COME BACK SOON!

I hope to let the students start blogging by next week. Blogs are a great way for students to write and receive feedback on their thoughts and writing skills. I hope you will make comments to the students to give them encouragement to keep writing with a purpose. Visit us again soon!

Why Homework?

There are many views on the value of homework. Here are some of my views:
1) it allows a student extra practice
2) parents can actively take part in their child's learning
3) it establishes good study habits for later in life
4) it sets priorities in learning

Your child's education is the most important thing to me next to my own family. I encourage each of you to want to see what your child is learning and the process they take to learn the information. Homework gives you the insight to learning struggles as well as learning successes. It is not meant as a punishment to ANY child for any reason. It is to enhance the learning done in the classroom.

Take the time to sit with your child as they do their homework. We are all busy and most of the time, as parents, we tell our children to get their homework done and then let us check it. We rarely sit and actively participate. Sit on the sofa, on the bed and read books together. Let your child know you are interested in what they do at school!

Our Charity Project for the Year

Each year I try to incorporate charity work into our learning experience. In the past, classes have donated school supplies to hurricane victims, toiletries to tornado victims, and money to feed hungry children in Honduras. This year I would like to continue the efforts of raising money for the Honduras children. There are literally families living at a dump in Honduras that dig through other people's garbage to find food, clothing and shelter. A group from the U. S. is there feeding these people once a week and they need money to continue this effort.

Last year, Trey Morgan held a fund raiser on his blog to help feed these people. My class brought money to donate and had only raised $8 the first day. What we thought was a meager amount encouraged others to give. Those students inspired many others to donate $8 so our amount multiplied more than we will ever know.

This year I am asking students to think about the pictures we see and realize that children just like them live in this dump and depend on others to feed them. The government in Honduras is not able to step-in and intervene so it is left up to us to help. There will be a collection jar in the classroom for students to bring their change at any time. We will collect the money throughout the year and send our money in periodically to help with the efforts of feeding these starving Hondurans. I plan for us to draw pictures about things we do in the U. S. and send along to maybe be distributed to some of the children. I have not had this project approved through the workers in Honduras so we may have to choose something else to brighten the day of these children.

I have attached a few pictures and hope your hearts are pricked with compassion just like mine!

Back-to-School Night

I want to thank all those that came to Back-to-School Night. We have 17 students in our class and 12 of them had a parent or grandparent attend. I enjoyed getting to visit with each and everyone of you and hope you feel comfortable to come back to visit our classroom again. The packet you received has extremely important information so hold on to the materials and refer to them if you have any questions. If you cannot find your answer there, then please contact me.

For those of you that were not able to attend, you may come by the classroom before or after school or during my conference time (8:50 - 9:35). I will be happy to share the information with you.

I look forward to working with your children this year!

WOW, It Is Almost Here!

Greetings my summer friends! School is quickly approaching and we just have to accept it. Part of me is really dreading having to get out of bed early and getting ready but part of me is excited about the new year and all the possibilities it holds. It is time to kick it into gear and psyche ourselves out and just do it. Have fun shopping for school clothes, school supplies, taking last minute trips, those last trips to the pool and anything else you may have lined out until August 24!!!

See you in a few weeks. It is going to be great!

I am so proud...

Your kids are amazing! I gave them the opportunity to help and they came through like champs. About two weeks ago, I showed the students a blog where a fund raiser would take place to help feed families who literally ate from a dump in Honduras. They were all so touched and wanted to help.

On Tuesday, the fund raiser was taking place and a few students had brought some money but the majority had not. They were so upset with themselves. All morning I hear "man, I can't believe I forgot." So, I tell them to bring their money the next day.

I sent a comment to the blog fund raiser that we had $8 and would bring more the next day. That story spread like wildfire!!!!! People were so inspired by your children. When I showed the comments from others about the class those kids went nuts. My favorite comment was "We are feeding Honduras!" It was so touching to me.

When it was all said and done, the class brought in $24.50. It was amazing. I know they are givers! Your kids have learned what it means to help someone else. They now know they have to get involved! I could not be any prouder of these kids!

Read the comments from "The Dump Fund" post and see how inspired others have been from your children!

The Dump Fund

Today our class is participating in a fund raiser for families that live in an actual dump in Honduras. Daily they dig through other people's trash to find enough for themselves and their families to eat. They do not have homes, they do not take baths, they do not have cars.....they live in a dump!

