Upcoming Dates

**Progress reports should be signed and returned as soon as possible.**

February 24th-
Field trip to MOSH. Please send your child with a bagged lunch. All children should wear their dragonfly shirts if possible.
Box Top competition ends. Get those Box Tops in!!

March 10-15 FCAT TESTING (3rd-5th)
We are paired up with a 5th grade class that we would like to support during this important test. If you have ideas or would like to donate items, contact me!

March 24
End of the 3rd nine-week grading period

March 27
Teacher planning day

Got clothes?

I have 2 jackets left by the kids and no one wants to claim them. They look like boys clothing. Both jackets are gray zip-up "hoodies". One is Champion and the other is GAP and looks to have a faint marking of a name. Please let me know as soon as possible if this jacket belongs to your child.
So many of their jackets and sweatshirts are left here everyday. Please talk with your kids about taking all of their items with them everyday. I have threatened flipping cards and am left with not much choice, but to actually follow through on these threats to make them realize the importance of being responsible for your belongings.
Thanks for your help!

Progress Reports

Yes, it's already half way through the 3rd nine weeks! I'm always amazed with how quickly the year flies by. Progress Reports will go home tomorrow (Tuesday, February 17). Please be sure to sign and return immediately. If you have any questions or would like a conference to discuss your child's progress, please let me know.

STAR Student

Jake was our STAR this past week. Jake lives with his mom and dad as well as a younger sister and brother. Jake loves all sorts of sports, but he likes playing baseball and football best. Much to my dismay, Jake likes watching The Gators with is family :) Jake brought in "Where the Sidewalk Ends", a poetry book by Shel Silverstein. He had quite a few favorites, but actually memorized one! Jake also enjoys playing his X-Box and tossing the football around.

FCAT Testing

FCAT begins this week with the 4th grade writing test. There will be quiet time all morning on Tuesday and Wednesday. This means that no volunteers are allowed on campus and students who are late will be housed near the office and won't be allowed to walk to their classroom. Please make sure your child is on time on these days.
The remainder of testing will begin in March. We have been buddy reading with Mrs. Laney's 5th grade class. The school has paired lower grades with upper grades to be supportive to them during this testing time. The plan for our class is to do things to let them know we're thinking of them and want them to do their best. We will make cards and give them mints to promote "fresh" thinking. I'm looking for other ideas and possible donations. I was thinking one afternoon towards the end of testing we could enjoy a treat like Popsicles in the afternoon with our buddies. Please contact me if you can think of another idea or would like to donate something. I'll confirm more exact dates later.

Valentine Exchange

Our Valentine exchange will be this Friday, February 13. If your child wants to participate, they must bring a Valentine for every child in our class (a total of 21). I sent home the list of names about two weeks ago. If you need this list again, please contact me and I will send you a new one. Each Valentine should have a child's name. We will be doing an alphabetizing activity with them. I am need of just a few items:

2 bags of candy conversation hearts

1 package of heart doilies

If you would like to contribute one of the items mentioned, please hit the "comments" button on the blog to claim the item. We will need them by Friday. Thanks for all your help!

STAR Student

Paige was our STAR this week. Paige celebrated her 7th birthday on Monday, which was also our 100th day of school. Paige lives with her mom and dad as well as an older brother and younger brother. Her older brother is in 2nd grade here at Loretto. Paige enjoys dancing and showed us her clogging shoes and tap shoes. The kids were impressed with the different sounds they make. She also has recently taken up knitting. She showed us a scarf that she is working on and she answered a barrage of questions from the other students. Paige's loves the Junie B. Jones series along with the rest of us. Her favorite is "Junie B. Jones Jingle Bells Batman Smells, P.S. So does May". At the end of the week Paige brought in an American Girl doll as her favorite toy.

100th Day

Our 100th day was a memorable one! The children made 100th day mini-books, we read stories, and we saw some awesome projects made of 100 items. I was very impressed with the creativity. At the end of the day, we enjoyed a yummy 100th day treat. Check out some of the pictures:

STAR Student

I'm about a week behind on giving STAR student updates:

Simon was our STAR 2 weeks ago.  Simon has two older sisters and lives with his mom and dad.  He brought in several books to share with us including a Puff the Magic Dragon book.  He loves sleeping with a Batman pillow.  It was about half the size of Simon and somehow managed to fit into his backpack!  

Lake was our STAR this past week.  It happened to be his birthday on the 28th.  lives with a mom and dad.  He loves army stuff!  He likes reading about past wars and enjoys playing with army men.  He has been to a Virginia and seen a natural bridge.  He brought in pictures for us to see.  His favorite book is "Dumb Bunny".  Although I wasn't a huge fan of the title, it WAS a very amusing book!!  He also enjoys playing Wii sports.