Newsletter 01/15/16
Whew, our week of crazy outings has passed, and it was a rousing success! I think the highlight was definitely going to the African American Performing Arts Center to practice the play. It was great to see the girls have so much fun on that stage--I think it finally hit home how real this play is. This week is, of course, the last week of school, and I am both sad and excited. We have so much going on, though that I know it will fly by in a flash.
Golf Tournament
I just wanted to give a quick shout-out about the golf tournament yesterday. It went so well! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day to play golf. Thank you to all who came to play and to all those who came to volunteer--we had a huge turnout. Plus we raised over $10,000 for the school! What a blessing that was. Thanks again for everyone's hard work. Be sure to mark your calendars for next year!
The Play
One of the biggest, most exciting projects that we have for this week is our play! The girls have worked so hard, and they have done such a good job putting this together. It's really exciting to watch it come to fruition. We only have a couple of days before we put it on at the African American Performing Arts Center, so please continue to help them practice their lines slowly and with enthusiasm. Please be sure to send in their costumes by tomorrow. We will be having a full dress rehearsal--which includes full costumes and stage makeup--on Tuesday morning, so it is important that we have every costume ready to go before then. Also, the PTA will be selling snacks and drinks during the intermission, and they are looking for bottles of water, 2 oz. bags of chips, variety Rice Krispy bars, etc. to sell. You can send any donations of those items in with your students tomorrow.
End of Year Carnival
The last day of school is this Friday, May 20. On that day we will have school from 8-11, and then the PTA is hosting an End of Year Carnival from 11-5. There will be games, prizes, food, a dunk tank (which I will be participating in!), and all sorts of other fun things. Come play, have fun with your students, and celebrate the end of a long, successful year and the beginning of summer!
Newsletter 05/08/16
Everyone did so well this week while taking the PARCC tests! I'm so proud of all of the students, and you should be too. We have a break this week from testing, but there are a lot of other things going on to make up for it.
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
I would say that Jump-Rope-A-Thon was a success, even though I got trounced by Mrs. Fender in our face-off. Don't worry, we've already called for a rematch for next year. Each of our participants did a great job jumping, and it was awesome to see how much we raised for the Junior High next year.
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible. Here is the link to sign up as a player:https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/2nd-annual-coral-community-charter-school-golf-tournament. We also need volunteers for that day! Here is the link where you can sign up to help: https://slotted.co/cccs2ndgolftourney. Hopefully we'll see all of you there!
OSIs Galore!
This week we four different outings scheduled:
On Monday we are going to the Isotopes game
On Tuesday we are going to the park in the morning as a reward for filling up our warm fuzzy jar and doing so amazing on PARCC
On Thursday the school is hosting a fun run
On Friday we have our tech rehearsal for our play at the African American Theater
I am still missing a few OSI forms for our OSI to the theater. Please make sure those come back to me by tomorrow, so that everyone can come and prepare for our production next week!
Play Update
We are getting so close to our play! We are just finalizing each scene, and memorizing our lines. The costumes are almost finished (the stage crew did a great job putting the dragon wings together!), and we are working on putting props together. Please help your students memorize their lines! One tip to help your students is to teach them to say their lines slowly. This will be very important, since when we get nervous we tend to speak faster, and it's likely that the girls will be very nervous on the day of the play. I will be sending a costume list home this week, so that the girls will be completely ready for their debut!
Newsletter 05/01/16
It's the first of May! That's so exciting! We only have a few more weeks left of school, but we keep ploughing ahead.
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
Fliers have gone out for the Jump-rope-A-Thon. This is our second Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are hoping that it will just as big a hit as it was last year. We will be using the funds from this year's Jump-rope-A-Thon for improvements to the school. Please have your students sign up! Plus, if students earn at least $25, they will win a free t-shirt which they can wear as part of the school uniform. Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Fender, and I are also going head-to-head for the Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are taking donations. There has been talk of dying hair rainbow colors or being wrapped in toilet paper for the losers, so it should be a good jump-rope battle. If you would like to send a donation with your student this week, I would greatly appreciate it!
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible. Here is the link to sign up as a player:https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/2nd-annual-coral-community-charter-school-golf-tournament. We also need volunteers for that day! Here is the link where you can sign up to help: https://slotted.co/cccs2ndgolftourney. Hopefully we'll see all of you there!
Readers Workshop
Thank you to everyone who came to the Readers Raise the Roof Workshop--it was a hit! There were some great ideas and strategies to help keep your students on track during the summer, please let me know. I'd be happy to give out some ideas.
Science Projects
We will be building Rube Goldberg machines this week! Woohoo! If you have any odd objects such as marbles, race cars, balloons, legos, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, rubber bands, etc., laying around, please send them in with your student. We can use all the materials we can get!
PARCC
This week we will be starting our PARCC tests. We will be taking the tests on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This is a great opportunity to see how the students are doing, and it's also a great way to show that our single-gender methods really work! We've seen it in the classroom, now let's show the rest of the state how amazing we can do. There are a few things that I think can help, aside from normal test-taking skills. One thing that students can do is come to the tests dressed for success. Wear your best uniform; you do feel more confident when you try to look your best. One thing that you can do for your students is to be positive as they go into the tests! Help them to see how amazing they are, how much progress they have made over the year, and how they are going to rock these tests! I know everyone of the students are going to do great.
Newsletter 04/24/16
Whew, what a week! We had play practice, a surprise science demonstration with ice cream, and an incredible trip to Santa Fe! We have many more exciting things coming up, so stay tuned.
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
Fliers have gone out for the Jump-rope-A-Thon. This is our second Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are hoping that it will just as big a hit as it was last year. We will be using the funds from this year's Jump-rope-A-Thon for improvements to the school. Please have your students sign up! Plus, if students earn at least $25, they will win a free t-shirt which they can wear as part of the school uniform.
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible. Here is the link to sign up as a player:https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/2nd-annual-coral-community-charter-school-golf-tournament. We also need volunteers for that day! Here is the link where you can sign up to help: https://slotted.co/cccs2ndgolftourney. Hopefully we'll see all of you there!
Readers Workshop
We will have an amazing Readers Workshop on the 29th of this month--that's this Thursday!--hosted by our reading specialist, Mrs. Letscher, from 5:30-8:00 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for you parents to get a "toolbox" of activities to help your child's reading improve, especially with the summer fast approaching. We need to have everyone RSVP to either the fliers that were sent home with your student or to the electronic invitation that was sent out. Dinner and daycare with be provided that night, we will also have the students' art work hanging around the school for you to see, and there will be door prizes handed out throughout the workshop. Please, please, come and join us for a great evening!
Science Projects
We will be building Rube Goldberg machines this week! Woohoo! If you have any odd objects such as marbles, race cars, balloons, legos, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, rubber bands, etc., laying around, please send them in with your student. We can use all the materials we can get!
Testing
Testing begins this week! We will be testing on reading this week with DIEBELS, so practicing with your student will be a huge help. They will need to practice fluency (how much can they read in one minute) and retelling the story (how many details about the story can they retell in one minute), and the best way to improve scores is to do it over and over and over...and over again. A great, fun way to do this is to do Readers Theater, which is when students read stories as if it were a play. Here is a website that has many great Readers Theater scripts: http://www.thebestclass.org/rtscripts.html .
No School on Friday
Now for a fun announcement: there is no school for the students this Friday! It is a Teacher Development day. So enjoy the long weekend, and gear up for the last few weeks of school.
Newsletter 04/17/16
We have lots of things happening this week, so this newsletter is packed. Thanks for all you do!
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
Fliers have gone out for the Jump-rope-A-Thon. This is our second Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are hoping that it will just as big a hit as it was last year. We will be using the funds from this year's Jump-rope-A-Thon for improvements to the school. Please have your students sign up! Plus, if students earn at least $25, they will win a free t-shirt which they can wear as part of the school uniform.
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible. Here is the link to sign up as a player:https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/2nd-annual-coral-community-charter-school-golf-tournament. We also need volunteers for that day! Here is the link where you can sign up to help: https://slotted.co/cccs2ndgolftourney. Hopefully we'll see all of you there!
Readers Workshop
We will have an amazing Readers Workshop on the 29th of this month, hosted by our reading specialist, Mrs. Letscher. This is a wonderful opportunity for you parents to get a "toolbox" of activities to help your child's reading improve, especially with the summer fast approaching. We need to have everyone RSVP to either the fliers that were sent home with your student or to the electronic invitation that was sent out last week. Dinner and daycare with be provided that night, and we will also have the students' art work hanging around the school for you to see. Come and join us for a great evening!
Upcoming OSI
This week we have a major OSI! We are going to Santa Fe on Friday to learn more about government, and we are so excited. It's going to be an incredible trip for the girls. We will be leaving as soon as we say the Pledge, and then we won't be back until about 6:30 pm. We will be providing snacks for the train rides and pizza once we get back to the school. Please make sure to send in the OSI forms and fees tomorrow so we have a count of everyone who can come with us to Santa Fe.
Play Update
We are very excited about the play we will be performing next month. The girls have been memorizing their lines, we are starting to work on costumes, and we have even begun learning our dance moves. It's going to be amazing! Thank you for all of your support in putting this play together.
Newsletter 04/10/16
Welcome back to school after a nice Spring Break. I hope that you all took a well-deserved break to have some fun and relaxation. This month is going to be jam packed with activities, and we are now in the home stretch before summer. It's going to be great!
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
Last week fliers went out for the Jump-rope-A-Thon. This is our second Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are hoping that it will just as big a hit as it was last year. We will be using the funds from this year's Jump-rope-A-Thon for improvements to the school. Please have your students sign up! Plus, if students earn at least $25, they will win a free t-shirt which they can wear as part of the school uniform.
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible.
Talent Show
The talent show is coming up! This will be a great way for our students to show off what their made of. The deadline to sign up for the talent show is April 15, which is this Friday! Hurry up and sign up.
OSI
This week we have another OSI! We are going to go see Alice in Wonderland at the Kimo Theater this Thursday. This will be a great opportunity to see a great play, and it will tie in perfectly with our current Social Studies unit on governments. We'll talk about monarchy and compare that system to what is portrayed in Alice in Wonderland. It's going to be a great OSI!
Newsletter 03/20/16
We have one more week until Spring Break! This is going to be a great week, with OSIs and conferences. I'm really looking forward to our activities.
Conferences
This week we will be holding family-teacher conferences on Wednesday, March 23, and Thursday, March 24. I sent home invitations with students last week, and I received most of them back. Thank you so much for returning those to me! Please let me know as soon as possible if the time I scheduled for your conference works for you or if you need to reschedule.
OSI
On Tuesday we have an OSI. We are going to the BioPark! With the beautiful weather that we have been having, it should be a great day out. Please make sure that your student has a water bottle to take with her, preferably a disposable one that can be refilled and won't be stressful if it is lost. We will be going with Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Williamson, so it will be another great opportunity for the girls to show leadership qualities to those younger students.
Lost and Found
The lost and found bin will be emptied on Tuesday, March 22. If your student is missing anything, check the bin before it gets emptied!
Book Reviews
For the past two months, the girls have been working in their reading groups on different books, looking at different literary features. Now that all of the book clubs have finished their books, each student is working on completing a one page book review. This book review is due on Tuesday, before we head out to our OSI. The girls have been given time throughout this past week to complete the book review in class, but some of the girls still need time to finish up. This is homework until it is due on Tuesday.
Annual Golf Tournament
Mark your calendars for May 14--we are holding our 2nd annual golf tournament! It's $125 per person to register. It will be a great opportunity to raise money for our school and play some great golf! More details to come.
Newsletter 03/13/16
It seems that Spring is finally coming to Albuquerque, and we've had the opportunity to do some great activities outside. It wonderful to have the nice weather!
Forms
There are two forms that need to be returned as soon as possible. There is an OSI form for our trip to the Bio Park next week. There is also an intent to return form, which needs to be returned to me if you are planning on having your child return to Coral Community Charter School next year. Most students have turned in their forms, but I am still missing a few. If you are not sure if your student has turned in their forms, please send me an email, and I can let you know if I still need forms from your student.
Conferences
Conferences are March 23 and March 24. I will be sending home invitations with your assigned time for your conference with your student. Please respond as soon as possible, so that if I need to change times I can do so for you.
