Dear Parents,
The Egyptian class now has two new students in the second class (5:00 - 7:00) from the kindergarten, Lily and Lauren. I'm happy to have them join us!
This is one of our busiest times of the school year, when we turn the Tree House into a Haunted House. The teachers have been making the school scarier for the students. We hope that you and your child can come to our Haunted Tree House some time over the weekend. We will go Trick-or-Treat in the neighborhood tomorrow. Today we will watch some Halloween videos and finish decorating the candy bags.
Last week was test week for our class. Since this level is higher and probably more difficult than in years past, some of the test scores might not be as high as you expected. This week we went over the reading test scores and reviewed the answers together. I want the students to understand why they missed questions so that they understand how to take tests better in the future.
Since we have lots of activities for Halloween this week, we will take a break from doing the Student Journals this week. We will start back with them next week.
In Science we talked about the 6 different groups of animals: Amphibian, reptile, insect, mammal, bird, and fish. Students learned about the different characteristics for each group.
Hope to see you sometime at the Haunted Tree House this weekend!
All the best,
Teacher Andy
Individual Comments:
Student's report cards will be sent home today with detailed comments about each student and their test scores.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
It's Getting Scary Around Here!
Dear Parents,
The teachers have spent lots of time over the past week turning Tree House into a haunted house! We will do lots of Halloween activities in the following week.
Meanwhile, this week we spent lots of time reviewing and taking tests. The students took a vocabulary test on all of the words they have learned so far this semester. They also took their reading test. The tests will be graded very soon and I will let you know how your child did on their tests.
We read a story called "The Bear Man" in class for their take-home reader and student journal. This story is an American Indian Folk Tale about an Indian that was very kind to a lost bear cub. Most of the students are becoming more familiar and better with doing these at home.
We will have our Haunted Tree House next week so the children should start thinking about what scary things they want to be for Halloween.
Have a great weekend!
All the best,
Teacher Andy
Individual Comments:
Austin: Should use his free time more wisely, like studying vocabulary.
James: Made 100 on his make up vocabulary test last week!!! I was very, very proud of him, keep it up!
Harris: Remembered lots of vocabulary when we reviewed. Keep trying to improve your writing speed.
Allen: Spent lots of time studying vocabulary this week. Showing some improvement in class!
Arvin: Great attitude in class. Needs to speak louder in class.
Chanel: Knew lots of words when we reviewed vocabulary. Seems like she has studied a lot.
Chloe: Gets a little shy to speak in class when asked questions. Reads loudly though.
Jade: Has lovely handwriting but still needs to try to do it faster.
Joshua: Super considerate and helpful in class.
Sam: Great personality and class attitude.
The teachers have spent lots of time over the past week turning Tree House into a haunted house! We will do lots of Halloween activities in the following week.
Meanwhile, this week we spent lots of time reviewing and taking tests. The students took a vocabulary test on all of the words they have learned so far this semester. They also took their reading test. The tests will be graded very soon and I will let you know how your child did on their tests.
We read a story called "The Bear Man" in class for their take-home reader and student journal. This story is an American Indian Folk Tale about an Indian that was very kind to a lost bear cub. Most of the students are becoming more familiar and better with doing these at home.
We will have our Haunted Tree House next week so the children should start thinking about what scary things they want to be for Halloween.
Have a great weekend!
All the best,
Teacher Andy
Individual Comments:
Austin: Should use his free time more wisely, like studying vocabulary.
James: Made 100 on his make up vocabulary test last week!!! I was very, very proud of him, keep it up!
Harris: Remembered lots of vocabulary when we reviewed. Keep trying to improve your writing speed.
Allen: Spent lots of time studying vocabulary this week. Showing some improvement in class!
Arvin: Great attitude in class. Needs to speak louder in class.
Chanel: Knew lots of words when we reviewed vocabulary. Seems like she has studied a lot.
Chloe: Gets a little shy to speak in class when asked questions. Reads loudly though.
Jade: Has lovely handwriting but still needs to try to do it faster.
Joshua: Super considerate and helpful in class.
Sam: Great personality and class attitude.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Roundup!
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone enjoyed their long holiday weekend! This week we reviewed and tested on the first unit in science, which was about plants. The students reviewed vocabulary and took a test on the words from week 6.
This week the students read a story called "Roundup at Rio Ranch" about a boy that wants to learn to become a cowboy just like the other men in his family. Jose finds it hard to rope the cows at first, but his family encourages him to keep trying. At one point when Jose is alone, he finds a young cow trapped in the bushes. He tries to rope the calf and finally gets it after a few tries. Jose's grandfather later told him how only a true cowboy could have saved the calf.
Next week the students will take tests in reading and vocabulary from everything they have learned so far this semester. The vocabulary test will include ALL the words from week 1 until now so it is very important that students begin studying now. They will have to re-write all of the words that they miss and take the test again if they do poorly. I find that some students do not study enough and as a result do not do very well on their tests. Please encourage your child to study and help them at home.
