Book Sale Update

Posted February 8, 2010 By Suzy Brooks and has no comments yet.

What a great day we had today!  Our friends from the Rotary Club came to talk to all of us in the Family Pod first thing this morning.  We sang our Family Pod Song, and then listened as we heard all about ShelterBoxes and how they are distributed to those in need.  Our Family Friends asked some great questions.

We then paraded up to the lobby, where we were able to view the contents of a Shelter Box. Students were amazed to see all the items that fit into those valuable boxes!

The Family Pod Book Sale is taking shape - with volunteers arriving all day long to help sort, and stack books.  Volunteers are still MORE THAN WELCOME to come in and help us this week during the sale.  Parents can stop by during school hours to purchase books, too!

Enjoy our photos!!









Categories: Family Pod, Projects

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!!!

Posted February 7, 2010 By Suzy Brooks and has no comments yet.

I’m sure we are all looking forward to a week-long vacation. We have a lot of learning to squeeze in this week, and a serious month of learning when we return.

Take the opportunity to enjoy the time off. Complete a project, relax, visit with friends and family. Try to squeeze in some reading, and some math fact practice, though – so we can hit the ground running on your return. On the horizon is our next math unit: working on double-digit multiplication (24X3=?). We have continued practicing math facts in class through the use of games, flash cards, and mini-quizzes.

Groundhog day brings about another ORQ relating to calendar math. I find it is tricky for students to calculate when the Groundhog’s 6 weeks of winter would have ended. While we will be working more on calendar math problems in class, I encourage you to talk about the calendar at home. How many days until the weekend? How many weeks until vacation? What is the date 3 weeks from today? How many days are in this month? Any practice students receive at home will help them in school.

So, everyone here at the Superbowl party says “hello!” while I correct papers, search the Web, write newsletters, read articles and upload some photos to the blog (have you seen it lately??). Hopefully I won’t get any onion dip on your homework!!

Thank you to those who returned their Reading Street survey. I love our new reading program, and can already see results in student learning. Don’t wait for a survey to ask questions or voice opinions. That’s what I’m here for.

Friday, our Olympic Written report is due - not the poster. Students should also bring a bag or box for their valentines. If you are participating, please include everyone in our class.

If you would like to send in some type of goody for Friday, feel free. I will provide juice and paper goods.

READ THE DATES ON THE LEFT — LOTS of information!!

I heart school!

Mrs. Brooks

feb-8doc

Categories: Homework, Newsletters, The VIrtual MOOSE

Winter Haiku

By Suzy Brooks and has no comments yet.

As part of our Poetry wrap-up, students were asked to write a Winter Haiku…

Enjoy!!

Winter Olympics

Mens’ Snowboarding and Hockey

Playing in the cold

~Ben


Snowshoveling and

Snowball fights and snowmobiles

Winter is awesome

~Christopher


I like vacation

So I can play outside too

I can’t wait to play

~Jacob


Wintertime is here

Snowflakes falling on the ground

I love wintertime

~Angelina N.


Icicles dripping

Snow falling on the pine trees

Lots of cool snowmen

~John


Lights go on the house

Pretty lights all through the night

We have a nice light

~Aundria


Winter snow falling

Christmas is coming quickly

Beautiful shapes fall

~Carly


Snow fell on the ground

Very much snow in the air

Snowmen are right here!

~Victoria


I like snow so much

Because I can make a snowman

I love snow so much

~Sean


People are in shops

snow-covered trees are nice

presents everywhere!

~Nathaniel


Christmas is coming!

It’s a winter wonderland!

I want hot cocoa

~Isabelle


I built a snowman

it has a pipe in its mouth

and seven buttons

~Nicholas


Snowflakes are falling

The holidays are coming

I made a snowman

~Angelina D.


Snow is very white

I play in it all the time

It is very cool

~Jackson


Winter.  Cold, icy

freezing, pale, chilly, freezing

Really awesome snow!

