Molsee Mustangs

Happy Summer!

2010-06-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks for a wonderful school year. I enjoyed being a part of your family and getting to know you and your child. We all worked hard and accomplished so much together. It was nice to be able to relax together in these final days and just enjoy games and socializing.

Throughout the school year students were able to enjoy materials supplied through several grants from Donorschoose.org. Materials included DK Readers on a variety of nonfiction topics and reading levels, books for state reports, and six sets of Scrabble Jr. Just before the year ended another grant was funded which will supply this classroom with cd walkmen for students to use during literacy starting next September. Keeping our classrooms well-supplied with adequate resources that are in good condition is an ongoing project. I have several grants that I hope to get funded for next year. Donors can give any amount they wish -and anything helps. Thank you for considering making a donation to any of my projects or simply spreading the word to friends and family who may be interested in helping out. The website is:
http://www.donorschoose.org/brillig

I am really hoping to get Read to Me for Fluency Part 2 funded before it expires in September. This grant would supply the classroom with audio books that could be used with the cd players we'll be receiving.

Many people have asked about my baby, so here's some information on that. Baby is due on June 29th. I don't know how quickly I'll hop on the internet after giving birth, but eventually there will be an announcement. This is our first baby and we're very excited. Thank you for your thoughtful gifts and kind thoughts!

Salem Carousel Field Trip

2010-05-24T08:50:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day to get those field trip permission slips in on time. This helps us to give an accurate sack lunch order to our cafeteria people. The trip is $3 per student, which covers both the cost of the bus as well as a ride on the carousel. Below is a copy of the permission slip, which you are welcome to print out and send in.

We are in need of volunteers to accompany us on this trip, so if you've got an approved and current background check on file with the district, we'd love to have you with us!

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Dear Parents of 3rd Grade students and Mr. Stenlund’s 2nd graders:

Our classes will be taking our last field trip to Salem’s Riverfront Park and Carousel on Tuesday, June 1st. It will cost each student $3.oo. This will cover the bus and a ride on the carousel.
Your child will need to dress appropriately depending on the weather. Students should bring their lunch and a water bottle. You may order a cold lunch for your child -just indicate that below. We will be spending most of our day outside -please put sunscreen on your child if needed.
We will need chaperones and would love for you to come. You must have previously completed a criminal history background check and returned it to the school in order to attend. Please indicate your desire to chaperone at the bottom of this note.

All classes leave Myers at 9:45 and arrive back at 2:00

Sincerely,

3rd Grade Teachers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please sign and return to school by Tuesday, May 25th.

_____Yes, my child (_________________________) may attend the Carousel field trip.

Parent Signature____________________________________

_____Yes, I would like to order my child a lunch from the cafeteria.

_____ Yes, I (_____________________) would like to chaperone the Carousel field trip.

I can be reached at ____________________________________

______No, my child (_____________________) may not attend the Carousel field trip.

I authorize School District 24J and its employees to secure the services of a physician or hospital, and to incur expenses for necessary services in the event of accident or illness, and I will provide payment for these. Every reasonable effort will be made to reach the parent(s) as soon as possible.

Do you agree with the above statement? ___ yes ___ no

Final Homework of the Year

2010-05-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

That's right. Our last homework of the year went home last Friday and is due this Friday, May 28th. It included math pages, a three-paragraph writing assignment, and a reading log.

Homework Due May 14

2010-05-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

Read for at least 20 min/day, write three paragraphs on any topic, complete math pages, get Weekly Summary signed.

Only two more homework packets after this one!

Other news:

It is not too late to turn in a permission slips for the Sleep Over, so keep them coming in!

Watch this week's Friday Folder for permission slips for the last field trip of the year, Salem Waterfront Park and Carousel!

Homework Due May 7th and Classroom Needs

2010-04-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

Due Friday May 7th: Reading log, 4 paragraphs of writing, math pages, signed weekly summary of the previous week

Please look for returned Sleep Over permission slips. Many were filled out incompletely and have been sent back home with students for the remaining sections to be filled out.

Our class is out of baby wipes that we use to wipe down our desks twice a week. Since we eat our lunch in the classroom, this is especially helpful in preventing the spread of germs and keeping our work space clean. Any donations to get us through the remainder of the year would be appreciated. Any unscented baby wipes will do. Thanks!

Would you like to volunteer to help out on Field Day? Please let me know if you are interested and I'll put you to work!

2-3 Sleep Over is Coming!

2010-04-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Coming home in Friday Folders this week is the permission slip for for the annual 2-3 sleep over. This is a really fun event for our students and it takes a lot of careful planning and organization, so please fill out permission forms completely and turn them in as soon as possible. We love to have as many parent volunteers as possible, so if you have not already submitted a background check to the district, please do so as soon as you can. It takes a couple weeks to process them, and we really want to have all willing adults on hand to help make this event a success. The sleep over will happen on May 21st and all permission slips must be turned in by April 30th.

For your convenience, I am pasting a copy of the permission slip in this post that you may print out in case you need a backup copy. The formatting gets a little mixed up, but we can make it work!

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Dear Parents,
The 2nd and 3rd grade teachers are having an in-school sleep over in the Myers Elementary Gym on May 21st FOR ALL 2ND AND 3RD GRADE STUDENTS ONLY!!

Students and brave parent volunteers need to check in at the back door by the gym at 7:00pm Friday, May 21st , and your child will be expected to be picked-up at 7:00am on Saturday morning. No meals will be served, but a small snack in the evening will be provided. To ensure the privacy of all boys and girls, the boys will sleep on one side of the gym and the girls on another. A big tarp will be hung down the middle. Parents and teachers will rotate monitoring the students all night. The bottom portion of this paper will be needed for students to attend. We also need to have at least 10 male and 10 female volunteers. Each volunteer must have a criminal background check completed and approved prior to the sleep over. If you wish to volunteer, simply contact your son/daughters’ teacher, and go to the office and fill out a criminal history background check.

PLEASE NOTE: Parents, if you plan on attending any part of the sleep over you MUST have a criminal history background check completed and approved. These background checks may take a week or two to process so please turn them in no later than April 30th. Forms are in the office.

The following is the schedule of events:
7:00pm students arrive and check in at the door by the gym (set up sleeping bags, etc).
7:00-8:15 outside games: soccer, basketball, kickball, whiffle ball baseball, parachute, etc.
8:15-9:15 inside play- in each 2nd and 3rd grade classroom there will be an activity (including a snack)
9:15-10:30pm movies in the gym, and get ready for bed (brush teeth, pj’s, etc.)
10:30pm lights out! Go to sleep!
6:30am wake up, snack, change clothes, pack up
7:00am go home, students will be picked up by parents.

This is a permission slip it must be returned by Friday April 30th.

Yes I give permission for ____________________ to attend the 2nd and 3rd grade sleep over on May 21-22, 2010.

My child __________________________ will not be spending the night at the school but will be participating in evening activities (please pick up your son/daughter between 9:00-10:30pm) in the gym.

I authorize School District 24J and its employees to secure the services of a physician or hospital, and to incur expenses for necessary services in the event of accident or illness, and I will provide payment for these. Every reasonable effort will be made to reach the parent(s) as soon as possible.

Do you agree with the above statement? ___ yes ___ no
Emergency contact number (a number we can use to call you between the hours of 7:00pm and 7:00am)
____________________________________

My child will need to take medication during the sleepover.

I would like to be a volunteer ______________________________________________
Legal Name and Phone Number

No, I will not allow my child, _______________________, to participate in the school sleep over.

Parent signature ___________________________ Date ___________

Grants and Excitment

2010-04-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

Your child may have mentioned that our classroom recently got a grant funded through Donorschoose.org for six sets of Scrabble for our classroom. They should arrive before the end of the school year and will be a welcome addition to our literacy time in the afternoon. Scrabble can be used as a game -or we can simply use the letter tiles -to work on spelling, reading sight words, and increasing vocabulary.

I have written a new grant for cd players to go with our small listening library. The cd players we currently have are slowly dying from years of so much love. If you are interested in supporting this worthy cause, you may go here to donate any amount: http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=376504
Please pass this information along to anyone who you think may be interested in equipping us with cd players. I've written two more book grants through this program and will post links to them as soon as they make their way through the approval process.

I am also very excited to announce that our classroom will soon be getting a document camera. It was disappointing to be so close to having the grant nearly funded and not quite make it, but another opportunity arose and I jumped on it. I'm looking forward to seeing the impact it has on students!

Homework is Back On Track!

2010-04-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Our print came through this week. Students have reading, writing, and math assignments as well as their weekly summary that is due next week.

It was a busy -but fantastic -week. Students had the opportunity to take the state math and reading tests for a second time. This round was offered only to students who did not pass the first round, and we are all so excited by how much improvement they have shown! The entire group will be taking their final round of state testing during the first week of May to show growth through the year.

Testing meant that our mornings were a bit off the regular schedule, but I am so proud of how all students supported each other and maintained a quiet work space for each other. We celebrated the hard work of all our students today during snack, with rootbeer! We are proud of students showing improvement in work, students successfully completing the optional spring break homework packet, students participating in Battle of the Books, Country Relays, and Awesome 3000. This is an amazing group!

Next week we are going on a field trip. Permission slips can be turned in up until the moment that we get on the bus, so please be sure to send them in!

The Case of the Disappearing Homework

2010-04-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

Last week's homework pages never made it here from print, and sadly they didn't arrive today either, so it looks like students have a week off, and with luck our next assignment will arrive on time from the printers. Signed weekly summaries are still due this Friday, and I hope that students are still enjoying some reading time at home. Have a great week!

OAKS Practice Tests Online

2010-03-29T08:04:00.001-07:00

Would you like to see what state testing looks like and practice with your child? You can! Simply go to this website: https://oakspt.tds.airast.org/Student/Default.aspx

From there you can log in as a guest and choose which test to take: math, reading, science, ELPA (for second language learners), and grade level.

