Week 32

It's TAKS week! The kids are ready to show what they know, and I am excited to see the results of all of their hard work. It has been extremely rewarding over the last few weeks of review to see everything come together. They are such a great group of kids who have really learned the value of effort this year!

There are a TON of activities and events coming up over the next few weeks. I'm not sure how much longer I will make it with the kids before little Kennedy arrives, so I'm working extremely hard to have everything set and ready to go before I leave. My goal is to make it to Friday, May 6th, so we'll see how close to that date we can get. While I am out, Colette Rose, a wonderfully qualified friend and classmate of Mrs. Murtagh's, will be subbing for me. When the time gets closer, I will make sure you have all of her contact information so that you can contact her with any questions or concerns.

Here are the events for this week:

1) Like we did for the Writing TAKS, I would love for you to send an encouraging letter with your child in a sealed envelope on Tuesday morning. We will take time to read these right before the test starts to help remind the kids how proud you are of them. Please write "Wait to open!" on the front so we can all open them together. Also, if you have time, I would love to have one or two extra generic letters for students whose parents forget to do this. Last time we had just enough because of the parents who helped out in this way!

2) On Tuesday and Wednesday, the students are invited to join us in the science lab at 7:10 for a protein-filled breakfast before the TAKS. Thank you so much to the Cazier, Doss, Downs, Godwin, Turner, Foster, Johnson, and Bagley families who have already volunteered to send items! If you have not contacted me yet and wish to help out, please email me a.s.a.p. and let me know what you would like to bring and/or the day(s) you would like to help serve the kids. Remember, you can get volunteer hours for helping out in any way! We are still in need of fruit, eating utensils, plates, cups, and breakfast casseroles, especially for Wednesday. Parents will be required to leave the building at 7:35 both days and should be reminded that visitors will not be allowed on campus after that.

3) Student-Led Conferences will be held Wednesday, May 11th. I will be taking requests for conference times via email beginning this Thursday at 8:00. (Please do not email requests before then so that everyone has a fair chance of getting the times they want.) Your child will bring home a letter Monday with a list of available times and more information about this process. Please remember that these conferences are mandatory and extremely important to your child.

4) The Homework Menu for this week and next is already posted on my website. The students have two weeks to type up their scripts that they have been working on in class onto their own pages of the wiki. The students are so excited about this project and are loving having an opportunity to publish their work in this way. We have discussed in class how students should be typing their own work, not getting help from a parent or friend. This week students will have extra computer lab time to work on this to help them complete this activity on time. If your child needs additional computer access, please let me know so we can make arrangements.

5) Thursday is the 5th grade Science TAKS, so students will be allowed to bring pillows to sit on again on that day. No parents will be allowed on campus on Thursday.

6) Students need to post their 29th book this week. (Only one more to go!) There are now 9 students who have already met or surpassed the 30-Books Goal! Truly remarkable!

7) There is no blog question for this week.

Other upcoming events (in case my leave begins earlier than expected):

1) Vertical Schedule will be in effect the first two weeks of May.

2) Tuesday, May 3rd, is our School Cultural Day. Students will rotate through exciting cultural activities all day long.

3) Cookie dough will be delivered May 4th.

4) Our African Cats and Botanical Gardens field trip is May 5th. Thank you for getting your money and permission slips in on time!

5) Moms and Muffins is Friday, May 6th. I believe tickets will be sold this week, but I'm not positive. (Sorry!)

6) Our Student-Led Conferences will by Wednesday, May 11th. Remember to sign up this Thursday via email.

7) Our field day is May 20th at the BHS stadium.

8) The 4th grade Texas Play will be June 1st. There will be a morning and afternoon performance during the school day.

9) Vertical parties will be June 2nd.

10) There is an Awards Assembly June 3rd at 1:00.

Anyone else's brain overloaded?  I'm exhausted, and I don't think it's just because of this baby...  : )

Week 31

THANK YOU!

You have once again blessed our family! Thank you to everyone who contributed to the baby shower and who helped us get the stroller and car seat combo, (especially Donna Downs and Amber Miller who organized everything)! The shower was so much fun, and we really feel that we now have our last essential big item for her arrival. (We'll actually get to bring her home from the hospital now!) Also, thank you to each family who provided all of the other adorable gifts (clothes, diapers, bows, books, etc.). Kris and I went straight home and put everything together and in its place. We are amazed at your generosity and so appreciative of your kindness!

Here are this week's events:

1) This week's Homework Menu is posted and was given to the students Friday. Students must choose 2 of the 4 options to complete by Friday. All of the options are out of the students' math books (which the students should have taken home over the weekend). By-the-way, if your child needs more practice before the TAKS, there are TAKS reviews like those on the Homework Menu at the end of every chapter in the book.

