Newsletter

Peregrine Press
December 14-18

Schedule
Monday: Art, Nutrition Presentation and Final Essay due for Independent Project
Tuesday: Mini Out and About (Teambuilding) and Ind. Project Speeches
Wednesday: Ind. Project Speeches, Art and PE
Thursday: Ind. Project Speeches and Music
Friday: Movie Day

Last Week
Last week was very memorable. We spent a great deal of time working on the Independent Project by writing the rough drafts, editing and working on the visuals. Students were required to self edit their paper, and then also have a peer edit. We also made edible necklaces for chimpanzees living in a refuge in Bend, Oregon. This was a great activity that had the whole class very engaged! That same day we headed to the Senior Center to perform our play and it went great. The class also spent some time visiting with the seniors talking about our school and Forest Grove. Friday we also performed our play for the whole school at the All School Meeting. I was so impressed with how well each and every student did. It was a great team effort and every single person contributed an important part to the success of the play.

This Week
This coming week will mostly be focused on wrapping up the Independent Projects. Monday will be the last day to work on the visual and the main day to work on the speech. I made it very clear to the class last week that the final essay (along with all the rough drafts and brainstorming pages) is due first thing Monday morning. Every single student knows that, so if they don't come with that finished tomorrow morning it will immediately count as late. I don't mean to be harsh, but one very important part of this project is meeting deadlines and I want them all to know how serious I am about this. I am trying to prepare them for life, so they need to take responsibility for getting this done on time.
They will have time in class to finish up their visual and work on their speech. It will only be about 1 hour of time though so they need to keep that in mind. Last Friday we decided our speech schedule and so depending on when your child delivers their speech, that is the day their visual is due. Nothing actually has to be turned in for the speech. They are to use the essay and their visual for the outlines of their speech. If your child does their speech Thursday, they don't have to have their visual turned in until that day, but they will NOT have any more class time to work on that. Please ask your child what day their speech is so that you know what day their visual is due.
I hope all that made sense!

As for Friday, here is the plan. Students voted and the number one choice for a movie is "Elf" with Will Ferrill. It is a fabulous movie but because it is rated PG I want to have everyone's permission before I decide for sure to show that movie. Please let me know if you don't want your child to watch that because we would happily watch "Up" instead. (That is the movie that came in second place.) I would also like to have hot chocolate for the students. If you are interested in purchasing hot chocolate or other treats (maybe cookies or candy canes) please let me know. I can go buy them, but I know many parents are always offering to get things for the class and here is an opportunity to do that:-).

*Thanks for coming to the PTO event last week! It was a great success! If you didn't see it while you were there, we do have a giving tree in the lobby that has tags for gifts that a local family could use for the holidays. You take tag and then buy the gift on that tag and then return it to the school, unwrapped.

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday! We will return to school January 4th.

Newsletter

Peregrine Press
December 7-11

Schedule
Monday: Nutrition Presentation and Art
Tuesday: Out and About
Wednesday: PE and Art
Thursday: Music and Buddy Reading at the ELC
Friday: All School Meeting

Last Week
Last week was mostly devoted to the Independent Project. Students spent 3 days researching in the computer lab, followed by a visit to the City Library on Thursday. Students made great progress on their research and rough drafts. On Tuesday we worked at the location of our new school garden. Students spread leaves and soil to help prepare for raised beds and mulching. It was hard work, but we got a lot accomplished! Music was fun (as always) and we started learning a song to teach us the states and capitals. Fitness Friday was very cold but most students participated the best they could. We followed that up with finding the mean, median, mode and range for the data we collected on laps ran.

This Week
We will start out the week with a special nutrition presentation by a local nutritionist that will come back again next Monday to do another activity with the class. This is to help build awareness of the importance of healthy eating and ways to make better choices about what we put in our bodies. On Tuesday we will start out the day with a service project to help Chimpanzees. We will be making edible necklaces for them! We will then head out to the Senior Center to perform our play "This Land is Whose Land." That will be a great opportunity for us to get a performance under our belts because on Friday at the All School Meeting we will perform it again for the whole school. Please come if you can! The meeting will start at 9:15 and I will go until about 10:30. I don't know the exact time of our performance, but it will happen in that window of time. (This will be at the Grove Room at Central School.)

Thursday we will head to the ELC for buddy reading again. When we went to the library last week students checked out new books to read to their buddies. The rest of the week will be mostly focused on the Independent Project again. Rough drafts will be do on Wednesday of this week. We will spend more time working on editing and revising and then also working on our visual aides. Remember, I am providing class time for the project, but if by Friday your child looks like they are not on track for meeting the final deadlines, I will send home work so they complete their projects over the weekend.

