Week 15

Weekly Greetings!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. It was nice to have a short break, but we will be back to a normal routine for the next few weeks before Christmas vacation starts. There will be another early release day this Friday, so student swill be out at 2:15pm. Also, I have medical appointments that day and there will be a sub in my class. For that reason, I will not send home any homework on Thursday night just to simplify some things while I am gone.

As for last week, it was short but full of excitement for Thanksgiving, not to mention the delicious lunch served on Wednesday by the kitchen staff! We did focus on some historical facts about the Pilgrim's and their journey to the new world. The students also got to watch a DVD version from Peanuts about the Pilgrims that actually had a lot of historical details. In addition, we read and discussed a short poem on things to be thankful for. Then the students shared what they were thankful for in a brief sentence and drew a picture to match.

 Have a fantastic week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 14

 Weekly Greetings!

The fresh snow was a big hit for recess this week! The students created all kinds of games, went sledding on the hill, or just enjoyed rolling around in the new layer.

In between our regular academics during the week, we did make time to do an art project and create a festive holiday turkey. The students were pretty proud of their finished project.

Some students tried out a new math tub on problem solving during math this week. The district has purchased a number of supplemental materials to add to the math and language art curriculum, and I am starting to integrate some of the ones I have signed out.

This will be a very short week, but I am sure everyone is looking forward to a nice break for the long Thanksgiving week-end. I will be sending homework home on Monday and Tuesday night this week with next week's spelling words attached. It won't the students to get a little extra practice. Please remember that there will be an early release on Wednesday, and dismissal will be at 2:15pm that day. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 13

Weekly Greetings!

Hopefully this week will be a little warmer than the last, and I would like to remind you again to send warm winter gear with your child each day. They will play outside for recess down to 20 below and some students still do not have snow pants or winter boots.

Last week few by with a few additional events to supplement our usual routine. On Wednesday, the class watched a play put on by the high school drama class, and then the school counselor came into class to discuss bullying. He presented a well-done video by a young music celebrity that seemed to really resonate with the class. He will return in a few weeks to continue this focus on social skills.

The highlight to the week was on Friday when the class participated in the Veterans Day program. They waited patiently for their part in the program and were so respectful through the whole program.

It began with the flag ceremony, some patriotic songs, and special readings from a variety of students. There was also a special speaker.

There was a role call of veterans attending the ceremony, and then each branch of the military was honored using their theme song. The students all wore patriotic hats and did a great job on all the songs they sang. It was a wonderful way to end the week.

The students will be continuing work on the district writing assessment this week, in addition to our regular reading and math programs.

I hope you have an awesome week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 12

Weekly Greetings!

As you all could easily guess, the highlight from last week was Halloween. On Tuesday we used a pumpkin as a language arts and math lesson.  We read a short read aloud about a runway pumpkin and acted out the stages of grown a pumpkin goes through. Then we addressed some pumpkin facts, measured the circumference, and weighed a pumpkin before carving it. The students voted on shapes for the face, and helped clean out the seeds for roasting.

 The next day, we got a group shot with the class pumpkin and all the students in their costumes. And then it was time for the school parade and our party. Thank you for all the goodies that were sent in!

This week, on Wednesday we will have a visit from the school counselor and on Friday there will be a Veterans Day Ceremony from 2-3pm in the school gym. I hope many of you can make it. The students have been practicing patriotic songs in music as part of the ceremony.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 11

Weekly Greetings!

To start with, there are a few important events to make sure you all know about for this week. First, starting on Monday there will be a Book Fair in the library for the week. Then on Wednesday, there will be the Student of the Month assembly at 8:30am. In addition that day, I hope you got my note that went home last Thursday explaining that the students can bring a costume for Halloween.  When we come back in from recess after lunch on Wednesday they can participate in the hallway Halloween parade at 2:00pm. Our class party should start by 2:15pm after the parade. There will be no G.A.P. after school that day, and I will not be sending homework that night either. Finally, there will be the Trick or Treat Street at the school from 5pm to 7pm.

Last week was the start of the new S.T.A.R.S. pod rotation, and I think all of the students enjoyed their new choices. This quarter, I have a drama group and there are six third graders participating.  On Thursday, we began making prompts for a quick presentation of Where the Wild Things Are. This Friday, we will be using the Makerspace room to record and edit their first presentation.

Each week, on Tuesday and Friday our class joins the fifth and fourth grades for P.E. in the gym. With 45 students together, we have been coming up with some active games for the group and they really have been cooperating well together.

 On Thursday night last week, there was an evening performance of some Halloween songs the students had been practicing in music class. It was a small group, but they did a great job.

And some of the students that attended even gave us a sneak preview of their costumes for Halloween. There should more pictures to come next week with students in their costumes, and some of the activities mentioned above.

Have an awesome week! I know we will.

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 10

Weekly Greetings!

First of all, I would like to thank all of you that could make the Parent/Teacher meetings last Monday. Also, I appreciate the effort some of you made to reschedule on other days when unplanned things came up. There are so many new programs and a new grading system this year that really needed to be discussed in person. I hope you found our time together informative and helpful. Before I move into some of last week's activities, I want to remind you that this week will be the start of a new S.T.A.R.S. pod rotation and there will be an early release on Friday.

We may have had a short week, but it was packed full for the four days we had together. The class continues to rotate through small group and independent work in reading and math each day. Then before lunch, they transition to direct instruction in writing. The students do a daily journal entry each day, and last week we have started a three paragraph essay in preparation for the up coming district writing assessment in November.

On Wednesday, the students in attendance created some Halloween decorations during our Makerspace time. There was also enough time to have some exploration opportunities to use some of they resources available in the STEAM room.

For the students that were a part of the Alaska Native and Local Culture pod class, the focus for the last week was on trapping and identifying animal tracks.  Using a kit, the class could identify the tracks of fur bearers and study their pictures. Then Tim Lorenzinz from the Tetlin Refuge came in to do a fur bearers and trapping presentation. I hope the students in the pod have enjoyed the quarter long class as much as I have enjoyed teaching it.

Now that the first snow has officially fallen, please remember to send your child with warm and proper out door clothing for recess. Remember that they go outside for recess until the temperature drops below minus 20 degrees.

Have a great week!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown