Welcome to Third Grade!!

The start of school is just around the corner.  It is an exciting and busy time of year for students, their parents and teachers, alike.  Purchasing school supplies, maybe some new school clothes or sneakers, getting to bed early and trying to establish some sort of 'routine' before next week...the list goes on and on.

I, personally, love the smells and sights at school during this time of year.  Newly waxed, shiny hallway and classroom floors, crisp bulletin board paper lining the walls, energized and refreshed colleagues anxious to meet their incoming students for a fresh, new year, Mr. Jenne's homemade chocolate chip cookies on the afternoon before students arrive (he really does make them himself...he even brings in milk to go with them)...again, the list goes on and on.

I am very excited to be joining the Third Grade team this year.  I have already been into our classroom getting things prepared for your arrival on September 6th.  I worked several weeks over the summer at Tech Camp, Math Camp and the Constructivist Design Conference, walking away with soooooo many new ideas for this school year.  How would you like to have your own blog?  We can report out on the day at school, or about your favorite book, or anything you would like to write about.   Wouldn't an iPad be an awesome tool to have in our room?  I have a colleague in California (now competing for the honor of California Teacher of the Year) who taught me many ways to use the iPad in our classroom.  Hopefully, we will have one soon!  My fingers are crossed.

Anyway, if you are in the neighborhood of Lawrence Avenue, there is a chance you may run into me in Room 190!  I will be in and out all week.  If you can, stop by to see where your new classroom will be and to say "hello"!

Teddy Bears and Valentines

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PTSA Hard at Work!!!

Our PTSA has been hard at work lobbying for equity in the state aid disbursement formula. Please view their recent full-page ad in North Country This Week.

northcountrynow.com/potsdam-ptsa

Be Informed

Happy February, everyone! It is hard to imagine it is already February...and we have virtually NO snow in the ground...almost unheard of in these parts!!!

Although this time of year brings hope of milder weather and blooming of crocuses just around the corner, it also brings with it a highly stressful time for our school districts. As it stands right now, if Governor Cuomo's proposed budget plan is endorsed by our state legislators, North Country schools, some of the poorest in the state (Potsdam included) will face significant cuts in programs or go bankrupt trying to survive. Not only will teaching positions be done away with (larger class sizes = less individual attention to your child), but AP courses in the high school, and any other 'unmandated' courses (such as elementary music, orchestra, art) may also be affected as a result.

As a parent as well as a teacher in this district, I implore you to educate yourself on the impact Governor Cuomo's state budget plan will have on the Potsdam Central School District and all children who are attending our wonderful school. Below is a list of forums and meetings the public is invited to attend.

* Community Forums - February 27 and March 15

* District Budget Meeting - February 13

*** Also, our Board of Education meetings are held every SECOND and FOURTH Tuesday of each month in the Potsdam High School Library at 7 pm. Please attend those meetings as well, to stay in formed or to voice any concerns or ideas you may have regarding the welfare of the students in this district.

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy New Year!!

Well, 2012 is here...a new beginning. Upon returning to school tomorrow, Room 108 children will be busier than ever learning many new concepts, while at the same time continuing to become more independent little individuals. We will be delving into reading sight words and writing more rigorously. We will also be going full swing into our Daily 5 approach to literacy (small group work, much like centers...which is why we need to be working on our independence in the classroom).

But before the new year begins at school, I must share some pictures and news from Nov. and Dec. of 2011. This year, for some reason, has proven to be much busier than most years for me...thus there have been many fewer updates to this blog than I usually post. Therefore, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to post updates more often for those of you who find this page a helpful resource.

In November, we were busy with MANY things. We had our Native American Craft Day, our annual Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast and our first Royal Reader (thank you Mr. Rossner!!)

In December, we filled many days with fun crafts and activities including our Gingerbread House Project (thanks again to all parents, grandparents, as well as our friends from the SUNY Potsdam Mens' Hockey Team, who helped make this project a success!) as well as our Holiday Concert.

Please take a few moments to view the following slideshow. And thank you for sharing your child with me. It amazes me quite often what 'little sponges' they are! Their little brains soak up so much at this age.

Happy New Year!!

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Pumpkins and Reading Buddies

First of all, I would like to thank the entire Room 108 family for all donations to our Thanksgiving Feast on Monday! Such generosity and sharing help make your child's feast day one to remember!

If you are volunteering to help, we are asking volunteers to arrive at school by 10:30 am Monday morning. This should give us plenty of time to set up before our first serving at 11:30!

Also, a HUGE "THANKS A BUNCH!!" to parent/grandparent volunteers on Friday for our Native American Day! The children had fun and I could have not done it without you! Unfortunately, time was so tight I forgot to take pictures...;o( But rest assured, there will be plenty of pics from our Thanksgiving Feast coming up tomorrow!

Below is a slide show of activities from October. Miss Miriam Johnson was a Block 1 student from SUNY Potsdam. She visited our class for a total of 8 visits, learning first-hand about teaching our youngest children. She was a wonderful addition to our class. The children adore her. They were extremely excited to see her return voluntarily on Friday for Native American Day!

In the slideshow you will see pictures of children gutting pumpkins. This was an exciting part of Miss Johnson's lesson she taught on counting, using the pumpkin seeds the children took from the pumpkins. Later that day, we decorated tiny pumpkins brought in by our classmate, Raegan, and her family. Much fun was had by all!!

You will also see pictures from our first session of Reading Buddies. Our Reading Buddies this year are from Mrs. Martin's Fourth Grade Class. It is fun for both sets of students to experience such a worthwhile event! We will continue Reading Buddies every Day 2 from now until the end of the year.

Thanks again for all you do for our classroom. I am thankful each day for my Room 108 family! Happy Thanksgiving!

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Granny Prix...a Room 108 Favorite!!

Please ask your child about Granny Prix...a website we visit almost every day to practice our simple addition facts! I was turned on to this site by another kindergarten colleague while I was training as a facilitator for our last Superintendent's Day on the New York State Math Common Core Standards.

The site offers fact practice in addition, subtraction and multiplication facts. According to the new set of learning standards recently adopted by New York State, children in Kindergarten will be responsible for fluently adding and subracting within 5 in order to be a successful math student at the first grade level.

The children love designing their own GRANNY and wheel chair and racing to find all the sums to win the race.

Take some time to experience this motivating activity your child loves.

You can find the link below...or to the right as part of my Educational Links section.

Enjoy!!

http://www.fun4thebrain.com/addition/addgranny.html