Soccer Saturday - 2.5.11

Our sensational soccer superstars!!!

I got to go see Erin and McKenna at their indoor soccer game today!!!  It was so much fun and I absolutely LOVED getting to see them play...they are AWESOME!!  I am so proud of you girls and feel so blessed to have you in my class and to have been able to have been there to cheer you on!  I am truly a lucky teacher to have such awesome students!!  I love you all and can't wait to go to more of your events (that goes for EVERYONE, so PLEASE let me know the dates and times and if I am able, I am more than excited to attend!).

They are such cuties!
xoxo

Weekly Happenings: 2.7.11 - 2.11.11

This Week at Garden Springs

Monday, Feb. 7th:
2nd MAP Testing Window Continues(12/6/10-2/18/11)

2:45-3:45p: Performing Arts Club Rehearsal

Governor’s Cup Academic Team Scrimmage vs. Mary Queen @ GSE 3:00-4:30pm

3:00p: SBDM

6:30p: PTA

Tuesday, Feb. 8th: 

Wednesday, Feb. 9th: 
7:30-8:00a: K-Kids 

2:45-4:00p: Comic Creators

2:45-4:00p: Governor’s Cup Academic Team Practice

Thursday, Feb. 10th:
2:45-3:45p: Ecology Club

2:35-3:45p: 4th & 5th Grade Spanish Club

Friday, Feb. 11th:
SCHOOL IS IN SESSION (Weather make-up day)

Saturday, Feb. 12th 
District Science Fair@ Bryan Station High School

Kids Art Fair invitations will be coming home on February 18^th

Don't forget to turn in Boxtops, Campbell's Label's, and Tyson labels!!!

Here is the link you need for the Campbell's Label's website: http://www.labelsforeducation.com/ .  If you go the top right hand corner and put our schools zip code of 40504 it will bring up all of the Lexington, Ky schools.  Select Garden Springs Elementary (there is also a Garden Springs Day school just so you are aware to look for the right one) and it will let you sign up.  

Here is another link to hook up your Kroger card so that every time you purchase Campbell's label items it will automatically go to our school account. http://www.elabelsforeducation.com/Sites/Campbells_eLabels/Page/HomePage.  You can also still clip and send them in with your student as well. 
Read blog post  http://bulldogbargains.blogspot.com/ about the new program.  Please share it everyone because we earn points for just signing up. No purchase and they don't even have to leave their house.  

My Day...according to Lauren

Hi kids, it's Lauren! Today was good but now, because of new reading classes, not all of us get to see Mrs.Thomas all day!!!!!!  Booo... Since it is Friday, today we got to have book buddies and my book buddy's name is Lindsey. I tell ya, she is a squirmer... like, she will not sit still at all!  I guess I know how teachers feel with us :) but... the rest of the day went really well and the class had lunch bunch where the movie was Ice Age which is kinda cool since we have talked a little this week about the ice age Earth went through millions of years ago. I think that it is sad when people have to be out of Lunch Bunch, but I know it is our fault for talking when we're not supposed to or getting strikes for not always following CHAMPs, so next week, everyone should do their best and hopefully make it in!

Have a good weekend!
-"Lo-Lo"

2.4.11

Hello all and Happy Friday!  The weekend is FINALLY here!  Did you know that this week was the very first FULL week of school we've had in 2011?!?  Crazy, huh?!? We had a busy day!

Reading:

We took our spelling test and began working on an ORQ.  On Fridays, our class is only 1 hour so time flew by quickly and before we knew it, it was time to head back to our homerooms. 

HOMEWORK: if you have not finished reading, Sarah Noble, please do so and return my books by Monday as Mrs. Ingold's class will be borrowing them next week.

Math:
we also worked on an ORQ that we began yesterday.  I really am loving seeing our methods of multiplication come together and work for us as we take on multi-digit multiplication!
HOMEWORK: take a timed quiz and practice, practice, practice those facts!!!

PM activities:

completed morning work and then had book buddies with Mrs. Hubers's Kindergarten class.  It was great seeing our young friends that we hadn't seen in quite some time!

I hope you all have a GREAT weekend!  GOOD LUCK to "Tabi-Cat", Ahmad, Alyssa, and "Lo-Lo" as they go to their Academic Challenge competition this weekend!!!  You will all be amazing!!!

xoxo,

Mrs. Thomas

PS, Guess where you will find me tomorrow?!?  At Erin and McKenna's soccer game!!!  WooooHooo!!!  Check back for pics!



2.3.11

Can you believe it's here?!?  The 100th day of school?!?  Hard to believe there are only 77 days left in the school year!!  Summer is just around the corner!  While I absolutely adore summer, it is a bittersweet feeling because I certainly do not want you all to move onto 4th grade!  Can I keep you as my students FOREVER?!?  You're so wonderful!  Ahhh...anyway, I still have 77 days left with you, plenty of time to hug and squeeze you tight :)


I'm sorry I had to leave today, but I assure you all, I am fine and will be back to my cooky, quirky, clumsy (you all's lovely words for me) self tomorrow :)




Reading:
we worked in our groups to review the vocabulary words we found in Sarah Noble last night for homework.  


Let me take a moment to tell you ALL how very, very proud I am of you!  You continuously WOW me on a daily basis and I feel so lucky to get to "teach" you!  Please know that I only ever assign homework that I feel can be done in a short sitting and should certainly NEVER be something you stress over.  By taking the time to sit down and work on your homework, it is clear to me that you care about school and are devoting your time, energy, and best effort.  It is 'okay' to have just a 'smidge' of a struggle because homework's intentions are to exercise your mind with something we've worked on in class.  I am not there to help you if you get stuck and sometimes, that can be a bit intimidating; sometimes, I may intend for an assignment to be a 'quick' exercise, but it does not turn out that way for you...which is A-OKAY!  If that happens to you sometime, be sure to have Momma or Daddy or an adult at home shoot me an email, or write me a small note and I would absolutely LOVE nothing more than to help you out the next morning.  If you are struggling, take a break from it and let me help you with it the following day.  I never want homework to be a HUGE stress for you or something that is too difficult to do on your own so always, always, ALWAYS let me know if you need additional help...that IS what I'm here for after all! You giving your best effort will NEVER disappoint me..EVER!


