Weekley Update

Parents-

I hope that everyone is doing well and had a great weekend!  I just wanted to remind you that midterm grades were sent home last week.  I need for you to sign and return those to me as soon as possible.  Overall, the students had very good grades.  If you have any questions regarding grades please do not hesitate to call or e-mail me.  I always remind the students that midterms grades can be improved!

This week, we will be going to the Ritz to watch a movie.  A letter was sent home two weeks ago informing parents that the cost of admission is $3.00.  If you have not sent the money, I ask that you to send it in as soon a possible.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.  I am always more than willing to help out any way possible.  I hope that each of you had a great week!

-Ms. Keys

Welcome Back!

Parents-

I hope that each of you had a great Thanksgiving Break!  I know I enjoyed spending time with friends and family!  I am still working on the snow packets, but as soon as I finish them I will get those packets to your child. 

This week we will be working on a digital imaging classroom project.  Our TIS (Technology Integration Specialist) has asked my class to help her with this project.  The students will create a photostory to instruct upcoming fifth grade students on things they need to know on move-up day.  I think that the kids will really enjoy this technology project.   

I look forward to seeing your child this week.  I sure have missed them! :)

Glog Presentations

Parents-

As you know, your kids have been working extra hard to finish their social studies glogs.  They have finally finished, and I want to share them with you. Some of the glog links would not work, but your child knows how to log on to glogster in order to show you the final product!  If you have any questions, please e-mail me!  :) 

Oh No…Here Comes Old Man Winter!!!

Parents-

As you know, winter is right around the corner!  Therefore, this winter season we may face some snow days.  I think it is important that we take advantage of these days and make them as educational as possible. 

Over Thanksgiving Break, I will be putting together snow packets for each child.  The packets will consist of language arts, reading, math, science, and social studies activities.  Each of the activities will also align with our state content standards and objectives. 

I will take extra credit for each assignment completed.  Also, I know that many of you may plan to do your own activities with your child, and that is perfectly fine!  I will also take extra credit for those assignments.

As always, you are more than welcome to contact me with any questions!

Have a great week! J

Park Ranger Visit

Parents-

On Wednesday, a park ranger visited our class and gave a special presentation.  I took a couple pictures, and I wanted to share with each you.  I hope you enjoy! J 

The rest of the pictures are located under our classroom photos tab!

Weekly Update

Parents-

We had such a great time this past week!  Monday was our Wacky Tacky Fun Day, and the students had so much fun on their scavenger hunt.  Please take the time to look at the pictures posted under the classroom photos tab.  I want to thank all the parents who came out to help chaperone.  This scavenger hunt would not have been possible without your help!  I would especially like to thank our classroom mom, Becky, for organizing and planning this day.  You were such a big help! J  

This week is going to be another busy week.  On Wednesday, a park ranger will be visiting our school to give a special presentation to our class.  On Thursday, the students will be going to the Chuck Mathena Center to watch “Soul Street” perform.  The cost is $5.00, and I still have not received a few permission forms!  If your child does not turn in a permission form they will not be able to go.  Please get that in to me ASAP!  Also, there is no school on Friday, so the spelling and reading test will both be given on Thursday.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns you may call or e-mail me!

I hope that everyone has had a great weekend.  I look forward to spending another great week with your child! 

Parent Update!

Parents! 

I just wanted to update you and remind you that tomorrow is Wacky Tacky Day and Fun Day!  At the beginning of the day we will be going on a scavenger hunt, and after lunch we will be playing fun games in the classroom.  I believe that they will have a GREAT time! 

I sent home permission forms last week, and if you have not returned the form then please make sure you send it back with your child tomorrow.  If I do not have a permission form then they will not be allowed to go on the scavenger hunt.

I hope that everyone has had a great weekend.  I look forward to seeing my love bugs in their wacky tacky costumes tomorrow!  Happy Halloween! J 

We Need Photos!

Parents!  This letter below is from one of the parents in the class.  On Monday, October 31, 2011 the students will be participating in Wacky Tacky Fun Day, and we need photos from you in order to make one of our activities a success.  A letter will be sent home this week with your kids. 

Dear Parents,

We are putting together a picture slideshow for the kids to watch after the scavenger hunt on October 31^st.  I would like to have as many pictures of all the kids as possible, so if you can send me pictures to add to the show I’m sure your child would love seeing himself/herself up on the big screen.  It can be anything from school activities to sports they play or whatever you choose.  Ms. Keys has some photos from class, but we would like for each child to have individual pictures as well.  Please only send digital photos, I won’t be able to get hard copy photos scanned in time.  Either burn them to a disk and send to school with your child, or you can e-mail them to me at awykle@csc.com by Thursday October 27th.

Thank you,

Amy W.