***Celebrations of Learning and Night of Traditions Thursday the 10th!!!

Please join us for Celebrations of Learning starting at 5:00 on Thursday. You will get a chance to check out the things students have been working on for the past few months. This will be followed by a PTO event called the Night of Traditions starting at 6:00. There will be an assortment of activities to do in the different classrooms and we would love for families to join us.
Just like last year, if you can, please bring a treat to share. We had some delicious cookies and things last year-yum yum! And if I am not mistaken, we will provide hot chocolate in the lobby.

newsletter

Peregrine Press
November 30-December 4

Schedule
Monday: Art
Tuesday: Out and About to new School Garden to help move leaves and prepare the soil for winter
Wednesday: Art and PE
Thursday: Music
Friday: Fitness Friday/Running Club

Last Week
With only having a 2 day week we mostly spent our time wrapping up projects that needed to be completed. Students finished their Outdoor School Persuasive Essays and their Outdoor School Probe Posters. Tuesday the students presented their project on the Tillamook Indians to the Friends of Historic Forest Grove. The audience was small, but they were very impressed with the work the class did, and so was I! The project really came together nicely! I introduce the Independent Project to the class and each student worked on a proposal for what they would like to do for the project. Some students were stumped so they needed the weekend to think about it. They need to return their proposals to me Monday (tomorrow) morning because we start researching right away!

This Week
From here until Winter Break we will be spending the majority of our time working on the Independent Projects. Hopefully you all got the letter I sent home last Monday explaining the project and all the deadlines. the deadlines are incredibly important because we dont' have very much time for this project and they need to be done before we leave for Winter Break. We will have three days this week to research in the computer lab so if you child is not able to get their research done in that time they will have to continue to do research at home. Out Out and About on Tuesday will require some good workers so please be sure that your child dresses for doing outdoor work! We have a chance to help get our garden ready for the spring and we can't wait to get started!

*You should be getting a progress report in the mail late this week or early next week that will update you on the progress your child is making so far this semester. After you have received them, please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Important Dates:
Saturday December 5th: Light Parade DownTown Forest Grove
Thursday December 10th: Celebrations of Learning and Night of Traditions at FGCS
Friday December 11th: All School Meeting 9:15 at the Grove Room at Central School (Our class will perform the play we have been working on so you are welcome to come and watch.)

Friday December 18th: Last Day of School before Winter Break

Newsletter

Peregrine Press
November 23 and 24

Schedule
Monday: Running Club; Art
Tuesday: Tillamook Presentation for the Friends of Historic Forest Grove

No School the rest of the week!

Last Week
We had a great week back in the classroom after a great week at Outdoor School the week before. We spent some time each day working on posters that each student creates that demonstrates the different things they learned at all the Field Studies. For most students this didn't feel like work, so that made the activity that much more enjoyable for everyone. They turned out beautifully and I will post them in the hall for a few weeks so the other classrooms can see them. Students also started a persuasive essay about Outdoor School. They had to choose a stance between: We should go to Outdoor School or We should not go to Outdoor School. We spent time reviewing how to write a 5 paragraph essay and discussed the importance of developing thorough arguments when you are trying to persuade someone to your "side."
Literacy circles wrapped up on Tuesday but many students did not complete the packet of activities that were due on Friday. This was not a surprise to the students that the packet was due last week, some just struggled with how to manage their time and ended up with homework. It is all part of learning how to be a responsible Level 2 student.

*Note about microwaveable food: I am noticing several students are bringing Cup-o-Noodles and Ramen that require more than 1 or 2 minutes to heat up. Remember that at the Family Visits I went over this food policy. If students bring things that need to be heated for 3 or more minutes it creates a very long line and then some students don't even get to start eating their lunch until it is almost time for recess. It is not that I don't want students to have warm food, I just ask that they cook it at home and then it just has to be reheated at school. Thanks!*

This Week
We have school for only 2 days this week. We will be wrapping up the Outdoor School persuasive essay by Tuesday. We will also be preparing for, and then presenting the Tillamook Indian Project we have been working on that will help the Friends of Historic Forest Grove. I am hoping to have Running Club on Monday because we skipped it last week due to the very yucky weather.

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

***Progress Reports will be sent out the week after Thanksgiving. They will be a simple check in to let you know how your child is progressing on their goals. If they are not making adequate progress I will let you know what we can do to hopefully see more progress in the future.

Upcoming Dates and Events:
December 5th: Light Parade
December 10th: Celebrations of Learning followed by the Night of Traditions (At FGCS)

Art Update

Art Happenings from Teresa

Greetings Falcon Families! Level 2 students have been working diligently creating personal totem poles carved out of clay and inspired by the Northwest Coast Native totems. By developing symbols for important aspects of their lives, they are each creating a unique visual narrative. The totems will be fired and glazed over the next month. During this process we will be refining drawing skills and creating leaf creatures!

Newsletter

Peregrine Press
November 16-20

Schedule
Monday: Art
Tuesday: Out and About (Recap of Outdoor School-possibly In and About instead)
Wednesday: Art and PE
Thursday: Music
Friday: All School Meeting and Fitness Friday

(I will get some pictures up on the blog soon of Outdoor School.)

