Star of the Week and Spelling

This week our star student is Nathan!  Today he shared about himself and brought in a few pictures for us to see!  We learned that Nathan enjoys playing games, has visited New York, likes cats, and has a big family!  Thanks for sharing with us Nathan, and have a great week as STAR!

Our spelling this pattern this week focuses on consonant digraphs!  Below are a few common digraphs (commonly known in classrooms as the "H brothers") and a word sort that we completed as a class! 

Exploring the Desert!

For the past week we have been using our reading book to explore the desert!  We've learned a lot about all the different plants and animals that live there!  Did you know that a cactus stores water inside its stem?!  Or that most of the animals come out at night when it's not as hot?!  Ask your student about all the other facts we've learned and see if they can tell you about this week's amazing words!  (see below)  We've also been working on identifying main idea and details while reading!

Bullying Discussion

For the past few days we have been talking as a class about the topic of bullying. We have used the books below as read-alouds and discussion starters in order to talk about the difference between bullying and other behaviors, the difference between tattling and reporting, and what to do if you see someone being bullied or feel you are being bullied yourself. 

Bullying involves:   
     -trying to harm someone on purpose (physically or emotionally)
     -a power imbalance (due to age, size, or perceived social status)
     -repetition (happens regularly, not just once)

If you see someone else being bullied:  
     -stand up for them and tell the bully to stop (if you feel safe to do so)
     -report it to an adult
     -let the person being bullied know you care about them

If you are being bullied:    
     -tell the bully to stop (if you feel safe to do so)
     -report it to an adult

Tattling: telling on someone to try to get them in trouble
Reporting: trying to keep someone or yourself safe

Please sit down with your student and have a discussion about bullying and the importance of reporting it to a trusted adult.  Have them tell you what we talked about in class and about the books that we read.  Together we have decided that we will NOT let bullying happen in our classroom or at our school, and that we will always try to take care of each other!

Box Tops for Education!

Just as a reminder, we are still collecting Box Tops!  Until the end of October, for each box top collected by a student from our class, we will receive 10 cents back for our classroom!  As of today, our class has collected over 400 box tops!  That is $40.00 that we will get back to spend on supplies, etc. for our classroom!  In addition, in the school-wide race for box tops, we are in the lead!  Way to go kids!  Keep up the good work and keep the box tops coming!   :)

Box Tops can be found on many common grocery store items - cut them out and send them with your student in an envelope or plastic bag with the following information:

Student Name

Mrs. Gavalis

A312

Reminders!

Just a few quick reminders . . .

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 5, 2011 is an EARLY RELEASE DAY
Dismissal is at 12:30pm

Scholastic Book Orders are due on Friday!  Send in your money and order form to Mrs. Gavalis, or order your books online!  Visit  http://clubs.scholastic.com/    and use our class code:  H P D 7 B

Busy Monday!

Today we had a very busy day!  First we listened as Thomas, our Star of the Week, shared his favorite things, family pictures, and a trophy!  We learned that Thomas is part Japanese, has a sister named Jessica, and a pet cat!  He really enjoys baseball and someday wants to be a firefighter like his dad!  Thanks for sharing your soccer trophy with us Thomas - we enjoyed learning all about you!  Have a great week as STAR!

 

Later we reviewed our spelling pattern of the week.  We are learning all about how to add -ed and -ing endings onto words - chat with your student to help them review the different patterns, and have them share their spelling words with you!

 

 

Later, Mrs. Gavalis surprised us by coming into the room in "fancy" clothes (like "Fancy Nancy" - a book we read last week).  We learned how to start "fancying-up" our writing in order to get it ready for publishing.  We started with revising, which means changing or adding to our writing and we got to use fancy green pens!  Ask your student about "Fancy Nancy" and today's writing workshop!

WOW Lunch!

Friday marked the end of September and therefore the first time we picked names out of the jar for WOW Lunch!  Students have been earning WOW tickets all month for following directions, trying hard, helping others, and otherwise being great members of our classroom!  The five winners will join Mrs. Gavalis in the classroom for lunch, will play a game, receive a prize, and enjoy a special treat!  Congratulations to the winners!

September WOW Winners:  

Rena, Riley, Aidan D., Nathan, and LeRon

Monday we will start filling the jar again and 5 more names will be picked at the end of October!