Homework and Our Short Week

2010-03-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

Students do have a homework packet that is due next Wednesday the 17th. It includes the usual reading log (which can be filled in up to Tuesday), writing assignment, and some math practice. Weekly summaries need to be signed and turned back in as well. There will be no homework assigned over spring break, but many students have chosen to work on an optional extra credit homework packet that is due Friday, March 2.

Students were sent home with pre-conference surveys for those families who are signed up for spring conferences. I'd like those back as early as possible in order to prepare for your child's conference.

On Monday we are going to Champoeg Park for our first field trip of the year. There are several students who have not yet turned in our field trips or $4. It is not too late! Students can bring things in on Monday. If you need a permission slip, feel free to print out this page:
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Dear Parents of 3rd Graders:

The 3rd graders in Ms. Brillig’s and Mr. Stenlund’s classrooms will be going to Champoeg Park on Monday, March 15th. This will be an all day field trip. We will leave Myers at 9:30 and return by 2:00 that afternoon. The cost to each student will be $4.00. This includes entrance and bus fees.
Children will need to dress appropriately for the weather and wear tennis shoes. They should bring their backpack with a lunch, water bottle, and jacket. No toys, I-Pods, or other items can be in their backpacks. If you would like to order a cold lunch for your child please indicate that in the section below.
We would love to have you chaperone your child’s class if you have filled out a criminal background form and it has been approved. If you haven’t done this make sure to let your child’s teacher know or come by and pick one up at the office, so you can be ready for the next classroom field trip or special event. Processing the forms takes the District up to 6 weeks in some cases. There has been a policy change and we must know which parents are going as chaperones a week in advance, so please return your form or contact the teacher as soon as possible.
Please sign and return the permission slip, including medical statement, and send in the $4.00 by Wednesday, March 10th. If you would like to help with a scholarship please include that with your child’s fee. Thank you for your support!
_______________________________________________________________________
PERMISSION:
I authorize School District 24J and its employees to secure the services of a physician or hospital, and to incur expenses for necessary services in the event of accident or illness, and I will provide payment for these. Every reasonable effort will be made to reach the parent(s) as soon as possible.

Do you agree with the above statement? ___ yes ___ no

_____YES, my child __________________________________________ has permission to go to Champoeg Park.

_____NO, my child ___________________________________________ does not have permission to go to Champoeg Park.
LUNCH:
_____YES, I would like to order my child a school lunch.

_____NO, My child will bring their own lunch.
CHAPERONES:
_____Yes, I would like to chaperone the field trip_________________________________.
I can be reached at #______________________________________________________.

Guardian____________________________________#__________________________

Optional Spring Break Work Packet

2010-03-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in a previous note home, teachers are busy cleaning out our rooms in preparation for carpet replacement over the summer. This means we need to completely empty our classrooms by our last working day this year! I am currently going through my files and ridding myself of extra worksheets I have on hand. I

have given the students the option of signing up for a packet of work they can take home and work through over spring break. Most of the sheets will be review, but they may also encounter some new material.

If you would like to have your child have this extra work, please talk to your child or directly to me. So far about half the class has signed up for this opportunity. We will see if we can find a way to celebrate those who turn in their completed packets (completed with best work possible) by Monday March 29th.

Homework Due March 5th and Friday Folders

2010-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Reading: 20 min/day
Writing: three paragraphs on one topic
Math: one page of money practice, one page multiplication practice

In Friday Folders this week: Watch for spring conference notices. Please return them to school as soon as possible. Thank you!

Homework Due Feb 26

2010-02-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

Read every day for at least 20 minutes
Math: subtraction practice
Writing: three paragraphs on one topic

Also in Friday Folders: Scholastic Book order, which is also due this Friday (the 26th)

Grant About to Expire!

2010-02-18T09:20:00.001-08:00

Earlier in the year I wrote several grants at donorschoose.org. So far this year this has resulted in our classroom being funded for books for research projects, and we are currently partially funded for a document camera. At donorschoose.org, anyone can donate any amount toward any worthy grant of their choosing. Our grant for a document camera will expire on February 25th (next Thursday). We've been given about $300 so far and have just over $400 to go to fund this grant. If you would like to help support our classroom or know anyone who may be interested, feel free to follow or share this link to our grant:

http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=319800

A document camera could enrich our learning so much by making resources easy to see and share. Students could easily share their work with the entire class, and we could save a lot on resources, like print and overhead copies.

Homework and Upcoming Valentine's Day Party

2010-02-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

Homework that is due on Friday, February 12 is:
Writing: two paragraphs on one topic
Math: symmetry and multiplication pages
Reading: 20 minutes/day
Weekly Summary: signed by a grown-up and returned

We have plenty of treats coming in for our Valentine's party, but could still use some volunteers to help with activity stations. Please let me know if you are available to come in on the afternoon of February 12th at about 1:30. So far we have two volunteers and ideally I would like to have four. Thank you!

Homework Due February 5

2010-01-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

Reading 20 min/day
Write 2 paragraphs on one topic
Math -perimeter and area practice
Weekly summary for this week signed and returned

We have begun work on memorize multiplication tables. Tables 0-10 are third grade standards and we have practiced 11's and 12's for an extra challenge. Students are encouraged to use strategies, like skip counting or repeated addition, to figure out those tricky combinations that are tougher to learn. If you find your child is getting stuck, it's great to get out some paper so they can make a sketch to help themselves.

Valentine's Party

2010-01-28T11:25:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note to let you know that we have enough people signed up to bring treats, drinks, and napkins for our party. We are still in need of some volunteers who are willing to run activity stations, so please let me know if you are interested.

I will send home a list of names of students in our class with February 5th's Friday Folder so that your child may have their valentines ready for the following week.

State Testing Begins Tomorrow

2010-01-26T11:25:00.001-08:00

Our first round of state testing, or OAKS, begins tomorrow morning at 9:00. Please be sure your child gets a full night's rest and a good breakfast to help with energy levels and focus. It is very important to be on time to school on these testing days (8:45) to ensure the best start to our morning. Thank you for your support!

Homework Due Jan 29th

2010-01-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

Homework Due Jan 29th.

Read 20 min/day. Write two paragraphs on the same topic. Math: geometry pages. Return Weekly Summary with adult signature.

Homework Due Juan 22

2010-01-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

I appologize for the lack of a homework post last week. My computer was experiencing technical difficulties!

This week student homework is to read 20 min/day, write two paragraphs on the same topic, and a multiplication practice sheet. We did a similar math worksheet in class this week, but the graphing component can be a little tricky and students may need support to get started.

I hope everyone enjoys their three-day weekend together, and I look forward to learning with your students next Tuesday!

Happy Winter Break!

2009-12-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today was our last day of 2009 together. It was spent enjoying one another's company while crafting, enjoying snacks, and at the end of the day, watching The Polar Express. There is no homework to do over the break. I hope everyone is able to spend quality time with their hard-working students and enjoys a peaceful break. I'm grateful for being able to spend time with your children each day and look forward to seeing them rested and ready to continue their journey through third grade in 2010!

Winter Wishes -CD Walkman, Baby Wipes, Snack

2009-12-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Our cd walkmans are having a rough year so far. They have been enjoyed for two years and currently only one survives. I know a lot of people are moving on to newer technology at home and may no longer need cd walkmen. If this describes you, we would gladly accept your donation of a cd walkman for our class. Being able to listen to books on cd provides students with opportunities to listen to fluent reading while following along with the text. It also allows them to enjoy books that may be beyond their current reading level. We are currently down to one functioning cd walkman, and I would love to have five. Are you able to donate a gently used one or purchase one as a gift to our class? It would be greatly appreciated!

Currently, we are able to wipe down desks twice a week with unscented baby wipes. This is a great help during the flu season and helps keep our eating and work area clean. It looks like we will be running out of wipes in January. Donations would really help to keep us healthy!

Snack supplies will also run out in January. Please send in low-salt, low-sugar snacks to support our daily snack break.

Homework Due December 18

2009-12-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

This is our final homework for 2009. There will be no homework over winter break. I hope all students will be able to enjoy time relaxing with their families.

For this Friday students were expected to read 20 min/day and write two paragraphs on one topic. Two math workbook pages were included in the homework packet as well.

Homework Due Dec 11

2009-12-04T07:38:00.001-08:00

It's been a great week after a nice week off. The students' trioramas look great and I can tell they put a lot of thought and work into these. We sculpted our clay animals yesterday and we will paint them next week when the clay has completely dried.

You may have already heard from your child that we have begun both multiplication and cursive. It's been very exciting here! Next week we will finish up our biology unit and begin a social studies unit on American symbols.

Homework for this week includes daily reading, writing two paragraphs, and two math pages from our multiplication unit that includes some addition review. Homework includes returning weekly summaries with an adult signature as well. All homework is due next Friday, December 11.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Brillig_Monica@salkeiz.k12.or.us

Craft Night!

2009-11-18T12:15:00.001-08:00

Hi Families!

Myers Craft Night is coming up soon on December 3rd. So far this year we have 11 people signed up to run different craft tables, but we are really hoping for more. Would you be interested in running a craft table at this event? You don't even have to worry about thinking of a craft. We'll take care of that for you if you'd like. We can even have materials prepped and ready so that all you need to do is show up and run the booth! If you are interested, please let me know -or you can contact our Craft Night Committee Chair, Jill McAllister. This is a really fun night. Thank you for helping us make it a great time for everyone!

Updated Email

2009-11-17T11:11:00.001-08:00

Dear Families-

You may have noticed my email has been going through some changes along with my name change. I wanted to let you know that it is now correct and you can safely email me using my current last name: Monica_Brillig (at) salkeiz.k12.or.us

I will continue to use this blog rather than set up a new one.

Homework Due November 20

2009-11-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

Homework that is due next Friday includes daily reading for 20 minutes, writing two paragraphs on one topic, a subtraction sheet, a money problems sheet, and two handwriting pages.

