New Volunteer Schedules

See the following to sign up to help:

Classroom Store Volunteer

Classroom Math Test Help

These are Google Docs so you should be able to sign up right on the document.  Remember on the math volunteer sheet to only sign up for two for now. 

If you are available to help in the classroom, morning times are most helpful as we are always in need to people to help during workplan.  Please email me (croelperriena@westottawa.net) if you want to set up a morning volunteer time.

Thanks so much and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mrs. Perrien

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!  

In our house, cooking yummy Christmas treats is a yearly ritual.  This year our new cat, Ebony, decided to supervise!  

Holly wearing her "Thing 1" scarf!

All the "Things" I am thankful for this year!

Have a wonderful holiday!

--Mrs. Perrien and the Perrien family

Classroom Pictures

A few from our daily classroom work...

Michigan Project Photos

Technology Meeting

Parents-

In no way am I an expert in technology! However, I am exposed to a lot of programs and work to integrate common sense ideas into the classroom curriculum.  Therefore, I'm interested in finding out whether or not the Montessori parents would be interested in a technology night where we, as parents, discuss technology--what's available out there and what students are using in school, what choices we make as parents regarding our kids and technology, and answer questions about technology in school.

If you are interested in attending an evening meeting, please email me at croelperrien@westottawa.net or simply comment on this blog posting. The meeting would not take place until after the holiday break.  I am willing to open this up to parents in other classrooms as well!

--Mrs. Perrien

Holiday Vocabulary

Today, students took a cold test on 10 holiday words.  These words are a representative sample of words from three December holidays.

The word list/assignment sheet is here.  Students will take a final quiz on these words next Friday!

-Mrs. Perrien

Vacation "home" for the holiday

Parents-

Three of our classroom pets need a holiday vacation "home away from home."  We have a tank a hermit crabs, Spotz-the Leopard Gecko, and one hissing cockroach that all need a home for our vacation.  They are very easy to take care of from day-to-day.

If you are not traveling during the holidays (for more than a day) and would like to babysit a pet please email me at croelperriena@westottawa.net.

Thanks!

--Mrs. Perrien

Resthaven Pictures

Soldier's Care Package

This is our classroom's holiday project!  Rather than doing a classroom gift exchange, the Upper Montessori students adopt a charity or organization to help over the holiday season.  In the past we've collected food and toys for the Humane Society and collected children's books for DeVos Children's Hospital.  This year we are collecting care package items to send to a soldier in the Middle East.

Since we are sending items through the mail overseas there are item restrictions.  See the following website for care package ideas:  http://adoptaplatoon.org/site/.  Once you get to this page click on the words, "Care Package Ideas," under Helpful Info.  This open up a pdf document with lots of shopping ideas.  If you're able to help, please consider sending in an item or two for the care package. 

Friday is our deadline!  We want to get the package in the mail in time for Christmas.  Let's show our soldiers thanks and support and help brighten their Christmas!

-Mrs. Perrien

Tall Tales Homework

This assignment will be due next Wednesday, December 14.  I think the kids will have fun researching tall tales!  There are some great stories out on the web.

Tall Tales Homework Assignment

Reader's Workshop Update

Visit my reader's workshop blog to check out my comments about genre studies.  I will be sending home the ThinkQuest assignment by Wednesday this week.

-Mrs. Perrien

Greek Tortoise Assignment

We were thinking of getting a tortoise for our new class pet. To do so, all students will have to research over the weekend and find a fact about the Greek tortoise and how to take care of it.

This will help our class zoologists realize and learn how to take care of our special new pet.

After the student finds their fact, they must post the fact on the blog. It must be posted by Tuesday December 6^th by morning.

You only need one fact on how to keep or take care of our pet.

It will be a special opportunity to watch this pet grow and live!

But to earn this pet we must all participate in our fact finding project!

By; Erin and Natalie