Newsletter 2016-2017

News and Notes:

Geocache Scavenger Hunt - Currently I have 3 volunteers for our Geocache Scavenger Hunt ... I am hoping to have 9 in order to divide the kids into smaller groups. If you have a family member or friend who is able to join us, please let me know. We will be walking throughout the Bennie play area and down to the corner of Pelham and Champaign.
Class Picnic - Our scavenger hunt will end at Champaign Park where we'll have a class picnic. Our picnic will be a potluck. Please use this Sign Up Genius form if you would like to contribute to our potluck.
Monday Morning Movie Clip - Permission Slips will go home on 6/8 for our final "MMM". Please return them by Monday, June 12th.
Champaign Park Community Build - If you have any spare time to donate, the Allen Park Citizens group is hosting a "community build". They will be giving the playscape area at Champaign Park a whole new make over ... come out and join them!
When: Wed, June 7, 9am – Sat, June 10, 3pm
Where: Champaign Park, Allen Park, MI 48101, USA (map)
Description: Erect a new Playscape in Champaign Park and on Saturday spread mulch at a number of parks.

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, June 12 - Field Day in the afternoon
Tues-Thurs, June 6-8 - 1/2 Day for Students, dismissal at 11:40
Tuesday, June 13 - Final "Monday Morning Movie Clip"
Wednesday, June 14 - Geocache and Class Picnic Weather Permitting
Thursday, June 15 - Design Squad Engineering Challenge (or Geocache rain date if needed)

Weekly Highlight:

We have ended our year long cooking adventure. Our final recipe is Hot Fudge!

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News & Note:

Warmer weather is here! I strongly recommend water bottles for the classroom!
Poetry Pal Field Trip - We will be meeting our Poetry Pen Pals from Mrs. Smalley’s class on Monday, June 5th at Barnes and Noble. It will be fun to meet our Pals and long last! There is no cost for this field trip.
Geocache Scavenger Hunt - On Wednesday, June 14th we will have a “geocache scavenger hunt” using hand held GPS units around Bennie, the High School and Champaign Park. Because we can’t use the GPS units in the rain, we will have a rain date of Thursday, June 15th. We’ll end either day at Champaign Park for a potluck picnic. A Sign Up Genius will go out in May for our picnic. I need a minimum of 9 volunteers for this event (there will be a great deal of walking).
Cooking - We'll be cooking our final recipes this week and working on our class cookbook!

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, June 5 - Field Trip to Barnes and Noble to meet our Poetry Pen Pals
Thursday, June 8 - The last Garden Club meets from 3:30-4:30, students dismissed out the front doors of the school
Friday, June 10 - All library books due
Monday, June 12 - Field Day in the afternoon
Tues-Thurs, June 13-15 - All 1/2 days for students. Dismissal is at 11:45

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News & Notes:

Economics Field Trip - As a culminating activity for our study of Economics, we'll be walking to a local AP business (Dairy Queen) and discussing their use of resources, competition, and incentives offered ... all while enjoying an ice cream. There is no cost to this field trip thanks to the generosity of those who have contributed to my field trip fund. Now all we need is the weather to cooperate! Hopefully we can go on Thursday, June 1.
Water - On the warm days, it gets very hot in our classroom. Water bottles, shorts, deodorant are all welcome items!!
Classroom Figits - I am missing several of our class figit toys. If you see them around your home, or in backpacks, please have your child return them to the classroom.
Scholastic Book Order - Today, May 26 is the last day to order scholastic books. Click here to access the online ordering. With the points earned from classroom orders this year, I have been able to purchase small group sets of books such as: "Harvesting Hope", "Esperanza Rising", "Ghosts", "Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom", "Weird but True" and more. Thank you for helping support our classroom library!
This I Believe - If you haven't had a chance to check them out, all our essays are on our This I Believe website.

Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday, May 31 - Sports and Fitness club meets after school
Thursday, June 1 - Garden Club meets from 3:30-4:30, students dismissed out the front doors of the school
Thursday, June 1 - All book club books need to be returned
Thursday, June 1 - PTA meeting at 6:30 in the cafeteria. Childcare provided.

What we're Learning:

Language Arts - We are actively working on our "This I Believe" essays and reviewing the reading strategies we have used this year. Our book clubs are sharing their last couple of books together.
Math - We are studying conversion of measurements from both metric and customary systems.
Social Studies - We are wrapping up our study of Economics.
Science - We are ending the year with a medley of science experiments and activities! We'll be answering questions like: Does sunscreen really block UV rays? How does blubber help polar bears?
Cooking - This week we will be making Christian's zucchini bread

Wishlist:

Band-aids
1 dozen eggs
12 cups grated zucchini (we'll actually grate the zucchini in class we just need enough to get 12 cups)
6 cups flour

Weekly Highlight:

Each week that we cook, our cooking experience is often one of the things the kids say is their highlight of the week. This week, Mya's Loaded Baked Potato Soup was simple and tasty! It was a huge hit!

Ask Me:

How do owls use there external structures to support growth and survival?

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Week 43

5/12/2017

2 Comments

News & Notes (for Week 34!):

Progress Reports - Progress Reports went home today. Please sign and return them.
Spring Testing - MSTEP testing is complete! We'll have a week off and then will take the NWEA

Join us for Bennie’s
Spring Garden Event
Thursday, May 18th at 6:00pm
Come check out Bennie’s Fairy Garden! We’ll be reading a couple classic fairy tales and creating art for our courtyard. We’ll do a little garden clean up so bring your garden tools if you have them. A cool treat will be provided. We’d love to have you join us. Come see how beautiful our garden is!

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, May 15 - Cooking Riley & Jaden's recipes for our show!
Monday, May 15 - Run Club 3:30-4:00
Monday, May 15 - Room 107's "This I Believe Essay and Art Show" 3:30-4:30
Wednesday, May 17 - Sports and Fitness club meets after school
Thursday, May 18 - Garden Club meets from 3:30-4:30, students dismissed out the front doors of the school
Thursday, May 18 - Bennie Spring Garden event 6:00pm

Wishlist:

plastic forks
paper plates

Weekly Highlight:

We planted sunflower seeds with Ms. Yesh's kindergarten class.

Ask Me:

What did you and your science partner research about our Black Swallowtail butterflies? How are you presenting your information? (Poster, google doc or google slide)

2 Comments

Week 33

5/7/2017

3 Comments

News & Notes:

Spring Testing - Week one of testing went well. We will take the Math Performance Task assessment and the Science tests this week.
Teacher appreciation week - Thank you for all your many kindnesses this past week. You make Bennie a great place to be!
Weather - It's been a wacky spring weather wise. We will go out every day unless it is raining, so please be sure to send a sweatshirt or jacket if it is cool.
Progress Reports - 4th quarter progress reports will go home this week. Hard to believe we are 1/2 way through the last quarter of the school year!
Save the Date - Hopefully, you received a flyer with information on important upcoming events. Click here to view the flyer online. Families are invited to join us for our This I Believe Essay & Art Show immediately after school on Monday, May 15 from 3:30-4:30.

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, May 8 - Run Club 3:30-4:00
Tuesday and Thursday - MSTEP testing
Wednesday, May 10 - Sports and Fitness club meets after school
Thursday, May 11 - Garden Club meets from 3:30-4:30, students dismissed out the front doors of the school
Friday, May 12 - Bennie Color Run

What we're Learning:

"Ocean" by Ency Bearis
Ocean is love
with wonderful scenery
Not with tsunami

- recited by Sophia Miazga

Language Arts - We are actively working on our "This I Believe" essays and reviewing the reading strategies we have used this year. Our book clubs are sharing their last couple of books together.
Math - We are wrapping up geometry and will be focusing on solving for area and perimeter.
Social Studies - We will be wrapping up our study of Economics in the next two weeks.
Science - Our focus question in science is "How do patterns of past natural hazards help scientists predict future occurrences?" and exploring how the Earth has changed over time.
Cooking - This week we will be making Ella's Chicken and Dumplings and Donovan's chocolate chip cookies.

Wishlist:

plastic forks
paper plates
5 cups of flour
2 12 oz bags of semi sweet chocolate chips
2 cups butter
2 cups granulated sugar

Weekly Highlight:

Butterflies oh butterflies! We are anxiously awaiting the emergence of our last few butterflies - they seem to come out when we have an MSTEP test so maybe tomorrow!