Some people have mentioned having a difficult time getting two paragraphs out of their child. Not every student is at the point where this feels natural or easy, and that's ok. Here are some things that you can try:

Choose a topic and add a sentence or two each day.
Get out a family photograph or picture in a magazine and describe what you see, remember, imagine, from looking at it.

Many students requested the recipe for our pumpkin pie in a bag from last week's harvest party. You will find that in this week's Friday Folder too. Enjoy making this pie as a fun family activity!

Grading Day

2009-11-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

It's true -there's no homework for third graders this week, but there is for their grown-ups. Conference times and a pre-conference survey were sent home in your child's Friday Folder. Please look for both and return them to me as soon as possible for ease of rescheduling for those who need it. I really appreciate you taking the time to fill in the pre-conference surveys. These will help me to prepare for your child's conference and have the information on hand that you need.

Homework Due October 30

2009-10-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Homework packes that went home on Friday include a weekly reading log, a math page where students are to solve addition problems in three different ways, writing two paragraphs on the same topic, and handwriting.

Scholastic book order forms also traveled home last week and are due this Friday as well.

Many students still need to turn in their Emergency School Closure Form. Do you still have that at home? If so, please take some time to fill it out and send it in with your child.

You may have already heard from your child that my last name has changed. It's true! I am now Ms. Brillig! If you are unsure of how to pronounce it, you may refer to one of my favorite poems by Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky -or simply ask your child or me. It's a transition for all of us, so don't feel bad if you let Molsee slip out.

Homework is back!

2009-10-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

This week's homework went off without a hitch. Yay! Your child has two pages from our math workbook as extra practice with place value as well as a money game, called Three Turns to Win. We have been practicing the game all week, so they should be prepared to teach grown-ups and siblings. There is a handwriting sheet as well as a reading log and the expectation to write two paragraphs on the same topic of their choice. This is due by Friday.

What? No Homework?

2009-10-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

If your child says that there is no homework for the weekend, this is correct. Print didn't come back in time for Friday Folders on Thursday this week. However, students were informed that they will still need to turn in two paragraphs written on any topic of their choosing by next Friday and they are also expected to read for a minimum of 20 minutes each day. I hope to send home some math early next week, but they can also get ready for our upcoming money unit by counting your change, playing store with you, or any number of fun money activities that you could come up with.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

What is That Long List of Words in the Friday Folder?

2009-10-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Families,

I realized today that I neglected to discuss that long three-page list of words that came home in last week's Friday Folders. That is a list of words that all students should be able to spell by the end of 3rd grade -and many should be mastered at this time as well. This is a list that you can use to work with your student. There will not be a test over these words, but in edited writing assignments students will be expected to have the majority of words on this list spelled correctly. Spelling is addressed in our class during handwriting practice, writing, and reading. There is a wide range of spelling abilities in our class. For some students this list presents few challenges while others will greatly benefit from some extra time spent on this at home. In class I will continue to work with each child to ensure that they are getting plenty of practice at an appropriately challenge level. This list simply represents an opportunity for a check-in and practice with your child at home.

Thank you!

-Ms. Molsee

Homework Due October 8th

2009-10-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

I just realized that my desk calendar didn't get flipped to October and so I wrote the wrong date on the homework that was sent home with your child today. Although it says it isn't due until the 18th, it is actually due on Thursday, October 8th. My supply for reading logs dried up already, but I will work on making my own and send home a new one for the month of October next week. We finished up a unit on place value today. Expanded notation was introduced in this unit, but we didn't do a lot of it, so it may still feel tricky to your child. No worries though, because we'll be talking about it some more as we head into four-digit calculations next week!

Have a great weekend!

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Name ___________________

Homework Due October 8, 2009

Writing: On lined paper, please write two paragraphs. You may choose any topic, but here are some suggestions:

Geography
October
My weekend

Math: Standard, Written, and Expanded Forms

Standard
Written
Expanded
134
One hundred thirty-four
100+30+4

Write these numbers in standard form:

Seventy-three _______________

Two hundred fifty-six ____________

Three thousand, eight hundred and nine ____________

Fourteen ________________________

Write these numbers in written form:

8,963 ________________________

504 _________________________

48 _________________________

3,025 ______________________

Write the numbers in expanded form. (hint: remember to think about place value –thousand’s place, hundred’s place, ten’s place, one’s place)

8,963 ________________________

504 _________________________

48 _________________________

3,025 ______________________

We Teach. Those Who Don't Give.

2009-10-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

Your student may or may not have mentioned to you that I write a lot of grants to supply our classroom with much-needed tools. Much to my delight, two grants that I wrote over the summer to help with this school year received full funding two weeks ago at Donorschoose.org. It's been very exciting to see those supplies begin to arrive. These particular grants were book grants, so we have some really wonderful brand new DK Reader non-fiction books to add into our class library and share with other classrooms. One of the grants was specific to our next social studies project, state reports. Thanks to donations from JP Morgan Chase, students will have brand new beautiful and appropriate level books to use as they research a state for our state report project. I can't tell you how excited I am about these books. In the past four third grade classrooms had to share what was available in the media center, which eliminated choice and often presented the challenge of finding books that students could read and understand.

As we begin to work more with these tools, students will be writing thank you letters to the donors who supplied us with these wonderful books. Part of the thank you package will include a picture of students in action using the books for research. You will notice yet another permission form for this in tomorrow's Friday Folder. I'd like to have as many children in the pictures as possible so our donors can see their funding went to good use.

I have since written two more grants -one for letter tiles that we can use during literacy to focus on spelling, site words, and new vocabulary (http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=319800) and another one for a document camera (http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=319842). Anyone can be a donor and any amount is welcome and appreciated, so please pass these links along to anyone who you think would want to support our learning here at Myers. We appreciate all your support!

Currently Donorschoose.org is challenging teachers to rally support for their grants. I'll include some information from one of their recent emails about We Teach. Those Who Don't Give:

Oh, it's SO on: DonorsChoose.org teachers from around the country have already started rallying with a common goal: to inspire 5,000 individuals to support public education by giving to projects on DonorsChoose.org. If 5,000 donors give, an additional $100,000 in funding for projects will be unlocked.If 5,000 donors are reached and you inspired a specified number of unique donors (i.e. Aunt Sally making 10 donations doesn't count!), you'll get a DonorsChoose.org GivingCard to apply to any project of your choice, including your own.

If you inspire 10 donors, you'll get a $100 DonorsChoose.org GivingCard.
If you inspire 25 donors, you'll get a $500 DonorsChoose.org GivingCard.
If you inspire 50 donors, you'll get a $1,000 DonorsChoose.org GivingCard.If 5,000 donors are reached,

GivingCards will be distributed to teachers by the end of November.

Three Weeks In!

2009-09-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

It has been so much fun to watch this new group of students grow so much in these first weeks. During our friendly greeting at this morning's family meeting, students were excited to notice that for the first time we all knew everyone's name. We're more familiar with our daily routines and expectations and improving every day in every way.

In math our focus has been on place value with a secondary focus on measurement. We began our place value unit with a pretest to insure that students would be receiving the appropriate challenge for their needs. Measurement is currently being addressed through our Number Corner, which is the lovely and eye-catching calendar in our classroom. Through our calendar we have been discussing volume, length, weight, and time measurement -measurement devices, units of measurement, and examples of what these things are used to measure. Volume is the trickiest concept for the class overall. Talking about these things at home will keep the vocabulary and concepts active in your child's mind. As you're making dinner together or gassing up the car, take a moment to talk about how you are dealing with measurement of volume and the units of measurement you're using!

By next week I will have completed initial reading assessments with each student in our class. These assessments are a lengthy interview process right now that gives me a lot of information about each reader. For additional information, I also use the STAR assessment, which is a quick computerized assessment. Using the data from each of these, I've established a range of book levels that will be a good fit for your child. From there each student will work toward goals in comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary.

Our focus in geography this far has been map features, continents, and oceans. Soon we will be moving on to landforms.

Homework Due October 2, 2009

2009-09-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

It looks prettier in its original homework, but below you will find the content of the handout included in your student's bundle of papers that came home this afternoon. In addition to the writing and math, students are expected to read 20 minutes each day as well as show and talk about their weekly summary with an adult. If you need the homework emailed to you, I am happy to do so!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name ___________________

Homework Due October 2, 2009

Writing: On lined paper, please write two paragraphs. You may choose any topic, but here are some suggestions:

Geography
Things I like to do in the fall
My favorite holiday

Math: Place Value

Use the items on this price list to answer the questions below:

Item
Price
Board Game
$12
Kite
$15
Stuffed Animal
$8
Bouncy Ball
$1
Computer Game
$19
Roller Blades
$30

1. Which item costs the most money? _____________________________________

2. Which item costs more than the computer game? __________________________

3. Which item costs less than a stuffed animal? ______________________________

4. Put the items in order from most expensive to least expensive.

________________________________________________________________________

Use this number to answer the next four questions: 4,682

5. Which number is in the ten’s place? _______________

6. Which number is in the thousand’s place? ________________

7. Which number is in the one’s place? ______________________

8. Which number is in the hundred’s place? ____________________

*Challenge*
Put these numbers in order from least to greatest:

23,981; 102,062; 48,530; 2,702; 456,920

_____________; _____________; _____________; _____________; _____________

Homework Due September 25th

2009-09-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

Below is the homework that is due next week. In addition, students were sent home with a weekly summary that they updated each day this week. They are required to have a grown-up sign at the bottom and return it by Friday as well. My hope is that this will foster conversations about what your child did at school during the week. Please feel free to write comments or questions on there as well and I will respond in a timely manner. For reading homework, students were given a reading log. This is the first time I have used this particular structure for reading homework, so please be patient as we tweak it. The idea is that students will read a minimum of 20 minutes each week at home -alone or out loud to a partner. I would like to look at the log each week, so it should stay in the Friday Folder, it needs to be signed at the end of each month. It was a little hectic processing all this information with students at the end of the day, so I'm sure there will be questions. Please feel free to check in and clarify.