You can go to www.treymorgan.net and see the details. Our class raised $8 and is going to try and bring more tomorrow. We ask you to join us in the effort to raise money to feed these people. We want to help and we hope you do to.

Using Technology to prepare for TAKS

This past week we have spent HOURS reviewing for our math TAKS test. One of the methods we used was to answer questions from a power point on the the response systems. Each student was required to work the problem and then respond. After everyone had entered an answer, the CPS system showed us the top five answer choices by students. This was a wonderful way to review the question and address any misunderstandings and to reinforce those concepts truly mastered.

On Monday we will spend more time reviewing and will play games like Jeopardy and the $100,000 Pyramid using the computers and team buzzers.

Remember our test is Tuesday, so make sure your student receives plenty of rest and eats a good breakfast that morning.

Math TAKS

We have spent HOURS getting ready for our Math TAKS on Tuesday, April 28. I am so proud how hard the students are working. They never complain (well, maybe never) and are so willing to listen and learn new things.

As a parent, you are the key to their success. I know the homework has not been easy and may have caused times of stress and irritation at home (I am a mom and completely understand). Just keep encouraging them and sit with them as they work. It is such a confidence booster to them to know you are supportive and are willing to listen to their frustrations and questions.

It will all be over soon. Your support has been awesome and I know they will be successful. Thanks for all you do!

Random Acts of Kindness

Today, our Bobcat Stars came to visit our classroom. We are so fortunate to have three great young men that volunteer to come to our classroom and teach us character lessons and just hang out to be our example. Thanks guys for coming today to teach us about kindness.

They discussed what random acts of kindness are and that we need to be those making the random acts. After our lesson, students completed a questionnaire about one of their friends. They circled adjectives that described their friend. Students then took turns reading what they wrote about their friends to the class.

We challenge you to write to us about the Random Acts of Kindness you have seen. We hope this becomes contagious and we spread kindness throughout Childress!

Poll Results

We had so much fun with our poll. Thanks to all of you who voted. The students analyzed the results and answered a few questions about the results.

On Tuesday we took notes about the number of votes and how many people had visited our blog to compare with the final numbers on Friday. See if you can answer our questions.

1) How many people voted from Tuesday to Friday? (49 people had voted as of Tuesday)

2) How many people voted for video, card and board games?

3) How many more people voted for outdoor games than video, card and board games combined?

4) How many people visited our blog from Tuesday to Friday? (82 people had visited on Tuesday and 207 on Friday)

Good luck. We would love to see your answers.

Lewis and Clark

Lewis and Clark traded beads for food they really needed. They had to use Sacajawea to tell the indians they were peaceful. Sacajawea guided them when they didn't know the way to where they going.

The 3rd Grade Dance

I liked the third grade dance because it was a chalange. I had a lot of fun. And I had a great time.

Students Will Start Blogging

I have been wanting to let the students blog for quite some time now but just couldn't get it all together. Well, starting Monday we will post a poll. I will let the students come up with the topic. I will create it as the students watch. I hope this sparks some interest in blogging. Students will also take turns answering a math question posted on www.1023math.blogspot.com. Our class is working with Mrs. Steed's Sophomore Geometry class in practicing different math problems as well as problem solving. It will be a great experience for all.

Late in the week I would like for the students to be able post some writing that we will be doing. Students will create a picture book using Kerpoof and I "think" I can figure out a way to post some of them.

Please come back and visit and see some of our work. We would love to hear from you and let us know what you think of our blog and this activity.

We Made It Through the Day

What a day! The kids were awesome and worked very hard. Most of the students did not finish until after lunch so those that were finished had to sit quietly ALL DAY! They couldn't even talk during lunch. It was tough but they did it!

I am proud of their behavior and the effort they all made to be successful.

Saturday Morning Reading

As we all struggle to help our kids get their 100 AR points, there is help right in front of our faces. Saturday Morning Reading is every Saturday at the school library, 9 a.m. - 11. am. Students can read as many books as they want in their reading level. There are students getting 3-7 points every Saturday!

I am a mom of a 1st grader and she is no where near her 100 point goal. I have vowed no matter how tired I am or how much opposition she raises, we will be there. I know she says it is not important to her but I can promise the day that everyone else is at Wonderland she will be upset. So will your student. Please help them so they are not sitting in an empty school building doing work while most of their classmates are at Wonderland!

Thanks Mrs. Moore!

We want to say thank you to Mrs. Cindy Moore. Our Valentine's Day Party was spectacular! We loaded up on sugar and just had a great time. We know that our year would not have been near as much fun without all the hard work she and other parents have put into our parties. Thanks!

