Hi,
Your children did some amazing science projects! They all presented their experiments and their findings to the class. Because they were so good and they worked so hard on them, we are going to share them with our pen pals also on Wednesday afternoon. The pen pals and the children will make bowls for the Empty Bowl Project on Wednesday then we will invite them to come to our classroom where we will have our projects on display around the room. I am sure that our pen pals will be impressed with their hard work and scientific discoveries. You are welcome to come to our pen pal visit on Wednesday! We will be in Mrs. Arnold's Art room at 12:55.
Reading: We chose historical fiction novels about the Texas Revolution. The kids decided on how many pages/chapters to read each weeknight and are doing some of that reading in class. They are writing summaries and responses and talking about the book and its events with their book club group. These novels help to bring the events of the Texas Revolution to life and make learning the facts in social studies more relevant. Ask your child about his/her book. These books can be used for reading log minutes at home and the summary/responses can count as homework (write "Home" with date, so I know that they were done at home)
Writing: We completed writing expository pieces or essays for Black History month. Your child worked hard on these by completing research using at least two sources, then organizing the research to show how their person journeyed toward equality and freedom and added some personal connections. Together we revised, edited, and cut the essays down to meet the 250 word limit. Your child brought home a copy of his/her essay stapled to an entry form for the RRISD contest. Please fill out the form, sign, and return so that we can submit the essays. We also wrote letters for our pen pals and will be working on some personal narratives next week.
Math: Decimals and fractions have been our focus. We are learning the concepts using manipulatives, drawings, and models and applying the concepts to problem solving situations. Be sure to point out uses in daily life of decimals and fractions and continue to practice math facts.
Social Studies-We will continue to learn about the Texas Revolution.
Science-We finished talking about science projects and will begin changes to land soon.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, January 28-Reading Logs due, Sign and Return Black History Month form
Wednesday, January 30-Pen Pal Visit at 1:00pm, Group Picture Day
Thursday, January 31-Science & Math Night at 5pm
Friday, February 1-Wear Red for Jump Rope for Heart
Homework this week:
Read and record on reading log-150 minutes at least
Math due daily
two reading responses (summary & response)
two writing entries (one personal narrative & one essay)
Thank you for your support at home! Please contact me with any questions or concerns.
I am impressed with the progress, dedication, and hard work of our class!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Newsletter-Great Week! Science Projects due on Tuesday
Hi,
We had a busy and fun week! The children have been researching,
writing, and revising their Black History Month. They've used at
least two sources and note cards to record important information.
They wrote a central idea statement, then organized the information
into examples of the ways their person worked for equality and
freedom. We have worked together to revise and edit to make their
essay ready for publication. Most of the kids have finished typing
their essay! Great job!
Reading-We spent a lot of time researching. We read a wonderful book
called Granddaddy's Gift about a man in Mississippi who tries to
register to vote but is discouraged and threatened because he is
black. The kids wrote summaries and responses as well as participated
in great discussions about the book and its content. We are also
reading a new read aloud called Wonder. Ask your child about Auggie's
Halloween experience.
Writing-In addition to working on our essays, we practiced using
transition words to connect our sentences. We used the sentences- Dad
and I went fishing. Mom made our lunches. We came up with many
different ways to connect these sentences using transition words like:
while, before, but, then, first, etc... We are working on adding
more transition words to our writing to make our sentences flow
smoothly.
Math-Fractions and decimals are our focus. We used manipulatives to
help us understand various concepts in fractions and decimals and will
continue next week with more games and hands on activities as well as
problem solving.
Social Studies-The Texas Revolution is beginning. We are learning
about the reasons for the desire for Texas Independence and the early
battles. Next week we will continue our study by reading historical
fiction novels about the revolution as our new book club books. These
exciting stories will bring the true events to life for us and enable
us to practice comprehension skills at the same time.
Homework this week:
Read and record on log-150 min./week
1 reading response and summary due on Fri.
2 writing entries due-one narrative, one expository or essay due on Fri.
math paper each night
Convention sentences test on Fri.
Word Study Assessment on Fri.
