Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


Hi everyone! I hope this note finds you enjoying the wonderful holiday season. Baby James finally made his appearance on Christmas morning weighing 7 pounds 3 ounces, officially making this the best Christmas ever! Everyone is settling in and taking in every moment with our new family.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Welcome Back!

I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing track out. Below are a few reminders of what will be coming in the next three weeks.
-Barnes and Noble Bookfair to support Banks Road Elementary December 1st and 2nd
A percentage of the net sale will be donated to our school.
-December 17th, 18th are the official collection dates for D.C. money.
However, you may turn D.C. money anytime in the month of December.
-Geobread House supplies are due by Friday, December 11th
(cube shaped tissue box, a box of graham crackers, 2 cans of non-creamy vanilla frosting, a piece of cardboard to place your geobread house on).
Please see prior posting for donation requests.
-If you are planning to chaperone for the D.C. trip, please make sure you have gone online in the front office to request level 4 clearance.
-All level 4 thinking opportunities are due by Friday, December 11th.

This month, we will be combining our social studies, reading, and writing objectives to conduct research on what life was like in the colonies. Then, we will be writing a research report to organize and present the information we obtained from our research.

In math, we will continue to work on solving word problems, as well as analyzing data from graphs to solve problems. Lastly, we will also use our understanding of geometric concepts to create a geobread house during the last week of school.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Tracking out....

Just a few FYIs.....
A letter regarding "Geobread Houses" that we will be making as a culmination to our geometry unit will be coming home in tomorrow's Friday folder. Students will need the following items by Friday, December 12th.
-a cube shaped tissue box
-2 cans of vanilla frosting (not creamy)
-1 box of graham crackers

We are also asking for donations of the following :
-cubed shaped caramels
-bugles corn snacks
-peppermint sticks (not the round kind)
-Jolly Ranchers
-M&Ms and Skittles
-gumballs

On another note, please help to support good reading habits during track out. Students should be reading at least 30mins each night.

If you have turned in money to be a chaperone during April's Washington, D.C. trip, please make sure you have stopped by the front office to sign up for level 4 volunteer clearance. This clearance is different from regular volunteer clearance as it clears you to volunteer on overnight trips with students. Please make sure you do this before our winter vacation which begins on December 18th.

A note from Mr. Capps, our music teacher: Please make sure students are practicing the holiday program songs over track out.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Washington, D.C. payment/UPDATE

Attention Parents: The deadline for turning in money has been extended. If you are interested in your child going to Washington, D.C. in April, payments for Track 2 are still being accepted this week. In order to secure your spot, half of the payment ($105.00) needs to be turned in by this Friday, November 6th. Please contact me via email should you have any questions or concerns.

Friday, October 30, 2009

What a surprise!!

I just wanted to take a moment and thank my wonderful students and their families for throwing me a surprise baby shower today. It is difficult to put into words how touched I was by the all effort and planning that was put into this day. The food, the games, the decorations and the thoughtful gifts were wonderful. This is a day I will always remember : )

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Fall Conferences

It's that time of year again! I will be hosting fall conferences Tuesday, November 10th and Thursday, November 13th from 8:30-4:00. Please keep your eye out for forms going home in this week's Friday folders. I will send home a note confirming your date/time the following week.
Please note that this will be the last session of conferences before I go out in maternity leave.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

2009/2010 Testing Dates Announced

Track 2 end of grade (EOG) testing dates have just been announced. Please mark this on your calendar. Note that these dates are the week before our May track out, so please make sure you are here.

Friday , May 7th: Science (5th grade only)
Tuesday, May 11th-Thursday, May 13th : Reading and Math

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Second Quarter

The second quarter of school is in full swing. This quarter, our focus in reading will be with mostly expository (informational) and non fiction texts. Student will use their before and during reading strategies from the first quarter to apply skills such as main idea, sequence, making inferences, cause/effect, and conducting research. In writing, we will also focus on non fiction pieces by creating business letters, letters to the editor, and research papers. In math, we will focus on number sense, including converting decimals, fractions, and percents. In science, students will be in my class completing hands on activities to investigate motion and design. Lastly, in social studies, the focus will be on the colonization of the Americas.

On another note, independent reading assignments are due Thursday afternoon, October 1st. At this point, all students have had ample time to choose and read an adventure book that is at least 100 pages. This week, they will be working on their "Adventure Pizza" projects which will demonstrate that they have read daily and their overall understanding of the book. If a student does not complete the "Adventure Pizza" in class, they may take it home. However, if a student does not turn in a completed and neat project by Thursday afternoon, they will not participate in the auction. Auction items such as gently used stuffed animals, games, and toys are always welcome. Students will receive $20 class dollars for every item donated.

