The Final Post

What a great year. It is one of the very best of my 41 year career. Thank you so much for sharing your child with me. Thanks for the support you have given me.

This is the incredible part. . .these kids passed 2,761 AR tests. That is just amazing to me for first graders who really don't even start taking tests until November or December. WHAT FANTASTIC READERS!!!

Thanks again for a great year!

Week 36

I guess we have reached the end!!! What a short and wonderful year.

Please read with your child this summer. Statistics show that kids can lose up to 70% of what they learned if it is not reinforced. Help your child not be a statistic!!

Do your child a favor. . .READ, READ, READ!!!

Thank you for sharing your child with me this year. It has been great.

More AR Photos

Here are more photos. What a bunch of great kids and all the great things they have earned. Such great readers.

More AR Photos

These kids have worked so hard.

Week 35

It is hard to believe that we are at the last story in our reading series. It is an informational fiction piece called "Baboon." Parts of this story are made up but parts give information about different African animals. The phonics skill is /oo/ making the sound it does in the word cool. The new vocabulary is:

against

careful

fine

quietly

shook

Math for the rest of the year will be a review.

Let me give you the schedule for the rest of the year. On Thursday we will be having Dome Day. Feel free to come watch in the stands if you haven't signed up to help. Your child will need a lunch. If you didn't order one, it is too late to do that. Please also try not to make any changes in bus arrangements for that day. Those who walk or are picked up will be bussed back to the school to meet you. Please do not pick up at the dome unless you are there watching or helping. It is too hard to sort out all the kids.

We will be walking to Ramsey Park on May 18th. I have several parents who will walk with us. Your child will need a lunch. There will be no lunches furnished from the cafeteria. I you can, please come join us for a bit at lunch. We will probably eat about 11:30. We will walk back to the back of the dome to catch a ride back to school on the bus.

I need a signed permission slip for both of the above mentioned activities!!! If your child doesn't have one, they will have to stay at school.

To say that AR has been a success this year is an understatement. I have never had this many kids earn this many awards. They are breaking me and it has been worth every cent!!! They have been incredible and have turned into AMAZING readers. My DIBELS scores are the best I've ever had. They have been so self motivated that I could almost just sit back and watch it happen. It is truly a great thing to look up from my reading table and see every child doing what they needed to be doing. Working on paperwork, reading, taking tests, etc. There was very little monkey business. I probably should retire. I'm not sure it will ever be this good again.

On Wednesday, May 19, we will have a read-a-thon. The kids can bring a pillow, blanket, stuffed animal, etc. to curl up with and read. If you would like to send a snack or drink to share during the day, that would be great. We will do Monster Sandwiches for lunch. It will be our last fling!!!

On Thursday we will scrub desks and get everything cleaned and stacked for the summer. If your child isn't going to be in school on that day please let me know. I think it is important that they learn to clean up the things they have used. I will have them do it earlier. Plus they have things to take home.

I'm sure we are missing a lot of books. Please check around your house to see if you have any of them. Books are expensive and you know the state of the school budget.

Thanks for sharing your children with me. They have been a real blessing!!!

Have a great week.

Week 34

This week we are reading "Sleep Is for Everyone." It is a nonfiction story giving information about why sleep is important, and giving facts and details about sleep. The phonics skill is the short e sound made by the letters /ea/ as in the word head. The new vocabulary is:

afternoon

bicycle

carry

hours

parents

We have reached the review chapter in math. Time and money remain the skills that need work. Most are comfortable with time on the hour and half hour. The quarter hour and 5 minute intervals are still a work in progress. Please use opportunities for you child to practice counting money over the summer break.

Most everyone is at level or beyond in spelling. That is really great. They have worked hard to get there.

I still have a couple kids that I would like to see earn a shirt by the end of the year. I hope they make it.

It is hard to believe that this school year is almost over. Time flies!!!

Have a great week.