Last Week:
Outdoor School was a success! The weather cooperated until the last day which was a great relief. The students had a great time at all the Field Studies learning about the water cycle, forest succession, animal adaptations and a variety of other things. The campfires each night and cabin time proved to be highly entertaining and memorable. The class was well behaved and represented the school very well! **Please check through all the luggage that was brought back from camp and be sure that your child doesn't have someone else's stuff by mistake. As far as medications go, I am supposed to get those directly to you so if you can come and pick them up at school that would be best. If that is not possible, please let me know and I will send it home with your child.**

This Week:
We will get back to work as usual this week. We will be wrapping up the Tillamook project and Literacy Circles. We will also continue to work on the play that we will perform at the All School Meeting in December. (I will get that info to you once I have the date and time confirmed so if you would like to attend you may.) Thursday we will connect with our preschool buddies again to share about the Outdoor School experience. Students will also be doing a follow up activity to Outdoor School that should take all week. Friday we will have an All School Meeting as well as Fitness Friday.

Other Important Notes:
No School Wednesday November 25
Progress Reports will be sent home the first week of December.

Newsletter

Peregrine Press

Schedule:
Monday: Art
Monday Evening: 6-7 Outdoor School Gear and Medication Drop off at the school
Tuesday: Drop off students at 8:30 for departure to Outdoor School
Friday: Return from Outdoor School around 12:45 for pick up/ (Yes you can come before 1:05 to pick up your child.)

Last Week:
We spent much of the week doing our regular things. We worked on Literacy Circles and the Tillamook Project. We spent some time practicing our play as well as getting some of the props and behind the scenes set organized and created. We will be performing at an All School Meeting either November 20 or a date in Mid-December that I will have to get confirmation on later. For our Out and About we went to B Street Farm where we started out with a teambuilding activity and then we split into two groups to help with different projects. One group collected sunflower seeds for replanting next year and the other group shoveled and moved dirt to help create a birm for a pathway between some plantings. We had a double dose of music this week which was great. They have been learning some great songs to sing as well as a song on the xylophone. I am impressed with how well they are learning how to read music! We have a musically gifted class. We finished the week with Fitness Friday and Goal Reflections. Each week students reflect on their goals that we set at conferences a month ago. This helps them to be sure that they are takig responsible for their goals.

This Week:
We will be at Outdoor School learning all about nature and having a grand 'ol time! Please be sure that your child has packed rain gear including rain boots and extra socks! On Friday I sent home a reminder note stapled to wrists (sleeves, not skin:-)) of your children to be sure nothing is forgotten. I also sent home a packing list again because I know many people have lost them. With medications remember that they need to have written directions from you for proper dosage for over the counter medications and they need to be in their original containers, even cough drops. Prescription medications need to be in original containers.
Let me know if you have any questions.

newsletter

Peregrine Press

November 2-5

Schedule:

Monday: Art

Tuesday: Out and About to B Street Farm

Wednesday: Music; Art and PE!

Thursday: Buddy Reading

Friday: Music; Fitness Friday

*Please have your child bring in any food containers/labels for example: cereal boxes, pasta sauce, bread etc. without the food in them because in a few weeks we will be doing some nutrition studies that will require the use of food labels. This is different from box tops, in this case we need the whole container.

Last Week

Last week was a bit crazy! Our Out and About to the Historical Society was very interesting and filled with excitement riding the Max and being in downtown Portland. I was very impressed with how well all of the students behaved and how much they all learned! It was a great wrap up for the Lewis and Clark Unit, and build up for the Native American project we are currently working on. In Literacy Circles groups worked hard on their packet activities and comprehension. The Tillamook Project was much more successful than the previous week and students really started to find some great information on their topics. We had Fitness Friday on Thursday, inside due to the cold and rainy weather and I was pleased with how they did for the first time doing it this way. They jogged in place in between the 6 different stations of exercises so they all go their heart rate up and worked some muscles.

This Week

This week we will continue our work on the Tillamook Project and the groups wills start compiling their research into the form of a pamphlet. Our Literacy Circles will continue, and last week most groups assigned reading homework for the weekend so please remind them to bring their literacy books to school on Monday. The other main project will be the play we are working on called "This Land is Whose Land?" We are trying to figure out when we will perform this so to help me out, let me know if you could attend a day performance. Most students have equal parts and many will perform with their scripts because we don't have enough time to really memorize everything, but I know many students are very excited to perform this for an audience. We are tentatively planning for the first week of December. It would be fun to do an evening performance but then I know not all students would be able to be there so I don't want to impose that on anyone. (It is only a 15-20 minute play.)

We will have music twice this week to make up for the missed Fridays we have had recently. Our Out and About Tuesday will be to B Street Farm to do some more work there and some teambuilding in preparation for Outdoor School.

Outdoor School Update

Outdoor School: November 10-13,

Please come to the gear and medication drop off on Monday November 9^th so we can get as much of the stuff ready before we leave on Tuesday. We will open our classrooms up from 6:00-7:00 pm Monday night for that purpose.

**We will leave the school by 9:15 on November 10^th so please drop your children off at 8:30. We will return on Friday by normal dismissal time of 1:05. We actually hope to be back by 12:45 so you could come a little earlier that day for pick up and maybe miss the rush!

