Almost-December News

It’s almost December and this month will go quickly! Here’s what’s new:

    • Tomorrow is PTSA Art Day. Students should wear clothes that you/they don’t care if they get dirty. It should be a fun day!
    • Our field trip to the Nutcracker is on Friday, December 1st. We will be leaving at 9:30 & returning to school by about 3:15. As you already know, this is an early release day and we will not return in time for the end of the school day. Your child will need to bring a completely disposable lunch – no lunch boxes or glass please. Students should dress appropriately for the theater – neat, clean clothes with no holes. Students are asked to leave electronics at home. Reminder notes are coming home with your child today. Please return the bottom portion so I know how your child will get home when we return at about 3:15.
    • Just so you are aware, next Monday, December 4th, we will be begin our FLASH (Family Life and Sexual Health) unit. Students may come home questions.
    • On Friday, December 15th, we will be having our second auction of the year. Students may bring things to sell at the auction, but it’s not required.
  • Winter break is from December 16 – January 1. We return to school on Tuesday, January 2nd.

The Latest News

We are having our first auction this Friday. Students may, but are not required to, bring in gently used, school appropriate items from home to sell at the auction. Students have also brought baked goods, which are usually popular. It should be a fun day!

Just a reminder that there are no costumes allowed at school on Halloween next Tuesday.

We are having a week long unit called Wheat Week next week. A separate note will be in the Friday Folders with more information.

Speaking of Friday Folders, your child should be bringing his/hers home every Friday. Please review the work, sign on the line next to the date that has been filled in, and return it to school with your child the following Monday or Tuesday. If you have questions or concerns, you are welcome to include a note back to me. If you haven’t been seeing the folder, be sure to ask your child.

Math homework – There is typically math homework Monday –Thursday. Occasionally, students have enough time to finish it during math time in class. In the past, I have allowed them to turn it in when they are done. From now on though, I am telling them to take it home even if they finish it at school so parents have a chance to review it and can see that it has been completed.

See you soon at conferences!

September News

Wow! We are off to a great start! It was nice to meet so many of you at the open house last week. If you were unable to attend, you should have received some information about our classroom in your child’s Friday Folder. If you haven’t seen the Friday Folder, ask your child about it.

As you know, the first couple of weeks have many procedural & logistical things to review & accomplish. The students have been terrific listeners & very patient with all this new information. We’ve reviewed class rules, procedures, schedules, curriculum, etc. They’ve taken inventory tests, placement tests & pretests. We are now getting used to our regular schedule.

I have received almost all of the beginning of the year forms, so thank you! There are still some school fees of $25 that are missing that cover art supplies, copy paper, classroom supplies, student subscriptions & agendas. The check should be made out to Carnation Elementary.

I am so enjoying your kids and am looking forward to spending the school year with them.

June, Believe it or Not…

Here’s what’s going on to wind up the school year:

  • Testing is over – yay! – except for a couple of make ups.
  • Camp is this tomorrow! Looks like it may be wet at times, so I want to emphasis the need for students to have two pairs of shoes, extra socks and a rain jacket. Even though it’s a full day of school on Friday, we will be back by 12:30 and students should be picked up at that time. I’ve heard back from most of you, but still need to know how some students are getting home at that time. ( I have a mani/pedi scheduled at 3:00 that I don’t want to miss! :))
  • You should have received a note from the music teacher about the rescheduled musical. If not, it has been rescheduled for Tuesday, June 13th, at 6:30 for the evening performance and Friday, June 16th, at 10:00 for the day time performance.
  • Please see below for additional activities for the end of the year:
    May/June:
    30 – June 2 – Outdoor Education – Camp Waskowitz – 12:30 pick up at CE
    7 – District Band Concert
    9 – Wild Waves for Safety Patrol, ASB & Library Helpers
    9 – 2:00 – Early Release
    13 – 6:30 – Seussical the Musical – CE MPR
    15 – All Arts Day
    16 – 10:00 – Seussical the Musical – CE MPR
    16 – 2:00 – Early Release
    22 – 1:00-3:00 – Spring Fling (Field Day)
    23 – 11:00 – 5th Grade Recognition – CE Gym – invitations are coming soon
    23 – 1:15 – Move Up Day
    23 – 2:00 – Early Release
    26 – 12:30 – 1/2 Day – Last Day of School

May is Upon Us!

May is going to be a busy month. Here’s what will be going on:

Testing: Below are the dates of our upcoming tests. This is a combination of MAP testing and State Smarter Balanced testing. Each testing day, as I would hope for every school day, please send your students to school well rested and well fed. Here’s the schedule:

May 4th – Reading MAP Test
May 11th – Math MAP Test
May 15th – Smarter Balanced ELA CAT Test
May 17th – Smarter Balanced ELA Performance Task
May 18th – MSP Science Test
May 24th – Smarter Balanced Math CAT Test
May 25th – Smarter Balanced Math Performance Task

Just so you are aware, I will be out of town from May 10th – 12th as my son, Tony, is graduating from the University of Minnesota with a master’s degree in school counseling. Peter Reed, our former student teacher, will be the substitute for those days.

