Monthly Archives: September 2016

Happy Vacation!

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Congratulations on a productive first trimester! We have all earned a well-deserved break. I hope you enjoy many relaxed days with family and friends. Many scientific studies clearly show how important play time is for children and adults, too! We learn best and grow most during the time we have for joyful explorations. I encourage you to check out our Twitter feed for more information.

The October Activity Calendar was sent home on Thursday. It is also linked under the TK Homework tab. As always, the most important ways to become a great student is to read and be read to daily and DO SOME CHORES!

This vacation time would also be a great opportunity to workout those small finger muscles. Most of the students are finding it very tiring to write and draw and cut. That’s because their finger muscles are still developing and need some time in the “Finger Gym”. Click HERE to find a list of fun ways to exercise those muscles.

If your child spends some time online, check out the tabs above for links to some good sites. You can also try these free, high quality websites:
starfall.com
abcya.com
pbskids.org

Several of you have asked for a list of exceptional apps. I will work on that and post it soon. So check back here.

I’ll be starting my vacation with a technology conference and then jury duty. Later, I’ll fly to Atlanta to spoil my grandchildren and both of my sons. At the end of the month, I get to enjoy time with my daughter. It looks to be a very lucky month for me. What will you be doing?

See you back at school on Wednesday, October 26th at 11:04 AM – 2:35 PM.
Joyfully,
Mrs. P

Pumpkin Math

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Today, Mrs. Tweed brought a pumpkin to help us learn about making estimates. An estimate is a good guess. We estimated the number of lines on our pumpkin. Jalisia was exactly right with a guess of 20 lines. Some of our guesses were too few and some were too many.
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We estimated the circumference of our pumpkin with yarn. Circumference is the distance all the way around the pumpkin. Makenzie’s yarn was exactly right. Several of our guesses were really close. Some estimates were too short and others were too long.
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We also made estimates on the number of seeds inside the pumpkin. Tomorrow we will weigh our pumpkin, cut it open, scoop out the seeds and count them.

What is your estimate for the number of seeds? Leave your guess in a comment. We will let you know if you were close or not.

Important Reminders

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IMG_0140Field trip permission forms and $11.00 fee are due this Thursday, September 29th. Late forms will not be accepted. If your child will not be attending the Fog Willow Farm trip on October 31st, please let me know.

Friday, September 30th is a minimum day and so we will be on an early schedule. Our class time is 7:45 AM – 11:16 AM.

We are off-track from Oct 3rd to Oct 25. I will see you back in class on Wednesday, October 26th at our regular time: 11:04 AM to 2:35 PM

My DonorsChoose.Org Project

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Hi Friends, Families, and Visitors,

donorschooseAs many of you know, I have been creating videos with my students for over three years. It is a powerful way to get kids learning 21st century skills. Besides, it is just plain fun! I want to ramp up my own skills and provide the next level of video production opportunities for our school. I will soon be launching a video production team at my school and we are in need of a portable teleprompter. (If we get this item funded, we may also qualify for a grant to provide even more equipment to set up a real video production lab.) So I created a request at DonorsChoose.org:

Communication Skills Are Keys to Success

Your support would mean so much to school. If you chip in to help, we’ll send awesome photos and our heartfelt thanks.

Thanks so much,

Mrs. P

P.S. If you know anyone who may want to help my classroom, please pass this along!

Field Trip to Fog Willow Farm

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We are going to Fog Willow Farm next month! Please turn in your permission slip and payment now. Student cost is $11.00. Chaperone cost is $4.00. Everyone receives a small pumpkin to take home. Chaperones must provide own transportation. Our bus will depart school at 10:45 AM and return at 1:45 PM. Students and chaperones will need to bring a small sack lunch including a drink.

If you want to purchase a special class photo from Fog Willow Farm, send a separate labeled envelope with $6.00 cash.

Minimum Day Soon!

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Don’t forget that Friday, September 9th is a minimum day. All TK and K students will attend from 7:45 AM – 11:16 AM.

It is also our September Birthday Celebration. If you signed up to provide an item for this event, please bring it to school on Thursday. FYI: Adult helpers are still needed, so let me know if you can stay and help us have an extra fun day.

Fun Run Fundraiser Ends Tuesday

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Dear Families,
Our kiddos ran their little hearts out on Friday. Nearly every student finished 40 laps! It was a tremendous amount of fun. Be sure to congratulate them on their efforts and enjoy the video I made about it.

You have until Tuesday, September 6th to participate in the Carroll Fun Run fundraising efforts. You can send in your pledges to class or use carrollfunrun.com. The Fun Run team will be stopping by to collect pledges and pass out prizes.