October 2015
Dear Parents,
Wow! This month flew by! I cannot believe the holiday season is upon us….well at least it is in every store!
We have had a marvelous month here in the Habitat! In Math, we have tackled fractions and mixed numbers….and hopefully we can now add, subtract, multiply, and divide them! These concepts are new, and difficult at first, but everyone is doing a fantastic job with keeping an open mind to new ideas! I am very proud of our kiddos! We will now be moving on to decimals.
In Science, we have tackled Earth Science and have been having fun learning about destructive and constructive forces. We look forward to creating volcanoes on Monday (today)!
Today (Friday) was our book character parade! Your kids looked adorable! Check out the pictures on the Kennedy Facebook page! We had a blast….it is hard to believe that they have had their last dress up parade as elementary school students! We also have had fun with Red Ribbon Week. I hope you were able to stop by and see our, “Listen to your Mummy” classroom door.
We have lots of upcoming events to look forward to. On November 20th, we will be celebrating our Favorite Foods Feast. More information about that will be coming, but each child will be asked to bring in their favorite food to share with their classmates. We also will be creating a magical gingerbread village on December 1st, and each child will be asked to bring in a can of icing, a box of graham crackers, and some gingerbread house type candy….more about that later as well, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. While you are out and about, each child has been asked to bring in a brown paper grocery sized bag. Grab a few for us, next time you are at Ingles! In the near future, we will be looking for a shirt box (gift box). These are given away at Macy’s, Belk, etc…or can be purchased at a dollar store. I know this sounds like a lot, but I just want to give you a little warning….I know how busy life gets!!!!
We will be celebrating Veterans Day on November 11. If anyone has any friends or family currently serving or have served in our military, please send us their name/area of service/relationship to student. Ms. Scott from 4th grade is the contact person concerning the school-wide assembly.
A huge thank you to all who sent in snacks for the Halloween treat. You are all very kind and generous! The kids were thrilled!
Thanks for doing such a great job on the home front. Please be sure to sign the Monday Back Folders every Monday, and remember that if your student is absent, please send an excuse on the day they return. The class as a whole, is doing much better at bringing their homework and keeping up with their belongings! Knock on wood, Ha Ha!
I hope you had a wonderful weekend with your little goblins and ghosts! I had every intention of getting this in their folders last Friday….but here it is now! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If you would like a conference, I am available most mornings. Tuesday mornings are faculty meetings, but the other 4 mornings are available.
Thanks for being such a super, supportive group of parents…no wonder your kids are so spectacular!
Until next time….
Joanie
September 2015
Dear Parents,
Wow, is it me, or are these days and weeks just flying by? I guess time really does fly when you are having fun! I can’t believe that October is arriving here in the Habitat!
We have had a fabulous month filled with lots of love and learning. We completed the instructional aspect of our unit on Life Sciences and headed over to Mrs. Hester’s for Social Studies. We are enjoying learning about the Civil War there.
In Math, we are tackling numerous algorithms for both division and multiplication of multi – digit numbers. The process is challenging, but because we know those basic facts, it sure makes it easier! We are also working on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions. This will include fractions with both like and unlike denominators, proper and improper! I am proud of how well the class, as a whole, is doing. We continue to surge onward!
We finished up our book, Running Out of Time, and were rooting for main character, Jessie, the whole way. Our new novel, Summer of the Monkeys, is shaping up to be an attention getter as well….stay tuned as we travel the twists and turns of Jay Berry’s summer with the monkeys!
We completed our ITBS testing and were glad to say good-bye to those tests. We look forward to getting the results back later this fall. Thanks for getting your student here with a good night’s sleep and a full tummy! It truly does make a difference.
There has been a concern from a few parents about wearing hoodies in class. I am not a fan of them, and here is why. The kids wear these big, bulky sweatshirt type hoodies, and I find that they are sucking on the strings, placing the hoods up over their head, leaving them on the floor when they remove them and I KNOW they are not getting washed every night. (I know this, because the same lunch stains get added to, wearing after wearing!) The kids wear them outside, take them off because they are boiling, forget to bring them back in, and then want to take valuable learning time to go outside and search for said hoodie! Years ago, I had a HUGE problem with lice in a classroom….and it stemmed from hoodies! As you can now well understand, I am a little leery of them and simply encourage the kids to dress in layers, rather than wearing the same hoodie or jacket in class, day after day….. You haven’t lived until you have smelled a group of 5th graders returning from a hot Georgia’s recess! Ha ha! Thus, the request for students to keep a stick of deodorant in their desks….which, by the way, please send, if you have not already done so! ALL THIS BEING SAID, I am not saying that your student can’t wear a hoodie in my classroom….I simply am saying I would prefer they not, but you are the parent, you know what is best for your child. I support your decision one hundred and TEN percent! The ONLY reason I am addressing this in the monthly newsletter is because I had a few of you inquire and I wanted to communicate my reasoning to all of you. Thank you so much for your care and understanding.