2) Students were given permission slips yesterday for our upcoming field trip to go see Disney's African Cats and the Botanical Gardens. Here are the main pieces of information you need to know:

• The trip is Thursday, May 5th.
• One parent and no siblings may attend this trip.
• Parents and students must bring a sack lunch.
• Parents must provide their own transportation for the trip.
• Students must ride the bus to and from school.
• Student tickets (with bus costs) are $11.00.
• Adult tickets are $6.50.
• The theater is offering concession combos (with a small drink and small popcorn) for $4.50. These must be pre-purchased, and students will have no other concession opportunities. The money for concession combos should be turned in with the permission slips.
• Permission slips are due this Friday.

3) I am offering one more round of tutoring this Tuesday from 3:00-4:00. Please send me an email if your child will be attending.  Homework Hotline will also be held this week at the same time.

4) The Math and Reading TAKS are April 26th and 27th. We will be reviewing and reteaching this week for our final preparation. I am confident that every kid in our class who applies and uses the strategies we have learned this year is fully capable of passing both tests! I am excited to see the kids show what they know!

5) We DO have school this Friday. I believe it was originally off the calendar, but it has been added back in because of snow days.

6) Students should post their 28th book on the wikispace this week. This means that after this week kids should be just 2 books away from our 30-Book Goal!

Week 30

Good morning! There is so much going on right now at school, and things will only continue to get busier as the year rolls on. Fasten your seat belts, folks! April is in full swing!

Here's what you need to know for this week:

1) Our classroom baby shower is this Friday at 2:00. If you wish to contribute in any way, please contact Donna Downs at dldowns2u@sbcglobal.net or 817-913-3642. Please check the emails I forwarded from her last week for more information.

2) The Homework Menu is now available for this week. Once again students will be playing online games to prepare for the TAKS (which is now only 2 and a half weeks away). If you have limited Internet access, please let me know so I can get an alternative assignment for your child and/or make arrangements for your child to use the computers at school.

3) The students will have a Math Checkpoint this Thursday covering the types of information the students will be practicing for homework this week.

4) I will once again be available to provide extra tutoring and help for the TAKS this Tuesday after school until 4:00. If you wish for your child to stay, please shoot me an email so I know that your child will be there. (Homework Hotline will still happen if your child needs to stay and work.)

5) Students should post their 27th book on the wikispace this week. (Can you believe they will only have 3 books left to go after this week?) As a class, the students have read over 550 books so far this year!

6) Students need to post a response on the class blog this week. There are still a few students who have not answered the Week 28 question and need to do so a.s.a.p.

7) The fundraiser ends on Tuesday, April 12th. Please send your child's order forms and money in by this day.

8) Time is running out for parents to finish up their volunteer hours. At the Leadership Meeting Wednesday, Mrs. Simons was very clear that families who do not reach the 10 hour requirement will lose their place at the Academy for next year. There are several opportunities coming up where you can serve, and you can find out more information by contacting the main office.

9) The Math and Reading TAKS will be April 26th and 27th. Please encourage your child to use the links on my website for additional practice between now and then.

Week 29

Good morning! I'm about to head out to Oklahoma again for our first baby shower, but I wanted to get this out to you before I leave. I hope you have a terrific week!

Here's the news!

1) 5th grade will be doing their TAKS Monday and Tuesday this week. In an effort to keep the school quiet, we will be doing a lot of sitting on the floor so our chairs won't make so much noise sliding around. Your child may bring one pillow to sit on both days if he/she wishes. Please do not send blankets or oversized pillows, and remember that the pillows might get a little dirty since they will be on the floor all day.

2) This week's homework menu is ready. Let me know if you have limited Internet availability at home, and I will print off questions for your child.

3) Many students did not answer last week's blog question yet. This is completely my fault since I failed to remind them all week. If your child did not answer the Week 28 blog question, he/she needs to do so this week.


4)  Students need to post their 26th book on the wiki this week.

5) If you have not sent back your child's report card yet, please do so a.s.a.p.

Week 28

I feel like everything is flying by so quickly now. We only have one Nine Weeks remaining of school, and my little Kennedy is due in less than 7 weeks. I cannot believe that the finish line is already in sight for both of these events! I am encouraged by how well the kids are doing overall and how they are all working so hard to achieve the goals they have set for themselves for this year.

Please read below to see this week's major events:

1) Report cards go home Monday. As much work as these new report cards mean for the teachers, I must say that I really do love the specific feedback that they provide for the parents. My hope, especially now as the Math and Reading TAKS move closer, is that you will look over these objectives and help your child focus specifically on areas of weakness over the next few weeks.

