Guest Teacher Monday & Tuesday

Good Morning-
WOW!!  What a great performance on Friday.  All the 3-6th graders did a great job and I can't be any more proud of them.  Great job to the soloists as well.
As you know I am not going to be here on Monday & Tuesday so please take this time to re-visit expectations with your child.  I have Christmas related learning activities set up for them.
On Tuesday, they will be watching the Santa Paws movie so they may bring a drink (with a lid) and a treat to have during the movie.  Also, that day is Pajama Day for the whole school as achieved our "Paws-i-tive" choices goal for the month of November.
Congratulations to Keilah, our Purple Hand recipient for the month of December.  She was nominated for her kindness, caring ways as well as being a helpful, good friend.  Good Job, Keilah.
I hope you and your families have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season.  If you can do that and visit with your child about expectations the next 2 days, write Merry Christmas in the planner for free money.
Cya next year.

Performance Tomorrow

Yes, tomorrow is the Christmas Performance.  Now is the time for them to shine and share all the hard work they have put into memorizing their songs and working on their singing voices.  They sound GREAT!!!  I also can't wait to see them all in their performance clothing.  Always a fun day to see them dressed up more than the ordinary days.
Green Note:  Yes, I sent a note home explaining my absence from school next Monday & Tuesday.  Thank you for your understanding in this and I know you will prepare your child to use even stronger positive character on those days.  I know they will be excited for the holidays, but I have confidence that they will hold it together and do well.  Like I said in the note, most of the curriculum those days is skill based, but centered around holiday activities.
Tomorrow is the last day for the Food Drive.
Library-we will not have Library tomorrow due to the concert, but they will have it on Tuesday, December 23rd so they can get new books for the holiday.
Congratulations to Paige, our student of the week.  We learned a lot about her and her favorites.  Here are just a few:  She likes turquoise, the book "Smile", basketball, pasta, tacos, art and playing LPS.  When she grows up, she hopes to be an Art Teacher and the things she doesn't think we know about her are that she can ride a horse bareback and that she can catch big fish.
Have a great night.

Happy Day

Today was a good day in Room 6.  We got our Unit 3 Selection 2 done in Lead 21 and are ready to write our summaries.  Also, our fun Rudolph stories are almost done too.  Ask your child about what color their Rudolph's nose turned and how it happened.  If your child is not in Lead 21, ask them about what their buddies Rudolph story nose turned to what color.  Write their new color in the planner for free money.
Also, today we finished Part 1 of our SE region test.  Students had to write down 6 locations we visited on the tour and 3 facts they learned about them.  Ask them about 2 of them and if they can tell  you, write SE in the planner.
Tomorrow is the states & capitals test along with the location.
Now that we had lots of good practice measuring things in the classroom today, we are ready to begin perimeter tomorrow.
Reminder:  Food Drive ends Friday as well as Animal Shelter collections.
Have a great night.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Today, Mrs. Neese had a great lesson to go along with the Rudolph book and our Character Counts meetings.  Ask your child what the lesson was all about and what their homework is for next week.  Unfortunately, I think there are many examples of this happening around us on a daily basis.  If they can tell you about the lesson & next week's assignment, write Rudolph in the planner.
Measurement-today we started measurement in math.  Learning the 3 benchmark fractions really helped us measure lines & things on our desks today.  If your child can tell you the 3 benchmark fractions, write them in the planner.   Tomorrow, they will partner up with someone in the room and measure objects around the room at 13 different stations.
Social Studies-we have finished our tour of the SE region and as we listened to facts & information for 10 different places of this region via a CD, students were to mark the locations on their individual maps along with writing facts about each place.  They will be allowed to use these for Part 1 of the test so hopefully they were paying close attention and marking their maps as I was marking a whole class map.  Sort of like an open book test (kind of like middle & high school) it pays to pay attention and take good notes.  Then on Thursday, they will have Part 2 of the test which is the states & capitals portion along with their location.
Reminder of 2 things on Friday-The Christmas Program at 10:15 & 2:00.
The Christmas Stroll from 6-8.
Also, Friday is the last day for Food Drive collection.  Continue to give generously.
Have a great night.

