Newsletter February 3, 2017

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

February 3, 2017

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:
The field trip to Ft. Pulaski with a focus on heat energy was fantastic! I hope you have had a moment to speak with your children about the things they learned and were given the opportunity to participate in! 

We have completed all conferences and have entered the second half of the school year with vigor. Students have been working diligently on their math skills and are progressing nicely through their new lessons. As we near spring testing we will begin our test preparations. Third grade families should look for homework specifically geared to GMAS to be going home in our effort to provide as much test preparation as possible, while still maintaining some sanity. GMAS testing window is April 3-11.

I am in the process of signing up the class for Khan Academy. Please look out for an email from them on information on how to proceed with the program. I've heard great things about Khan Academy and think it will be another dynamic tool for math practice at home.

Students have chosen their next Social Studies research topics. They were given the option to partner with someone to present with, and most did. The topics chosen were from our geography, economics, and government topics. All research/presentations will be due Monday, February 27th. I told the students that if the project is not turned in on time that they will not be able to present, but will still need to show me their projects. The late presentations have taken up a lot of valuable class time.

This Friday is our annual Donuts with Dads event! If you haven't yet, please click on the link for more information. We are still in need of a few items! Donuts with Dads Sign Up   

Please go to the post about Valentine's day and information on the assignment due on February 14th! Click here Valentine Box Assignment

Wish List
Pencils-running dangerously low

Guinea Pig Supplies- FOOD,pine shavings or other bedding, and treats if you wish. *items in bold are most needed

White card stock 8.5 x 11 for Montessori materials I have purchased online. I also use card stock with crafts for the students. 

Also, if you're feeling especially generous, here are my wish lists for classroom materials:
Amazon
Alison's Montessori

Dates to Remember:
2/10       Donuts with Dads-Room 20
2/10       Dress Down- $1 Pink Out for Susan G. Komen
2/24       Father Daughter Dance-6:30- Multipurpose Room 
2/27-3/3 Montessori Education Week

3/2         Cosmic Education Night and PTA
3/3         Dress Up for Montessori-Come as your favorite Montessori material! $1                 for a Montessori charity

Upcoming Healthy and Nutrient Dense snack weeks for 25 students: We do have a low level peanut allergy in the classroom, so we prefer peanut free snacks so that the student may also participate in snack with the class.

Some suggestions for snack are: precut fruit (apples, grapes, bananas cut in half, oranges, etc.), precut vegetables with hummus for dipping, cheese and crackers, granola bars or chewies, trail mix, applesauce, hummus and crackers, yogurt or Gogurt, graham crackers…  The purpose of snack is to provide a nutritious energy booster when the students need it.  Please keep in mind the nutritional value when choosing a snack.

         

2/6     COLE
2/13   KE'MARI
2/20   LAURA 

Cultural and Cosmic Focus

Georgia-Geography and Historic Figures

South America

The Coming of Life-Great Lesson(also known as the Black Strip)

Tree of Life-Classification

Valentine Box

Valentine's Day is fast approaching! You should have received the class list with names for the actual Valentines in an email. Below are the instructions for the Valentine Box assignment. Have fun with it! 

  

Valentine Box by jazmin on Scribd

I borrowed the information below from 
http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/valentines/history.php
It's nice to know the origins of the things we do.

Every February we celebrate Valentine's Day by giving flowers, candy and cards to those we love. We do this in honor of St. Valentine. You may be wondering, "Who is St. Valentine"? Time to brush up on your Valentine's history!

There are different ideas as to where or how the celebration of Valentine's Day began. The Roman's celebrated a festival called Lupercalia on February 15. This festival was held to ward off the danger of wolves to their flocks and honored their God Lupercalia. Some people think that Valentine's Day is based on this festival.

Another legend is that St. Valentine was a priest who served during third century Rome. During that time, there was an Emperor who ruled Rome named Claudius II. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married and outlawed marriage for all young men serving in his army. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this decree just wasn't fair and chose to marry young couples secretly. When Emperor Claudius II found out about Valentine's actions he had him impisoned, and later put to death. Some stories say that the young couples, who Valentine had married, gave flowers and letters to Valentine when they visited him in the prison.

