Parents, don't forget that Friday is school pictures!  I haven't received a time yet, but hopefully they will be in the morning, before recess! :)  I also begin testing students, individually, on the BAS (Benchmark Assessment System).  This test gives me a better idea of where your child is in reading.  Reading with them, individually, has given me great insight, but the BAS goes a step further.  I am testing tomorrow, Thursday & Friday.  A substitute will be in the classroom with students while I am out testing.

Freedom Walk

Wow!  What an amazing way to honor September 11th!  We spent this week talking about what America means to us and discussed what they knew about September 11, 2001.  I was surprised how much this group of 3rd graders knew.  After talking about the tragedy, we talked about how America has survived and moved forward.  I was so proud having this discussion with my kiddos yesterday.  Everyday they are reminded about war and separation when they watch their awesome parents put on that uniform and go off to work. Today, during our moment of silence, there was not a sound to be heard in our room.  They stood proudly and then when "God Bless the USA" played they sang so loudly.  Brought tears to my eyes.  Wow!!  Thank you to all the parents who came out and walked with us today.  You made this day special for your child.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reminder!!

Just a reminder that if your child misplaces their weekly homework plan, you can find it here on the blog under the  Calendars/Homework/Newsletter link above.  You can also find the weekly spelling words and any other relevant classroom information under the Classroom Info link above.  Also, if you haven't set up email notifications you can do so in the right margin of this page under the Follow Me heading.  When I update or add to the blog, you will receive an email with the information.  Have a great week!

1st Full Week

What a great "first full week" we had this week!!  Students continued working on learning policies and procedures, as well as Daily 5 Math and Reading Stations.  I am so proud of how hard they worked to follow station expectations and complete their work on time.  Below are some pictures of students working in stations.  They have got this down, so next week is going to be a breeze!!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog Goodies

We are off and running!!!  This is our first week with homework, first week learning our Daily 5 procedures, and our first week of having fun learning!!  We are already on a fantastic roll and I'm so proud of each student for how hard they have been working this week.  I'm a lucky teacher to have 19 amazing kiddos!

I have updated the blog with our classroom newsletter for August/September.  I also included this week's homework plan, in case the one in the H.E.R.O. Binder goes missing.

If you haven't signed up for email notifications be sure to do that on the Home page.  This way, when I update the blog, you will receive an email letting you know goodies are available.  Feel free to leave a comment about anything you see on the blog.   Have a fantastic day!

We survived!!

The first two days of school are now behind us and I am happy to report that we survived!!  I sent home 19 beautiful 3rd graders on Thursday looking like zombies.  They came in so full of life, but by the end of the day we all looked, and probably felt like, zombies.  I look forward to next week and getting into our regular learning routine, now that we are past all of the policies and procedures stage.  It will be another week or two before things are flowing smoothly, but I am confident these kiddos will have no problem picking up on our structured environment and moving forward successfully.  It is going to be an outstanding year!!  Next week I will officially pull out the camera and start taking pictures!!  I cannot wait to post all of the exciting adventures we will be doing this year.  Have a great and restful weekend!!

2013-2014 Classroom Photos

After many, many long hours, I think my classroom is now ready to receive 17 awesome sweeties next week.  I still have a few minor things to do, but for the most part, I'm done!  You will notice that many items in the pictures were borrowed or purchased from other teacher blogs that I found on Pinterest.  I need to give credit, where credit is due, but I have lost track of who made what.  If you see something and I did not give you credit for your amazing work, please leave me a comment to let me know and I will fix that.  Enjoy!!






















  





  

10 Days!

I'm so excited to be getting closer and closer to the first day of teachers returning to work!  I know.....what teacher really says that?  It's been a long summer with taking care of my husband, but he is getting stronger and stronger everyday and I'm looking forward to being out of the house.  I'm looking forward to meeting my new kiddos and learning all about them.  It's going to be a great year!

I'm hoping to have pictures of my classroom up sometime next week.  All of my desk and bookshelves are arranged, curtains on the cabinets are back up and now I'm working on changing bulletin boards.  I've made some changes this year, but not a whole lot.  I can't wait to share classroom pics with you.

Enjoy your last week!

20 Days

This summer seems to be going by slowly, but as I sit and look at the calendar I only have 20 days until I go back to work.  Now I'm asking, where has this summer gone?  Crazy!!

Most of this summer has been spent nursing my husband, who fell over 8 feet from a ladder while cleaning out the gutters in our backyard.  He landed on his back and shattered his L1 vertebrae.  After being rushed into emergency surgery to remove the bone fragments from his spinal cord, he spent 5 days in the hospital and is now home recovering.  He has a long road ahead of him, but thankfully he is strong and in great health.  He will be out of work for 6 weeks to 3 months, but he's hoping for it to only be 6 weeks.  So, as you can imagine, we've been busy!!

I'm so excited about seeing my class list and getting to meet my kiddos on August 22nd.  I always love the first day of school.  I wonder if the students realize that the teacher can be just as nervous as they are?  I have always been blessed with amazing students and I'm sure this year will be no different. 

Enjoy what is left of your summer!!!