For the take-home readers, the students read a story called "A Walk in the Mountains". As usual they are to read the story at home to you, answer the questions in complete sentences in their student journals, draw a picture from the story, and bring the books back with them to school on Monday. They seem to be getting more comfortable with doing their student journals.
Have a wonderful weekend!
All the best,
Teacher Andy
Individual Comments:
Austin: Scored 95 on his science test and 100 on vocabulary! Doing a wonderful job in class.
Harris: Scored 90 on his science test. Sometimes loses focus in class so be sure to pay attention.
James: Scored 100 on his science test! Great job! I was very proud of him. Seems to really enjoy science class.
Allen: Scored 95 on his science test. Way to go! Sometimes does not pay attention in class.
Arvin: Scored 100 on his science test. Does a great job when we read stories together in class. Made 100 on vocabulary test!
Chanel: Scored 90 on her science test. Sometimes loses focus when reading stories in class.
Chloe: Scored 100 on science and vocabulary tests! Fantastic! Often raises her hand to answer questions in class.
Jade: Scored 100 on science and vocabulary tests! Very proud of her improvement!
Joshua: Scored 100 on science and vocabulary tests! Still has some difficulty paying attention during reading time.
Sam: Scored 100 on science and vocabulary tests! Enjoys raising his hand and participating during class time.
I hope everyone enjoyed their long holiday weekend! This week we reviewed and tested on the first unit in science, which was about plants. The students reviewed vocabulary and took a test on the words from week 6.
This week the students read a story called "Roundup at Rio Ranch" about a boy that wants to learn to become a cowboy just like the other men in his family. Jose finds it hard to rope the cows at first, but his family encourages him to keep trying. At one point when Jose is alone, he finds a young cow trapped in the bushes. He tries to rope the calf and finally gets it after a few tries. Jose's grandfather later told him how only a true cowboy could have saved the calf.
Next week the students will take tests in reading and vocabulary from everything they have learned so far this semester. The vocabulary test will include ALL the words from week 1 until now so it is very important that students begin studying now. They will have to re-write all of the words that they miss and take the test again if they do poorly. I find that some students do not study enough and as a result do not do very well on their tests. Please encourage your child to study and help them at home.
For the take-home readers, the students read a story called "A Walk in the Mountains". As usual they are to read the story at home to you, answer the questions in complete sentences in their student journals, draw a picture from the story, and bring the books back with them to school on Monday. They seem to be getting more comfortable with doing their student journals.
Have a wonderful weekend!
All the best,
Teacher Andy
Individual Comments:
Austin: Scored 95 on his science test and 100 on vocabulary! Doing a wonderful job in class.
Harris: Scored 90 on his science test. Sometimes loses focus in class so be sure to pay attention.
James: Scored 100 on his science test! Great job! I was very proud of him. Seems to really enjoy science class.
Allen: Scored 95 on his science test. Way to go! Sometimes does not pay attention in class.
Arvin: Scored 100 on his science test. Does a great job when we read stories together in class. Made 100 on vocabulary test!
Chanel: Scored 90 on her science test. Sometimes loses focus when reading stories in class.
Chloe: Scored 100 on science and vocabulary tests! Fantastic! Often raises her hand to answer questions in class.
Jade: Scored 100 on science and vocabulary tests! Very proud of her improvement!
Joshua: Scored 100 on science and vocabulary tests! Still has some difficulty paying attention during reading time.
Sam: Scored 100 on science and vocabulary tests! Enjoys raising his hand and participating during class time.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Double Ten
Dear Parents,
This was another short week because of the 10/10 National Day Holiday on Friday. This week we had a vocabulary test for the words from weeks 4 and 5. Most students did pretty well on the test. It is important for them to study vocabulary for a little bit each day so they will feel prepared and confident when it comes time to take the test.
We talked about parts of a sentence in grammar. In a sentence, the subject tells who or what is doing something in a sentence. If the sentence does not have a subject then it is an incomplete sentence.
In science the students learned about the different ways people use plants. We use the cotton plant for clothes, aloe for medicine, and pine trees for lumber, paper, and furniture. We eat different parts of plants also, like roots, leaves, fruit, seeds, flowers, and stems. We also get herbs and spices from plants that we use to flavor food. I made toast with cinnamon for the students at the end of the lesson.
For this week's take-home reader the students read "Camp at Crescent Lake" about going on a camping trip. We read the story in class together. Students are asked to first read the story at home to the parents, use complete sentences to answer the questions in their student journal, draw and color a picture about the story, and bring them back to school on Monday.
I hope everyone has a nice and enjoyable 3 day weekend!
All the best,
Teacher Andy
Individual Comments:
Austin: Great behavior in class and uses his time wisely.
James: Seemed to feel better when he did not have to go to Chinese school. Needs to really spend time working on vocabulary. Be sure to do Student Journal at home on the weekend.
Harris: Seems to really enjoy science class. Needs to improve writing and study vocabulary more.
Allen: Made a huge improvement with his vocabulary! Very proud of him. Reading is beginning to show improvement.
Arvin: Made 100 on vocabulary test again! Works really hard in class.
