I hope your child came home and told you about the great work they did at the restoration field trip on Tuesday. They worked so hard! It was a beautiful day (and this rain will help our newly planted trees!) It was a wonderful, high energy, collaborative effort, and I am very proud of them. And the parents, wow! Thanks for getting us there and back (and tolerating the dirty clothes on the way home), but also for the wonderful enthusiasm and effort you put into the project as well. This field trip cannot happen without parents, and I thank you for making this experience possible for our class. I expect that everyone who participated slept well Tuesday night! I will work with S.T.R.A.W. to schedule a visit to the ranch near the end of the year to see the short-term results. Many pictures were taken during the day, and I hope to have some up in the classroom very soon.
Students went to an assembly on Wed., as part of Red Ribbon Week, that spoke to the problem of bullying. They were given information about types of bullying (physical, social, and verbal), as well as specific strategies to deal with bullying. Although bullying is not a big problem at Rancho, it does occur. It would be wonderful if every family could have a discussion (now, and periodically as the year progresses) specifically about respectful behavior and how to deal with any problems their child encounters at school. Please know that they can always come to me or any other adult at school to report problems or get help with situations that make them uncomfortable. Our goal at Rancho is not just to teach academics, but to prepare the whole child for their next steps.
Reminder: the 50 states test is coming up--November 13. Students who have to make up state region tests will do so by Friday, Nov. 7. Our last regional test, West-Part 2, will be on election day,Tues., 11/4. Once that is done, students will pick/be assigned (they make a list and I try to give them their 1st or as close to their 1st choice as possible) the state they will report on. We'll be doing a modified State Fair in December (it will be a busy month!). More details soon.
If you have not yet confirmed your parent-teacher (-student) conference time (a new notice is in today's Friday folder for those families from whom I still need to hear), please do so by Friday, Nov. 7. If the time assigned to you does not work, please let me know and we'll find an alternate time.
And one last reminder, students are asked not to bring candy to school for lunches or snacks (although we'll have treats at today's Halloween party!). Have a great weekend!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Students had their first visit with our art docent on Wednesday, and did a wonderful project Picasso-inspired project. We are very fortunate to have Cathy Dial (a Rancho parent, but not with a child in our classroom--and a great art docent) as our art docent. It will be a great year for the art docent program in Room 14!
The restoration field trip is on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Please refer to last week's blog entry (or last week's paper copy) for information about the day. Most importantly:
We have the opportunity for another fun field trip--decorating one of the Larkspur ferry boats (in celebration of all December holidays) and then taking the ferry to San Francisco and back. Many thanks to Alex Thomson's family for making this field trip possible. Our date for this field trip is Monday, Dec. 8. The field trip is free EXCEPT that we need parent drivers to get us there and back (and they get to ride the ferry with us). Students will make the decorations at school (or also at home, if they chose to do so). Mrs. Dees' class will be coming along as well. She and I were hoping we could coordinate a potluck lunch afterward (we should be back at Rancho by 12:30) of holiday foods from different cultures and/or traditions. Sounds a bit ambitious perhaps, but it could be a lot of fun! The one potential problem is that both classes already have the field trip to the Chabot Space and Science Center scheduled for Friday, Dec. 12, and that cannot be rescheduled. It may be asking too much of parent drivers to help both classes get to both field trips in the same week, but hopefully it will work! Please contact Marianne Hill (or me) if you can drive on Monday, Dec. 8 (8:45am-12:30pm). Folks have already signed up to drive to Chabot, and Marianne will be contacting those people directly.
**Please contact our room parent, Lorena Garbarino, if you can help with the potluck lunch on Dec. 8. Again, I think the students would have a great time.
I appreciate all the parents who have sent back their parent-teacher confirmation forms. If I haven't heard from you yet, or if there is a problem, I will be contacting you again to make sure that we can find a time for this important conversation. If you have any questions, please contact me.
The test on all 50 states, their capitals, and their postal abbreviations is coming up on Thursday, November 13. If your child has not already been practicing at home, now would be a good time to start--say 10-15 minutes each day. Check out http://sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm for a fun website for states' practice!
Our class will have a Halloween party on Friday, from 1:30-the end of the school day. You are welcome to come and help out! Please contact Lorena Garbarino or Marianne Hill if you have any questions.
Have a great weekend.
The restoration field trip is on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Please refer to last week's blog entry (or last week's paper copy) for information about the day. Most importantly:
- eat a good breakfast--there will be no time for a mid-morning snack
- dress in layers--it is supposed to be colder next week
- wear clothes and shoes that can get dirty or muddy
- BRING A LUNCH WITH A DRINK and A WATER BOTTLE
- wear a hat and sunscreen
- come ready to work and have fun!