Happy Monday

Quick post today due to the fact not a lot of happenings since we tested most of the afternoon.  Those not here today, we will need to get you caught up this week.
Today the students were treated to a fun experience in the Star Lab with Mr. English.  Ask them about it and if they can give you some cool facts & things they learned, write Star Lab in the planner for free money.
Just a reminder that our states & capitals test is on Thursday.  We are practicing some at school, but they will need to study at home in order to master them.
Even though this is a busy time of year, make sure your child still takes time to read nightly and practice those spelling words too.
Make sure they dress for the weather this week.  They can have fun in the snow if they are dressed for it.
Have a great night.

Busy Week Ahead

Happy Friday!!!  As we look into next week it is going to be a busy, hectic week.  We are starting Monday off with our MAP (NWEA) Math testing in the afternoon.  Attendance is very important!!!!!!
Also, on Monday during PE time the students will have the opportunity to go into the Star Lab with Mr. English and have an astronomy lesson on star gazing.  This is pretty cool.  I used to facilitate Science lessons in the Star Lab years ago.
Thursday is our states & capitals test for the SE region so make sure you are studying not only them, but their location as well.
Friday of course is the Christmas Program at 10:15 & 2:00.  Choose one performance to attend.
Also on Friday is the Christmas Stroll sponsored by our wonderful PTA.  It is from 6-8.
In math next week we are working on our measurement unit.
In Lead 21, we are continuing with our Atlantic States.
Writing-Rudolph Stories
Language-continuation with verb unit
Spelling -Unit 15 words.
This is the last week for the Food Drive collection as well as donations for the animal shelter.  Have your kids tell you about the Santa Paws book we are reading and how Santa Paws is helping people in the community of Oceanport.
Have a great weekend.

Hat Day Tomorrow for $1.00

Yes, tomorrow students can wear a hat all day for $1.  Donation money will go to Mr. Goodheart and his Jazz Band at Riverside so they can make a trip to Helena to play at the capital.  If you can, have fun, wear a hat, and help out a great cause.
Today in Math we learned some strategies to use to solve 2 digit x 2 digit multiplication problems.  Ask your child what their strategy is and have them do the problem 12 x 25.  If they come up with the correct answer, write the name of their strategy in the planner for free money.
Rylee was our Student of the Week this week.  We learned some of her favorites:  black, scrapbooking, Denver Broncos, dirt bikes & 4 -wheelers, and Math.
Remember Spelling test tomorrow.
Keep practicing those SE states & capitals.  Test will be on Thursday, December 18th.
Have a great night.

Short Post/Staff Meeting Today

Just a quick note to let you know that we had a great day with testing today.  Most students went up with their RIT scores.  I will be letting you know when we get Math done next Monday what the scores were for both of them.  Thank you.  So yes, make sure your child is in attendance Monday to do the Math portion of the testing.
Just a reminder that the 2nd graders are still collecting food for the food bank until Friday, December 19th.  Thank you for your generosity.
Also, we are still filling our stocking for the Animal Shelter animals.  I know it is asking a lot to help with all these donations, but if you can that is great and if not, no worries.
Tomorrow is PE so get those PE shoes here.
One last reminder:  The Christmas Program is on Friday, December 19th at 10:15 & 2:00.  Make plans to attend one of the performances.
In fact, today's blog question is to ask your child their favorite song for the Christmas Program.  Write it in the planner for free money.
Have a great night.

Survival in Social Studies

Yes, today the name of the game was Survival in the Jamestown colony of the Southeast region.  Today we learned about some of the hazards the colonists encountered on their journey over from England along with how their life was once they got here.  Ask them about the game they played with partners as to what happened to them and then what they told John in the letter that they had to write to him either convincing him to stay or to come over to live.  Write either "stay" or "come" in the planner depending on what their advice was.
Tomorrow is MAP testing for the reading portion.  Please make sure your child gets a good night's rest, healthy breakfast, along with bringing a protein filled healthy snack for the morning before testing.
They may bring come to chew to help them relax during the test.
 They will do great and this test is to show the growth they are making so far this year and if any interventions are needed at this time.
Remember to make plans to attend one of the Christmas programs on December 19th.  Due to overcrowding, we are asking you to come to only one of the performances as it will be the same thing both times anyway.
It was great to hear how many of you had a discussion about our word of the week -"greedy" and how it is better to "give" rather than "receive".  I so hope all these Character Counts meeting discussions will make a lasting impression.
Have a great night.