In a slightly different version of the legend, Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with his jailor's daughter. Before he was put to death he sent the first 'valentine' to his love when he wrote her a letter and signed it 'Your Valentine'. These words are still used on cards today.

Perhaps we'll never know the true identity and story behind the man named St. Valentine, but this much is for sure...February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating way back to the Middle Ages. In fact, Valentine's Day ranks second only to Christmas in number of greeting cards sent.

Another famous person from Valentine's Day that you may be wondering about is Cupid (Latin cupido, "desire"). In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love. His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros, god of love. Cupid is often said to be a mischievous boy who goes around wounding both gods and humans with his arrows, causing them to fall in love.

Newsletter January 9, 2017

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

January 9, 2017

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:

I have enjoyed meeting with all of you during our conferences this week. Thank you for coming in. If you have not signed up with me, please email me so we can work something out. I have important information to share with you about your child's progress.

We have a few new exciting things happening in our classroom! For one, we have begun our "Mentor Reading" with Ms. Cecily's Pk/K class. Each student has a buddy that they will be working with each Friday for the next nine weeks. Today they were matched and got to know each other a little bit. Next Friday we will begin with the reading. The students seem very happy to have this opportunity! 

We also have begun using Ten Marks in the classroom, for math skills practice. I love this program because I can assign specific standards and assignments for the students to work on. I can also see exactly which problems they excelled on and which they did not. This serves as another tool to better serve your child's individual needs with regards to math. They are free to work on Ten Marks assignments at home, but I ask that they only work on the assignment/assignments that are due that week. I am reminding them that it is important that they use the hints and watch the videos to help them better understand a concept they are unsure of. I have also been able to give several lessons on the new Montessori math material that we have in our classroom and the students seem to have some renewed energy towards the math work.

Research has been going really well. The shortened due date seems to have invigorated the speed with which they are working. I have realized that with this particular group the long due dates were not optimal. 

All in all we are off to a great second half of the school year!

Please remember that the Cultural Parade of Fashion is next week, Friday the 20th in the Multipurpose Room. Please sign up on this sign up genius if you wish for your child to participate. I hope to see many familiar faces there to help us celebrate the diverse student body that we have here at Ellis! Cultural Parade Sign Up
    
We have our first family event in our classroom approaching! It is our annual Donuts with Dad's event! This is always a huge favorite among the students as they love to have their dads visit them in the classroom. Any and all father figures are welcome to attend. That could be a brother, cousin, uncle, pastor, grandfather, family friend etc. Even a mom can fill in! Please go to the sign up for more information. Also, do not feel like you must stay the full hour, however it is best if dads can arrive on time so that the treats can be set up for all to enjoy. Donuts With Dads Sign Up 

Please remember that we do not have school Monday as we are observing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and also our class has a field trip Thursday, January 26th. Look for details in an email. 

Wish List
Nose Tissue-we are all out!
Pencils-running dangerously low

Guinea Pig Supplies- food, Timothy hay, pine shavings or other bedding , and treats if you wish. *items in bold are most needed

White card stock 8.5 x 11 for Montessori materials I have purchased online. I also use card stock with crafts for the students.    

Dates to Remember:
1/4     Students Return
1/16   MLK Day-NO SCHOOL
1/26   Field Trip
1/27   Dress Down Day $1-Dollars fro Disasters

Upcoming Healthy and Nutrient Dense snack weeks for 25 students: We do have a low level peanut allergy in the classroom, so we prefer peanut free snacks so that the student may also participate in snack with the class.

Some suggestions for snack are: precut fruit (apples, grapes, bananas cut in half, oranges, etc.), precut vegetables with hummus for dipping, cheese and crackers, granola bars or chewies, trail mix, applesauce, hummus and crackers, yogurt or Gogurt, graham crackers…  The purpose of snack is to provide a nutritious energy booster when the students need it.  Please keep in mind the nutritional value when choosing a snack.

