The Holiday Season is Upon Us!

Good Morning Families,

I hope you all had a restful Thanksgiving. For myself, I have spent time enjoying my family and making sure to take this time to reflect on the many blessings that exist in my life. Of course, my own children are my biggest blessing, but when I think of each and every child in my class an additional smile comes to my face. I hope all of you will be ready to come back to school committed to learning and making our class run like the strong team I know we can be. We only have a brief period of time (14 days) of school before we are out again for Christmas vacation, so let's make them count!
Please remember that Monday the 30th of November is a Professional Day for the teachers at IA, thus there is no school! We will be looking at curriculum, daily schedules, discussing positive discipline, and delving into our current and upcoming projects.
Speaking of projects, when we return to school, we will be continuing to study California's history through finishing "Patty Reed's Doll" and starting on "By The Great Horn Spoon", a story about California's gold rush. Within the reading of each book, students will actively engage in writing, math, science, and history activities. Letters written by students pretending they are pioneers should be posted outside our classroom shortly after returning from Thanksgiving break.
Also, shortly after we return, your children are invited to perform the poems and monologues they have chosen at the parent meeting at Barnes and Nobles at 6:30pm on December 10th. Students will have time to practice memorizing their poems in class. I would also like to see them take them home and practice. If you have any questions, please contact me via email or in the classroom.
I am looking for a donation of fabric to make bookbags for the back of each students chair. I like the tables to be free of books and folders during the day, so there is plently of room to work. Is anyone willing to help me calculate the amount of fabric, purchase it, and help to make them? Please let me know.
As soon as I have information about progress report dates, I will let you all know. Until then, take care and I will be updating my BLOG weekly by each Monday for the remainder of the year.
Sincerely,
Kim

Weekly Update from Kim's Room

Dear families,

Our class is busily working every day and having fun! On occasion we can't complete work in class. Most of the time, we just finish it the next day, but on a rare occasion I may send something home. When that happens, it would be great if students could finish the work and return it the next day. I'm writing this because I recently did send work home from our "Wordly Wise" program as I want all students to have and an opportunity to increase their vocabulary and working with this program is just one of the ways we can achieve this. I would love to see more of it returned!
For our Fun Fair on Sunday, the 15th we need canopies! For instance, parents have volunteered to "man" the used book sale and I want them to have shade from the sun. I also have some students who want to have a make-over booth. If you have a canopy and it could be available, please contact me ASAP!
Don't forget that we will be visiting the San Diego Mission next Tuesday for a field trip. I need drivers and for students to bring $2.00 to school to pay for the docent tour. All of these field trips enrich your students learning and school enjoyment. Let Michelle or I know if you can drive. I know it will be both educational and fun!
On December 10th, the parent meeting will be at the Barnes and Nobles bookstore at Hazard Center near the school. Your children are memorizing Shel Silverstein poems to recite that night for your enjoyment! Please put it on your calendar as an event not to miss. Students will be reciting them in class as well, but I know they would love to recite them in front of their families. I hope you can make it!
I also hope to see you all this Thursday night, the 12th for the parent meeting! Our classroom will be displaying your child's "All About Me" scrapbook. It's also a great way to stay current on other school events.

Sincerely,
Kim

P.S. Some of you missed conferences. If you were too busy and would like to reschedule, please contact me.

It's Almost Thanksgiving!!

Dear Families,

I want to thank all of the families that brought treats and supplies for our Halloween party on Friday. The students had lots of fun, probably ate a bit too much sugar, and wrapped each other in toilet paper like mummies. They also had fun visiting the 1st grade haunted classroom!

I also want to thank those parent drivers that volunteered for our Mission Trails Regional Park field trip. Students enjoyed being out in nature and gaining knowledge about ecosystems by looking, touching, and smelling various plants. Our guide was informative with a great sense of humor and shared fascinating stories to maintain interest and attention! All-in-all, a great learning experience.

Upcoming events include the following for the month of November:

Wednesday, November 4th, 1:30-6:30pm are student-led conferences. Please email me or drop by to sign up for your conference time. Right now, I only have six parents signed up and I know you are all interested in knowing how your children are doing!

Thursday, November 12th, 5:00-8:00pm is our monthly parent meeting. This will also be a time for you to see your children's work from their "All About Me" project.

Sunday, November 15th, 10:00am-4:00pm is the Fall Festival, hosted by IA parents. I need volunteers to "man" the booksale booth. Hours to volunteer will be broken into two-hour shifts. In other words, from 10am-12pm, from 12-2pm, and from 2-4pm. Please email me if you can help at this important fundraising event.

Tuesday, November 17th our fourth grade needs volunteer drivers for a field trip to the San Diego Mission. Fourth grade standards cover learning about the California mission system. Kids love to learn by doing! Please let me know if you will be able to help.

Thanksgiving break - November 23rd-27th.

I hope you can make any or all of the events listed above. If you have questions, let me know!