Homework Due September 25

Writing:
Write two paragraphs. You may choose from one of these topics or create a topic of your own.

My first two weeks of school
Introducing my family
My pets
Summer vacation
My weekend

Math:

In class we have been practicing using sketches, numbers, and equations. Please solve each problem using numbers, sketches, and equations to prove your answer. Remember to label your answers.

Penny and Alex collect stickers. Penny has 38 stickers and Alex has 44. If they combined their collections, how many stickers would Penny and Alex have altogether?

Volunteers and Hot Classroom

2009-09-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

Your child may have mentioned that school has been very hot so far this year. Currently Myers is waiting for a part to be delivered before our air conditioning can be repaired. By the afternoons, it's very difficult to focus. We have a small fan in our classroom, but if you have one that you would like to send in to help us feel more comfortable we would gladly accept your generosity and send it home as soon as the repairs have been made. Other ways you can help your child to be more comfortable is to dress them for summer weather. Even on cooler days it's still been pretty warm in here, so layers is always a great thought. Girls with long hair may feel more comfortable with their hair up rather than long and lose.

I've had a lot of volunteer forms returned to me and I'm really excited that I have so many people ready to help out. I will be getting projects organized and send you an email at the end of this week or early next week!

First Week

2009-09-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a great first week! I'm really proud of how well all students did settling into another school year. Much of this week has been spent learning new routines in a very hot building while we wait for a part to be shipped from Canada that will repair our air conditioning for the building.

Students took home a Friday Folder filled with helpful information about our school and classroom. The only homework assignment for this week is "That's My Bag." Directions are stapled to the bag. Students should find up to six items that easily fit inside the bag to tell us more about them. These bags will remain inside the class room for about a month. We will be using them in our Family Meeting during that time. Students have been asked not to bring things that do not fit entirely in the bag, things that are valuable, fragile, or dangerous.

Next week you can expect students to bring home homework that is an opportunity for extra practice reading, writing, and doing math.

2009-2010 School Supply List

2009-09-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

Molsee Mustangs
Supplies List
2009-2010

All supplies will be considered community supplies (share by all children in room 107). Please do not write names on materials.

1 box #2 pencils (about 30 pencils)
optional: pencil sharpener
optional: one bottle glue
2 pink pearl erasers
2 packages standard notebook filler paper, wide-ruled
4 glue sticks (recommended brand: Uhu)
optional: 1 student scissors3 wide ruled notebooks
1 box of facial tissues (may wait until December if needed)
2 containers sanitizing wipes (Wet Wipes, Handi-Wipes, etc.)
Low sugar/low salt snack to share with class
Strongly recommended: book bag or backpack

Please contact me if you need further information or wish to donate supplies!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This year students in room 107 will be subscribing to Scholastic Magazine to support reading, math, science, and social studies development. Additionally, this year we will be doing at least one large art project that involves materials not available through the school district. To cover these expenses, there is a $5.00 supply fee. $3.99 will go toward the magazine, and the remaining $1.01 will support our art project. Checks can be made out to Myers Elementary. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your support!

Enclosed is $5.00 for ______________________________________
(your child’s name)

I would like to sponsor another child! Enclosed is ___________________________
(amount)

Summer is Nearly Over

2009-08-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

I've really enjoyed August. I visited my family in Idaho, went to the Pickathon -a music festival -with Mr. Fuller, and just got back from a vacation in southern Oregon. Here are a few pictures:
Mr. Fuller getting his Captain Bogg and Salty cd autographed.
After swimming in the Snake River on the Palouse.
My dad and me in front of the largest cedar in North America near Elk River, Idaho.
The House of Mystery in the Oregon Vortex -talk about a great place to get a headache!
Moments before taking a swim in Crater Lake -the most amazing water I've swam in so far.
Swimming in Medicine Lake with my inflatable hippo!
Inside a cave at Lava Beds National Monument. Notice the paintings behind me . They were painted by Modoc Indians.
Mr. Fuller and me right before a hike up Watchman's Point at Crater Lake. The island behind us, Wizard Island, is actually the volcanic cone of Mt. Mazuma.

I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer as much as I have. Are you starting to get excited about the new school year too? I'm excited to see all my old Molsee Mustangs and get to know a new classroom full of students.

Summer School is Over

2009-07-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last week I finished teaching three weeks at Salem-Keizer's Summer Academy (summer school). It was a much bigger turn out than last summer. My team had about 23 third graders show up each day. We had a great time together. I had the opportunity to meet other teachers in the district and see what sort of things they do and I became familiar with a lot of new resources. I learned some new songs, read some new books, made some new friends, and have lots of great ideas for the upcoming school year.

I celebrated having some time off school by driving to the coast on the weekend. I didn't see any squids, but I did meet Amigo the Octopus at the Hatfield Aquarium. I've been doing some more reading on the octopus and think they're just amazing animals. Did you know that a female octopus lays 60,000 eggs? Only two or three of the babies that hatch from those eggs will survive to become adults. Lots of animals like to eat baby octopuses!

A Grant For Books!

2009-07-09T21:33:00.001-07:00

One thing I'm working on this summer is getting some more grants written for non-fiction texts that will support student learning in the upcoming year (and many more after that). Here is a link to the most recent one:
Research This at www.donorschoose.org

Through this site, donors may choose to donate any amount to support teachers and their students -from $5 to funding the entire project. Please feel free to make a donation or simply pass the link on to someone who you think may be interested in helping out.

I am working on writing some other book grants this summer that will align with third grade content areas for the upcoming school year. One problem that we are facing at Myers is that resources are more limited as our school grows. Specifically, this can make theme research projects difficult to support -especially when it comes to finding research materials at an appropriate reading level for each student.

Jeremiah in Portland

2009-06-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Jeremiah in Portland. It's not easy to see in these pictures where he's shed his old skin and where it's still on his body. Today he's been shedding a lot of skin on his head, which makes him a little irritable, but it's exciting that he's growing!

In this last picture you can see that Mr. Fuller has added a picture of the Australian landscape to help Jeremiah feel more at home since bearded dragons are from Australia.

Jeremiah and Summer Reading

2009-06-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

I visited Jeremiah in Portland yesterday. He has been doing a lot of growing! Most of his body has turned white because he is getting ready to shed a lot of skin. He already shed the skin on his tail and legs, but his head, back, and stomach are still getting ready. I fed him a couple pieces of lettuce. He really liked that. He hasn't had any crickets since he moved to Portland so I'll have to send a care package in for him with Mr. Fuller soon. I'm sorry I didn't have my camera with me, but maybe we can convince Mr. Fuller to take a picture for us.

I finished reading The Last Olympian by Rick Riordian yesterday. I'm really sad that there aren't any more Percy Jackson books, but it sounds like there might be another Camp Half-Blood series in the making. I've been enjoying Rick Riordian's website this morning (www.rickriordian.com) on the recommendation of a student. It's got some great ideas for throwing a Percy Party. I just might have to try that out!

What book should I read next? I hope all of you are doing lots of summer reading and have some good suggestions for me.

Thank You And Enjoy Your Summer!

2009-06-17T15:38:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all of you for making this year such an enjoyable experience. I may be posting on the blog from time to time during the summer, so please feel free to check in. I will check my email every week or so for those student emails I've been promised too!

I have just received an email announcing that several Molsee Mustangs will be featured in the June edition of Student Stories in the Spokesman. Look for the science fiction writing of Bryce, Sharmaine, Ethan, and Ryan on June 24th. This is the most students from our class that have been published in the newspaper all at once, and a great way to end the year. I will post here to let you know if anyone is included in the July or August issues as well.

My summer plans include relaxing at home, teaching three weeks at Salem-Keizer's Summer Academy, and lots of hiking and camping. I'm hoping to take my first backpack camping trip very soon.

Thanks for the Memories! (a post from Jeremiah)

2009-06-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Molsee Mustangs,

Thank you for all your friendly good-bye letters. I really enjoyed getting to know you this year, and I hope you will stop by to say hello to me next year when I move back in to Room 107. Last Saturday Ms. Molsee and Mr. Fuller helped me pack up my tank and move to Portland. I had a really long ride in the car. At first I was nervous, but then I decided I liked it. (They wouldn't let me drive though!)

To help make me feel comfortable, Ms. Molsee bought me some special bearded dragon treats. I haven't had these since I lived with Chubs in Ms. Madison's room. They were really tasty!This is what it looks like in Mr. Fuller's office. He doesn't have any windows! He likes having me there, but he's nervous about taking care of me. He says I stare at him all the time. I guess he doesn't know how curious and interested in everything I am. His boss says that she would like to earn a cricket feed. What do you think she needs to do in order to watch me eat crickets?

In your letters to me, you said that Mr. Fuller is a good guy, so I know that I am in good hands. I know he'll keep me comfortable and well-fed until it is time to come back to Myers in September. I hope you have a wonderful summer. Enjoy the summer and eat lots of crickets!

Sincerely,

Jeremiah the Bearded Dragon

Formatting Issues

2009-06-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

It seems that formatting becomes an issue on those longer posts. I cleaned it up as best I could, but it's still not perfect, and I appologize for the messy look. I also noticed that the smaller pictures wouldn't let me click on them for a larger one. Would you families like me to make a post later in the week with large pictures that you could print out from home? Comment here or email me.

We'll be taking some more pictures tomorrow from act one and post those later on too.

Also as a friendly reminder, we have reached the clean-up point in our year. Please be sure your child has a bag for carrying things home in for the rest of the week as we slowly empty desks, walls...and well, the class room!

We Knocked 'Em Dead!

2009-06-09T16:37:00.001-07:00

The Molsee Mustang's Readers' Theatre Adaptation of Really Rosie was a hit! Thank you so much for sending your wonderful and talented thespians to Myers this year! It has been a privilege to work with these 25 amazing students. Each month we focused on a different song, built our sets and props, learned our lines, learned a lot about Maurice Sendak, and became stars at our school. During the school day, Molsee Mustangs were greeted in the hallways and at recess with cheers of recognition for our amazing work here by grown-ups and students.

