H.A.L. Happenings
Bellevue Public Schools HAL Services
January 2016
Happy New Year!!
Welcome Back!!
I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing break. My son and I certainly enjoyed staying up late and sleeping in! Now we are back to school, ready for the second half of the year!!
Conferences
Conferences are quickly approaching, and I want you to know that I am available to speak with you if you have any questions or concerns. I have split my conference schedule between three different schools this quarter. This quarter I will be at Wake Robin on Monday February 8th and Central from 3:30-5:00 and Belleaire from 5:30-7:15 on Tuesday February 9th.
If your child has his/her conference on the day I am scheduled to be at that building, I plan to attend that conference; as long as my schedule allows.
If I will not be at your child's school for conferences and you would like to schedule a time to meet please email me:
My email address is laura.swanson@bpsne.net.
Thank you for your continued support. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
WordMaster
This week I will be distributing the second list of words to the students. This list will include the definitions and word relationships. The test will be the week of February 16th!
Both contests will require students to spend time outside of the regular HAL time for studying.
Study Skills
This is one reason that we will be spending time working on our study skills. The WordMaster challenge is the perfect opportunity for students not only to expand their vocabulary, but to learn "how to study" as well.
As I distributed the WordMaster words to students last week, we also took time to get organized! Each student used his/her school planner (agenda or assignment notebook) and recorded on the calendar the date the of the WordMaster test.
We also talked about how if students take just one day a week to read of their words and definitions, or study with a parent or sibling for 10 minutes they would be able to remember the words better. So, to continue with our organization, students wrote themselves reminders in their planners to "study WM words" each week until the test in February.
My goal for the students is to teach them how if they stay organized, keep up with their planner/calendar, and practice or study a little bit each week they will not feel so overwhelmed when it comes time to take the test.
Noetic Math Contest
At the end of November students participated in a nationwide math challenge contest called the Noetic Math Contest. Each test consists of 20 math problem-solving challenge questions. This test is quite difficult, and I am so proud of all the students who accepted this challenge and tried their very best!!
The Noetic Learning Math Contest awards students who scored in the top 10% in each grade level with the Honor Roll Medal.
4th Grade:
Evan G **Also the Team Winner for top score in 4th grade in BPS.
Ben H. **Also the Team Winner for top score in 4th grade in BPS.
Matthew T.
5th Grade:
David O. **Also Team winner for top score in 5th grade
Tristan T.
6th Grade:
Seth **Also the Team Winner for top score in 6th grade in BPS.
Noah
Kevin
Bennett
Noetic Learning Math Contests also awards students who scored in the top 50% with the Honorable Mention:
4th Grade:
Kiara
Jacob
Dustin
Alex
5th Grade:
Jackson M.
Gavan R.
Daniel C.
Caroline B.
Jayden E.
David W.
Oasis O.
Olivia W.
Annabelle B.
Bella A.
6th Grade:
Alex G.
Sammy Q.
Grace T.
Christian L.
Zach H.
Daniel T.
Madison S.
Nadjia L.
Kate. L.
Kayla G.
Ms. Swanson
Email: laura.swanson@bpsne.net
Website: bpshal.weebly.com
Phone: 4028275950
Twitter: @lswanson79