Out daily learning consists of the following this week:

Morning Meeting - Highway 3/Full Responsibility
Wordly Wise - 15 new high level words and activities to learn the words in various parts of speech
Grammar - Punctuation, capitalization, and thank you letters
Writing - Final drafts for autobiographical narratives and introduction to the fictional narrative
Math - Number uses
Reading and Comprehension - Patty Reed's Doll
Social Science - Patty Reed's Doll This book helps students to understand the western migration that was taking place in the United States in the mid-1800's
Science - Ecosystems and introduction to food chains within the ecosytem.

I think that's it for now! Please contact me with any concerns or questions that come to mind.

Sincerely,
Kim

October/November Events!!!!!!!

Dear Families,

Happy Monday! Halloween is less than a week away and I would like to have a Friday celebration. Are there any parent volunteers out there who would be willing to join us at approximately 12:30pm to celebrate? Let me know! I also need a donation of treats (Halloween cupcakes, drinks, napkins, etc....). Students can bring their costumes to wear during our celebration or wear them all day - please no scary masks!! Let me know if you can volunteer!!!

Other upcoming events include the following:

• Wednesday, November 4th, 1:30-6:30pm/Student-led Conferences. The sign-up sheet for conferences is right outside my classroom door.
• Thursday, November 12th, 5-8pm/Dinner, parent meeting, and exibition of "All About Me" project.
• Thanksgiving Break - November 23rd- 27th
• December 7th- 11th/Borders Book Sale Fundraiser. Take your flyer into Borders, buy books, and 15% of your purchase goes to IA. The parent meeting on Thursday, December 10th will actually be held at Borders and will include student performances (stay-tuned for more information).
• Parent arranged Fall Festival in IA parking lot - date to be announced.

I hope you can make any or all of the dates above. If you have questions, please let me know!

During the school day, your children are starting to learn about 8 to Great during our morning meeting time. This program is designed to teach life skills for success. After our morning meeting we study new words (students are also practicing "acting" the words out) and grammar. In our daily writing program, students are in the midst of writing their autobiographical narrative into paragraphs. After they finish, we will be looking over their writing for revisions and final editing. In writing as well as other activities here at IA, we are committed to excellence and beautiful work. In math, we are almost finished with Geometry! Students will be assessed today and be moving on to the next unit. During this unit, students will be taking an imaginary tour of the world. They will learn about the countries they visit and the people that live there. Additionally, they will be collecting and examining numerical data and become more aware of the "use of numbers". For Social Studies/Reading/Math, we are reading a book called Patty Reed's Doll . We are looking at a young girl's trip from Illinois to California through the eyes of her doll. Students are learning why people moved to California in the mid-1800's, what it was like to travel in a covered wagon, the hardships that was endured, and for the math portion we will be calculating time needed to travel a certain number of miles. This week we will also be singing camp songs, drawing and coloring covered wagons, and pressing flowers like our pioneer girl in the story. For science, we will "kick-off" learning about ecosystems with our field trip to Mission Trails which is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28th from 9:30am-1:00pm. Students are being asked to bring a bag lunch, so we can picnic after the tour. Please also send your child with a $1 donation to cover the cost and I need volunteer divers, so contact me immediately if you can drive. Ask your children about their enriching MAPS activities!

I think that's it for now! As always, please contact me with questions or concerns reagrding your child's education here at IA.

Sincerely,

Kim Brunetto

Dear Families,

We are finishing up the "Me Project" and are ready to head forward with our learning. As you know, we will be going on our first field trip on Thursday the 15th of October to the Serra Museum in Presidio Park in San Diego. This field trip will "kick-off" our study of California history, a fourth grade standard. Please be sure to be at school before 9am as I would like to have all the students in vehicles and ready to drive to the site at 9am sharp! After the docent-led tour, we will enjoy a picnic in the park, so please be sure to send a bagged lunch with your child.

In math right now we are learning studying Geometry. Students are drawing, describing, and playing games to recognize polygons as well as practicing math facts. We are also practicing vocabulary by using a program called "Wordly Wise." Some of these higher level words are actually showing up in student writing. Yeah! We have been doing a lot of writing with the "Me Project". One of the most exciting pieces is an autobiographical narrative that students have put a few weeks into planning. I think you will be impressed and see growth even from their first writing project. The program I am using comes from the Learning Headquarters, a well-respected curriculum in the teaching world!

We will be exibiting work from the "All About Me" project on October 29th. Stay-tuned for more details.

On November 4th, that is a Wednesday, we are having student led conferences. Please come in and sign up for a time that works best for you. Please feel free to email me also with a time that works best for you. The conferences will last 15 minutes and the first one will start at 1:15. If this date does not work for you we can schedule for another date. I will be sending a form home that you should go over with your student prior to the conference.

Hope everyone is well! You all have amazing kids and we are really making progress and are absorbing so much. Keep the communication open. If you have any questions or comments let me know.

Kim

PICTURE DAY IS COMING!!