We have the opportunity for another fun field trip--decorating one of the Larkspur ferry boats (in celebration of all December holidays) and then taking the ferry to San Francisco and back. Many thanks to Alex Thomson's family for making this field trip possible. Our date for this field trip is Monday, Dec. 8. The field trip is free EXCEPT that we need parent drivers to get us there and back (and they get to ride the ferry with us). Students will make the decorations at school (or also at home, if they chose to do so). Mrs. Dees' class will be coming along as well. She and I were hoping we could coordinate a potluck lunch afterward (we should be back at Rancho by 12:30) of holiday foods from different cultures and/or traditions. Sounds a bit ambitious perhaps, but it could be a lot of fun! The one potential problem is that both classes already have the field trip to the Chabot Space and Science Center scheduled for Friday, Dec. 12, and that cannot be rescheduled. It may be asking too much of parent drivers to help both classes get to both field trips in the same week, but hopefully it will work! Please contact Marianne Hill (or me) if you can drive on Monday, Dec. 8 (8:45am-12:30pm). Folks have already signed up to drive to Chabot, and Marianne will be contacting those people directly.
**Please contact our room parent, Lorena Garbarino, if you can help with the potluck lunch on Dec. 8. Again, I think the students would have a great time.
I appreciate all the parents who have sent back their parent-teacher confirmation forms. If I haven't heard from you yet, or if there is a problem, I will be contacting you again to make sure that we can find a time for this important conversation. If you have any questions, please contact me.
The test on all 50 states, their capitals, and their postal abbreviations is coming up on Thursday, November 13. If your child has not already been practicing at home, now would be a good time to start--say 10-15 minutes each day. Check out http://sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm for a fun website for states' practice!
Our class will have a Halloween party on Friday, from 1:30-the end of the school day. You are welcome to come and help out! Please contact Lorena Garbarino or Marianne Hill if you have any questions.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 17, 2008
FYI--don't forget to check out www.fossweb.com/CA for more science practice. Be sure to check out the Mixtures and Solutions Home/School Connection to find projects related to our current unit that you can do at home! Students might also want to check out the Colonial Williamsburg site, http://history.org.
Friday Newsletter
Another week down...Congratulations are in order to all the students of Room 14 who participated in the Rancho Spelling Bee on Wednesday! Special congratulations to the three school winners, all Room 14 students: third place, Heather; second place, Andrew; and first place, Adam! They will all have the opportunity to compete in the District-wide Spelling Bee at San Jose Middle School. Good luck to them all!
We have drivers and helpers for our restoration field trip in place now; thank you! As your child may have told you, our site has been switched from Point Reyes to the Barboni Ranch (which is just north of Novato, off Hicks Valley Road). We will be planting willows and other native plants along a creek that drains into Soulejoule Reservoir. Everyone going needs to be prepared for Tues., Oct. 28 in the following ways:
We will leave Rancho at about 8:35am and return back to Rancho by about 2:30pm. There will be no time for a midmorning snack, so it is very important that everyone eats a good breakfast before coming to school. STRAW provides gloves, all the necessary tools, and the expertise needed to properly restore the site; we provide the labor. It will be a great day! Please contact me if you have any questions.
THE PERMISSION SLIPS FOR THIS FIELD TRIP are in today's Friday folders. Please return the signed form by Wed., Oct. 22.
We are working on the math chapter dealing with data presentation and analysis. Students should be working on their own mneumonic devices for reliably distinguishing mean, median, mode, and range. All are easy to do, but easily confused unless you have a system.
We'll be having our first science test next week (Thurs.), and it will cover mixtures and solutions, as well as means of separating them, saturated and supersaturated solutions, and our investigations on chemical reactions (reactants, products--how do we know a chemical reaction has happened? What's the difference between a physical reaction or change and a chemical reaction?), including the chemical names and formulas we have been practicing in class {calcium chloride + sodium bicarbonate combined in water produce calcium carbonate (chalk) + sodium chloride (table salt) + carbon dioxide (gas) + water}. Because I cannot type in the subscripts properly using my computer, I can't provide the chemical formulas here except in word form, but students have all the information they need in their science journals. Students should also be studying for the geography and language tests they'll be taking next week.
