Monday, March 14, 2011

Tech Open House this Friday!

Wow!  Time is just slipping by so quickly.  We have been so busy the last few weeks.  Throw that in with a snow day and we are left with lots to do.  Before we know it, April will be here and we will be looking at  nearing the end of the school year.

A note was sent home last week inviting you to our Tech Open House this Friday, March 18th from 6-7 PM.  Students can bring their parents into their classroom and share what teachers have set up for the evening.  This can be using the smartboard, anything with lap tops, math games, science activities, and other uses of technology.  I have many things for the students to share this Friday so I hope that you will take some time to stop in 3B and see what they have to show you!!!!  There will also be a Book Fair in the Discovery Center (so bring those checkbooks) held by the PTO as well as cookies and punch.  Hope to see you with your 3B student this Friday!!!!!!

I also mentioned in my last post that I would be sending an activity on biographies home soon.  Due to MAPS testing coming up in April and lack of computers available, I had to push that activity back a month so look for more information to be sent home next week.  Without going into detail, this activity revolves around reading a biography and using a computer program called Animoto to create a digital story of the person from the biography.  We are adding a new twist to it this year and I know the students are going to have a great time!  Stay tuned for more information.....

The quarter did end last Friday and report cards will be sent home next Monday.  I wanted to have the science test on Force and Motion wrapped up before the end of the quarter, but the amount of snow days we had this quarter put a damper in getting that done.  We are close, but I don't think we will get it completed. Look for materials to study for science to be sent home sometime this week with the assessments being held next week.  Remember that I send home the information and study material very early to allow for ample study time so please work with your student on being responsible in his/her study habits.

That brings me to my final comment of the week. I don't know if your child has told you but we have been having some serious issues with responsibility and respect in 3B.  Last week an assignment was sent home and 6 students out of 20 returned it.  Students have been goofing off and being very disrespectful in specials (mainly music and art) to the point that I may have to go in and sit with the class to make sure they are acting as they should.  We have had a lot of disrespectful comments being made at recess between classmates that are hurtful and cause a lot of tears.  Now, while all these things are common this time of year, they also need to be addressed.  Students have shown that they can be very respectful and responsible while in our classroom, but the moment they leave or transition to something else, including PE, things seem to fall apart.  Because of this, I will be going back to using the "Character Counts Communique" sheets that I was using at the beginning of the year.  They are the green slips that students fill out if they have broken any of the pillars of Character Counts.  The student will then take the note home to be signed and returned to me.  This will hopefully open up communication between school and home.  I want to stress that this isn't EVERYONE in 3B, hardly.  But it is a problem (started when I was gone on vacation) and it needs to be dealt with.  I have chatted with the students.  They are aware that we will be working hard on staying positive and making the right choices.  But for those times that they don't, I want parents to be aware.

If you have any questions about the above comment, feel free to contact me.

Enjoy the week.  Sounds like there may be some sunshine coming our way....FINALLY!