Fundraiser
This week another one of the students from our class is hosting a fundraiser! On Thursday students can pay $1 to wear whatever they would like to school. This money will be used to create kits for families of those who have babies in the UNM NICU. These families have to live with a lot of stress for months at a time, and often they aren't living in their own homes. These kits would be a great way for these families to relieve some stress. We will be creating adult coloring books and stress balls, and we will be adding thin markers and coloring pencils. If you have any new thin markers or boxes of colored pencils, we would greatly appreciate the donations. Also, this fundraiser is just in time for St. Patricks Day!
Newsletter 03/06/16
Dr. Seuss week was a hit! It was great to see all the crazy hats, sweet scarves, Grinch and Cat in the Hat costumes, crazy hairstyles, and Dr. Seuss quotes. Here are some great things we have coming up this week.
Warm Fuzzy Jar
For the past few months the girls have been working to fill up a mason jar with what we call warm fuzzies. These warm fuzzies are awarded when individuals or groups in the class have put forth exceptional effort for class assignments, been an example of one or more of the North Stars, etc. They've worked really hard to fill up that mason jar, and I am really excited to say that we finally managed to fill it up! As a reward for filling up the whole jar, the girls will get to bring in 1 stuffed animal to class on Wednesday. This will also be in conjunction with our pizza and ice cream party that we won from the candle fundraiser. Way to go girls!
Science
Since we got back from our winter break, we have had the great pleasure of working with both Mr. Nunn and Mrs. Wilson to support the science that we are learning in our classroom. Both Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Nunn assign the girls activities and work to complete while the students are with them. If your students come home with science homework, please support their learning by encouraging them to complete their lab reports, science packets, and explorations on Discovery Education.
Spring Pictures
On Thursday, March 10, we will be taking Spring pictures. This is when we will get to take our picture as a whole class, so make sure to have your students looking their best on Thursday! There will be no retakes for these pictures. We sent home order forms, but that was only if you wanted to order the special items listed on those order forms.
Help for Pre-K
The Pre-K classes are starting their Spring projects, and they need our help! They are trying to collect as many toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, bags of shredded paper, and cardboard egg cartons (not styrofoam!) as they can get. You can either bring the supplies to me or take them directly to the Pre-K. The Pre-K classes would really appreciate the help!
Newsletter 02/28/16
We had such a great, busy week last week. We have some great events coming up this week as well.
Dr. Seuss Week
This week we are starting Dr. Seuss Week! This is a very exciting week of the year, when students get to show their school spirit. Tomorrow it all begins--with crazy hat day! Your student can come to school wearing their favorite and/or craziest hat. We will also have crazy scarf day, the Cat in the Hat vs. the Grinch day, crazy hair day, and Dr. Seuss quote of the day. Friday night is our Family Fun Night, where there will be food, activities, story time, and a movie. This is a free event, and we hope that everyone comes to join us. For more information on each of the activities, check out the flyers that were sent home with your students or the PTA newsletter.
Bake Sale Report
We had our bake sale on Friday, and it was a huge hit! Thank you to everyone who helped support Gabby and Brianna in their efforts to raise money for the school. Hopefully we will be able to host more fundraisers like this in the near future!
Candle Fundraiser
We have some really exciting news: because of the hard work of every student in our class during the candle fundraiser, we won a pizza party! You guys sold so many candles! Plus, Maryam was one of the top selling students in the entire school, which means that the PTA will also be giving our class an ice cream party. Way to go everyone! It is really great to see the excitement that each student has for helping our school.
7th and 8th Grade Information Meeting
We are really excited about the next phase in our school's development--adding 7th grade next year. On March 2nd we are hosting an informational meeting that will talk about our plans for the Junior High. We have some great things in store for next year, so please come to the meeting at the school at 5:30 to find out all about our plans for the Junior High.
Newsletter 02/21/16
It's the last week of February, and time has really flown by. Here's a look at some of the great things we have planned for this week.
OSIs
We have two OSIs planned for this week! On Thursday we will be heading to the Explora museum with the Pre-K girls. We will have an opportunity to explore the various exhibits in Explora. We will also be taking an exclusive class on forces, which is very exciting! On Friday we will be heading to the Storehouse Food Bank to volunteer in conjunction with our Soup for the Souper Bowl food drive. I will be sending home to OSI forms on Monday, and they will be due back to me by Wednesday, February 24.
Science Volunteers
Calling all Sandia parents! We have an opportunity to bring some great science kits into our classroom to enrich our science learning. In order to use these kits, we need to have a parent volunteer from Sandia who has access to the CroSSlinks lab. That parent would need to check out the science unit kits from the lab, and check them back in when we are finished. This would be such a great opportunity for our girls, so if you would be willing to help us out, please let me know as soon as possible.
PTA Meeting
There was a PTA meeting scheduled for Monday, February 22, at 3:30, but that meeting has been cancelled. A new date will be announced soon, so be on the lookout for an email from the PTA.
Friday Bake Sale
Two of the students in our class are hosting a bake sale this Friday. This is part of their Genius Hour, and they have been working really hard to find a way to help the school. Everything that they are baking is priced at $0.50. Have your students support their peers by bringing a little cash on Friday for the bake sale.
Box Tops Collection
The PTA will be collecting Box Tops this Friday. If you have any box tops from Kleenex, cereal boxes, soup cans, etc. bring them in to help support the school.
Newsletter 02/14/16
Happy Valentines Day, everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Exciting News
We have wonderful, exciting news: we have been approved to include 7th and 8th grade to our school's charter! This means that we are planning to add 7th grade for the next school year. We have some amazing plans in the works, and we hope that you will all continue on with us in this next phase of our journey.
Student Surveys
We will be starting the student surveys from NMTeach soon. This is a great opportunity for students to reflect on how the year has and to give their opinions.
OSI
We have another OSI coming up next week! We will be heading to Explora on February 25 with Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Fender, and the Pre-K girls. We will have an opportunity to explore the exhibits at Explora, and we will also get to take an exclusive class on forces and matter, which fits in perfectly with what we are learning in class. I will be sending home the OSI forms, and they are due back to me by Friday.
Bake Sale
Two of the girls are planning a bake sale to raise money for the school as part of their Genius Hour project! They will be holding their sale on February 26. Everything that they are selling will be $0.50-$1.00.
Four Day Weekend
Just a reminder: this is a four day weekend, so we don't have school on Monday! I hope you all have an excellent day off!
Newsletter 02/07/16
It's already February! This year is flying past us, and things are going really well. Here's what's happening in our classroom.
Science Fair
The Science Fair and Expo at UNM is coming up soon! For those of you who are going, thank you so much for filling all your forms out; we really appreciate your promptness. If you need to turn in the $25 fee, please get that to me as soon as possible. The fair and expo will be held at UNM March 17-19. The girls attending the fair will also need to write an abstract for their project; I'll attach the abstract information in an email.
Book Reports
Book reports for Stargirl are due this Thursday, February 11. The reports are due, along with a one-page report. The one-page report can be either hand-written in very best handwriting, or they can be typed up in size 12 font. We will do book report presentations on the 11th. The girls have the pages with the guiding question for this report and the rubrics, but if you need another copy, please let me know.
Conferences
Conferences with students are taking a little longer than normal. I am still aiming to finish conferencing with every student by the end of this week. Please keep an eye out for a copy of the MAPs results, DIESELS results, and their new PEP goals.
Lollipop Bouquets
The PTA has created an opportunity for you to send some love to your students for Valentine's Day! For just $1 you can send a message and a lollipop bouquet to your students on February 11. Students can also send messages to their friends in the Girls Academy and/or siblings. Make sure you get the messages filled out and sent back to the PTA before Wednesday.
Valentine's Event
We will be having a Valentine's exchange on February 11. Each girl can bring in a small box or container to decorate and store their Valentines in. If you would like to participate, there are 18 girls in our class.
No School on Friday
This Friday, the teachers have our collaboration meeting, which means that there is no school for students on Friday.
No School on Monday
Monday is President's Day, which means that there is no school on Monday! Have a great four-day weekend!
Newsletter 01/31/16
Our testing is over for a moment, and the girls did beautifully! We are heading into a really exciting time; we have are really picking up steam on some great projects.
Testing
We were able to complete both MAPs and DIEBELS in the past two weeks, and I am very happy with the progress that each girl has made! It is my goal this week to meet with each girl, go over their progress, and revisit their PEP (Personal Education Plans) goals. We will discuss their progression, and create some new goals. I will send home their test data and their new goals, so you can see how your student is doing.
Science
Mr. Nunn has kindly helped us with creating some new science projects and assignments. He will be giving the students things to work on in Discovery Education. They will also get to work with him on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. He has open "office hours" from 8:15 to 10:45, so if the girls need extra help or have questions on their science work they can go talk to him. Mrs. Wilson is also helping with these projects and will have labs on Fridays. I am very excited and grateful that we have these extra helps!
Book Reports
We have finished another book! We read the incredible Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. The girls have received the book report prompts for their new book reports. The reports are due on February 11. I will send the rubrics home via email, and the girls will also be taking them home tomorrow. Look for them in your student's homework folder in their backpacks.
Candle Fundraiser
The forms for the candle fundraiser are due tomorrow! Make sure to have your students bring them to school tomorrow so they could earn a reward for all their hard work.
Soup for the Souperbowl
Our fundraiser for the food bank is under way. Thank you to those who have already brought in food! We'll take all the donations we can get during this last week--all donations are due by Friday, February 5. Let's help the food bank and earn a pizza party!
Yearbooks
You can still order the yearbook for this school year. Follow this link to order: https://www.treering.com/createAccount?PassCode=101405698645792
Valentine's Candy Grams
Valentine's Day is almost here! The PTA is providing you with a way to send notes of love and encouragement to your students. In their latest newsletter, the PTA has provided a message form that you can fill out, and for just $1.00 a lollipop bouquet and your message will be delivered.
Newsletter 01/24/16
It's been another great week! Here are some things to be aware of.
OSI
We have another OSI coming up this week! On Thursday, the 28th, we will be heading to Dion's for a behind-the-scenes tour. This will in perfectly with our Common Core State Standards that we have been studying in math--we will be able to use our decimal skills, sales taxes, and even look at circumference, radius, and diameter of a pizza. We will also be pairing with Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Fender's Pre-K girl class for this OSI. It's going to be a lot of fun!
DIEBELS
We completed our MAPs testing this past week, and now we are moving ahead with our DIEBELS testing this week. Once again, this is a test that will show progress on a student's reading fluency and comprehension. They can still practice at home; any timed reading that you can do with them will help! Help them practice their re-tell skills by having them tell you everything they can about what they just read, and encourage them to use adjectives!
Fundraising
We were able to fill up the Goodwill bins that were placed throughout the school, and we managed to raise $525! That's wonderful! Thank you to everyone who donated. We have another fundraising opportunity starting on Monday. We are starting the annual Soup for the Souperbowl fundraiser! This is a really fun opportunity for students to help those in need and to make predictions for the Super Bowl. For each item a student brings in they get to log a vote for the team they want to win the game. All items are due by Friday, February 5. The classroom with the most items will receive a pizza party from the PTA! Please start bringing in your canned soups! We also have our candle fundraiser that is happening currently. All orders must be handed in by February 1 in order to be eligible for the prize.
Class Pet
Our rabbit is back! Through the wonderful kindness of others, we were able to find space in our classroom and a hutch was built for Notch. We are so glad to have her back in the classroom! I also have supplies for Notch to go and visit students. If there is any interest in students taking Notch home for a weekend, please email me, and I can start to put a schedule in place.
Newsletter 01/16/16
We had a wonderful week this week, and it ended with an incredible surprise party from the girls. Please make sure the girls know how much I appreciated their efforts to wish me a beautiful birthday! Here's what's coming up:
MAPS testing
This next week we will be starting the MAPS testing for the middle of the year progress. The girls will be tested on Reading and Math. This is a great way to see where the students are in their progress for the middle of the year.
DIBELS
The week after next we will be starting our DIBELS testing. This is when we will test a student's fluency, accuracy, and comprehension during reading. We have been practicing in class, but you can help at home! Your students should already be reading at home for vocabulary. Take 5 minutes out of that time and start timing. Time your student for one minute to see how much they can read. Then time them for one more minute to see how much they can retell to you what they just read. You can do this a couple of times. This is such great practice for your student, and it will help relieve some stress and anxiety about the test!