*No School November 25^th

newsletter

Peregrine Press

October 26-30

Schedule

Monday: Art

Tuesday: Oregon Historical Society (ALL DAY-bring sack lunch!)

Wednesday: Art; PE

Thursday: Nothing special:-) Maybe Music if I can schedule it.

Friday: No School for Teacher In-Service

Last Week

Last week went very quickly! We started out the week by attending the Tom Sawyer play at the Theatre in the Grove which was great. We had three students from our class that were involved with the production so that was really fun to see them all in action. We started literacy circles this week as well. This round will take us through November and will help build fluency and comprehension. Students will meet with their circles 3-4 times per week and read together and complete activities that will enhance their learning. Tuesday we headed out to B Street Farm to learn how to use a compass (orienteering) with Erin, our Out and About teacher. The students all worked hard on learning those skills that can be quite challenging. On Tuesday we also started to research the Tillamook Indians for a project that will help the Friends of Historic Forest Grove. It will be a challenging project but I am excited to see everyone work together to accomplish the task. Thursday we headed back to the ELC for some Buddy Reading. It is such a great opportunity for our class to be good role models for these kids. They also just seem to have so much fun!

This Coming Week

This week will be a little odd. We will not have grade level math due to our full day Out and Abouts to the Historical Society. Each class is going a different day so we have instead made some packets of work for students to complete. I will provide time in class to work on them, but there is a chance that students will need to take these home if they don't finish them. Tuesday we will be gone all day at the Historical Society in Portland. We will take Tri-Met there, do the tour and then have lunch so please have your children pack a sack lunch like they did for the Ft. Clatsop trip. The rest of the week we will mostly focus on literacy circles and the Tillamook Project which includes a play about property rights. (I will send out more info later about that.) There will be no school on Friday due to a staff in-service day. There will also be no Halloween Party. I know this is going to disappoint a few students but there are many reasons for not having one. One, we are getting older, two we don't want to exclude anyone, and three, students have plenty of opportunities to have parties with their friends and we don't need to set aside time at school just for that purpose. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks for your understanding.

*We had another hard week with turning in homework. I again had 9 students not return their homework. A few of them were "first time offenders" but the rest have all forgotten homework already in previous weeks. PLEASE help me and help them by doing whatever it is that you can to be sure they turn this in. I will start taking privileges away at school if they can't hold up their end of this agreement. If your child forgot it for the first time, I am willing to overlook it, they just can't make it a habit:-)

***Also, in case you haven't heard, my husband and I are expecting a baby girl in March! Becky Tengs will be my long term sub that will finish out the year. She is fabulous and all my students from last year know her because she was our student teacher last year. She is very excited and will start coming in to get to know the class this winter. She knows how this school works and is full of amazing ideas and will do a phenomenal job!

Upcoming Events:

Outdoor School November 10-13

-First payment for this is due October 27^th.

 

Peregrine Press

October 19-23

Thanks to all the helpers on our trip to Ft. Clatsop!

Schedule:

Monday: Tom Sawyer play at Theatre in the Grove

Tuesday: Out and About to B Street Farm for an Orienteering Course with Erin

Wednesday: Art and PE
Thursday: Art and Buddy Reading at the ELC

Friday: Picture Day and Music

Last Week

We had a very fun filled week! The students compiled all the journal entries and made old, weathered covers for them so they would look a bit more authentic. They also made moccasins using felt and needles which was great fun for me to watch because they were being quite resourceful and determined to figure out how to make them. They followed these activities with their speeches. They shared the character they had become and then read from their journals. I was very impressed with how well they prepared for their speeches. Thursday was our big field trip to Fort Clatsop that went off without a hitch. We had a great time exploring the fort and learning about whales, plants and what life was like at the Fort during the winter of 1805. We wrapped up the week with music at Tom McCall and it was again, a highlight for many of the students.

This Week

We will start out the week with attending the Tom Sawyer production at Theatre in the Grove. We will start our unit on the Tillamook Indians which will be a project to help the Friends of Historic Forest Grove. The students will be in small groups with specific topics to research. The final product will be an informational brochure to be shared with the public. This is a great piggyback to the Lewis and Clark unit. We will head to B Street Farm for an orienteering course led by Erin on Tuesday. Thursday we will head to the ELC for Buddy Reading again which many of the kids are excited about. Friday will be picture day so please be sure to bring the picture form and money this week and I can keep it in the classroom until pictures on Friday. We might have to skip Running Club again this week because our schedule is pretty packed but I will let the students know if I do find a time to schedule it.

Reminders:

If you have not turned in your Outdoor School paperwork please do that ASAP because that was due last Friday. The payment plans are included in this although the first payment is not actually due until October 27^th. You can pay sooner if you would like and make checks out to Forest Grove Community School.