Dates to remember:
Monday, January 21-No School
Tuesday, January 22-Science Projects due and Presentations begin
Thursday, January 24-Writing Club meets
Friday, January 25-Mad Science Assembly
Wednesday, January 30-Spring and Group Photos, Pen Pal Visit at 1:00
pm in art room
Thursday, January 31-Service Club meets, Math and Science Night
Friday, February 1- Feb. 8-Jump Rope for Heart, Book Fair in Library
Saturday, Feb. 2-Volunteer at Serving Center from 9-10am
Have a great weekend! Thank you for all your support at home. I
can't wait to see all the Science Project presentations! We have a
lot of very cool experiments with interesting results! It is
wonderful to see your children so excited about their accomplishments
and about science!
Sincerely,
Pam
We had a busy and fun week! The children have been researching,
writing, and revising their Black History Month. They've used at
least two sources and note cards to record important information.
They wrote a central idea statement, then organized the information
into examples of the ways their person worked for equality and
freedom. We have worked together to revise and edit to make their
essay ready for publication. Most of the kids have finished typing
their essay! Great job!
Reading-We spent a lot of time researching. We read a wonderful book
called Granddaddy's Gift about a man in Mississippi who tries to
register to vote but is discouraged and threatened because he is
black. The kids wrote summaries and responses as well as participated
in great discussions about the book and its content. We are also
reading a new read aloud called Wonder. Ask your child about Auggie's
Halloween experience.
Writing-In addition to working on our essays, we practiced using
transition words to connect our sentences. We used the sentences- Dad
and I went fishing. Mom made our lunches. We came up with many
different ways to connect these sentences using transition words like:
while, before, but, then, first, etc... We are working on adding
more transition words to our writing to make our sentences flow
smoothly.
Math-Fractions and decimals are our focus. We used manipulatives to
help us understand various concepts in fractions and decimals and will
continue next week with more games and hands on activities as well as
problem solving.
Social Studies-The Texas Revolution is beginning. We are learning
about the reasons for the desire for Texas Independence and the early
battles. Next week we will continue our study by reading historical
fiction novels about the revolution as our new book club books. These
exciting stories will bring the true events to life for us and enable
us to practice comprehension skills at the same time.
Homework this week:
Read and record on log-150 min./week
1 reading response and summary due on Fri.
2 writing entries due-one narrative, one expository or essay due on Fri.
math paper each night
Convention sentences test on Fri.
Word Study Assessment on Fri.
Dates to remember:
Monday, January 21-No School
Tuesday, January 22-Science Projects due and Presentations begin
Thursday, January 24-Writing Club meets
Friday, January 25-Mad Science Assembly
Wednesday, January 30-Spring and Group Photos, Pen Pal Visit at 1:00
pm in art room
Thursday, January 31-Service Club meets, Math and Science Night
Friday, February 1- Feb. 8-Jump Rope for Heart, Book Fair in Library
Saturday, Feb. 2-Volunteer at Serving Center from 9-10am
Have a great weekend! Thank you for all your support at home. I
can't wait to see all the Science Project presentations! We have a
lot of very cool experiments with interesting results! It is
wonderful to see your children so excited about their accomplishments
and about science!
Sincerely,
Pam
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Newsletter-Rdg Logs due Mon, Science Project Checkpoint #4-due on Wed, Service Club meets on Thurs. Talent Show on Fri, No School on Mon. 1/21, Science Projects due on Tues Jan. 22
Hi,
We had a great first week of 2013 and worked very hard. Thank you for
sending your kids to school ready to learn.
We have a new class pet for two weeks! A family of hissing
cockroaches! George, Gracie, and a baby will be in our room. We will
be observing and researching them next week.
Reading-We are working on improving the depth and quality of our
summaries and responses. They each have a checklist glued into their
reading response books that they can use to help them remember things
that can make a great summary and response. I showed them a model of
a summary and response to our new read aloud, Wonder. They read a
book written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s sister about their
childhood then wrote their own summary and response using the
checklist then met in small groups to share and discuss the book. The
students also chose an African American in history to research then
they will each write an essay about their person to enter into our
district's Black History Month contest.
Writing-The students will now be writing two entries a week at home.
One entry will be an expository piece and one will be a personal
narrative. These are drafts to help gather more ideas and practice
the format of each type of writing. Each child has two strips of
paper glued into their writing notebooks that they can use to remind
them the differences between these two forms of writing and help them
come up with a topic if they have difficulty with that. In class, we
are looking at mentor texts or books with great writing and taking
notes about what techniques the author then we will apply some of
those strategies to our own writing. We are planning and researching
for our expository pieces about famous African Americans for Black
History Month.
