Happy Monday!

Monday, November 30th, 2009
Day 57

Good Morning Boys and Girls,

You are so lucky to have Mrs. Levitz here with you today! She is going to be with you and she runs a "tight ship". You will begin your day with a Spelling test and writing a learning goal for the week on your Learning Log. If you have time before we switch be sure to complete your handwriting in your work in progress folder.

In Reading, you will continue to work on your imagination stories. Also, you will get a new learning center contract! Be sure to pay very close attention and do your very best work. The schedule is up to date. If you are unsure of your group please be sure to check your stick!

I hope you all had a splendid Holiday Weekend! I will see you tomorrow! Please do your very best! I am thankful for each one of you and will miss you greatly today!

Love your teacher,

Miss O'Brien

Football Frenzy!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Day 54

Good Morning Football Fanatics,

What a great surprise yesterday! Our signed Wess Welker Football was quite a highlight of our day!

Our friend Jayson kept his promise and sent the pictures of our class with the football.

Today we will be switching for math and ela. The focus in ELA will be writing! Are you eager to share your imaginary stories with the class? Are we going to travel back in time or into the future? Remember, we will be studying engaging beginnings so that our writing is attractive to our readers and hooks them in!

We have a half day schedule today and then we are off for the weekend! I am confident we will get lots done today! Each of you are very INCREDIBLE as you pulled together your Absolutely Incredible Kid statements in the short time we had yesterday! I thank you immensely for that!

Love your teacher,

Miss O'Brien

Imagination Station!

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Day 52

Dear Imaginative Individuals,

Yesterday was packed with writing assignments. There were so many creative ideas focused on time travel to the past and future. Today, we will begin writing our first drafts. Remember the way Chris Van Allsburg hooked you into his story of Zathura? He used dialogue between characters to develop the older and younger brother relationship. Jumping right into the imaginative tale might ruin the surprise of what's to come. We will explore a few other ways to create an engaging beginning for your story today.

Yesterday, we were lucky to be visited by FireFighter Greg. He taught you many tips about Fire Prevention and Safety! I am eager to read your friendly letters and review your evacuation plans. Did you discuss a meeting place with your families?

Did you know?

On this day in 1928, Mickey Mouse was born by Walt Disney's pen. Walt Disney had the greatest imagination of all time! His stories are still read by so many people! You could be the next Walt Disney so get those creative juices flowing and write a descriptive story!

Love your teacher,

Miss O'Brien

Absolutely Incredible Kids

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Day 51

Dear Absolutely Incredible Kids,

Today is a wonderful day! The choir is singing, the sun is shining, and I sense an amazing energy among the class. Today we will continue to work on our Imagination Stories focusing on time travel, record "I am" statements to boast about our incredible qualities, and begin our turkey pots!

A little history for you! On this day in...

1800 - Congress convenes for its first Washington, DC session.

1869 - The Suez Canal opens.

1913 - Panama Canal opens for use

Canals are waterways dug across land throug which ships can pass. These are "man made" which means people or machines create these channels for water. Let's try and locate the Suez and Panama Canals on a Map. http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/hotbox/atlas/CosmeoAtlas.htm

Love your teacher,

Miss O'Brien

Parent Conference Week!

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Day 50 of School

Dear Stupendous Scholars,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! It sure did rain cats and dogs on Saturday. Sunday was warmer and a little more pleasant, perhaps you raked some leaves or went for a walk. Meteorologists have predicted a beautiful sixty degree day today!

We have lots to do this week! We are going to stray from our typical routine and spend more time focused on our Writing. I am very excited to do this, because I feel many of you have some great skills to share. If we have time, we will work on writing a letter to our parents to recognize our strengths as we reflect on our first learning term.

There will be many more activities that await us, therefore it is important that we do our first job which is to practice our strong learning skills and stay on task! Earn those marvelous marbles.

Love your teacher,

Miss O'Brien

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Day 49 of School

Dear Historians,

Today is "Mom & Dad’s Day." Take some time to write a letter and/or poem to your mom and dad. You may also want to write a letter or poem for someone else who is important to you.

A few historical facts about this day are:

• In 1849 - Peter Burnett is elected first governor of California.


• In 1895 - First shipment of canned pineapple from Hawaii.


• In 1921 - "The Sheik," starring Rudolph Valentino, was released.


• In 1952 - Press On Fingernails are introduced.

On this day in 2009, we celebrate Brandin as the Good Citizen of the Month for October! We will have an assembly around 10:30. I am sure we will demonstrate our exceptional audience behavior!

Last night, you prepared your organizational chart for your HOW-TO writing! We will begin our drafts of those assignments today! Also, we will continue with our practice of answering questions and drawing conclusions. Please spend the morning catching up on your Daily Fix It and your learning log. It is my hope that you will be ready for your spelling test at 9:20 am.

Let's continue to earn our magnificent marbles as we work towards earning our turkey creations!

Love your teacher,

Miss O'Brien

http://www.pitara.com/reference/history/date/index.asp

Women's Rights

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Day 48 of School

On this day in 1815, Women’s Rights Leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born. Stanton is well known for her work in the furthering of women’s rights. Why do you think women were not allowed to vote for such a long time? Think back to some women in today's history that broke the gender ceiling; Condaleeza Rice, Hillary Clinton, Harriet Beecher Stow. Can you think of the reasons why they are so well known?

Today, we will continue to learn about the structure of a play as well as polish our skills on Answering Questions by responding to prompts. In Social Studies, you will continue your exploration of landforms throughout the United States.

Yesterday was Veteran's Day. Did any of you honor the great men and women that devote their lives to serving and protecting our freedoms? Did you attend the parade?

Let's have a wonderful day and continue to earn marbles! We have turkeys to create!

Love your teacher,

Miss O'Brien

Half a Day!

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Day 42 of School

Good Morning Boys & Girls,

We accomplished so very much yesterday. Today, it is my hope, that although a half day, we will have plenty of time to read Coyote School News and compare and contrast the Coyote School with our school.

I am sure you will be thrilled to get your new homework packets this week. In addition, we will be working on writing and reading journals. We also honor Brandin as our Citizen of the Week!

Let's have a wonderful day, and let's be productive as it is going to be a quick day! I am sure it will go by with a blink!

Love your teacher,

Miss O'Brien

New Month, New Responsibilities

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Day 41 of School

Good Morning Terrific Turkeys,

Today is the beginning of a new month which means we have some housekeeping to take care of. Please make sure your behavior logs are up-to-date. We changed seats last week so that means we will change jobs at some point this week. Begin thinking of the job you would like, you will have to complete a job application in order to demonstrate you are willing to take on a new responsibility.

There are many things to accomplish this week. We must check to be sure we have completed our Personal Narratives. We will begin our Reader's Journal's this week as well. This is something I think you will like very much!

The word of the month is RESPONSIBILITY:

Responsibility- To be responsible is to do my part as requested every time. When I show responsibility others can relax, knowing that they can count on me.

I believe you are all responsible. You demonstrate responsibility to me each time you enter the room prepared and work hard to get your job as students done each day! Look for others demonstrating responsible behavior and write a praise note throughout the month to nominate a friend for this great honor.

Let's Have a Wonderful Day! Love your teacher,

Miss O'Brien