Please help your children to complete and turn in their homework on Fridays. I had 9 students forget this week. This happened a lot last year and I really hope it won't happen again. Remember that some students simply have a homework log they fill in that can be activities they did after school that aren't necessarily academic. They could be sports, instrument practice etc. If you aren't sure if your child has additional homework, you can ask them, or ask me if they don't know. :-)

newsletter

Peregrine Press

October 12-16

Schedule

Monday: Art

Tuesday: No Out and About

Wednesday: Art and PE

Thursday: Fort Clatsop Field Trip-Be here at 7:30 am!!!

Friday: Music, Fitness Friday

Thanks so much for coming to conferences! It was great to check in with everyone and see how supportive all of our FGCS families are!

Last Week

The short week really zoomed by. We worked on our Lewis and Clark Journals, continued our Word Work (spelling) and prepared for conferences. On Tuesday we headed out to B Street Permaculture Farm and helped them with some different jobs. Students helped rake out the soil to prep it for planting, some students weeded and others planted. It was great to see them all get their hands dirty and be smiling through the whole process. That farm is such an important part of our school that I feel truly lucky to be able to take my class there from time to time to see how they can steward a place. At the same time they can learn about how our food grows and how we can care for our environment first hand. Students also made portraits for their character in the Corps of Discovery. They used painted paper that they had made in Art class and they turned out beautifully! Our bulletin board is coming alive now.

This Week

We will spend the first part of the week compiling all the journal entries that they wrote for the Corps of Discovery Project. They will do some "aging" of the journal covers so they will look a little more authentic. Some students want cardboard to use to reinforce their journals but I just don't have enough to go around so if you have thin cereal box cardboard that could be used that would be great. It is not necessary, but I know some of the students will probably come home asking you for it, so I am telling you all that it is optional but it has to come from home. Students will also start practicing for a sort of speech that they will do either Wednesday or Friday depending on timing. Your child will know before hand what day they will do their speech so they are prepared. The speech will be about their character in the Corps and will also include reading at least one of their journal entries in front of the class.

Important Reminders

Tom Sawyer Performance at Theatre in the Grove: October 19^th,: Tickets cost $5 if you could please get that to me asap that would be great.

Outdoor School forms are due Friday the 16^th. The payment plan forms also need to be turned in. I have only gotten 2 of those back from students and I sent them home over a week ago.

No School October 30^th for a In-Service Day

newsletter

Peregrine Press

October 5-9

Schedule

Monday: Art

Tuesday: Out and About to B Street Farm (DRESS WARMLY)

Wednesday: Art; PE

Thursday and Friday: Conferences, please call the office or stop by the office to set up a conference time. (No school those 2 days.)

Last Week

We had a great week! The students have completed three journal entries now, with two more to go. For our Out and About we went to Nana Cardoon's and got to do a variety of super fun activities that I am sure you all heard about. They pressed cider, picked apples, grapes, plums and veggies, snuggled in a yurt and got to see ducks and chickens. All in all it was a great fall harvest experience for everyone. We went to the ELC for the first time and met our new buddies. We will be there on average 2 times per month to read with the preschool age buddies and occasionally do other activities with them as well. We also spent some time this week on geography and learning the states and capitals. There is a great site called Ben's Guide to the US Government that the kids should be familiar with now if you are looking for more practice at home. Friday we had music again as well as Running Club.

This Week

With the short week I am doing things slightly differently. I have learned from experience that sending home homework over the conference weekend usually ends up with nothing getting returned to me on Monday so I am not going to send anything home for homework this week. However, that does not mean that your children can't continue to practice skills. They can do the geography puzzle online at Ben's Guide to the US Government, they can read, they can go to the library etc. There is no shortage of stuff for them to do independently. We will resume the homework folders the following Monday. We will do several art and hands on activities in the next two weeks that will connect to Lewis and Clark. Students will also start reflecting on what they have done so far this year and what goals they have in mind for themselves. For our Out and About Tuesday we will head to B Street Permaculture Farm where students will do miscellaneous jobs to help improve the farm. This is a place that we have stewarded for the past two years and a favorite place for many students. PLEASE DRESS WARMLY!!!!!!

Couple of reminders:

October 15^th we are leaving for Ft. Clatsop at 7:45 so please have your children here at the school at 7:30, I will have my back door open to the classroom.

October 19^th we have a chance to go see the play Tom Sawyer at the Theatre in the Grove at 10:00 am. Tickets are $5 each so if you can please send money in for that that would be greatly appreciated. We are trying to use our Out and About budget for buses and bigger excursions so if you can contribute to the ticket costs that would be great. If you can't right now because we are also asking for Outdoor School money that is fine, we will make sure that every child attends the play. We have 3 students from this class that are a part of the performance so it will be great to go support them.

October 27^th we are heading to the Oregon Historical Society in Portland. We will be taking tri-met and leaving right at 8:50 so please make sure your child is here at 8:35 so we can get ready to leave right on time.

Peregrine Press

September 28-October 2

Schedule:

Monday: Art

Tuesday: NO Out and About

Wednesday: Out and About to Nana Cardoon's (Local Garden-cider pressing and garden activities); PE

Thursday: Art; Buddy Reading at the ELC

Friday: Music at Tom McCall; Fitness Friday (Vanessa subbing for me so I can get ready for my wedding the next day!)

