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!