Parents-
You child should be bringing home a letter today about Moby Math. This is a simple, yet effective tool that students will use to practice math skills while at home. Moby will replace weekly fact practice. All students need to complete a minimum of 30 minutes of Moby Math practice at home, anytime between Monday and Sunday.
Moby is a web-based tool that customizes lessons for each child, based on placement test results. (About 5 of the Upper Montessori students still need to complete their placement test. PLEASE DO NOT complete the placement test at home.)
The homework requirement will begin next week but all students who have completed a placement test are free to begin on Moby right away! I have already added MOBY Math as a link under the Homework tab on the blog page.
Please be sure to let me know if you have any questions!
--Mrs. Perrien
27 February 2013
Whitecaps Reading Club
Whitecaps Reading Club paperwork will be coming home Thursday!
Kids need to read for 450 minutes during March and in return they will earn 2 free tickets to the Whitecaps. Our Waukazoo Day at the Whitecaps will be Sunday, May 19 at 1 p.m. If kids want to go to a different game, they will need to hang on to their bookmark. Forms will come home in mid-March for those that desire a ticket to a different game. Either way, it's always fun!
26 February 2013
Kindness Challenge
Random Acts of Kindness: http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas
The challenge is on, we can do this!
I have issued a challenge to the Upper Montessori girls and boys: commit a Random Act of Kindness before next Monday. Take a picture and send it in, write down what transpired...but above all, think outside yourself! We invite parents and other family members to get involved in our challenge, too!
For inspiration, I searched, "Random Acts of Kindness" on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=random+acts+of+kindness
--Mrs. Perrien
24 February 2013
Lunchbox Ideas
Parents-
If you are like me and your require that your child eat a home lunch versus hot lunch at school you might like this website:
http://keeleymcguire.blogspot.com/2013/02/lunch-made-easy-20-non-sandwich-school.html
She has lots of great ideas for customizing a home lunch and thinking beyond a sandwich, apple, and chips.
If you are like me and your require that your child eat a home lunch versus hot lunch at school you might like this website:
http://keeleymcguire.blogspot.com/2013/02/lunch-made-easy-20-non-sandwich-school.html
She has lots of great ideas for customizing a home lunch and thinking beyond a sandwich, apple, and chips.
Dates and more...
BOOK FAIR
The Upper Montessori class will be visiting the Scholastic Book Fair to PREVIEW only on March 7. They will return to PURCHASE on March 11. During preview times the students will not be allowed to write down any of the myriad of items that are "junk" items--including overpriced pens, bookmarks, gadgets, any more. They may record books that they are interested in discussing with you. (Just for your information...the gadgets, pens, and other "stuff" really are overpriced.)
The book fair is scheduled to be open during parent/teacher conferences, which will allow you to visit with your child.
CELEBRATION OF LEARNING
The Montessori of Learning is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. On this day students will simply stay at school at the end of the school day to begin their preparations. Please plan to arrive at 4 p.m. that day to visit and explore their hard work! I have two requests for that day: 1) your child might need Revolutionary Era costume pieces. Please be on the lookout for prairie-style dresses, boys blue, red, or black blazers, plain white shirts. Even if your child doesn't need these things, someone else in the classroom might. If you find something like this please send it in to school with your name pinned inside. NO ONE has a topic yet, but all students will soon. All items on loan will be returned to you later that week! My second request is that you plan to arrive at 4 p.m. Coming in early will mean that students will not be ready for you.
CONFERENCES
Parent-Teacher conferences have a new scheduling system this year. You should have received either a paper note from Mrs. Taylor detailing how to sign up and select your parent-teacher conference or an email from Mrs. Westhouse, the Waukazoo secretary. Pick-a-time is the system I use in Jenison to schedule my own children's parent-teacher conferences. I love it! I am able to schedule the time that works best for me, and receive an email copy of my schedule as well as reminder emails. It is VERY easy to set up your own account and schedule. The first time I did it this fall, it took me less than 10 minutes. Finally, please remember that your child should be included in this March conference!
TALL TALES WRITING ASSIGNMENT
We have been so busy writing opinion essays and learning about Jamestown and early America that I am embarrassed to say I did not give students their tall tales rubric. It can be accessed here. That being said, I will extend the deadline to March 4 to accommodate students who need to more time to complete this writing assignment. Parents, PLEASE print the rubric for your child if possible. Thanks so much!
Enjoy this rest of your winter break!
--Mrs. Perrien
The Upper Montessori class will be visiting the Scholastic Book Fair to PREVIEW only on March 7. They will return to PURCHASE on March 11. During preview times the students will not be allowed to write down any of the myriad of items that are "junk" items--including overpriced pens, bookmarks, gadgets, any more. They may record books that they are interested in discussing with you. (Just for your information...the gadgets, pens, and other "stuff" really are overpriced.)
The book fair is scheduled to be open during parent/teacher conferences, which will allow you to visit with your child.