On May 18th 5th graders throughout the district will attend the Tolt transition event. Students will take a bus to Tolt around 2:30 on that day. They will be asked to leave backpacks at Carnation. Please be sure cell phones will be left at home, as they won’t be allowed at Tolt that day. If you need to contact your child once they’ve left Carnation Elementary, you can call the Tolt office at 425-844-4600. If your student needs to contact you while they are at Tolt, they can use the phone in their office. If your student isn’t attending Tolt, they will remain at Carnation with me until the end of the school day.

Outdoor Education Camp at Camp Waskowitz is coming up from May 30th – June 2nd . Please have paperwork and payments back as soon as possible. Also, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call or email me.

Upcoming Events:
May:
4 – Reading MAP Test
5 – 2:00 Early Release
11 – Math MAP Test
12 – 2:00 Early Release
15 – Smarter Balanced ELA CAT Test
16 – 5th Grade Musical – 6:30-7:00
17 – Smarter Balanced ELA Performance Task
18 – Science MSP Test
18 – 5th Grade Tolt Transition – 2:30-5:20
19 – 2:00 Early Release
24 – Smarter Balanced Math CAT Test
25 – Smarter Balanced Math Performance Task
26 – 2:00 Early Release
29 – No School – Memorial Day
30 – June 2 – Outdoor Education – Camp Waskowitz

March Madness

Here’s what’s coming up for our class:

  • Class pictures will be on March 21st. 
  • The 5th graders will be going to Tolt for a music concert on the 23rd. This will be the first introduction to the middle school. There is no need for field trip paperwork, since this is an in-district trip.
  • The Tolt counselors will be visiting 5th graders on March 29th to talk a bit about the middle school and the opportunities available there.
  • There will be a parent information night at Tolt from 5:00-6:30 on April 4th. This is a time change from the handout that went home.
  • Most Science Fair Project outlines have been turned in, but I still need a few. The projects are due on April 5th so I can have time to grade them.
  • STEM night is April 6th from 5:00-7:00.
  • April 10-14 is Spring Break.
  • April 18th there’s a Multi-Age Parent Information Night at Tolt from 5:00-6:00. This is also a time change from the original handout.
  • Our last field trip will be on Friday, April 21st to the U.W. Engineering Fair. Information will be coming home soon.

December News

It’s December tomorrow and this month will go quickly! Here’s what’s new:

    • Our field trip to the Nutcracker is on December 9th. We will be leaving at 9:30 & returning to school by about 3:15. As you already know, this is an early release day and we will not return in time for the end of the school day. Thank you for returning the information as to how your child will get home when we return. Your child will need to bring a completely disposable lunch – no lunch boxes or glass please. Students should dress appropriately for the theater – neat, clean clothes with no holes. Students are asked to leave electronics at home.
    • On Friday, December 16th, we will be having our second auction of the year. Students may bring things to sell at the auction, but it is not required.
    • Winter break is from December 17 – January 2. We return to school on Tuesday, January 3rd.

 

November News

Here’s the latest:

There will not be Friday Folders this week, since we don’t have school on Friday and there isn’t too much work anyway. Look for the Friday Folders next week.

Conferences begin next Friday. I have heard back from most of you confirming conference times, but still need to hear from some of you. Please let me know as soon as possible so we can schedule a time that works for us both.

Because of conferences, Friday, November 18th – Wednesday the 23rd are 12:30 dismissals. Please make arrangements, as needed, for students to be picked up at 12:30.

November:

11 – Veterans Day—-No School
14-23 – Book Fair
18 – PTSA Reflections Celebration
18-23 – Conferences
24-25 – Thanksgiving Break—-No School

The Latest

Tomorrow is our first auction of the year. Students may bring in things to sell for Minaglia Money, but are not required to. These may be gently used items such as stuffed animals, books, toys, etc. Some students bring in food items to sell, which is fine. This is considered our fall celebration and Monday will be a “regular” school day, or as regular as it can be since it’s Halloween!

Conference forms were sent home at the end of last week and were due back today. If you haven’t returned yours, please do so as soon as possible, so I can schedule your conference for a time that is convenient for you.

Reminders: Friday Folders come home each week. If you haven’t seen your child’s folder, please ask him or her for it. This includes work for the week, including tests and quizzes. This is one of the communication tools I use to help keep you informed about how your child is doing in class.

Starting next week, we will have a student teacher in our class, Peter Reed. He will be with us until just after the first of the year. At first, Peter will observe and then will gradually take over teaching in the various academic areas. Peter will remain under my supervision during the time he’s with us.

October News

October is underway and here is some important information:

  • Now that students have settled into the new school year, I have given them their monthly reading log. The goal is for students to read about 20 minutes a day. This can be reading themselves, being read to by others or listening to books on tape. They should record their minutes daily and turn it in at the end of the month. There is a spot for a parent signature each day. The log is also available on our class blog under assignments and contracts.
  • Picture day for our class is Friday, October 7th.
  • October 14th there is no school. This is a training day for teachers.
  • Students should be filling out the agenda each day, which is to help them stay organized and manage their time, as well as keep you informed as to what we are doing in class. Please take a look each night and initial it.
  • A reminder, students should spend 20 minutes a day on math homework and bring in whatever they get completed.
  • You will be receiving another field trip form, probably on Thursday for a trip to the theater later this month.

October:

7 – Individual Picture Day 3rd-5th
7 – Early Release – 2:00
14 – No School – Teacher Work Day
21 – Early Release – 2:00
28 – Auction
28 – Early Release – 2:00