Happy Monday

I hope you were able to see your child's midterm over the weekend.   They are very aware of the fact that there is time to make improvements before the report cards go out around the 3rd week of January.
Thank you to those of you that brought food for the food bank.  Keep it coming as the 2nd graders are collecting it every day and we can see the pile of food grow!!!!  Also, thank you to those of you that brought in items for our shelter animals.  They will love you.  Keep it coming also.  We will be collecting through December 19th.
Also, on December 19th is the Music Program.  I hope you looked at your schedule and have made plans for one of the two performances.
Tomorrow is the holiday lunch.  We have lunch at 12:10 if you are joining your child.
Today, we started our tour of the Southeast Region.  We learned about 2 places in Florida.  Ask your child what they are and if they can tell you, write them in the planner for free money.
Reminder:  We are taking our MAP reading test on Wednesday during our reading block time so please make every effort to have your child here so they don't have to miss class time to make it up.
In math today, we had fun using data to find the range, median, and mode.  This is W3 on IXL if they wish to practice it tonight on computer.
Today our word for SchoolToolsTV/Character Counts meetings is greedy.  We had a great discussion about it this morning and how we can turn that word around especially this holiday season.  Ask your child what we talked about today about # of gifts.
Have a great night.

Happy TGIF & Mid-terms Went Home

Wow!!!  This week went super fast!!!!
Today was a great day from start to finish.  We had a great morning meeting with our topic of discussion being on "how to encourage others".  Lots of insight & good ideas shared.  I am so happy at what a great team this bunch is getting to be.  Then we moved on to graphing ordered pairs in Math which they loved and found quite easy which was a good break from the more difficult skills/tasks we have been working on.  They then went to work on it in IXL and loved that they were able to get through I2 & I4 rather quickly.
Great discussions today by all the groups in Lead 21.  We are learning many fun, new things about the Atlantic States like how coal & rock are formed.  Also a lot about the areas geography, economy, history, and culture.
Buddies today consisted of helping them make some addition flash cards and then to read.  Love watching them all work together and be kind to each other.
Geography Challenge 6A in Social Studies is complete so now on Monday we will start the tour of this region and like I said earlier, the states & capitals test will be sometime the week of December 15th.
Next week's happenings:
First of all, we are actually going to be taking our Winter MAP tests before the Christmas Holiday so we can come back from break and really teach strong without any testing interruptions for a while anyway.  So on Wednesday, December 10th, we will start with the reading test and then on Monday, December 15th, we will take the Math one.  These tests will show the amazing growth they have made in those areas so far this year.  So please see to it that your child is here for sure on those days.  Thank you.
In Math, we will start our Measurement Unit with measuring and finding more area & perimeter.
In Social Studies, our tour of the SE region
In Science, we will begin our Electricity Unit
Spelling-Unit 14 words
Language-helping & linking verbs
Reminders:  Food Drive starts Monday
Collection of $, toys, or food for the Animal Shelter
PTA sponsored movie "Frozen" tonight.  Remember free money if you go.  Just write Frozen in the planner if you attend.
Have a great weekend.

Combination of Math & PE Today

Today we added a little PE to our math lesson on Line plots.  Ask your child what a line plot is and what kinds of things we did to collect & record our data.  Fun & learning was had by all.  I think they were surprised that this "old" teacher of theirs could actually get down on the floor and do a couple of these activities.  HaHa  If they can tell you about it, write line plot in the planner.
Food Drive:  Bitterroot 2nd Graders are sponsoring a Food Drive starting on Monday.  Please send non-perishable items to school with your child.  Thank you for your help in advance.
Speaking of helping out this holiday season, we have had some great discussions during our morning meetings about what it means to "give" during this holiday season.  We know our school & community is great about helping children with the angel trees around town along with "Toys For Tots" and food drives for families, so we are taking another "spin" on it and helping out our animals in needs.  We are reading a book called "Santa Paws" in our class right now.  It is a book about a puppy who gets separated from his family and has to survive on his own.  So to go along with this,  we are going to take on a community project by helping our animal shelter.  Students have discussed & agreed that they will help fill our empty stocking in our room whether it be by donating money, toys, or food for the shelter animals. I don't want students to empty their piggy banks or beg from you, but only if they want to give.  Also talked about how they could do "odd" jobs for extended family or neighbors to raise a few dollars.  Then right before the holidays, the donations will be delivered to the shelter.  Remember this is OPTIONAL!!!!  Thank you again in advance for your help.
Remember spelling test tomorrow.
Also, get those library books back for Library tomorrow.
YAYYYY!!!  Cole did a great job sharing his Student of the Week things today.  We learned lots about him.  Here are some of his favorites:  he likes the color aquamarine, swimming (which is probably why his favorite color is what it is), Science.  After school he likes to talk and when he grows up he wants to be an inventor.  The funny thing we learned about him is that he can't roll his tongue.
We sure liked his Newton's Cradle.  I think he should get a commission from the Happy Days store in the mall after today as we were told by another student that that is where they can be purchased and I think everyone in the class wants one now so surely their sales will increase!!!!!
Have a great night.

Christmas Program Tryouts

Wow!!!  I am sitting here right now as they are having music in our classroom and trying out for solo parts for the Christmas Program.  Mrs. McKinnsey has a very difficult decision in making her choices.  Yikes-so excited to hear all these AMAZING voices!!!!  Guaranteed to have a great performance.
Today in math we learned about area & perimeter.  Ask your child the difference between them and to find the perimeter and area of a rectangle that has dimensions of 6 inches by 4 inches.
Write the P=  and A= in the planner for free money.
In Social Studies we are working on the Geography Challenge for this region.  It consists of port cities & coastal plains. Ask your child what each of these are and if they can tell you write SE in the planner.
IXL practice tonight-please have your child practice the skill they have chosen to work on tonight.
If they do, write IXL in the planner.  They have each received a card of skills they need extra practice & work on so these are the ones they are to work on at home as well as at school.
Remember tomorrow is PE so get those shoes here.
Bitterroot PTA presents FROZEN on Friday December 5th from 6-8:00.  Free money if you go.  Have fun.
Have a great night.

Southeast States & Capitals Map Went Home Today

Yes, we finished making our flash cards for school practice and started our Geography Challenge for the Southeast Region so the maps went home today.  So it is time to start practicing and memorizing these for the test that will be Dec. 18th or 19th.  Remember not only do they need to know the capitals but the locations as well.
We started Lead 21 Unit 3 today too and it is so great that this is all about the Atlantic States which are part of the Southeast Region so we will learn lots of information about this area regarding its' history, culture, geography, and economy.
We are working hard on Elapsed Time in Math yesterday & today.  Have your child show you our we are using timelines to help us master this skill.  It is a great strategy and works every time provided they make & use the timeline correctly.  So have them show you how to do the following problem in the planner.  Start time:  2:53   ---End time:  4:21---What is the elapsed time.  Write it in the planner for free money.
IXL math-when your child is practicing these skills at home, make sure they are using scratch paper to solve the problems before submitting their answers.  Skills for this week to work on at home are:  O5, J1, D5, D6, and U1. Thank you
Holiday meal slips-if you plan to have the holiday dinner with your child here at school, return the form ASAP.  Thank you
Naming the new school, mascot, and colors-remember to get your ideas in to me by December 9th.  Thank you
Have a great night.

Happy Monday

Good day today for the first day back from our wonderful break.   I hope you had a great time with family & friends.  I sure did and got all my Christmas decorating done both inside & out.
Naming the new middle school-yes, the school district is wanting input on naming the new middle school along with a mascot & colors.  Students have an opportunity to come up with their ideas and write them down on the large index cards that they were able to take home tonight if they chose to.  Also, they need to give 1-2 reasons why they chose the name, mascot, and color(s) they did.  Then we will get together as a 4th grade and come up with one idea to enter as the 4th graders from Bitterroot Elementary.  Deadline for this process is on December 12th. Have fun and be creative.  Remember this is optional.
Today we started our Southeast states & capitals.  We didn't quite finish our flash cards today so I didn't send the practice maps yet as they will go home tomorrow.  But see if your child can name at least 2 states in the region-if they can, write them in the planner for free money.
Lead 21-all projects are done and shared so now we are on to Unit 3 which parallels our Southeast region in Social Studies.
Unit 13 spelling list.
Make sure you get your November reading calendars back to me tomorrow if you haven't already done so.  Decembers will go home tomorrow.  They didn't get back from print shop today.
Have a great night.