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!
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!
*Book Log
- 2 fiction, 1 nonfiction
*Book Reviews
- 2 (any genre)
*Reading Minute Calendar
- 300 minutes w/ parent signature
School pictures will be this Friday, September 21st! Please send your child to school with their order form and money on that day.
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. :)
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.