~Lauren


It is wintertime

And snow is falling softly

And we get to sled.

~Peter


Categories: Student Writing

Haiti ShelterBox Book Sale

Posted February 5, 2010 By Suzy Brooks and has 5 comments.

The Family Pod has been working hard to organize a fundraiser to benefit the people of Haiti. We are collecting gently used books to sell here at school. The books, priced between 25 and 50 cents, will be on sale here from Tuesday to Thursday next week. Proceeds will go towards the purchase of a ShelterBox — check out the website to find out more! ShelterBoxUSA

Today, we had 100 kids sorting, separating, and stacking books of all genres. They worked together wonderfully as Caboodles, and as an entire team.

If you are available to volunteer anytime this coming week, let us know - we could use you!!

Check out the pictures!!





Categories: Family Pod

Guest Blogger

Posted February 2, 2010 By Suzy Brooks and has 1 comment.

Kendyl has been asking me for permission to post on our blog - so now she has her own page. She’s already asking me if any students have left comments for her….. So, hurry up and comment!!!

Click on Kendyl’s Korner from the list of Pages on the right hand side of your screen.

My 7th grade picture (Kendyl's not Mrs. Brooks')

My 7th grade picture (Kendyl's not Mrs. Brooks')

Categories: Announcements

Lifelong Learning

Posted January 31, 2010 By Suzy Brooks and has no comments yet.

After I finish typing up this week’s newsletter and finish correcting your homework assignments, I will get to work updating our Home on the Web. Every week, I post this newsletter, along with the announcements below, important dates, weekly homework and anything else I can think of. Oftentimes, I also add some of the special activities we participate in.

Soon, I will be attending a FableVision workshop where author Peter Reynolds will be presenting. I will be learning more about how to infuse creativity into the classroom. Funny, the goal of this workshop is to engage, inform and inspire; precisely what I try to do in Room 309 each day.

In March, I have been invited to present at a Technology Leadership Symposium sponsored by MassCUE (MA Computer Using Educators). The course I will teach will focus on how we integrate technology here in Room 309, and I have also been asked to participate in a panel-discussion surrounding the topics of technology in the classroom. It will be interesting to “simulate” our classroom with a group of adults!

The book all attendees are requested to read is 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times by Trilling and Fadel. It helps to frame my presentation, as well as my learning.

I have always loved school, so taking classes is something I consider fun. As much as the added workload is a challenge for me, I always enjoy the opportunity to grow as a teacher and a learner.

Thank you for returning the math parent questionnaire. I appreciate the insight you have given me into your children and our program. Keep your eyes peeled, I might even send home an ELA survey!!! Yaay!!!

For Valentine’s Day, (Feb 12 for us) students should make or bring some sort of mailbox or mail bag to hold their valentines. I have attached a class list so that no students are left out from card exchanges. While no child is required to participate, we do ask that if you do, please include everyone. You may receive a request to donate items for a class Valentine party. Thank you in advance!!

Laugh out loud,

Mrs. Brooks

feb-1doc

Categories: Uncategorized

Arts Alive!

Posted January 28, 2010 By Suzy Brooks and has 1 comment.

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Arts Alive

On the recent field trip to the Cotuit Center for the Arts, students saw some wonderful works from over 50 Cape Cod artists. In our Arts Alive presentation, we learned about one of those artists—Bill Evaul, whose white-line woodcut print of the Pilgrim Monument was one of the pieces on display.

White-line woodcut printmaking is a technique that originated in the United States—in Provincetown, in fact! In 1915, a group of six artists (Ethel Mars, Maude Squire, Mildred McMillen, Ada Gilmore, J.O. Nordfeldt, and Juliette Nichols) created this technique. What made their technique unique was that their prints were made from a single block of wood. They would carve their designs into a block of soft wood. The lines that they carved into the wood would show up as white lines on the print, thus giving the technique its name. The paper was tacked to the edge of the woodblock. Paint was applied to one section at a time. That color then had to dry before another color could be painted. This type of printmaking took a long time!

In our Arts Alive project, students carved a design into a piece of thin Styrofoam with a dull pencil tip. Students then used markers to color in areas of their design, one color at a time. Their Styrofoam was attached to their paper, so that the design would transfer intact! After each color, students laid their paper over the Styrofoam and rubbed with a spoon to transfer the color to the paper. The result–an amazing array of beautiful white-line prints! Once again, the students were super to work with—be sure to ask them about their creative designs!

Sincerely,

Kerri Evans

Categories: Projects

Wallwishers…

Posted January 24, 2010 By Suzy Brooks and has 2 comments.

If you could make a wish for someone else in your life, or in the world, what would it be???

Visit our Wallwisher site and leave a sticky note for everyone to read.  The link to this site is also in our Blogroll, where you can visit it during Writing Workshop.

wallwisher

Categories: Projects

Parent Reflections

By Suzy Brooks and has no comments yet.

everyday_math

Today I’ve sent an assignment home for parents to do! We’re at the halfway mark in the year, and I would like your input.

The attached form asks questions to see how you think your child is progressing in mathematics. Please take a moment to fill it out and send it back to school.

Over the course of the year, students are exposed to a variety of math concepts. Some concepts are newly introduced to them in 3rd grade. Some complex skills are developing, and students will become better at them as the year goes by. Finally, there are some skills they have reviewed and should be mastering in grade 3. The Everyday Mathematics program is a spiral-designed curriculum. Students touch on similar skills over the course of several years in order to deepen and broaden their understanding.

Students will be filling out a similar questionnaire asking them how they feel about math.

Students are beginning a brand-new unit on geometry. There’s a huge amount of vocabulary to wade through, but they are getting the hang of it. We will tie our lessons to real-life examples as much as we can. Feel free to do the same at home!

Thanks for your feedback!!

Pencils, Pencils, Pencils. I don’t know how else to say it - but we are in crazy need of pencils. I’m grabbing them from the supply closet, and buying them myself, but we are going through a slew of them. If you have any lying around the house that you can spare, we will put them to good use.

Are you becoming Olympic experts? Hope so! Enjoy this special project. Don’t stress that Book Talks are starting soon - you’ll be surprised how much the kids are able to juggle with their nights “off” from homework.

Hey! Have you visited our ‘blog recently! Stop by, say hello, and make our day sunnier. We LOVE comments!


Smile Wide,

Mrs. Brooks

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Categories: Dates to Remember, Newsletters, The VIrtual MOOSE

Book Talks

Posted January 17, 2010 By Suzy Brooks and has no comments yet.

We will be having presentations on a rotating basis. Each student is assigned a “season” (spring, summer, fall, winter) Every week, a different season will be assigned for Fridays. We will begin with all students who present on “SPRING” week.

I reminded students that they are not doing a “retelling” of their book. They are, in essence, creating an powerful advertisement in order to promote their book. I also reminded them to bring in whatever support materials they have to show that they did some preparation for their talk. I really don’t want to see them “winging it”. Instead, they should spend time in advance preparing in some way.

New this year, students will be speak using a microphone. We are still looking for strong, clear voices, but the microphone will help everyone hear better.

Some students will be excited about the their book talks, and others will be very nervous. It will be good practice for all of them to speak in front of a group of their peers. Their confidence will grow with each new presentation they make from now until June. Every student has wonderful thoughts and ideas to share, and I look forward to hearing them!

Please be sure your child has a water bottle for school each day. Ideally, it should be a clean, pop-top bottle that is brought home each day for cleaning and refilling. Students lose momentum when they leave their work to walk to the bubbler in the hall. Thank you for your continued support.

I am giving students extra time this week to work on their Olympic Projects. If you have questions, or needs regarding this project, PLEASE let me know.

I hope you enjoyed your long weekend — welcome back!!!

Dream Big,

Mrs. Brooks

Categories: Homework, Newsletters, The VIrtual MOOSE