Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Thank you

I cannot fully express my appreciation for all the generosity you have all shown me for Christmas and throughout the year. Thank you so much. Not just for the wonderful gifts but for your graciousness, your help, your beautiful children and last but certainly not least, your patience. I love my job. The events last week in Connecticut reminded me of how precious my task is and I want you all to know, I appreciate the responsibility and the trust you have shown in me by allowing me to teach and mentor your children.I don't take the job lightly and it brings me great joy. Thank you all again and Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Week of Dec. 10

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope everyone enjoys the season and stays as stress-free as possible. My family and I decorated our tree this weekend and listening and sang along to some Christmas songs. It was a wonderful evening. Now, if I can just avoid the mall, all will be good! I also enjoyed the Booster Bazaar on Saturday at NCS, saw some old friends, talked to some terrific people, sold some mustache t-shirts for Costa Rica. All in all, a great weekend.

This week, students in 4B will make up their spelling test on Monday, as 4th grade was scheduled to attend the Booster Bazaar during 4B's Language Arts time on Friday. Make sure your student is prepared. I will offer makeup tests for students who have missed school recently throughout the week. There have been a lot of absences due to illness lately. 

All classes will focus on completing, and typing in the tech lab, their Florence story this week. This writing assignment has been a blast and I expect the stories to be well done and structured wonderfully! Students really seem to be working their hardest and doing a great job. I will work with them this week on editing and adding pizzazz.

We will also work on finishing up the books we have been working on for Lit Circles. I may have students carry the books home to read and write a summary on them, so we can move along more quickly. The reading would count as their homework. These books should be finished up by the end of the week.

On Friday, we have our holiday party! Students will enjoy crafts in the morning and a party last period (from 1:50-3:10). We will rotate students through the classes and offer some fun activities. I would love to have a dreidel station. If anyone has some extra dreidels for the students to learn the festive Hanukkah game, please e-mail me or send them in with students. On Monday, students will enjoy a movie. They may bring pillows and blankets and wear their pajamas to enjoy it! Tuesday is a half day, with dismissal at 11:45.

No vocab this week!!!!!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Week of December 3



December already! This year is flying by and I am nowhere near ready for the holidays. I hope you all better prepared than I am.I try and be mindful of the true meaning of the season, it keeps me a little less stressed out. (a little:)

Last Friday, we had a visitor come to 4th grade, perhaps your student told you about Florence the Elf on a shelf? If not, be sure and ask about her, we will be writing a narrative this week and next about her adventures. I will ask children with computer access to type the story at home for homework next week one day. It will probably be one of the last big stories we write for a few months. Common Core curriculum is heavily focused on informational writing, so we will turn our attention more towards research, biography, editorial and letter writing in the coming months. This writing will go in the MAPP binder, so if you would like a copy, (I still get a kick out of reading my children's narrative stories from when they were younger), be sure to either print one out at home or ask me to print you one at school. I will post the rubric later this week, so be on the lookout for it. This week we also continue Lit Circles and centers. Students will have a vocabulary test on Friday.

This Friday, Neuse Charter and the Booster Club will once again host a Holiday Bazaar. Crafters will offer their wares for sale in the gym on Friday for students and Saturday for the public. On Friday, the prices are capped at $10 so students may purchase gifts for family and friends. Travelers to Costa Rica will have a table and all proceeds will go to offsetting the cost of travel to help the sea turtles. I will be on hand selling turtle t-shirts, mustache t-shirts (and taking orders), rock necklaces, card sets, and magnets, among other things. Shop and support NCS, what a winning combination!

Date correction: Don't cook dinner on Friday the 14th! Also on Dec. 14th the Costa Rica Sea Turtle Conservation Travel Club will sponsor a Spaghetti Dinner at Elizabeth United Methodist Church on Cleveland Rd from 4:30-7:00. Dine in or Takeout! For $7.00 you get spaghetti with meat sauce, bread, salad and dessert. If you dine in free sweet tea and Santa will be making an appearance! Tickets are available through Mrs. Sheppard in the office or me. bring the whole family! Let's have dinner together!

Our Holiday Party will take place on Dec. 14. There is a volunteer and donation website set up by Mrs. Harris (Delaney's mom) that is absolutely wonderful.(Thanks!) Please go here to see if you can help:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090849A8A92FA13-ncs4th

4th grade will enjoy crafting in the morning of the 14th, with stations set up in each of the classrooms and a holiday party the last period of the day in the cafeteria. If you have some time, please come by and assist with stations in the morning and decorating and partying in the afternoon! Or both!

This week's vocab:
Vocab from Shiloh, Because of Winn Dixie, Stuart Little and Ralph S. Mouse
Students must spell all words correctly and use all words in compound sentences (17 words)
4C
intentions          plans to act in a certain way; purposes
slogs                  to walk with a slow heavy gait
snitching           tattling or telling on someone
omission            something that is left out
jubilation           a joyful celebration
peculiar             strange, weird, odd
domestic           of or involving the home or family
permeated         occurring throughout
bungle               an embarrassing mistake
discernible         perceptible by the senses or intellect
presumes            to suppose to be true without proof
diabolical           extremely evil or cruel
saunter               to leisurely walk or stroll
helm                  the wheel or tiller for steering a ship
toxic                  POISONOUS, deadly
dread                 being VERY afraid of something
contraption        a strange or odd device
 
Vocab from Shiloh, Because of Winn Dixie, Stuart Little and Ralph S. Mouse
Students must spell 16 words correctly and use 15 in compound sentences (17 words)
4B
slogs                  to walk with a slow heavy gait
snitching            tattling or telling on someone
omission            something that is left out
jubilation           a joyful celebration
domestic            of or involving the home or family
permeated         occurring throughout
bungle               an embarrassing mistake
discernible        perceptible by the senses or intellect
presumes           to suppose to be true without proof
ferocious            marked by extreme and violent energy
diabolical           extremely evil or cruel
saunter               to leisurely walk or stroll
helm                   the wheel or tiller for steering a ship
hoisted              to raise, lift or pull up
toxic                  POISONOUS, deadly
dread                 being VERY afraid of something
contraption        a strange or odd device
  
Vocab from Shiloh, Because of Winn Dixie, Stuart Little and Ralph S. Mouse
Students must spell 15 words correctly and use 15 in compound sentences (17 words)
4A
quarrel               an angry argument
intentions          plans to act in a certain way; purposes
slogs                  to walk with a slow heavy gait
snitching            tattling or telling on someone
bargained            negotiate the terms of an exchange
omission             something that is left out
racket                 a lot of confusing noise
manufacture      to make something at a factory
sorrow                sad
domestic            of or involving the home or family
bungle               an embarrassing mistake
presumes           to suppose to be true without proof
detain                stop or halt
diabolical          extremely evil or cruel
helm                   the wheel or tiller for steering a ship
toxic                   POISONOUS, deadly
dread                 being VERY afraid of something