OSI
This Wednesday we are going on our OSI to the Natural History Museum. We will be leaving for the museum at the beginning of school, and we will be able to explore the museum, watch a video, and then have lunch at a park near the museum. We are still looking for chaperones--if you want to come with us, please let me or Mrs. Lerner know!
Science Fair Update
We have an update for those students who are going to the next Science Fair at UNM. There are a few forms and fees that need to be taken care of. We must have this done and turned in by Friday, January 22. This will give Mrs. Holloway enough time to get all our ducks in a row for the fair and the expo. Again, the forms MUST be turned in by the 22nd.
Four-Day Weekend
We have the wonderful pleasure of having a four-day weekend this weekend! Which means that Monday there will be no school. Please let your students sleep in on Monday!
Vocabulary
I realize that we have no school on Monday, but we still have vocabulary due on Tuesday. While letting your student relax, remind them that they still need to finish their vocabulary.
Newsletter 01/09/16
Welcome back from winter break. I hope that you all had an amazing two weeks, and that everyone is relaxed and ready to jump back into school.
Science
We are starting a really fun science unit! In this unit we will be learning about states and properties of matter, forces, and simple machines. As our final project for this unit, the students will be creating a Rube Goldberg machine. You can help by letting them bounce ideas off you of how to start a Rube Goldberg machine. Look some up; they are fascinating machines, and they are a lot of fun, and they will help students understand of all the forces we are learning about work together.
Vocabulary
We do have vocabulary due this Tuesday. Just as a reminder, students need to have found 5 words, copied the sentence where it was found in the book, defined the word, and created their own sentence with the vocabulary word.
OSI
We have an OSI coming up. We will going to the Natural Museum of History on January 20. This will be a great opportunity for the girls to explore the museum exhibits, and we will also be watching the movie Robots at the museum to relate to our new unit. We really need chaperones to help us with this OSI. We need three parents to come with us on the 20th. If you need help getting your background checks completed, the PTA has instructions for you, or you can email Mrs. Lerner at alerner@coralcharter.com. The OSI forms were sent home this week, and they are due back by the beginning of next week. Any other questions about the OSI can be sent to Mrs. Lerner.
Goodwill Bins
We currently have the Goodwill bins back in school. Right now is a perfect time to clear out your closest, clean up the garage, and fill up the bins at school. Every bin that we fill up will earn the school $75.
Fundraisers
If your student is interested in creating and executing a fundraiser for the school, please encourage them to come up with a plan. Mrs. Wilson has graciously volunteered to help the girls set up their fundraisers.
Newsletter 12/20/15
It's winter break! Yay! I hope everyone takes this opportunity to relax and prepare for the new year.
Class Play Report
The class play was so wonderful! The girls did amazing, and they were so excited to share with the school and with you, parents. If anyone has a full recording of the play, I would love to have a copy (my phone died about halfway through).
Homework
There will be no homework over the break. That being said, I would love it if every student could continue to read every night for at least 20 minutes. Testing is just around the corner, so help your students stay sharp.
Have an amazing two weeks, and I will see you next year! ;)
Newsletter 12/13/15
It's the last week before winter break!
Science Fair
Last week we had an amazing opportunity to practice presenting our science fair projects. The girls got to share their experiments and answer some great questions from classes and teachers from across the school. The girls did great! Their boards look awesome, and their presentations were really well given. The final step for this science fair is the presentation in front of judges. Judges will be coming to our school on Tuesday between 9 and 1. The students should be completely ready--boards are completed, lab notebooks are all put together, and reports should be written. If you still need to send me the finalized reports so I can print them out, please email them to me no later than Monday.
Class Play
We are performing our class play this week! We are having a dress rehearsal on Tuesday. Our stage crew has put together a costume list for each character, and I will send that home tomorrow. We would love to see everyone in costume for the dress rehearsal and for our final performances on Friday. Speaking of which, we will have two performances on Friday. Our first performance will be held at 10 am. Our final performance--which will be geared toward parents and friends--will be held at about 12:30 pm. Please come and invite friends!
Pink Health Forms
The first week we came back from Thanksgiving Break students who have previously attended Coral Community Charter School received health forms so we could update our files and have the most current information possible. We need those forms back as soon as possible. Please return them with your student by Wednesday.
Milk Jugs
The Pre-K classes are still looking for clean milk jugs. They are trying to collect 500! Any help that we can give them would be much appreciated. If you have empty jugs, wash them out and send them with your student.
Holiday Party
To celebrate two full months of everyone getting their homework on time and the last day before our Winter Break, we are having a holiday homework party. The students have been hard at work to plan an awesome party for everyone. They have planned to send out a sign-up sheet for some food for the party. If you do not want to bring food, that's fine, just let me know.
Newsletter 12/06/15
It's been really good to be back in school. We have settled back into routines, and we are ready to churn out the next two weeks before the winter break. Here are some important things coming up this week.
OSI Report
We have a wonderful trip to see Nutcracker on the Rocks! What a fabulous way to see a twist on an old, favorite classic. They will be performing the play until December 13. One thing that we learned while there was that anyone who auditions can perform in the play! If you have any students who would like to be onstage, encourage them to try out next year in August (no dance experience required).
Science Fair
Science fair projects should be completed! The tri-board and the science lab book are due on Monday, December 7. This week we will be practicing our presentation and giving each other helpful feedback. On December 15, the official judges will be coming to judge the science fair projects and to see who gets to move on to the city competition. We are looking for one to two more judges; if you know of anyone who is willing to come to our school on December 15 from 9 to 1 to judge please let me know (please no parents of competing children).
Milk Jugs
The Pre-K classes are still looking for clean milk jugs. They are trying to collect 500! Any help that we can give them would be much appreciated. If you have empty jugs, wash them out and send them with your student.
Vocabulary
I gave students a small break from vocabulary during the Thanksgiving break, but since we are back into school, vocabulary is due on Tuesday.
Class Play
Our class is working very hard to create and perform our class play, The Littlest Snowflake. We will be performing the play on December 18, the last day before the Winter break. We will have two performances--our dress rehearsal will be at 10 am, and our final performance will be held later that afternoon (exact time TBA). Please come and invite your friends!
Newsletter 11/29/15
I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving break; I know that I really enjoyed being with family and thinking about things I'm grateful for...and eating pie. :) The holiday is over, though, and it is time to jump back into school!
OSI
We do have an OSI coming up. On Tuesday we will be heading to see Nutcracker on the Rocks. Please make sure that the students are wearing either a skirt OR a scarf OR a tie, and are ready to enjoy a great OSI! I do still have spots available for chaperones, so if you would like to come, please let me know.
Science Fair
Students should be finished with their science fair experiments by now. Now they are working on gathering all their data and observations and starting to analyze. I passed out a packet last week before the Thanksgiving break explaining the what and how behind data gathering and analysis, walking through conclusions, and even giving suggestions on how to layout the final tri-board. We will go more in depth on each of these this week. Students do need to start looking at their tri-board and planning their presentation. If you don't know where to find a tri-board or are unable to purchase one, please let me know. The tri-boards are due on December 7.
Thank you for all you do with your students!
Newsletter 11/22/15
Wow, we had an incredible week last week! We had some incredible Power Days, and the weather held for our OSI, which was awesome. This week may be short, but we still have a lot planned before the holiday break.
OSI Report and a New One Coming Up
Thank goodness that the weather held for our trip to the Balloon Museum! It was looking rocky, but even though it was a little chilly it didn't rain or snow on Tuesday, which meant that we got to fly our balloons. Every balloon went up beautifully, and since we came prepared with our own repair kits, any patches that needed to be made were done in half the time, ensuring more time to test how high the balloons could fly. We were then able to go in and explore the balloon museum, being guided by some fabulous museum guides. They taught us all about the first balloon flight, the different designs of balloons, how balloons work, and even how balloons have been used in warfare. They even taught us how to build airplanes. It was an awesome day!
W have another OSI coming up right after the break. On December 1 we are going to see Nutcracker on the Rocks, which is a fantastic re-imagining of the traditional Nutcracker ballet. We will be traveling by city bus, and it will only cost $1 to go. I sent home OSI forms on Friday, and they are due back on Tuesday. Since the OSI is right after the break, I must have the OSI forms by Tuesday. I am looking for two chaperones to come with us. If you would like to come, please email me ASAP.
Power Days
We had an amazing week filled with Power Days! We saw exotic rainforest animals (pictures to come), heard a boys choir sing, explored a CSI van, and even thought about how to begin with the end in mind. We have more Power Days scheduled, and we are incredibly grateful for those volunteers who are coming in to help our girls succeed. We would love to have more Power Days on our calendar. If you would like to come in, or if you know of anyone who would be willing to come and speak, please let me know.
Vocabulary
I know that this week is short, but vocabulary is still due on Tuesday!
Tuesday Party
To celebrate our Thanksgiving Break I would like to have a party at the end of the day. If you would like to send drinks or a healthy snack (i.e. cheese and crackers, fruits and vegetables), you are more than welcome to send some with your student! It will be a great way to send everyone off for the holidays. This is optional--only send in food if you are willing and able.
Holiday Break
Thanksgiving is coming this week! We have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off; go have an amazing week and share some things that you are grateful for. I am grateful for all of you, and all of your hard work!
Newsletter 11/14/15
This next week is going to jam packed, so bear with me through this newsletter--it's going to be a big one.
Power Days
We have two more (possibly three) Power Days coming up next week.
Newsletter 11/07/15
We have some big deadlines coming up!
Book Reports
In case you missed the email last week, please be aware that the deadline for the book reports was pushed back to Tuesday. We were able to discuss the rubrics and work on the book reports in class this week. Some of the girls started writing their book reports on school computers, and I will be emailing those copies to you, so the girls can continue to work on them this weekend. Again, the project and the one-page reflection are due on Tuesday.
OSI Forms
We are getting ready for our OSI trip to the Balloon Museum for the Balloon Explorium. We are making hot air balloons in class, and they look awesome. Thank you to Mr. Boyd for helping us out with this project! OSI forms for the Balloon Explorium have been sent home, and they are also due on Tuesday. Thank you, thank you to those of you who have already filled it out and sent it back with your student. I really appreciate it!
Genius Hour
Here's a quick update on Genius Hour: we have some amazing projects happening right now! We have cooking show competitions, photography projects, and even a line of dresses to help women going through chemo therapy feel beautiful. Wow! I am so excited to see how these projects pan out. Right now we are working on doing initial presentations, where we can talk about the main idea of our projects, what needs to happen to accomplish these projects, and what obstacles may stand in their way. I encourage you talk to your daughters about their projects and help them figure out the steps they need to take to accomplish these projects!
Holiday
On Wednesday we have the day off in order to celebrate Veterans Day. Go have some fun and thank a veteran that day!
Newsletter 11/01/15
We had a fun week last week, and now it's the first week of November! This year is really moving right along.
OSI
I wanted to give a brief report on our OSI last week. It was a wonderful event, and all the girls had a great time at the pumpkin patch. We were able to pair up with the Pre-K girls again, and it was a really great opportunity for your students to exhibit great leadership qualities. Thank you to all the chaperones who came to help out last week--we really appreciated having you come along with us.
We have another OSI coming up this month. On the 17th of November, our class will go to the Balloon Museum to launch our very own hot air balloons! This is an exciting opportunity where we will get to flex our science muscles. We will get to build our balloons in class. OSI forms will go out early this week.
Agendas and Report Cards
We received new agendas this week. The girls will be using the agendas to write down important dates and homework. This will be another great resource for both you and your daughter. Also, report cards went home on Friday. As a way to ensure that every parent has seen the report card, please sign your daughter's agenda either under tomorrow's date or Tuesday's date. I will check the agendas for signatures on Tuesday, when the girls turn in their vocabulary.
Book Reports
Just a quick update on book reports: they are due next Friday. I will have some time this week to work on the projects in class, and I will also give some time next week for final practices. We will begin presenting on Friday. Rubrics will go home tomorrow.
Newsletter 10/26/15
This week is going to be a big week with lots of fun things happening!