Ask Me:

Show me what a 90 degree turn looks like. How about a 180 degree turn? A 270 degree?
What fraction of a turn is 270 degrees? (Answer 3/4)

3 Comments

Week 30

4/13/2017

7 Comments

News & Notes:

Spring has sprung! Our classroom can be warm. Kids are encouraged to bring in water bottles.
3rd quarter report cards were distributed today along with the student self-evaluations.
Fidgits - For those kiddos who learn best when moving, I have purchased and had donated (thank you O'Riley family!) several fidgits for students to use in school. To avoid any problems, please do not send in fidgits from home. I have plenty to use here!
Field Trip - Thank you to our field trip chaperones for joining us! It was a beautiful day to walk in the woods.

Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday, April 26 - Sports and Fitness club meets after school
Thursday, April 27 - Garden Club meets from 3:30-4:30, students dismissed out the front doors of the school

What we are Learning:

Language Arts - We have begun preparing for our "This I Believe" essay project by listening an essay a day. This will end with the kids writing their own essays. Also, we've been focusing on concept mapping and paragraph transitions in writing.
Math - We have turned our attention to geometry and are working on angles.
Social Studies - We are studying Economics.
Science - Our focus question in science continues to be is "How has the Earth changed over time?" We've been exploring fossils and the Earth's layers and most recently tsunamis.
Cooking - Thursday will be a soup and salad day as we make Skaya's Taco Salad and Mianna's Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Wishlist:

Pencils
1 lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 medium head lettuce
2 tomatoes
1 cup Italian dressing
3 cups nacho cheese Dorritos
1 small onion
2 jalapenos
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can roasted tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can black beans
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 limes
1 bunch cilantro
4 flour tortillas
1 avocado
1 cup shredded Monterrey cheese

Weekly Highlight:

It's been a great week in Room 107 ... so much to be thankful for but our big highlight is the delivery of 300 Scholastic books provided by the district to enhance classroom libraries. We have had so much fun diving into the new books!

Ask Me:

What were some of the books you read from the new book set? Which was your favorite?

7 Comments

Week 29

3/31/2017

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News & Notes:

Enjoy your spring break! The kids have been talking about their plans to see family and play with friends whether here or as they travel. I know they've been looking forward to their vacation!
When we return on April 10th, it will be for a four day week. We are off on April 14 for Good Friday. Believe it or not we'll end the third quarter on Thursday, April 13!

Black-swallow Tail Butterfly

We did a little research yesterday to try and see if changes in the color of the chrysalis' were a predictor of butterfly emergence ... and look what happened today in our office butterfly habitat! We have 6 more chrysalis' to hatch!

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Week 28

3/22/2017

3 Comments

News & Notes:

Scholastic Book Order - Scholastic book order forms have gone home. I will place the order on Friday, March 31st.
Start the Day Right - We have been focusing on starting our day with a positive message about being kind, trying our best, helping others. Check out today's video clip.

Dates to Remember:

Wednesday, March 29 - Sports and Fitness club meets after school
Thursday, March 30 - Room 107 Mac-n-Cheese bake off
Spring Break - April 1-9

What we're Learning:

Language Arts - The kids have been working really hard and reading some great books in their Book Clubs. These book clubs allow them to work at their level and talk about what they are reading in small groups. Ask your child what there favorite book club book has been this year.
Math - For the rest of the third quarter we will be focusing on decimals ... comparing decimals and converting between decimals and fractions.
Social Studies - We are working on Economics.
Science - Our focus question in science right now is "How has the Earth changed over time?" We've been exploring fossils and the Earth's layers.
Cooking - Thursday will be our "Mac-n-Cheese" Bake Off ... three recipes go head to haed! We'll see which one Room 107 prefers.

Wishlist:

5 cups milk
2 sticks butter
5 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
4 1/4 cups elbow macaroni
8 oz sour cream
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 box Kraft mac & cheese

Weekly Highlight:

Our highlight this week was our two guest readers ... Thank you to Mrs. Metzger and Dr. Pittman for joining us!

