Ms. Mitchell's Magnificent Learners

Geography

We had a great time working on our geography projects and reports. I was very impressed with how unique several of them were and how delicious others were!   Here is a website to practice your states: http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf

We will have a Spelling Bee and a Math Bee next week.  Practice your math facts and study the word list I sent home. Good Luck! 

Next Thursday your child may bring a t-shirt for their friends to sign and/or a camera.  On Friday we will be having Snack Attack and the students wrote down a healthy snack they would like to share with the class. 

I am working on a DVD project for next week so if you come to school make sure to let me know so I can take a picture of you with your child!

 

Read to succeed

Check out our reading celebration video that is posted on the Keheley webpage (http://www.cobbk12.org/~keheley/).  We worked hard to reach our goals and we REALLY celebrated! We will have an outdoor reward celebration on Thursday as well!  Remember to keep your child reading every day over the summer! 

We are very excited to be working on our next research project on the 50 states! Each child chose a state that they are interested in and they are doing the research and writing a report at school.  You should have received a green sheet that has information about  their home project. It is due May 12th!

Friday is Field Day!  Please make sure your child has sunblock on before coming to school. They may also wear a hat and bring a water bottle. We can always use more volunteers if you are able to help. Please remember that these activities are for 3rd-5th grade students and younger siblings (although I love to see them!) are not able to come

Reminders:

• On Tuesday you will receive your child's enrollment card for next year. Please complete the information and return it ASAP.  We will use the same envelope to mail your child's report card, testing data, and other information. Please write your address on the front and put 3 stamps on it. 
• Media Center books are due by Thursday!  

Calling all parents....

 I hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break and you are ready to finish the year off with a bang.  We will be taking the CRCT next week starting on Tuesday (4/21) with the Reading portion and we will continue through the following Monday (4/21 - 4/27).  I am confident that all students will not only pass the test, but will excel.  We have pushed beyond our limits this year and this is their chance to show what they know.  With that being said, I need the following things from you:

1. Praise your child or do something special every night to reward them for pushing through and giving 100%. Encourage them to run and play outside.
2. Make sure they get in bed early and get a good night sleep.
3. Ensure your child has a healthy breakfast AND brings a healthy snack.
4. Make sure they are to school on time. We will start testing directly after announcements!
5. Send in a bag of pretzels, Chex mix, granola bars, or other "clean and easy" snack for testing week. If you didn't donate during our Fall testing week then please contribute to this one. 

Next week is Earth Week.  We are a "Green Classroom" and have done many activities to reduce, reuse, and recycle this year. We should be getting our certificate from Cobb County in the next week or two!  See if you can find some creative ways to be "green" at home too.

We are very excited to have the Art Festival AND Movie Night on Friday, May 1st.  The Arts Festival will go from 6-8 PM and there will be food and festivities starting at 7:30 for Movie Night!  So, bring your blanket and chairs and get ready to watch a movie outside under the stars! Admission is FREE!

Spring Fever

  Well... Spring Fever has definitely hit!  Please check and sign your child's agenda EVERY night for any notes. It is their responsibility to write their assignments or to write the word NONE so that you know there is nothing for them to do that night.  If it is blank then do not sign it.  

 The Straw Walk is almost here! Grab the family and come on out to walk with us next Friday (3/27) at 11:00 AM!  We will have water for 50 cents to benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.  Our lunch is immediately after the Straw Walk so come join us! Send in a note that morning with what lunch you would like so I can order it:)   Thanks for sending in the miles that you have been walking during the month!  Thursday will be the last day that I can turn miles in so let me know if you have any to add.  Alison's family has been walking to/from school almost every day!  Tre's family did a walk-a-thon downtown and racked up the miles! If you haven't had a chance to get the feet moving yet it's not too late!

  We only have 2 weeks left until Spring Break~ Yipee!!! When we get back we will only have a week and a half until the students take the CRCT!  Please try to maintain the same routines at home to help your child have a successful day at school.  Thank you!!!! Also, if you haven't tried out the practice tests on-line then now is a good time to do it. 

Announcements

• Thank you for making Staff Appreciation Day special by sending in flowers and fruit. You made us feel so loved!
• Have you seen the new tye dye t-shirts the teachers are wearing? They will be on display at the Straw Walk if you are interested in getting one ($15)! All of the proceeds benefit our 'Relay For Life' fundraiser! 
• We are one lesson away from becoming a "Green" classroom. Ask your child what it means to be "green" and think of some ways that your family can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle at home!
• We are still collecting items for our Silent Auction class basket. If you can send in any Beach theme items that would be great!
• WE love books and the Book Fair will be here this week!  Feel free to stop in anytime!
• Do you have a child coming into Kindergarten next year? If so, the registration is on April 1st from 8:30-11:00 AM. 
• Check out our "Kids Corner" on the right hand side of my blog for games and activities!

Language Arts adoption

The Elementary ELA (English Language Arts) Adoption Committee has recommended that the following titles be submitted to the Board of Education for approval:
Pearson Learning – Good Habits, Great Readers
Zaner Bloser – Handwriting (K-3)
These materials will be on display for public review at the county office (514 Glover St, Marietta, GA  30060) from March 9, 2009 to March 27, 2009 during regular office hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

I also encourage you to continually check the Cobb County website for valuable information regarding your child's education.  http://www.cobbk12.org/

Picture Day, Slipper Day, and Early Release

 Just a reminder that all students will have their picture taken on Monday. We will do a class picture and individual pictures.  Tuesday is Slipper day for a $1 donation to benefit Relay for Life! Tuesday is also Early Release.... students will be dismissed at 12:15. 

March is Walking Wellness month! Students will be walking during PE to see which 3rd grade class can accumulate the most miles! We encourage all of you to take family walks at home and to send in the miles for us to add to our class total.  Pregnant and mature citizens (62 and older) earn double miles!  70 and older earn triple miles!!!  We invite you and your family/friends to celebrate with us at our annual STRAW WALK at 11:00.  The class who walks the most miles from 11:00-11:35 will earn the Golden Shoe Award and the class that walked the most during the month will earn the trophy!  Hope to see you all there!

It is hard to believe it is already March (and we got snow)!  There are only 5 weeks left until Spring Break and only 6 weeks until CRCT testing!!!  Every minute of instruction is important so please do not schedule family trips and routine doctor/dentist appointments during school hours.  We work diligently every day and we need your support to show your child the value of their education! A memo was sent home 2 weeks ago that included your child's log-in to take CRCT practice tests. Please take advantage of this valuable resource! Your child will be taking the Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies tests and I am sure you will find it interesting to see how challenging these tests are!  Check it out at www.georgiaoas.org!  If you would like me to resend your child's password and log-in please contact me. Thank you in advance for your support! 

Reminder: 

We are collecting beach items for our class "Silent Auction" basket (lotion, beach towel, bucket, raft, umbrella, etc. ) 

Happy President's Day

I hope you enjoy your extra day off and remember our past and current presidents!  Democracy has been an integral part of our curriculum this year and the students are learning it through the lives of famous Americans. Ask them about FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt. What did they have to overcome? How have they influenced our history? What was the Great Depression and how did FDR deal with it? These are two biographies that we have been studying. In honor of Black History Month we have also been studying Mary McLeod Bethune and Frederick Douglass. Ask your child how their efforts have affected human and civil rights. What were their challenges? Which presidents did they work with? You would be amazed at what your children are learning and how they have embraced these American heroes!

Our math standards have focused on fractions for the past two weeks.  We have learned how to add and subtraction fractions and this week we will be learning about decimal fractions. The easiest way to learn this is to compare it to money.  10 cents is 1/10 of a dollar and it looks like .10.....  3 cents is 3/100 and it looks like .03.... Hands on learning is the best way to help your child with this concept. Grab some coins out of your pocket and ask your child what fraction of a dollar you have. Then they can convert it to a decimal fraction.  If at all possible, have your child earn money at home. Give them the responsibility of counting it and keeping it safe.  They will have to decide if an item is worth their hard earned money or if it is frivolous.  If they choose to buy something, then have them write down how much money they will get back in change. This is an ongoing standard that is best learned with real life application!

In science we have been learning about habitats and we were very excited to learn more at our field trip on Friday.  We observed herbivore (plant eating) skulls and carnivore (meat eating) skulls and discussed the different adaptations that each animal had that helped it survive.  We pet a salamander and worked with worms. But best of all, we dissected an owl pellet to discover what animal the owl had eaten by putting his bones back together. Disgusting... but the kids loved it!  

Download 28 images

Habitats

  Our habitat unit will culminate on Friday with our Nature in a Nutshell In House fieldtrip. If you have not returned the permission slip and $5 to cover the cost please do so as soon as possible.  We will begin our science unit on magnets next week!

We would like to welcome Josh to our classroom!  The kids were very excited on Friday to meet a new classmate!  We would also like to welcome our Kell High School volunteer, Jennifer Cannon!  She will be visiting our classroom Monday- Thursday. Our Kell cadet from last year came back to visit last week and told us all about his education classes at college.  

I will be sending home a weekly progress report on your child's accelerated reader progress. Please review this with your child to ensure they are meeting grade level standards.  Every year is important, however, 3rd grade is a critical year with CRCT (in April).  If children do not pass the reading portion of CRCT they will not move up to 4th grade.  Summer school will be offered for those that do not pass the test, and then they will need to take the CRCT over again. The learning that takes place in our classroom prepares them for their future success in school. They need your support at home as well though!

Dates to Remember

• We will be selling lollipops for Relay for Life (50 cents) on Monday and Wednesday of this week.
• Thursday night is Skate Night from 6-8 PM.
• Friday is Spirit Day~wear yellow and blue.
• Monday 2/16 is a teacher workday.

 

A busy month

Thank you so much for a successful conference week! I enjoyed talking with you and sharing your child's strengths.  Remember to work on any areas of concerns with your child.  All students need to be reading for a minimum of 30 minutes and practicing their math facts each night! Students should be able to do 100 problems in 5 minutes for addition and subtraction as this was a 2nd grade skill.  We are still working on 100 problems in 5 minutes for multiplication and division. You will be getting a printout of your child's most recent timed test scores this week. Encourage them to play math games on the computer or flash cards to memorize their facts!

This year Keheley teachers will be participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life! We are very excited to support this worthwhile cause and will have various student events to support us! Our first event is Crazy Hair Day on Wednesday 2/4/09 for a $1 donation!

Our class will be collecting beach themed items for the Silent Auction.

Dates to Remember

• February 3rd your child will be performing on stage at 7:00 PM. Please send them to our classroom at 6:45 to get ready.
• February 4th is Early Release (12:15 dismissal). Please send a note with any transportation changes.
• February 6th is our annual Sock Hop (7:30-8:30). Get ready to dance the night away!!!
• February 12th is Skate Night.
• February 13th is our In House Field Trip! Please send the permission slip and $5 ASAP.
• February 16th is a student holiday.

Kids Corner
Did you know that February is Random Acts of Kindness month? You are all so thoughtful and you do this every month! We are going to be honoring Mrs. Armbruster this week for all of her hard work! We will also be honoring all of the bus drivers for keeping you safe!

Use fraction pieces to make cookies for grampy... http://www.visualfractions.com/CookiesF.html

Help Fifi get to the top with this fun fraction game... http://www.jamit.com.au/htmlFolder/app1001.html

Finish the flower fraction... http://www.learningbox.com/fractions/index.html

Conference week

I am looking forward to talking to all of you during our conference this week.  A reminder of your scheduled time is in your child's agenda. Students will be dismissed at 12:15. Please send a note if there is a change in your child's transportation this week.

Dates to Remember:

• 1/26   Chick-fil-a night at the Dwarf House on 92
• 2/3     3rd grade students perform at PTA meeting
• 2/4     Early Release
• 2/6    Sock Hop  (Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd grades from 6-7. 3rd, 4th, 5th grades 7:30-8:30)