Belated Thank Yous!

Dear Families of Room 24,

This is a belated note of thanks. First of all, I dropped all of the Adopt-a-Family gifts off at the collection site Saturday. Coincidentally, there was another local agency doing their gift give-away a few doors down. There were many families lined up, waiting their turn to receive their gifts. It was the perfect compliment to my dropping off process. Thank you for your generosity in making another family's holiday brighter! My one disappointment was I completely forgot to take a photo of our kids in front of all of the presents.....that they wrapped.

Another thanks for the wonderful books from the book fair. I'm half way through Bob (yes, I do read kid books, too) and the picture books are all written by some of my favorite authors.  We do love the book fair!

We've been finishing ongoing projects. As a teacher you always hope to time completion of projects with holidays. It often takes some maneuvering.  The kids are to be complimented; they've risen to the occasion beautifully. We will end with some time to spare, hence the 'stuffie condo' project you may have heard about? We have a playground, a bus, and many cool 'condos' underway in room 24.

The kids' expert books (nonfiction!) are almost completed and they make me smile. Most of them reflect an interest developed with you. I view these little books as a love letter to your family. They know a lot about their topics, which represent time spent with you. I love these books. And, many have 'great beginnings', decent paragraphs, and 'endings that offer a conclusion and don't just stop'! A bonus!

We've finished another unit in our math book, taken the assessment, and corrected the same assessment. I'm pleased to say that everyone did well. They will come home for review after break.

Room 24 finished their science rotation with Mrs. Shern and will begin with Mrs. Fisher after break.

We also finished Because of Winn Dixie. Many of the kids have seen the movie, so I suspect many of you have, too? It is a story of the redemptive power of love, but it is sooo sad! I hadn't read it in a long time. There is a part in the book where the father cries, something long overdue. We had an interesting talk about why men don't cry, but boys do. When I asked them why they thought this was so, one student offered up the suggestion that 'they grow up'. So, dads, my challenge to you is to let your children see you be emotional! If you need any help, just read Because of Winn Dixie!

I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday filled with family, food and fun.
See you in the new year.
Carrie

Reminders and News!

Dear Room 24 Families,

Not sure about you, but the holiday 'busy-ness' has descended upon my house! I hope you are still able to find moments of rest and relaxation amidst all of the fun!

As many of you know, our chorus concert is this Tuesday at 12:40.  We share our wonderful music and chorus teacher, Elizabeth Robertson, with the five other elementary schools, so, yes, it is in the middle of the day! There has been a request of me to ask if anyone is available to record it? If so, let me know.

Our nonfiction writing project is coming along! We are typing it into a google document to transform into our very own nonfiction book. Please send in photos, copies of photos, or downloaded photos for your child's book. It makes the world of difference for the finished product! 

Speaking of Google Drive, we had a great discussion last week regarding technology use. It appears that some children are using their school account for personal use. Here are some of the agreements regarding Google Drive:

*The MVSD Google account is NOT private. It is a learning tool and teachers can view everything that is happening in Google Drive.

*Use of Googel Docs is for classroom assignments only-not for personal use.

*Documents can only be shared with your teacher, unless a collaborative project is assigned and specific directions are given. 

It is room 24's turn to volunteer for carline the week after this one! Please consider volunteering to make sure our kiddos make it safely and efficiently into their car! Carline Volunteers!

The entire third grade will be having a pajama and movie celebration on Thursday, 12/21 and we’ll be making a baggie of trail mix to snack on. Check here to see what you might send in for our Holiday Party Trail Mix

Lastly, I have started to receive Adopt-a-Family donations....thank you!! A few items were not 'claimed' on our sign-up genius, so I updated the list. Please send things in by Friday of this week as we will wrap all of the gifts Friday afternoon! If you want to help wrap, let me know! We will probably begin the process (madness?) around 1:00.  Here is the updated sign-up for Adopt-a-Family

I think that is it....for the time being!

Thanks for all of your help and support. I know I am asking a lot of you at this time of year! I truly appreciate it!

Carrie