I want you to know that I will be holding our first PACT meeting on WEDNESDAY, October 7th beginning at 5:30. Please plan now to attend this exciting meeting. There will be FREE childcare provided and I want to amaze the rest of the world by having 100% participation by my class’ parents!!!! See you then, if not before!
Please continue to sign the Monday Back Folders every Monday. Please continue to send a written excuse every time the kids are not here….and better yet, please, please, please…if at all possible, make sure that your sweetie pie is here in school, ON TIME! Thanks for all you do, thanks for sharing your precious, little angel with me. I absolutely, positively, LOVE this class….and this school! What a wonderful place, supported by you; a member of the Perfect Parent Club!
Until next time,
Joanie
PS Be sure to check out our class website. It is accessible through the Kennedy web page….click on faculty, and then click next to my name OR please go to HessHabitat.Weebly.com
August 2015
Dear Parents,
This is a Monday Back Folder letter! I will send one every now and again to keep you abreast of news and activities that are happening in Hess’ Habitat! Look for it in the Monday Back folders. Speaking of which, thank you for signing the sheet located on the inside cover of the folder, removing the enclosed papers, and making sure that your child brings it back to school on Monday! Thus, the name…Monday Back Folder!
We are off to a great start! The kids have done a great job of getting into routines and trying their hardest to do what is expected! I am proud of them and am thrilled to be their teacher! As a teacher, sometimes you just know right from the start that you are going to have a remarkable year….for me, this is one of those years! The kids are just fabulous and treat each other with such respect. This school is such a wonderful learning community, and I feel blessed to have your child under my care! Thank you for sharing your precious one with me!
We have been enjoying learning about Plant and Animal Kingdoms in Science. Be sure to ask your little scientist about our celery lab and whether we discovered that celery is a vascular or non-vascular plant! We have tackled whole numbers, prime, composite and factorization in Math. Currently we are working on ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’ posters for “missing” whole numbers! Please be sure to continue to help your child master those multiplication and division basic facts! I suggest that you incorporate a brush up on facts into your evening routines and car rides! We always quizzed the Hess kids while cleaning up from dinner and kept a mastery list on the refrigerator!
Have a great weekend and week! Be sure to ask your kids where our pal Jesse, from Running out of Time, is headed, and ask them whose shoe ended up in a tree during recess….along with what other playground items!
Until next time……
Joanie
PS I hope everyone is having a successful fundraising experience! We hope to be the winning class! Thanks for your support!
Check out our class website at HessHabitat.weebly.com
Dear Parents,
Wow! This month flew by! I cannot believe the holiday season is upon us….well at least it is in every store!
We have had a marvelous month here in the Habitat! In Math, we have tackled fractions and mixed numbers….and hopefully we can now add, subtract, multiply, and divide them! These concepts are new, and difficult at first, but everyone is doing a fantastic job with keeping an open mind to new ideas! I am very proud of our kiddos! We will now be moving on to decimals.
In Science, we have tackled Earth Science and have been having fun learning about destructive and constructive forces. We look forward to creating volcanoes on Monday (today)!
Today (Friday) was our book character parade! Your kids looked adorable! Check out the pictures on the Kennedy Facebook page! We had a blast….it is hard to believe that they have had their last dress up parade as elementary school students! We also have had fun with Red Ribbon Week. I hope you were able to stop by and see our, “Listen to your Mummy” classroom door.
We have lots of upcoming events to look forward to. On November 20th, we will be celebrating our Favorite Foods Feast. More information about that will be coming, but each child will be asked to bring in their favorite food to share with their classmates. We also will be creating a magical gingerbread village on December 1st, and each child will be asked to bring in a can of icing, a box of graham crackers, and some gingerbread house type candy….more about that later as well, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. While you are out and about, each child has been asked to bring in a brown paper grocery sized bag. Grab a few for us, next time you are at Ingles! In the near future, we will be looking for a shirt box (gift box). These are given away at Macy’s, Belk, etc…or can be purchased at a dollar store. I know this sounds like a lot, but I just want to give you a little warning….I know how busy life gets!!!!
We will be celebrating Veterans Day on November 11. If anyone has any friends or family currently serving or have served in our military, please send us their name/area of service/relationship to student. Ms. Scott from 4th grade is the contact person concerning the school-wide assembly.
A huge thank you to all who sent in snacks for the Halloween treat. You are all very kind and generous! The kids were thrilled!
Thanks for doing such a great job on the home front. Please be sure to sign the Monday Back Folders every Monday, and remember that if your student is absent, please send an excuse on the day they return. The class as a whole, is doing much better at bringing their homework and keeping up with their belongings! Knock on wood, Ha Ha!
I hope you had a wonderful weekend with your little goblins and ghosts! I had every intention of getting this in their folders last Friday….but here it is now! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If you would like a conference, I am available most mornings. Tuesday mornings are faculty meetings, but the other 4 mornings are available.
Thanks for being such a super, supportive group of parents…no wonder your kids are so spectacular!