Thank you to everyone who has started to turn in their DC money. Please refer to the dates in my prior blog as to when we will be accepting DC payments. Remember, at least 1/2 of your payment ($105) needs to be made by October 30th if you are planning on going on the trip.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

New students and DC information

First, I want to welcome our three new students that have joined our class in the past few weeks. They are great additions to our Banks Road family!

Also, Washington, D.C. information went home this week (keep your eye out for the brightly colored yellow packet). The trip is approximately $210.00 dollars. Payment dates are as follows:
-September 17th and 18th
-September 24th and 25th
-October 22nd and 23rd
-October 29th and 30th (1/2 of total cost must be turned in by this date)
-December 17th and 18th
-January 18th-22nd
-January 25th-29th (Last day for payment)

If you are interested in being a chaperone, please note the following
-cost for chaperone will be $210.00 in addition to student payment of $210.00
-chaperones must go the front office and register for level 4 clearance a.s.a.p.
-availability of a chaperone spot is based on approval of volunteer screening (level 4 clearance), the chaperone's gender coincides with the need for student male/female ratios, and chaperone's cost of $210.00 has been paid in full.
Please email me if you have any questions : )

Friday, August 14, 2009

Tracking Out!!

I can't believe it's already been 6 weeks. There is no homework for the track out. However, it is important to read at least 30 minutes each day.

I will be holding conferences Wednesday, September 2nd and Thursday, September 3rd before we track in. If you have not already signed up, please email me for available times. Enjoy the next 3 weeks off. Stay safe and I'll see you on Tuesday, September 8th : )

Thursday, July 30, 2009

An opportunity to raise money for our school!

Come out for our first Spirit Night at Pelican's Snoballs, August 4th from 5-9 pm.
15% of the sales will be donated to Banks Road Elementary School PTA.

Pelican's Snoballs
5715 Fayetteville Road, Raleigh, NC 27603

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Coming Together!

I just wanted to thank my students for having a great afternoon meeting today. Although it wasn't a planned meeting (like our morning meetings), I think a lot of good came out of it. We talked about the importance of coming together as a group (remember the circle example) and always supporting each other, no matter what! Thank you for those of you who shared your stories today. I hope from our meeting and what we talked about, you know in your heart that if you are hurt in any way, you can depend on your classmates to be the first ones to be there for you.

Friday, July 17, 2009

A challenge for students....

Included somewhere on this blog is a word that does not make sense within the context of the text. The first student to let me know what this word is on Monday morning will earn $50 class dollars. In addition to encouraging students to check our blog, I hope it also encourages them to think about what they are reading and recognize when something they are reading does not make sense. Happy blog reading and good luck!!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

This and That....

WOW! I can't believe we are already finishing up our second week at school.

-Early Release on July 22nd will begin at 1:15. Please note that this is earlier than the usual Wednesday dismissal time.
-Auction Items/Money system
As you may know, our students work on a money system. They earn money for various reasons including completing homework, completing classwork, attendance, and keeping their desk clean. In addition, students have to pay money for desk/chair rental, incomplete/missing assignments, and inappropriate behavior. The intention is to give them a sense of the 'real world' as well as making school fun. Each month, we hold an auction, where students can purchase items with their money. They must have completed their monthly book report to get into the auction. Students and parents are encouraged to donate items for the auction including (gently used toys, games, stuffed animals, books, a toy from a Happy Meal, etc...). Students will earn $20 for each item they bring in. Our first auction will be held on Friday, August 7th.

Thank you again for the items each of you have already so generously donated to our classroom. I am looking forward to a successful and exciting year together!!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

First Day of School

I can't believe the day went so quickly. Thank you to my students for making this such a great first day. I can't wait to get to know all of you better. I hope you enjoyed getting to know your new classmates and our new school. If you haven't already, please make sure you purchase your school supplies, especially the folders and notebooks as we will be organizing them tomorrow.
**Don't Forget: Early Release is tomorrow (Wednesday, July 8th). The school day will end for students at 2:45pm***

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Classroom Supplies

The first day of school is just around the corner. You can find the 5th grade supply list at the link listed below. Keep an eye out for sales on school supplies. Please keep in mind however that school supplies will become classroom property, so please make your purchases with this in mind.

http://banksroades.wcpss.net/5.pdf

Friday, June 26, 2009

Meet The Teacher was a success!

WOW! What a turnout! Thank you to everyone who attended our Meet The Teacher event last night. It was so nice to finally put a face to the names on my class roster. Thank you parents for taking time out of your evening to see our classroom and to share with me important information regarding your children. I am looking forward to working together this year towards your child's success.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Welcome 5th graders!!

I am so excited to start the new year together! I have lots of fun and exciting things plans for us this year. I am looking forward to meeting you and your parents at Meet the Teacher on June, 25th from 6:00-7:30.