Book Reports
Last week we finished our first class novel, One Crazy Summer! We are starting our first book reports, which are due on November 6. The girls have four options to choose from. They can:
Newsletter 10/18/15
It has been another wonderful week. Here are a few announcements are some projects that we are cooking up in the classroom.
Science Fair
We have started working on our science fair projects. I read all of the proposed questions, and I think we will have some great experiments to see come December! This week, the girls need to start working on their background research. As they find their background research, they will be able to form their hypothesis. I sent home a packet that will walk through how to find good research and how to set up a bibliography. That packet is due on Friday.
Genius Hour
Last Wednesday we started a new in-class project called Genius Hour. Genius Hour is based off the 20% Time Project that Google introduced to their employees. Google employees were given 20% of their time at work to pursue their own passions. Out of these projects came functional products such as Gmail. This same idea is being implemented in classroom across the nation with some amazing results. Every Wednesday our class will be participating in Genius Hour, and your students will be able to discover their own passions. This week we will be brainstorming ideas for their projects. Please do not help them in developing this list--it is amazing what kids can come up with when we let them explore ideas for themselves. Also, please help your students understand that it is ok to take on a project that is too big, that it is ok to fail. This is an important learning moment for students, especially for girls, who are less likely to take big risks. I am so excited to see what the girls will come up with!
Newsletter 10/10/15
Thank you to all of you who came to our Family-Teacher Conferences this week. It was wonderful to see all of you, and I loved getting the chance to set come goals with you and your student for the next part of the year. I know that we can make those goals with consistent hard work!
Upcoming Events
The week following Fall Break is full of events!
Newsletter 10/03/15
Fall Break is coming up soon. I hope you are all preparing for a wonderful break!
Family-Teacher Conferences
Our Family-Teacher conferences will happen Monday and Tuesday. You should have received an information sheet with your scheduled date and time from your student. If you need a reminder of when your conference is scheduled, please email me and I will let you know what time we have our conference. During the conference we will be going over DIEBLES and MAP scores, and we will also work out your student's Personal Education Plan. Please make sure that your student comes with you so she can be part of making her goals for this school year.
Power Days Revisited
We had another wonderful Power Day on Friday, after the Balloon Breakfast. The Boyds shared their balloon with us during the breakfast, and afterwards, Mrs. Boyd talked to the Girls Academy about the science of ballooning. It was wonderful to learn more about the sport of ballooning! If any of you would like to come in for a Power Day, or if you know of anyone who could come in and teach the girls about how they've used the North Stars in their life, please let me know! We would love to have you in our classroom.
We'll see you on Monday and Tuesday for conferences!
Newsletter 09/26/5
I apologize for getting this out a little later than usual. We've got a lot of ground to cover this week, so let's get started.
Housekeeping
I have a few items of housekeeping that I need to share with all of you.
OSIs and Power Days
On the 18th we had our first OSI to the State Fair. It went so well! The girls were able to visit the big barn and learn more about dairy cows. We saw a few amazing shows, such as the sea lion show, the Cool Dogs Jump! show, and even a street performance of traditional Native American dances. It was a fun and educational day for everyone. I wanted to give a huge shoutout to the chaperones who came to the State Fair with us. You were a big help!
We also had our first Power Day with the rest of the Girl's Academy, which worked in conjunction with our trip to the State Fair. The Southwest Dairy Farmer's Mobile Dairy Classroom came to visit our school on Thursday. Mr. Lightfoot taught the girls all about the dairy cow, how we get our milk, and how important milk is for our bodies. The girls in our classroom had the wonderful opportunity to partner with the girls in Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Fender's Pre-K classroom. They were great models and friends for the Pre-K girls, and we are hoping to find more opportunities to do things with our new buddies.
It was wonderful to see the girls in our class dress up for both our OSI and our Power Day. They looked great in their skirts, ties, and scarves. I know that when they dress up for those outings and those visitors will make the day more special for the girls.
Homework Parties
As a way to help your students to get homework done and turned in on time, we are instituting "homework parties" at the end of every month. In order to attend the party, a student must have their homework turned in on time 100% of the time. This does not mean that they need to get 100% on their homework; they just need to have it turned in on time. I realize that we have all bad days. In light of that, I am granting each student one "Oops Day" per homework party. That means they get one day where if they forgot their homework at home or didn't finish it, that day will not count against their party attendance. They are still expected to complete their homework.
I am happy to report that all of the students in our classroom are able to attend the homework party this month! We will be holding our homework party this week on Wednesday, and I have selected a committee to plan fun activities for the students to do during the party. Our committee this month is Amaiya, Maryam, and Chloe. Students may bring snacks to share during our homework party. I hope that this trend will continue throughout the coming months, and everyone will be able to attend all of our homework parties.
Going on vacation
As Fall Break is right around the corner, I know that many families are starting to take more days off for vacation. Many parents have asked for the homework that their students will be missing while they are gone. Thank you for being so diligent about your child's education! It gives teachers warm fuzzies to see a parent taking an interest in their child's education. Aside from at least 20 minutes of nightly reading, their vocabulary words that they find from their reading, and any math lessons that they may miss, all I ask is that the girls will go their adventures with their families with the same self-motivation to learn that we develop here in the classroom. When they come back they can report to me something that they learned from their trip. If you have further questions about this, or want to arrange for more work for your student while they are gone, please let me know.
Coming up this month
There are some important events happening this month:
Newsletter 09/11/15
I hope everyone had a great long weekend and enjoyed the two weeks of four day school. I was excited to see a group of parents joining our class on Remind! I really feel that this will be a great help in our communication. If you would still like to join, please let me know, and I will be happy to send you the information on how to join.
Housekeeping
Food in the classroom
OSIs
This week I sent out a permission form for our first Out of School Instruction! I am very excited to say that we will be attending the State Fair next week on Friday, September 18. We have an extraordinary opportunity to use public transportation since we have moved to our new building, and this gives us a chance to have more OSIs than before. We will be using this opportunity to its fullest. Of course your student's safety always comes first. I am looking for four chaperones to come with to the State Fair and help small groups participate in sensory activities for a close "reading" assignment that we will complete in class after we return from the State Fair. If you would like to be a chaperone, please email me and let me know! All permission forms and money are due by Wednesday, September 16.
Blog Updates
I am working out a few kinks with our blog (better viewing of the Newsletters, how to have girls contribute to the blog, etc.) to make it even easier for you and your student to get information about the class. Thank you for your patience in this.
Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!
Newsletter 09/03/15
It has been a wonderful two weeks in our classroom. The first few weeks of school are always an adventure--trying to get to know the teacher and each other, learning new classroom rules and procedures, finding friends old and new. We hit a couple of rough spots during that first week, but we will continue to grow and learn together. It has been such a pleasure getting to know your students.
Thank you, thank you to all of you who responded to my letter with emails and letters of your own! I loved hearing your thoughts and feelings about your girls. Thank you for sending me concerns, as well. There were things about your girls that I had no idea about until I read your letters. I will do my best to take each of these things into consideration as we move through our lessons.
Housekeeping
Just a few points of housekeeping as we start this newsletter:
Whew, our week of crazy outings has passed, and it was a rousing success! I think the highlight was definitely going to the African American Performing Arts Center to practice the play. It was great to see the girls have so much fun on that stage--I think it finally hit home how real this play is. This week is, of course, the last week of school, and I am both sad and excited. We have so much going on, though that I know it will fly by in a flash.
Golf Tournament
I just wanted to give a quick shout-out about the golf tournament yesterday. It went so well! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day to play golf. Thank you to all who came to play and to all those who came to volunteer--we had a huge turnout. Plus we raised over $10,000 for the school! What a blessing that was. Thanks again for everyone's hard work. Be sure to mark your calendars for next year!
The Play
One of the biggest, most exciting projects that we have for this week is our play! The girls have worked so hard, and they have done such a good job putting this together. It's really exciting to watch it come to fruition. We only have a couple of days before we put it on at the African American Performing Arts Center, so please continue to help them practice their lines slowly and with enthusiasm. Please be sure to send in their costumes by tomorrow. We will be having a full dress rehearsal--which includes full costumes and stage makeup--on Tuesday morning, so it is important that we have every costume ready to go before then. Also, the PTA will be selling snacks and drinks during the intermission, and they are looking for bottles of water, 2 oz. bags of chips, variety Rice Krispy bars, etc. to sell. You can send any donations of those items in with your students tomorrow.
End of Year Carnival
The last day of school is this Friday, May 20. On that day we will have school from 8-11, and then the PTA is hosting an End of Year Carnival from 11-5. There will be games, prizes, food, a dunk tank (which I will be participating in!), and all sorts of other fun things. Come play, have fun with your students, and celebrate the end of a long, successful year and the beginning of summer!
Newsletter 05/08/16
Everyone did so well this week while taking the PARCC tests! I'm so proud of all of the students, and you should be too. We have a break this week from testing, but there are a lot of other things going on to make up for it.
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
I would say that Jump-Rope-A-Thon was a success, even though I got trounced by Mrs. Fender in our face-off. Don't worry, we've already called for a rematch for next year. Each of our participants did a great job jumping, and it was awesome to see how much we raised for the Junior High next year.
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible. Here is the link to sign up as a player:https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/2nd-annual-coral-community-charter-school-golf-tournament. We also need volunteers for that day! Here is the link where you can sign up to help: https://slotted.co/cccs2ndgolftourney. Hopefully we'll see all of you there!
OSIs Galore!
This week we four different outings scheduled:
On Monday we are going to the Isotopes game
On Tuesday we are going to the park in the morning as a reward for filling up our warm fuzzy jar and doing so amazing on PARCC
On Thursday the school is hosting a fun run
On Friday we have our tech rehearsal for our play at the African American Theater
I am still missing a few OSI forms for our OSI to the theater. Please make sure those come back to me by tomorrow, so that everyone can come and prepare for our production next week!
Play Update
We are getting so close to our play! We are just finalizing each scene, and memorizing our lines. The costumes are almost finished (the stage crew did a great job putting the dragon wings together!), and we are working on putting props together. Please help your students memorize their lines! One tip to help your students is to teach them to say their lines slowly. This will be very important, since when we get nervous we tend to speak faster, and it's likely that the girls will be very nervous on the day of the play. I will be sending a costume list home this week, so that the girls will be completely ready for their debut!
Newsletter 05/01/16
It's the first of May! That's so exciting! We only have a few more weeks left of school, but we keep ploughing ahead.
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
Fliers have gone out for the Jump-rope-A-Thon. This is our second Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are hoping that it will just as big a hit as it was last year. We will be using the funds from this year's Jump-rope-A-Thon for improvements to the school. Please have your students sign up! Plus, if students earn at least $25, they will win a free t-shirt which they can wear as part of the school uniform. Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Fender, and I are also going head-to-head for the Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are taking donations. There has been talk of dying hair rainbow colors or being wrapped in toilet paper for the losers, so it should be a good jump-rope battle. If you would like to send a donation with your student this week, I would greatly appreciate it!
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible. Here is the link to sign up as a player:https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/2nd-annual-coral-community-charter-school-golf-tournament. We also need volunteers for that day! Here is the link where you can sign up to help: https://slotted.co/cccs2ndgolftourney. Hopefully we'll see all of you there!
Readers Workshop
Thank you to everyone who came to the Readers Raise the Roof Workshop--it was a hit! There were some great ideas and strategies to help keep your students on track during the summer, please let me know. I'd be happy to give out some ideas.
Science Projects
We will be building Rube Goldberg machines this week! Woohoo! If you have any odd objects such as marbles, race cars, balloons, legos, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, rubber bands, etc., laying around, please send them in with your student. We can use all the materials we can get!
PARCC
This week we will be starting our PARCC tests. We will be taking the tests on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This is a great opportunity to see how the students are doing, and it's also a great way to show that our single-gender methods really work! We've seen it in the classroom, now let's show the rest of the state how amazing we can do. There are a few things that I think can help, aside from normal test-taking skills. One thing that students can do is come to the tests dressed for success. Wear your best uniform; you do feel more confident when you try to look your best. One thing that you can do for your students is to be positive as they go into the tests! Help them to see how amazing they are, how much progress they have made over the year, and how they are going to rock these tests! I know everyone of the students are going to do great.
Newsletter 04/24/16
Whew, what a week! We had play practice, a surprise science demonstration with ice cream, and an incredible trip to Santa Fe! We have many more exciting things coming up, so stay tuned.
