January 13, 2012

Dear Family,

A belated Happy New Year. I hope that you and your family had a happy and healthy holiday. It is hard to believe that the calendar has changed to another year. Winter in Vermont can’t seem to make up its mind and it will be interesting to see how Mother Nature sends us the snow storms, the cold weather, and the sunny days this year.

We have all returned ready to begin the new year with smiling faces and eagerness. In science, we are finishing Forces in Motion. Math finds us working on division in Unit 6 with a test on the unit next Thursday. In order to be able to be successful with division, students must know the multiplication facts. We practice multiplication and division during our math skill time and students are doing much better with their facts. Continued practice at home with the facts would be helpful.

In reading we have been practicing inferencing with non-fiction material. The story that we have been using is a timely one about the Titanic. The students have done very well with this skill and are engrossed with the tragic voyage of the Titanic.

We are working on responding to informational literature in writing. Students have read articles and planned responses. We will continue to do on-demand writing prompts. This is a writing session where the students are asked to do a specific piece of writing in response to a question in a specific amount of time. The different pieces that we have done and will be doing are: responding to informational text, responding to literature, writing a story, and writing a report.

The class will be going on a fieldtrip to the Flynn Theatre on February 14th to see The Marriage of Arts and Science.. Thank you for returning the permission slips and money in a timely fashion.

Please note that on Monday, January 16th, the students have off while teachers are at a staff in-service.
I would like to thank all of the families that contributed to our holiday celebration. The students had a wonderful time.

December 16, 2011
Dear Families,
We are now well into December and the weather has finally decided to feel like winter. The time is very short before our holiday break and the students have been working very, very hard this month.
In reading, we have been working in guided reading groups. Students have been reading Jake the Drake, Know It All; Bunnicula; In the Shade of the Nispero Tree; or the Pictures of Hollis Wood. Each group has been working on tracking their thoughts while reading, new vocabulary words, making connections, finding the problem and solution, and finding the theme. The students just finished and did a wonderful job. Please ask them about the book they read.
In math, we will be having a test on Unit 5, multiplication, on Monday. In January, we will begin working on division. Your daughter/son should continue to study the multiplication tables as this will help them with the division.
Science finds the class busy exploring forces and motion. The students are enjoying releasing different size spheres on an inclined plain and seeing how far they travel. The work comes when they need to explain, using the correct vocabulary words, why the spheres traveled the distances they did. We shall be having a quiz on the vocabulary words for this science unit next Tuesday.
Our holiday party will be Wednesday from 2:15-3:00. You all have been very generous in your donations for the party. The nonperishable items can come in as soon as possible. The perishable items should be brought in on the morning of the 21st.
One last thing before I close, we will be taking a trip to the Flynn Theatre on February 14th, 2012. Please watch for more information when we get back from vacation.
If at any time, you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to phone or e-mail.
In closing, I would like to wish you all a very Happy Holidays.

November 18, 2011

Dear Families,

I am looking forward to having the opportunity to sit down and talk with you at parent/teacher conference time. It will be nice to have a conversation about all of the good things that your child is doing in school. At the same time, it will also be important to talk about any areas that need work. I know as the weeks continue, we will work on improving all our skills.

In science, we are half way through the unit on States of Matter. The students are enjoying the experiments and watching matter change from solid to liquid. After the break, we shall continue changing matter to the gaseous state and then back to liquid.

Homework Planners—Thank you for continuing to sign the homework planners nightly. This is a great way for you to know what the homework is and also to send in a quick note to me. Thank you again.

Reading—Each day students silent read at school. In order to keep track of the reading, each student has a Reader’s Notebook. Every time the student takes out or starts to read a book, they are supposed to record the title, author, genre, date of completion and difficulty of the book in the notebook. I am aware that students also do a lot of reading at home. To that end, I would like to give the students the opportunity to record the books they read at home in the Reader’s Notebook. So, if they finish a book at home, they may write it in the notebook. Then if you would please sign next to the title indicating that you are aware that they have read the book, it will help to complete the reading profile for your child.

