Thinkmarks

What are "thinkmarks?"  Thinkmarks are a way we keep track of our thinking in the Upper Montessori classroom.  We have been discussing these in reading workshop this week.  Students have been learning about leaving reading tracks--visual cues and reminders of our thinking about books.

Estimation Note

Parents-

Please pick a week for estimation this year!  Students and parents are asked to bring in something to fill the estimation container.  During your estimation week, the students will take turns guessing the number of items that are in the estimation container.  The sign-up form has been emailed to all the Upper Montessori families.

You may send in food items for the estimation container.  Other ideas include rice, cereal, jelly beans, cotton balls, Q-tips, and wine corks.

Please count how many of your item is in the estimation container and email me the answer.  Please don’t tell your child the answer as we would like him or her to be a part of the weekly estimation.

Estimation is a wonderful math activity.  We use each weekly estimation lesson to learn how to estimate more accurately.  It’s also a lot of fun!

If you have questions please be sure to let me know!

Amy Perrien

Post Conference Reflection

Thank you, parents, for some wonderfully productive parent-teacher conferences!  Be sure to email me if you have questions or would like further information regarding your son's or daughter's parent/teacher conference.

Spelling Starts on October 25!

Time really does fly by so quickly.  When I was working on back-to-school paperwork the date of October 25th seemed a long way off!

Spelling will be starting this coming week.  Students will take their pretest in small groups with either a parent volunteer, Mr. Edwards, or myself.  They will correct their own tests. A printed copy of the word list that comes home on Monday is for you to keep at home for practice. Please sign and return the pretest.
I will send the final tests home either Friday or Monday each week. Any words missed will be added to the next week's list. If at any time you feel your child's words are too easy or too hard, please let me know. I want spelling to be the best experience for each child, yet be challenging as well. 

On Tuesday I will send home a set of spelling practice ideas for you to keep at home. These ideas are not assignments that need to be returned to school, just ideas for your son or daughter to use when practicing their words.

I recommend that students study spelling twice per week at home in the evening.  If you feel that more practice is needed, please feel free to adjust accordingly.

Dates for Parents and Pastries

Good afternoon!

Students will be bringing home a note today that has all the dates for Parents and Pastries events throughout the school year.

On these special days, parents (or other special guest) are invited to come into the classroom to work with us and enjoy an special treat.

Moms and Muffins:  October 29 and April 28
Dads and Doughnuts:  December 3 and March 24

For students who have parents unable to come or who work and/or live far away, students may invite a special aunt (uncle), grandma (grandpa), or even a favorite babysitter!

Photos from Camp Pendalouan

Hello everyone!

The photos from camp on all online.  I have added captions to many of them to give a better understanding of what the kids are doing.  Many of the kids are anxious for these to be posted.  Will you please let the kids know these are here?

I would like to say "thank you" to Mr. Edwards, Mrs. Kibler, and Mr. VanRegenmorter for going with us to camp.  No adult sat idly watching the students, we were just as involved as the kids!  Of course, getting to watch the kids sing songs like "Elmo's World" really made the active participating worth it! 

We are now using our camp experience to work on writing a "how-to" manual for team work and cooperative group work.  The experience was absolutely priceless, thank you for your support!

--Mrs. Perrien

Managing School--Tips for Busy Families

**These ideas are courtesy of the Grand Rapids Press

• Set up a comfortable, well-lit homework area.
• Have a designated spot to stow backpacks.
• Use a month-by-month calendar with spaces big enough for all family activities.
• Color-code:  Assign each family member a color for any calendar items (let kids pick their own color).
• Dry erase boards are great for daily or weekly family activities
• Have a "school papers in" basket located in your family center.  Children should be responsible for placing all paperwork in this basket immediately after getting home from school.
• Keep a seperate school art basket/box/folder for each child.
• Put the date and grade on all art/paperwork that goes into the folder.  At the end of the year you can sort for the items that are super-special and saved for the long term. (Everyone asks me this...my children each have one inch of storage space per grade, per school year).
• Have kids fill out and keep their own calendar.  This will establish routines for middle school and later, life.
• Establish routines that are easier on children.  For example: each night before school, have kids pick out their clothes, pack their lunches, and pack their backpacks.  It makes the morning easier!
• Establish a bedtime procedure that includes downtime and an early bedtime.  Children in the 4th and 5th grades still require 10-11 hours of sleep per night.

Spirit Week Photos