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
Fliers have gone out for the Jump-rope-A-Thon. This is our second Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are hoping that it will just as big a hit as it was last year. We will be using the funds from this year's Jump-rope-A-Thon for improvements to the school. Please have your students sign up! Plus, if students earn at least $25, they will win a free t-shirt which they can wear as part of the school uniform.
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible. Here is the link to sign up as a player:https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/2nd-annual-coral-community-charter-school-golf-tournament. We also need volunteers for that day! Here is the link where you can sign up to help: https://slotted.co/cccs2ndgolftourney. Hopefully we'll see all of you there!
Readers Workshop
We will have an amazing Readers Workshop on the 29th of this month--that's this Thursday!--hosted by our reading specialist, Mrs. Letscher, from 5:30-8:00 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for you parents to get a "toolbox" of activities to help your child's reading improve, especially with the summer fast approaching. We need to have everyone RSVP to either the fliers that were sent home with your student or to the electronic invitation that was sent out. Dinner and daycare with be provided that night, we will also have the students' art work hanging around the school for you to see, and there will be door prizes handed out throughout the workshop. Please, please, come and join us for a great evening!
Science Projects
We will be building Rube Goldberg machines this week! Woohoo! If you have any odd objects such as marbles, race cars, balloons, legos, paper towel and toilet paper tubes, rubber bands, etc., laying around, please send them in with your student. We can use all the materials we can get!
Testing
Testing begins this week! We will be testing on reading this week with DIEBELS, so practicing with your student will be a huge help. They will need to practice fluency (how much can they read in one minute) and retelling the story (how many details about the story can they retell in one minute), and the best way to improve scores is to do it over and over and over...and over again. A great, fun way to do this is to do Readers Theater, which is when students read stories as if it were a play. Here is a website that has many great Readers Theater scripts: http://www.thebestclass.org/rtscripts.html .
No School on Friday
Now for a fun announcement: there is no school for the students this Friday! It is a Teacher Development day. So enjoy the long weekend, and gear up for the last few weeks of school.
Newsletter 04/17/16
We have lots of things happening this week, so this newsletter is packed. Thanks for all you do!
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
Fliers have gone out for the Jump-rope-A-Thon. This is our second Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are hoping that it will just as big a hit as it was last year. We will be using the funds from this year's Jump-rope-A-Thon for improvements to the school. Please have your students sign up! Plus, if students earn at least $25, they will win a free t-shirt which they can wear as part of the school uniform.
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible. Here is the link to sign up as a player:https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/2nd-annual-coral-community-charter-school-golf-tournament. We also need volunteers for that day! Here is the link where you can sign up to help: https://slotted.co/cccs2ndgolftourney. Hopefully we'll see all of you there!
Readers Workshop
We will have an amazing Readers Workshop on the 29th of this month, hosted by our reading specialist, Mrs. Letscher. This is a wonderful opportunity for you parents to get a "toolbox" of activities to help your child's reading improve, especially with the summer fast approaching. We need to have everyone RSVP to either the fliers that were sent home with your student or to the electronic invitation that was sent out last week. Dinner and daycare with be provided that night, and we will also have the students' art work hanging around the school for you to see. Come and join us for a great evening!
Upcoming OSI
This week we have a major OSI! We are going to Santa Fe on Friday to learn more about government, and we are so excited. It's going to be an incredible trip for the girls. We will be leaving as soon as we say the Pledge, and then we won't be back until about 6:30 pm. We will be providing snacks for the train rides and pizza once we get back to the school. Please make sure to send in the OSI forms and fees tomorrow so we have a count of everyone who can come with us to Santa Fe.
Play Update
We are very excited about the play we will be performing next month. The girls have been memorizing their lines, we are starting to work on costumes, and we have even begun learning our dance moves. It's going to be amazing! Thank you for all of your support in putting this play together.
Newsletter 04/10/16
Welcome back to school after a nice Spring Break. I hope that you all took a well-deserved break to have some fun and relaxation. This month is going to be jam packed with activities, and we are now in the home stretch before summer. It's going to be great!
Jump-Rope-A-Thon
Last week fliers went out for the Jump-rope-A-Thon. This is our second Jump-rope-A-Thon, and we are hoping that it will just as big a hit as it was last year. We will be using the funds from this year's Jump-rope-A-Thon for improvements to the school. Please have your students sign up! Plus, if students earn at least $25, they will win a free t-shirt which they can wear as part of the school uniform.
Golf Tournament
Another favorite annual fundraiser is coming--the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament is happening on May 14! Register now for $125, and don't forget to spread the word so we can get as many people to participate as possible.
Talent Show
The talent show is coming up! This will be a great way for our students to show off what their made of. The deadline to sign up for the talent show is April 15, which is this Friday! Hurry up and sign up.
OSI
This week we have another OSI! We are going to go see Alice in Wonderland at the Kimo Theater this Thursday. This will be a great opportunity to see a great play, and it will tie in perfectly with our current Social Studies unit on governments. We'll talk about monarchy and compare that system to what is portrayed in Alice in Wonderland. It's going to be a great OSI!
Newsletter 03/20/16
We have one more week until Spring Break! This is going to be a great week, with OSIs and conferences. I'm really looking forward to our activities.
Conferences
This week we will be holding family-teacher conferences on Wednesday, March 23, and Thursday, March 24. I sent home invitations with students last week, and I received most of them back. Thank you so much for returning those to me! Please let me know as soon as possible if the time I scheduled for your conference works for you or if you need to reschedule.
OSI
On Tuesday we have an OSI. We are going to the BioPark! With the beautiful weather that we have been having, it should be a great day out. Please make sure that your student has a water bottle to take with her, preferably a disposable one that can be refilled and won't be stressful if it is lost. We will be going with Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Williamson, so it will be another great opportunity for the girls to show leadership qualities to those younger students.
Lost and Found
The lost and found bin will be emptied on Tuesday, March 22. If your student is missing anything, check the bin before it gets emptied!
Book Reviews
For the past two months, the girls have been working in their reading groups on different books, looking at different literary features. Now that all of the book clubs have finished their books, each student is working on completing a one page book review. This book review is due on Tuesday, before we head out to our OSI. The girls have been given time throughout this past week to complete the book review in class, but some of the girls still need time to finish up. This is homework until it is due on Tuesday.
Annual Golf Tournament
Mark your calendars for May 14--we are holding our 2nd annual golf tournament! It's $125 per person to register. It will be a great opportunity to raise money for our school and play some great golf! More details to come.
Newsletter 03/13/16
It seems that Spring is finally coming to Albuquerque, and we've had the opportunity to do some great activities outside. It wonderful to have the nice weather!
Forms
There are two forms that need to be returned as soon as possible. There is an OSI form for our trip to the Bio Park next week. There is also an intent to return form, which needs to be returned to me if you are planning on having your child return to Coral Community Charter School next year. Most students have turned in their forms, but I am still missing a few. If you are not sure if your student has turned in their forms, please send me an email, and I can let you know if I still need forms from your student.
Conferences
Conferences are March 23 and March 24. I will be sending home invitations with your assigned time for your conference with your student. Please respond as soon as possible, so that if I need to change times I can do so for you.
Fundraiser
This week another one of the students from our class is hosting a fundraiser! On Thursday students can pay $1 to wear whatever they would like to school. This money will be used to create kits for families of those who have babies in the UNM NICU. These families have to live with a lot of stress for months at a time, and often they aren't living in their own homes. These kits would be a great way for these families to relieve some stress. We will be creating adult coloring books and stress balls, and we will be adding thin markers and coloring pencils. If you have any new thin markers or boxes of colored pencils, we would greatly appreciate the donations. Also, this fundraiser is just in time for St. Patricks Day!
Newsletter 03/06/16
Dr. Seuss week was a hit! It was great to see all the crazy hats, sweet scarves, Grinch and Cat in the Hat costumes, crazy hairstyles, and Dr. Seuss quotes. Here are some great things we have coming up this week.
Warm Fuzzy Jar
For the past few months the girls have been working to fill up a mason jar with what we call warm fuzzies. These warm fuzzies are awarded when individuals or groups in the class have put forth exceptional effort for class assignments, been an example of one or more of the North Stars, etc. They've worked really hard to fill up that mason jar, and I am really excited to say that we finally managed to fill it up! As a reward for filling up the whole jar, the girls will get to bring in 1 stuffed animal to class on Wednesday. This will also be in conjunction with our pizza and ice cream party that we won from the candle fundraiser. Way to go girls!
Science
Since we got back from our winter break, we have had the great pleasure of working with both Mr. Nunn and Mrs. Wilson to support the science that we are learning in our classroom. Both Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Nunn assign the girls activities and work to complete while the students are with them. If your students come home with science homework, please support their learning by encouraging them to complete their lab reports, science packets, and explorations on Discovery Education.
Spring Pictures
On Thursday, March 10, we will be taking Spring pictures. This is when we will get to take our picture as a whole class, so make sure to have your students looking their best on Thursday! There will be no retakes for these pictures. We sent home order forms, but that was only if you wanted to order the special items listed on those order forms.
Help for Pre-K
The Pre-K classes are starting their Spring projects, and they need our help! They are trying to collect as many toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, bags of shredded paper, and cardboard egg cartons (not styrofoam!) as they can get. You can either bring the supplies to me or take them directly to the Pre-K. The Pre-K classes would really appreciate the help!
Newsletter 02/28/16
We had such a great, busy week last week. We have some great events coming up this week as well.
Dr. Seuss Week
This week we are starting Dr. Seuss Week! This is a very exciting week of the year, when students get to show their school spirit. Tomorrow it all begins--with crazy hat day! Your student can come to school wearing their favorite and/or craziest hat. We will also have crazy scarf day, the Cat in the Hat vs. the Grinch day, crazy hair day, and Dr. Seuss quote of the day. Friday night is our Family Fun Night, where there will be food, activities, story time, and a movie. This is a free event, and we hope that everyone comes to join us. For more information on each of the activities, check out the flyers that were sent home with your students or the PTA newsletter.
Bake Sale Report
We had our bake sale on Friday, and it was a huge hit! Thank you to everyone who helped support Gabby and Brianna in their efforts to raise money for the school. Hopefully we will be able to host more fundraisers like this in the near future!
Candle Fundraiser
We have some really exciting news: because of the hard work of every student in our class during the candle fundraiser, we won a pizza party! You guys sold so many candles! Plus, Maryam was one of the top selling students in the entire school, which means that the PTA will also be giving our class an ice cream party. Way to go everyone! It is really great to see the excitement that each student has for helping our school.
7th and 8th Grade Information Meeting
We are really excited about the next phase in our school's development--adding 7th grade next year. On March 2nd we are hosting an informational meeting that will talk about our plans for the Junior High. We have some great things in store for next year, so please come to the meeting at the school at 5:30 to find out all about our plans for the Junior High.
Newsletter 02/21/16
It's the last week of February, and time has really flown by. Here's a look at some of the great things we have planned for this week.
OSIs
We have two OSIs planned for this week! On Thursday we will be heading to the Explora museum with the Pre-K girls. We will have an opportunity to explore the various exhibits in Explora. We will also be taking an exclusive class on forces, which is very exciting! On Friday we will be heading to the Storehouse Food Bank to volunteer in conjunction with our Soup for the Souper Bowl food drive. I will be sending home to OSI forms on Monday, and they will be due back to me by Wednesday, February 24.
Science Volunteers
Calling all Sandia parents! We have an opportunity to bring some great science kits into our classroom to enrich our science learning. In order to use these kits, we need to have a parent volunteer from Sandia who has access to the CroSSlinks lab. That parent would need to check out the science unit kits from the lab, and check them back in when we are finished. This would be such a great opportunity for our girls, so if you would be willing to help us out, please let me know as soon as possible.
PTA Meeting
There was a PTA meeting scheduled for Monday, February 22, at 3:30, but that meeting has been cancelled. A new date will be announced soon, so be on the lookout for an email from the PTA.
Friday Bake Sale
Two of the students in our class are hosting a bake sale this Friday. This is part of their Genius Hour, and they have been working really hard to find a way to help the school. Everything that they are baking is priced at $0.50. Have your students support their peers by bringing a little cash on Friday for the bake sale.