Chanel: I do not think she understood the vocabulary test, but did way better when she retook it! Great job!
Chloe: Made 100 on vocabulary test again! Loves to raise her hand and participate in class.
Jade: Has wonderful handwriting. Always pays attention and listens in class.
Joshua: Made a huge improvement on his vocabulary test, made 100! Very proud of how much he improved.
Sam: Made 100 on vocabulary test again! Very impressive! Has a wonderful class attitude.
This was another short week because of the 10/10 National Day Holiday on Friday. This week we had a vocabulary test for the words from weeks 4 and 5. Most students did pretty well on the test. It is important for them to study vocabulary for a little bit each day so they will feel prepared and confident when it comes time to take the test.
We talked about parts of a sentence in grammar. In a sentence, the subject tells who or what is doing something in a sentence. If the sentence does not have a subject then it is an incomplete sentence.
In science the students learned about the different ways people use plants. We use the cotton plant for clothes, aloe for medicine, and pine trees for lumber, paper, and furniture. We eat different parts of plants also, like roots, leaves, fruit, seeds, flowers, and stems. We also get herbs and spices from plants that we use to flavor food. I made toast with cinnamon for the students at the end of the lesson.
For this week's take-home reader the students read "Camp at Crescent Lake" about going on a camping trip. We read the story in class together. Students are asked to first read the story at home to the parents, use complete sentences to answer the questions in their student journal, draw and color a picture about the story, and bring them back to school on Monday.
I hope everyone has a nice and enjoyable 3 day weekend!
All the best,
Teacher Andy
Individual Comments:
Austin: Great behavior in class and uses his time wisely.
James: Seemed to feel better when he did not have to go to Chinese school. Needs to really spend time working on vocabulary. Be sure to do Student Journal at home on the weekend.
Harris: Seems to really enjoy science class. Needs to improve writing and study vocabulary more.
Allen: Made a huge improvement with his vocabulary! Very proud of him. Reading is beginning to show improvement.
Arvin: Made 100 on vocabulary test again! Works really hard in class.
Chanel: I do not think she understood the vocabulary test, but did way better when she retook it! Great job!
Chloe: Made 100 on vocabulary test again! Loves to raise her hand and participate in class.
Jade: Has wonderful handwriting. Always pays attention and listens in class.
Joshua: Made a huge improvement on his vocabulary test, made 100! Very proud of how much he improved.
Sam: Made 100 on vocabulary test again! Very impressive! Has a wonderful class attitude.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Sound of Music!
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone enjoyed having a long weekend from the typhoon and was safe! Twice this week i brought my trombone to class to show the students what it sounds like. I even gave them a chance to play it. Some of them did pretty well. I think Jade and Allen were the loudest. Maybe some of them will want to play instruments soon or when they get older?
We had a short week because of the typhoon so we didn't get to cover as many things as usual. We finished reading the story "Luka's Quilt". This story was kind of long but the students seemed to really enjoy it. They also learned about a glossary and how it is used. A glossary is a small dictionary that is found in the back of books. It uses guide words at the top of each page to show the first and last entries on that page. Like a dictionary, the words are arranged in alphabetical order.
The students were assigned their take-home readers and student journals for homework this weekend. We read the story "Space Walk" in class together. Please have your child read the story to you, then they are to answer the questions in their student journal and draw a picture from the story. Bring them in on Monday. We will also have a vocabulary test on words from weeks 4 and 5 on Monday. Please help your child study the words so they will feel confident and do well on the test.
We had fun last Friday taking pictures for Fun Day. This week we will take the class bowling. We'll see how many strikes they can get.
Have a fantastic weekend!
All the best,
Teacher Andy
Individual Comments:
Austin: Doing a wonderful job in class and learning the material! Great job!
Harris: Showing lots of improvement with writing in class. Seems like he is finishing faster than before.
James: Seems to feel more comfortable reading. Keep trying hard!
Allen: Sometimes does not listen well to directions. Be sure to pay attention in class so you will do better at reading and taking tests.
Arvin: Handwriting is a little messy so slow down a little and try to make it look nicer.
Chanel: Understands the material quite well and does a great job of remembering the stories we read.
Chloe: Great job with her homework! Feels really comfortable in class now and seems to enjoy it a lot.
Jade: Always pays attention and listens in class. Feels very comfortable speaking also.
Joshua: Sometimes catch him not paying attention in class. Very kind and helpful to the teacher and his classmates.
Sam: Always pays attention and enjoys participating in class.
Allen: Sometimes does not listen well to directions. Be sure to pay attention in class so you will do better at reading and taking tests.
Arvin: Handwriting is a little messy so slow down a little and try to make it look nicer.
Chanel: Understands the material quite well and does a great job of remembering the stories we read.
Chloe: Great job with her homework! Feels really comfortable in class now and seems to enjoy it a lot.
Jade: Always pays attention and listens in class. Feels very comfortable speaking also.
Joshua: Sometimes catch him not paying attention in class. Very kind and helpful to the teacher and his classmates.
Sam: Always pays attention and enjoys participating in class.
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