I'm excited about the upcoming school year since it will be with the same students I had last year with a few small changes. This happened to me before and it's awesome! We get to launch into a new school year without having to spend lots of time learning rules, routines, and procedures. With a bit of a review, we'll be ready to take on all that this year has to offer.
I've decided it's time to get my classroom website up and running again. It's been a few years since I've used this tool, but I think parents will find that this a convenient way to access up-to-date information.
I'm excited about the upcoming school year since it will be with the same students I had last year with a few small changes. This happened to me before and it's awesome! We get to launch into a new school year without having to spend lots of time learning rules, routines, and procedures. With a bit of a review, we'll be ready to take on all that this year has to offer.
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The 3-4th graders and I enjoyed working with the 3-4 year olds this year! We had lots of fun doing theme related art projects, games, and other activities. We look forward to seeing our younger friends next year for more fun! This last set of activities with the preschoolers focused on shapes. We played shape-related pattern games, puzzles, iPad apps, art explorations, playground games, movement activities, shape stories, and searched fine art images for different shapes. H The students have reported that they rarely if ever use the memory work assignments section of this website this year. However, today the students say they may have benefited from having that information posted. Since it was rarely used, I've discontinued it the last few weeks, but will continue to update it now that the students have expressed interest in using it.
I've been doing a lot of posting to the St. John facebook page lately and I've been debating whether this page should be continued or if all Internet communication should be directed to the school's facebook page. If you are a facebook user, please find me(Jennifer Mulinix-Bunn) and request to friend me so that I can add you to the St. John school page. Let me know if you have any thoughts about using one over another.
The students read a non-fiction piece about the solar system today. We did an introductory activity at www.planetsforkids.org prior to our reading. The students really enjoyed the song below so I told them I'd list it at the class website. Enjoy! PhyEd/Structured Recess News
If you're anything like me, you may have dreamed of the day you could be part of your very own Guinness World Record. While it may be too late to grow record breaking toe nails in 2012, you can still be a part of an amazing world record! Our school is excited to announce that we are registered to be part of the WSSA's attempt at the Guinness World Record of "World's Largest Sport Stacking Event". St. John along with about 2,000 other schools from around the world are going to be a part of this record on November 15. We need a minimum of 25 people with one extra to verify our results. Please consider joining us to meet that minimum number. You do not need any experience and you definitely don't need to be in marathon shape to do this. We can make it work at any fitness or skill level. You'll also have a lot of fun and it will only take about an hour of your time. So unless you've collected 9,032 pounds of rubber bands, you're going to want to join us for this thrilling opportunity! See the link below for more information about speed stacking. There are also some great videos on youtube as well. If you can help or have questions, please contact Mrs. Bunn. The time for this event is 9:00 A.M. Thanks for your support! http://www.speedstacks.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7IMT8n0lJM This video below is a version of the song we will be singing in church in two weeks. Singing along with the video might be a fun way to learn this week's memory work. I would have to agree with the students that the Kroc Center is one of my all time favorite field trips and I've been on quite a few. If you've never been there before click on the link below to get more information and see pictures of the facility. Be sure to ask your child to tell you what they did in the gym and about all the fun we had in the pool/waterpark area. I don't know about your children, but I definitely got a workout and was very tired from all the physical activity. What a great way to keep our bodies healthy and fit!
http://www.gbkroccenter.org/home/ Oh no, what happened here? Could it be more victims of "chocolate fever"? Be sure to ask your child about their most recent novel unit to find out more about what's happening in this picture and what we've been learning in reading class!
In the years I've been teaching it's been widely debated whether or not children should have homework. Some believe that it deepens understanding and improves study habits and others believe that children should have time to play and let their brain process the information they learned earlier in the day. Of all the information I've heard and what I've experienced in the classroom the following principles seem to be true:
1. If children should have homework, it should be a reasonable amount. In 3-4th grade, you should expect about 30-40 minutes each school night. 2. Sometimes children struggle on an individual level with a certain concept or skill and will benefit from extra assistance at home. An example of this would be in the case of learning basic math facts. Some students become proficient with the practice done in class and some need time spent at home doing computer drills or flashcards. 3. Sometimes homework wasn't intended to be homework. Check with me if you are seeing a lot of homework. Sometimes children go through phases where they are having trouble maintaining focus or staying on track during work times. I have behavior modification tools to improve those situations. 4. Students should spend 30 minutes reading each day outside of what is considered "homework". Have your child tell me what they like if they don't see it in our school library. I will obtain appropriate selections from the library or order new books for our library. (We still have a lot of credits from Scholastic from last year that can be used for free books.) The possibilities are endless with our updated AR software! 5. If you're not seeing much if any homework, that's great! This will allow for more family time, instrument practice, play time, drawing time, etc. If you believe your child would benefit from a challenge, I can provide extra credit opportunities to enhance what we're learning in school. 6. Don't be afraid to share any concern or suggestion. Every child is unique and as that child's parent you know best how to meet those needs. I'm eager to collaborate with parents if you would like to try something new. |
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