Box Tops Collection
The PTA will be collecting Box Tops this Friday. If you have any box tops from Kleenex, cereal boxes, soup cans, etc. bring them in to help support the school.
Newsletter 02/14/16
Happy Valentines Day, everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Exciting News
We have wonderful, exciting news: we have been approved to include 7th and 8th grade to our school's charter! This means that we are planning to add 7th grade for the next school year. We have some amazing plans in the works, and we hope that you will all continue on with us in this next phase of our journey.
Student Surveys
We will be starting the student surveys from NMTeach soon. This is a great opportunity for students to reflect on how the year has and to give their opinions.
OSI
We have another OSI coming up next week! We will be heading to Explora on February 25 with Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Fender, and the Pre-K girls. We will have an opportunity to explore the exhibits at Explora, and we will also get to take an exclusive class on forces and matter, which fits in perfectly with what we are learning in class. I will be sending home the OSI forms, and they are due back to me by Friday.
Bake Sale
Two of the girls are planning a bake sale to raise money for the school as part of their Genius Hour project! They will be holding their sale on February 26. Everything that they are selling will be $0.50-$1.00.
Four Day Weekend
Just a reminder: this is a four day weekend, so we don't have school on Monday! I hope you all have an excellent day off!
Newsletter 02/07/16
It's already February! This year is flying past us, and things are going really well. Here's what's happening in our classroom.
Science Fair
The Science Fair and Expo at UNM is coming up soon! For those of you who are going, thank you so much for filling all your forms out; we really appreciate your promptness. If you need to turn in the $25 fee, please get that to me as soon as possible. The fair and expo will be held at UNM March 17-19. The girls attending the fair will also need to write an abstract for their project; I'll attach the abstract information in an email.
Book Reports
Book reports for Stargirl are due this Thursday, February 11. The reports are due, along with a one-page report. The one-page report can be either hand-written in very best handwriting, or they can be typed up in size 12 font. We will do book report presentations on the 11th. The girls have the pages with the guiding question for this report and the rubrics, but if you need another copy, please let me know.
Conferences
Conferences with students are taking a little longer than normal. I am still aiming to finish conferencing with every student by the end of this week. Please keep an eye out for a copy of the MAPs results, DIESELS results, and their new PEP goals.
Lollipop Bouquets
The PTA has created an opportunity for you to send some love to your students for Valentine's Day! For just $1 you can send a message and a lollipop bouquet to your students on February 11. Students can also send messages to their friends in the Girls Academy and/or siblings. Make sure you get the messages filled out and sent back to the PTA before Wednesday.
Valentine's Event
We will be having a Valentine's exchange on February 11. Each girl can bring in a small box or container to decorate and store their Valentines in. If you would like to participate, there are 18 girls in our class.
No School on Friday
This Friday, the teachers have our collaboration meeting, which means that there is no school for students on Friday.
No School on Monday
Monday is President's Day, which means that there is no school on Monday! Have a great four-day weekend!
Newsletter 01/31/16
Our testing is over for a moment, and the girls did beautifully! We are heading into a really exciting time; we have are really picking up steam on some great projects.
Testing
We were able to complete both MAPs and DIEBELS in the past two weeks, and I am very happy with the progress that each girl has made! It is my goal this week to meet with each girl, go over their progress, and revisit their PEP (Personal Education Plans) goals. We will discuss their progression, and create some new goals. I will send home their test data and their new goals, so you can see how your student is doing.
Science
Mr. Nunn has kindly helped us with creating some new science projects and assignments. He will be giving the students things to work on in Discovery Education. They will also get to work with him on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. He has open "office hours" from 8:15 to 10:45, so if the girls need extra help or have questions on their science work they can go talk to him. Mrs. Wilson is also helping with these projects and will have labs on Fridays. I am very excited and grateful that we have these extra helps!
Book Reports
We have finished another book! We read the incredible Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. The girls have received the book report prompts for their new book reports. The reports are due on February 11. I will send the rubrics home via email, and the girls will also be taking them home tomorrow. Look for them in your student's homework folder in their backpacks.
Candle Fundraiser
The forms for the candle fundraiser are due tomorrow! Make sure to have your students bring them to school tomorrow so they could earn a reward for all their hard work.
Soup for the Souperbowl
Our fundraiser for the food bank is under way. Thank you to those who have already brought in food! We'll take all the donations we can get during this last week--all donations are due by Friday, February 5. Let's help the food bank and earn a pizza party!
Yearbooks
You can still order the yearbook for this school year. Follow this link to order: https://www.treering.com/createAccount?PassCode=101405698645792
Valentine's Candy Grams
Valentine's Day is almost here! The PTA is providing you with a way to send notes of love and encouragement to your students. In their latest newsletter, the PTA has provided a message form that you can fill out, and for just $1.00 a lollipop bouquet and your message will be delivered.
Newsletter 01/24/16
It's been another great week! Here are some things to be aware of.
OSI
We have another OSI coming up this week! On Thursday, the 28th, we will be heading to Dion's for a behind-the-scenes tour. This will in perfectly with our Common Core State Standards that we have been studying in math--we will be able to use our decimal skills, sales taxes, and even look at circumference, radius, and diameter of a pizza. We will also be pairing with Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Fender's Pre-K girl class for this OSI. It's going to be a lot of fun!
DIEBELS
We completed our MAPs testing this past week, and now we are moving ahead with our DIEBELS testing this week. Once again, this is a test that will show progress on a student's reading fluency and comprehension. They can still practice at home; any timed reading that you can do with them will help! Help them practice their re-tell skills by having them tell you everything they can about what they just read, and encourage them to use adjectives!
Fundraising
We were able to fill up the Goodwill bins that were placed throughout the school, and we managed to raise $525! That's wonderful! Thank you to everyone who donated. We have another fundraising opportunity starting on Monday. We are starting the annual Soup for the Souperbowl fundraiser! This is a really fun opportunity for students to help those in need and to make predictions for the Super Bowl. For each item a student brings in they get to log a vote for the team they want to win the game. All items are due by Friday, February 5. The classroom with the most items will receive a pizza party from the PTA! Please start bringing in your canned soups! We also have our candle fundraiser that is happening currently. All orders must be handed in by February 1 in order to be eligible for the prize.
Class Pet
Our rabbit is back! Through the wonderful kindness of others, we were able to find space in our classroom and a hutch was built for Notch. We are so glad to have her back in the classroom! I also have supplies for Notch to go and visit students. If there is any interest in students taking Notch home for a weekend, please email me, and I can start to put a schedule in place.
Newsletter 01/16/16
We had a wonderful week this week, and it ended with an incredible surprise party from the girls. Please make sure the girls know how much I appreciated their efforts to wish me a beautiful birthday! Here's what's coming up:
MAPS testing
This next week we will be starting the MAPS testing for the middle of the year progress. The girls will be tested on Reading and Math. This is a great way to see where the students are in their progress for the middle of the year.
DIBELS
The week after next we will be starting our DIBELS testing. This is when we will test a student's fluency, accuracy, and comprehension during reading. We have been practicing in class, but you can help at home! Your students should already be reading at home for vocabulary. Take 5 minutes out of that time and start timing. Time your student for one minute to see how much they can read. Then time them for one more minute to see how much they can retell to you what they just read. You can do this a couple of times. This is such great practice for your student, and it will help relieve some stress and anxiety about the test!
OSI
This Wednesday we are going on our OSI to the Natural History Museum. We will be leaving for the museum at the beginning of school, and we will be able to explore the museum, watch a video, and then have lunch at a park near the museum. We are still looking for chaperones--if you want to come with us, please let me or Mrs. Lerner know!
Science Fair Update
We have an update for those students who are going to the next Science Fair at UNM. There are a few forms and fees that need to be taken care of. We must have this done and turned in by Friday, January 22. This will give Mrs. Holloway enough time to get all our ducks in a row for the fair and the expo. Again, the forms MUST be turned in by the 22nd.
Four-Day Weekend
We have the wonderful pleasure of having a four-day weekend this weekend! Which means that Monday there will be no school. Please let your students sleep in on Monday!
Vocabulary
I realize that we have no school on Monday, but we still have vocabulary due on Tuesday. While letting your student relax, remind them that they still need to finish their vocabulary.
Newsletter 01/09/16
Welcome back from winter break. I hope that you all had an amazing two weeks, and that everyone is relaxed and ready to jump back into school.
Science
We are starting a really fun science unit! In this unit we will be learning about states and properties of matter, forces, and simple machines. As our final project for this unit, the students will be creating a Rube Goldberg machine. You can help by letting them bounce ideas off you of how to start a Rube Goldberg machine. Look some up; they are fascinating machines, and they are a lot of fun, and they will help students understand of all the forces we are learning about work together.
Vocabulary
We do have vocabulary due this Tuesday. Just as a reminder, students need to have found 5 words, copied the sentence where it was found in the book, defined the word, and created their own sentence with the vocabulary word.
OSI
We have an OSI coming up. We will going to the Natural Museum of History on January 20. This will be a great opportunity for the girls to explore the museum exhibits, and we will also be watching the movie Robots at the museum to relate to our new unit. We really need chaperones to help us with this OSI. We need three parents to come with us on the 20th. If you need help getting your background checks completed, the PTA has instructions for you, or you can email Mrs. Lerner at alerner@coralcharter.com. The OSI forms were sent home this week, and they are due back by the beginning of next week. Any other questions about the OSI can be sent to Mrs. Lerner.
Goodwill Bins
We currently have the Goodwill bins back in school. Right now is a perfect time to clear out your closest, clean up the garage, and fill up the bins at school. Every bin that we fill up will earn the school $75.
Fundraisers
If your student is interested in creating and executing a fundraiser for the school, please encourage them to come up with a plan. Mrs. Wilson has graciously volunteered to help the girls set up their fundraisers.
Newsletter 12/20/15
It's winter break! Yay! I hope everyone takes this opportunity to relax and prepare for the new year.
Class Play Report
The class play was so wonderful! The girls did amazing, and they were so excited to share with the school and with you, parents. If anyone has a full recording of the play, I would love to have a copy (my phone died about halfway through).
Homework
There will be no homework over the break. That being said, I would love it if every student could continue to read every night for at least 20 minutes. Testing is just around the corner, so help your students stay sharp.
Have an amazing two weeks, and I will see you next year! ;)
Newsletter 12/13/15
It's the last week before winter break!
Science Fair
Last week we had an amazing opportunity to practice presenting our science fair projects. The girls got to share their experiments and answer some great questions from classes and teachers from across the school. The girls did great! Their boards look awesome, and their presentations were really well given. The final step for this science fair is the presentation in front of judges. Judges will be coming to our school on Tuesday between 9 and 1. The students should be completely ready--boards are completed, lab notebooks are all put together, and reports should be written. If you still need to send me the finalized reports so I can print them out, please email them to me no later than Monday.
Class Play
We are performing our class play this week! We are having a dress rehearsal on Tuesday. Our stage crew has put together a costume list for each character, and I will send that home tomorrow. We would love to see everyone in costume for the dress rehearsal and for our final performances on Friday. Speaking of which, we will have two performances on Friday. Our first performance will be held at 10 am. Our final performance--which will be geared toward parents and friends--will be held at about 12:30 pm. Please come and invite friends!
Pink Health Forms
The first week we came back from Thanksgiving Break students who have previously attended Coral Community Charter School received health forms so we could update our files and have the most current information possible. We need those forms back as soon as possible. Please return them with your student by Wednesday.
Milk Jugs
The Pre-K classes are still looking for clean milk jugs. They are trying to collect 500! Any help that we can give them would be much appreciated. If you have empty jugs, wash them out and send them with your student.
Holiday Party
To celebrate two full months of everyone getting their homework on time and the last day before our Winter Break, we are having a holiday homework party. The students have been hard at work to plan an awesome party for everyone. They have planned to send out a sign-up sheet for some food for the party. If you do not want to bring food, that's fine, just let me know.
Newsletter 12/06/15
It's been really good to be back in school. We have settled back into routines, and we are ready to churn out the next two weeks before the winter break. Here are some important things coming up this week.
OSI Report
We have a wonderful trip to see Nutcracker on the Rocks! What a fabulous way to see a twist on an old, favorite classic. They will be performing the play until December 13. One thing that we learned while there was that anyone who auditions can perform in the play! If you have any students who would like to be onstage, encourage them to try out next year in August (no dance experience required).