         

1/16   AMELIA
1/23   BENJAMIN
1/30   ELISHA   

Cultural and Cosmic Focus

Georgia-Geography and Historic Figures

South America

Tree of Life-Classification
The Coming of Life-Great Lesson

Newsletter January 3, 2017

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

January 3, 2017

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:

Happy new year! Welcome back families! I'm feeling rejuvenated after this much needed break and am ready for the second half of the school year with your children! 

Before the break we were very busy with several cultural activities in the classroom. Our students learned about Hanukkah, they made Christmas ornaments to gift to their families, they made holiday cards for the residents at Habersham House, we collected canned and non perishable goods for Coastal Georgia Second Harvest, we went on a field trip to the Savannah Children's Theatre, science presentations, and we had our annual Holiday Sing-a-long! Thank you to all that were able to lend a helping hand in any of these activities. Below are some photos for your enjoyment!

Savannah Children's Theatre

Savannah Children's Theatre

   

Science Presentations

Science Presentations

Coastal Georgia Second Harvest

Coastal Georgia Second Harvest

Holiday Cards for Habersham House!

Charles Ellis Montessori Academy annual Holiday Sing-a-long

As we begin the second half of the school year we will continue with our research projects/presentations, we will shift from North America to South America for the remainder of the school year, and we will introduce a brand new Montessori math material in our classroom that I am very excited to begin with the students.

We have parent/teacher conferences the weeks of January 9th and January 16th. If you do not see a day and/or time that works for you, please let me know and we can find a way to make it work. Please click on the link for more sign up information: Winter 2017 Conference Sign Up   

Please keep in mind the Parade of Cultural Fashion, the first of our PTA cultural events, that will be January 20, 2017 in the Multipurpose room. We would like any and all cultures represented at this event with traditional costumes! Please click on the link Cultural Parade Sign Up for more information and please sign up to be a part of highlighting our diverse culture at Ellis! Parade of Cultural Fashion I'm dressing my own daughters up; one in traditional Puerto Rican costume and the other in traditional Cuban costume! The head of the PTA Cultural Committee is one of our very own parents from our classroom, Beverly Williams! I agreed to help her with the communications portion and helping her get the word out. It would be wonderful to see a large show of support from our very own classroom community!

Wish List

Guinea Pig Supplies- food, Timothy hay, pine shavings or other bedding , and treats if you wish. *items in bold are most needed

White card stock 8.5 x 11 for Montessori materials I have purchased online. I also use card stock with crafts for the students.    

Dates to Remember:
1/4     Students Return
1/16   MLK Day-NO SCHOOL
1/26   Field Trip
1/27   Dress Down Day $1-Dollars fro Disasters

Upcoming Healthy and Nutrient Dense snack weeks for 25 students: We do have a low level peanut allergy in the classroom, so we prefer peanut free snacks so that the student may also participate in snack with the class.

Some suggestions for snack are: precut fruit (apples, grapes, bananas cut in half, oranges, etc.), precut vegetables with hummus for dipping, cheese and crackers, granola bars or chewies, trail mix, applesauce, hummus and crackers, yogurt or Gogurt, graham crackers…  The purpose of snack is to provide a nutritious energy booster when the students need it.  Please keep in mind the nutritional value when choosing a snack.

         

1/4     LUCY (3 days)
1/9     PAIGE
1/16   AMELIA
1/23   BENJAMIN
1/30   ELISHA   

Cultural and Cosmic Focus

Georgia-Geography and Historic Figures

South America

Tree of Life-Classification

Newsletter Week of December 5

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

Week of December 5, 2016

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:

We had another busy week with MAP and SRI assessments that were completed for all of the second and third year students in room 20. Unfortunately I can not share test scores via email, but will be sharing them with you at winter conferences, which will be held the week of January 16th. Please be on the lookout for the sign up. In addition to the assessments we have also been busy wrapping up our studies of Hanukkah. Hopefully you were able to enjoy the Festival of Lights and you were able to see Lower Elementary's display in the hallway. Even though this event is my favorite of the year, I was unable to attend due to feeling under the weather. We also had the pleasure of attending the Musical Explorers field trip where our students enjoyed performances by musicians that played zydeco, old time, and brass quintet music. 

We continue to collect food for our classroom's food drive for those in need. Thank you to those that have donated thus far! 

Room 20 Second Harvest Food Drive by jazmin on Scribd

Science research/presentations are due next week! I'm not sure the exact day that each student will be presenting as we will just go through the presentations as time permits between ornament making and field trips.

Please keep in mind the Parade of Cultural Fashion, the first of our PTA cultural events, that will be January 20, 2017 in the Multipurpose room. We would like any and all cultures represented at this event with traditional costumes! Please click on the link Cultural Parade Sign Up for more information and please sign up to be a part of highlighting our diverse culture at Ellis! Parade of Cultural Fashion I'm dressing my own daughters up; one in traditional Puerto Rican costume and the other in traditional Cuban costume! The head of the PTA Cultural Committee is one of our very own parents from our classroom, Beverly Williams! I agreed to help her with the communications portion and helping her get the word out. It would be wonderful to see a large show of support from our very own classroom community!

The Ellis GEP students are continuing to help serve the  homeless community in Savannah by collecting supplies for the Emmaus House. Each day, the Emmaus House serves breakfast and lunch to people who are unable to provide for themselves. We would like to begin by providing supplies needed for serving food. Please donate if you are able to help!

              Plastic utensils

              Paper plates

              Paper bowls

              Napkins

              Disposable coffee cups

              Large aluminum trays/pans

Wish List

Guinea Pig Supplies- food, Timothy hay, pine shavings or other bedding , and treats if you wish. *items in bold are most needed

White card stock 8.5 x 11 for Montessori materials I have purchased online. I also use cardstock with crafts for the students.    

Dates to Remember:

12/13      1st Grade Field trip

12/14      2nd and 3rd Grade Field trip

12/16      Dress Down $1 8th Grade Bridging Ceremony

12/16      Holiday Sing-Along during the school day

12/21-1/3 Winter Break (students return on the 4th)

Upcoming Healthy and Nutrient Dense snack weeks for 25 students: We do have a low level peanut allergy in the classroom, so we prefer peanut free snacks so that the student may also participate in snack with the class.

Some suggestions for snack are: precut fruit (apples, grapes, bananas cut in half, oranges, etc.), precut vegetables with hummus for dipping, cheese and crackers, granola bars or chewies, trail mix, applesauce, hummus and crackers, yogurt or Gogurt, graham crackers…  The purpose of snack is to provide a nutritious energy booster when the students need it.  Please keep in mind the nutritional value when choosing a snack.

         

12/12 NAZYIA

12/19 HAMISH (2 days)

1/4     LUCY (3 days)

Cultural and Cosmic Focus

Georgia-Geography and Historic Figures

North America

Democratic Process-Government/Voting etc.

Montessori Great Lesson: The Coming of the Universe and subsequent exploration of Earth's materials (soils, minerals, rocks, etc), planet research...

Cosmic Story-Born with a Bang

Tree of Life-Classification

Timeline of Life

Newsletter Weeks of November 14 - November 28

Ms. Jazmin & Ms. Marion

Weeks of November 14-November 28, 2016

A Note from Ms. Jazmin:

We were finally able to enjoy our classroom Harvest Feast! It was simple this year, without the corn muffins and hot mulled cider, but alas, we came together to celebrate the season of giving and being thankful for the abundance in our lives!

That being said I would like to organize a non perishable food drive that will be going to America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. All donations may be brought to room 20. It would be great for students to be able to help pick out some of the items donated so they feel some ownership over it. I will be delivering all items to America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia Wednesday December 21st, so the last day for donations will be Tuesday December 20, 2016. Please see some specific items they are asking for during this time in the flyer below.
  

2016 Holiday Food Drive Poster by jazmin on Scribd

Also in the giving spirit, the students will be creating holiday cards for the residents at Habersham House. Would anybody like to come in and lead this craft? We have construction paper, colored puff balls, tissue paper, glitter, glue... My idea was that the 19th and/or 20th would be the best days for this, but if nobody is able to come in then, please let me know when you can as I will work around your schedule!