Math-We have been continuing our work on fractions. We have
been using fraction circles and color tiles to discuss equivalent
fractions, fractions that equal one whole, and fractions of a group.
They have been working very hard and sharing strategies that they use.
Ask them about the Horse and lasso game that they played today!
Applying these concepts to word problems while having a visual
representation in our heads will help us later to do better in later
problem solving throughout our lives. Thank you for continuing to
work on math facts at home.
Science-We finished up our properties of soil explorations and will
begin looking at changes to the land through weathering, erosion, and
deposition. Science Fair projects seem to be coming along nicely.
Thank you for working so hard on them at home.
Social Studies-Texas Revolution has been our focus. We are beginning
to look at the causes of the Texas Revolution and the events. We
explored an interactive site in the computer lab, began reading a book
together about the revolution called Remember the Alamo, and started
watching a movie about the Battle of the Alamo. We will continue to
study the revolution using text book reading, reading of historical
fiction novels, and looking at primary sources to gather information.
We will also look at important people in the Texas Revolution as
well.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, January 14-Reading Logs due
Tuesday, January 15-Math Club
Wednesday, January 16-Checkpoint #4 due
Thursday, January 17-Service Club Meeting
Friday, January 18-Forest Creek Talent Show-6:30 pm
Monday, January 21-No School- Martin Luther King Day
Tuesday, January 22-Science Project presentations begin in
class-tri-fold board or poster needed
Thursday, January 24-Writing Club
Wednesday, January 30-Pen Pal Visit, Spring Individual and Group Photos
Thursday, January 31-Service Club meeting and Science Fair/Math Night
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Pam
We had a great first week of 2013 and worked very hard. Thank you for
sending your kids to school ready to learn.
We have a new class pet for two weeks! A family of hissing
cockroaches! George, Gracie, and a baby will be in our room. We will
be observing and researching them next week.
Reading-We are working on improving the depth and quality of our
summaries and responses. They each have a checklist glued into their
reading response books that they can use to help them remember things
that can make a great summary and response. I showed them a model of
a summary and response to our new read aloud, Wonder. They read a
book written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s sister about their
childhood then wrote their own summary and response using the
checklist then met in small groups to share and discuss the book. The
students also chose an African American in history to research then
they will each write an essay about their person to enter into our
district's Black History Month contest.
Writing-The students will now be writing two entries a week at home.
One entry will be an expository piece and one will be a personal
narrative. These are drafts to help gather more ideas and practice
the format of each type of writing. Each child has two strips of
paper glued into their writing notebooks that they can use to remind
them the differences between these two forms of writing and help them
come up with a topic if they have difficulty with that. In class, we
are looking at mentor texts or books with great writing and taking
notes about what techniques the author then we will apply some of
those strategies to our own writing. We are planning and researching
for our expository pieces about famous African Americans for Black
History Month.
Math-We have been continuing our work on fractions. We have
been using fraction circles and color tiles to discuss equivalent
fractions, fractions that equal one whole, and fractions of a group.
They have been working very hard and sharing strategies that they use.
Ask them about the Horse and lasso game that they played today!
Applying these concepts to word problems while having a visual
representation in our heads will help us later to do better in later
problem solving throughout our lives. Thank you for continuing to
work on math facts at home.
Science-We finished up our properties of soil explorations and will
begin looking at changes to the land through weathering, erosion, and
deposition. Science Fair projects seem to be coming along nicely.
Thank you for working so hard on them at home.
Social Studies-Texas Revolution has been our focus. We are beginning
to look at the causes of the Texas Revolution and the events. We
explored an interactive site in the computer lab, began reading a book
together about the revolution called Remember the Alamo, and started
watching a movie about the Battle of the Alamo. We will continue to
study the revolution using text book reading, reading of historical
fiction novels, and looking at primary sources to gather information.
