The Cloud Connection
September 22, 2014
We'll be combining our class with Ms. Bynagle's class in the mornings beginning Monday. Students will be working together in smaller groups for reading and math during our instructional time in the morning. In the afternoon we'll go back to our homerooms for instruction in writing, science and social studies. It is our hope that we'll be able to address the learning needs of each student with this plan. Groups will be fluid and we are working hard to make this the best possible learning experience for your child. Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.
Literacy: Students did a remarkable job writing their Greek plays. We'll be discussing the Jr. Great Book story we read together early this week. Students will be reading one of four great books that deal with tolerance, diversity and friendship. The books are Mockingbird, Rules, Out of My Mind and Joey Pigza Swallowed a Key. Ms. Bynagle, Ms. Bolin and I will be working with your child on providing evidence from the text that supports their thinking as we discuss these books.
Students will be finishing their first piece of narrative writing this week. We'll continue to peer review this piece, and students will have the opportunity to rewrite their piece more than once.
We are working on the oo/yoo vowel sounds this week. The words are on Spelling City if your child would like to access that from home to work on their homework. The words are: glue, confuse, flute, cruise, youth, jewel, accuse, execute, buise, route, stew, cartoon, choose, avenue, loose, include, lose, assume, view and souvenir.
Math: Some students will move to Ms. Bynagle's room for math. The rest of the class will be taught in our "large" room by Ms. Bolin and myself. We'll be working on multiplication patterns this week. For students in Ms. Bolin's and my room the homework is: Mon. 97-98, Tues. 103-104, Wed. 109-110 and Thurs. 111-112.
Social Studies: This week we'll finish reviewing map skills.
Science: Ms. Bolin will begin her science instruction this week with observations and discussions about how to test hypothesis so the results are reliable.
Analogies are due Fri. Reading logs are always due on Mondays.
Band days are Monday and Wednesday
Battle of the Books begins Oct. 1
Student Council sponsors spirit days throughout the year. Sept. 26 is Duct Tape Day. You might want to start putting those outfits together early :) Student council elections for the 2014-2015 school year will be held Oct. 7.
We are busy planning our fall trip to Ageya Oct. 9-10. It's guaranteed to be a memorable experience for your child. We'll work on team building and outdoor education similar to our experience across the bay last spring. Permission slips and medication forms need to be turned in by Friday. We'd like to have payment by Wed., Oct 1. Please let me know if you need a partial scholarship or need to be on some type of payment plan. If your child isn't going to accompany us (and we hope this isn't the case) please let me know ASAP so we can make necessary arrangements. We will be soliciting help for our fundraising.
Thank you to the families who supported the PTO fall fundraiser. Funds go to support class field trips and whole school activities/needs.
Youth Court begins Monday the 22nd. If your child is interested please have them return the necessary permission slips before then.
Paperbag Book Report :
Each quarter students are required to complete a book report. These quarterly book reports allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the book in a creative and hands-on way. I'll be sending home a brown paper bag with a set of directions for this book report. Please let me know if your child needs further instructions.
For this book report your child will be designing a cover the their book on the front side of the paper bag. On the back side of the bag your child will glue their written portion of their report. Inside the bag students will place ten items related to the book they are sharing. These are due Oct. 15th.
This assignment should be completed at home. If you have questions or need additional support please let me know.
Duct Tape Day
Friday, Sep 26, 2014, 08:30 AM
West Homer Elementary School, Soundview Avenue, Homer, AK, United States
Letter to 5th grade parents
Dear Parents/Guardians,
As you are well aware, our 5th grade classrooms are very full this year, so the district office has allocated West Homer Elementary an additional teacher to remedy the issue. We are thankful for the additional teacher.
In these first few weeks of school, teachers work hard to build classroom communities and relationships with individual students – this is part of the magic that great teachers do to create a vibrant learning environment for all students. We have heard from many parents who would like their children to remain in their current classroom. We have looked very hard to find a teacher who is the caliber of professional you have come to expect from our staff and who will complement our educational team. Additionally, we have worked to create a solution that will add value to your child’s educational experience at WHE, without separating them from the learning communities that they have fostered.
Our solutions is as follows:Kellie Bolin will join our educational team. She is a highly qualified educator in the content area of general science at the middle school and high school level (7-12), and she has a strong background in mathematics education. Mrs. Bolin will team teach with Mrs. Cloud and Mrs. Bynagle. We plan to utilize three classrooms; however, in the next couple of weeks we will open the wall between two classrooms to create one large classroom in which we can offer grade level/large group lessons and then utilize the regular sized classroom for smaller group lessons, remediation and acceleration. We will combine both classes for portions of the day with all three teachers and we will break the whole group down into smaller groups to facilitate the needs of individual students. Grouping of students will be fluid to meet students’ needs. Students will remain in their current classroom assignments for PE, music and library classes. We will continually be assessing the success of this plan and make adjustments, modifications and/or changes accordingly.
Raymond Marshall
Katherine Bynagle
Melissa Cloud
West Homer Elementary School