What did you do in school today?

"Nothing...."

I can't tell you how many times a parent has told me they have asked their child what they did in school and gotten the long, bored, drawn out "Notttthhhhinnnnng." I can assure you, we are busy all day and are pretty far from doing "nothing"!

Here's a very brief recap of our first two weeks:

Language Arts: 

Our read aloud is Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains by Laurel Snyder. The spelling words next week are straight out of this book and when we finish the book, we are going to Skype with the author! 

We've also been working on identifying nouns and adjectives and writing complete sentences. I will start DIBELS testing this week and we will focus on fluency and reading with expression.

Science:

One again we have a class of scientists! We grew crystals using epsom salt and did quite a bit of observing. 

Math: 

We learned all about place value, standard form and expanded form. We made place value charts and learned what a decimal point is and identified the tenths, hundredths and thousandths place along with the ones, tens, hundreds, thousands and upwards. I have also done quite a bit of pre-assessing. 

Buddies:

We started meeting with our 3rd grade buddies from Mrs. Woodard's class. Both classes had a blast getting to know some new friends. We had the students interview each other and introduce their new buddy to the class. 

Students who were in my class last year were excited to reconnect with their former classmates.

Reminders...

Monday, August 30 is Fall Picture Day. All students will have his or her photo taken for the yearbook on Monday, and prints can be ordered as well. These are only individual student photos. We will have our class photo taken in the spring. To order pictures online go to www.inter-state.com and use the code 550117.

Tuesday is our first early release day. Students will be dismissed at 12:30pm. No lunch will be served but we will still have our morning snack.

It's your last chance to add or update information in the school directory! Go to the PTO's website to access a form and email it to cmaniuszko@cox.net. The deadline is September 2.

Have a wonderful weekend and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Place Value, Standard & Expanded Forms

We played a game this morning after learning all about place value. 

Place value is kind of fun! 

Expanded form is fun, too! 

We love math! 

Weekly Update - August 23

We're growing crystals!

This week we will continue pre-assessing but will also be getting a little bit more into our regular schedule. This morning students took their first of many spelling pre-tests. The tests were graded and appropriate spelling lists were sent home, stapled to the homework assignments. The homework is due this Thursday (but may be turned in early) and the spelling test will be this Friday. Everything was discussed thoroughly in class but please let me know if you have any questions.

In math this week along with pre-assessments we will be studying place value. Our focus will be on ones, tens, hundreds, thousands and ten thousands but we may go higher (or lower) depending on current ability.

This morning we did our first science experiment of the year. We discussed the the scientific method and began a lab report which we will complete later this week. Our problem today: What happens when we mix epsom salt with water? What happens when the water evaporates? 

A few of our experiments: Day 1

September Scholastic Book Orders

Online Ordering Information
Web address: scholastic.com/bookclubs
Class Activation Code: GK9BF

Now it's easier than ever to find the right books for your child — and help us earn FREE books for our classroom library at the same time!

With new online ordering from Scholastic Book Clubs, you can choose from a much wider selection of books than in the printed flyer. Plus, you can send your orders directly to me online and use your credit card.

Best of all, our class earns a FREE book every time a parent places their order online.

It's so simple! Here's how it works:

    * SIGN UP at www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the "Don't have a User Name and Password?" link, then register for your own username and password. When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This code ensures that your order is sent to me.

    * SELECT the books you'd like to order from over 500 titles available online...and take advantage of online-only specials and discounts.

    * SEND your order to me online by the due date. Books will be delivered directly to our classroom, as always.


Of course, you can still order using the form from the printed flyer. But why not experience for yourself how convenient it is to order online?

Ordering online is fast, easy, and secure. Plus our whole class benefits thanks to the FREE books we'll earn with every parent online order.

Go to www.Scholastic.com/bookclubs now to get started.

Thank you!

Fabulous First Day!

We are off to a great start! We spent some time getting to know each other and also started a discussion regarding the Make Your Day Program. The program will be fully implemented in the classroom by the end of the week.

Students have a "Getting to Know You Bag" for homework tonight. We discussed this project thoroughly in class and I presented my own bag as a sample.

Many forms and notices were sent home today, so please take a moment to go through your child's folder.

Forms that need to be filled out and returned to school:
Emergency Card - please make sure you sign the bottom line on the back - it's easy to miss.
Infinite Campus - it's on a green sheet of paper.
Sonoran Sky Handbook - it's on a blue sheet of paper.
PVUSD Guarantee - it's on an orange sheet of paper.
Online Communication and Collaboration Form - this is a really important one for my class because technology is a huge part of our curriculum.

I hope you all had a great day and I am sure I will see most of you Wednesday!

Tomorrow is the first day of school!

It was so nice to see so many of you at our "Meet the Teacher" event last week. I know it was very busy and crowded, so I apologize if we did not get much time together.

On the first day of school the office is usually fairly lenient about letting parents walk back to the classroom with students. You may walk your child to the room at 9:00am or drop them off as early as 8:45am on the playground. I do ask that parents not stay for too long. I've got lots planned and we will have a busy day. The sooner our guests leave, the sooner we can begin! :)

If you picked up the welcome packet (or you were in the class last year) you already know we have a daily morning snack. I will provide a snack to any student who forgets during the first week of school.

Our special area tomorrow will be library, so while students do need to wear shoes with closed toes in accordance with the school dress code, sneakers are not required.

See you tomorrow morning!

Meet the Teacher!

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year!

On Thursday, August 12th you and your family are invited to Sonoran Sky to meet me and your other new teachers, sign up for enrichment classes, purchase school spirit shirts, lunch tickets, etc.

8:15am - 9:00am: New family orientation in the media center
9:00am - 10:00am: Meet your new teacher (that's me!) in my new classroom (room #452)
8:30am - 10:00am: PTO event in Thunderbird Hall

I am really excited about the upcoming school year. I hope to meet you (or see you again) on Thursday!

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year!