Bartholomew Bats!


Our school is located in Round Rock, Texas which is near Austin. Austin and Round Rock both have huge populations of Mexican Free Tailed Bats that live under our bridges. A colony of bats lives beneath the Ann Richards/Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin and in Round Rock, another colony resides under the Interstate 35 bridge over McNeil Road. Each evening from March to about October, the bats fly out from beneath the bridge and search for insects to eat. The emergence of the bats is a wonder to watch. We are also thankful that all these millions of bats eat the bugs by our homes.

Our class mascot is the Bat to honor the mammals that live so close to us and help us. (also because Bat and Bartholomew both start with the letter B!) The bats in Central Texas live together in a group and help take care of the young. Then they migrate together as a team. Our class will also live together in our classroom, work together as a team, and help each other out. We are the Bartholomew Bats!





Sunday, October 26, 2014

Newsletter

Hi, October 26, 2014

We have a busy week ahead!
This is Red Ribbon Week. The theme is: Be Yourself * Be Healthy * Be Happy * Be DRUG FREE

Monday – “Say Peace Out to Drugs” - wear tie dye
The Cedar Ridge Football Players will sign autographs at lunch – Bring a pen or pencil to lunch.

Tuesday – “Too Cool to do Drugs” – wear sunglasses
The Cedar Ridge Cheerleaders will hand out goodies at each entrance.

Wednesday – “Say Yes to a Healthy Heart and Body” – wear anything and everything RED
The Round Rock Fire Department will present assemblies: K-2
at 8:15 a.m. & 3-5 at 9:00 a.m.

Thursday – “I Picture Myself Without Drugs” – wear your school picture clothes
The Cedar Ridge Cheerleaders will hand out goodies at each entrance.

Friday – “Sock It To Drugs” – wear crazy socks
The Cedar Ridge Football Players will hand out goodies at each entrance.

Wednesday is an Early Release day. Students will be released at 12:45 p.m. We will also have a fire safety assembly during the day.

Kona Ice will be in front of school right after dismissal on Wednesday.
______________________________________________________________
Our next PTA Family Fun Night will be from 5-8 at Austin’s Pizza on Monday night, November 3rd.

Pen Pals will be coming on Tuesday, October 28! We are so excited to see them and will be interviewing them as well as exploring some watercolors, crayons, and play dough. We will create masterpieces together while we share time talking and enjoying each other’s company. We will also share our writing-personal narratives and Reflections writing. You are welcome to come and join us from about 9:15-10:30 in the library.

Reading-We began reading and taking notes on book club books for literacy circles. We are using post-it notes to take notes of our thinking, questions, comments, and/or tricky words. Then we meet with others reading the same book and discuss. These books are being read independently in class, however, if the children aren’t able to complete their assignment for that day, they can read this book for homework and it can count on the at home reading log. They can also use this book for their summary and response homework on Wednesdays and Fridays. We are also continuing our study of expository text and compared stated or explicit headings (An article about Mayans had a stated heading. The section was called Clothes and the section was about the clothing of the ancient and modern Mayan people.) and inferential or implicit headings (An article about electricity had inferential or implicit headings. These headings required the reader to make an inference or use background knowledge and text clues to figure it out. One head was Blow Wind, Blow and was about wind power being used for electricity.) We will continue to examine expository text and begin some poetry this week.

Writing-We researched information about healthy choices regarding food, exercise, drugs (over the counter and illegal drugs), alcohol, and smoking in our health book. We used some of the information to create Healthy Choice Plate Posters for a PE contest. We also wrote for the essay contest for Red Ribbon Week. We learned about outlining a bit to help organize our expository writing with a central idea then supporting statements with examples and a strong conclusion. We will be revising, editing, and publishing our expository writing this week.

Spelling-Plurals have been our focus. We learned a letter s is added to many words to change them from singular to plural. Words ending in s, ch, tch, z, sh, x, need an es added to make them plural. Some words are irregular and change completely like foot-feet, child-children. If the word ends with a consonant then a y, the y is changed to an i and es is added. That will be on our list this week.

Vocabulary-This week’s vocabulary is on figurative language. It includes simile, metaphor, imagery, sensory words, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, idiom, and hyperbole. These words and definitions will be in their agendas on Monday and are already on quizlet.com to practice.

Social Studies-We will work hard to finish our projects by Friday. Many are getting close and some have a lot to still work on. When our region projects are complete, we will begin studying the Native people in Texas.

Dates to Remember-

Monday, October 27-Reading logs due, tutorials from 2:45-3:45- wear tie dye

Tuesday, October 28-Pen Pals from 9:15-10:30, tutorials from 2:45-3:45, wear sunglasses

Wednesday, October 29-Early Release Day at 12:45, Fire Safety Assembly, Lunch from 10:45-11:15, Kona Ice after school, Summary and Response Due- wear anything and everything RED

Thursday, October 30-Writing Club from 2:45-3:45 in library, Picture Day during the day- wear your school picture clothes

Friday, October 31- Summary and Response Due, Spelling Test, Vocabulary Test - wear crazy socks

Have a wonderful weekend! If you have any questions or concerns, let me know.

Thank you!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Newsletter

Hi,

It was nice to see so many of you at conferences and to get to talk about your child and his/her progress. If you were unable to attend a conference and would still like to schedule one, please email and let us know. Thank you so much!

Dad’s Day
All dads are invited to come to school with their student(s) on October 24 from 7:30 to 9:00am. Go to class with your child and then report to the cafeteria for juice, coffee, and donuts at 8:15. Dads will get a firsthand experience of life in the classroom. Make plans to attend! You may want to consider signing up to be a part of our Watch D.O.G.S. program.

TAG Information Night
Save this date if you’re interested in the gifted and talented program at Forest Creek Elementary! The TAG parent information night for testing is going to take place on November 11, 2014 in the library. The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 7:15pm.

OMS Toy Drive for Dell Children’s Hospital
The FCE Service Club is still accepting donations for NEW toys to bring awareness of OMS. We have 74 toys so far and our goal is 150. We will collect toys until Nov. 14.

FCE Service Club
Our Service Club will meet on Thursday, October 23 from 2:45-3:45. All 4th and 5th graders are welcome to attend. We will count the new toy donations and begin writing notes and drawing pictures for children in an orphanage in Honduras. We will also talk about upcoming service projects. Bring some ideas.

Tutorials
Tutorials will be offered on Monday and Tuesday afternoons from 2:45-3:45. All students in Fry and Bartholomew’s classes are welcome to come to tutorials. Some come and work on homework and others work in small groups on specific assignments. Ms. Fry also does tutorials in the cafeteria on Tuesday mornings from 7:15-7:30.

Grading Period Ends on Friday
All missing or late assignments need to be completed and turned in by Friday. Any papers or tests that had correct and return for 70%, need to be turned in by Friday. Report cards will be sent home on November 6.

Pen Pals
Our pen pals are scheduled to come to FCE on Oct. 28 at 9:15. We missed seeing them this week and look forward to seeing them again. All are welcome to come and meet these wonderful friends.


Reflections Poems and Stories-Forms due ASAP
Your child brought home a poem or story with the theme-The World Would be a Better Place if… Stapled to their writing is a form to fill out to participate in the PTA Reflections Program. Please fill out the form with your child and return as soon as possible. It would be wonderful for everyone to participate in Reflections.

Our Week
In reading-we read non-fiction articles and determined the structure of the text. An article about the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park was organized in a compare and contrast format and the students compared and contrasted the opinions and actions of the ranchers and the wolf activists. Another article called “Hanging by a Thread” was organized in a problem/solution and was about the introduction of a non-native plant in Hawaii and the effects of that. We learned about making inferences (background knowledge + text clues=inference) by reading a book called Encounter, which is about Christopher Columbus but from a native boy’s point of view. We will continue working with non-fiction text and will begin literature circles or book clubs this week.

In writing-we published our poems and/or stories for Reflections and wrote more expository entries. We also worked on mentor sentences (to practice grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation. We took some writing time to work on our expository essays for social studies. We worked on plurals in spelling (adding es) and will continue with irregular plurals this week (foot, feet, etc…)

In social studies, we worked on our expository essays about our regions and began planning our projects with our groups.