If any of you are skilled at making calendars, I would love a Really Rosie one from our show. Here are some pictures from Chicken Soup With Rice, our big hit (clicking on them should lead you to a larger image):

In January it's so nice

while slipping on the sliding ice

to sip hot chicken soup with rice!

In February it will be
my snowman's anniversary

with cake for him and soup for me!

In March the wind blows down the door

and spills hot soup upon the floor.

It laps it up and roars for more!

In April I will go away
to far off Spain or old Bombay

and dream about hot soup all day!

In May I truly think it best

to be a robin lightly dressed

concocting soup inside my nest!

In June I saw a charming group

of Roses all begin to droop

I pepped them up with chicken soup!

In July I'll take a peep

into the cool and fishy deep

where chicken soup is selling cheap!

In August it will be so hot

I will become a cooking pot

Cooking soup, of course! Why not?

In September for a while

I will ride a crocodile

down the chicken soupy Nile!

In October I'll be host

to witches, goblins, and a ghost

I'll serve them chicken soup on toast!

In November's gusty gale

I will flop my flippy tale

and spout hot soup -I'll be a whale!

In December I will be

a baubled, bangled Christmas tree

with soup bowls draped all over me!

I told you once, I told you twice

all seasons of the year are nice

for eating chicken soup with rice!

Survey Re: Student Stories in the Statesman

2009-05-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

We need your feedback.
As you know, Mountain West Investment Corporation funds the monthly publication called Student Stories. This publication gives our students an opportunity to publish their written and artistic work in the Statesman Journal. Mountain West would like to know if the publication is useful and promotes a positive image of our students.

Please take a minute to fill out the online survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=dE1HWuKY42msAjtJjzziWg_3d_3d

And please share it with parents, other staff, friends, co-workers, etc. We'd like to get as much feedback as we can. Deadline to submit feedback is June 5.
Thank you!

Friday Folders

2009-05-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

This week's Friday Folder has some great information. Look for details about our upcoming readers' theatre performances. Students have included the character they are playing and the times that you can come see them perform.

You will also find a permission slip from something called Donors Choose. This is the program that I wrote a grant through and was able to obtain a large amount of nonfiction lit sets. Part of my obligation now that we have the books is to send a thank you package that shows the books in use to the donors who funded us. If you prefer that your child's photo is not used, please write NO across the top and include your child's name. Hopefully many of you are willing to participate in the thanking process. Our students really love these books! I am offering a treat to the class if everyone is able to return their permission slips by Friday the 5th.

Optional Homework Due June 5th

2009-05-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

This week's optional homework is to write an essay, story, or some poems (four) about summer time. Work submitted by Friday will be typed in and sent to the Spokesman for consideration for their July edition of Student Stories.

Students doing the optional homework also need to complete a one-paragraph reading reflection.

Week in Review

2009-05-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

The 2-3 Sleep Over!
We are going to sleep at school tonight! Everybody's so excited! It's like the world is having the largest party ever!
-by Ethan

Hawaiian BBQ
Friday was the Hawaiian BBQ. A lot of parents came. They sat outside because it was 90 degrees out there.
-by Kyle

Beginning Keyboards
This week the 4th and 5th graders are beginning to play keyboards. It's really fun and we are learning new songs. Some people like switching the voices on the keyboards.
-by Quin

Screaming and Yelling
Today we practiced Really Rosie. During the song Screaming and Yelling everyone started screaming! The class burst out laughing. It was su funny, but we did get in trouble.
-by Haley B

School Barbeque

2009-05-28T15:12:00.001-07:00

Molsee Mustangs come in from recess at 12:15 and are ready to join their grown-ups to enjoy the barbeque together at that time. The weather should be great, and we really look forward to seeing you there!

Tomorrow evening is also the 2nd-3rd Grade Sleep Over. It's not to late for your child to come. You can send the paperwork to school with your child tomorrow or fill out a permission slip form for them at the door of the event!

Readers Theatre Performance

2009-05-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday June 9 Molsee Mustangs will be giving two performances of our readers' theatre adaptation of Really Rosie by Maurice Sendak. We are double cast in order to give all 25 students an opportunity to have a part. Our performances will be very packed, as the entire school has responded enthusiastically to the chance to come watch us. Families are welcome as well and more information will be coming home in your child's Friday Folder at the end of the week. Please be warned in advance that seating will be very limited and it is likely that adults will be standing. However, our show will be so spectacular that your feet won't even complain!

One prop that we need that you might have at home is a child size lawn chair or folding chair. If you have one and would be willing to lend it to us, would you please email me? If you have something that looks like a child-size director's chair, even better!

FIELD DAY!

2009-05-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

Field Day is quickly approaching, and I am still in need of volunteers. Please let me know if you are available on June 12. This is a really fun and memorable day for all Myers students and volunteers really help it to run smoothly. Thank you!

Homework

2009-05-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

For the rest of the school year, homework is optional. This is an opportunity for students who have earned S+'s by turning their homework in early to earn an E if they would like to. The optional homework assignment that is due Friday, May 29th is to write a science fiction story that is no longer than 500 words. All stories turned in on time will be submitted to the Spokesman where they may be chosen for their June publication of Student Stories. This homework must be turned on or before to Friday morning to have a positive impact on student's homework grade.

Week in Review!

2009-05-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Set Design
On Friday we started making the set design for Really Rosie. There were six pannels. Each table got to paint one.
-by Kyle

Oregon Regions
We get to study Oregon Regions! They're really fun in expert groups. The fun facts are also really cool too!
-by Ethan

The Ounce Disaster
On Friday we did a math project where we cut paper into gallons, quarts, pints, cups, half galons, and ounces. Ounces was the hardest. We had to cut the paper into 128 equal pieces!
-by Haley B

Clown Day
This week on Friday the school had Clown Day. It was fun and scary. Some people in the school think clowns are scary so that's why it was scary. Otherwise it was cool.
-by Quin

Molsee Mustang Update

2009-05-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

We are down to less than four weeks left at this point, and time is really flying! Last week we completed our Rocks and Minerals unit and have begun studying Oregon Regions. We are beginning our second measurement unit in math. Students are working hard at conversions (inches, feet, yards, ounces, cups, pints, quarts, gallons).

We are currently out of snack, and are always happy to accept your donation. If you are concerned about too many people sending things in this close to the year's end, feel free to label what you send in. If we do not use it, we can send it home again for your enjoyment during the summer!

Two of our student's orignal stories will be featured in the Spokesman's Student Stories section on May 27th. Watch for Sharmaine and Justin T's published work next week! There will be other opportunities to submit work to the newspaper before the year ends as the Statesman wants to continue to include student writing throughout the summer months.

During the school year our class has spent time focusing on the work of Maurice Sendak. This has included reading his books, appreciating his art, and learning the songs to his musical, Really Rosie. As our final project in literacy for the school year, we will be presenting a readers' theatre version of this musical. We have begun planning our set design and will hold auditions on Thursday this week. More information will be coming soon.

The 2nd and 3rd grade sleep over is nearly here and we are very excited. I will be chaperoning for much of the evening and look forward to seeing everyone there. Please be sure to send in permission slips as soon as possible. If you need another copy, please email me or remind your child to ask me at school.

Thank you for everything that you do to support our learning here at Myers. It's been a really fun year. Again, if you have any questions or concerns, I am available by phone, email, appointments in the mornings or you can typically catch me after school for a chat.

Our Week in Review

2009-05-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

The Rock Cycle

On May 15th we played a game called The Rock Cycle. It was fun. We played it for 45 minutes.
-by Kyle

Justin T and Sharmaine!

Justin T and Sharmaine's writing will be in the newspaper!!! I feel so happy for them! If I was them I'd be bouncing off the walls!
-by Dylan

Speeches

This wee we worked a lot on speeches. Finally on thursday we did them. There were many different speeches. Some examples are How to Make Toast, How to Bake Cupcakes, and How to Make a Paper Airplane!
-by Haley B

Smencils vs. Student Store

This week Student Store has been getting good sales but Smencils are trying to take the Student Store's sales. A long time ago Student Store pulled a prank on Smencils, but Friday the 15th of May Smencils got Student Store back. They said stuff on the intercom and I think it made the Student Store lose customers.
-by Quin

Celebration

The Celebration of Students was really fun. We got to play our instruments at it. We all got to see our own art too.
-by Ethan

Homework Due May 22

2009-05-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

Writing: 4 paragraphs on any topic

Reading: 30 min/day to self, 10 min/day to someone. Write a one-paragraph reading reflection that is at least 6 sentences long.

Homework and Upcoming Events

2009-05-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Homework
Yes, it's true. There is no homework for this week. Students are still expected to be practicing their multiplication tables to prepare for an upcoming timed test as well as read every day, but nothing needs to be turned in.

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities!
On June 12, our last day of school this year, we will be having our traditional Myers Field Day. We would love to have volunteers come to help make this large and exciting event run as smoothly and safely as possible. This is a morning activity and your help is appreciated from approximately 9:00 to 11:30. Please email me if you are interested in helping out. This is a lot of fun four our students.

I am working slowly on the long (endless?) project of preserving our classroom library. This involves wrapping the covers with contact paper. This is not too difficult and I am willing to train you after school or 10:55-11:20 most days. Once trained, this is an easy take-home job. Please let me know if you're willing to help out with this task. It will really help us to get many years out of the wonderful collection that many of you have helped to build!

Week in Review

2009-05-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

Jeremiahs' Crickets

On May 8th we saw Jeremiah eat crickets on the floor. He was running all over the place. Some of the crickets even froze! Everyone was laughing!

-by Haley B.

Readers' Theatre!

Today we saw a play! It was three in one! I loved it!!!!

-by Dylan

Basketball Assembly
On Thursday Medowlark Lemon came. He taught us a lot of basketball moves. He also told us about friendship.