Science Fair
Science fair projects should be completed! The tri-board and the science lab book are due on Monday, December 7. This week we will be practicing our presentation and giving each other helpful feedback. On December 15, the official judges will be coming to judge the science fair projects and to see who gets to move on to the city competition. We are looking for one to two more judges; if you know of anyone who is willing to come to our school on December 15 from 9 to 1 to judge please let me know (please no parents of competing children).
Milk Jugs
The Pre-K classes are still looking for clean milk jugs. They are trying to collect 500! Any help that we can give them would be much appreciated. If you have empty jugs, wash them out and send them with your student.
Vocabulary
I gave students a small break from vocabulary during the Thanksgiving break, but since we are back into school, vocabulary is due on Tuesday.
Class Play
Our class is working very hard to create and perform our class play, The Littlest Snowflake. We will be performing the play on December 18, the last day before the Winter break. We will have two performances--our dress rehearsal will be at 10 am, and our final performance will be held later that afternoon (exact time TBA). Please come and invite your friends!
Newsletter 11/29/15
I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving break; I know that I really enjoyed being with family and thinking about things I'm grateful for...and eating pie. :) The holiday is over, though, and it is time to jump back into school!
OSI
We do have an OSI coming up. On Tuesday we will be heading to see Nutcracker on the Rocks. Please make sure that the students are wearing either a skirt OR a scarf OR a tie, and are ready to enjoy a great OSI! I do still have spots available for chaperones, so if you would like to come, please let me know.
Science Fair
Students should be finished with their science fair experiments by now. Now they are working on gathering all their data and observations and starting to analyze. I passed out a packet last week before the Thanksgiving break explaining the what and how behind data gathering and analysis, walking through conclusions, and even giving suggestions on how to layout the final tri-board. We will go more in depth on each of these this week. Students do need to start looking at their tri-board and planning their presentation. If you don't know where to find a tri-board or are unable to purchase one, please let me know. The tri-boards are due on December 7.
Thank you for all you do with your students!
Newsletter 11/22/15
Wow, we had an incredible week last week! We had some incredible Power Days, and the weather held for our OSI, which was awesome. This week may be short, but we still have a lot planned before the holiday break.
OSI Report and a New One Coming Up
Thank goodness that the weather held for our trip to the Balloon Museum! It was looking rocky, but even though it was a little chilly it didn't rain or snow on Tuesday, which meant that we got to fly our balloons. Every balloon went up beautifully, and since we came prepared with our own repair kits, any patches that needed to be made were done in half the time, ensuring more time to test how high the balloons could fly. We were then able to go in and explore the balloon museum, being guided by some fabulous museum guides. They taught us all about the first balloon flight, the different designs of balloons, how balloons work, and even how balloons have been used in warfare. They even taught us how to build airplanes. It was an awesome day!
W have another OSI coming up right after the break. On December 1 we are going to see Nutcracker on the Rocks, which is a fantastic re-imagining of the traditional Nutcracker ballet. We will be traveling by city bus, and it will only cost $1 to go. I sent home OSI forms on Friday, and they are due back on Tuesday. Since the OSI is right after the break, I must have the OSI forms by Tuesday. I am looking for two chaperones to come with us. If you would like to come, please email me ASAP.
Power Days
We had an amazing week filled with Power Days! We saw exotic rainforest animals (pictures to come), heard a boys choir sing, explored a CSI van, and even thought about how to begin with the end in mind. We have more Power Days scheduled, and we are incredibly grateful for those volunteers who are coming in to help our girls succeed. We would love to have more Power Days on our calendar. If you would like to come in, or if you know of anyone who would be willing to come and speak, please let me know.
Vocabulary
I know that this week is short, but vocabulary is still due on Tuesday!
Tuesday Party
To celebrate our Thanksgiving Break I would like to have a party at the end of the day. If you would like to send drinks or a healthy snack (i.e. cheese and crackers, fruits and vegetables), you are more than welcome to send some with your student! It will be a great way to send everyone off for the holidays. This is optional--only send in food if you are willing and able.
Holiday Break
Thanksgiving is coming this week! We have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off; go have an amazing week and share some things that you are grateful for. I am grateful for all of you, and all of your hard work!
Newsletter 11/14/15
This next week is going to jam packed, so bear with me through this newsletter--it's going to be a big one.
Power Days
We have two more (possibly three) Power Days coming up next week.
- Monday--We have a really exciting visitor coming to the school. Exotics of the Rainforest is an organization established here in Albuquerque that rescues exotic animals, namely parrots, lizards, amphibians, and snakes. Carolyn Newell is an amazing advocate for the conservation of the rainforest, and her presentation is absolutely wonderful. Children will even get the chance to interact with the animals!
- Wednesday--Our class has a special opportunity to FaceTime with a wonderful lady who is a stay-at-home mom, a foster mom, and has started her own business. She will be talking to the girls about hard work and keeping the end in mind.
- We may have one more Power Day on Thursday, but I will keep you updated on this.
As always, we want all of our students to dress to impress when we have visitors, so please help your student dress in either a skirt OR a scarf OR a tie for these Power Days.
OSI
On Tuesday we will be heading to the Balloon Museum for an OSI. The girls have worked hard to build their own hot air balloons, and we are going to be launching them this Tuesday. The girls have this opportunity to become a balloon crew, launch their balloon, and chase them down. They will be able to record their data, and compare how high each of their balloons went. After we will be able to explore the museum. This OSI should only take half the day, and we will be eating lunch at school when we get back. Since the weather is getting colder, and we will be outside for most of the OSI, girls won't need to wear skirts, but I am still asking that students dress up. They can wear either a tie OR a scarf.
Science Fair
Time is running out on our science fair! The final project is due in just a few weeks, and right now students should be in the middle of their experiments. By next Wednesday students should be completing their experiments and starting to collect data. They have their science notebooks, and they should be writing down all observations, data, etc. We will then begin to analyze data so they can write a conclusion and put it on their display board. More updates to come concerning the display board.
Background Checks
There has been an update to our school's background check policy. Please read through this notice carefully:
In light of the recent issues that have arisen surrounding background checks in the larger district and revised interpretation of the NM Regulations by the auditors, Coral Community Charter School requires all volunteers to submit to a background check. If you are attending OSIs, in the classroom helping, or volunteering with the PTA, please pick up a packet, as soon as possible, from the Human Resources Office. The cost is $44.00 and the instructions are included in the packet. These background checks must be completed no later than November 30, 2015. Please feel free to call if you have any questions.
Milk Jug Collection
Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Fender's class need to collect 500 clean gallon size milk jugs with the caps on for a classroom project we will be working on in December. Please send in your clean gallon size milk jugs and we will be sure to use them!
We are going to very busy this next week, right before Thanksgiving, and I am excited for all the fun things that we have planned!
Newsletter 11/07/15
We have some big deadlines coming up!
Book Reports
In case you missed the email last week, please be aware that the deadline for the book reports was pushed back to Tuesday. We were able to discuss the rubrics and work on the book reports in class this week. Some of the girls started writing their book reports on school computers, and I will be emailing those copies to you, so the girls can continue to work on them this weekend. Again, the project and the one-page reflection are due on Tuesday.
OSI Forms
We are getting ready for our OSI trip to the Balloon Museum for the Balloon Explorium. We are making hot air balloons in class, and they look awesome. Thank you to Mr. Boyd for helping us out with this project! OSI forms for the Balloon Explorium have been sent home, and they are also due on Tuesday. Thank you, thank you to those of you who have already filled it out and sent it back with your student. I really appreciate it!
Genius Hour
Here's a quick update on Genius Hour: we have some amazing projects happening right now! We have cooking show competitions, photography projects, and even a line of dresses to help women going through chemo therapy feel beautiful. Wow! I am so excited to see how these projects pan out. Right now we are working on doing initial presentations, where we can talk about the main idea of our projects, what needs to happen to accomplish these projects, and what obstacles may stand in their way. I encourage you talk to your daughters about their projects and help them figure out the steps they need to take to accomplish these projects!
Holiday
On Wednesday we have the day off in order to celebrate Veterans Day. Go have some fun and thank a veteran that day!
Newsletter 11/01/15
We had a fun week last week, and now it's the first week of November! This year is really moving right along.
OSI
I wanted to give a brief report on our OSI last week. It was a wonderful event, and all the girls had a great time at the pumpkin patch. We were able to pair up with the Pre-K girls again, and it was a really great opportunity for your students to exhibit great leadership qualities. Thank you to all the chaperones who came to help out last week--we really appreciated having you come along with us.
We have another OSI coming up this month. On the 17th of November, our class will go to the Balloon Museum to launch our very own hot air balloons! This is an exciting opportunity where we will get to flex our science muscles. We will get to build our balloons in class. OSI forms will go out early this week.
Agendas and Report Cards
We received new agendas this week. The girls will be using the agendas to write down important dates and homework. This will be another great resource for both you and your daughter. Also, report cards went home on Friday. As a way to ensure that every parent has seen the report card, please sign your daughter's agenda either under tomorrow's date or Tuesday's date. I will check the agendas for signatures on Tuesday, when the girls turn in their vocabulary.
Book Reports
Just a quick update on book reports: they are due next Friday. I will have some time this week to work on the projects in class, and I will also give some time next week for final practices. We will begin presenting on Friday. Rubrics will go home tomorrow.
Newsletter 10/26/15
This week is going to be a big week with lots of fun things happening!
OSI to Wagner's Farm
Our OSI to Wagner's Farm is tomorrow! We will be leaving the school at 9:00 and we will be returning to school at approximately 1:00. The girls will need to pack a sack lunch to eat at Wagner's Farm--unless you paid for school lunch, then a sack lunch will provided. We will have the opportunity to do many fun activities, such as go on a hay ride, walk through the corn maze, pick a pumpkin, and learn about agriculture. This will tie right in with our Social Studies unit, where we are learning about Human/Environment Interaction, one of the five themes of geography. I am asking the girls dress up for the occasion and wear either a skirt OR a tie OR a scarf. Please be sure to wear good tennis shoes, as we will be walking around a farm. Thank you to our thee chaperones--Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Daniels, and Ms. Guzman! You chaperones may meet us at the school between 8:30 and 8:45 and follow the buses to Corrales, or you may meet us at Wagner's Farm in Corrales.
Book Reports
Last week we finished our first class novel, One Crazy Summer! We are starting our first book reports, which are due on November 6. The girls have four options to choose from. They can:
- Create a movie poster
- Choose one character and interview them
- Choose what they feel is the most important scene and act it out
- Write in the main character's diary
All of these are meant to answer the guiding question: How did the main character change throughout the story? The girls were given a handout on Friday with greater details on each of the prompts, and I will be sending home rubrics at the end of this week.
Halloween Eve
This year, the day before Halloween falls on Friday. I know that the students are very excited about Halloween; unfortunately, we will not be dressing up in costumes for school. Please send your child in regular uniform on Friday. We do have some fun Halloween activities that will tie into our lessons that day!
Newsletter 10/18/15
It has been another wonderful week. Here are a few announcements are some projects that we are cooking up in the classroom.
Science Fair
We have started working on our science fair projects. I read all of the proposed questions, and I think we will have some great experiments to see come December! This week, the girls need to start working on their background research. As they find their background research, they will be able to form their hypothesis. I sent home a packet that will walk through how to find good research and how to set up a bibliography. That packet is due on Friday.
Genius Hour
Last Wednesday we started a new in-class project called Genius Hour. Genius Hour is based off the 20% Time Project that Google introduced to their employees. Google employees were given 20% of their time at work to pursue their own passions. Out of these projects came functional products such as Gmail. This same idea is being implemented in classroom across the nation with some amazing results. Every Wednesday our class will be participating in Genius Hour, and your students will be able to discover their own passions. This week we will be brainstorming ideas for their projects. Please do not help them in developing this list--it is amazing what kids can come up with when we let them explore ideas for themselves. Also, please help your students understand that it is ok to take on a project that is too big, that it is ok to fail. This is an important learning moment for students, especially for girls, who are less likely to take big risks. I am so excited to see what the girls will come up with!
