Thursday, December 07, 2006

Our class is doing “Secret Santa.” Each of us picked the name of one classmate to buy a book for. The book should be inexpensive, new or gently used. Here are some things we like to read about:

Noah—--dogs, cats, sharks

Katie—--Magic Tree House, Bailey School Kids, poetry, Junie B. Jones, memory books

Jordan—--math, science, Magic Tree House

Mariah—--dogs, cats, birds

Connor—--dinosaurs, oceans, sharks

Savannah--—fairies, Magic Tree House, animals

Mckayla—--animals, Magic Tree House, poetry, Junie B. Jones

Aubrey—--princesses, ice skating, poetry

Jared—--Magic Tree House, Spiderman, Junie B. Jones

Taylor T.—--animals, princesses, ice skating

more to follow.....

Newsletter 6--2006

2006-2007
Room 302—Newsletter 6
http://room302.blogspot.com

December 6, 2006

Dear Families,

The busy times continue.  But there is a lot of good energy around, and we’re having fun.  Thanks so much to everyone for putting the time and effort into conferences.  I enjoy having the time to sit down and have those conversations.  Please keep in touch if you have concerns or questions as the year continues.
Field Trip
Well, it was interesting.  We only made it as far as Tiger Mountain, and we didn’t even see any tigers.  We got back at 11:00.  All in all, I thought the kids did great.  It was just one of those things.  I was grateful for all of the parent support we had with us.
The good news:  Thanks to some excellent work by our principal, we are already rescheduled to go again.  It seems only fair to offer first chance to chaperone to those who were with us today.  Let me know if that doesn’t work, or if you’d like to be on a chaperone waiting list.  I’ll send more details as we get closer.
Holiday Program
The students are working very hard to get ready for the big show.  The gym is usually packed, and parking is tricky, but it will all be worth it.  The students need to arrive at 6:45 and meet in our classroom.  Then we’ll all walk down together as a class.  After the show, we walk back to the classroom and dismiss to families from there.  It’s the safest way to go.  I’ll be sending home copies of the lyrics for the songs, in case the students want some extra practice.
Holiday Party
On Tuesday, December 19 we’ll be having a holiday party.  We’ll trade books with our secret Santas and build gingerbread houses.  I’ll be assigning each child something to bring from the list of supplies to make the gingerbread houses.  We’d also welcome any treats and/or volunteers to help us create our masterpieces.  Once again, Savannah’s mom has agreed to help me coordinate this.  Contact Kim if you can contribute in some way, or if you can’t send something for the gingerbread houses.
Book Exchange--Secret Santa
I thought it would be fun for part of our Christmas Party to do a Secret Santa book exchange.  Each child will secretly draw the name of another classmate.  Then he or she will bring a new or gently used (inexpensive, non-religious) book as a gift to exchange at the party.  The book should be wrapped, with only the recipient’s name on the outside.  At the party, we’ll exchange gifts and reveal Secret Santas.  
Let me know if you’re unable to provide a new or gently used book for this so that we can make sure to have a present for everyone.  Also let me know if you have extra books you’d like to donate for this.  
Chapter Book
Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe.
We’re also reading Junie B., First Grader:  BOO…and I Mean It! by Barbara Park
Calendar
Thursday, December 7—Connor’s Birthday (     Tuesday, December 19—Holiday Party, 1:30
Thursday, December 7—Jared’s Birthday (     Wednesday, December 20—Early release, 12:15
Thursday, December 7—Mrs. Couch’s Birthday (     Thursday, December 21-Monday, January 1—No school:  Winter Break
Thursday, December 14—Holiday Program, 7:00     Tuesday, January 2—School resumes


Sincerely,


Jeff

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

We put ornaments on the school’s Christmas tree and sang Christmas songs while we were waiting for our turn. A teacher called us up when it was time. We sang Rudolph, Up on the Housetop, Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Here Comes Santa Claus, and Jolly Old St. Nicholas. We had fifth graders helping us put the ornaments up on the tree.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

We tried to go on a field trip to see the play called Sorcerer’s Apprentice. We brought some things to do on the way, like reading, writing, and drawing. Some of us did a scavenger hunt. We had a piece of paper that told us what to look for on the way. If you found something, you had to check it off.