-by Kyle

How to Do Something Poster

We are doing a poster on how to make something. It's so fun because we get to do anything. Everyone should try it!

-by Ethan

Spirit Assembly

We had a spirit assembly on Friday. It was loud and fun. Our class did a special chant out loud. After the assembly we got to run around the track.

-by Quin

Pictures from our April field trip to the Polk County Museum and the Rock and Mineral Show

2009-05-06T14:46:00.001-07:00

Our Week in Review -Back By Popular Demand!

2009-05-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

On Monday we went to the symphony. We listened to them play Happy Birthday, Forest Murmurs, and many more. They were amazing!

-by Kyle

Mr. Fuller was here this week. He helped us with measuring stuff. I really like him because he's really funny.

-by Ethan

This week we have been working on How To posters. The How To posters are when we write instructions on how to do something. I have seen very many good ideas, and we have been working on it for a while and have been working very hard.

-by Haley B

This week on Friday we had an earthquake drill. It was long and when we were under our desks it hurt. When our class lined up we were really quiet. It was scary.

-by Quin

This week Cryptid Hunters did their presentation. It was pretty funny. I loved it!

-by Dylan

WE FINISHED OAKS TODAY AND WE ARE AWESOME!!!

Homework Due May 8

2009-05-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Homework: Due May 8, 2009

Writing: How To Poster
Think of something that you are an expert at doing. You are going to create a poster that teaches other people to do that same thing. Your poster must include the following:

1. a border of your own design that goes around the whole poster
2. a title
3. an introductory paragraph that introduces your activity and motivates people to try it out
4. a list of needed materials to complete this activity
5. step-by step instructions in a list format
example:

A. Get out a bowl
B. Fill the bowl with water
C. etc…

6. examples, diagrams, or pictures of your project that follow the steps of your instructions. For example, if you are teaching people to make a paper airplane, your first example, picture, or diagram, might just be a piece of paper, the second one would be the first fold you make, and so on.

This is a poster and should be easily read from a short distance. Make sure that you fill the space. This means you will need to plan where different things will go on the page and the size of your lettering in pencil BEFORE you get out markers, pens, or crayons. In addition to including a border, title, introduction, materials list, instructions, and examples, you will also be graded on effort, neatness and legibility (handwriting), and spelling.

You must bring your completed poster to school by Friday, May 8, 2009.

Math:
Home Measurements Worksheet and practice multiplication
Students may use calculators to check multiplication (multi-digit multiplication is a challenging new concept for 4th grade that they will work to master in 5th grade. 3rd graders in the blend have been exposed to this as well, but it is more important that they understand how to find area than struggle with the multiplication for our current math unit.)

Reading:
30 min/day to self, 10 min/day to someone
Write a one-paragraph reading reflection. This paragraph should be at least six sentences long.

Homework Due May 1

2009-04-24T11:21:00.001-07:00

Students have begun writing essays about the Oregon Trail and are expected to complete it at home. They need to compare two things that are different between then and now. They need to mention something that is similar between then and now. Each difference between then and now should be one paragraph. There should be one paragraph giving details about a similarity between then and now. The essay will total five paragraphs, including the introduction and the conclusion. Students began writing these earlier in the week, so the essays should be well on their way.

We have written the introduction and conclusion together. Students may use these as models to write their own -or use most of them word-for-word as long as it makes sense (wording will vary depending on the differences and similarities they chose to write about). This assignment will count toward their homework grade, a writing grade, and a social studies grade. Adults are not to help with specific details included, but are encouraged to discuss the topic with their child to help refresh what they already know. Adults are encouraged to be part of the proof-reading process. Students should read their rough draft (or "sloppy copy" as we call it) out loud to an adult and they can work together for improved sentence fluency, punctuation, organization, word choice, and spelling. I would like to see the signature of the adult who they read to on the final copy students submit (i.e. Read by___________________).

We have spent the last three weeks studying the Oregon trail through reading, role-play, class discussion, and observing photos. Students wrote journal entries from the perspective of their "character." Today students also attended an assembly about the Oregon Trail.

Introduction Example:
There are many interesting similarities and differences in travelling along the Oregon Trail in the 1840's and in 2009. The modes of transportation are very different between then and now. Pioneer health and safety concerns are also different from what we might think about today. Most of the landmarks are still there so many of those are the same as what we would see today.

(Items in italics may need to change depending on topics your student chose to discuss in their essay).

Conclusion Example:
As you can see, there are many differences and some similarities between travelling on the Oregon Trail in the 1840's and now. Personally, if I was going to move across the country, I would prefer to do it in 2009. I think transportation and helath and safety are better now. For example, there are roads to drive on now and there is clean food and water so I won't have to worry about cholera and dysentery. Which would you choose?

(Items in italics should change to reflect student's own opinion backed up by facts from the essay. )

Reading: 30 min/day to self, 10 min/day to someone, one detailed paragraph reading reflection

Math: practice multiplication facts (with timer when possible)

To Keep You Entertained...

2009-04-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

Field Trip photos are coming soon, but until then I know all of you Jeremiah fans will enjoy this short film of our classroom pet enjoying some dragon chow for dinner as trombones practice in the background!

Put Your Child to Work Day!

2009-04-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today our class had the opportunity to be teachers too -with Ms. Powell's kindergarten students. We read for fifteen minutes with both the morning and afternoon sessions. To prepare for this opportunity, Molsee Mustangs chose two books that they practiced reading until they sounded just like a story teller. Then they practiced reading with a partner and used review strategies that all good readers use -like summarizing, picture reading, characters, and prediting. Below are a couple videos so you can see what it looked and sounded like. We had a great time and everyone did a really good job!

Student Writing!

2009-04-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

During Spring Break the writing of some of our students was featured in the Statesman in the Student Stories supplement. Please follow this link to take a look!

http://www.salemkeizer.org/system/files/StudentStories-March25.pdf

Last Week's Review (a little late)

2009-04-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

I think you'll notice a theme for last week. We had a very exciting field trip!

The Free Rocks
On Friday we got free rocks. It was after the Rock and Mineral Show. Some were big and some were small.
-Hunter H

Rock and Mineral Show
On Friday the 17th we went on a field trip. I got 11 rocks. It was awesome and cool.
-Keaton Page

Battle of the Books!
On Wednesday the whole school got to see the last two Battle of the Books teams battle! It was really exciting to watch them compete. At the end, everybody on a battle team got to have a banana split.
-Sharmaine

On the Rock and Mineral show we had a lot of volunteers. Each volunteer got five kids. I got to go with my dad.
-Justin B.

The Museum
We all got to go to the museum. It had old stuff from a long time ago. It was cool.
-Michelle

Homework Due April 24

2009-04-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

For our writing homework students have the option of writing an entry for this essay contest:

ESSAY CONTEST
Every day, school bus drivers make a difference in the lives of children. So, in 2009, as part of its 90th anniversary celebration, Thomas Built Buses created the "Children's Choice School Bus Driver of the Year" essay contest as a way to recognize those drivers. Now in its fourth year, the essay contest has become a new Thomas Built tradition.
CONTEST DETAILS
Students in kindergarten through sixth grade, in the U.S. and Canada, are eligible to enter the contest by submitting a 90-word essay about what makes their bus driver so special. Essay entries will be judged based on content, originality and driver qualifications. Driver qualifications will be verified by the driver's employer and Thomas Built Buses.
Children who enter must have a parent or legal guardian's permission to participate and must provide a written affidavit signed by their guardian prior to being proclaimed a winner.
PRIZES
Prizes will be awarded to the child who writes the winning essay and to the driver they nominated.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Child
$1,000 educational savings bond
Laptop computer
Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner® C2 school bus lunchbox
Thomas Built Buses jacket
Driver
$1,000 Visa® gift card.
Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner® C2 school bus lunchbox
Thomas Built Buses jacket
Winning entries will be featured on the Thomas Built Buses website and will be included in national and local publicity.
www.thomasbus.com/contest

If students do not write an entry, they may instead choose to write a 3-5 paragraph essay about another person in their life who helps make their life better in some way. They must describe who this person is, what they do, and what that means to them.

Math: worksheet that reviews the perimeter and area work we did this week.

Reading: 30 min/day to self, 10 minutes day to someone
Students may write a one-paragraph reflection or choose to create a "mini-project" that informs us about their books. We can display these projects in our classroom for others to view. Things we've done in class is write a short play, creat a landscape that represents the setting of the book, draw beginning-middle-end 'comic strips,' or create a poster. This is an opportunity to try out some creative ideas if they would like to (and many have asked to do so!)

Fundraising in Motion

2009-04-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share the links of two grants our classroom has up on donorschoose.org, a website where teachers write grants for supplies they need and people may donate any amount they choose toward the project. So far we are nearly half-way to some nonfiction book sets that will be so helpful for practicing location of information and other researching skills. Our second grant is for a document camera that would be so useful in many ways in the classroom. Please share these links with friends and family who might be interested in supporting our great learning! Thank you to all of the many ways you support us here at Myers!

Book Sets
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=257061

Document Camera
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=253686

Snack Needed

2009-04-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

There are only eight weeks of school left to go, but it looks like our snack supplies are about gone. One giant bag of pretzels would probably keep us in snacks up until the last day -or about eight boxes of crackers. Any low sugar snack is appreciated!

Thank you!

In Case Your Didn't Make it Home (permission slip printing opportunity)

2009-04-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

April 8, 2009

Dear Parents,

The Oregon Symphony Association in Salem will present its 2009 Young People’s Concert on Monday, April 27, at Smith Auditorium on the Willamette University campus. We have reserved seating for the entire fourth and fifth grades for the 9:30 AM performance. We will load the buses and depart from Myers at 8:50 AM, and return to Myers at approximately 11:00 AM. Students will eat lunch after their return to Myers.

