October 28, 2016

 Good Morning,

   Another week is officially in the books.  It seems like October was nothing but a flash.  Here is the scoop from this week.  In writing, the students continued to focus on the editing process and finding ways to make their story interesting.  A few students have really gotten into the use of exaggeration. One story talked about a zip line that was "as tall as a sky scraper."  On Wednesday, the students continued focusing on adaptations.  This week they were asked to design clothing for a traveler that was heading to the extreme environment that they studied.  The class worked on this for over

 90 minutes with out wanting to stop.  They were challenged to think about how animals and plants adapted and to use those type of adaptations to create items for their traveler.  We will finish this project next Wednesday and then hang up the final pieces in the hallway outside the classroom.

 Election Update:  We will be heading to the new town hall on Friday to vote.  I have worked with the town clerk to set up some activities around the vote itself.  On Wednesday, the class will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the 2 candidates.  I can;t wait to see the results of our class vote.  If you pick up next week's issue of Seven Days, our class will be mentioned in an article about the election.

Golden Bucket Victory Photo

  Yesterday we completed a project that we have been working on, from time to time, over the past few weeks.  The students all created a miniature version of themselves.  I then had them put their name on a piece of blank paper and had them lay their papers across the tables.  We then had a discussion about adjectives/describing words.  The students were then given 10 minutes to walk around the room and write a describing word about each student (on each students paper).  When the ten minutes was up, each child had a list of kind words about themselves.  The students then chose four of the words they wanted and attached them to their "Mini Me."  These will be displayed around the room.  What was truly wonderful was the fact that so many of the kids wanted to keep the list of kind words.  It really made a lot of them smile to read such kind things about themselves.

  Yesterday, we learned that we won the coveted Golden  Bucket.  The class has really taken on Joe's challenge of cleaning up after ourselves, respecting our space, and Joe and Roy's work.  Needless to say the kids were psyched and there is already talk of a 3 Peat next month.  That's right, Back to Back Baby!!

NOTES:

*Halloween:  UNFORTUNATELY Halloween is on a Monday this year.  I am already lowering Tuesday's expectations by a bit.  However, I want to ask that the kids not wear their costumes during the day on Monday.  I would like to keep it as much of a normal day as I can.  That being said, if someone want to bring in a treat for the class, feel free to do so.  We will enjoy it right after lunchtime.  FYI: If I ever become president, I will mandate that Halloween is the last Saturday in October!!.

*Weekly News and Reading:  Your child has their Weekly News journal and a book or two to read over the weekend.  Remember, these are books that you can read to them too.  What ever works for your family works for me.

*BOOTS:  Boot season has come upon us.  Please remember to pack your child a pair of shoes on the days they wear boots.  Wearing boots all day is "clunky" for them and also causes other problems. We spend a lot of time on the floor and sitting on wet carpet is not fun for anyone.  Please feel free to leave a pair of shoes int he room if desired.

*THANK YOU!!  I want to thank all of you for getting the conference forms back to me.  I appreciate the quick turnaround an look forward to using them in my conference prep.  I look forward to seeing all of you next week.

That is all for now.  I hope you have a great weekend.

Peace,
Tommy