DONATION NEEDED! We need straw/hay (a bale perhaps?) for 2 purposes: I'd like to put a thick layer of straw down on the bare soil under the new backpack structure (Thank you, NUSD) to keep the dust down (and mud, once it starts raining), AND to use as a mulch in our garden box (which I hope we can get working on and planted by the end of November). Please let me know if you can help us out.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Another week down...Congratulations are in order to all the students of Room 14 who participated in the Rancho Spelling Bee on Wednesday! Special congratulations to the three school winners, all Room 14 students: third place, Heather; second place, Andrew; and first place, Adam! They will all have the opportunity to compete in the District-wide Spelling Bee at San Jose Middle School. Good luck to them all!
We have drivers and helpers for our restoration field trip in place now; thank you! As your child may have told you, our site has been switched from Point Reyes to the Barboni Ranch (which is just north of Novato, off Hicks Valley Road). We will be planting willows and other native plants along a creek that drains into Soulejoule Reservoir. Everyone going needs to be prepared for Tues., Oct. 28 in the following ways:
- Eat a hearty breakfast the morning of the field trip!
- Bring a lunch and drink, as well as a water bottle
- Dress in layers that can be easily taken off as the day (and your body) warms
- Wear clothes that can get dirty
- Wear boots or shoes that can get muddy or dirty--it is a good idea to bring along an extra pair of shoes for the ride home and a plastic bag for the dirty shoes you wore during the day
- Wear a hat and/or sunscreen
- NO SHORTS--long pants for everyone
- NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES
- Arrive at school on time and ready to go
- Rain will cancel the field trip, which will then be rescheduled. If there is only a light mist that is not expected to last long, we'll probably still go, so pack a pancho or rainjacket!
We will leave Rancho at about 8:35am and return back to Rancho by about 2:30pm. There will be no time for a midmorning snack, so it is very important that everyone eats a good breakfast before coming to school. STRAW provides gloves, all the necessary tools, and the expertise needed to properly restore the site; we provide the labor. It will be a great day! Please contact me if you have any questions.
THE PERMISSION SLIPS FOR THIS FIELD TRIP are in today's Friday folders. Please return the signed form by Wed., Oct. 22.
We are working on the math chapter dealing with data presentation and analysis. Students should be working on their own mneumonic devices for reliably distinguishing mean, median, mode, and range. All are easy to do, but easily confused unless you have a system.
We'll be having our first science test next week (Thurs.), and it will cover mixtures and solutions, as well as means of separating them, saturated and supersaturated solutions, and our investigations on chemical reactions (reactants, products--how do we know a chemical reaction has happened? What's the difference between a physical reaction or change and a chemical reaction?), including the chemical names and formulas we have been practicing in class {calcium chloride + sodium bicarbonate combined in water produce calcium carbonate (chalk) + sodium chloride (table salt) + carbon dioxide (gas) + water}. Because I cannot type in the subscripts properly using my computer, I can't provide the chemical formulas here except in word form, but students have all the information they need in their science journals. Students should also be studying for the geography and language tests they'll be taking next week.
DONATION NEEDED! We need straw/hay (a bale perhaps?) for 2 purposes: I'd like to put a thick layer of straw down on the bare soil under the new backpack structure (Thank you, NUSD) to keep the dust down (and mud, once it starts raining), AND to use as a mulch in our garden box (which I hope we can get working on and planted by the end of November). Please let me know if you can help us out.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Friday, October 10, 2008
"Thanks!" to all the parents who have volunteered for the Oct. 28th restoration field trip. I'm not sure we have all the help we need yet, but we are well on our way. If you are interested in helping out (as a driver/supervisor of a work group or as a driver only or as a supervisor of a work group only) please let Marianne Hill or me know. It will be a great day! Unless it rains. Rain cancels the field trip, which would then be rescheduled.
The folks from S.T.R.A.W. (Students and teachers restoring a watershed) will be coming on Tuesday, Oct. 14, to give a presentation to the class about the project. They'll hear more about why people work to restore various parts of the watershed, and specifically about the kinds of things they will be doing on their day. Our class will be working with Mrs. Stanek's fourth graders out at Point Reyes. Not only is it fun to spend the entire school day off campus, this field trip gives students a real sense of helping their community in a meaningful way.
Students worked with their kindergarten buddies (Mrs. Lovi's class) on Tuesday for the first time, and it was a wonderful thing to see. They worked together to write and illustrate a letter to a serviceman or woman serving in Iraq. One of our favorite Rancho substitute teachers, Mrs. Barry, brought this project to Rancho, and the students loved it. Our goal was to create letters that would brighten the day of those serving our country far from home, and they did a great job. We'll be working with our kindergarten buddies once a month.