In class, we are working in four different novels. Students are tracking their thoughts as they read. Once a week, the different groups get together to discuss new vocabulary words they found, and their tracks of thinking. They are all enjoying the novels.

During math time, we are working on decimals. We will be having a test on unit 4 when we return from Thanksgiving break. The next unit in math will be on multiplying larger numbers. Over vacation, it would be a good thing if students continued to practice the multiplication tables.

In writing, we have completed writing a narrative about being a hero. We are presently working on writing a response to a short text. We have been working on this and will continue after break. Students have also been doing a lot of free writing, which helps to increase their skills with such things as descriptive writing and dialogue.

In closing, I hope that you and your family have a very happy Thanksgiving.

October 28, 2011

Dear Families,
It is hard to believe that we are already more than one month into the fall season. Mother Nature has certainly given us a beautiful foliage season. Let’s hope November will bring relatively mild and sunny weather.

In school, we are within a few weeks of finishing up the first trimester. Report cards will be sent home on Friday November 18th, so that you will have a chance to look them over before parent conferences. Please contact the school secretary to sign up for a conference.

In reading, we are finishing up our biography unit. Students will be doing a timeline of their person and then presenting it to the class.

In writing, we have begun working on our on-demand prompts.
Throughout the year, students will be required to do 8 on-demand prompts. We will practice how to do each piece of writing and then we will apply our practice. We have just finished our first prompt for writing a narrative.

Math finds us finishing up Unit 3 on multiplication. We shall be taking the test on this unit on Thursday and Friday of next week. Please help your daughter/son practice her/his multiplication skills. We are doing this in school to increase their automaticity with the facts. Knowing the multiplication facts will make the following math units just a little easier.

We shall begin our first science unit, States of Matter this coming week. Students will be studying liquids, solids, and gasses. They will be discovering knew information through lab experiments.

If at any time you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call (264-5900) or email at gallasd@csdvt.org.
Sincerely,
Donna N. Gallas

Dear Families,

October is half over and the weather has certainly been beautiful. The rain and wind today will surely knock a lot of the leaves off the tress.

We have just finished a week of NECAPs. The students did a wonderful job of working carefully and quietly. It will be nice to get back to our regular week’s schedule. Remember that next week is a four day week.

In social studies, we have just finished our study of the polar regions of the world. We shall now start looking at the hot desert regions. The class will be looking at the land, vegetation, animals, and people that live there. While studying this region, we shall be comparing it to our own town to see if there are any similarities and differences. After finishing the unit on the desert regions, we shall start our first science unit.

In math, we will begin working on unit 3, Multiplication/Division; Number Sentences and Algebra. Going over the multiplication tables with your child would help to increase her/his ability to use these facts more quickly and precisely. You will probably have noticed a sheet of multiplication facts included in this week’s folder. Every week or other week, I will give the students a timed multiplication sheet. I am charting the progress of each child to show their acquisition of these facts.

It is almost time to think about the grades closing for the first trimester. Actually, report cards will go home on November 18th. I will be holding parent conferences on Monday, November 21st. This year the procedure to signup is a little different. Starting next Thursday, October 20, parents should call the school and one of the secretaries will sign you up for a time on my conference schedule. Mrs. Benay will be posting a notice about this on the school blog.

Homework—Students should be reading nightly for approximately 10-15 minutes. This will help to increase their fluency and comprehension. Thank you for signing the homework planner every night. This lets me know that you have seen the work that is coming home. I look for signatures every morning. If you have any questions or concerns about the work, please write a note in the homework planner, e-mail, or phone.

Halloween is coming soon. L We shall be having a classroom party on Monday, October 31st at 2:15. Students will not be dressing up in costumes.

Have a wonderful weekend.

The Bingo Bunch on PhotoPeach

Autumn Sensory Walk on PhotoPeach

September 30, 2011

Dear Families,

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is October 1st. The time has flown by. The autumn season is certainly here and Mother Nature is starting to put on a spectacular color show for us.