Last Week:

We had a very fun and productive week! We worked on writing and reading assessments that were not necessarily fun for the students, but a necessary part of school. They were wrapped up on Friday so now we can really just focus on fun learning! Tuesday we did some team building at Roger's Park. We played a game called "Chocolate River" that you should ask your kids about. It is a favorite in this class for returning students. When we returned to school we created mini-weather experiments with convection currents and twisters. The rest of the week was more Lewis and Clark journal writing, Word Work to improve spelling, and some weather activities. On Thursday we had a great presentation on managing energy levels. It is called "How's your engine running?" The students experienced different sensory things and gauged if it brought their energy level up or down and put it where it needed to be. I thought it was very beneficial for the whole class. Friday we had our first music class at Tom McCall. It was so much fun! The kids really seemed to be excited about it. They were very respectful and really represented our school well. I was very impressed.

This Week

We will continue our focus on Lewis and Clark, and weather. Students will be writing their second, and hopefully third journal entry for their experience on the Corps of Discovery. We will also have some changes in our schedule. We will not have Out and About on Tuesday because we will be going to a local garden/farm, Nana Cardoon's, on Wednesday instead. The students will get to press apple cider and help with some other projects that need to be done. This will also shift our Wednesday art class to Thursday morning. On Thursday we will also start Buddy Reading at the ELC (Early Learning Community) at Pacific University. We participated in this last year and it was a very positive experience. We join with a class of preschool kids and read to them, write stories with them and occasionally do some art projects. This will happen 2 times a month. Friday Vanessa will be subbing for me because I am getting married on Saturday and I have a lot of prepping to do. The kids will have a great time with her!

Outdoor School Information:

Monday I will be sending home information about Outdoor School. The blue guidebook, the medical information form, and the souvenir form need to be returned to me, by October 16^th. (If you can return them at conferences, that would even be better!) The blue guidebook is just some generic information so please don't write in them because they get shared through the whole region. We will also send home a "what to bring" list which you can keep.

Important Upcoming Events:

October 8 and 9: Goal Setting Conferences (We will have more information coming about signing up.)

October 15^th (Thursday): Field Trip to Fort Clatsop. We need 2 more parent volunteers to let me know if you can come. Also, we have to leave the school at 7:45 on a Mid-Columbia bus so we need all students to the school at 7:30! We will be back in time for a normal dismissal.

October 27^th (Tuesday): Field Trip to Historical Society in Portland. We need 1 or 2 more volunteers for this event so please let me know if you can come. We will be riding tri-met and need to leave right at 8:50 so please have your children here by 8:35. We will return in time for a normal dismissal.

newsletter

Peregrine Press

September 21-25

Schedule

Monday: Art

Tuesday: Out and About (Teambuilding in the Community)

Wednesday: Art; PE, Back to School Night 6:00-7:30

Thursday: Regular Day

Friday: Music at Tom McCall; Fitness Friday

Last Week

We had a very productive week for our first full week! The students researched the person they have become on the "corps" and wrote their first journal entry. They also learned about the Louisiana Purchase through an activity using google earth. They used maps to identify the present day states that the Louisiana Purchase included as well as the route the Corps of Discovery took. For our Out and About we headed to the Tom McCall Forest and did a teambuilding activity to start with. Then they spent an hour doing a variety of sketching activities to mimic the record keeping that Lewis and Clark did with the flora and fauna (plants and animals.)

We also spent a some time learning about different clouds and what they mean. Fitness Friday was successful with the majority of the class really participating well. We met our new Out and About teacher Erin and had a chance to as her some questions and share some ideas for outings this year.

This Week

This coming week we will continue our focus on Lewis and Clark and weather. Our Out and About will be at a park in the community where we will do some teambuilding activities to help build our classroom bond. We will also start a music class at Tom McCall Upper Elementary School on Friday. This means that we will leave the school at 9:00 and walk to Tom McCall for the music class.

Back to School Night: This night will be an opportunity for parents to come to the classroom and learn about how we do things at FGCS. Please leave your lovely children at home because this is really meant to be an information night for the parents. We will have 2 sessions: 6:00-6:45 an 6:45-7:30. You just choose the session you want to come to (you don't need to tell me beforehand) and head to the classroom. We will go over the PLP, Report Cards and our teaching methods. This will not be a time to ask specific questions about your child, we will be able to discuss those personal things at the conferences on October 8^th and 9^th.

Upcoming Events

October 8 and 9^th: Conferences

newsletter

Good Morning Everyone,
Here is the newsletter for this week.  I forgot my camera cord, so I will get pictures added to the blog later today, or tomorrow.  Feel free to check them out later.  To get to the blog you can go to the school website fgcschool.org, click on the Classroom Info and then click on Peregrine Falcons.  Also, don't forget that pizza money is due on Tuesdays, and please encourage your child to bring a plate from home so we don't have to waste paper plates.
Thanks and I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Veronica

newsletter

Hello Peregrine Falcon Families,
Here is the newsletter for this week.  Let me know if you can't open it.   I hope you all enjoyed the weekend!
Thanks,
Veronica

I just remembered one more thing.
Pizza Wednesday starts this week.  Please have your money in by Tuesday.  I sent home the forms on Friday, let me know if you have any questions.

newsletter

Peregrine Press

June 8-11

 

Tuesday:  Move-Up Day; Field Day

Wednesday: Bridging Ceremony and CLEAN OUT THE CLASSROOM

Thursday: Last Day of school, dismissal at 1:05

   

Last Week

We really accomplished a lot last week and had a great deal of fun.  Our beach trip on Monday was super fun, although it did go by way too fast!  The scinec fair on Tuesday was really interesting and I think it inspired many kids to want to do something like that next year.  We worked on the FGGP and Math life a few times, trying to wrap up those activities.  For the FGGP, the students worked on videotaping a PSA for how to be a good digital citizen.  When it is completed it will be on the FGGP blog for your viewing pleasure.  In Math Life the students encountered their unexpected expense/reward.  Some students went into debt and others won some money!  Thursday was our first annual Fun Run and it went off without a hitch.  Gretchen and I could not be more proud of how well our classes did with this event!  We do hope to get all donations turned in by Wednesday.

Saturday night was the much anticipated campout that also was a great success.  I saw big smiles 99% of the time!  Thanks again to all the parents that helped provide food, time and money to this event.

 

This Week

Well, it is almost over!  We will be wrapping up any loose ends, reflecting on the year and saying goodbye to many students that are bridging or moving on to other places.  It is a very bittersweet time. 

Please help me get the classroom cleaned out by making sure your child brings a large bag on Wednesday.  I will be passing back a great deal of work and many projects are quite cumbersome, so those students that normally ride their bikes, might need to get some help getting some of this stuff home.

Also, for the bridging ceremony on Wednesday please be sure that students bring a sack lunch that does not need to be microwaved.  We will be eating picnic style at B Street Farm.

 

Thank you all for your help and support this year!  I could not have made it through this year without all your support, both emotional and physical so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

I will try and get some slideshows of photos from the year up on the blog in the coming weeks.

 

 

newsletter

Peregrine Press

June 1-5

   

 

 

Schedule

Monday: Trip to the Beach!  Please make sure that your child will be at the school by 8:35 because we are leaving at 8:45.  I will have my classroom back door open at 8:15 if some kids want to come even earlier.

Tuesday:  Science Fair 9:30-10:30 (This was an optional activity for Level 2 students.)

Wednesday: PE; Celebrations of Learning 5:00-6:30

Thursday: Fundraising Run! 10:00 at Lincoln Park; Art

Friday: No School, Grading Day

Saturday: Overnight Camping Trip

 

Last Week

We had a great week last week.  Our Out and About to Safeway was a success.  Students were well behaved and very respectful when they were hunting through the store for specific food items.  They compared the prices of lunch items for healthy foods and non-healthy foods.  Later they found the class average for the food item comparisons and found that it was less expensive to buy healthy foods!  That afternoon the students that wanted to presented their literacy projects.  There were a variety of  interesting presentations.

Wednesday we spent some time on the Forest Grove Grid Project blogging about the photos that had recently been taken by all the groups and responding to discussion questions.  I was happy to see so many students remembering what it means to be a good digital citizen.  They were respectful to each other and wrote thoughtful comments and responses.  We then had presenters come and share more information on Leave No Trace (an outdoor education program).  Laura and I felt very proud when the students were asked lots of different questions about how to respect nature and they knew all the right answers.  It proved that these students really are great stewards!  That same day we also spent time with our ELC buddies.  We played parachute games like "popcorn" and "cat and mouse."  It was a bittersweet day because it was our last time with our buddies.  Our students really made great connections with their buddies and I saw tremendous growth in their patience, kindness and mentoring abilities.  Not to mention that over the course of this experience they worked on reading fluency, note taking, typing, clay arts, map making and just all around fun!

Thursday morning was spent at B Street Permaculture Farm where the students took some great photos to add the to Forest Grove Grid Project.  It was a beautiful day to be outside and it was one of those days that as Becky would say "puts a rainbow in my heart."  This class is so well bonded together that is sometimes seems unreal.  How did I get so lucky?!!  That afternoon we spent time working on Math Life activities connected to the Safeway Out and About.  Students also got the chance to write checks which is always fun to do when you are a kid!

Friday we spent more time in the computer lab blogging on the B Street Photos and had our final routine of spelling tests, goal reflections and weekly summaries.  Whew!  What a week!

 

This Week

Are you ready for this week???  It is going to be jam packed.  We will start out with our beach trip.  Please remember that we are leaving at 8:45 sharp.  We will be returning at 2:30 so dismissal time will be normal.  Tuesday we will be attending the Science Fair that was set up by some students in Gretchen's class.  It will be held in the middle school portables and parents are welcome to come to this event.  It will be similar to the World Fair in set up but the participation of students was optional and I am not sure that any students in our class are participating.  There should be some fun things to see though.  Wednesday we will spend some time getting ready for our final Celebrations of Learning to be held at the school from 5:00-6:30.  I will be gone that night because I have class at PSU but Becky will be hosting for our class so please come and check out all the great things she has done with our class this spring.  She has been amazing!

 

Thursday is another big day with our first annual Fundraising Run!  It will be held at Lincoln Park starting at 10:00 at Pavilion One.  We could use another volunteer to help out if anyone is interested.  Your job would be simple, I promise.  Also, if you would like to participate in the run itself that would be great.  You don't need a sponsor sheet, but any donations are welcome!  The run will last for 30 minutes.

 

Finally, no school Friday, but the big campout is Saturday!  Please email me if you have any questions.  Hopefully you all got the permission forms back with a map and a bright notecard that specified what I need you to bring (if you can).  I am heading out to my parent's place today to start getting stuff ready!  Thank you so much for all your help and support with this.  I have never planned anything like this before, not to mention planning a beach trip, a fun run and a bridging ceremony all at the same time!  I have learned some valuable lessons through all of this.

 

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1 Out and About to Seaside	2 Science Fair 9:30-10:30 at the Level 3 Portables	3 PE   Celebrations of Learning 5:00-6:30	4 Fun Run at Lincoln Park 10:00 am   Art	5 No School (Report Card Prep)	6 Overnight Camping Trip Drop off	7 Overnight Camping Trip Pick up
8	9 Field Day	10 Bridging Ceremony and School Photos	11 Last Day of School Dismissal 1:05

 

 

newsletter

Peregrine Press

May 26-29

   

Schedule

Tuesday: Out and About to Safeway (Healthy Eating on a Budget)

Wednesday:  Leave No Trace Presentation;ELC; PE

Thursday: Photography at B Street Farm

Friday: Art

 

***I am waiting for a few more permission forms for the beach and the camping trip.  My plan is to get final info out to everyone this week. Many parents have offered to help with whatever is needed and what I am trying to do right now is determine what is still needed.  Thanks so much to everyone that is helping with this!

 

Last Week

We just completed our last full week of school for the year!  Our Out and About to Lincoln Park involved a great deal of math and exercise.  We started out by calculating our average stride/gait length.  Once each student figured that out by using a measuring stick, taking 10 steps and doing some math calculations we were ready to head out to Lincoln Park.  When we arrived we all walked around the "Fun Run" Track and counted our steps.  This was then used later in conjunction with the average stride length to calculate the distance around the track.  It was quite complicated but many of the students began to get a grasp on it. Once we had all walked around the track once, we had Running Club for 30 minutes to see what we could run in that amount of time because the Fun Run will be 30 minutes long.

 

Becky introduced a literacy program called the Daily 4.  It focuses on the different components of literacy including reading to self, reading to someone, writing and word work.  I was really surprised and pleased at how receptive the students were to the program because it is so close to the end of the year.  I could see it really being a great component of my literacy program for next year as well.

We spent some time looking at food costs and health in preparation for our Out and About to Safeway.  Becky created a really fun "Price is Right" game to play to introduce food item costs.

The Forest Grove Grid Project consisted of some photographing through town on Thursday and then all the pictures were uploaded on Friday. The students wrote their weekly summaries on the blog instead of on paper for the week and many chose to do their goal reflections on the blog as well.  If you haven't yet seen the site, ask your child to show you.  There are some really fun blog posts.

 

On Friday we also went to spend time with our ELC buddies.  They recently started learning about insects so we joined them in creating insects out of clay, buttons and pipe cleaners.  It was another great day with our buddies.

 

 

This Week

The activities this week will continue to be focused on the Forest Grove Grid Project and Math Life.  Our Out and About to Safeway will focus on purchasing food on a budget that is healthy.  Tuesday afternoon students that want to, will share their literacy projects.  (Everyone was supposed to have completed a project, but it is not required that they present anything in front of the class.)  Wednesday we will have a special presentation on a program called Leave No Trace that Laura introduced us to earlier in the year. Wednesday will also be our last day with our Buddies at the ELC which is very sad, but I do hope to continue that again next year. We will head out to B Street Farm on Thursday to get pictures for the FGGP.  Friday will be our LAST HOMEWORK AND SPELLING WEEK.

 

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
25 No School (Memorial Day)	26 Out and About to Safeway Healthy Shopping on a Budget	27 Leave No Trace Presentation   ELC Buddies   PE	28 Photography at B Street Farm	29 Last Homework Due   Art	30	31
1 Out and About to Seaside	2 Science Fair 9:30-10:30 at the Level 3 Portables	3 PE   Celebrations of Learning 5:00-6:30	4 Fun Run at Lincoln Park 10:00 am   Art	5 No School (Report Card Prep)	6 Overnight Camping Trip Drop off	7 Overnight Camping Trip Pick up
8	9 Field Day	10 Bridging Ceremony and School Photos	11 Last Day of School Dismissal 1:05