OPEN HOUSE AT WALKER CREEK RANCH, Wed., Oct. 15, 11:15 A.M.-12:15 P.M., with an optional hike from 10-11 A.M. This is the Annual Fall Open House and Tour for Parents, giving parents an opportunity to check out the facilities and the program at Walker Creek. There will be a second tour after the first of the year. Fifth graders will be going to Walker Creek in late May. For directions, go to www.walkercreekranch.org. If you plan to go on Oct. 15, RSVP 415-491-6602 by Monday, Oct. 13.
Parent-Teacher (Student) Conferences are scheduled for the week of Nov. 17-Nov. 21. I invite parents to bring students to the conference. They are old enough and mature enough to participate, and it can be very helpful to have them do so. I leave it completely up to each family to decide. Think about what will work best for your family and fill out the conference slip accordingly.
It has come to my attention that a few students are failing to keep track of the schedule of upcoming tests. Dates for tests are always written in the weekly chart on the righthand side of the whiteboard. Students know well in advance about all tests. The variation to that rule is math chapter tests, because students know as we go through the chapter that the test will follow the last lesson AND the practice test. Math chapter tests happen about once a week. We talk in class about why I give them a week's notice (or more) before a test--so they can study some every day before the test! While cramming for a test can give a student a good score on that one test, it is far less likely that they will retain that information or be able to successfully build on that information for later tests. Anyhow...make sure your student uses the full page calendar for each month in their homework organizer to write down the dates of upcoming tests and assignments AND remind them to check the weekly chart on the whiteboard. That said (and I do think it is important for students to take personal responsibility for their own work and assignments), we will be having the next language test on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the next geography test on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and a science test on Thursday, Oct. 23. Tests on states (next up: Midwest-Part 2) are every Tuesday (EXCEPT the day of our restoration--we'll take Western states-Part 1 on Wed., Oct. 29 instead).
Finally, a hearty congratulations to all the students in class (there were many) who had the courage and commitment to run for student council. The speeches were well written and well delivered. One student (who wasn't running) said it best, when we came back into our classroom to vote after hearing speeches, "Ms. Spry, do we have to vote? I can't choose!" How lucky we are to have so many students with leadership qualities at Rancho School! There will be many opportunities to participate, for those not elected, and they'll have a chance to sign up in the near future. Congratulations to those who were elected: Paris Monroy-President, Matt LoVetri-Vice President, Brandon Levy-Treasurer, and Ricky Clary-Secretary.
As always, if you have any questions, please let me know!
The folks from S.T.R.A.W. (Students and teachers restoring a watershed) will be coming on Tuesday, Oct. 14, to give a presentation to the class about the project. They'll hear more about why people work to restore various parts of the watershed, and specifically about the kinds of things they will be doing on their day. Our class will be working with Mrs. Stanek's fourth graders out at Point Reyes. Not only is it fun to spend the entire school day off campus, this field trip gives students a real sense of helping their community in a meaningful way.
Students worked with their kindergarten buddies (Mrs. Lovi's class) on Tuesday for the first time, and it was a wonderful thing to see. They worked together to write and illustrate a letter to a serviceman or woman serving in Iraq. One of our favorite Rancho substitute teachers, Mrs. Barry, brought this project to Rancho, and the students loved it. Our goal was to create letters that would brighten the day of those serving our country far from home, and they did a great job. We'll be working with our kindergarten buddies once a month.
OPEN HOUSE AT WALKER CREEK RANCH, Wed., Oct. 15, 11:15 A.M.-12:15 P.M., with an optional hike from 10-11 A.M. This is the Annual Fall Open House and Tour for Parents, giving parents an opportunity to check out the facilities and the program at Walker Creek. There will be a second tour after the first of the year. Fifth graders will be going to Walker Creek in late May. For directions, go to
Parent-Teacher (Student) Conferences are scheduled for the week of Nov. 17-Nov. 21. I invite parents to bring students to the conference. They are old enough and mature enough to participate, and it can be very helpful to have them do so. I leave it completely up to each family to decide. Think about what will work best for your family and fill out the conference slip accordingly.
It has come to my attention that a few students are failing to keep track of the schedule of upcoming tests. Dates for tests are always written in the weekly chart on the righthand side of the whiteboard. Students know well in advance about all tests. The variation to that rule is math chapter tests, because students know as we go through the chapter that the test will follow the last lesson AND the practice test. Math chapter tests happen about once a week. We talk in class about why I give them a week's notice (or more) before a test--so they can study some every day before the test! While cramming for a test can give a student a good score on that one test, it is far less likely that they will retain that information or be able to successfully build on that information for later tests. Anyhow...make sure your student uses the full page calendar for each month in their homework organizer to write down the dates of upcoming tests and assignments AND remind them to check the weekly chart on the whiteboard. That said (and I do think it is important for students to take personal responsibility for their own work and assignments), we will be having the next language test on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the next geography test on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and a science test on Thursday, Oct. 23. Tests on states (next up: Midwest-Part 2) are every Tuesday (EXCEPT the day of our restoration--we'll take Western states-Part 1 on Wed., Oct. 29 instead).