Dates to Remember:
Monday, October 20-Reading Log due, Tutorials afterschool 2:45-3:45
Tuesday, October 21-Tutorials afterschool 2:45-3:45
Wednesday, October 22-Reading Response and Summary due
Thursday, October 23-Service Club Meeting-2:45-3:45
Friday, October 24-Dad’s Day from 7:30-9:00-Reflections forms due, Reading Response and Summary due, Grading Period Ends

Red Ribbon Week-October 27-31
Early Release Day-Wednesday, October 29 at 12:45

Have a great rest of the weekend and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Pam Bartholomew

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Newsletter-No school for students on Monday, October 13

Hi, October 12, 2014

Mad Science did an assembly for us on Friday afternoon and it was so much fun. The presenter used lots of volunteers performed demonstrations about the effects and power of air. It was very comical and educational. Ask your child about it.

Don’t forget that the students don’t have school on Monday, October 13. The teachers have staff development then we will begin our conferences on Monday afternoon. We look forward to seeing you this week. The conference is student led, so be sure to bring your child with you and we will all talk about goals and plans to reach those goals.

Writing Club will meet on Thursday, October 16. All 2nd-5th graders are welcome and we meet in the library from 2:45-3:45. If students need to make up homework or assignments, they are welcome to use this time in the library to do so.

Tutorials will be on Tuesday from 2:45-3:45.

Service Club continues to collect new toys for Dell Children’s Hospital. We have collected 55 toys so far and our goal is 150 toys by November 14. This toy drive is bringing awareness to OMS, which is a disease in which the child’s immune system tries to fight a tumor and ends up attacking the brain. Thank you so much for your donations.

In social studies, we continued to research our region and writing an expository essay to explain and teach about the region. We are working with our Texas group to help each other with continued research and writing about each region. We are in the process of peer editing and conferencing about the essays, then will type the essays and work on planning our projects this week.

In writing, we are collecting entries for expository writing. We walked around the school and in the gardens and made observations. Then pushed our thinking and wrote about what was interesting or important about our observations to try to lead us to big ideas. We also thought about special people and places and reasons and examples of their importance to us. Expository writing will include a central idea and supporting details and its purpose is to explain or teach information. When we think of expository, we think of explain and examples. Personal Narratives tell a small moment story.

In reading, we continued reading lots of expository or informational books. We looked for text features and their purposes and text structures. Text features include table of contents, index, glossary, photos, charts, captions, and subheading or subtitles. Text structures refer to the different structures of the text or how the information is organized. These include description, compare/contrast, problem/solution, question/answer, and sequential. We will also be making inferences (background knowledge +information from text=inference).

Vocabulary words are posted on Quizlet. These words are nonfiction text features. The children will have their notecards with the words and definitions written on them and the vocabulary words and definitions are also stapled to their agenda. Email me if your child is not able to access quizlet.com. Thank you for studying vocabulary words at home.

In spelling, we worked on words with changing words from singular to plural by adding an s. This week, we will look at plurals and ways that words change by adding es. Words that end in ch, sh, ss, x, and z become plural by adding an es. 12 of the words will be singular and plural (add es) and the other three words are from the student’s writing or words to work on from previous spelling tests. Thank you for studying spelling words with your child at home.

Nichole Allison, our student teacher, has been doing more of the planning and instruction for our class and is doing a wonderful job. We are so lucky to have her with us.



Dates to remember:

Monday, Oct. 13-no school for students, conferences begin

Tuesday, Oct. 14- Pen Pal Visit at 9:20. All are welcome to attend and meet our pen pals, Reading log due, Tutorials after school 2:45-3:45, Computer Lab open 2:45-3:45

Wednesday, Oct. 15-Summary and Response due, conferences continue

Thursday, Oct. 16-Writing Club after school 2:45-3:45 in library, Computer lab open 2:45-3:45

Friday, Oct. 17-Summary and Response Due, Spelling Test, Vocabulary test

Saturday, Oct. 18-Conferences continue-come to the back car rider door and call 512-464-5388

Have a great rest of the weekend! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Pam Bartholomew