We are asking each student to pay $3.00, to cover the cost of the concert ticket. (Students on the free or reduced lunch program are given free concert tickets by the Oregon Symphony.) Please return the signed permission form below to your child's classroom teacher no later than Wednesday, April 22. We are also in need of additional adult chaperones. If you would be interested in helping chaperone this trip, please indicate that on the form. (Chaperones are admitted to the concert free of charge.) I will be contacting each parent who volunteers to chaperone.

We are very excited about this opportunity to hear Oregon's premier professional orchestra! Please contact me at Myers if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Toni Skelton
Music Teacher
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (detach and return)

has my permission to attend the Oregon
Name of student Symphony Concert for Youth at Willamette
University on Monday, April 27. I am enclosing $3.00 to cover the cost of the ticket.

Signature of parent/guardian Classroom Teacher

Please check here if you are interested in and available to chaperone.

Chaperone name:

______ I would like to pay for a scholarship for a needy student, and am enclosing the

following additional money: _________

I authorize School District 24J and its employees to secure the services of a physician or hospital, and to incur expenses for necessary services in the event of accident or illness, and I will provide payment for these. Every reasonable effort will be made to reach the parent(s) as soon as possible.
Do you agree with the above statement? ___ yes ___ no

Friday Folder Contents and Thank You

2009-04-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

It's raining permission slips! The one you will find in your child's folder or backpack or pocket today is for the Symphony Field Trip, scheduled for Monday, April 27th. Permission slip and ticket money need to be back at school no later than Wednesday, April 22nd.

Coffee order forms need to be returned by Friday, April 17th. Procedes from sales support our music program.

Scholastic book order forms (Arrow, Lucky, and Spring Gift Books) need to be returned by Friday, April 17th. Your purchase supports our classroom library!

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who was able to make it to McTeacher Night this week. I had a great time working at the front counter from 6:30-7:30, and it seemed like we had a great turn out in spite of rainy weather and long lines. Thank you very much for your support of our literacy programs here at Myers.

Enjoy your weekend!

Our Week in Review

2009-04-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

McTeacher Night

On Thursday we went to McDonalds and ate. The fire department came and let us sit [in their truck]. It was so fun!!!

-by Keaton

The Book We're Reading

The book we're reading is Orphaned on the Oregon Trail. The book relates to what we are doing. What we are doing is we pretend to walk on the Oregon Trail.

-by Hunter H.

The first cricket feed was so fun. We only got to give him [Jeremiah] three. Everyone was excited for Friday's cricket feed.

-by Justin B.

Friday's Cricket Feeding

During the week our class has been respectful to earn the privelege to do some cricket feeding. Ms. Molsee captures a couple of crickets [10-15] to feed to Jeremiah. It is very interesting to watch.

-by Sharmaine

This week some fourth graders and fifth graders got to go to Bowling. They had a lot of fun.

-by Michelle

Homework Due on April 17th

2009-04-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Math: Problem solving worksheet, called environmental mathematics

Writing: Research and Interview, Topic -Rocks and Minerals
Interview family and friends and do some research to find out as much as you can about rocks and minerals. Write 3-5 paragraphs about what you have learned. Please list the resources you used (people you spoke to, books and websites you used). This project also counts as a reading reflection since it involves reading research.

Reading: 30 min/day to self, 10 min/day to someone

Additional recommendations:
Each week we are working with multiplication facts 0-12 on timed tests in order to improve our automaticity. Being confident with basic multiplication facts helps us with division, and working with larger multiplication and very soon, long division. You can help your child at home by doing speed rounds with flash cards or making up your own timed test or fun game.

Our recent math focus has been graphing and statistics, multiplication facts, and fractions. I have noticed from recent check-ins that our shift in focus seems to have given some students enough time to forget addition with regrouping (carrying) and subtraction with trading (borrowing). We will review and refresh as much as possible in class, but you can help your child at home by trying out a couple problems each night or whenever you have a chance. We have been working with numbers ranging from 3-6 digits.

Permission Slips

2009-04-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that permission slips for the Bowling Fieldtrip (4th grade only) and the Rock and Mineral Show (whole class) Need to be sent back right away. Please return those with your child ASAP! You may print the Rock and Mineral Show permission slip from the earlier post in our blog. There are also extra copies of both permission slips here in the classroom if needed. Thank you!

Third Grade Day!

2009-04-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we were lucky enough to have a 3rd grade only day as the 4th grade students went to OMSI for a field trip. It was a nice opportunity to focus on 3rd grade skills and do some activities we haven't had a chance to do yet this year, like buddy reading with kindergarten students in Ms. Powell's room. This Friday we will have a 3rd grade only morning while 4th grade students go on their bowling field trip. If you would like to send in a special snack for us to enjoy together on that day, please let me know.

Here are some pictures from our 3rd Grade Day!

Week in Review

2009-04-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

This week we got a new pet, Jeremiah. He does not move much. Once he was on the glass, and he tried to climb up it.

-by Justin B.

OMSI
Yesterday on the 2nd of April some of the 4th and 5th graders got to go to OMSI. They had a lot of fun. I wonder what they did there.
-by Michelle

The 3rd Grade Day
Thiw week we got to have a 3rd grade day. We only had 10 kids in the classroom. It was fun!!
-by Keaton

Rock and Mineral Show Field Trip!!!

2009-04-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's a month of many field trips, and we are hoping to get the permission slips back for this one by Tuesday the 7th (ouch! short notice!). Slips will be sent home with children on Monday, but if you see this post before then, you are more than welcome to print it out and send it in earlier!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rock and Mineral Show/Polk County Museum

On Friday, April 17th, Myers’ 4th grade classes (the entire 3-4 Molsee blend) will be visiting the Rock and Mineral Show at the Polk County Fairgrounds and touring the Polk County Museum. We will leave Myers at 9:30 and return by 1:00. Your child is welcome to bring money for purchasing items at the show.

We will be eating lunch at the fairgrounds. So please indicate below if your child will need a school lunch. Otherwise, your child will need a sack lunch from home that day.

Please see your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Mrs. Hoopes, Ms. Molsee, Mrs. Madison, and Mr. Kiser
Please Return This Bottom Portion

I authorize School District 24J and its employees to secure the services of a physician or hospital, and to incur expenses for necessary services in the event of accident or illness, and I will provide payment for these. Every reasonable effort will be made to reach the parent(s) as soon as possible.

Do you agree with the above statement? ___ yes ___ no

____Yes my child, _________________, may go.

____My child will need a school lunch.

____I would like to chaperone. Name and phone# ____________________

Parent Signature__________________________________

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Latest Molsee Mustang Member

2009-04-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Chances are you have already heard about our bearded dragon. Jeremiah lived with his roommate Chubs in Mrs. Madison's room until very recently. Both dragons are male and had finally reached the point where they each needed their own tank. Of course, we are very excited to have him with us! Students are welcome to contribute to Jeremiah's cricket supply any time!

Homework Due April 10th

2009-04-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

I'm giving out the homework assignment early this week due to make sure that it makes it home prior to the 4th grade OMSI field trip. These assignments may also take a little more thought and planning as they involve data collection and family interviews.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Math Homework

Choose one of the options below for collecting data. Present your data in the appropriate kind of graph (double bar graph or double line graph).

Track how many hours of television two members of you family watch each day for one week.

Compare the daily temperatures in two cities for one week. (Hint: use the newspaper or the internet to gather this information)

Compare the amount of exercise two family members do each day for one week.

Do your own water evaporation project! Place the same amount of water in two locations and compare their rate of evaporation. We used milliliters as our unit of measure for the classroom project. You would need something similar at home to track the small changes.

Your own suggestion. Do you have your own idea about what kind of data you would like to gather? Make a suggestion –this must be approved by your teacher before you start.

Writing Homework: Family History

Some families have been in Oregon for years and years. Others just got here. Your job is to find out more about your family’s history. Talk to family members. This would be a great time to talk to grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, and uncles, moms and dads. How long has your family been living in Oregon? How did your family first arrive in Oregon? Why did your family move to Oregon? Do you have any relatives that traveled to Oregon in a wagon train? Is your family part of a Native American tribe that originally lived in the Oregon territory?

After your interview, please write up a report for class. This report should be 3 to 5 paragraphs long. Check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word choice. Be sure that you reread what you wrote out loud. This will help you to be sure all your sentences make sense and aren’t missing any words!

Reading Homework:

Read to self 30 min/day
Read to someone 10 min/day
Write a one-paragraph reading reflection. Describe your favorite part in the book you read. What happened? Where did it take place? Who are the characters and what are they like? What was it that you especially liked about this part of the book?

OMSI Pick-up Form

2009-03-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

This form will be coming home with your 4th grade students this week and should be returned to school by March 31. Since it is small and easy to lose, I'm posting it here in case people need to print them out.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Parents,

We will be returning from our OMSI trip on Friday, April 3 around 11:30am. It is our experience that the students are tired, hungry, and ready for a bath after a full night of activities. You are welcome to pick up your child after 11:30 and take them home for the day, or they can stay here and relax. If you choose to take your child home, please go to the office and they will call for them. Please return this form by 3/31.

Thank you,
4-5 Teachers

_____ I will be picking up my child, _______________________ ,after 11:30.

_____ My child, _____________________, will be staying at Myers for the day. They
will/will not need a hot lunch.

_____________________________________
Parent Signature

The Return of Our Week in Review

2009-03-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

We started a book called Hate That Cat. It is a sequel to Love That Dog. It has a lot of poetry.
-by Justin B.

Art!
Each student in our class got to do this awesome color painting.
1. Choose a paint color.
2. Dip a string into the paint.
3. Squeeze extra paint off.
4. Lay string on paper.
5. Fold paper in half.
6. BEAUTIFUL ART
It was really fun for everyone.
-by Sharmaine

Wringer
We just finished a book called Wringer by Spinelli. I loved that book. I am going to read the other book. We made a landscape of Wringer.
-by Keaton

Shark Assembly
Yesterday on Thursday the 12th the shark assembly was held in the gym. They talked about how they have big teeth. All of the school loved their presentation!
-by Michelle

80's Day
Friday it was 80's Day. In the morning today Ms. Molsee started dancing while listening to 80's music, and she is goth today. It was very freaky.
-by Hunter H.

Homework Due March 19

2009-03-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

Math: Rounding problems -8 rounding to the nearest ten, 8 rounding to the nearest 100

Reading :30 min/day to self, 10 min/day to someone, write a one-paragraph reading reflection

Writing: 4 paragraphs on any subject

Poetry -Color and Motion

2009-03-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

Poetry abounds in Room 107. All year long we have taken time each week to enjoy reading and listening to poetry and songs. During March we are going to take a closer look. To increase awareness of the motion and color that lives inside each poem, Molsee Mustangs took time to explore these qualities by acting out the stanzas in the opening poem of Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill. Although students didn't have a lot of time to come up with their motions, their classroom performance was colorful and inspiring. We all look forward to working more in this way with poetry in the future -with our own writing!

Like acrobats on a high trapeze

The Colors pose and bend their knees

Twist and turn and leap and blend

Into shapes and feelings without end...

Volunteer Seamstress Needed

2009-03-06T12:00:00.001-08:00

We have some pieces of fabric that need to be hemmed. Currently we are using them for poetry, but these will be used for a variety of activities and we'd like them to last as long as possible without that pesky unravelling to deal with. If you are interested in helping with this, please let me know and I'll send the bag of fabric home with your child!

Homework Due Friday, March 13th

2009-03-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

Math: Facts Search, a Multiplication Worksheet

Reading: 30 min/day to self, 10 min/day to someone, write a one-paragraph reflection practicing either connector or riddler.

Writing: four paragraphs on any topic

Friday Folders this week included conference slips. Conferences will happen on March 18th in the evening and all day on March 19th. If I didn't request a conference with you regarding your student, that does not mean we can't meet. I'm happy to schedule some time with you at your request! Please return conference slips by March 13.

4th grade only-
Brought home permission slips to be included in the Human Sexuality portion of our district's Health Education curriculum. Please return signed permission slips next week. This class is scheduled to happen on March 18th. Students who have not returned signed permission slips will do an alternate activity.

OMSI permission slips, medical release forms and money are due by the 13th. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Enjoy a wonderful weekend!

Homework and Week in Review

2009-02-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

In honor of the end of our second grading period, there will be no homework that needs to be turned in at the end of next week. Students were asked to read to themselves every day. We just finished a graphing unit today and will spend much of next week doing a much-needed multiplication review. Students are encouraged to practice their multiplication facts up to 12, using flash cards, games, or their own favorite method for study.

Also, due to the topsy-turvy nature of our week (many absences, my own absence on Monday, and a freak snowstorm on Thursday) our communications team didn't do their usual weekly write-up. Here are some highlights from my perspective:

1. Students had a substitute teacher on Monday because their poor Ms. Molsee was sick. Students used much of this time to catch up on unfinished work and work on multiplication strategies.

2. Students began their 2nd opportunity to take the OAKS state testing in math and reading. This round of testing was offered only to those who did not pass during their first opportunity, and the results so far show much student growth and success.

3. On Tuesday and Wednesday we had a guest teacher, Ms. Wisnieski, who spent two days teaching the students a diversity work sample that focused on talking about see and think about people who seem different than ourselves. The students then began working on making a class book, It's Okay to Be Different.

4. On Thursday, 20 brave Molsee Mustangs slowly filtered into their school day. We all had to brave a thick blanket of snow to get here. Our morning started out with a science experiment with snow. Students will work with the data collected from these experiments next week. We also had a guest teacher that day for math -Mrs. Adams! She taught us some really fun math games that strengthen mental math skills for addition, subtraction, and multiplication. The last game she taught us is a card game, called 24 Game (primer) -Multiply Divide. This game is a stepping stone to being able to play the next card game, 24 Game. Students had a really good time and look forward to playing it again soon!

5. Students began presenting information they learned about explorers through a speech. Students spent weeks researching their explorer in the media center, then created a poster that displayed the information they found, and now they are sharing that information with the class. Posters will be on display at the book fair in the East Family Room.

6. Our class has been reading the novel, Wringer, by Jerry Spinelli for the past several weeks. This book has provided a wonderful opportunity to discuss bullying and problem solving. Students had the opportunity to strengthen their empathy and social skills by writing "Dear Abbey" letters while pretending to be a character from the book. Students then switched papers and responded to each other's letters, trying to give advice that they've learned from Mrs. Levak, our school counselor. In addition to using their own problem solving skills, students referred to the Conflict Resolution Wheel, a problem solving tool that Mrs. Levak has given to each classroom at Myers. Students were able to share their learning with Mrs. Coleson's classroom, by performing these letters like a readers' theater. It was a wonderful performance that many were able to enjoy. We will continue to discuss this book and its many themes through next week.

7. The Scholastic Book Fair is here for one more week. If you would like to purchase a book for our classroom library, we would be very grateful. I am working to provide a diverse selection of books that offer a variety of genres as well as reading levels in our classroom. At the fair you will see there are plastic tubs on a shelf with teachers' names on them and you will find one that says Molsee on it on one of the lower shelves. My box includes selections of nonfiction, some novels, as well as some graphic novels in a series that is becoming quite popular among the Molsee Mustangs, called Bones.

Free Dental Screening

2009-02-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

Free Dental Screening for students in grades pre-K—12
(Students must be accompanied by parent/guardian)
When: Wednesday, March 11, 6:00-7:30 PM
Where: Boys & Girls Club, 1395 Summer St. NE
Questions? Contact Jodi @ 503-581-7383

Evaluación Dental gratis para los estudiantes en grados pre- K—12
(Debe ser acompañado por el padre o el guardián)
Cuándo: el miércoles, 11 de marzo 6:00-7:30 PM
Dondé: el "Boys & Girls Club" 1395 Summer St. NE
¿Preguntas? Llamé a Jodi al 503-581-7383

Screening only, no treatment provided at this event
Evaluación Dental Gratis
Evaluación Solamente, no habrá tratamiento en este evento

Our Week in Review

2009-02-20T16:40:00.000-08:00

This week we tried out for JC Relays. The first thing we did was get a body to race with. Then we went out to the track to run to get our time. then we went back inside just in time to go back to our classroom.
-by Tristan

During the week of 2/16/09-2/20/09 my class has been practicing for our bowling unit for P.E. How you hold the ball is you put your thumb, middle finger, and wedding finger in the ball. You hold the ball right in front of your stomach. You take four steps and roll the ball. Remember not to step over the foul line. Two people are at the end and they pick up the pins. One person brings back the ball.
-by Savannah

At school we are learning about explorers. They are really fun! I hope we can do more!
-by Rachael

This week we started the Pool of Fire, the third book for the Tripod Trilogy. In the book Will and Fritz were selling goods and recruiting kids who were not capped to fight the tripods (weird metal-like creatures). Later Will and the people with him have to catch a tripod.
-by Justin T.

Homework Due February 27

2009-02-20T11:27:00.000-08:00

Reading: Read to self 30 minutes each day, 10 minutes to someone each day
Write a one-paragraph reading reflection where you practice any lit circle job - except for summarizer.

(lit circle jobs: riddler (ask a meaty question about what you're reading -what if...I wonder... and respond to it), connector (connect what you are reading to another book, movie, your life, your world and explain the similarities and differences), word wizzard -discuss a new word you learned. (Include the sentence it was used in, what you thought it might be, and the actual definition you found in a dictionary), Passage master (-discuss your favorite part of a book and what you liked about it. Be specific!)

Writing: 4 paragraphs on any topic

Math: Graphing and Statistics. Students may use calculators to find the mean. Finding mean and interval are opportunities for 3rd graders to practice 4th grade concepts if they would like an extra challenge!

Book orders are due February 27th

Fundraising for Classroom Technology

2009-02-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

DonorsChoose.org is a website that allows teachers write and post grant proposals for their classrooms and then donors can choose to donate whatever amount they like. Through Donors Choose I am trying to raise funds for a classroom document camera. Visit the listing at:
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=253686

Donate or share the link with people you think might be interested in helping us out. A document camera would really help provide visuals that all students could see -from how to braid yarn to how to solve a math problem. I'm hopeful that through this program we might be able to secure some new technology that tightening school budgets will otherwise not be able to provide.

Homework Due February 20th

2009-02-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

Reading: 30 min/day to self, 10 min/day to someone, write a 1-paragraph reading reflection
Writing: 4 paragraphs on any topic
Math: worksheet, collect and bring in examples of graphs

Our Week!

2009-02-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

The week of 2/2/09-2/6/09 my class has been having our own little spelling bee. It's just like any ordinary spelling bee except we have letters A, B, C, and D,. If somebody didn't get the word right it would go to the next person. The she would write it on the white board.
-by Savannah

We had an art project to do. It was really fun. I hope we can do more!
-by Rachael

This week we watched a movie about Martin Luther King Jr. After that we did writing samples. We had a great time.
-by Justin T.

This week we learned a new note on the recorder. The note we learned was an A note. It sounds really god -better than the other one.
-by Tristan

Homework Due Feb 13th and Friday Folder Info

2009-02-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

Math: worksheet
Reading: 30 min/day to self, 10 min/day to someone, one paragraph reflection
Writing: 4 paragraphs on any topic

In Friday Folders this week is a class list for cardmaking on Valentine's Day. Also all 4th graders were given a slip of paper that has their balance due for the OMSI field trip after candle sales were taken into account. If you notice these items do not make it home in your child's folder, please send me an email and I can email or send it home with your child a second time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Homework Due February 6th

2009-01-30T10:41:00.001-08:00

Reading -Read to self 30 min/day, read to someone 10 min/day, write a one-paragraph reading reflection

Writing -write 4 paragraphs on the topic of your choice

Math -coordinate geometry and symmetry review pages
-graph scavenger hunt -find and bring in examples of graphs you have found
throughout the week in magazines, newspapers, and other places