We will also look at important people in the Texas Revolution as
well.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, January 14-Reading Logs due
Tuesday, January 15-Math Club
Wednesday, January 16-Checkpoint #4 due
Thursday, January 17-Service Club Meeting
Friday, January 18-Forest Creek Talent Show-6:30 pm
Monday, January 21-No School- Martin Luther King Day
Tuesday, January 22-Science Project presentations begin in
class-tri-fold board or poster needed
Thursday, January 24-Writing Club
Wednesday, January 30-Pen Pal Visit, Spring Individual and Group Photos
Thursday, January 31-Service Club meeting and Science Fair/Math Night
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Pam
Monday, January 7, 2013
We want your student in school everyday!
We always want to see students in class but we understand that children get sick, and it is sometimes difficult to decide when to keep them at home. In order to make it easier, we encourage you to follow the guidelines below from the Texas Department of State Health Services and Round Rock ISD’s Health Services Director, Sandy Headley. If you have any questions, please contact your school nurse.
Don’t keep a child home for:
Sniffles, a runny nose and a mild cough without a fever. It could be a cold or an allergic response to dust, pollen, or seasonal changes.
Vague complaints or aches, pains or fatigue (being tired).
A one-time only episode of diarrhea or vomiting without any other symptoms.
Do keep a child home when they have:
A fever of 100 degrees or more.
A fever along with a rash, earache, sore throat, or nausea may indicate a highly contagious infection. Children must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
A persistent, productive cough and wheezing together with thick or constant nasal discharge.
Persistent vomiting and diarrhea (more than once) during the previous night.
An un-diagnosed rash, especially coupled with a fever and behavioral changes. Pinkeye in which there is a white or yellow discharge, often with matted eyelids after sleep, and eye pain, redness or itching.
Head lice. Once head lice have been treated and there are no more live lice, the student has to be cleared by the school nurse and then may return to school. Students cannot return until all lice are treated and removed.
Strep throat, scarlet fever, measles, chickenpox or any other communicable disease until released by a doctor.
Any physical or emotional condition that would prevent him / her from participating comfortably in class.
If a child misses a day of school because he or she is not feeling well, or if it becomes necessary for a student to leave school to be seen by a healthcare professional, parents must provide the front office with a note from themselves or the health care professional in order for the absence to be recorded as “excused” and the school to recover any potential state funding.
Thank you,
RRISD
Don’t keep a child home for:
Sniffles, a runny nose and a mild cough without a fever. It could be a cold or an allergic response to dust, pollen, or seasonal changes.
Vague complaints or aches, pains or fatigue (being tired).
A one-time only episode of diarrhea or vomiting without any other symptoms.
Do keep a child home when they have:
A fever of 100 degrees or more.
A fever along with a rash, earache, sore throat, or nausea may indicate a highly contagious infection. Children must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
A persistent, productive cough and wheezing together with thick or constant nasal discharge.
Persistent vomiting and diarrhea (more than once) during the previous night.
An un-diagnosed rash, especially coupled with a fever and behavioral changes. Pinkeye in which there is a white or yellow discharge, often with matted eyelids after sleep, and eye pain, redness or itching.
Head lice. Once head lice have been treated and there are no more live lice, the student has to be cleared by the school nurse and then may return to school. Students cannot return until all lice are treated and removed.
Strep throat, scarlet fever, measles, chickenpox or any other communicable disease until released by a doctor.
Any physical or emotional condition that would prevent him / her from participating comfortably in class.
If a child misses a day of school because he or she is not feeling well, or if it becomes necessary for a student to leave school to be seen by a healthcare professional, parents must provide the front office with a note from themselves or the health care professional in order for the absence to be recorded as “excused” and the school to recover any potential state funding.
Thank you,
RRISD
Friday, January 4, 2013
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
I look forward to seeing all of you on Monday at school and hopefully will see some of you at the Round Rock Serving Center tomorrow from 9-10 am.
I know that you have enjoyed reading over the holidays so remember to have your completed reading log (at least 300 min.) to turn in on Monday. Everyone is required to read 300 minutes, however, those students who read more than 300 min. will receive a prize. Those who didn't meet the 300 minutes expectation will need to go to study hall. :( If you didn't quite make it, read a lot this weekend and you will get there! We will be starting a different at home reading log that will need a parent signature for the new year.
Be sure to continue to practice multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction facts as well as problem solving and other math concepts. You can go to sites on our math links section of our class webpage or many other downloadable games and activities. Check with your parents first before downloading anything.
Science Project checkpoint #3 will be due on Thursday, January 10. You will need to think about uncommon words that you discovered or used so far in your project and list the word and the definition. Remember that a word may be easy for you but tricky for others so any words that could be tricky would need a definition. You also will need to include background information. What research are you doing or did you do to help you with your project? Write to explain it and be sure to remember the source for your bibliography.
Be sure to go to our Moodle page and have fun completing some activities as well as connecting with friends. Be sure to comment on other people's posts as well.
Enjoy this weekend and I can't wait to see you ready to go on Monday! Be thinking about your goals. We will revisit the goals set at conference time and adjust or modify for the new semester and the second half of fourth grade.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
I look forward to seeing all of you on Monday at school and hopefully will see some of you at the Round Rock Serving Center tomorrow from 9-10 am.
I know that you have enjoyed reading over the holidays so remember to have your completed reading log (at least 300 min.) to turn in on Monday. Everyone is required to read 300 minutes, however, those students who read more than 300 min. will receive a prize. Those who didn't meet the 300 minutes expectation will need to go to study hall. :( If you didn't quite make it, read a lot this weekend and you will get there! We will be starting a different at home reading log that will need a parent signature for the new year.
Be sure to continue to practice multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction facts as well as problem solving and other math concepts. You can go to sites on our math links section of our class webpage or many other downloadable games and activities. Check with your parents first before downloading anything.
Science Project checkpoint #3 will be due on Thursday, January 10. You will need to think about uncommon words that you discovered or used so far in your project and list the word and the definition. Remember that a word may be easy for you but tricky for others so any words that could be tricky would need a definition. You also will need to include background information. What research are you doing or did you do to help you with your project? Write to explain it and be sure to remember the source for your bibliography.
Be sure to go to our Moodle page and have fun completing some activities as well as connecting with friends. Be sure to comment on other people's posts as well.
Enjoy this weekend and I can't wait to see you ready to go on Monday! Be thinking about your goals. We will revisit the goals set at conference time and adjust or modify for the new semester and the second half of fourth grade.
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Friday, December 21, 2012
Happy Holidays! Complete reading log, Go to Moodle, Service Club to RR Serving Center on Sat. Jan. 5 from 9-10,Have fun and be safe!
Happy Holidays!
Thank you to Mrs. McCulloch for planning an awesome holiday party. There were tons of fun activities and the kids had a great time. Thank you also to all the parents who were able to help and/or send in supplies. This party was a wonderful way to celebrate together and end the first half of 4th grade.
I can’t believe that the school year is half over. I have some grading to do over the break and will be entering those grades. We are leaving to go to Philadelphia on Saturday so the grades won’t be entered until January. Feel free to check out your kids grades so far on Home Access but be aware that some of the grades will change a little bit before they are finalized.
Visit our Moodle Page! I added lots of new activities for the kids to complete over the break. If they say that they are bored, send them there. They can write to respond to my questions and topics and they can respond to their friends’ posts as well. Go to the school web page, then students, then moodle. Sign in using their log on to the school computers. 126lastnamefirst initial, password-their school id number. Have fun! I love to read their posts and respond.
Holiday Reading Log-Be sure that your child is keeping up with their reading, writing, and math over the holiday break. I sent home a holiday reading log on Wednesday that had a chart to keep track of minutes and books read. All of the kids are required to read 150 minutes a week or 300 minutes for the two weeks off. Any child reading over 300 minutes will be receiving a special surprise! I will have several prizes on the table and the highest minute readers will get to choose first. Any child who doesn’t complete the 300 minutes of reading time will need to go to study hall when we return to catch up. Encourage your child to email me and let me know about their progress and what books they are reading. I am so excited to have more time to read over the break and look forward to hearing about the reading adventures of the kids. I set up a page on moodle and they can leave posts for each other also!
This week we worked on some problem solving using the Twelve Days of Christmas, we read and responded to The Christmas Carol, and performed some holiday plays.
We will be continuing with fractions and problem solving, reading book club books, continuing to learn about soil, writing expository and personal narratives, and learning about the Texas Revolution.
Service Club organized tons of food for our families. They were picked up on Thursday evening and the families were very grateful for the food! Thank you to all those who helped organize and those who donated food.
Service Club will be volunteering at the Round Rock Serving Center on Saturday, January 5, 2013 from 9-10. All are welcome to join us.
