Week of January 30th

I will be sending home another set of fact triangles on Friday. These do not need to be returned, please use them to help your child practice their math facts at home. Let me know if you have any questions about how they work.

Finally, we have a "normal" week. No early dismissals, I don't have to be gone for meetings, just a regular week. I'm looking forward to it, and I know that the students will be glad to have a regular schedule again, all of the changes have been throwing us off a bit.

Important Dates this Week:
Homework: 6.5 on Wednesday, 6.6 on Thursday, and 6.7 on Friday (fact triangles)
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: Monday and Thursday

Week of January 23rd

This is going to be a fast and crazy week with our unexpected day off yesterday. Our Snow Make-Up day will be on Monday, February 20th. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Friday I will be sending home a sheet of fact triangles as math homework. You will be getting more of these sheets periodically as the year goes on. These do not need to be returned to school, we have sets of them that we use in the classroom. The fact triangles that are for you to cut out and keep at home so that students can practice with them. I typically suggest that you keep them in an envelope or plastic baggie. It's a great activity to do during commercials if you are watching tv, or quickly before or after dinner, etc.

This is how they work...
Fact Triangles are a type of flashcard. You cover up one corner with your finger and then have your child use the remaining numbers on the triangle to tell you which number you are covering. This allows you to use the fact triangles for both addition and subtraction practice. Please let me know if you have any questions about using your child's fact triangles.

Important Dates This Week:
Early Dismissal on Wednesday
Homework: 6.2 on Wednesday, 6.3 on Thursday, 6.4 on Friday (fact triangles)
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: No Spanish this week due to the early dismissal

Week of January 16th

This week we start "What's My Rule" in math with rule machines. This is a difficult concept and lots of students have trouble with it. I am going to send home a copy of a blank rule machine with every student. We will use these at school as well.

In order to use the rule machine sheet multiple times you may want to use a sticky note to write the rule on so that you don't have to write and erase the rule each time. Students will also need some type of counters (cheerios, crackers, pennies, etc) so they can actually act out what the rule machine is doing to each number that goes in. If you have any questions about this, or need any further assistance please let me know. It's somewhat difficult to explain until you've seen the sheet, but hopefully your child will know the basics of what to do from our math time in class.

Important Dates for this Week:
Homework: 5.12 on Tuesday, and 5.13 on Wednesday
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: Tuesday and Friday

Week of January 9th

This week we are working hard on routines and getting back to our usual method of operation. In order to re-train students to follow directions and be responsible, etc, I am giving some "automatic timeouts." This means that students will not get 3 reminders, but will get an automatic timeout if they do not follow certain procedures or directions. I always tell them if something will be an automatic timeout, so they all have one reminder from the start. With that said, some students are getting more timeouts than usual. If your child comes home with a dentention or responsibility slip, it is most likely due to not following directions or procedures, and they probably received some automatic timeouts. Please note that getting more timeouts than usual this week will not mean that we have to talk or have a meeting. Just know that we are working on the routines and encourage your child to listen carefully, follow directions and be responsible. I think that most students will be back to the usual routine and procedures by the end of the week. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your help in encouraging positive behaviors at school.

Important Dates for this Week:
Early Dismissal on Wednesday
Homework: 5.10 on Monday and 5.11 on Thursday
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: No Spanish this week due to the early dismissal

Week of January 3rd

Welcome back to everyone. I hope you all had a nice holiday break. We will resume spelling and homework this week. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Important Dates for this Week:
Homework: 5.7 on Tuesday, and 5.9 on Thursday
Library and Check-Out: Tuesday
Spanish: Tuesday and Friday