Newsletter 10/10/15
Thank you to all of you who came to our Family-Teacher Conferences this week. It was wonderful to see all of you, and I loved getting the chance to set come goals with you and your student for the next part of the year. I know that we can make those goals with consistent hard work!
Upcoming Events
The week following Fall Break is full of events!
- The Book Fair is coming to our school. We will be going to the Book Fair as a class on Monday. The Book Fair will be staying throughout the week, so feel free to go with your student after school any day next week.
- On Wednesday we have picture day. Be sure to have your student look their best and bring their brightest smile on that day!
- On Friday we will have our Fall Festival from 5:00-8:00 pm. We will have a silent auction during the Fall Festival. Every teacher will have their own basket with a specific theme. Our theme is Spa Night. If you have any items that could tie into our theme and you would like to donate them, please send them in! Any money that is won on our basket from the silent auction will be used in classroom activities, such as OSIs, new books, etc.
Science Fair
We are starting the countdown to the science fair! You should have received a packet with information about the science fair when you came in to meet with me for conferences. If you need a packet, please let me know. On Tuesday, each student needs to come to class with an idea picked for their science fair project, and they also need to have the Proposal Form (last page in the packet) filled out, ready to hand in to me. I need to approve every project. Once all projects have been approved, we can then move forward with the research phase.
Power Days
I am still looking for any Power Day volunteers! If you would like to come speak to our class about your careers, or how you use the five North Stars (Respectful, Hard Worker, Protector, Sacrifice, Honesty) in your life, we would love to have you come. If you know anyone that you feel would be a good example to the girls, someone who exemplifies the North Stars, we would love to have them come. If you have any questions about this, please let me know.
Looking Ahead
We have another OSI coming up. We are heading out to the pumpkin patch at Wagner's Farm on October 27. The students will be able to do a lot of fun activities, such as go on a hay ride, explore a corn maze, receive an apple and a pumpkin, and even learn about farming. I am looking for up to 3 chaperones to come with us. Chaperones will need to pay $6 to enter with the school, and you will need to drive yourself to the pumpkin patch (which is located in Corrales). If you didn't have the opportunity to come with us to the last OSI and would like to come with us this time, please let me know. I will pick chaperones on a first-come-first-serve basis. OSI forms will go home at the beginning of next week.
Have a great rest of your Fall Break, and I will see your students on Monday!
Newsletter 10/03/15
Fall Break is coming up soon. I hope you are all preparing for a wonderful break!
Family-Teacher Conferences
Our Family-Teacher conferences will happen Monday and Tuesday. You should have received an information sheet with your scheduled date and time from your student. If you need a reminder of when your conference is scheduled, please email me and I will let you know what time we have our conference. During the conference we will be going over DIEBLES and MAP scores, and we will also work out your student's Personal Education Plan. Please make sure that your student comes with you so she can be part of making her goals for this school year.
Power Days Revisited
We had another wonderful Power Day on Friday, after the Balloon Breakfast. The Boyds shared their balloon with us during the breakfast, and afterwards, Mrs. Boyd talked to the Girls Academy about the science of ballooning. It was wonderful to learn more about the sport of ballooning! If any of you would like to come in for a Power Day, or if you know of anyone who could come in and teach the girls about how they've used the North Stars in their life, please let me know! We would love to have you in our classroom.
We'll see you on Monday and Tuesday for conferences!
Newsletter 09/26/5
I apologize for getting this out a little later than usual. We've got a lot of ground to cover this week, so let's get started.
Housekeeping
I have a few items of housekeeping that I need to share with all of you.
- Our box top competition is currently ongoing! The school is hoping to raise at least $1,000 from this competition, which means that every child would need to bring in 60 pop tabs (the little tabs that are used to open soda cans) and/or box tops. The Girl's Academy is competing against the Boy's Academy to see who can collect the most box tops and pop tabs. The Girl's Academy is woefully behind right now. Please send in as many box tops and pop tabs as you can!
- As part of our attendance, the girls recite at least one line from a poem. This month we have been working on "Sick," by Shel Silverstein. My goal is to have the class learn one poem a month. Since the end of the month is upon us, I am going to have the girls show me what they've learned by having them recite from memory this poem. They know most of it--we recite the whole thing every morning--but getting it memorized and ready for a recitation is a whole other story. I am going to assign memorizing their poem as homework this week. Please help your student to memorize the poem, and encourage them to be dramatic!
OSIs and Power Days
On the 18th we had our first OSI to the State Fair. It went so well! The girls were able to visit the big barn and learn more about dairy cows. We saw a few amazing shows, such as the sea lion show, the Cool Dogs Jump! show, and even a street performance of traditional Native American dances. It was a fun and educational day for everyone. I wanted to give a huge shoutout to the chaperones who came to the State Fair with us. You were a big help!
We also had our first Power Day with the rest of the Girl's Academy, which worked in conjunction with our trip to the State Fair. The Southwest Dairy Farmer's Mobile Dairy Classroom came to visit our school on Thursday. Mr. Lightfoot taught the girls all about the dairy cow, how we get our milk, and how important milk is for our bodies. The girls in our classroom had the wonderful opportunity to partner with the girls in Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Fender's Pre-K classroom. They were great models and friends for the Pre-K girls, and we are hoping to find more opportunities to do things with our new buddies.
It was wonderful to see the girls in our class dress up for both our OSI and our Power Day. They looked great in their skirts, ties, and scarves. I know that when they dress up for those outings and those visitors will make the day more special for the girls.
Homework Parties
As a way to help your students to get homework done and turned in on time, we are instituting "homework parties" at the end of every month. In order to attend the party, a student must have their homework turned in on time 100% of the time. This does not mean that they need to get 100% on their homework; they just need to have it turned in on time. I realize that we have all bad days. In light of that, I am granting each student one "Oops Day" per homework party. That means they get one day where if they forgot their homework at home or didn't finish it, that day will not count against their party attendance. They are still expected to complete their homework.
I am happy to report that all of the students in our classroom are able to attend the homework party this month! We will be holding our homework party this week on Wednesday, and I have selected a committee to plan fun activities for the students to do during the party. Our committee this month is Amaiya, Maryam, and Chloe. Students may bring snacks to share during our homework party. I hope that this trend will continue throughout the coming months, and everyone will be able to attend all of our homework parties.
Going on vacation
As Fall Break is right around the corner, I know that many families are starting to take more days off for vacation. Many parents have asked for the homework that their students will be missing while they are gone. Thank you for being so diligent about your child's education! It gives teachers warm fuzzies to see a parent taking an interest in their child's education. Aside from at least 20 minutes of nightly reading, their vocabulary words that they find from their reading, and any math lessons that they may miss, all I ask is that the girls will go their adventures with their families with the same self-motivation to learn that we develop here in the classroom. When they come back they can report to me something that they learned from their trip. If you have further questions about this, or want to arrange for more work for your student while they are gone, please let me know.
Coming up this month
There are some important events happening this month:
- Parent-Teacher Conferences are 10/05-10/06. We will be going over how these first 6 weeks have gone, and we will develop PEPs (Personal Education Plans) for each student
- We will have a book fair on 10/12
- Picture day is on 10/14
- Fall Festival is coming up--more details to come!
As always, if there are any questions, please let me know!
Newsletter 09/11/15
I hope everyone had a great long weekend and enjoyed the two weeks of four day school. I was excited to see a group of parents joining our class on Remind! I really feel that this will be a great help in our communication. If you would still like to join, please let me know, and I will be happy to send you the information on how to join.
Housekeeping
Food in the classroom
- We have several birthdays in September, and some people are asking to bring in treats for the class as a way to celebrate birthdays. I would love for you to bring in treats! If your daughter has any allergies, please let me know.
- We are scheduled to have the first lunch at school, which means that the girls are eating fairly early in the day. Often students are not hungry for lunch at 10:50 in the morning. If anyone would like to donate bulk snacks for the whole class to share, I think we can help girls feel satisfied throughout the day, which allows them to feel more focused on their schoolwork.
OSIs
This week I sent out a permission form for our first Out of School Instruction! I am very excited to say that we will be attending the State Fair next week on Friday, September 18. We have an extraordinary opportunity to use public transportation since we have moved to our new building, and this gives us a chance to have more OSIs than before. We will be using this opportunity to its fullest. Of course your student's safety always comes first. I am looking for four chaperones to come with to the State Fair and help small groups participate in sensory activities for a close "reading" assignment that we will complete in class after we return from the State Fair. If you would like to be a chaperone, please email me and let me know! All permission forms and money are due by Wednesday, September 16.
Blog Updates
I am working out a few kinks with our blog (better viewing of the Newsletters, how to have girls contribute to the blog, etc.) to make it even easier for you and your student to get information about the class. Thank you for your patience in this.
Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!
Newsletter 09/03/15
It has been a wonderful two weeks in our classroom. The first few weeks of school are always an adventure--trying to get to know the teacher and each other, learning new classroom rules and procedures, finding friends old and new. We hit a couple of rough spots during that first week, but we will continue to grow and learn together. It has been such a pleasure getting to know your students.
Thank you, thank you to all of you who responded to my letter with emails and letters of your own! I loved hearing your thoughts and feelings about your girls. Thank you for sending me concerns, as well. There were things about your girls that I had no idea about until I read your letters. I will do my best to take each of these things into consideration as we move through our lessons.
Housekeeping
Just a few points of housekeeping as we start this newsletter:
- Please use the back playground area to drop off and pick up your children. In the morning, the gates will open at 7:45, and in the afternoon, the gates will open at 3:00. Please do not try to enter before those times. This will help us contain the chaos as children come in and out for school. The front door will be used by staff and those who have appointments. The lovely Ms. Mena, who works at the front desk, will be the only person who can open the front doors for anyone who is not staff. If you need to pick up your children from YMCA, there is a phone number posted on the front door that you can call.
- During drop-off or pick-up times, you have several options:
- You can drive up Silver Ave and drop-off/pick-up you student(s) at the drive-up gate
- You can park in the Salvation Army parking lot and walk in to collect your student(s)
- You can park on Adams Ave and walk in to collect your student(s)
- You MAY NOT come up through Adams and pull into the line drive-up line on Silver
- In the morning, students need to remain outside in the playground. They should not be coming into the school to drop off bags, find friends, etc. Unless they have a specific appointment with me to go over class materials, students should be outside.
- We have iPads in the classroom! Yay! In order for the students to be able to use the iPads, we must have the Internet Use Form signed by you and your student. I have received several paper forms back in the classroom, which is wonderful. Some of your students have told me that you replied to Mrs. Eldredge's email about the Internet Use Form, which is wonderful as well. If you have responded directly to Mrs. Eldredge, please email me just to confirm that you have responded. If you still need to complete your Internet Use Form, please respond directly to Mrs. Eldredge's email and simply CC me on the email. That way I will have a copy. This needs to be done by Wednesday so we can really get going on using our technology.
I have a few things that I wanted to talk to you about academics.
Math
Last week I was finally able to get the girls retested (after a rough first Pretest) and put into their MathUSee books, which was really exciting for everyone! I know that many of the girls are not where they expected to be. That is ok! I understand that it has been three months since girls have been focusing on math in earnest. The "summer brain drain" is a real thing. Right now I am more focused on making sure that we can really drill in those concepts that are a little shaky so that the students can really rock their math. I anticipate that within the next couple of weeks the girls will be either at the level that they finished at last year or beyond. I also want to reinforce that we are not in "competition" with any other girls. Every girl is at her own level and moves at her own pace.
Homework
Every night students have at least 20 minutes reading. In conjunction with their nightly reading, students are to find one new vocabulary word from their book. There are four parts that they must complete for their vocabulary word.
- First they simply have to write down the word.
- Next they cite the sentence that word is in from the book. They're cited sentence must be in quotation marks, and at the end they need to put in parenthesis the title of the book they are reading and on what page they found the word.
- They then need to look up the word in the dictionary and write ALL definitions for that word.
- The final step is to create their own sentence using that word.
Everything that they are writing for their vocabulary is to be written in their journal notebooks, which they will put in their homework folders. Over the week, I am only asking them to find five words. Vocabulary is always due on Tuesday (so it's due tomorrow!), and I will collect it and look over it then.
I realize that this might be a lot to digest for our first newsletter, but thank you for sticking with it! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thanks so much for this first newsletter!
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