Also, please remember that the overall scores you will see are cumulative grades. To get an M, students must have Ms in at least 90% of the objectives for the entire year without even one T for the subject.

2) This week's Homework Menu is now ready. There are 2 options to help your child practice for the upcoming Math TAKS. The first option walks your child step-by-step through the different math skills and objectives he/she needs to know for the TAKS test. This is a great review of the concepts we have covered so far and it includes interactive practice questions with immediate feedback. The second option is simply on online practice Math TAKS. It is a great option to help your child review what has been learned and to see the types of questions and wording that he/she should expect on the real test at the end of April. I have attached this option as a pdf on my website for students who don't have regular Internet access and want to print it out. Both options require your child to spend 45 minutes total practicing, but this time can be split up over several days.

3) Your child needs to answer the Week 28 blog question this week. 


4) This week students should post their 25th book on the wikispace. As a class, the students have almost read 500 books this year! At our faculty meeting this week we talked about the successes we are seeing with this initiative, and it really is mind-blowing to see how the reading skills the kids are developing are overflowing into every other corner of their education. Again, thank you for all you are doing to help your child meet these goals.

5) The 3rd Nine Weeks Awards Assembly will be Friday at 8:00. If your child will receive an award, I will email you today to let you know so you can make arrangements to be there if possible.

Have a great week!

Week 27

Happy Spring Break! I am leaving tomorrow to visit my family in Oklahoma, so I wanted to get this out to you now. I hope you are resting and enjoying your time with your family!

Thank you to all of the families who helped out with World Party! The room looked amazing, and the kids did a tremendous job with their projects and murals.

Here are this week's events:

1) Your child should have 23 books posted on the wiki by now. If your child is behind, please encourage him/her to use this Break to catch up. Next week all students should post their 24th book.

2) Monday is Spring Picture Day. Remember, this is an out of uniform day!

3) The Week 27 Homework Menu is posted and ready if your child wants to work ahead. The activity is due Friday, March 25th.

4) As the TAKS approaches, the more practice and familiarity with these types of questions, the better the chances of success for the students. Please remember that there are several links and practice tests on my website for your child to use.

5) Report Cards will go home during Week 28.

Week 26

The kids worked so hard on their Writing TAKS this week! I couldn't be prouder of them for taking their time and using all of the strategies they have learned this year. It will be a long couple of months waiting for the results, but I am satisfied that above all else the students did their best. They have grown tremendously since the beginning of 4th grade, and I am excited to include their beginning-of-the-year essays with their end-of-the-year essays in the next portfolio so that you can see their progress.

Thank you to all of the parents who helped make breakfast for the students and to those who wrote letters of encouragement this week. The students were thrilled by both gestures. Your actions have blessed our class, and you are truly appreciated.

Here's what you need to know about this week:

1) This week in class we will be creating several decorations for World Party. Please send an old, large T-shirt on Monday your child can use this week to protect his/her clothing from paint.

2) There is no new Homework Menu for this week. Students should continue working on their World Party projects that they began last week. The kids used their computer lab time this week to gather their facts for their projects, so all that should be left is putting the project together. Don't forget, these projects are due Tuesday, not Friday. If your child finishes this weekend, feel free to send it early on Monday.

3) Wednesday we will have a district Reading Checkpoint.

4) World Party will be Thursday evening from 6:00-7:30. This is a tremendously fun and interesting time where you and your child can go from class to class to find out information about cultures from around the world. The kids love this event, and they always learn a lot.

5) Speaking of World Party, please let me know if you would like to volunteer to bring a Kenyan food dish to be served Thursday evening. Below are several sites with recipes you can try. (Feel free to look around other sites, too!) Also, we could just use several bananas cut into thirds or fourths to offer that evening. You can receive volunteer hours for your cooking/preparation time, (or if you just go buy something, you can receive half an hour of volunteer time).

• http://www.kenyatravelideas.com/kenya-dessert-recipes.html
• http://nutford.kijabe.org/recipes.html
• http://www.kenya-information-guide.com/kenya-recipes.html

6) Friday will be a Vertical Schedule day. We will use this time to rotate through our vertical classes to learn about the countries represented in each room.

7) Students may wear jeans Friday if they bring a donation for Relay for Life. (This is all the information I have right now about this, but I will let the kids know more when I get further info.)

8) Spring Break is next week! Enjoy your time with your family!

9) Students should post their 23rd book this week on the wiki. If you child is behind, Spring Break should be a great opportunity to catch up!