Peregrine Press

October 27-31

 

Schedule:

Monday:  Mock Election; Buddy Lunch; All School Meeting

Tuesday: Out and About to the Tom McCall Forest (nature study)

Wednesday: PE

Thursday: Art; Running Club

Friday: Halloween Celebration

 

*For our Halloween Celebration I would like to make "dirt cups" again which includes: gummy worms, chocolate pudding, graham crackers and spoons.  If anyone would like to contribute any of these things please let me know.  (The puddings need to be individually packaged.)

*We have had some difficulty being respectful in class lately.  Several students are not responding to the quiet signals and they are not picking up their messes.  Half of the class is consistently respectful so I feel that this is especially unfair to them.  I am hoping that the weekend was a necessary refresh for everyone and we can start anew this week.

 

Last Week:

Monday and Tuesday groups took turns presenting their research on the branches of government, citizenship and how laws are made.  I was really pleased with how well the groups worked together and presented their information.  Each member participated in the prep work and the presentations.  Students will do several group projects throughout this year and it is essential that they learn how to cooperate and pull their own weight.

 

To prepare for the mock election and also to practice persuasive writing techniques, each student wrote a persuasive essay on a topic of their choice.  Some chose the presidential candidates and other chose issues close to them.  On Friday they were given the opportunity to share their essay with the class and I was pleasantly surprised with how many students decided to share.  They wrote very persuasive essays and should be proud of the work the accomplished.

 

Wednesday we were lucky enough to be audience members for the presentation of Honk Jr. and it was great!  The actors and actresses performed beautifully and it was such an engaging story that all eyes were on stage the whole time.  When we returned to the school students had only nice things to say about the performance.

 

Friday we completed our 2^nd week of goal reflections.  I made it one of MY goals to have goal reflections at least every other Friday and so far it has been going well.  It is really important for students to reflect on the goals they have set for themselves.  This way we can see how to make progress in reaching them.

 

**I had 10 students forget to turn homework in this week.  Remember that even if they don't have a packet of activities to do, they need to fill in that log that states things they do at home that works towards a goal.  All of the students should know this routine and understand this responsibility by now because it will only help them in the long run.

 

This Coming Week:

Our class is responsible for presenting at the all school meeting on Monday at 1:00 in the Rogers Room at the Library.  We will be sharing all the words that the different classes came up with for the kind of community we want to be a part of.  After much creative brainstorming, the class has decided to share a "rap" that encompasses the words that describe our community.  The rap was written by a small group of our boys, and has gone through some editing with the class and it is going to be great! I love that the students were able to come up with such a unique way of presenting the information that we were asked to share.

 

This week we will begin our study of heritage.  On Friday I sent home two different papers that are the start to the project. Much of the work will be done at school, but there are some components that require your help.  Please set aside some time to have your child interview you about your heritage.  Also, I am asking that they write about a story that is important to the family.  They will write the final draft in class, so what they do at home can be sloppy.  The third thing I am asking is that each child bring in a recipe of a favorite family dish.  If there is a story that goes along with that that would be great. 

 

   Tuesday we will head to the Tom McCall Forest to get ready for outdoor school.  We will look at animal adaptations and tree/plant identification. 

 

 

Upcoming Events:

November 11-14: Outdoor School

November 20^th:  Heritage Sharing with Cornelius Elementary 4^th Graders (at Cornelius Elementary School)