Wednesday, November 4, 2009

November 4 "The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." Mark Van Doren


Don't forget our field trip tomorrow; we'll be leaving at 8:00 sharp. Everyone will need a lunch, a drink in a plastic bottle, and a snack for the bus. Please, please, please have your child stay home if they're not feeling well; there's nothing worse than long bus rides or extended periods of time in museums or theaters when you feel crummy.

I'll send home another reminder about conferences if you need one. Let me know. I didn't want to post names and times here.

Also please be looking for a letter from me regarding permission to post your child's special writing, podcasts, class videos, or candid photographs on the blog. I'm really anxious to turn "Cave Connections" over to the students a little more and share some of the great things they're doing. They're excited about seeing their work "published", and I think it will become an added incentive to do well.

Blogs or websites that include photo galleries, videos, and pod casts are commonly done in schools/classrooms these days--it's a great way for families and loved ones to share in their children’s educational experience. THIS is the reason I took a technology course last summer! Anyway, before I can showcase your child's work, I'll need you to sign and return the permission slip that's included with the letter.

It's really time to conclude the American Indian projects. Students should have their dioramas/visual displays done or nearly done, and the writing piece should be in its final stages. Mr. Wright will work with everyone on Friday to record their pod casts; we'll present our information to one another next week. Ask to see your child's work. Look at their checklist to see if they've followed the guidelines.

Those little Spelling/Vocabulary/Grammar packets should be done through Day 3. Tomorrow, even though we don't have school, they will need to keep up by doing Day 4 (We went over information today). These assignments are REALLY short; many of them are done already. Please help them review their words for Friday's tests.

Sixth grade completed a sensory poem today incorporating all the senses we've been writing about. They're reallly good! We'll do a final writing assessment on Friday. Grade five worked on the sense of "touch" today. They'll do the poem on Friday and the assessment on Monday.

It's time to sign off for now. Take care, everybody.

Teri