Kids in Room 107
  • October 2019
  • Dates to Remember
  • Newsletter 2019-2020
  • Absent Work
  • Reading & Writing
  • Math
  • Explore Science
  • Social Studies
  • PTA
  • Music
  • Scholastic Book Orders
  • NWEA Map Test
  • Parent Academic Support

Week 6

10/9/2019

7 Comments

 

News & Notes:

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Literacy Walk - It's not too late to donate to the Bennie Literacy Walk Fundraiser!  As of today, we have raised over $11,000!  Every dollar helps.  Please consider donating and/or sharing our fundraiser on your social media pages.  Our class is currently in 16th place overall.  Our walk is tomorrow but donations will be accepted until Oct 18.

Parent Registration Link
https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/register?school_uuid=5d2de6e76c5fd  Correct Bennie School Identifier Code:    5d2de6e76c5fd

School Webpage Link
https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/event-webpage/5d2de6e7df7f7

​Office Hours - Got a question about Room 107 and what we're learning?  Join me in Room 107!  I was here last week, but realized I didn't publicize it ... So October's "family office hours" will be Wednesday, October 23 from 3:30-4:30.  If you plan to come after 4:00 (when the office closes), let me know in advance so I can be sure to look for you!

Upcoming Dates:

  • Mon, Oct 7 - Run Club
  • Mon, Oct 7 - DTE Assembly
  • Tues, Oct 8 - Mr. Guy Self- Regulation Assembly
  • Thurs, Oct 10 - Bennie Literacy Walk - wear Bennie Blue!
  • Fri, Oct 11 - ACE award assembly

What we're Learning:

  • Reading - Our whole class reading strategy has been focused on visualizing and now we are working on identifying main ideas. 
  • Writing - The goal for fourth graders is to be able to write two paragraphs - we have been working on writing in paragraph format.
  • Math - Our focus is on factors and multiples.
  • Science - Our driving question in science is “How is this place on Earth going to change over 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, and 1,000,000 years?”  The "place" we are investigating is our very own Bennie Courtyard!
  • Social Studies - We are finishing up with our study of Economics and will begin discussing geography next week.
  • Cooking - It took 7 days to pull off the 7 Layer Bean Dip!  Next week we'll be making Maci's Easy Chicken Noodle Soup.
  • Classroom Community - We have been talking about how we can make Room 107 and Bennie a kinder place.  We drew some inspiration from this "Kid President" video: 

Wish List:
(If you are able to donate ingredients, please use comment section below.  Items are needed by Tuesday October 15) 

  • Bandaids
  • 30 disposable bowls
  • 1 pound chicken breast
  • 2 cartons chicken broth
  • 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
  • 1 bag no yolk egg noodles
  • 3 chicken bullion cubes
  • 14 pumpkins for October 23 (Science activity with Kindergarten partners)

Weekly Highlight:

  • We figured out why the Black Swallowtail butterflies have not emerged from their chrysalis' ... ask your child to tell you why!

Ask Me:

  • What change did you notice in the Courtyard Habitat?  What is your evidence?
7 Comments

Week 4 - News Brief

9/27/2019

6 Comments

 

News & Notes:

  • Literacy Walk - The Bennie Literacy Walk Fundraiser is off to a great start!  As of Sunday afternoon, we have raised over $5,000!  Every dollar helps.  Please consider donating and/or sharing our fundraiser on your social media pages.  Our class is currently in 16th place overall.

    Parent Registration Link
    https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/register?school_uuid=5d2de6e76c5fd      Correct Bennie School Identifier Code:    5d2de6e76c5fd

    School Webpage Link
    https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/event-webpage/5d2de6e7df7f7

  • Testing Complete - we are done with NWEA testing as a whole class!  I am proud of the perseverance the students showed tackling this important assessment.
  • Library Books - Please be sure your child returns their library books to school each Thursday.  
  • Classroom Volunteers - I am looking for classroom volunteers to join us between 1:00-1:45 to play math games with our class.  Please let me know if you are able to share a little of your time.  (All volunteers will need to complete a district background check.)
  • Economics Field Trip - We will be walking to Dairy Queen next week as part of our Economics studies.  Families completed a permission slip for "walking field trips" as part of your back to school paperwork so extra permission slips are not needed.  The cost of this field trip (the ice cream!) is being covered by the Room 107 field trip fun.  Weather depending, I am hoping to go on Tuesday.
  • PTA Membership - Please consider joining our Bennie PTA.  Your membership helps support things like our Garden Club, whole school assemblies, the purchase of playground equipment and more!  Click here for the PTA membership form.  Oh and as an incentive, the class with the most memberships will earn books for the classroom!  

Upcoming Dates:

  • Mon, Sept 30 - Run Club
  • Tues, Oct 1 - Economics Field Trip (if the weather is good)
  • Wed, Oct 2 - Walk to School Day
  • Wed, Oct 2 - Cooking Jeremy's 7 Layer Bean Dip
  • Thurs, Oct 3 - PTA meeting at 6:30 in the cafeteria
  • Fri, Oct 4 - 1/2 Day for Students, Dismissal at 11:30

Wish List:
(If you are able to donate ingredients, please use comment section below.  Items are needed by Tuesday this week) 

  • 2 bag Tostito chips
  • 2 large cans of refried beans
  • 2 onions
  • 2 16 ounce tubs sour cream
  • 2 packets of taco seasoning
  • 2 jars salsa
  • 2 bags of shredded Colby Jack cheese
  • 2 cups black olives
  • 4 tomatoes