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Newsletter-Book Club orders due today, Bring in toys for OMS Toy Drive, Reading Log due on Monday, Summary and Response due on Wednesday and Friday, Spelling and Vocabulary test on Friday, Mad Science Assembly on Friday

Hi, October 5, 2014

We had another busy, but productive week. Many of our classmates went to other classrooms to give a presentation for Service Club. They spoke to other students about our Toy Drive for Dell Children’s Hospital. The drive will give toys to sick children at the hospital, but the drive is to also raise awareness for OMS, which is a disease in which the child’s immune system tries to fight a tumor and ends up attacking the brain. Please send in NEW toys for our toy drive and put them in the box by the office. Baby toys, stuffed animals, board games, matchbox cars, crayons, etc… are all needed. Our goal is to collect 150 toys by November 14. Thank you for your donation.

Service Club meets this week in our room on Thursday from 2:45-3:45. All 4th and 5th graders are welcome to join. This week, we will be continuing to promote our OMS Toy Drive by making more posters and hanging them in the hallways and making a thermometer to keep track of our donations. We will count the donated toys so far and learn more about OMS and Dell Children’s Hospital. We will also talk about possible projects for the future.

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences are coming up! Ms. Fry and I will be conducting the conferences together with your child leading the 15 minute discussion. We will send out a Sign-Up Genius link for you to schedule your conference. We will have some afterschool times as well as during the day on Saturday, October 18. We will let you know specifics early this week.

Writing Club met on Thursday. We had a great turn out, but would always love to have more writers. All 2nd-5th graders are welcome. We talked about writing in general, then talked about graphic novels or comic book-like novels. Many of the kids made their own comic strips and others worked on their own writing. They all worked hard and were creative. Our next Writing Club meeting is on Thursday, October 16 from 2:45-3:45 in the library.

We met with our reading buddies on Friday and had a Cedar Ridge Football player come to our room to work with us. We shared our personal narratives with our buddies and with Noah, our football player.

Our counselor, Miranda Owens, came to do a lesson for us on Thursday. We played a game using information about her role and duties as a counselor at school and ways that she can help us.

In social studies, we continued to research our region and began writing an expository essay to explain and teach about the region. We are in the process of peer editing and conferencing about the essays, then will work on our projects this week.

In writing, we celebrated finishing our Personal Narratives and began planning our writing for Reflections. We will finish those this week and begin writing entries for expository writing. This writing will include a central idea and supporting details and its purpose is to explain or teach information.

In reading, we began reading lots of expository or informational books. We looked for text features and their purposes. Text features include table of contents, index, glossary, photos, charts, captions, and subheading or subtitles. We will continue to read expository books and examine the different structures of the text or how the information is organized. We will also be making inferences (background knowledge +information from text=inference) and examining fact and opinions in the text.

Vocabulary words are posted on Quizlet. These words come from our small books that we read and discuss during guided reading groups. The children will have their notecards with the words and definitions written on them and the vocabulary words and defintions are also stapled to their agenda. Email me if your child is not able to access quizlet.com.

In spelling, we worked on words with double consonants like address and difficult. This week, we will look at plurals and ways that words change from singular to plural.

Thank you for helping your child study vocabulary and spelling at home.

Book Club orders will be submitted tonight. Go to www.scholastic.com then parents then order from a reading club flyer. Our class activation code is GYTDB.

Nichole Allison, our student teacher, has been doing more of the planning and instruction for our class and is doing a wonderful job. We are so lucky to have her with us.

Dates to remember:
Monday, Oct. 6-Reading log due, Tutorials after school 2:45-3:45
Tuesday, Oct. 7-Tutorials after school 2:45-3:45, Computer Lab open 2:45-3:45
Wednesday, Oct. 8-Summary and Response due
Thursday, Oct. 9-Service Club after school 2:45-3:45 in room 512, Computer lab open 2:45-3:45
Friday, Oct. 10-Summary and Response Due, Spelling Test, Vocabulary test, Mad Science Assembly

Tuesday, Oct. 14-Pen Pal Visit! 9:30-10:30 am in the library

Have a great rest of the weekend! Enjoy the beautiful weather! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew