Friday, March 28, 2014
Success in Savanna, 3/28
Dear Parents:
Ahhh…..the smell of chlorine in the
morning! Our “air freshener” this week
signals another successful week in the Yorktown pool. The children all enjoyed their time in the
pool and came back to class chattering about the water polo game, jumping off
the diving board for the first time, and generally about how much fun they had
had.
It
is hard to believe we are finishing up the third quarter of the year. As we move into the final weeks of third
grade I would like to take a minute and remind everyone that we need to
continue to put forth our best effort each day.
Keeping up with assignments, participating in class discussions,
remembering both classroom and school rules remain as important now as they
have been all year long. I am looking
forward to a great quarter from everyone.
Finally,
I would like to thank everyone who donated a book from my “Wish List” to our
class library. The Book Fair was a big
success, and I appreciate your generosity and support of reading in our
classroom.
I
hope you enjoy the weekend.
Ms.
Coffma
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wed.
April 2- DessArt Night- 7:00pm
Thurs.
April 3- Spring Pictures
Fri.
April 11- Third Quarter Report Cards Issued
Mon.
April 14-Fri. April 18- Spring Break
Friday, March 21, 2014
Success in Savanna, 3/21
Dear Parents:
Thanks to those that were able to join
us for the Recorder Concert today. The
children did a wonderful job and it was certainly a lovely way to celebrate the
art of music.
Academically
we continue to move ahead. Even with the
snow day on Monday, we have been able to continue our work with fractions, close
our unit on Mali, start our unit on Water/Weather, and write a personal
narrative about an important event in our lives. We became young griots as we wrote and shared
these stories.
Admittedly,
it has been a difficult winter and these snow days have made it hard to stay
focused on school. I’ve shared my own
passion for playing (aka. cooking) as well as my appreciation for time off from
the daily responsibilities of school.
Nevertheless, it’s so important that we all get back on track and put
forth our best effort at all times. Thank you for your reinforcement from home on
this regard.
As
I mentioned last week, the Book Fair and Young Author’s Night will be held next
week. Young Author’s night will be held
on Wednesday evening March
26th from 6:30PM –
8:30PM. The event offers children
in grades K-5 the opportunity to read an original work for an audience of friends
and parents. Several suitable pieces have been returned throughout the
year or your child is welcome to select a piece from his or her writing
notebook (it may require editing).
Finally, our current piece (My Family’s Griot) is another option. If interested, please go to this site to sign
up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0E48ACA82CA75-young. Contact Maggie Debelius (madebelius@yahoo.com) with questions.
With
the spring sports starting up, I would like to ask for soccer, baseball,
lacrosse, and softball schedules. I know
games are a couple of weeks away, but I would appreciate schedules when you get
them. Lastly, please be sure to look
over the upcoming activities and mark your calendars accordingly.
Finally, we will be swimming
next week at Yorktown Pool. The children
will need to bring a bathing suit, towel cap and goggles (if they have them)
each day in a separate bag. As we will
be leaving at 9:30 am, the children can wear their suits under their school
clothes if they wish. Please be sure to
pack an extra pair of socks and underwear in their bags if they wear their suits
under their clothes. Everyone will take a swim test on Monday, and then will be
broken into groups according to skill level for the remainder of the week.
Thank
you and have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Ms. Coffman
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mon. March 24-Fri. March 28- Swimming- Yorktown Pool
Mon. March 24- Fri. March 28- Book Fair
Wed. March 26- Young Author’s Night
Wed. April 2- DessArt Night- 7:00pm
Thurs. April 3- Spring Pictures
Fri. April 11- Third Quarter Report Cards Issued
Mon. April 14-Fri. April 18- Spring Break
Monday, March 17, 2014
Snow Day Ideas!
Dear Students and Parents:
I hope that you all are well and warm. Who foresaw this snow event? I certainly didn't but fortunately brought home some items that are keeping me busy with work. Some suggestions for those looking to do the same:
Journal Letters: Although I have most journals, I will be assigning another letter this week (and two next week), so find a good book and get reading. Then, using notebook paper, write me a letter and share the many strategies that you are using as you read. This will allow you get ahead in the writing process which is always a good thing for those weeks that are especially busy.
Math Practice: Fact practice remains a strong suggestion and sites such as aaamath.com, multiplication.com, and more offer great opportunity for practice. I also recently discovered a new site that allows students to generate worksheets to practice higher order multiplication (1 digit by 2 or 3 digit or more). Go on line and print a sheet or two for extra practice. Bring these to me for a small prize -
Social Studies: We are getting ready to finish our unit on Ancient Mali. On Friday, we worked on a kid-friendly site that offered lots of fun information about this ancient civilization. Go to our blog for the link to this site and review further on your own. I had planned to test this unit on Wednesday and certainly plan to finish it up this week. Reviewing the information from this site gives you a head start in preparing for the test.
Typing Club: Snow days are always great opportunities to keep the fingers nimble by trying to advance a lesson or two. Go for it (particularly if it's been awhile since your last practice).
And, of course: READ!
I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow (hopefully). So, have fun in the snow but don't neglect your mind. Hoping you find at least a little time to give one of the above a try.
Have a great day,
Theresa Coffman
Tuckahoe ES
Friday, March 14, 2014
My Family's Griot: ME! (writing prompt)
My Family’s Griot: ME!
During the early years
of Mali, most people of the area did not read or write. Instead, stories of the tribes were told by
griots or storytellers. Griots memorized
hundreds of years of tales and legends, and shared them with their people by
speaking or singing.
The job of a griot was
an important one. They were like “living
books”. Without them, these stories
might have been forgotten. Young boys
were chosen to become griots and were taught the tales by the older
griots. This way, their stories have
lived on until today.
Even though schools
have been built and students are now taught to read and write, the tradition of
telling or singing stories has not vanished.
Griots remain an important part of life in Mali.
Imagine that you are a
griot and your job is to share a tale of your family’s history. What story would be most important for you to
share with others and to pass down for generations? Think about this and make a list of your
options. Choose one to write about in your
writer’s notebook. You will get a chance
to share your story with another griot!
My
list of story ideas:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Success in the Savanna, 3/14
Dear Parents:
Thank you so much for coming to see our
annual Wax Museum. The children all did
a great job researching, writing, and presenting their famous American. It was great to see them interacting with all
the visitors and sharing what they had learned.
There is another opportunity for you to come and support your child next
Friday, March 21st. Under the direction of Ms. Jugdersuren, the children will
perform the songs they have learned on the recorder. This event will be held in the gym between
10:10 and 10:50. We hope you will be
able to join us for this music performance.
Academically
we are moving along. In Social Studies,
we are studying the ancient civilization of Mali and we are considering our own
“Mecca” as we plan an imaginary pilgrimage or hajj in the classroom. In Science, we have been learning about landforms,
weathering, and erosion. In Math, we
finished a mini-unit on weight and liquid measurement and have just started our
study of fractions. In Language Arts, we
have kicked off our Reader Response Journals and I am excited to read first
entries this weekend. Parents, please
remember that this is a HANDS OFF activity for you. You can certainly help your child to generate
ideas for his or her letter but the writing process is completely the student’s
responsibility. I appreciate your
cooperation on this matter.
As
you know our annual Book Fair and Young Author’s Night will be held the week of
March 24-28. Young Author’s night will
be held on Wednesday evening March 26th from 6:30PM
– 8:30PM. The event offers children
in grades K-5 the opportunity to read from their original work for an audience
of friends and parents. To sign up your child, please go to: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0E48ACA82CA75-young. Contact Maggie Debelius (madebelius@yahoo.com) with questions. Please know that we will be working on a new
writing piece (My Family’s Griot) next week so this is one option for your
child to share at this event.
Please visit the APS website for the schedule of snow
day make-ups. At this point, we have
lost nearly all of our early release Wednesdays. We are hopeful that this is the last change
in our schedule for the school year!
With
the spring sports starting up, I would like to ask for soccer, baseball,
lacrosse, and softball schedules. I know
games are a couple of weeks away, but I would appreciate schedules when you get
them. Lastly, please be sure to look
over the upcoming activities and mark your calendars accordingly.
I
hope everyone enjoys the weekend.
Sincerely,
Ms. Coffman
Important
Dates
Fri. March 14- Tuckahoe vs Glebe Basketball Game
Fri. March 21- Recorder Concert- 10:10-10:50
Mon. March 24-Fri. March 28- Swimming- Yorktown Pool
Mon. March 24- Fri. March 28- Book Fair
Wed. March 26- Young Author’s Night
Wed. April 2- DessArt Night- 7:00pm
Thurs. April 3- Spring Pictures
Fri. April 11- Third Quarter Report Cards Issued
Mon. April 14-Fri. April 18- Spring Break
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