January 22, 2009

Ray’s Ramblings
January 22, 2009

Dear Parents,

We have been enjoying our study of Inuits and the Arctic!!! Please ask your child what they have learned!

Tonight is our first Family Fun Night of 2009! I hope you all can come and have lots of Family Fun!!! Our Snowman projects are on display in the Library!!! Be sure to stop by and see them!!!!

We are off and running in 2009!!! Report cards have already gone home and we are almost finished with our mid-year testing. The mid-year math assessment is complete. By Friday, we should have completed our PAS testing! It has been a rough week but we are surviving!!! I am very proud of your children. Bubbling in circles is something we have certainly never done before!!!

I am attempting to make my last home visits/conferences. I am down to single digits. If I have not yet completed a home visit or school conference with you and have not been in touch with you, PLEASE drop me a note and I will schedule you ASAP. Once I have completed first visits on all 46 children, I will begin 2nd rounds for those who request!

COUNT ME IN WEEK – Next week is “Count Me In” week at the Village! This is the week we push for 100% attendance from all children. If we have at least 4 days of perfect attendance out of the five, we earn a hot chocolate and cookie party!!! Help us earn our party! If your child is sick and has to miss school, please bring in either a doctor’s note or a handwritten note explaining the absence and we can still count it as being present! You received a YELLOW sheet that details this day and the special activities! To encourage attendance we are having the following special activities each day:

Monday 1-26th – First day of competition
Tuesday 1-27th – Blue and White day – everyone wear UK colors!!!
Wednesday 1-28th – Crazy sock day – wear the craziest socks you can find!!!
Thursday 1-29th – Wear your hallway color – We are on the GREEN hall so try your best to wear GREEN!!!
Friday 1-30th – ENTIRE SCHOOL WILL WEAR PAJAMAS!!!

Join me in celebrating the inauguration of our new president, Barack Obama!!! What a historic day!!!





BOOK ORDERS: We had an unexpected 4 day weekend last week!!! Book orders were supposed to be ordered on Sunday but I waited to see if any orders were coming in for Friday (there were!!) So they will be a bit late. Should be in next week!


REACH FOR THE STARS!!! If you come in to school, please be sure to look at our door. Each child has a mitten on the door. They are earning stickers as their knowledge grows! We are earning stickers when we:

• Count to 20
• Write to 20
• Count by 10
• Count by 5
• Count by 2
• Know all 26 capitals
• Know all 26 lowercase
• Know all 31 sounds
• Can write first name correctly with initial capital letter
• Can write last name correctly with initial capital letter
Help us earn our stickers!!!! We are going to be working hard to correct our backwards letters, form letters correctly and try to write on LINED paper. I have had a few questions about what I mean by lined paper. I mean top line is solid, midline is dotted, bottom line is solid. This is NOT regular notebook paper. You can find nice pads of handwriting paper at Wal-Mart!!!

I am sending another copy of correct formation of letters. Please use this when practicing handwriting. ALL LETTERS START AT TOP AND COME DOWN!!!