Week 33

Our story this week is "Poppleton Everyday". The phonics focus this week is long oo sound made by u-e as in tune. The new vocabulary is:

• boy
• bought
• few
• head
• ready

In math we will be finishing up place value and starting fractions.  

Here is the calendar again.  Please note that some changes have been made.  Getting this move fine tuned is causing changes all the time.  I will try to keep you updated.

• May 1 - Early Release
• May 2-4 - DIBELS Testing
• May 9 - Early Release
• May 10 - Show Choir comes to us at 1:15. We may be going to the auditorium so the place is subject to change.
• May 11 - Dome Day
• May 16 - Walk to the park.  The kids will need a lunch and to wear their class shirt.  Makes for easy finding of them in a giant group.
• May 23-24 - Early Release for packing and moving
• May 25 - Last Day

Once again Thursday is AR day.  The shirt is mandatory on that day.  I'd love it if everyone would show up in their shirt so we could take a class picture. Plus if everyone wears their shirt, I cancel homework.  We are still waiting for that to happen.

Lets also wear class shirts every Friday until the end of the year.  Hopefully in 3 Fridays everyone will have it on for another class picture.  

Have a great week.

Week 32

The thought that we only have 5 weeks of school left is just amazing.  Where in the world did this year go???


Thanks to all of you that accompanied us on our field trip to the Forest Service.  It was a nice walk and I think the kids enjoyed finding the animals in the mural.

This week we will read "The Puddle". The story has a mix of realistic and make-believe parts. The sound for the is that -ge and -dge both make the /j/ sound. The vocabulary is:

• angry
• okay
• nearly
• sorry

We will start the unit on Place Value in math.  You might keep counting money at home.  The kids seems to be confusing nickels and quarters.  In this day and age there are so many kinds of coins with the new ones out that these coins can look several ways.  Also in the day of swiping my card, I find that I really don't know what money looks like.  


Several have asked.  The Spelling Goal for the year is List 25.  That is the minimum requirement.  I will let your child know what list he/she is on today.  I have some who are nowhere near that goal.

The move is a very time consuming process.  Even though I am retiring, I still have to leave an empty room.  I will try to leave the room intact for the kids until the last moment.  I will be working on the insides of cabinets and drawers for the most part.  That won't effect the kids much.  I will just get things emptied out and cleaned. 


THURSDAY IS AR DAY.  Everyone has one now!  Thanks to Mrs. Burk who helped us get there.  Please have your child in the shirt.  Several did not get to eat in the room last week because they did not have the shirt on.  I'd like to get a class picture with everyone in his/her AR shirt.


Let's wear class shirts on Friday.  Please have them ready for the week.

Remember that Friday is an Early Release and the School Carnival.  Come and enjoy the evening with the kids and our school family.  It is always a fun evening.  There will be lots of games, face painting, a haunted house (which many kids find really scary) and food (that is where I will be).  Come by and say hello.

Have a great week.

Week 31

Our story this week is a non fiction one called "How to Be a Nature Detective." The phonics sound to review is long o. The new vocabulary words are:

• clues
• detective
• floor
• nature
• piece
• pulls

This week we will finish out our unit about 2 & 3 dimensional shapes.  We continue to take timed tests to build automaticity on math facts to 10.

Here are some important dates from now until the end of the year.  Some things may change to facilitate the move to the intermediate school.

• April 18 - Walk to Forest Service.  CLASS SHIRTS ARE REQUIRED!
• April 20 - Science Day.  The kids will rotate through all classes doing experiments in each room.
• April 27 - Ronald McDonald and Early Release
• May 1 - Early Release
• May 2-4 - DIBELS Testing
• May 9 - Early Release
• May 10 - Show Choir comes to us at 1:15
• May 11 - Dome Day
• May 16 or May 23 - Walk to the park.  That date is undecided because of moving.  I will give you a final date at a later time.  The kids will need a lunch and to wear their class shirt.  Makes for easy finding of them in a giant group.
• May 21-22 - Early Release for packing and moving
• May 25 - Last Day

You might want to print this schedule and stick it to the fridge!!!


I have lots of parents who have signed up to go on the field trip.  I'd love for all of you to come.  We will leave the school about 8:45.  Please be at the school before then.  If you would rather not go, I have plenty of help.  Just make sure your child knows that you aren't going to come.  

Week 30

It is hard for me to believe that we only have 7 weeks of school left.  The year has flown by.


The kids seem to have settled in well again after Spring Break.  Sometimes that can be a difficult and chaotic time.  This group has done well.


Our story this week is a non-fiction piece called "Fishing Bears." It is an informational story about the Alaskan Brown Bear. The phonics lesson is reviewing the long sound of i, especially in words like kind and wild. The vocabulary list is short, only three words. They are:

• both
• during
• ready

In math we will finish up the unit on money and start working with geometric shapes, both 2 & 3 dimensional.  Some are still having trouble identifying the coins.  The most often mixed up are dime and nickel.  Your child should be able to identify dimes, nickels, quarters, and pennies.  You might do a bit of coin practice at home.

Your child should be on list 20 in spelling this week.  Most are doing quite well, but a few are many lessons behind.  

I have been giving out AR awards like crazy.  Wonder if anyone will make it to 200.  There is still plenty of time for that to happen.  I need to come up with a really good prize for that.  Any suggestions???

Have a great week.

OOPS!!!

I think I have made a HUGE mistake on the homework for tonight.  Just ignore it and don't do anything.  I don't keep a copy on my computer this year since I am retiring.  I hate to clean. . .even my computer.  The world isn't going to end over one Senior Moment.  Enjoy the evening and ignore the homework.

Week 29

I hope everyone had a restful Spring Break.  Mine was very busy.  We went to KS to do some planning for my son's wedding in October.  We now have a venue and menu for the rehearsal dinner, a wedding dress, and material for the invitations. On our way out of town Rick hit a jackrabbit.  It broke the bumper on my car!  We had to come back home and take the truck.  CRAZY!!!

Also my Kansas Jayhawks made it to the final game.  I am beyond excited.  I kind think Kentucky will have them for lunch tonight but it has been a great ride!

Our story for this week is "Frog and Toad All Year." It is a fiction piece that has a story within a story. The phonics focus is long a made by ai and ay. The vocabulary words for the week are:

• caught
• cold
• hurried
• near
• son
• sure

In math we will continue counting money.  We get dimes to count this week.  We will be counting collections of coins.

Remember that Friday is a day off since we didn't use any snow days.  

Let's fill a box for our soldier one more time this year.  I know that he enjoys the treats we send.  It is such a small thing to do for someone who is protecting our country.

Have a great week.