News From Our Classroom

    Hello!   If the weather cooperates with us,  tomorrow will be our LAST Rugrats ski day for our class this year.   Should your child be using his own equipment tomorrow, you can leave it for him at Perfect Turns, or he or she can bring it on the bus, but he or she will have to be able to carry it.  We leave backpacks for children returning to school by the fish tank in the school lobby.  If we know you or someone else is picking your child up at the mountain, we bring that child's backpack with us to save you the trip into school to get it.  Let me know ahead of time what will be happening with YOUR child Tuesday afternoon, please, and if you will be picking him or her up AT THE MOUNTAIN.  We leave Crescent Park at 12:15 pm, and leave the mountain at 4:00 pm.    If you wish to pick up your child at Sunday River (and maybe ski with them for a little while before heading home), you can do so at the Perfect Turns building at 3:45 pm each day that we ski. The bus leaves the mountain to return the children to CPS right at 4:00, so we are usually back at school by 4:15.  There are no bus runs at that time, so you will need to make arrangements to collect your child at that time.  Please let me know to whom I may release your child on each ski day.  MKA is still an option, if you can't be at school at 4:15.  MKA closes at 6 pm.   Though I will not be skiing with the children, I plan to be close by should there be any problems, and be dismissing them at the end of the day.  When you pick up your child (whether at the mountain or at school), please speak to me so that I know your child has been safely handed off to you or an adult of your choice.  Thank you.  I always worry a little that I won't get each child where he or she is supposed to go, though I have never lost one yet!  Your help with this would be greatly appreciated!
      Our NWEA test (in Reading) is tomorrow morning at 9:45.  It is a long test, and will last almost until lunch.  Please again review the idea of this testing with your child, and encourage him or her to try his BEST!  Most of the children did a TERRIFIC job on their Math tests last week--It would be delightful if they did as nice a job on their Reading tests tomorrow! The children have to understand that the test is designed to give them some easy questions, some really hard questions, and to give them lots of questions that are "doable", but only if the children really THINK about what the question is asking and APPLY those "sounding out" strategies we have been learning in class.  Though the time they take to do the test is recorded, there is no "time limit".  Each child is encouraged to take as much time as necessary to think about and answer each question.  I don't want anyone to be stressed by the testing, but I do want to encourage the children to work hard on the exams to show whoever looks at the results just how much they actually know.  Please talk to your child about the importance of  trying his or her hardest to do their very BEST on these exams.  Unfortunately, because this is a reading test, I cannot answer any questions about what something says.  For part of the test, the computer will read part or all of the question to them, but when they hit a high enough level, the reading is entirely left to them, and I am not allowed to assist them.  You can help your child reach for his or her potential by making sure he or she gets enough sleep the night before, and has a nutritious breakfast that morning.  As always, the results of the exams will be shared with you, probably at our parent-teacher conference in March.
       We will celebrate Valentine's Day Friday afternoon with a BRIEF party and valentine exchange around 1:00.   I still could use juice boxes and one other "snack" item--healthy or otherwise.  Thank you.
       Happy Valentine's Day to all of my families.  Have a wonderful vacation with your family.  I hope that you are able to do something fun together.  Please keep your child reading and doing some math!  Remember, my sites and links are available when your child is BORED!!!!  Talk to you after vacation!