Mrs. Koontz's Newsletter
November 27, 2017
Important Notes
- If your child will go home a different way than usual, you will need to write a note. If I do not have a note saying they will go home a different way, I will send them home their normal way. Please do not Dojo message to tell me. I do not check my messages on Dojo until after school.
- Please, please make sure your child has a supply of pencils. I am quickly running out of pencils to loan out.
- Please remember, our day starts at 7:30. Students switch classes at 7:45. Every minute of our day is precious. Thank you.
- If you need to contact me, please use email. It is not easy to see that there is a dojo message. In addition, students sometimes see who the messages are from as dojo is displayed on the Smartboard at all times. Thank you.
Language Arts Notes
We will review fact and opinion again this week, focusing on using text details to verify. We will then look at sequencing events in a narrative. Of course, we are still reading our novels in small group. Students are learning that advanced readers must make inferences and draw conclusions as they read. Students are also learning to manage their time and stay on task during centers. Gaining responsibility at this level will help them immensely as they go through elementary and middle schools. It is a work in progress, but they are showing much improvement.
We are almost finished with our first five paragraph expository essay. Once we finish our rough drafts, we will focus on using editing marks to peer and self edit our work. Our next expository piece will be writing to explain why. This final draft will become a gift for someone special.
Social Studies Notes
We have finished our very thorough look at the Lost Colony. We are now focusing on settlement of all three regions of North Carolina. This will lead us into North Carolina's role in the Revolutionary War. Students will learn that North Carolina was among the first colonies to call for independence from Great Britain and how this is marked on our state flag. We will take a lot of guided notes to help us organize, remember and apply this information.
Important Dates!!!
December 1 - Interims
December 7- Spirit Day
December 18 - Pet Responsibility ends - Finale in Media Center
December 20 - Early Release (11:30)
December 21 - January 2 - Winter Break
January 3 - Students return
Contact Me!
Email: tkoontz@ncmcs.org
Website: www.ncmcs.org/sfles
Location: Sandhills Farm Life Elementary, Farm Life School Road, Carthage, NC, United States
Phone: (910) 949-2501