CELEBRATION OF LEARNING
The Montessori of Learning is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. On this day students will simply stay at school at the end of the school day to begin their preparations. Please plan to arrive at 4 p.m. that day to visit and explore their hard work! I have two requests for that day: 1) your child might need Revolutionary Era costume pieces. Please be on the lookout for prairie-style dresses, boys blue, red, or black blazers, plain white shirts. Even if your child doesn't need these things, someone else in the classroom might. If you find something like this please send it in to school with your name pinned inside. NO ONE has a topic yet, but all students will soon. All items on loan will be returned to you later that week! My second request is that you plan to arrive at 4 p.m. Coming in early will mean that students will not be ready for you.
CONFERENCES
Parent-Teacher conferences have a new scheduling system this year. You should have received either a paper note from Mrs. Taylor detailing how to sign up and select your parent-teacher conference or an email from Mrs. Westhouse, the Waukazoo secretary. Pick-a-time is the system I use in Jenison to schedule my own children's parent-teacher conferences. I love it! I am able to schedule the time that works best for me, and receive an email copy of my schedule as well as reminder emails. It is VERY easy to set up your own account and schedule. The first time I did it this fall, it took me less than 10 minutes. Finally, please remember that your child should be included in this March conference!
TALL TALES WRITING ASSIGNMENT
We have been so busy writing opinion essays and learning about Jamestown and early America that I am embarrassed to say I did not give students their tall tales rubric. It can be accessed here. That being said, I will extend the deadline to March 4 to accommodate students who need to more time to complete this writing assignment. Parents, PLEASE print the rubric for your child if possible. Thanks so much!
Enjoy this rest of your winter break!
--Mrs. Perrien
19 February 2013
Ready to go!
Parents-
All students were given their vacation homework...just in case there is a snow day on Wednesday. I'm hoping that by sending the homework I'm jinxing the snow day! I'm not sure what the snow day calculator says, but Mrs. Perrien can't keep up with all the snow delays!
IF there is a snow day, both grades have math packets for the break. Both packets are review packets: time for 4th and graphing for 5th. (Review means that all students should be able to do the work with only minimal help, or none at all.) All students are asked to complete their regular writing homework as well as read for at least three of the five days of break. Students also have a vacation reading log to record the three days of reading. There is a $$ incentive if students read and record every day of the break!
Today we learned about Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in America. A few sites to explore:
All students were given their vacation homework...just in case there is a snow day on Wednesday. I'm hoping that by sending the homework I'm jinxing the snow day! I'm not sure what the snow day calculator says, but Mrs. Perrien can't keep up with all the snow delays!
IF there is a snow day, both grades have math packets for the break. Both packets are review packets: time for 4th and graphing for 5th. (Review means that all students should be able to do the work with only minimal help, or none at all.) All students are asked to complete their regular writing homework as well as read for at least three of the five days of break. Students also have a vacation reading log to record the three days of reading. There is a $$ incentive if students read and record every day of the break!
Today we learned about Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in America. A few sites to explore:
- http://historicjamestowne.org
- http://www.historyisfun.org/jamestown-settlement.htm
- http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/ (This one is neat and interactive!)
18 February 2013
Social Studies packets
Many students are bringing home their social studies packets for completion tonight. First, they are reading about "exchanges" between those in the old world and those in the new world. They need to recognize what is being exchanged between traders.
Second, they are reading at least three different quotes from Christopher Columbus. Students need to choose the quote that they would like to respond to in their research journal. Their response is based on their thinking about Columbus' statements.
Students are also reading about a slave trading post called Elmira Castle. They will need to respond to this in their research journal. They need to list the "main idea" of the passage and give three important details from the reading that support the main idea.
Finally, students are reading about the Columbian Exchange via a graphic organizer. Students need to complete the following page, a prediction sheet.
If students are working on their packet at home it is because they didn't complete their weekly workplan last week in class. All students were given workplan time today to work on their unfinished work and were then expected to move to the social studies packet. A lot of packet work tonight means a lot of unfinished workplan from last week.
Another website for information on the Columbian Exchange: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1866.
--Mrs. Perrien
Second, they are reading at least three different quotes from Christopher Columbus. Students need to choose the quote that they would like to respond to in their research journal. Their response is based on their thinking about Columbus' statements.
Students are also reading about a slave trading post called Elmira Castle. They will need to respond to this in their research journal. They need to list the "main idea" of the passage and give three important details from the reading that support the main idea.
Finally, students are reading about the Columbian Exchange via a graphic organizer. Students need to complete the following page, a prediction sheet.
If students are working on their packet at home it is because they didn't complete their weekly workplan last week in class. All students were given workplan time today to work on their unfinished work and were then expected to move to the social studies packet. A lot of packet work tonight means a lot of unfinished workplan from last week.
Another website for information on the Columbian Exchange: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1866.
--Mrs. Perrien
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