Happy Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!  We had a great, although short, week here.  I hope everyone enjoyed their 4 day weekend.  That is the last break until Spring Break, which is 30 short school days away!  Another crazy factoid, the CRCT is 35 school days away!  Where has this year gone?!?

Speaking of CRCT, I sent home a note about a free tutoring opportunity I am starting a week from Monday.  Thank you to those of you who have sent them in already.  I will be tutoring every Monday, starting March 4, until the test.  It will be from 2:45-3:45.  We will be reviewing everything we have learned this year, and work on some test taking skills.  You have to pick your daughter up by 3:45, or I will have to place her in ASP.  Unfortunately, I will put your child in ASP right at 3:45 because I have a small group I meet with every Monday night.  I look forward to this extra time I can have to help everyone exceed on the test!!

This week, we finished up our work with decimals in math.  We will begin some algebra work the week after next.  We finished Number the Stars today.  We will start Bread and Roses, Too next week.  We started our Civil Rights unit this week.  That will carry over into next week.  We will also be doing writing review, and working on certain skills we are still struggling with, such as depth of development and transitional words.

We have benchmark testing next week.  The past two quarters, we have spread them out over two weeks.  This quarter we are going to knock them out in one week, so we will be testing each morning for two hours.  The following week, on March 7th, we will have our formal writing test.  Although they do not have to pass this test to move onto middle school, it is imperative they do well.  Middle schools use this grade as a factor of which class your daughters will be placed in. 

Next Friday is Read All Day day in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday.  If your daughter has some Dr. Seuss books at home that we could use for some fun activities, I would greatly appreciate it if they can bring them in.

The girls have been earning letters every time they receive a compliment outside of our classroom.  Their goal was to spell out Sunset Sweethearts.  They finally did it!  Today they got pizza and we watched "Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer" this afternoon.  I'm so proud of them!

Our Marla has a birthday tomorrow!  Happy birthday sweet girl!!

Have a great weekend! 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from the Sunset Sweethearts!!  Thank you so much for all my sweet presents!  I love being your daughters' teacher!

Just a reminder, there is no school tomorrow or Monday.  I will see you back on Tuesday, February 19.  That day is spring picture day.  Your daughter does not have to wear her uniform.  Even if she isn't getting pictures taken, please let her wear a cute outfit.  We are getting our class portrait that day as well. 

This week, we continued our work on multiplying and dividing decimals.  We will continue work on that next week.  In reading, we are reading the novel Number the Stars.  We should finish it next week.  It is such a great book!  We will start Bread and Roses Too next.  In social studies we finished our unit on World War II and the Cold War.  The girls received another integrated squares packet today.  That is their homework over the break.  It is due Tuesday.  We will begin our unit on Civil Rights next week. 

Today, while the girls were at specials, something really cool happened.  President Obama is visiting Georgia today, and while I was outside, AIR FORCE ONE flew right over me!  It was a really cool thing to see in person!

Have a wonderful weekend!  See you Tuesday!!!

Jekyll Island 2013

I can't believe our trip is over!  We had an amazing time!!  This trip never ceases to amaze me.  The girls were so well behaved, we learned a lot, and we bonded even more.  I want to thank all of you again for helping make this trip possible.  Here is a little rundown of the trip.

Monday: We arrived at lunch time.  The kids got their debriefing, and we were ready for classes.  For my group, our first class was orienteering.  They learned how to use a compass and count their paces.  Next, we had beach ecology.  We learned about different animals that live on the beach.  It was really chilly, but absolutely beautiful.  After dinner, we took a night walk on the beach, then took a shark class. 

Tuesday: We went to the marsh for our first class.  The girls had fun putting marsh mud on their faces.  It was like having a facial.  They also had fun falling in the mud too.  After marsh, we did a dock class.  We got to do "belly fishing".  They laid on their stomachs and put their nets in the water.  They caught shrimp, oysters, and algae.  After lunch, we had herpetology.  In this class, we learned about reptiles and amphibians.  We got to pet snakes and turtles.  Next, we went to the north end of the island.  The beach there is covered in petrified trees.  It is absolutely breathtaking.  After dinner, we learned all about marine mammals, then had a fifth grade bonfire.  We made s'mores. 

Wednesday: After breakfast, we went to the maritime forest.  The girls got to climb a 200 year old live oak tree.  For our final class, we got to explore the beach again, by ourselves.

It was a wonderful trip, and I am so glad I got to experience it with your girls. 

If you would like copies of the pictures from the trip, please bring me a blank disc or flash drive.  Thanks!

Just a reminder, there is a four day weekend next week.  We will not have school Friday, February 15, or Monday, February 18. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
 

Ellis Island, Talent Show, and Jekyll Island

Hi everyone!!!  It's been an extremely busy week here at Brumby.  First off, I want to brag on the girls.  I was sick Tuesday and Wednesday with a stomach bug.  The girls were wonderful with the sub.  Especially Wednesday, when we had two 45 minute duck and cover tornado drills.  Thank you so much my lovelies! 

This week I introduced a little bit of our new math unit. We are moving on to decimal multiplication and division.  That will continue the week after Jekyll.  We finished our latest novel, Esperanza Rising.  We started our new novel, Number the Stars.  Its the story of a Danish family who helps their Jewish friends escape the Nazis.  It is a wonderful story!  In social studies we will continue our study of World War II.  The day after we return from Jekyll Island, we will be watching a movie called "The Boy In the Striped Pajamas".  It is rated PG13.  I am sending home a permission slip today.  Your daughter can bring it Monday morning if she is going to Jekyll, or Thursday if she is not.  If I don't get a permission slip back, she will not be able to watch it, even if you don't mind her watching PG13 movies. 

Today was our 2nd annual Ellis Island Day.  The kids did a great job with their costumes, and this hands on type learning is super beneficial for them.  Thank you to all the parents who came to volunteer today.  I will have some photos for you after the Jekyll trip.

We leave for Jekyll MONDAY!!!!! I'm so excited we were able to raise the money to go.  This trip is a once in a lifetime experience for each and every student, and I cannot wait to spend 3 glorious days at the beach with my girls learning all the cool science curriculum we will be learning.  I will be taking my camera with me, so if you want a copy of my pictures, send in a blank disc after the trip, and I will get them copied for you.  I will remind you again after the trip.  Please remember to be here NO LATER than 5am Monday.  Please make sure that your daughter does not bring any electronics other than a camera and phone.  They will not be able to bring them with us.  Finally, remember, no money will be allowed either.  This is going to be a great trip.  The weather is going to be PERFECT!

Finally, the talent show is tonight.  As head of the talent show committee, I can tell you that this year's show is going to be great!  It cost $2 for students and $3 for adults.  The show is from 6:30-8:00.  Pizza and refreshments will be sold.  I hope to see you all there!

Have a great weekend and see you BRIGHT AND EARLY Monday!