Finally, a hearty congratulations to all the students in class (there were many) who had the courage and commitment to run for student council. The speeches were well written and well delivered. One student (who wasn't running) said it best, when we came back into our classroom to vote after hearing speeches, "Ms. Spry, do we have to vote? I can't choose!" How lucky we are to have so many students with leadership qualities at Rancho School! There will be many opportunities to participate, for those not elected, and they'll have a chance to sign up in the near future. Congratulations to those who were elected: Paris Monroy-President, Matt LoVetri-Vice President, Brandon Levy-Treasurer, and Ricky Clary-Secretary.
As always, if you have any questions, please let me know!
Friday, October 3, 2008
We have a date for our watershed restoration project, Tuesday, Oct. 28. This is earlier than I had anticipated, but hopefully we'll be able to get enough drivers to make it work. We'll be going out to Point Reyes and possibly building willow walls and planting native plants. I don't have the specific schedule for the day yet, but we will spend the entire day at the site. S.T.R.A.W. (our amazing partners who make all this possible, through The Bay Institute) provides all the materials, including gloves, for the project, and the class provides the labor. The tasks are child appropriate, and we will work hard! We need drivers to get us to the site and 7 adults (drivers or others) to help supervise the student work groups. Any interested adults are more than welcome to join us for the day. Please let Marianne Hill (our field trip coordinator) know if you are able to help--those driver forms need to be completed as soon as possible! This will be a fun, exhausting, subtly educational day, and I can't wait!
We have moved into the Midwest this week--the Midwestern States-Part 1 test will be on Tuesday, Oct. 7, as will the next language test (which will include identifying prepositional phrases). Students have been learning about our Constitution since the beginning of the year ("We the People..."), and they have completed a study guide for the test they'll take on Wed., Oct. 8. The test on the second column of prepositions will be on Thursday, Oct. 9.
We have been focusing on algebraic expressions and equations in math, first in chapter 5, with an emphasis on addition properties and now in chapter 6, with an emphasis on multiplication properties. Our next chapter will be on graphing and data analysis.
The second geography test is coming home in this week's Friday folder, and it was an interesting test to grade. The grades ranged from perfect scores to not meeting standards--disappointing in that there were not more of the former and that there were any at all of the latter. Students need to study for these tests, using the geography packets we work on, discuss, and correct in class. We have talked extensively about latitude (parallels) and longitude (meridians), using maps, globes, and atlases to understand these basic locational concepts, and I was surprised to find that more than one student was unclear about these. If you have maps at home, or if you use a GPS unit, please take the time to help your child understand that the geography concepts we're working on in class are the same concepts that people use every day to help them find their way around or to understand our relationship, geographically, with other places throughout the world. Real life connections make learning more engaging and meaningful--students are benefitted when they understand that they don't spend all day at school learning things that are only for school but rather that they spend time learning things at school in order to understand the world around them. And on that note...Have a great weekend.
We have moved into the Midwest this week--the Midwestern States-Part 1 test will be on Tuesday, Oct. 7, as will the next language test (which will include identifying prepositional phrases). Students have been learning about our Constitution since the beginning of the year ("We the People..."), and they have completed a study guide for the test they'll take on Wed., Oct. 8. The test on the second column of prepositions will be on Thursday, Oct. 9.
We have been focusing on algebraic expressions and equations in math, first in chapter 5, with an emphasis on addition properties and now in chapter 6, with an emphasis on multiplication properties. Our next chapter will be on graphing and data analysis.
The second geography test is coming home in this week's Friday folder, and it was an interesting test to grade. The grades ranged from perfect scores to not meeting standards--disappointing in that there were not more of the former and that there were any at all of the latter. Students need to study for these tests, using the geography packets we work on, discuss, and correct in class. We have talked extensively about latitude (parallels) and longitude (meridians), using maps, globes, and atlases to understand these basic locational concepts, and I was surprised to find that more than one student was unclear about these. If you have maps at home, or if you use a GPS unit, please take the time to help your child understand that the geography concepts we're working on in class are the same concepts that people use every day to help them find their way around or to understand our relationship, geographically, with other places throughout the world. Real life connections make learning more engaging and meaningful--students are benefitted when they understand that they don't spend all day at school learning things that are only for school but rather that they spend time learning things at school in order to understand the world around them. And on that note...Have a great weekend.
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