But we got stuck in traffic for about 40 minutes, so we didn’t get to see the play after all. We had to turn around and come back to school instead. When the bus turned around, we jerked back and forth because we took a sharp turn where it was gravelly and bumpy. Some people fell out of their seats because they weren’t ready.

We had fun anyway. We’ll be going again in January.

Monday, December 04, 2006

We used new science stuff. We were the first ones. It was fun. We blew air through a plastic tube with a syringe (not our mouths) and discovered ways to use the syringes and the tubes. If we stuck the cap back where it was on a syringe and pushed the plunger really hard, the cap flew off onto the table. Another thing we did was with two syringes. We hooked them together with the plastic tube. When we pushed in the plunger of one syringe, the other plunger popped out. We were careful not to aim them at each other.

Friday, December 01, 2006

We went to the gymnasium and had our hearing and our vision checked. There was a long line. They could only check two people at a time: one on hearing and one on vision. There wasn’t anything for the other people to do while we were waiting.

So, we went back to the classroom and got our calendars, and then went back to the gymnasium and wrote the numerals in on them.

When it was time to get checked, here is what happened: For the eye test, you put a piece of paper over your left or right eye. Then a woman pointed to a letter and you would say it out loud. She did this a few times, and then we had to switch eyes. For the hearing test, she had us put on a pair of headphones. The headphones were weird. They were metal, with one red side and one blue side. Then she pressed a button and it would beep in one ear. You had to put up the hand on the side where you heard the beep. There were about 5 beeps in each ear.

They wrote down how we did, and we took the papers home to show.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Katie lost a tooth.

Noah’s mom brought cupcakes. They looked like a cake on top, but underneath were 28 cupcakes. It said “Happy Birthday, Noah!” on it. They were tender. There were chocolate cupcakes with about two inches of frosting and sprinkles. The frosting was rainbow colored. Some people got writing. They were delicious. They were so yummy that everyone wanted their favorite color. They were blue and yellow and green and red.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

We're thankful (continued):

Taylor T. is thankful for her mom and dad putting dinner on the table.

Jared is thankful for his teacher for helping him in math when he gets mixed up.

Tyler is thankful for his family because they tuck him in at night. He loves them.

Brandon is thankful for his grandma because every time he goes to her house, she lets him pet her pet pig, and his name is Snot because he snots all the time.

Connor is thankful for his teacher because he helps Connor with writing.

John is thankful for his mom and dad for putting dinner on his plate.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

We’re thankful for lots of things:

Noah is thankful for his mom and dad, because when he misses the bus, they drive him to school.

Katie is thankful for her parents because they feed her and take care of her.

Jamie is thankful for her friends because they help her when she gets hurt.

Sydney is thankful for her parents because they give the most important thing about life, and that’s love.

Jordan is thankful for the army because they protect our country.

Mariah is thankful to God for giving America to us. Brycen is thankful for the whole world because it’s very nice to us.

Hannah is thankful for the army because they are trying to save our world. Chris is thankful for police for saving us, and for people giving us food every day.

Mckayla is thankful for the people who grow plants and trees so we can breathe air.

Aubrey is thankful for her grandma helping her when she gets sick.

Ashley is thankful for her parents because they work to put food on the table and give her love. YaXi is thankful for her mommy and daddy because they hug her and kiss her before she goes to bed.

to be continued...

Monday, November 20, 2006

It’s another half day today because we are having conferences. Conferences are when the teacher talks to the parents or guardians to hear about how well you are doing in class. They talk about behavior and school work. The teacher hands out the report card, too. The kids get to share some of their work, too, like science journals, math notebooks, writing journals, published writing, and books they like. It’s a time to celebrate.