NECAPS—We will be taking these tests the week of October
10th. The students have been working hard to prepare for the tests. Please make sure that your child has enough sleep every night and a good breakfast in the morning. These two things will go a long way to help make them ready to take the daily tests. During that week, I will not be assigning any written work to go home and we will not be dong spelling. Also, I would like to have a little snack for the students during the NECAP testing period (Mon.-Thurs.). I shall be having a mom call and ask for contributions for these snacks. I shall be looking for juice boxes, fruits, cheese & cracker, and cut up vegetables. Thank you in advance for your help.

In math, we are working our way through unit two which reviews organizing data and adding and subtracting numbers. We will be finishing up this unit next Monday and having a test on it on Wednesday. We will be taking a break from math during NECAPS. In preparation for math units to come, it would be helpful if you could start reviewing the multiplication tables with your daughter/son.

We will begin social studies next week. The first unit will be on the desert and Polar Regions of the world. The class will be looking at the land, vegetation, animals and people that live there. While studying these regions, we will be comparing them to our own town to see if there are any similarities and differences.

Gumballs—We have filled our jar and won the award!! The class has been earning gumballs for our jar. What is this all about? We have been practicing certain expectations for the class. As the class does an outstanding job, they are rewarded with the “gumball”. Now that the jar is full, they will be getting a reward. As I write this, they are trying to decide what it will be. They should be very excited to have earned the reward, as they have done an outstanding job learning and practicing the expectations.

Homework—Students should be reading nightly for approximately 10-15 minutes. This will help to increase their fluency and comprehension. Thank you for signing the homework planner every night. This lets me know that you have seen the work that is coming home. I look for signatures every morning. This is also a great place to write a quick note, if you have a concern.
Enjoy the beautiful fall foliage.

The Gallas’ Gang Constitution
We the citizens of room 151 in order, in order to have a more perfect learning education, shall have a safe, respectful, and responsible classroom. We have the following rights and responsibilities:

Right 1—We have the right to be respected.
Our responsibility is to treat others kindly and honestly. Citizens should have a fair amount of work time.

Right 2—We have the right to be safe.
Our responsibility is to treat each other kindly, keep our hands to our self, own our actions, use low voices, and walk at all times.

Right 3—We have the right to learn.
Our responsibility is to have a quiet classroom, to listen, to practice and always do our homework.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is hard to believe that we have been in school for three weeks already. The time has gone by very quickly. We have been very busy practicing the rules for the school, the room and the cafeteria. The students are doing a wonderful job.

Today, we took our first spelling test and dictation. I have put a list of spelling words for the first five chapters in this week’s Friday Folder, (sorry I forgot to do it last week). In math, we just completed the first unit and have taken the test. The students worked very hard on this unit. We are also beginning our preparation for the NECAP tests. Watch the weekly newsletter for the exact dates in October.
In honor of Constitution Day, the class has written a short constitution spelling out the rights and responsibilities for the students in our room. They listened to a song about the original Bill of Rights in the Constitution and came up with a smaller version for us. Look for it on the board when you visit at Open House.
Regarding the homework book, we started nightly homework on Monday. We have been practicing writing in the assignments and putting the homework in our homework folder. If you could help your son/daughter make sure that the homework, homework folder and homework book get into their book bag, it would be very helpful. There have been times this week when some assignments, books, etc. have not come back to school the next day. It makes it difficult for the student to review the homework if they don’t have it. Please remember to initial the homework book nightly. This lets me know that you have seen the homework. If you have any questions, please write a note at the bottom of the homework page. I will be checking the books every morning looking for notes. I am posting the homework every day on my blog. I hope you find this helpful.
Spelling—There is a link on my blog to Spelling City. It is a spelling program that I have input our words into. It allows students to practice in many ways. The school has a premium membership. In the next few weeks, I shall be sending home a letter discussing how to get on and also assigning work for students to be doing weekly.

Have a wonderful weekend, the last one of summer.