Have a wonderful, safe holiday. Thank you for all the beautiful cards and gifts. I will enjoy spending time with my family over the break but will miss your children. Thank you for sharing them with me.
Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Thank you to Mrs. McCulloch for planning an awesome holiday party. There were tons of fun activities and the kids had a great time. Thank you also to all the parents who were able to help and/or send in supplies. This party was a wonderful way to celebrate together and end the first half of 4th grade.
I can’t believe that the school year is half over. I have some grading to do over the break and will be entering those grades. We are leaving to go to Philadelphia on Saturday so the grades won’t be entered until January. Feel free to check out your kids grades so far on Home Access but be aware that some of the grades will change a little bit before they are finalized.
Visit our Moodle Page! I added lots of new activities for the kids to complete over the break. If they say that they are bored, send them there. They can write to respond to my questions and topics and they can respond to their friends’ posts as well. Go to the school web page, then students, then moodle. Sign in using their log on to the school computers. 126lastnamefirst initial, password-their school id number. Have fun! I love to read their posts and respond.
Holiday Reading Log-Be sure that your child is keeping up with their reading, writing, and math over the holiday break. I sent home a holiday reading log on Wednesday that had a chart to keep track of minutes and books read. All of the kids are required to read 150 minutes a week or 300 minutes for the two weeks off. Any child reading over 300 minutes will be receiving a special surprise! I will have several prizes on the table and the highest minute readers will get to choose first. Any child who doesn’t complete the 300 minutes of reading time will need to go to study hall when we return to catch up. Encourage your child to email me and let me know about their progress and what books they are reading. I am so excited to have more time to read over the break and look forward to hearing about the reading adventures of the kids. I set up a page on moodle and they can leave posts for each other also!
This week we worked on some problem solving using the Twelve Days of Christmas, we read and responded to The Christmas Carol, and performed some holiday plays.
We will be continuing with fractions and problem solving, reading book club books, continuing to learn about soil, writing expository and personal narratives, and learning about the Texas Revolution.
Service Club organized tons of food for our families. They were picked up on Thursday evening and the families were very grateful for the food! Thank you to all those who helped organize and those who donated food.
Service Club will be volunteering at the Round Rock Serving Center on Saturday, January 5, 2013 from 9-10. All are welcome to join us.
Have a wonderful, safe holiday. Thank you for all the beautiful cards and gifts. I will enjoy spending time with my family over the break but will miss your children. Thank you for sharing them with me.
Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
Monday, December 17, 2012
Newsletter-Donate food and books, Service Club meets on Monday and Thursday after school, Biography Presentation due on Monday, Science Checkpoint #2 due on Wednesday
Hi,
We had a wonderful visit with our pen pals on Dec. 4. We made them beaded candy cane ornaments and created painted ornaments with them. We also played holiday games and discussed our favorite parts of the holidays. We will be seeing them again on January 30. On that day we will be meeting in the art room and participating in the Empty Bowls Project with them. We will all make bowls with Mrs. Arnold that will then be fired and later glazed by us. The bowls will be donated to the Empty Bowl Project and will be available for purchase for $10. When buying a bowl, the buyer gets a bowl of soup from Chili's and other food and drinks donated by restaurants. The money will be donated to the Round Rock Serving Center. The event will take place in April. It is a wonderful opportunity to have a service project within our service project with our pen pals! You are welcome to join us on Wednesday, January 30 at 1:00 in the art room.
On Thursday, we will be having fun with our first grade reading buddies while creating gingerbread houses together. We will meet in the morning and use icing, graham crackers, and candy to transform our empty milk cartons into beautiful sweet holiday homes. We will bring them home on Thursday.
Thank you to Mrs. Schmitz for coming into our classroom to teach us about Hanukkah! She and Rebecca showed us a menorah, read us a book, answered many questions, and even gave us some chocolate gold coins! It was interesting to learn about holidays around the world and the children loved it!
Thursday will be our holiday party at 2:00. Mrs. McCulloch will be sending an email asking for donations. If you don't receive it by Monday pm, let me know so that I can get it to you. As part of our party we will be collecting books for the Round Rock Serving Center. When we went to volunteer there on the first Saturday in December, the book case in the waiting area was almost empty. Luckily we brought donated books from the FCE Literacy Night but we still left with many shelves empty. I walked in with the books and the waiting children came right to me eagerly to gather some books. Hopefully, we will get lots of books from our class to help fill up that book case for the holiday break.
