BUCKS FOR BUFUNDI

Our friends at New Times School in Uganda are currently working to build a new school.   New Times school will not only own this building themselves, but it will house better classrooms and more dorms for students who stay at the school year round. 

 Ellison is joining the campaign to support New Times School's goal of finishing this project by Feb 2013!  A lofty goal, but we can help! Bricks cost $1.00 and are hand made on site in Uganda!    


Ellison is hosting a Bucks for Bufundi event!  Starting Oct 1-12 we will collect bucks and students will write their name on a paper "brick" showing their support.   Also, a tree seedling will be planted in the Bufundi district in each donor's name.  This is an in country effort to replenish the wood in the region.  Each $1 donated not only buys a brick for the project, but also enables a tree to be planted in Bufundi, Uganda!  We are urging kids to bring their bucks to school and suggesting that parents have their children "earn" those bucks they'll be donating. 


Watch a 5 minute video to learn more about this opportunity to help our friends at New Times School!    

Book Orders Due on Wednesday

Please send $ and order forms to school with your child by Wednesday, Oct. 3rd OR you may order online by following the link below.  Our class activation code is L74PP.

https://clubs2.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/LogonForm?classActivationCode=L74PP

Online orders will receive a free $5 book coupon to use on future book orders .  Our class will also receive a $3 book coupon for each online order. 

Social Studies Test on WEDNESDAY

Your child should bring home a study guide tonight (in the Social Studies tab of their binder).  Students should use this guide to help direct their studying.  They will be allowed to use the essay portion of the study guide on the test!  Please encourage your child to use the study guide as they study for Wednesday's test!

DUE FRIDAY!!!!!

*Book Log 
     - 2 fiction, 1 nonfiction

*Book Reviews 
     - 2 (any genre)

*Reading Minute Calendar 
     - 300 minutes w/ parent signature

School Pictures!

School pictures will be this Friday, September 21st!  Please send your child to school with their order form and money on that day.

Spelling

You can expect your child to have a spelling test every Friday.    Student's are given 5 core words to learn each Monday.  They record those words in their yellow spelling journal (kept in their binder - which should come home EVERY night!) under the heading "Unit __ Word Preview."  Your child will also highlight the 5 core words on their word list (kept behind the spelling tab in their binder).  

There are 26 words on each test.  The 5 core words are guaranteed to be on their Friday spelling test as well as previous core words and previous priority words.  Previous core and priority words can be found on the word list behind their spelling tab in their binder.  These words should look familiar to you and your child.  They are words they mastered in past years.   

Each week when your child receives their graded spelling test back, it is your child's responsibility to write the words they missed in their yellow spelling notebook under the heading "Words to Know or Words to Study."  Remember those words will show up again.  When looking for words to study with your child for Friday test, you should study the words under the heading "Word Preview" as well as the words under the heading "Words to Know or Words to Study."

Your child should also study the 10 challenge words for each week.  These words are also listed in your child's yellow spelling notebook, under the heading "Challenge Words."

While the district's spelling curriculum can be somewhat  confusing to explain and quite different from the way we did spelling as a kid, it is a great curriculum!  It really paves the way for solid spelling and long term learning.   

If you have any questions after reading this post, ask your child to show you their spelling notebook and explain it to you - they get it!  And of course, feel free to email me with any questions as well.  :)

Something NEW!

We are getting organized!!!

Today each student put together a binder.  You can expect this binder to come home EVERY night!  Please ask your child about their binder and have them show you how it is organized.  Check for it each night, especially this week as your child is working on forming new habits and will probably need some extra reminders until they get in the "organized grove!"

Here's what you should see in your child's binder:

1.  Front Inside-Pocket: In the front inside pocket of the binder you will find graded papers, notes, and other important information that needs to come home.  This pocket should be cleaned out EVERY night!  If you need to send money, permission slips, weekly reviews, etc. back to school with your child; this is where it should go.  This section of the notebook will take the place of Friday folders. 

2.  Assignment Notebook: You're child should be filling this out daily.  It will give you a clue as to what we are learning each day at school and should help your child remember what homework they have for the evening.  

3.  Pocket Tab-Dividers: There should be one for each subject.  Your child will keep important information and notes that they'll need all year behind each subject's divider.  Homework/assignments should be kept in the pocket of each tab to be turned in the next day.

4. Spelling Notebook: Check this out when studying for spelling test.

5.  Reading Notebook: This may not stay in the binder all year (it may not fit as we fill the binder up) but should be kept in the binder for now.  Take a look at your child's reading notebook.  Have them tell you about each section.  Inquire about the response letters.  Find out what day your child's reading response letter is due and remind them to turn their journal in on that day.  (I remind them this at school as well, but I say the more the merrier!)

6.  Book Review Pad:  Students should keep this in the back inside pocket of the binder.  Student's will use these forms to complete book reviews.  2 book reviews are do at the end of each month.  Book reviews must be written on books that your child has completed.  Remind your kiddo  about book reviews.  We are halfway through the month, your child should be ready to complete their first September book review soon.   Both book reviews are not due until the last school day of the month, but I will be happy to accept them early if your child completes 1 or both book reviews before they are due.

Exit Tickets

We have a poster hanging on the door of our room.  The top of the poster reads "Exit Tickets."  I use exit tickets as a quick way to check if kids are "getting" what has been taught. 

Here's how it works:  
After I've taught a lesson I will ask the students a question about what has been taught.  The students will write the answer on a sticky note and place it on their corresponding number on the Exit Ticket poster.  They usually do this on their way out the door - hence the name exit ticket. :)  

Exit tickets can be useful in all subjects, but I primarily use them in reading.  For example, we spent time as a class comparing and contrasting fiction and non-fiction text features.  At the end of the lesson students were asked to read independently.  While reading independently students were to look for fiction or non-fiction text features (depending on what type of book they were reading).  Students were asked to record 1 example from their book on a sticky note and place it on the Exit Ticket.  I always read exit tickets to see which students are and aren't grasping the concept that has been taught.  I often, but not always, record a grade for exit tickets.  Exit tickets are usually worth 5 points each. 

Road Closure

Highway 6 will be closed on Wednesday, September 12th and Thursday, September 13th due to bridge repairs over the 102 River.   Please note that this may cause the afternoon bus routes to bring children home later than usual on Wednesday and Thursday.

Smile If You Love 6th Grade!!!!

Weekly Review

Each Friday your child completes a weekly review.  The weekly review is a simple recap of what they've learned and done at school during the week.  It is printed on blue paper and has a place for student, teacher, and parent comments.  I love writing notes to each student and look forward to reading their comments and parent comments as well.  Please fill free to ask me questions on the parent section of the weekly review.  You may also share something fun with me about your child.  I was excited to learn about a student who had an awesome play during his football game this weekend from the parent section of his weekly review!  It is also fine to write a note of praise to your child on the parent section of the weekly review. 

Please look for a blue weekly review to come home with your child EVERY Friday. Please sign and return the weekly review to school with your child EVERY Monday.  

I do grade weekly reviews.  They are recorded as reading grades.  Students are required to name the book they are reading and give a quick summary of what they've read each week on their weekly review.  While I will accept late weekly reviews, grades will be decreased by 10% each day they are late. 

Symphony

Grades 4,  5 & 6  will be attending the symphony on Thursday, October 11.  Permission slips were sent home today. 

Agandi!

Agandi is how our Ugandan friends say Hello! 

Each student and teacher at Ellison has a pen-pal from Uganda!  Ellison students began writing letters last spring.  When some of our Ellison teachers visited Uganda to deliver books this summer they also hand delivered our letters.  The Ugandan kids were ecstatic to receive letters from their American friends.  I've been told that they carried their letters with them everywhere and cherished everything about them! 

Mrs. Siela gifted each Ellison classroom with  pictures of our Ugandan pen-pal class.  It is neat to look at that picture and see what school is like for our friends at New Times School in Uganda.  Even more exciting Mrs. Siela delivered pen-pal letters back to us!  It was eye opening to read what our Ugandan friends had to say about themselves and life in Uganda.  We learned quite a bit about the culture differences between America and Uganda.  Have your child share some culture differences they learned about with you!   It was sad to see that several of our Ugandan friends have MUCH less than us, but encouraging to see that they are still able to thrive in many ways.  The school our Ugandan pen-pals attend, New Times School,  is a huge blessing to our pen-pals.  It is a private school and many children only attend because they are sponsored by American families (most right here in St. Joe!).  If you are interested in learning more about how you can sponsor some of our Ugandan pen-pals please follow the link below.  

http://rescuedreaders.org/make-a-connection-make-a-difference/contributors/
  
After spending a couple days discussing culture differences and learning about our Ugandan pen-pals we got to write them back!  We also took pictures of ourselves with the pen-pal letters we received to include with the letters we are sending. :) Our letters will be on their way to Uganda shortly as they travel with a U.S. friend who spends several months in Uganda each year.

If you haven't already heard about the cool video we watched on the first day of school, ask your child about it.  The video highlights the journey of the books Ellison sent to our friends at New Times School.  We got to see many of our Ugandan friends as well as their parents and teachers in the video.  We also got to hear and see a beautiful thank you from the school's head master, Grace. Check out this short, heart warming video that we watched the first day of school.

Also, look for your child's letter from their Ugandan pen-pal in their bag tonight!  And check out the pictures we sent by following the "McDowell Pics" link on our class webpage.

Reading Response Letters

     This year students will be writing letters to me once a week during Reader’s Workshop. Their letters will be a response to the book they are reading independently.  Letters will always be written in their reading notebooks.  Letters will be due on the day recorded on the front of their notebooks.  Late response letters will not be accepted.  These response letters will be a major part of your child's reading grade this year.  I expect your child to do his/her best each time they turn a reading response letter into me.  This will be a fun way for your child to share their thoughts about the books they are reading with me.  This process will help your child to become more aware of their thinking as they read as well as improve on expressing their thoughts through writing.

            There are certain things students will need to include in each response letter.  The date should always be in the top right hand corner.  Letters will always begin with a greeting and end with a proper closing as well as their signature. Each letter will need to include the title and author of the book they are reading.  Students will need to summarize what they've been reading in their book that week.  They should give me enough evidence to show that they really are reading the book.  Students should include several specific details in each letter.

Most importantly your child will need to share some of their thoughts with me as they relate to the text they are reading, because READING IS THINKING! Students could write about something new they've learned or something that surprised them while they read.  They could write about things they agree or disagree with in their book.  Students could write about any predictions they may have or questions that pop into their minds while they’re reading.  Students can also share connections they made to the text while reading.  

I will expect your child to use their best handwriting in their response journals.  Each letter should be 1 full page.  I can’t wait to read everyone's letters!