Weekly Highlight:

We had two monarch's emerge from their chrysalis' last weekend.  We let them go in the courtyard Monday afternoon.
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Ask Me:

We've been listening to Deborah Wiles' book "Love, Ruby Lavender".  Ask you child to tell you about what happened at the "pink palace" this week ... and about the newspaper article they wrote about the incident.  (Hint - Melba Jane threw a rock and the greenhouse broke killing two of Ruby's chicks.)
6 Comments

Week Three

9/15/2019

5 Comments

 

News & Notes:

  • Moonlight Yoga and Outdoor Classroom Dedication - Join us Thursday, September 26 for the official dedication of Bennie's Outdoor Classroom and stay for Moonlight Yoga with Michelle Moten from Urban Solace Yoga Studio.  This will be a fun event for all families!
  • Absences - If your child is absent, check out the "absent work" page on our class website for ways you can continue to support your child's learning from home.  

Upcoming Dates:

  • Mon, Sept 23 - First day of Run Club for students who signed up
  • Tues, Sept 25 - NWEA math testing
  • Thurs, Sept 26 - Moonlight Yoga and Outdoor Classroom Dedication at 6:30pm
  • Fri, Sept 27 - APHS Homecoming parade and football game

What We're Learning:

Dear Classroom Family, We have been talking about what it feels like to be in a new classroom or part of a new group. Ask your child to describe how the characters in our video clips worked to make friends in their new communities. We read the book The Day you Begin by Jacqueline Woodson. In it she invites us to be “brave enough to share your story.” Share a story about a time you were the new person in school, or at a job, or on a team and what you did to make friends.
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Reading - Our whole class reading strategy has been focused on inferring and making predictions.  (we've used this strategy in our science as well)
Writing - We have been working on building our writing stamina and making a plan before beginning writing.  
Math - Our focus is on understanding place value , ordering and comparing numbers.
Science - As we investigate the life cycle of monarch and black swallowtail butterflies, we have been building our science skills of asking question, making predictions, recording our observations.
Social Studies - Our first unit is on Economics.  This week we've talked about supply and demand and the circular flow model!
Classroom Community - Twice a month our whole school is working to build community through a curriculum called "Choose Love".  Ask your child to show you a "brave breath" and what their "brave pose" looks like.  Can they hold their brave pose for 30 seconds?
Cooking - This week we'll be cooking Gus' Breakfast Frittata.

Wishlist:

  • paper plates 
  • plastic forks 
  • 30 metal forks (thought I'd try to get away from plastic forks each time we cook - I can wash them each week)
  • dish soap
  • 2 packages has browns
  • 18 eggs
  • 2 packages pre-cooked bacon
  • 2 packages pre-cooked sausage
  • 2 packages shredded Colby Jack Cheese

Weekly Highlight:

  • Our first butterfly!!
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Ask Me:

  • Students were asked to bring their science journals home to share with you.  Ask them about their predictions for our monarch butterflies emerging from their chrysalis' ... and ask to see their graphs.  
  • Also, we did research on how to determine the gender of monarchs and black swallowtails.  Ask them to share their research notes with you!
5 Comments

Week One

9/4/2019

2 Comments

 

News & Notes:

  • Thank you! - It's been a great start to the school year!  Thank you for all you do to help prepare your child for their school day each day.  Thank you also for the supplies you sent in to support our learning.  I really do appreciate it!
  • Water & Snack - Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle (filled with water only) to school and are welcome to bring a healthy snack.  Sweet treats will be saved for lunch time.
  • Meet the Teacher Night - I'm really excited about the chance to meet all of you next Thursday at Meet the Teacher Night.  I look forward to sharing our classroom with you.
  • From Mrs. Ferrante - Dear Bobcats and Families - I hope your first week of fourth grade is going well! My name is Mrs. Ferrante and I am very excited to co-teach with Mrs.Klein again this year. This is my 13th year teaching and my second in Allen Park. I’ve taught kindergarten, second, fourth, fifth and middle school. My role in APPS as the ELL-teacher (language support teacher)  allows me to work with kids from all grade levels. Although I will be splitting my time between all the elementary schools and multiple classrooms, Room 107 is one of my favorite places to be! I’m excited to work with your child this year as they grow, learn and explore! 

Upcoming Dates:

  • Mon, Sept. 9 - School Board Meeting 7:00pm in the LGI Room at APHS
  • Thurs, Sept. 12 - Meet the Teacher Night 6:30pm
  • Fri, Sept. 13 - Room 107's Very Merry Unbirthday Celebration

What We're Learning:

  • Reading - We're listening to "Love, Ruby Lavender".  We have already begun to practice the reading strategy of inference - by making predictions and describing how the characters are feeling and why.
  • Math - This week we worked on real-life (or classroom!) story problems by creating fractions and multiplication problems from our activities.
  • Team Building - We go slow to go fast ... much of what we are doing at the beginning of the year is creating our classroom culture.  We have had so many wonderful discussions (how do athletes use "brave breaths" before performing), great books ("Say Something!") and activities ("chain of strengths") to help us build our classroom community.  It's going to be a great year!

Weekly Highlight:

Exploring our caterpillars up close!
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Ask Me:

  • Each student had a chance to share 5 things that they are proud of or love in their "Who am I? Pillowcases".  That's a lot of listening!  Ask your child what we do to show we are listening to our classmates.  (Hint - voices off, eyes on speaker, bodies still)
  • Also - ask your child to tell you about the team building activities I mentioned in our "what we're learning section".
2 Comments
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