Ask Me:

Name one decimal that is greater than: 0.45.
Name one decimal that is less than: 0.09

3 Comments

Week 24

2/23/2017

2 Comments

News & Notes:

Progress Reports - Believe it or not we'll be half way through the 3rd quarter at the end of next week. Progress reports will be sent home by Friday, March 3rd. Please sign and return as soon as possible.
March is Reading Month - March is always a great month at Bennie. We will be hosting a variety of fun reading activities throughout the month, beginning with Bingo for Books on Friday. If you are interested in coming in to be a guest reader in March, please let me know!

Dates to Remember:

Wednesday, March 1 - Sports and Fitness club meets after school
Thursday, March 2 - Regions Skype Day
Thursday, March 2 - Bennie PTA meeting in cafeteria at 6:30pm
Friday, March 3 - Bingo for Books at 6:00

What we learning:

Language Arts - The word study groups have been shuffled and all groups will have new word sorts by Monday. This third quarter we are focusing on using vivid language in our writing and continuing to follow all the conventions of writing in paragraphs.
Math - We are beginning to multiply fractions. I'm including a video from our new math series on ways to support your child's understanding of fractions from our Math in Focus series.
Social Studies - As a culminating activity for our study of the US regions, a flyer went home asking for family volunteers across the country to talk with our class. We are hoping to schedule interviews with someone from each region we have studied!
Science - We are going to create models to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.
Cooking - We'll be cooking Aidan's Red Beans and Rice.

Wishlist:

1 lb smoked sausage
3 cans red beans
1 large white onion
1 large rib celery
1 bell pepper
1 cup rice

Weekly Highlight:

All the Kids in Room 107 who have read "Walk Two Moons" got a chance to play Morgan's Newbery project! Morgan created a game based on the story as her project. "It was SO fun!" was the response. Thanks for sharing Morgan!

Ask Me:

Write the mixed number as an improper fraction:
2 3/8 = _____ (Answer: 19/8)

Write the improper fraction as a mixed number:
14/4 = _____ (Answer: 3 2/4 or 3 1/2)

2 Comments

Week 22

2/9/2017

3 Comments

News & Notes:

Parent/Teacher Conferences - If you have not yet signed up for a conference next week and would like to speak with me, please use this link to schedule a conference. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0d4eacaf28a57-mrs1
Parent Training - Wednesday, Feb 15 from 6:45-7:30. Join me for a parent training on ways you can support your child in reading and math. My goal is to provide you with tips and tricks that can be easily implemented in your homes!
Valentine's Day/Chinese New Year - We will be celebrating both Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year on February 14 from 2:00-3:00. Families are welcome to join us! We'll learn a little more about Chinese New Year and have Sweetheart Floats as a treat! Please let me know if you can join us.

Dates to Remember:

Monday, February 13 - Cooking Justin's Cheesy Potatoes
Tuesday, February 14 - Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day celebration from 2:00-3:00
Wednesday - Thursday, February 15-16 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Wednesday, February 15 - Optional Room 107 Parent Training from 6:45-7:30
Thursday, February 15 - NO TECH CLUB due to conferences
Monday-Tuesday, February 20-21 - Midwinter Break. No school.

What are we Learning:

Language Arts - I will be assessing the kids' word study level for a third time this week. Based on the results, word study groups may change as students demonstrate mastery of word study levels and/or the need for additional practice.
Math - Fractions, fractions, fractions - our focus for the next quarter will predominately be fractions. We'll continue to review double digit multiplication and long division.
Social Studies - Our focus continues to be regions and geography. As part of this study we will be participating in Journey North's mystery class project. Click here for more details. We have also been studying maps.
Science - We are studying how plants and animals use external and internal structures to survive in their environments.
Cooking - We'll be cooking Justin's Cheesy Potatoes

Wishlist (needed for Tuesday):

2 gallons ice cream
2 2-liters of red pop
40 plastic cups
(for Valentine's Day Sweetheart Floats)

Weekly Highlight:

Our new class book "Bud, Not Buddy" has been a highlight this week! Ask your child what Bud is up to!

Ask Me:

How many ways can you decompose the fraction 8/10? (Hint - possible answers include 4/10 + 4/10; 7/10 + 1/10; 3/10 + 5/10)

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