Valentine's Day Party

TAKS Prep

By now you know how important the Reading TAKS test is to your student's future. We are spending a great deal of time practicing procedures and skills in preparation of March 3. The students are being troopers and hanging in there and doing everything I am teaching them.

Some of the most important procedures is that all students remain quiet and still until every student has completed the test. This is tough!!! Some students are finished very quickly and it is driving them crazy to have to sit and stay quiet, not get up, basically sitting like a statue.

Once a student has completed their test and handed it in they may read a book silently at their desk. However, it is not acceptable for them to take AR test or go to the library. Starting on Monday, February 9 all students will have a chapter book to keep in their desk and read while we take Benchmarks or practice procedures. This will limit the books they read each day because most are only allowed one 0.5 book and two trips to the library per day.

Pleas be patient with this process and help your student understand the importance of all students having a quiet, peaceful environment for testing. Everyone deserves an equal chance of being successful!

Just an Update

The week of February 2 we will be focusing our math attention to Time and Temperature. I know this sounds like a simple concept to most adults, but you would be surprised at the number of 3rd graders that truly have problems with the concepts. Finding the pattern of the thermometer (counting by 1's, 2's, etc...) and distinguishing the hour hand from the minute hand are the real issues. I encourage each of you to sit with your child and work through the problems that we have done in class. Your input makes more of a difference than anything I can do.

Reading and writing should be a fun this week. We will be reading Dr. De Soto in class and creating character maps. We will then make a Character Trait map on the laptops toward the end of the week. Not only is this a wonderful writing and technology lesson but it also teaches kids to examine themselves and what they understand about their character. We will continue working on TAKS strategies. Most of the students are doing a great job and just need a little reminding from time to time.

I will be out of the classroom on Monday afternoon so tutoring students will go to Study Hall. This will give them the opportunity to get their work done with someone there to help.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns I would be happy to visit with you at any time. Thanks for having such great kids. They all have special places in my heart forever!

Learning Calligraphy

The Beginning

Slide Shows

I am in the process of trying to get photos onto the blog in a slide show format. I hope to categorize them. Keep checking back to see the new things we are doing in class.

Labels and Box Tops for Education

I encourage each of you to save your labels and box tops for our school. The money we receive helps our campus buy supplies and provides things for students that would either be taken out of the budget.

We are having a contest amongst the classes through the end of January. For every ten labels or box tops turned in a class can earn a "snowball". The "snowball" can be thrown at another class. It is exciting to see how many "snowballs" you can throw. The class that throws the most "snowballs" will win a hot chocolate party and have the privilege of winning an awesome trophy!

Keep saving those tabs!!

Last semester our class collected over 14,000 tabs!

We are still collecting tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. This semester we will weigh the tabs for our contest winners. A winner from each group will be named in May and treated to lunch at McDonald's. The students really have a great time when someone brings in a large amount of tabs. It is fun to hear all the "oohs" and "ahhs".

Save those tabs!

Spellingcity.com

Our class with be using spellingcity.com to learn, practice and test our spelling words each week. I will post our weekly spelling list to the site and students can access them from any computer with Internet access. We will use the website in class to learn our new words and some days we will be able to play games on the site to aid in studying. On Friday, students will use the site to take their spelling test and print out the results. I am excited about this new technology for many reasons. The students will get immediate feedback when playing games and testing. They will also be able to review at any time. By taking the test on line students can work at their own pace and will immediately know the results of their test and print outs of the tests with results will be sent home that day. There is no waiting for me to have time to grade them!!

GT Students Answer Problems Created by Sophomore Math Students

GT students enjoy blogging with Sophomore math students in Mrs. Steede's Geometry class daily. The Sophomore's created over 80 questions for the students to solve and post their comments. When all the students have completed a post a Sophomore student answers them. Students are corrected if they chose a wrong answer or even asked to resubmit another try.

This activity will eventually be made available to all students. The goal is for GT students to learn the procedures for posting comments to blogs and then be able to teach their classmates. In the future it will become an independent activity.

We Have Started a New Blog for our Class

3rd graders are so excited about technology and what all it can offer them. Some days I have to sit back and watch my students as they work so effortlessly through the computers. They seem so at ease with what they are doing. Even my students that do not have computers at home pick up the navigation skills so quickly. I have started this blog so students can create posts, make comments on various subjects and to keep parents updated on the activities of our classroom. I hope you enjoy it.