Of course, they will also create some fun Christmas ornaments to take home, and also create some Hanukkah themed crafts as we study Hanukkah for the Charles Ellis Festival of Lights. I hope that all families can attend this wonderful annual event. It is my absolute favorite event each year! On December Thursday, December 8th, come watch the students in grades PreK-6th grade sing in the backyard at 6:00pm. The book fair will be open late that evening. There will be a cake walk and bake sale in the Multipurpose Room after the performance. For the Christmas ornaments I am requesting a a few items. Please click on the link for an item or two to sign up for. Christmas Ornament Craft Sign Up

Science research/presentations are due the week of December 12th. Please help your child stay on track with having their information ready to present by the 12th.

Please keep in mind the Parade of Cultural Fashion, the first of our PTA cultural events, that will be January 20, 2017 in the Multipurpose room. We would like any and all cultures represented at this event with traditional costumes! Please click on the link Cultural Parade Sign Up for more information and please sign up to be a part of highlighting our diverse culture at Ellis! Parade of Cultural Fashion I'm dressing my own daughters up; one in traditional Puerto Rican costume and the other in traditional Cuban costume! The head of the PTA Cultural Committee is one of our very own parents from our classroom, Beverly Williams! I agreed to help her with the communications portion and helping her get the word out. It would be wonderful to see a large show of support from our very own classroom community!

Thank you to all that participated in the annual Read-a-Thon this year! 

The Ellis GEP students are continuing to help serve the  homeless community in Savannah by collecting supplies for the Emmaus House. Each day, the Emmaus House serves breakfast and lunch to people who are unable to provide for themselves. We would like to begin by providing supplies needed for serving food. Please donate if you are able to help!

              Plastic utensils

              Paper plates

              Paper bowls

              Napkins

              Disposable coffee cups

              Large aluminum trays/pans

Wish List

Guinea Pig Supplies- food, Timothy hay, pine shavings or other bedding , and treats if you wish. *items in bold are most needed

White card stock 8.5 x 11 for Montessori materials I have purchased online. I also use cardstock with crafts for the students.    

Dates to Remember:

12/5-9     Book Fair

12/8        Festival of Lights, PTA Bake Sale, Late Night at Book Fair

12/9        1st-3rd Field Trip

12/13      1st Grade Field trip

12/14      2nd and 3rd Grade Field trip

12/16      Dress Down $1 8th Grade Bridging Ceremony

12/16      Holiday Sing-Along during the school day

12/21-1/3 Winter Break (students return on the 4th)

Upcoming Healthy and Nutrient Dense snack weeks for 25 students: We do have a low level peanut allergy in the classroom, so we prefer peanut free snacks so that the student may also participate in snack with the class.

Some suggestions for snack are: precut fruit (apples, grapes, bananas cut in half, oranges, etc.), precut vegetables with hummus for dipping, cheese and crackers, granola bars or chewies, trail mix, applesauce, hummus and crackers, yogurt or Gogurt, graham crackers…  The purpose of snack is to provide a nutritious energy booster when the students need it.  Please keep in mind the nutritional value when choosing a snack.

         

12/5   ERIC

12/12 NAZYIA

12/19 HAMISH (2 days)

1/4     LUCY (3 days)

Cultural and Cosmic Focus

Georgia-Geography and Historic Figures

North America

Democratic Process-Government/Voting etc.

Montessori Great Lesson: The Coming of the Universe and subsequent exploration of Earth's materials (soils, minerals, rocks, etc), planet research...

Cosmic Story-Born with a Bang

Tree of Life-Classification

Timeline of Life

Science Research Presentations and More

The latest Science research topics that your child chose should be ready to present the week of December 12. They have four weeks, including Thanksgiving week. I have asked them to do their initial research in an interactive science text that we have in the classroom. After that is completed, they may research further via books from the media center, internet, Brain Pop videos, etc. After they have finished their research they will begin working on their presentations. I have science experiments and activities that many can include in their presentations and that I will share with them.We also have field trips that week on the 13th and 14th.   

This Friday is a $1 Dress Down!!

If every student in our class participates in the Read-a-Thon, that means even if they donate a dollar, our class will receive a $25 gift certificate to the book fair, where I can purchase books for our class! Let's do it!