Our class will be having a Secret Santa activity. The children will fill out a form with some of their favorite things and turn it in. Then they will randomly select a form and chose their Secret Pal. They will write complimentary notes to that friend throughout the week and keep their identity a secret. They will bring in a candy bar or a snack for their secret pal on Thursday and we will reveal who had who. I think that this will be a fun, community building activity for our class. If you aren't able to provide a candy bar or snack for the secret pal, let me know. Encourage your child to try to keep the secret until Thursday!
Last week we took Curriculum Based Assessments in Reading, Math, Writing, and Science. Our class worked very hard on all of these assessments and I will be using the data gained to guide instruction in small groups and extension groups after the holidays.
In Reading-we have been working on reading and learning from our biographies. We will be presenting our presentations beginning on Monday. We will be reading and evaluating a short version of The Christmas Carol this week. We will reading to determine character changes, compare and contrast the three spirits, determine a theme or lesson learned, write a summary and evaluate each other's summaries, as well as write about what parts of the story we liked or didn't like and why. We will also be practicing fluency using a readers theater of The Christmas Carol, Miranda's Dream (Christmas Story), and The Miracle of the Candles (Hanukkah story). We will be videotaping our performances on Thursday.
Writing: We will be finishing our revisions and editing of our biography essays this week. They will also be choosing to write holiday poems, holiday essays, personal narratives about the holidays, letters to soldiers and/or pen pals, or holiday fantasy stories. We will be working on some power writing Be sure to encourage your child to email me over the break and/or go to our moodle page and add some posts to several discussions. He/she can also respond to other student's posts. It is a nice way to practice writing as they keep in touch.
Math: Fractions, division, multiplication, and problem solving will be our focus. We will also think about the traditional song The Twelve Days of Christmas and figure out how many items were given over those twelve days.
Science: We conducted some soil experiments last week. We investigated and used our senses to determine the properties of four different soils. We tested for water retention of each soil type by putting soil in pantyhose and suspending the soil/pantyhose in a beaker. We added 200 milliliters of water and subtracted the amount of water that drained through from 200 to determine the amount of water retained in the soil. Then we planted radish seeds in the different soil types and watched what happened each day for five days. We didn't add more water so we made predictions and our hypothesis of which soil would allow the seeds to grow fastest and sustain growth. We will write about our observations on Monday. We will talk a bit more about soil this week.
Social Studies: We learned about three empresarios in Texas-Stephen F. Austin, Martin de Leon, and Green DeWitt. We researched them and took notes. We read letters from people wanting to be accepted into Austin's colony and determined whether Austin should let them come or not and why. We will be talking a bit more about empresarios and then beginning to discuss the Texas Revolution when we return in January.
Dates to remember:
Monday, Dec. 17-Biography Presentations due, Service Club meeting to organize food donations, Bring in more food for our families
Wednesday, Dec. 19-Science Checkpoint #2 is due
Thursday, Dec. 20-Holiday party at 2:00, Bring in gently used books for RR Serving Center, Service Club meets after school with guest speaker (my daughter Blair will be here to talk about our trip to Honduras and help us organize a campus drive for them)
Friday,Dec. 21-Beginning of holiday break-be sure to read at least 150 min. per week, practice math facts and write often
Have a safe and happy holiday! Thank you for sharing your children with me! I love coming to school each day!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
We had a wonderful visit with our pen pals on Dec. 4. We made them beaded candy cane ornaments and created painted ornaments with them. We also played holiday games and discussed our favorite parts of the holidays. We will be seeing them again on January 30. On that day we will be meeting in the art room and participating in the Empty Bowls Project with them. We will all make bowls with Mrs. Arnold that will then be fired and later glazed by us. The bowls will be donated to the Empty Bowl Project and will be available for purchase for $10. When buying a bowl, the buyer gets a bowl of soup from Chili's and other food and drinks donated by restaurants. The money will be donated to the Round Rock Serving Center. The event will take place in April. It is a wonderful opportunity to have a service project within our service project with our pen pals! You are welcome to join us on Wednesday, January 30 at 1:00 in the art room.