Parent Update

Parents!

The students participated in two fun activities this week, and I wanted to make sure that I shared this with you. 

On Thursday, we visited with one of the Pre-K classrooms and read with the students.  They did an excellent job reading and working with the little ones.  I was impressed with their ability to teach and connect with each of the kids.  Hopefully we will get to do this reading activity more often. 

On Friday, we had the privilege of learning how to spin!  A lady from Carnegie Hall came to share her spinning expertise with our class.  The students got to watch, learn, and participate in the activity.  They created their own bracelets, and each of them looked wonderful.  I hope that they shared this with you, and I hope you enjoy the pictures.

WESTEST Recognition- Above Mastery and Distinguished Students

This past week we had an assembly that recognized students who achieved above mastery and/or distinguished on their West Virginia WESTEST scores.  Congratulations on your academic achievement!

Jaden, Tatum, Jenna, Stephanie, Shelby, Chris, Nate, Samuel, Eternity and Nathan!

Congratulations Shelby!

Congratulations to Shelby for being the September Student of the Month! 

A Voicemail From Your Teacher :)

Hey kiddos! I left you a little "voicemail"!! I apologize for being absent. I will see you guys tomorrow! Make sure you listen to the podcast below! :)

Message2Students-Sub.egg on Aviary.

What did you think of the field trip?

Hey kids!  I want to know what you thought of the field trip.  What did you enjoy the most?  What did you enjoy the least? Leave me your comments! :)

Field Trip: Grandview at New River Gorge National River

This past week we went on a field trip to Grandview for their "Make a Splash with Project Wet" water festival.  The students had an excellent time. 

While we were there we rotated to different stations and learned about water conservation, the water cycle, water safety, aquatic insects, water rafts, and ground water.  The students had an excellent time, and I could tell that they learned a lot.  I took tons of pictures, so I hope you enjoy them.  

I would like to thank Kim A., Joni W., and Tara B. for helping me chaperon the kids.  With all the excitement, it was great to have additional eyes and ears to help me keep all of the kids safe! 

Remember, all of the pictures are placed under the photo tab on this blog.

Learning about different ways to conserve water!

Trying to make a raft that will float in water!

Water Molecule Activity

Study Break Tab

Hey kiddos!  I added a "study break" tab for you guys!  Whenever you need a break from studying check out the tab.  I hope you enjoy the games that I added! :)

Parent Update- Another Exciting Week :)

Hey Parents!  We are off to another exciting week!  First, I was to start off by thanking you for signing and returning midterms and permission forms in a timely manner.  It sure does make it easier for me to know that I have important paperwork back.  Second, I want to touch base with you about our field trip on Thursday.  I mentioned on the permission forms to make sure that the students pack a lunch.  However, I failed to remind you to make sure that they wear comfortable shoes and clothes.  I would suggest tennis shoes, jeans, and a light jacket.  If there are any questions regarding the field trip you can always call me or e-mail me at bkeys@access.k12.wv.  You can also always write a message in your child's assignment journal because I check those every morning for a parent signature. 

If you have looked under the grammar and spelling tab you will notice that there is not a grammar skill or a list of spelling words for this week.  Since there is no school today or Friday and because we are going on a field trip on Thursday, I decided it would be in the best interest of the students if I focused our attention on another skill.  With that being said, this week we will be working on writing free verse and rhyming poems.  I plan to have the students post their poems as soon as they finish writing them.

Last week the students got the opportunity to share our classroom pets with one of the Pre-K classes at Hinton Area.  I was so impressed with their ability to communicate with the little ones.  They were excellent role models and very patient and kind.  They taught the Pre-k students the proper way to care for and handle the turtles.  They also explained how to clean and feed the turtles, and they even explained the physical features of the turtles.  I am honest when I say that they did an EXCELLENT JOB!!  Once we finished explaining about the turtles, the Pre-K teacher let us hold their classroom pets.  Make sure you look under the classroom photos tab to see those pictures!  

I know that I have said this before, but it is truly a blessing to work with such respectable and well-mannered kids.  As parents, you should be very proud.  :)    


Krystina and Stephanie showing the kids our pet turtles!



Chris showing the students how our turtles bask in the tank :)



Camden, Chanah, and Nate visiting with Harriet (The Pre-K Guinea Pig)! 





Weekly Parent Update

Parents!  I must say that we had another fun and exciting week.  The students finished their unit on animal cells, and we will start are social studies unit on learning about the earliest Americans.  I am still in the process of grading their writing process test and their spelling test.  So far, the students have done a great job.  This week our grammar skill will focus on being able to identify common and proper nouns, and in writing we will begin writing our own narratives. 

I sent home midterm grades on Friday, and I will need to have those signed and returned to me as soon as possible.  I was very impressed with their grades.  Also, the students will be taking a field trip to Grandview on Thursday, October 6, 2011.  I will be sending home permission forms this week.  The permission forms will also need to be signed and returned as soon as possible.   

I hope you have had a great weekend.  Make sure you look under our classroom photos tab in order to see pictures of the students creating their animal cells.  I look forward to another great week.  

Sneak Peak Pictures of our Animal Cell Creations 

The rest of the pictures are located under the classroom photos tab. 

Also, the students were NOT allowed to eat their animal cells at school.  However, I did tell them that what they did at home was up to their parents.  I hope you did not mind! :)

 

***Parent Update***

Parents!  I wanted to give you an update on some of the lessons I will be covering this week.  This past week we spent the majority of our language arts time working on learning about the writing process, the traits of writing, and the types of writing.  The students will have a test on this information on Thursday, September 22, 2011.  The students took notes in class, but there is also additional information under the writing tab of this blog.  Due to the amount of time that it took to thoroughly explain the elements of writing, I was unable to start teaching about independent and dependent clauses.  With that being said, the grammar skill this week will be independent and dependent clauses. 

In science we began learning about animal cells. The students created a diagram of an animal cell, and this week they will be creating their own animal cell models.  I just finished grading their animal cell diagrams, and they did an excellent job labeling and identifying the parts of an animal cell. 

As always, do not hesitate to call if there are any questions. 

-Ms. Keys

Our Acrostic Poems

Parents!  Please read the comments for this post.  The students have completed their very own acrostic poems!  I hope you enjoy!

Plant Cells and Animal Cells

Hey kiddos!  I found this video and decided to post it on the blog.  I plan to show it to you tomorrow in class!  I hope you enjoy watching it! :) 

"Sprinkle and Flipper"

Our classroom environment would not be the same without the addition of "Sprinkle" and "Flipper."  I am sure you are wondering who Sprinkle and Flipper are, and I am proud to say that they are our classroom pets.  The students have gone above and beyond to show their maturity and independence in taking care of our baby turtles!  I hope you enjoy the pictures of the turtles.  Good luck trying to find them in the pictures!  They are camera shy! :)

Regions Poster Pictures

Hey parents/students!  I have tried extremely hard to get the regions video presentations uploaded, and I could not get it to work!  Therefore, I have decided to post the different groups with their poster!  The kids worked really hard on gathering their research and creating their posters.  I hope you enjoy the pictures! :)

 The West Region

The Midwest Region

The Southwest Region

The Southeast Region

The Northeast Region

Social Studies: Region Presentations

Hey kiddos!  I know a bunch of you have been checking the classroom blog to see if I have uploaded the videos, and I have some bad news!  I tried to upload the videos last night and it would not work.  I am not sure what exactly is going on, but I am still trying!  Just hang in there!  I will do my best to get them uploaded this weekend!  I hope you guys are enjoying your weekend!  Please be safe! :)

Ms. Keys

Hinton Area Open House

Parents!  I would personally like to invite you to our Hinton Area Open House on Thursday, September 8, 2011 from 6-8pm!  I believe that this would be a great time to introduce myself, and I would love to meet the parents of the fabulous students that I am working with!!  I hope to see each of you there!

A Note From The Teacher: Parent Update

The first two weeks have been all about getting the kids into a routine.  Once again the students will be switching classes, so I have been working with them on organizational skills and techniques.  Many of them are doing great with keeping up with assignments, but there are a few that are still having trouble keeping their notebooks and folders organized.  I believe that between me and you we can help get some of the organizational kinks out of their systems.

For the past two weeks, the students have been working on the different parts of speech (noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, conjunction, interjection, and preposition), and the different types of sentences (interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, and declarative).  I spent this weekend grading their assignments and test and I was impressed with many of the scores.  However, as mentioned before it is important that we work together to teach study habits and skills.  Lastly, as of right now the students will more than likely have a spelling test every Friday.  We will spend time reviewing in class, but spending at least 10 minutes at home each night will also aid in their success on the test.

I look forward to a great school year working with you and your children!

Our Learning Environment

Our year has started off fast and exciting!  The students are a pleasure to have in class, and they are as eager to learn as I am to teach.  As soon as the students stepped foot into the classroom I wanted to make sure that the learning environment was conducive to learning!  I am the language arts and writing teacher for the fifth grade, so the following pictures will give you a glimpse of what my classroom looks like! 

 Our Classroom

 The Writing Bulletin Boards

The 6+1 Writing Traits Board

 The Writing Process Board

Our Calendar/Graphic Organizer-Resource Board/My Desk 

Behavior Board

Welcome Board

(This board now has the lunch menu, pe/music schedule, and bus dismissal information posted.)