Until next time….
Joanie
September 2015
Dear Parents,
Wow, is it me, or are these days and weeks just flying by? I guess time really does fly when you are having fun! I can’t believe that October is arriving here in the Habitat!
We have had a fabulous month filled with lots of love and learning. We completed the instructional aspect of our unit on Life Sciences and headed over to Mrs. Hester’s for Social Studies. We are enjoying learning about the Civil War there.
In Math, we are tackling numerous algorithms for both division and multiplication of multi – digit numbers. The process is challenging, but because we know those basic facts, it sure makes it easier! We are also working on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions. This will include fractions with both like and unlike denominators, proper and improper! I am proud of how well the class, as a whole, is doing. We continue to surge onward!
We finished up our book, Running Out of Time, and were rooting for main character, Jessie, the whole way. Our new novel, Summer of the Monkeys, is shaping up to be an attention getter as well….stay tuned as we travel the twists and turns of Jay Berry’s summer with the monkeys!
We completed our ITBS testing and were glad to say good-bye to those tests. We look forward to getting the results back later this fall. Thanks for getting your student here with a good night’s sleep and a full tummy! It truly does make a difference.
There has been a concern from a few parents about wearing hoodies in class. I am not a fan of them, and here is why. The kids wear these big, bulky sweatshirt type hoodies, and I find that they are sucking on the strings, placing the hoods up over their head, leaving them on the floor when they remove them and I KNOW they are not getting washed every night. (I know this, because the same lunch stains get added to, wearing after wearing!) The kids wear them outside, take them off because they are boiling, forget to bring them back in, and then want to take valuable learning time to go outside and search for said hoodie! Years ago, I had a HUGE problem with lice in a classroom….and it stemmed from hoodies! As you can now well understand, I am a little leery of them and simply encourage the kids to dress in layers, rather than wearing the same hoodie or jacket in class, day after day….. You haven’t lived until you have smelled a group of 5th graders returning from a hot Georgia’s recess! Ha ha! Thus, the request for students to keep a stick of deodorant in their desks….which, by the way, please send, if you have not already done so! ALL THIS BEING SAID, I am not saying that your student can’t wear a hoodie in my classroom….I simply am saying I would prefer they not, but you are the parent, you know what is best for your child. I support your decision one hundred and TEN percent! The ONLY reason I am addressing this in the monthly newsletter is because I had a few of you inquire and I wanted to communicate my reasoning to all of you. Thank you so much for your care and understanding.
I want you to know that I will be holding our first PACT meeting on WEDNESDAY, October 7th beginning at 5:30. Please plan now to attend this exciting meeting. There will be FREE childcare provided and I want to amaze the rest of the world by having 100% participation by my class’ parents!!!! See you then, if not before!
Please continue to sign the Monday Back Folders every Monday. Please continue to send a written excuse every time the kids are not here….and better yet, please, please, please…if at all possible, make sure that your sweetie pie is here in school, ON TIME! Thanks for all you do, thanks for sharing your precious, little angel with me. I absolutely, positively, LOVE this class….and this school! What a wonderful place, supported by you; a member of the Perfect Parent Club!
Until next time,
Joanie
PS Be sure to check out our class website. It is accessible through the Kennedy web page….click on faculty, and then click next to my name OR please go to HessHabitat.Weebly.com
August 2015
Dear Parents,
This is a Monday Back Folder letter! I will send one every now and again to keep you abreast of news and activities that are happening in Hess’ Habitat! Look for it in the Monday Back folders. Speaking of which, thank you for signing the sheet located on the inside cover of the folder, removing the enclosed papers, and making sure that your child brings it back to school on Monday! Thus, the name…Monday Back Folder!
We are off to a great start! The kids have done a great job of getting into routines and trying their hardest to do what is expected! I am proud of them and am thrilled to be their teacher! As a teacher, sometimes you just know right from the start that you are going to have a remarkable year….for me, this is one of those years! The kids are just fabulous and treat each other with such respect. This school is such a wonderful learning community, and I feel blessed to have your child under my care! Thank you for sharing your precious one with me!
We have been enjoying learning about Plant and Animal Kingdoms in Science. Be sure to ask your little scientist about our celery lab and whether we discovered that celery is a vascular or non-vascular plant! We have tackled whole numbers, prime, composite and factorization in Math. Currently we are working on ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’ posters for “missing” whole numbers! Please be sure to continue to help your child master those multiplication and division basic facts! I suggest that you incorporate a brush up on facts into your evening routines and car rides! We always quizzed the Hess kids while cleaning up from dinner and kept a mastery list on the refrigerator!
Have a great weekend and week! Be sure to ask your kids where our pal Jesse, from Running out of Time, is headed, and ask them whose shoe ended up in a tree during recess….along with what other playground items!
Until next time……
Joanie
PS I hope everyone is having a successful fundraising experience! We hope to be the winning class! Thanks for your support!
Check out our class website at HessHabitat.weebly.com
