Sunday, April 22, 2012

4/23 - 4/27

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We are looking forward to a terrific week!

This week, we will be learning:

Reading: Spelling numbers, starting a novel study by Andrew Clements
Math: Fractions (Equivalent, Comparing)
SS: SE Suitcase Project
Writing: Finish Acrostic Poems, Concrete Poems

Reminder: No School on Friday! Staff Development Day

Field Trip
Field Trip letters went home on Friday. We will be traveling to Arabia Steamboat Museumand WyandotteCounty Parkon Friday, May 18. The cost is $5.25 per child. I am in need of 3-4 parents to attend the fieldtrip. Each parent will assist a small group of students throughout the day. We will depart school at 8:30 A.M. and return no later than 2:30 P.M. Unfortunately, there is little room on the bus, so we are asking that parents carpool, and follow the bus. This can be coordinated among those parents driving. Adults will be responsible for covering their own admission which is $12.50 (to be paid at the museum).
Please let me know if you are interested in being of assistance on this awesome field trip.

Earth Day Celebration
This Monday, we will be honoring Earth Day! All 4th grade classes will be switching and going to different stations to learn more about our Earth. Here's a look at what we'll be doing:

#1           Sunflower Power: Master Gardener's, Ms. Caplinger, Ms. Darlene
·         This station will be run by a member of the Master Gardener program in Leavenworth Co.  They will have the seeds and soil for this project and something to plant them in. We will provide the cups to carry plants home, tubs to carry them back to classrooms, spoons for measuring, water container and water for the plants.  Teachers will be there to assist in the planting and any discussion you would like to input for this station in regards to planting importance, needs of plants, and control of the station. I have all the supplies in my room and they will be placed on the picnic tables outside of the staff restrooms. 

#2           Rescuing Resources: Mrs. Evans       

·         Renewable/Nonrenewable resources in our environment. Discussion game of placing the resources in categories. Brainpop video on natural resources  and the importance of conserving them for the future.  

#3           What is Water?: Cheryl & Gary Rader, Mrs. Munsterman                      
·         Water Jeopardy game that will be run by Cheryl and Gary Rader. They have everything for this activity. If you get time to review the vocab I e-mailed you last week, it would help the kids do better on the game.

#4           We’ve Got the Power!: Brenda Taxeras, Ms. Sheeley, Ms. Sarah       
·         Brenda Taxeras of K-State Extension and Research will present on power sources of the future. She will be bringing wind turbines and solar panels for the kids to see how nature’s energy turns to power. This station will be outside the west green hall doors. She will need the long table in my room and the students will have to sit on the sidewalk. In the event of rain, this will move into Ms. Caplinger's room.

#5           Mr. Grass Head: Mrs. Beahan, Mrs. Doyle                
·         Mrs. Beahan & Mrs. Doyle will be doing an activity on erosion prevention and planting.  The student council has given us funds to purchase the supplies for this project.

#6           The Three R’s: Sara Conrad, Mrs. Lynn                               
·         Sara Conrad will talk about the recycle program in Lansing and our school. She will reinforce the importance of recycling, reducing, and reusing items. By doing this we can all make a difference in the future of our earth. She will do a trash sorting game with the students and she has all the supplies needed.

#7           Pop Your Brain!: Ms. Rosenthal                      
·         Have students discuss with a partner for 2 minutes what things we do to protect the environment. Make a list or have students write down things.  Show the Brainpop video about the environment. http://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/humansandtheenvironment/preview.weml    (7min) There is a book about the environment to read to the class and have them discuss the things they forgot to mention in the earlier discussion.  

#8           Turn It Off!!!: Jana Stanfford, Mrs. Lamar                                
·         Jana Stafford from the LanDel Water Department will talk about water and not wasting it in our daily lives. She will do a demonstration on this with the students. She will need a table or a desk for this.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

4/16 - 4/20

Wow! What a week we had at LES. I'm sorry I forgot to update this past week. With math state assessments, I completely forgot. Thanks for being so understanding!

We are OFFICIALLY finished with state assessments! I am so very proud of our 4th graders. They worked so hard and I am very pleased to say that we did an AWESOME job!!! Truly, I cannot be more happy with the progress our students made this year. I am very proud to claim them as my own - especially my very 1st class! WOOHOO!

Our reading pizza & movie party was a lot of fun. The students have earned an "electronic" party this Friday for their math performance. I will be giving more information about that this week as to what can be brought to school.

With testing complete, we can move along. Here's what we've been up to and what we will be doing this next week:

Reading: Figurative Language & Poetry
Math: Fractions - Equivalent, Comparing, etc.
SS: Northeast states, U.S. Regions Group Project
Writing: Poetry - Creature poems, Acrostic, Concrete

The Egg Drop Experiements were phenomenal! The students all brought creative contraptions to school. A total of 14 out of 23 eggs survived! Very impressive!

Our final field trip is coming up! I will be sending home permission slips and information about our field trip on May 18th. Until then, I'm going to keep it a surprise! :)

Monday, April 2, 2012

4/2 - 4/6

Hello Everyone!

It's that time again ... State Assessments. Please bare with us as we try our hardest this week! We have worked so hard this year and are ready to show off our skills!!!

Reading: State Assessments, Poetry
Math: Review topics for State Assessment
SS: Northeast Region - States project with a partner
Writing: Quiz Bowl - Final Week! :)

**Due to Reading State Assessment, there will be NO SPELLING THIS WEEK.

**Report cards went home last Friday (March 30th). Please be sure to review the report and comments. Send back the yellow slip of paper to verify you have seen this!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

3/26 - 3/30

Hope everyone had a refreshing spring break!

This week will be very busy ...

Reading: Review for State Assessment
Math: Review for State Assessment
SS: U.S. Regions
Writing: Quiz Bowl

With State Assessments right around the corner (NEXT WEEK), please be sure to talk with your child about the importance of doing your best! They did AMAZING on the science assessment and I know they will be GREAT on the reading/math!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

:)

Exciting News!
Excited students and teachers are in a buzz around the school this spring. With a lot of extra time filling out grants for technology support in our school, Mrs. Kelly and Mr. Newton were able to accomplish this excitement for us.  We are so excited to have three class sets of IPods that will be used in the classrooms at each grade level 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Each grade level has a set to share and will rotate them around to each teacher so that every student will get the opportunity to use them each week two to three times. We have support applications that will enhance our curriculum, teach technology skills, and be a fun way to learn skills in all areas.
We are so fortunate to have this opportunity and wonderful administration that support new technology in our school.  When you come by the school sometime please take a moment to thank Mrs. Kelly, Mr. Newton, and the teachers for giving so much time and effort to your child’s education in Lansing Elementary. Lansing students and teachers are very fortunate to be cared about so much!

Science State Assessment

The kids did AWESOME! The preliminary scores are amazing and I couldn't be any prouder of our 4th grade class! I will share the scores with individuals as soon as I can.


Have a wonderful spring break!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

3/12 - 3/16

Sorry this is a bit late. We are having a BUSY week!

Science State Assessment is this week! CRAZY! It is this Tuesday & Wednesday! We talked about the importance of getting a good night of sleep and eating breakfast. We will be having snack/breakfast before the test, and any child that doesn't bring a snack will be given the choice of pretzels.

This week we will be learning:

Reading: Figurative Language (using idioms, metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole), reading The Bunyons
Math: Basic Fractions, Factors, Prime & Composite Numbers
Science: State Assessments
Writing: Quiz Bowl

**Dr. Seuss Timeline is due Wednesday, March 14th! Guidelines were sent home last Friday.

We are looking forward to Spring Break! Only a couple of days away!

Monday, March 5, 2012

3/5 - 3/9

Here's what we will be learning about this week:

Reading: Main Idea & Detail - Our story is about the Grand Canyon. This goes great with our science topic!
Math: Finishing up Measurement, Test on Friday!
Science: Rocks & Minerals, Electricity/Magnetism
Writing: Quiz Bowl

State Assessments are approaching!
Science: March 13th & 14th
Reading: April 2nd - 5th
Math: April 9th - 13th


**Please DO NOT schedule appointments on these dates. Also, make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. These tests are not easy, so they need all of their energy!! Thank you for all of your support as we gear up for state assessments!  


Our Fieldtrip is this Thursday! We will be seeing The Lorax at the Legends KC! Please send your child with a sack lunch!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

2/27 - 3/2

This week we will be learning about:

Reading: Main Idea & Details, Dr. Seuss - his life & works (Literature study)
Math: Measurement - Customary/Standard & Metric system
Science: Weather - water cycle, tornadoes/hurricanes, Rocks & Minerals
Writing: Quiz Bowl time - groups will be working together to cover state assessment questions

President Posters:
The President Poster projects were awesome! I can tell that the kids really got into them. We will be doing another social studies project in the near future where the kids are going to be able to create a timeline. I look forward to giving you the details soon!

Upcoming Field Trip:
We are very excited to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday and review our science recycling unit by viewing the movie, The Lorax (PG). The movie covers part of our science curriculum (environmental) as well as reading literature.
When: March 8th (Thursday)

Where: Legends Theater (Kansas City, Kansas)

Time: Depart at 8:40am – approx. noon

Cost: $10/child, **Cost covers ticket, bus fee, & small kids snack pack/drink

*Due to limited seats, we are not able to accommodate additional volunteers for this trip. Thank you for your understanding.

Permission slips and money are due by: MONDAY, MARCH 5th

**Cold Sack Lunch Needed**

Have a wonderful week!

Monday, February 13, 2012

2/13 - 2/17

You know that feeling when you wake up after a full night's sleep and rush to see if school is canceled?!? We sure do, and we were super dissapointed to find out that we had to come to school today! Everyone was expecting a snow day! However, we are trying to move on and get back into the groove.

This week we will be learning:

Reading: Sequence - determining the order in which story events occur
Math: measurement - reviewing length and how to measure with a ruler, understanding capacity (cups/quarts/pints/gallons)
Science: Ecosystem projects - each group has an ecosystem they are researching
Writing: Persuasive letters to Mrs. Kelly ***We only have 15 minutes for writing, which is why we stay on one topic so long. As much as I don't like it, I guess 15 minutes is better than no time!

Valentine's Day Party
  • The Valentine's Day party is TOMORROW - TUESDAY the 14th! Please be sure to send Valentine's for all the members of our class! The class lists went home last week. Then names are listed below just in case you did not get one. If you volunteered to bring something, please send it with your child in the morning if you cannot come! If you forgot if you signed up, I can let you know if/what you signed up for!
    • Aliciya, Brandon, Gage, Blake, Jahnessa, Segen, Tayler, Madeline, Benjamin, Jadan, Jacob L, Hailey, Nevaeh, Derrick, Julia, Alexis, Nathan, Jacob V, McKinzie, Trevor, Sarah, Jamie, Patrick, Jordan
The kids have been working really hard with their studies. The content we are going over this month can be quite challenging. Measurement is a difficult topic for students to grasp. Please discuss the importance of measurement and help your child as they work on their homework! Also, their spelling words this week are a bit tougher. I pointed out the pattern of the endings (-ation, -ition, -al, -ial). If they recognize the pattern, the list should be easier for them to study!

Spelling words can be found at: www.spellingcity.com/Janae25 Theme 5 - List 23.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

2/6 - 2/10

Can you believe that we are already 1/12th through the new year?!? Nuts! What's even more nuts? We'll be starting to work on fractions by the end of this month! Scary times ahead!

But before we get there, here's what we'll be studying:

Reading: Character/Setting/Plot
Math: Finish up Perimeter/Area/Volume, begin Measurement
Science: Ecosystems
Writing: Persuasive letters to Mrs. Kelly

Thank you all so much for taking the time to visit at Parent/Teacher Conferences. I loved getting to meet with all of you and brag about your kids! They are working so hard and really learning a lot!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

1/30 - 2/3

Hello! This is a very busy, yet short week! We will be learning:

Reading: Review of character, setting, plot
Math: Perimeter, Area, Volume & State Assessment Prep
Science: Ecosystems
Writing: Conference Prep. for parents, Mini-conferences with teacher

The music program was very successful! Thanks for all of your support during their practices and performances. The kids are lucky enough to get to put on the play for the school this week! The performance will be on Tuesday, January 31st at 2pm.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are this week! I look forward to seeing all of you! :)
**Remember, there is no school on Thursday & Friday.**

Monday, January 23, 2012

1/23 - 1/27

This week, we will be learning:

Reading: Character, Setting, & Plot events - how they rely on one another to create a story, determing importance
Math: Geometry test on Thursday, start Area, Perimeter, Volume
Science: Changes to the Earth's Surface (erosion, weathering, rocks/minerals, earthquakes, etc.)
Writing: Persuasive writing - writing a persuasive letter to Principal Kelly

Music Program
**This is a reminder that the 4th grade Music Program is tomorrow night (Tuesday - 1/24)! The kids need to be in the LHS auditorium by 7:10pm. They have been working really hard and both music teachers think that this could be one of the best programs ever! That's very high praise!! Hope to see you all there!

Spelling
**Reminder: All spelling lists are located on www.spellingcity.com/Janae25. This week's list is Theme 5, Lesson 21.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

1/17 - 1/20

Remember: NO SCHOOL on Monday!

This week we will be learning about:

Reading: Review Theme - We will listen to several books and identify the theme of the story.
Math: Start Geometry unit - Shapes & their characteristics, Review congruent and similar objects.
Science: Finish up sound unit, Changes to the Earth's surface
Writing: Persuasive writing

The students have been working really hard! We did a snow day dance this last week, but I guess we didn't dance hard enough! We will have to try harder next time.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

1/9 - 1/13

Hope everyone had a wonderful break! This past week, we transitioned back into school mode. We learned about prefixes/suffixes, nutrition, stem and leaf plots, and took our winter benchmarks.

This week, we will be learning about:

Reading: Theme - moral/lesson of the story
Math: Test on Mean/Median/Mode/Range on Tuesday, Review of patterns & Input/Output Tables
Science: Nutrition, Sound
Writing: How to write a Letter

*State Assessments*

We are working hard on preparing for the state assessments. Please look at the dates below! It is extremely important that all doctor appointments, vacations, etc. be scheduled around these testing dates!

Science - March 13 & 14
Reading - April 2-5
Math - April 9-13


With the science test being before spring break, it is imperative that the kids get as much science instruction as possible. With that being said, social studies grades will be minimal for Quarter 3. The majority of social studies curriculum will occur in Quarter 4. Thank you for being understanding! It is crucial that the students review and learn as much science concepts as possible for maximum success! 

About Me

My photo
I have always known that my career would involve working with children. I volunteered and worked with a summer camp in Derby, KS for eight summers, to which I owe my games and song collection that are popularly used in the classroom. I am an alumna of the sorority Alpha Gamma Delta and the University of Kansas. I have been happily married for over two years to my best friend, Eric. Together, we share a three year old beagle, Ellie May. I enjoy reading, playing board games, and watching Grey’s Anatomy. I am so grateful to do what I love everyday. I cannot wait to teach this new group of 4th graders!