Dear Families,
"Picture Day" is coming! I sent home packets with your child today, so if you would like a picture of your child please be sure to get the paperwork completed and returned to me before Monday, October 5th. Fourth grade students will be photographed at 9:35am on that day.
Students have been busy at work in a variety of areas. One of the exciting programs I just started that is meant to increase your child's vocabulary by 100's of words is called Wordly Wise. Your children were introduced to 15 new words today. Throughout the week they will be engaged in meaningful activities in order to master meanings as well as spelling. Each week we also work on 10 additional words children already know, but that are spelling demons. For instance, there, their, and they're. They have also been introduced to four types of sentences. Ask them about powerful sentences and if they can describe for you a "Double the Who" or "Triple-Decker sentence. We will be reviewing these types of sentences on numerous occasions. They will use them in their autobiographical narrative that we started planning last week.
In math, we are studying Geometry. We have talked about lines, rays, and line segments and started talking about angles today. In order to make math more hands-on we have looked at line segments on actual blue prints, used geoboards to create line segments, created angles with straws and twist ties, and will be building geometric solids. In project math, students will also be graphing information on all students' career choices and their future incomes. I'm hoping to compete the graphs this week, but at this point only a few students have looked up their career income. It would be great if you could sit down with your child and look on the computer or in a library book regarding their future career choice. In addition to graphing the income, I also want them to understand what they will be doing in their chosen work and where they might have to move in the country to work in their field (geography).
For the "All About Me" project, students have made scrapbook covers, they all need to have completed a second interview with their parents, and have started to decorate their shoes in a way that represents who they are. Additionally most of them have completed writing about a summer activity they enjoyed. Stop by and read the writing posted on the bulletin board outside my room. This week students will be bringing home a family tree to complete. If you have photos of any of the people on the family tree that can be copied for their scrapbook, please send them along. Any stories about their relatives will also make the family tree come alive! I appreciate your efforts!! Students are also reading books of their choice and completing book reports. This part of the project has two purposes. For one, students and I will understand the type of fiction they prefer and two, they will understand the elements of plot.
Finally, we are beginning to touch on map skills and we will soon be looking at ecosystems for science.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email. I am looking for a room parent to help me with the student store. If you are interested, please let me know and I will explain what is needed. Also, the kindergarten teacher, DeeDee and I want to have a used book, DVD, and game sale; however, we need donations. We would love for you to make more space on your shelves for new books and get rid of the old ones. Donations can be dropped off in my room.

Thanks for your caring,
Kim

4TH GRADE CLASSROOM UPDATE!

Dear Families,
Whew, last week flew! Students are getting to know each through lots of team building activities and classroom assignments. We have been practicing daily routines, signals, and classroom protocol. Agreements regarding behavior have been made and are being discussed daily. I'm happy to say all is going well.
Base-line assessments in math, spelling, and writing have been completed. I will have a good idea of how to group students based on skill level next week. During small group work, I will have an opportunity to work even closer with students in order to support them in a variety of ways. My goal is to find just the right balance between challenge and too easy. In other words, I don't want your children to be frustrated while learning, but continue to master academic and social skills.
So far, students have met a character named Rikki Tikki Tavi from an in class read aloud. I think they enjoyed this story and were adept at identifying Rikki Tikki Tavi's character traits. They were even able to support their answers with evidence from the book. They have also picked D.E.A.R. books from our in class library for silent reading thoughout the day. Ask your child about the difference between a "Must Do" and a "May Do"! I have asked each student to bring a book from home, for our "All About Me Project". This book will be used to write a book report, but I would like it to be one that students are excited about reading or one that they have read before and are willing to read again. Some students have remembered to bring a book and others still have not. We will be starting the reading on these books next Monday, so please remember to send a book with them to school. My main objective is for them to understand the elements of plot, a fourth grade standard, and thought it would be more enjoyable if they had a choice on their book. We also learn more about our likes and dislikes when we see each others' book choices.
Students are working hard in writing. They are describing themselves in writing from a picture or drawing of themselves engaged in an activity. They are answering detail questions to extend their writing, as well as including sensory details. Most students have completed rough drafts and are ready to begin revisions. They have also done what I call a "Power Write". Students are given a writing prompt and are asked to write as much as possible within three minutes. The idea is that over time they will build their writing fluency or their ability to write more. We will do power writes at least twice a week. As students build their writing skills, this activity will be easier. They have also just completed an "I Am" poem, another part of the "All About Me Project". Stop by the classroom to read these wonderful poems.
In math we have been checking multiplication knowledge and learning about graphing. Students learned about gathering data and actually created a triple-bar graph today after polling
each classroom at IA about hair color. They will be creating graphs in the "All About Me" project that will touch on differences and likenesses within our classroom as well as future career aspirations for each individual.
We have also been learning about earthquakes. Students had the opportunity to work in small groups and create posters to demonstrate what they had learned as well as practice their presentation skills. My main objective in studying earthquakes was not only knowledge, but also to help students to learn how to effectively take part in a small group and begin the process of becoming comfortable presenting in front of a group. So far, so good!!
I think that's it for now. Don't miss our IA game night, next Tuesday, the 22nd of September.
Please email me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Kim
P.S. I already have some great pictures of our class. I'll post them on my next BLOG as I am waiting for my computer to be repaired!