Wish List Updates

I have updated the classroom wish list to include paper plates and napkins. We recently used up our supply on muffins, doughnuts, and birthday treats. If you are able to donate either for the classroom, your generosity would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Classroom Updates

This is the final week of school before the holiday break. Where does the time go?

Our holiday party is scheduled for this Thursday. Please send in your humane society donations during the week and they will be delivered next Monday. Remember that we are not doing a classroom gift exchange; the students voted to adopt the humane society instead.

White Glove Day!

Friday is our white glove cleaning day—returning students know this means that we deep clean the classroom from top to bottom. We even have a special (surprise) white glove inspector. Past inspectors have included principals, Mrs. Zeinstra, Mrs. Coney, and Mrs. Klinger. We should have the cleaning done by the end of the morning on Friday and will use the afternoon to wrap up 2008!

THANK YOU!

Thanks to the dads that attended Dads and Doughnuts. The kids were very happy with how the morning turned out!

WEEKLY REFLECTION

I am still working on the new weekly reflection. Since it is not quite ready, I have decided to hold off on using the weekly reflection until the new school year. Thanks for your patience.

NO SPELLING THIS WEEK

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Holiday Hosting

Are you interested in hosting one of our classroom pets for the holidays? Our Leopard Gecko (Spotz) needs a home as does our hermit crab. If you are able and interested, please get in touch with me. I will provide complete care instructions for both of the pets.

Classroom Updates

A few bits of news…

Library link-Ms. Marco is having the kids use their timelines to create Power Points while at their library/media special. What a great way to connect the classroom to a special. Thanks Ms. Marco!

Thank you to several parents! (What would we ever do without our wonderful Waukazoo parents?) Thanks for Theda Luna for creating the large map of Europe we are using to identify and label countries, landforms, bodies of water, and more. Thanks to Lori Hotary and Karen Green for accompanying us to DeGraaf Nature Center. Thanks to all the moms for joining us at Moms and Muffins! J Thank you to Juliette's dad, Joep Bijlholt for coming in and talking about life in the Netherlands. Thank you to everyone for helping with the timelines, they are just amazing!

Thank you to Mr. Rodriguez for joining us this fall as he prepares for a career as an educator. We wish him the best of luck as he prepares for his next semester of student teaching!

HOLIDAY PARTY NEWS

Students voted last week on their wishes for a holiday party. They voted for a movie party, with snacks and hot cocoa! (If you signed up at the ice cream social to help with the party I'll be in touch. If you are interesting in helping with the party please let me know.) The party is tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday, December 18.

HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING

Students also voted on a charity to adopt in lieu of gifts. It has been an Upper Montessori holiday tradition to adopt a charity rather than exchange gifts in the classroom. I am happy to report that students have chosen to adopt the Harbor Humane Society again this year. We will be setting up a tree in the classroom where students can place their donations for the humane society. These will be delivered the week before Christmas. A few ideas for the humane society include dog or cat food, kitten or puppy food, kitten and puppy powdered milk replacer, non-clumping kitty litter, gas cards, or trash bags. A complete wish list from the Harbor Humane Society will be sent home with the kids this week. Thank you to the kids for their generous spirit in choosing a local and worthwhile organization!

--Mrs. Perrien

Field Trip Pictures

Parents-

I have just finished adding to the Photobucket site all the pictures I took while at DeGraaf Nature Center. There are some wonderful pictures of the kids hard at work sawing wood, baking bread, and carding wool. I think they developed a new level of appreciation for their own chores after learning about the chores often performed by pioneer kids! There are also some great pictures of several of the kids experimenting with pioneer tools. Enjoy!

Reminders

Parents-

I am very excited about the timelines! I have been hearing some wonderful feedback from the children as well as all kinds of facts learned during the timeline creation.

If you have any questions about the timelines, please don’t hesitate to email me during the break. I will be checking in each day. As a reminder, timelines are due on Monday, December 1st. We will be sharing our timelines with the class and with our dads at Dads and Doughnuts (see below).

I would also like to remind you that we are going to DeGraaf Nature Center on Tuesday, December 2 in the morning from 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Dads and Doughnuts—I would like to invite Dads into the classroom on Friday, December 12 in the morning.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

--Mrs. Perrien

Classroom Updates: November 19, 2008

Moms and Muffins—this Friday please join us between 9 and 11 a.m. Stay for one hour or both, whatever works for you. The kids are excited to share their work!

Field Trip—we will be taking a field trip to DeGraaf Nature Center on December 2, 2008 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. We will be participating in the "pioneer living" program and will be working both indoors and outdoors. Please have students dress for this field trip in layers, to accommodate both indoor and outdoor activities. DeGraaf does not allow students to participate if they are not dressed properly. I will be able to take two adults on this field trip, if you are interested in going with us to DeGraaf please call or email. I'll be able to take the first two parents that respond.

Photos—I will be uploading photos this week to the Photobucket page from both Veterans Day and Science Alive.

Excellent Christmas shopping can be found this weekend at Waukazoo's Holiday Bazaar; Saturday, November 22 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Curriculum—in writing this week we have been working on sequencing and adding details to our essays and stories. We practiced a writing tool called sensory imaging and connected the practice to our science observations on ecosystems. We are also in the planning stages for writing a tall tale; we will be connecting our sensory imaging practice to our tall tale rough drafts. Stay tuned to soon see a rough draft of our tall tale!