We have just completed our first week back--and the first week of Target for new students. I hope that students enjoyed their day as much as I did! These are great groups of kids.
A few reminders: Orientation for new Target parents is Monday, the 14th at 7:20 a.m. We will meet in the media center. Also, students' lunch time is different on Target days. Our class eats at 10:30.
We look forward to an exciting spring semester in Target! Have a great weekend!
Second grade parents,
Please remember that our field trip to Raccoon Mountain Caverns is Thursday, November 8. Students should be at our meeting place between 6:45 and 7:00 a.m. They should bring a jacket or sweatshirt and a morning snack. They do not need any additional money, as everything (including lunch) is paid for. We should return to Tritt around 6:45 p.m. I look forward to experiencing this trip with students! It promises to provide wonderful learning experiences and lots of fun!
In learning math facts, students most often have to practice to memorize. I've been working on a few things for some students, and these sites came to mind. I thought they might be useful, and kids love them!
Funbrain is a popular site for all kids. Math Baseball is a great fact practice activity. Kids may choose the operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division) and a difficulty level.
Gamequarium includes an amazing list of activities on all topics. Multiplication is sort of hidden; to find it, go under 'Computer Lab for Kids'. I highly suggest the game Meteor Multiplication; it's fun, fast-paced, and forces players to think quickly.
A Plus Math has all the basic activities and games for practicing math facts. The flashcards are user-friendly. I suggest the Concentration and Matho (a version of Bingo) games.
If you have any other site suggestions that your child has found useful, please feel free to e-mail me. I'm more than happy to forward it on! Have a great day!
Thank you for returning your child's student information sheet! If your child's form has not yet been returned, I will send home a second copy this week. I would like to briefly address home-school communication...
The tallies that come home each week outline the day's activities and homework. There are often times when we do not get to every activity listed on the tally; we attempt to remain flexible to meet students' needs. If we are not able to get to an activity one week, we will most likely complete it the following week.
I am happy to contact you according to your preferred method: phone or e-mail. I check e-mail several times daily, including evening, so it is the best way for you to contact me. I am able to check my box for messages about twice a day as well.
There are times--although infrequent--when I send out reminders (assignment info., scheduling, field trips, etc.) via e-mail. These are not messages that I would typically type, print, copy, and send out, but e-mail allows me to efficiently send out brief info. to support home-school communication. I have created list-servs for each Target day and grade level. I do not anticipate more than a few of these distributions during the year. If you would like your e-mail address to be removed from the list, please let me know!
If you have any questions regarding home-school communication, please ask! Have a great day!
Thank you for such great attendance at this year's Target Open House! I sincerely hope that you learned something new about our Target program and that any questions you may have had were answered. I have greatly enjoyed the first few weeks with students, and I look forward to the learning experiences we'll share!
I would like to apologize for the confusion regarding the time of our session. At the last moment we realized there was some confusion as to whether our 'Coffee and Conversation' was at 7:20 a.m. or 7:20 p.m. We had an early morning meeting in mind from the start, which led us to offer coffee. I would say that we had a 'one track mind', and it never occurred to either Ms. Neal or I that we weren't clear. We apologize for this oversight. If you were unable to attend the a.m. session and have any questions, please let Ms. Neal or I know.
Thank you, and have a great week!
Welcome back to a new year in Target! I have greatly enjoyed the first two weeks with my students, and I hope they have enjoyed class as well. We have some exciting plans in all grade levels.
Please remember that our Target Open House--'Coffee and Conversation' is Wednesday, September 5. We will meet at 7:20 in the media center. In recent years, Target Open House has been held prior to the school's Open House. At that point, though, we had not yet seen all of our students. We felt this change would allow us to share what our students are doing, and we look forward to doing just that...:) We hope to see you on the 5th!
I would like to start by saying that the mummy case projects were awesome! I know that each student enjoyed seeing what others created as well as hearing about their research and process. We learned about technology, people, medicine, and toys of the last 100 years, just to mention a few... Each one was unique and well-done. :) These projects are on display in the media center.
Week after next, the week of April 23, will be a little different for Thursday's class. On Thursday, April 26, I will be accompanying my 4th graders on our field trip to the Renaissance Festival. My usual 4th grade day is Tuesday, so I will be able to take Thursday's 2nd grade group on that day instead. So... I will see my Thursday group on Tuesday, April 24, instead of Thursday, April 26. Also, please remember that we take our field trip to the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory on Wednesday, May 2. This will be all 2nd graders' Target day that week.
Have a great week!
This is just a reminder that all mummy cases are due the week students return from Spring Break. We discussed this project again this week, and I've heard many great ideas as well as stories about projects in-progress. :)
Students will have the opportunity to present their case to their classmates and explain how they went about completing this project.
I can't wait to see these projects! Have a wonderful Spring Break.
Second grade Target students will be going to the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University as an extension of our Archaeology unit. I know students will be excited to view artifacts related to cultures we have and are studying.
Permission forms are being sent home this Wednesday and Thursday with students. Please return these by March 30 if at all possible. Students may return them on their Target day or at any time, dropping their payment envelopes in the drop box. I will randomly draw forms for chaperones from those I have returned by that date and notify all who expressed interest either way. If you'd like to find out more about this museum or the areas we have the potential to explore, feel free to check out the links!
I look forward to this trip with your children and seeing the connections they make! Have a great day!
Fourth Grade Parents,
I just wanted to give you a little info. about students' castle projects. During our Middle Ages study, we've discussed castles' design and its role in protecting inhabitants; this period in history was a very volatile one. As an extension, we asked students to think about those things that we need protection from today and that they predict we'll need protection from in the future.
Students were put into groups, where they were randomly assigned to design a castle for today or for the future. They began by discussing what they had brainstormed as dangers and compiled a shared list of the ones they found most critical. They then discussed ways to design a structure that would protect them from those things. We have basic materials (paper, scissors, glue, etc.) for students to use here at school. I just wanted you guys to know that I have stressed to students that they do not have to go out and purchase additional materials...they can be creative with things they find already at home or at school!
We are in the process of designing the castle and creating floor plans. We worked with scale today, and students are using the concepts we discussed in drawing their floor plans on graph paper. These floor plans will soon be used to build a model of the castles. I've heard some amazing ideas, and I very much look forward to seeing what the kids come up with!
Have a great day!
