Change of Plans Due to MLK Holiday!!!

• Spelling will resume the week of January 23-27th.
• Literature Circle Discussion Groups will resume on Wednesday, January 25th.

Welcome Back!

• I hope that you all had a lovely vacation.   I spent every moment playing with my children.  We spent time in the snow and at the beach.  We are so lucky to live in such an amazing place! It is always fun to play in the summer sun...in January!:)
• I am looking forward to seeing all of my wonderful students.  I missed their smiling faces.
• This Wednesday (the first day of school) is a full day.  
• This Friday, January 13th, is our field trip to the Santa Cruz Museum.  We still need drivers and many students have not turned in their field trip forms and/or $2.00 entrance fee.  A reminder note will be coming home Wednesday to those students missing forms and/or money. If you are able to drive, please let me know a.s.a.p.  Thank you.
• Our holiday party was magical!  Thank you to all of the parents who helped make the day so special for the children.
• We have another school holiday next Monday, January 16th (Martin Luther King Jr.).
• We will resume Literature Circle discussion groups next Wednesday, January 18th.  
• A spelling list will come home on Wednesday but the test will not be until Friday, January 20th.
• Continue with the nightly reading and the nightly math facts practice. 
• That is all for now! 

Winter Concert!

• The children have been singing, singing, singing, and now it is time to shine!  The "Youth Chorus Winter Concert" is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 7th at the Aptos High School Performing Arts Center.  The Kinder and 1st graders perform at 5:00 followed by the 2nd and 3rd graders at 6:00, 4th grade at 7:00, and finally the 5th and 6th graders at 7:45.  It should be a lovely concert.  Due to the limited seating, unless there are siblings in other grades, families are encouraged to only attend the scheduled time for their child's grade level.  The children need to wear white tops and dark bottoms.  Please have your child arrive 15 minutes before his/her scheduled time. 
• Second Grade:  There are several Flat Stanleys still living in Room 1.  Please provide your child with an address and A STAMPED envelope a.s.a.p.
• Our next field trip is to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.  Field trip forms will be coming home next Monday, 12/5.  Our date is Friday, January 13, 2012 from 9:15- 11:45.
• The holiday break is from December 19- January 10th.  Classes resume on Wednesday, January 11, 2012.
• Thank you to Kelly Foos and Michelle Hilger for volunteering to organize our holiday celebration.  Please be on the lookout for notices asking for help with food and/or other necessities.
• That is all for now.  I look forward to seeing all of you at the concert next Wednesday.

Second Grade Flat Stanley

• We have many, many Stanleys sitting in Room 1 waiting to travel the world.  Please send in a stamped envelope and an address so that we can send Stanley off on his/her adventure.

Happy Thanksgiving

• Thank you.  I am so grateful for the children and parents in Room 1.  I enjoy every moment with your children.  They are an amazing group of learners.  They are ambitious, enthusiastic, happy, and respectful.  I have a dream class.  Thank you also for all of the support.  I have had an outpouring of wipes and paper towels.  Clearly, many of you read this goofy blog.  Thank you also for helping with your child's homework.  Our class has 100% completed and returned weekly homework.  Surprisingly, 100% homework completion is very rare. Finally, thank you to all of the in-class and at-home parent volunteers.  Parent help adds to the success of the program and I am always grateful. It will be nice for the children to have some time to enjoy their family, rest, play, and breathe.  They have been working very hard and they deserve a break.  So, enjoy your little cherub and give them a Thanksgiving hug from me.  
• The Thanksgiving break is from Wednesday, November 23 through Sunday, November 27.
• Literature Circle assignments are due Tuesday, November 22.  We will not have the book groups but I will be collecting the assignments and expecting the assigned reading to be completed.  We will have the book groups on Wednesday, November 30.
• There is no homework over the holiday...yippee!  
• The Third Grade Landforms were spectacular!  It was fun for the second graders to get a sneak preview of what is to come.  
• It is not too late for the second graders to make an optional rock collection.  We will be sharing the collections the week after Thanksgiving Break.  Again, this activity is optional.
• Please don't forget to take a moment to thank Mrs. Welty.  A small token and/or quick note always feels great.
• Thank you
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What a Party!

• Thank you to all of the parents who helped with our fabulous Halloween Party.  A special thank you to Kristin Southhall and Heidi Fort for coordinating the event.  The day was magical!
• The Literature Circles have begun and the children are really enjoying the mini Book Clubs.  We are lucky to have several qualified and dedicated parents and grandparents who facilitate the discussions and the conversations are educational and enjoyable.  Please help your child to remember to bring his/her lit. book every Wednesday.  The third graders need to bring their books and their assignments.  If a student forgets his/her book and/or assignment, he/she will not be able to participate in the discussion groups.  
• Third Grade Literature Circle assignments are a portion of your third grader's reading grade.  Your child has samples of what is to be expected.  Please make sure that your child checks the samples and completes the assignment in FINAL DRAFT FORM.  Please review your child's assignment for spelling, grammar, and printing mistakes.  The assignments must be in pencil only.  The Literature Circle assignments are graded on a 1-5 scale.
• The morning aerobics track walk/run is a part of the state required P.E. minutes.  Please have your child arrive at school on time.  Several students have been arriving late and missing a portion of P.E.  It is critical that the students arrive at school on time every day.
• Report cards will be sent home on Monday, November 14th.
• We have a holiday (Veteran's Day) on Friday, November 11th.
• Tomorrow, November 3rd is Picture Day make-ups.
• We would love "real" paper towels (versus the school non-absorbent towels) and wipes to clean our desks.  Thank you!

Are you getting your costumes?

• Monday, October 31st is the Rio del Mar costume parade.  The event usually begins around 8:30.  Please send your child to school dressed in his/her costume.  Costumes are encouraged but not required.  If your child does not want to spend the day in costume, please have him/her bring an extra set of clothes and a bag to keep his/her costume in.
• Mrs. Fort and Mrs. Southall have been busy planning the Halloween party.  Please contact them if you are planning to donate food, decorations, or money to buy food. 
• I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of the parents and discussing your delightful children.  I love conferences.  My only wish is that they were longer.  If you felt that all of your questions were not addressed, please feel free to send me a note and we can set up a time to meet after school.  There is a lot to discuss in 20 short minutes.
• The children are busy writing Halloween stories. The focus of the assignment is setting, details, and adjectives.  We have creative stories with  a grotesque ghouls, goblins, ghosts, gargoyles, and unoccupied graves.  Ask your child what the setting is in his/her story.
• Monday, October 24th is our field trip to the Aptos Museum.  We have 10 extra spaces in cars.  We welcome all of the parent volunteers but should you choose to take this field trip off, please let me know asap.  Otherwise, we welcome all of our drivers and we will double up to save on gas.
• Finally, thank you for the prize box donations.  The children were thrilled to cash in ten red tickets and pick a prize.  We will always need prizes so feel free to keep them coming.
• Thank you and have a happy Halloween.  Boo