Ending the Year with a Fun Run

Friday had to be one of the best ways to end school.  What a sight to see so many children running for two miles.  The Mighty McDevitt Moonwalkers did a terrific job.  They certainly had a lot of endurance.  Start collecting your pledges.  Checks are made payable to Blount PTA and are 100% tax deductible.  If we collect 100% of the pledges, our school will make over $22,000.  Pledge money is due on Friday, May 20th.  Thank you so much for supporting our school.

Remember that we earned a no uniform day with our number of pledges.  Uniforms do not have to be worn on Monday, May 16.

Our last poem for our poetry journal will come home this week.  Poetry journals will come on Friday and do not need to be returned to school.

Thursday is the day of the big show!  The Kindergarten program will begin at 9:00.  There is a slide show that will start around 8:30.  I've watched the slide show several times and I tear up so I'm just giving you a warning!  After the program, please join us in Room 115 for a small reception and some special surprises.  It is going to be crowded in our classroom so just enjoy the fact that so many people love and support Room 115 and ignore the cramped quarters!   Remember to dress your child in our yellow field trip t-shirt (the one WITHOUT the cloud on the back) and khaki shorts, pants or skorts.  If you are checking your child out on Thursday, do so like on party days.  Hold onto that slip of paper and give to me once back in the classroom for our reception. 

I'm assessing word wall words on Tuesday. 

I wish these next nine school days would slow down. Email me with any questions or concerns.

A New Week

We had so much fun completing our Mother's Day books for our moms.  We had even more fun wrapping those books up for you.  Give your child empty boxes, a roll of tape, a roll of wrapping paper and you have at least 15 minutes of peace to accomplish a task.  Not to mention, wrapping presents is an excellent fine motor activity for young children.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend full of sweet memories with your children.


Even though the end is noticeable on our class calendar, the learning doesn't stop.  We will be working straight up to the last day of school.  Be sure to check folders nightly and continue to read for 20 minutes a night.

There will be no poetry notebooks this week.  Look for our last poem next Friday.  I hope you enjoyed the mental image activity from last week.

Spirit Night at Jason's Deli is this Tuesday.  A flier went home in Friday's folder.

Library books are due this Friday.  Let's take a lot of AR tests this week.

The official invitation for the Kindergarten program will go home on Wednesday.  Be sure to read the attached note about a special reception in our classroom immediately following the awards program.  The K end of the year program is Thursday, May 19 at 9:00. 

The DIBELS scores for Room 115 were outstanding.  I will be sending your child's scores home either Monday or Tuesday.  Look for them in the folder.

The Booster-thon Fun Run is this Friday at 8:30 for Kindergarten.  Please join us and cheer on the "Mighty McDevitt Moonwalkers."   With the puzzling way Alabama funds education, the poor economy and the population of our school has resulted in the PTA to support Blount financially.  The state of Alabama has not given out teacher allocations for supplies/materials/curriculum for the past two years.  The Blount PTA is supporting the teachers.  Your support of the fun run  supports the PTA.  The pep rally last Wednesday was top notch, I can only imagine how impressive the actual fun run will be.  I hope to see you there!  Thank you for supporting the PTA!

Thank you so much for all the notes/sweet treats/gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week.  Official thank you notes will be coming but please know I felt extremely appreciated.  You are too kind!  I put all the letters together from the homework assignment and came up with the answer of "Mrs. McDevitt cares".  I do care very much for your child.  Thank you for your trust!

Email me with any questions or concerns.
 

The Beginning of May

This week in reading we will be reviewing the vowels and consonant letters of the alphabet.  We will also be working with word wall words.  In math, we will be acting out subtraction stories.  Even though the calendar says May the learning continues all the way up until the last day of school.  Please encourage best behavior and hard working attitudes in your child.

Monday is the final day for placing an order for our classroom scrapbook.  Please let me know if you need extra time to make the payment.

We will have a pep rally on Wednesday to kick off the Boosterthon.  Please read the letter from the PTA president that can be found in last week's blog entry for more information about the Boosterthon.

Our class will have our final DIBELS assessment on Tuesday.

Last week was a very busy week full of excitement and fun.  The zoo field trip was perfect as we had the zoo basically to ourselves, the temperature was cool, the animals were active and the children were excited and well behaved.  Thanks to the many parents that went and helped me.  I appreciate your support of our classroom.


Field day was busy and fun.  There were several comments about it being the best day of school.  By far the favorites from field day were:  Tug of War, cotton candy and the popsicles!  Our class had a fantastic turnout of parents working the games.  Thank you so much for supporting the school.



I'm updating the blog a little bit later than usual but I've been watching the news. Exciting news is breaking as I type.  What a wave of emotions this week has brought with the destruction in North Alabama to the news of Bin Laden's death.  The older I get the tighter I want to hold my children and the more I want to be surrounded by family and friends.  A wave of emotions will hit me tomorrow as we update our calendar to the month of May.  The children know they can talk about summer amongst each other but in front of me we pretend it is October and school is just getting started!  Hang on tight because I know May is going to speed quickly by.  Email me with any questions or concerns.

A Classroom of Funny Bunnies

I'm updating this blog on a wonderful Easter afternoon.  As I look at the pictures of our egg hunt, I'm so thankful to be your child's teacher and am blessed to have the support of the families.  I hope you have had a wonderful spring weekend.  If I had the ability,  I would make time stand still  so that April wouldn't end and we wouldn't have to face the event that happens at the end of May. 




Last week we had a mystery in the classroom as our letter X was missing from our alphabet chart.  On Friday, we made a connection between our real life and a book we were reading and discovered the letter X was in our treasure box.  Excitement galore as we discovered a plate of Xx cookies!  We had quite the celebration as we finished studying the twenty six letters of the alphabet.



The first week of May the children will have their final DIBELS testing.  If you wanted to help your child prepare for the test, write out a page of scrambled uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.  Have your child identify the NAME of the letter (not the sound).  Make it into a game and see how many he/she can name in one minute.  The letter q is assessed without the tail flipping up.  The letter g will be a "fancy" g.  If your child is having trouble identifying a "b" and a "d", try this little trick.  When you see the letter b, first you will see a bat (the straight line) hitting a ball (the round part of the b).  You would never see a ball hitting the bat (that would be the letter d).  To identify the letter d, I tell the children to make a "c" and then close the gate with a tall, straight line. 

In math, we are learning numbers up to 20, addition, subtraction and measurement. 

We didn't have to time to properly learn last week's poem so look for it this Friday.  It is about teeth and Room 115 is an expert on wiggly, jiggly teeth!

The scrapbook for Room 115 is on sale up until May 2.  I'm placing the order the evening of May 2.  Please let me know if you need additional time to make the payment.

We've been researching an animal a day to prepare for Wednesday's field trip to the zoo.  Please make sure your child is wearing the yellow field trip t-shirt on Wednesday to help me with safety measures.  If you are planning to join us, please throw a picnic blanket in the car if you have one for our lunch at the zoo. 



Upcoming events:
Tuesday, April 26:  Gold Party from 4-7 pm in the library
Tuesday, April 26:  PTA meeting at 6:00 pm
Wednesday, April 27:  Room 115 field trip to the zoo
Thursday, April 28:  Spirit Night at Cucos
Friday, April 29:  Field Day for grades K-3
Monday, May 2:  Final day to place order for Room 115 scrapbook
Friday, May 13:  Boosterthon Fun Run
Thursday, May 19:  Kindergarten Celebration  at 9:00


Field day is this Friday.  We will be outside playing games for close to two hours, so you may want to apply sunblock on your child before leaving for school.  There will be a water station available. However, I like to keep the children close to me so I'm asking for a volunteer to send in a cooler on wheels loaded with cold water bottles so that we can sip, stay hydrated and cool and keep playing.  Please email me if you can do this.  Thank you! 

Please read the following from the PTA about the upcoming Boosterthon.  Read carefully, because there appears to be a challenge to the parents for cheering on the All-Stars of Room 115!

Dear Blount Parents,

Can you believe it??  The school year is almost gone.... and we're about to take it up a notch so GET EXCITED!  The Boosterthon Fun Run is coming to Blount Elementary and we could not be more thrilled!  This will be our biggest fundraiser of the year.  The Boosterthon Fun Run promotes fitness, leadership, and character with an overall focus on using teamwork to help our school. Please take a moment and consider how difference the school and teachers have made in your child’s life and future.  

We are so excited about the Boosterthon team being on our campus for two full weeks with a heart and passion to impact students!  With your help, this could be the biggest fundraising effort our school has ever seen!  We hope to see you at the Funrun on Friday, May 13th.  We want to see who will be the most enthusiastic and creative parents out there so come dressed in red, white, and blue with signs to cheer on your all-star!

Thank you so much in advance for all your support and generosity through this fun-filled program!  Please take 1 minute to hear this message from Mrs. Green and Lisa Hoffman about the fun run:  http://boosterthoninfo.com/blountelementary/

The goal of the Boosterthon Fun Run is to raise funds while teaching our kids about the importance of Fitness, Leadership, and Character. Our goal is to raise$35,000 for technology and teacher classroom needs, and we need your help!  We are very excited to have the Boosterthon Fun Run Team on campus this semester, as they will be adding value in so many ways to our students and our school! 

 The Boosterthon Fun Run is a nine day program that will kick off Wed, May 4th. Please look for the Boosterthon Pledge Manual that will come home with your child on this day, and be sure to visit funrun.com to begin entering pledges.

On the last day of the program, ALL students will participate in the Boosterthon Fun Run event which will take place Friday, May 13th. 

We need your help!  We are asking parents to connect their student to ten (10) potential sponsors who can pledge a dollar amount per lap or give a flat donation towards their student’s Fun Run.  Most students will run somewhere between 25-35 laps at the Boosterthon Fun Run (max laps = 35).  For example, a $5.00 pledge per lap x 25 laps would equal a $125.00 gift to the school.  All checks are made payable to Blount Elementary PTA, due one week after the Fun Run and are 100% tax deductible.  Sponsors will also be able to donate on line.

We ask you to help Blount Elementary in the following three ways:

1.Connect your student to ten (10) potential sponsors who would like to support our school through a pledge per lap or a flat donation (Remember, students will average 25-35 laps).

2.Logon to funrun.com to enter pledges (more information to follow)

3.Join us at the Boosterthon Fun Run event on Friday, May 13th!

Thank you again for being such a wonderful group of parents!  The investment you make in the lives of our students and our school is noticed and appreciated.  Get excited!  We look forward to seeing you at the Boosterthon Fun Run!

Lisa Hoffman

 

Practice Makes Better

I don't like the old saying that practice makes perfect.  It is more appropriate to say practice makes better.  As a class we know one of the best ways to become a good reader is to practice, practice and practice some more.  Check out the photos of some good readers practicing to be be better readers. 



This is the last week for new alphabet sounds and word wall words.  This week we are learning about "Xx" as in "x on the x-ray."  The word wall words are say, came, up.  For the remaining weeks of school, we will be reviewing all the word wall words and sounds.  Don't give up practicing word wall words.  You want your child instantly to read the word wall words upon sight!  No thinking of the word or trying to sound them out.

In math we are discussing measurement, addition and numbers to 20.  Busy times in Room 115.

Our Spring Egg Hunt is this Thursday.   Let's hope for beautiful weather.  If you contacted me about helping, I will send out an email on Tuesday evening giving you all the details.  Remember to send in 17 eggs (labeled 1-17) by Tuesday.  NO CHOCOLATES in the eggs please.

Each student should be taking at least one AR test a week.

Field Trip money to the zoo is due Friday.

I will send home information about purchasing the Room 115 scrapbook on Wednesday.  I'm offering it at the cost the publisher sells it at.  This is NOT a fund-raising activity.  I am placing the order for the books on the evening of Monday, May 2.  If you need additional time for payment, please contact me. 

Upcoming events:
Tuesday, April 19:  send in 17 (numbered 1-17) stuffed plastic eggs
Wednesday, April 20 - May 2:  Room 115 Scrapbook is on sale
Thursday, April 21:  Spring Egg Hunt for Room 115 (volunteers needed)  11:15-12:30
Friday, April 22:  This is a weather make up day:  school will be in session
Tuesday, April 26:  Gold Party from 4-7 pm in the library
Tuesday, April 26:  PTA meeting at 6:00 pm
Wednesday, April 27:  Room 115 field trip to the zoo
Friday, April 29:  Field Day for grades K-3
Friday, May 13:  Boosterthon Fun Run
Thursday, May 19:  Kindergarten Celebration  at 9:00
 
Email me with any questions or concerns you may have. 

A School Day Goes By Qucikly

The seven hours we spend together daily in Room 115 goes by quickly.  We are busy reading, writing, painting, creating, and counting. 

This week we are investigating the letter "Uu" as in upside-down.  The word wall words are:  under, please, big, eat. 

In math, we are learning to add and measure.  A favorite activity in our calendar notebook is to add the consonants and vowels in the leader's name.  Give us a word and see if we can identify the vowels/consonants and help write a number sentence.

Please return your intent to return to Blount Elementary form.  This will help us prepare for next year.

Permission slips for our field trip to the zoo will go home on Monday.

Please send in $5.00 for a family secret by this Wednesday.

Tuesday, April 12:  Spirit night at Jason's Deli
Wednesday, April 13:  deadline for turning in $5.00 for a family secret
Tuesday, April 19:  send in 17 (numbered 1-17) stuffed plastic eggs
Wednesday, April 20 - May 2:  Room 115 Scrapbook is on sale
Thursday, April 21:  Spring Egg Hunt for Room 115 (volunteers needed)  11:15-12:30
Friday, April 22:  This is a weather make up day:  school will be in session
Tuesday, April 26:  Gold Party from 4-7 pm in the library
Tuesday, April 26:  PTA meeting at 6:00 pm
Wednesday, April 27:  Room 115 field trip to the zoo
Friday, April 29:  Field Day for grades K-3
Friday, May 13:  Boosterthon Fun Run
Thursday, May 19:  Kindergarten Celebration  at 9:00

I'm not cooking on Tuesday so I hope to see you at Jason's Deli! Email me with any questions or concerns you may have. 

Save the Dates!

Be sure to pull your calendar out and write down the upcoming events that are found at the end of this post.  The last nine weeks of school is a very busy time!

This week we are investigating the letter "Qq" as in quail on a quilt.  The word wall words are:  good, pretty, who, ride.

Make some homemade flash cards with the letters b,d,q,and p on them.  Work with your child to immediately recognize the lowercase letters that are commonly mistaken.  (On the end of the year test, the lowercase q does not have a tail that flips up.) 

In math we are working with the numbers up to 20 and basic addition up to the number five.  When working with your child at home, make sure your child knows that addition is when you take two different sets of numbers and put them together to make a larger set!

April book orders will go home on Monday with the deadline of Friday.  If you choose to order on-line, our class' code is GL88R.   Book orders are optional.

The students have a very special family project that we are preparing for you.  Please send in $5 to cover the cost of materials of our family secret.  The deadline to send in the money is Wednesday, April 13.  Please let me know if this is a problem. Our family secret will be ready in late May.

Save the dates:
Monday, April 4-April 13:  send in $5.00 for a family secret
Tuesday, April 5:  Spirit night at Burger King
Tuesday, April 12:  Spirit night at Jason's Deli
Wednesday, April 20 - May 2:  Room 115 Scrapbook is on sale
Thursday, April 21:  Spring Egg Hunt for Room 115 (volunteers needed)  11:15-12:30
Friday, April 22:  This is a weather make up day:  school will be in session
Tuesday, April 26:  Gold Party from 4-7 pm in the library
Tuesday, April 26:  PTA meeting at 6:00 pm
Wednesday, April 27:  Room 115 field trip to the zoo
Friday, April 29:  Field Day for grades K-3
Friday, May 13:  Boosterthon Fun Run
Thursday, May 19:  Kindergarten Celebration  at 9:00

Did you notice how the majority of the words from last week's poem, "Five Little Birds," were word wall words.  As you can see from the slideshow posted below, we had tremendous fun acting out the poem and learning about subtraction.  Remember to check back packs this Friday for our new poem. 



Email me with any questions or concerns.  Enjoy this beautiful weather!