Okay, now that that's out of the way...I REALLY enjoyed seeing you work with your new reading groups today and loved seeing how engaged you were with creating an activity for your group to help them remember the vocabulary words you found.  Way to go, my friends!!!
HOMEWORK is completing your spelling packet to turn in tomorrow and studying those words.  I cannot wait to see who is going to WOW me with his/her mastery of our WOW! words.


Math:
Our substitute reviewed with you your homework from last night.  We also took a 90-second quiz and then moved onto another multiple choice quiz with ORQ that will assess your understanding of multi-digit multiplication so far. I hope one of the 4 methods for multiplying with multi-digit numbers is really hitting home with you and helping you along your journey towards success with multiplication!  
HOMEWORK: 90-second timed multiplication quiz.  I said previously that I'd REALLY like for everyone to be on level 2 of these by tomorrow!


PM activities:
we finished our Bill Nye Earth Science video which is sooooo cool!


Thank YOU for being YOU and always being so sweet.  You guys are so great at giving love and I hope you know how very, very much you mean to me!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

This means something very special in sign language...do you know what it is?!?

2.2.11

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!  Due to the "snowpacolypse" in the midwest/ northern states, Punxatawny Phil did NOT see his shadow- which according to legend, means Spring is just around the corner...we'll see, I guess!

Reading:
We got in groups to review our homework from last night which was reading chapters 5&6 from Sarah Noble and creating your own list of questions to guide group members through conversation in the Discussion Director role.  We had a great time going through these questions and they have really enhanced our understanding of the events of this book.  Also, we began learning about the 'Vocabulary Enricher' role.  The vocabulary enricher is in charge of locating words that may WOW us, may be challenging, may be essential to our understanding of the text, or may simply be words we think our group should be aware of and finding the definition of them and creating a plan to ensure our group understands them.  The possibilities are endless of the plans that can be created to enhance a group's understanding of the words at hand.  For practice today, we located 5 words that we've read in the first few chapters (cloak, colony, settlement, musket, etc.) and found the definitions of them by using a dictionary AND then began creating a crossword puzzle so we can practice applying these words in the context in which they are used in the text.
HOMEWORK: Read chapters 7&8 and locate 5 more words to add to your new (and blank!) vocabulary enricher list.  You do NOT have to define them, we will do that at school (unless you want to).  Also, complete your crossword with clues for the 5 words we did in class.
**ALSO, DO NOT forget to be working on your spelling packets and words.  Packet is due Friday when we take the spelling test.

Math:
We finished learning about the 4 methods for multiplying.  These methods are: hundred pieces, partial products, the Lattice Method, and the standard algorithm.
HOMEWORK: multiplication packet: 2 lattice method practice pages and 1 page of word problems in which you can choose the method of your choice.  This is due by tomorrow!

PM activities:
we watched a Bill Nye video about Earth Science.  Most interesting, we learned that the earth was once one super continent called, "Pangea" before breaking into 7 smaller continents...and we learned that underneath the Pacific Ocean, there are mountains!!

Have a fantastic "groundhoggy" night!
xoxo,
Mrs. Thomas

2.1.11

Rabbits, rabbits, rabbits to youuuuuu...my friends!!!  Happy February!!  Can you believe January of 2011 has already come and gone?!?  We moved desks today - time for a change (and hopefully FARRRRR less talking...)

Reading:
We learned about the roles in a Literature circle and began practicing how to complete one of them: the role of Discussion Director.  Each student will be placed in a reading group (or, Literature circle, as we call them) and each student will be assigned a job to complete with his/her group's chapter book they select to read.  Jobs MUST be completed with the coinciding chapters each night BEFORE meeting with the group so you can come to the group prepared and ready to do your job. 

Homework is reading chapters 5 - 6 in Sarah Noble and creating NEW questions on a CLEAN sheet of paper for the Discussion Director role.

Also, now that we are switching on Friday, spelling packets are due when we take the test on Friday.

Math:

We continued practicing with different strategies for multiplying beyond the place value pieces method which is what we learned yesterday.  Today, we practiced with the "Partial-Products Method" and the "Lattice Method" which is so cooool!  Hopefully, one of these methods will be a suitable method for you to use all through multiplication.

NO HOMEWORK tonight (I forgot to give out new quiz sheets...sorry!)

PM activities:

due to out area warm up, we actually got to go on an outside 'walk for exercise'!!!  When we came in, we began our introduction to fossils so watching a video from www.unitedstreaming.com and taking notes on whiteboards about things we did not about fossils prior to watching the video.  Fossils are clues to the past because they are remains or contain traces of remains of plants or animals from many, many millions of years ago.  I look forward to an exciting unit ahead on fossils!

Have a terrific Tuesday evening!

xoxo
Mrs. Thomas

PS, tomorrow is GROUNDHOG Day!!!  Will he see his shadow?!?

ALSO, a note was sent home today about our Valentine's party which is NEXT Friday, February 11th.  We need many supplies and appreciate anything you are able and willing to send in!  The kids expressed an interest in having some homemade treats (mini-crescent pizzas, pigs-in-a-blanket, sausage balls, queso dip, etc.) so if you are willing to make a homemade savory treat, we will have extra special gratitude and smiles for you!