On Thursday, we will be having fun with our first grade reading buddies while creating gingerbread houses together. We will meet in the morning and use icing, graham crackers, and candy to transform our empty milk cartons into beautiful sweet holiday homes. We will bring them home on Thursday.
Thank you to Mrs. Schmitz for coming into our classroom to teach us about Hanukkah! She and Rebecca showed us a menorah, read us a book, answered many questions, and even gave us some chocolate gold coins! It was interesting to learn about holidays around the world and the children loved it!
Thursday will be our holiday party at 2:00. Mrs. McCulloch will be sending an email asking for donations. If you don't receive it by Monday pm, let me know so that I can get it to you. As part of our party we will be collecting books for the Round Rock Serving Center. When we went to volunteer there on the first Saturday in December, the book case in the waiting area was almost empty. Luckily we brought donated books from the FCE Literacy Night but we still left with many shelves empty. I walked in with the books and the waiting children came right to me eagerly to gather some books. Hopefully, we will get lots of books from our class to help fill up that book case for the holiday break.
Our class will be having a Secret Santa activity. The children will fill out a form with some of their favorite things and turn it in. Then they will randomly select a form and chose their Secret Pal. They will write complimentary notes to that friend throughout the week and keep their identity a secret. They will bring in a candy bar or a snack for their secret pal on Thursday and we will reveal who had who. I think that this will be a fun, community building activity for our class. If you aren't able to provide a candy bar or snack for the secret pal, let me know. Encourage your child to try to keep the secret until Thursday!
Last week we took Curriculum Based Assessments in Reading, Math, Writing, and Science. Our class worked very hard on all of these assessments and I will be using the data gained to guide instruction in small groups and extension groups after the holidays.
In Reading-we have been working on reading and learning from our biographies. We will be presenting our presentations beginning on Monday. We will be reading and evaluating a short version of The Christmas Carol this week. We will reading to determine character changes, compare and contrast the three spirits, determine a theme or lesson learned, write a summary and evaluate each other's summaries, as well as write about what parts of the story we liked or didn't like and why. We will also be practicing fluency using a readers theater of The Christmas Carol, Miranda's Dream (Christmas Story), and The Miracle of the Candles (Hanukkah story). We will be videotaping our performances on Thursday.
Writing: We will be finishing our revisions and editing of our biography essays this week. They will also be choosing to write holiday poems, holiday essays, personal narratives about the holidays, letters to soldiers and/or pen pals, or holiday fantasy stories. We will be working on some power writing Be sure to encourage your child to email me over the break and/or go to our moodle page and add some posts to several discussions. He/she can also respond to other student's posts. It is a nice way to practice writing as they keep in touch.
Math: Fractions, division, multiplication, and problem solving will be our focus. We will also think about the traditional song The Twelve Days of Christmas and figure out how many items were given over those twelve days.
Science: We conducted some soil experiments last week. We investigated and used our senses to determine the properties of four different soils. We tested for water retention of each soil type by putting soil in pantyhose and suspending the soil/pantyhose in a beaker. We added 200 milliliters of water and subtracted the amount of water that drained through from 200 to determine the amount of water retained in the soil. Then we planted radish seeds in the different soil types and watched what happened each day for five days. We didn't add more water so we made predictions and our hypothesis of which soil would allow the seeds to grow fastest and sustain growth. We will write about our observations on Monday. We will talk a bit more about soil this week.
Social Studies: We learned about three empresarios in Texas-Stephen F. Austin, Martin de Leon, and Green DeWitt. We researched them and took notes. We read letters from people wanting to be accepted into Austin's colony and determined whether Austin should let them come or not and why. We will be talking a bit more about empresarios and then beginning to discuss the Texas Revolution when we return in January.
Dates to remember:
Monday, Dec. 17-Biography Presentations due, Service Club meeting to organize food donations, Bring in more food for our families
Wednesday, Dec. 19-Science Checkpoint #2 is due
Thursday, Dec. 20-Holiday party at 2:00, Bring in gently used books for RR Serving Center, Service Club meets after school with guest speaker (my daughter Blair will be here to talk about our trip to Honduras and help us organize a campus drive for them)
Friday,Dec. 21-Beginning of holiday break-be sure to read at least 150 min. per week, practice math facts and write often
Have a safe and happy holiday! Thank you for sharing your children with me! I love coming to school each day!
Sincerely,
Pam Bartholomew
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