Ms. Jayroe's Class - Sept. 17 - 21

What a great week! PAWS were earned on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday! I am especially proud of Tuesday's PAW! On Tuesday, I had to leave early to attend a meeting. The students had to be on their best behavior and monitor themselves. They also dismissed themselves and cleaned up after themselves. Another adult was keeping an eye on the table, but I expected the students to follow our procedures without assistance. They were great!

Kindergarten in the media center

Our kindergarten classes have been busy in the media center. Their first library visit focused on how to take care of books and how to check out books. During the second visit, students reviewed the media center procedures, listened to the story of Goldisocks and the 3 Libearians, and checked out a library book on their own.

Our most recent library time focused on the letter "H". The students were introduced to the word homonym. We looked at the words hare and hair. We learned that hair is the hair on your head and hare is the animal similar to a rabbit. We then listened to the story of The Tortoise and the Hare. The speedy hare lost the race to the slow tortoise.  The moral of the story = slow and steady wins the race. Mrs. Schaffer compared this moral to how the students complete their work. It is better to go slowly and do a good job that to rush and turn in work that is poorly done!

Students are also learning the difference between nonfiction and fiction books. Fiction and nonfiction books will continue to be highlighted in the weeks to come.

4th grade and Native Americans

The 4th grade Social Studies classes have been working on Native Americans. The students are choosing 2 of the 6 Native American tribes studied to compare and contrast. The 6 tribes are the Inuit, Kwakiutl, Nez Perce, Hopi, Pawnee, and the Seminole. Our fourth graders are using information from their textbook, library books, encyclopedias, GALILEO, and Nettrekker. The students are locating information on where the tribe settled and how each tribe used their environment to obtain food, shelter, and clothing. The information is then transferred to a Powerpoint presentation to summarize their findings.

Ms. Maddox's Class - Sept. 10 - 14

The week started off in the best way possible - the class earned a "PAW"! This means that everyone in the class followed directions! All students stayed seated; all students were silent when the music was playing; and all students followed cafeteria procedures! On Wednesday, the students earned another "PAW".

On Wednesday afternoon, as students were walking to the buses, Dante brushed by me - barely even touching me. He immediately said, "Excuse me." I love hearing our students use good manners! It brought a smile to my face and was a nice way to end the afternoon.

The following students did not have to be reminded of behavior expectations all week: Isaiah, MoNaja, Lluviana, Michael, Ana, Malik, Faith, Elijah, Yari, Abel, Maceo, Xiaoyang, and Jakobe!

Malik's Lunch Tip: Clean the table when you are done.

Ms. Jayroe's Class - Sept. 10 - 14

Ms. Jayroe's class had another great week in the cafeteria. They were very good on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the class was on a field trip and I missed them. On Thursday and Friday, the class earned a "PAW"! Everyone practiced excellent cafeteria behaviors on those days!

These students did not need even a single reminder about behavior this week: Shanice, Cole, Maura, Tatiana, La-Shauntae, Alan, Kiefer, Sawyer, Luis, Helen, Malik, Sharae, Cindi, and Shantel.

Kiefer's Lunch Tip: not talking during the music

Ms. Maddox's Class - Sept. 4 - 7

Ms. Maddox's class continues to work on using good manners. This week I noticed:

• When Michael was speaking to me, he politely and respectfully used the terms "yes, mam" and "no, mam".
• The following students did not have to be reminded of behavior expectations all week: Isaiah, Keaton, Kennedy, Lluviana, Michael, Ana, Hannah, Christian, Malik, Laryn, Faith, Taliyah, Elijah, Yari, Abel, Xiaoyang, and Jakobe!
• Ana's lunch tip is . . . to be silent!

Ms. Jayroe's Class - Sept. 4 - 7

Ms. Jayroe's class continues to use good manners. I notice this in the cafeteria and in the library. I appreciate their inside voices in both areas.

Here are some examples of good manners shown by our students . . .

• Pumulo picked up a shoe in the cafeteria that a kindergarten student had kicked off.
• Luis offered a ketchup packet to a classmate that had forgotten to get one.
• On Wednesday and Thursday, the tables were litter-free when the students got up! The tables looked like they had been cleaned already!
• On Wednesday afternoon, while going to the buses, I noticed that a young lady had dropped something. I was calling her attention to it when Malik turned around and picked it up for her. Another example of good manners!
• Cindi had trouble opening a bag. Alan, Luis, and Helen offered their assistance.
• These students did not need even a single reminder about behavior this week: Shanice, Cole, Maura, Anna, Leyla, Tatiana, Pumulo, Alan, Kiefer, Sawyer, Luis, Helen, Malik, and Cindi.
• Cole's lunchroom tip is . . . . Always chew with your mouth closed!

August 2012 statistics

Our newly renovated media center looks fabulous and was very busy in August! During the month, 1,639 items were checked out from the media center; almost all classes in grades 2 - 5 completed a media center orientation; and the entire fifth grade visited the media center for a Civil War lesson! In addition, 412 students visited with their media passes to check out books, complete an assignment, or work independently on an activity. We are off to a great start!