September 30, 2015
What’s happening in Room 122?
Hello,
I was able to meet with most families last week for our first parent conferences. Thank you for being flexible with your schedules to make that happen. If you still want to meet and talk about your student’s progress, please contact me.
I.R.L.A.:
100 STEP CELEBRATION
Students will be expected to be at Step 100 this Thursday morning. (The school goal will actually be Step 102 that morning.) The 30 minutes of independent reading at school, and 30 minutes at home are core components of the program, and give our readers 4-15 minute reading steps on school days. Most of our students have already met the goal, are near the goal, or on step to meet it by Thursday. I have reminded students to read extra steps each evening, if they need to catch up. We now offer a 3 o’clock Reading Club for those students who are behind in steps. Several students have stayed in part of an afternoon recess to earn one extra step. That also was an option given to all this week. Our intermediate team will have a small celebration for this milestone step for students who are on step this week. If your child isn’t on step yet, each day they will get a chance to read and catch up some of their steps.
We make this reading homework our priority because research evidence supports such practice. I have copied the following explanation from the American Reading Company’s website for how the reading homework fits within its 100 Book Challenge. 60 minutes of reading each day exposes our readers to almost 5 million words a year!
Thank you for continuously being supportive of your child’s reading.
Read Aloud:
Jaguarby Roland Smith
When Jacob Lansa joined his father in Brazil, his biggest worry was whether he would get sent back to Poughkeepsie. But his father's expedition to create a jaguar preserve is beset with violence and Jake is viciously attacked before their journey even begins!
Research Labs:
As I stated in a previous communication, our Research Labs unit is entitled Animal Adaptations. Students have completed their FPOs (Final Project Organizers). They are now experts on the animal that they have been researching. Many have earned steps by just researching their animal in class. The second part to this unit is to create a story about an issue that they feel strongly about, that affects their specific animal. Students have come up with some very interesting story ideas and themes. They have been studying and creating characters and also giving very descriptive details about their settings. Ask your child about his/her story idea. There’s much creativity going on in Room 122!
Mathematics:
Our 4th grade students are in Unit 2, Multiplication and Geometry. The 5th grade students are also working through Unit 2,Multiplication. If you have any comments or concerns about math, please contact myself or Mr. Miller.
Please remember that you can always to my website to access the lessons and homelinks each day.
Field Trip Permission Slip
The permission slips for the St. Louis Zoo trips will be in this Wednesday Folder too. The $4.00 fee covers costs associated with the visit, including the educational tours our students will participate in for parts of our day. Please note that students will need to bring a sack lunch & a drink. You also will likely want to send a snack to eat either in the morning or afternoon. If students bring money, or electronic devices for pictures, each will have to be responsible for her/his own belongings. Please discuss this with your child, and plan appropriately. We will not be able to leave anything on the bus for security reasons, so these items will need to be carried.
Snack Calendar for October
Also in the Wednesday Folder, you will find the new Snack Calendar for the month. Our students have been getting a little boost as they move into their Research Labs each afternoon. Thank you to families providing snacks to share.
Please contact me for any questions or concerns at:
525-3275 ext. 122 or