Change of plans

Graded work and progress reports, both scheduled to go out today, will be sent home tomorrow. This is because of the 2 missed days of school and the early dismissal today. Thank you for your understanding.

Since you'll be sitting at home tomorrow...

Dear Students,

Now that HISD has decided to call off tomorrow. Here are a couple of ideas for the profitable use of your unexpected leisure time.

1. Log on to TTM. Carlie is leading in TTM points for the week so far, can you catch her? And don't forget our charity. I think it would be great if you finished your second goal before the 5th graders finished their first.
2. Do some IStation.
3. Do some research on your solar system object.
4. Read a book, be ready to AR test on it Wednesday.
5. Study your spelling and vocabulary words.

You may also play in the snow if there is any, but you may not get sick because we have WAY too much work to do. See you Wednesday.

Mea culpa!

Parents and students, I am so sorry, but I got myself distracted at the end of the day and forgot to do the homework examples with the class. Do not worry. No one will be marked for not doing the homework tonight. Tomorrow morning, first thing, we will do the example problems so that everyone will know what to do. Thank you for your understanding.

And while I am here, tomorrow the students will be bringing home information about the GT Expo project we are beginning. They should know all about it when they get home, but as always, feel free to contact me with questions.

Happy New Year!

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful and restful break. I know I enjoyed catching up on some of my other interests and just generally unwinding.

However, now it is time to get back to business. The third nine weeks is when we get serious about preparing for STAAR. That is not to say that I will be teaching to the test. Rather, there will be a fair amount of practice on how to take the test. As you know, every test has its quirks and peculiarities, and STAAR is no different. As this is the first year that the students have taken this test, it is imperative that they have opportunities to practice and become familiar with the format. That is what we will be doing at least once each week. I will communicate your child's results to you periodically so that you can see how they are progressing.

I realized as I sat down yesterday to update the homework and spelling word schedules that, in my haste to leave for break, that I forgot to post the directions for the Winter Break Book Project. These went home with the students on Wednesday the 18th, but I had intended to post them as well. That has now been done. The project is not due until 13th, however, students who turn it in on Tuesday will get an ice cream treat. This in not extra credit like the Halloween book poster. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Near the end of February, we will be having our middle of the year GT Expo. I believe that it is scheduled for the 20th, but that may change. Details about the project will come along in a couple of weeks. This project will be a bit different than the first GT Expo. First, it will be individually produced and presented. Second, some of the work will need to be done at home. When we are ready to begin, I will send and post the directions and a timeline of dates by which various tasks will need to be completed.

The third term of the year is always by far the busiest. With so much going on there is very little time for reteaching and make up work. Please do all that you can to make sure your child is at school every day.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday morning. Have a great weekend!

At long last... GT Expo pictures

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Parents,

First, I would like to wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving break. I hope you have the chance to unwind and spend some quality time with family and friends. Personally, I'm looking forward to getting caught up on some sleep and some work, like posting the GT Expo pictures.

The students have been reminded that I expect them to keep up with their reading logs over the break. There is no other homework. However, the people at Think Through Math are offering a bonus of 1,000 points to students who log in and do some math over the break. It would be good if everyone could find 30 minutes or so to do some TTM over the break. The class is very close to meeting the 500,000 point goal we set at the beginning of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving! I look forward to seeing everyone back on December 2!

Up coming!

Tomorrow night is Sinclair Math Night. This will be an opportunity for parents to learn about the math curriculum at each grade level and to learn how you can help your child to be successful. The event begins at 5:30 and will be followed by the PTA meeting.

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving lunch and the children will be going to lunch at a slightly different time, noon, rather than 12:10. That said, things frequently get backed up so please be patient.

There will be no homework next week with the exception of the reading log. I expect all students to return from the holiday ready to take some AR tests.

LAST CALL for Box Tops! I must have them by Friday. Thank you to all of you who have been sending them in.