a wonderful job demonstrating those expectations (work hard, quiet voices, respect others) on Thursday and today. I was especially proud of their hard work and calmness in the classroom today with so much excitement going on around school. We will continue to review expectations in the classroom, regarding quality work, in the hallway, in the bathroom, and in the cafeteria as the holidays approach. Your children are very respectful and kind and I am so happy to be with them each day.

Reading-In reading this week, we read a wonderful book called Cheyenne Again and learned about finding themes throughout literature. The children were extremely engaged in this book and had so many thoughtful responses. It tells about a 10 year old Cheyenne boy who is taking from his family to go to boarding school to learn how to be a respectable citizen. We found many themes like sadness, loneliness, anger, and fear but also hope. We thought that the author's message was about remembering your culture and heritage or treat others as you would want to be treated. They did a fantastic job!

Book Club Books-We started some new book clubs this week. We are trying to finish these books by Tuesday and then will be starting new books after Thanksgiving. Most of the kids are really working hard and writing complete summaries and in-depth responses to what they've read. We also wrote and discussed tricky words and use context clues to figure out unknown meanings them confirmed them in the dictionary. Setting and characters were also discussed and written about. We are trying to build our reading stamina as we work on comprehension strategies. Great work!

Writing-Wow! Many of your children are doing a great job with revision! We have been working on our second personal narratives and having individual conferences to discuss revisions. The children are using a checklist to independently make revisions then we meet and discuss other possible revisions to try. We are trying hard to finish these pieces by Tuesday.

Math-Division can be challenging. Many children are understanding division using manipulatives in story problems. Games have also been a good way to experiment with strategies for division and multiplication. Fact families are another tool that many kids use to solve division equations. We are continuing to work on harder divison problems next week. We will be using multiple strategies to solve these problems. Thank you for working with math facts at home as well.

Social Studies-We started to learn about explorers in Texas this week. We will be continuing to study Texas explorers with some interesting activities after the holiday. We will be working on some Thanksgiving activities the next two days.

Dates to Remember:

Nov. 15 - Dec. 3 TAG Referral window open

Nov. 24-26 Thanksgiving Holiday. No School.

Dec. 1 Walk to School Wednesday

Dec. 2 ADHD and Other Bio-behavioral Disorders Information Session facilitated by Linda Classen, M. Ed., LPC @ 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m @ Blackland Prairie Elementary PRO Center, Rm. D104To RSVP or for more information, contact Felice Geear, BPE Parent Support Specialist at felice_geear@roundrockisd.org or 424-8598.

Dec. 3 Deadline for turning in TAG referrals
Campbell's Labels for Education Contest ends

Dec. 6 - 10 Holiday Catalog Stacking Contest!

Dec. 9-Literacy Night at FCE

Dec. 13-Visit to see our Pen Pals at The Court in Round Rock

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am thankful to be a part of your child's education. Thank you for encouraging them to work hard and try their best each day!

Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew