Thursday, March 12, 2009

After Winter Break

Hi all!

We have been extremely busy after the winter break, especially after those two snow days! Thank you to everyone who offered and donated items for our unit on Land and Water. At this point, we have just about everything we need to get started. If any other needs arise, I’ll let you all know.

One item that we do need for the classroom is blue and black erasable pens. If you can send any in, it will be greatly appreciated.

The information for the March Book Project, which is a Scrapbook Page Report, came home Wednesday of last week. All of the children have met their first mini-goal, which was to choose their book. The next goal, due on Tuesday, is to have finished reading their chosen book. There are a total of 5 mini-goals connected with this project, and the final due date is Wednesday, April 8.

On Wednesday, I also gave the children calendars for March and April to place in their binders. I have included as many important dates as I have at this time for these two months. Please encourage your child to refer to these on a regular basis to keep up to date on upcoming tests and major assignments.

There is no school on Fridays, March 20 and March 27. The end of the third quarter is coming up next Thursday, and that Friday is for completing report cards. The following Friday, is scheduled for Parent/Teacher Conferences. I sent home a sign-up sheet for conference times yesterday. Please try to get these back as soon as possible to increase the chances of receiving your preferred time slot. I already have parents signed up for the 8:00, 8:20, 12:40, and 1:00 time slots.

We will be working on our class auction project over the next few weeks. Each child is painting a small (4 x 4) canvas with acrylic paints. We are following the nautical theme of this year’s auction, and each child will be asked to paint a “sea” themed painting. I’ve talked with them about different ideas for subject matter (beach landscape scene, lighthouse, underwater scene with fish and plants, boats on water, etc.). If you find time this weekend to go on the computer or through pictures with your child to help them visualize what they might include, that would be very helpful. Mrs. Garnett will be coming in Tuesday morning to help us with the painting.

That’s all for right now!
Thank you again for all of your help!
Kim Bushman

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Hi all!

Thank you all so much for your help with Colonial Day and the wonderful gift. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful group of parents supporting us!

We have begun our study of inventions, inventors and the invention process. Your child should be keeping an Inventor’s Notebook. In it, they should be brainstorming ideas for possible inventions. I do not want anyone to be committed to an idea just yet. Encourage your child to continue thinking creatively. I will send home a form on Monday for your child to write up their invention proposal. These will be due back by Monday, January 19. Please do not allow your child to begin building their invention model until their idea has my approval. More information will be coming home over the next several weeks.

Instructions for the January book project, a Cereal Box Book Report, came home on Monday. If your child has not already shown this to you, it should be inside their binder. Mini-goals and the final due date are all included in the information. We discussed the project at length in class, so your child should be able to explain any vague areas in the written directions. If you have any questions they cannot answer, just let me know.

There is no word study this week. We will begin again on Monday. Our first Wordly Wise test, of the New Year, will be next Thursday, January 15.

We are back at a full work load for homework, so please try to keep an eye your child’s their time management. They have all come such a long way in such a short time, and we are working hard to keep them motivated and progressing.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and I’d like to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

That’s all for now!
Kim Bushman