Cougs are #4

I rarely will post items on my blog that are not related to school but I just couldn't resist sharing the good news. My beloved alma mater, Washington State University, has been making national headlines. The men's basketball team is now ranked #4 in the country! This is the highest ranking in Cougar basketball history. I went to the game last week in Seattle and was impressed. I am looking forward to a great season!

Go Cougs!

Winter Vacation

Time flies...

It is hard to believe that in less than one week we will be back in the swing of things around EP! I hope you have been enjoying your time over the past week. I kept myself busy with homework and family celebrations. See you all soon!

Happy Holidays!

To all of the families in the Emerald Park community, happy holidays! I hope that the next few weeks will give you the opportunity to reflect back on the year of 2007 and laugh wholeheartedly as you spend time together with your loved ones.

New List of KSD Educational Links

Below I have attached a list of educational links sponsored by the Kent School District. At this time, sixth grade is not available. I hope that this might serve as a resource for your younger children. I will update this post when the 6th grade sites become available.

http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/EP/newcurriculum_links/gradelevels.htm

National Geographic GeoBee

The GeoBee Quiz which is sponsored by National Geographic is updated daily to test kids geography skills. With the recent surge in interest regarding geography in our classroom, I thought this would be timely addition to the blog. Have a wonderful weekend!

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/

Holiday Activities

You are invited to attend any of the following events at Emerald Park in the next week:

Band & Orchestra Concert 12/12 11:45am
All School Sing-a-long 12/19 9:30am
Classroom Celebration 12/19 1:45pm

If I do not see you in the next few days, Happy Holidays!

Everyday Math Games Available Online

I have pasted a link below which allows you to access Everyday Math games online that are directly related to our curriculum. These games would be great to supplement math instruction at home. Please leave comments on which game your child has enjoyed the most.

http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/EP/newcurriculum_links/ep_math.htm

Parenting with Love and Logic Class

Are you looking for easy-to-use techniques that will help you raise responsible kids who are fun to be around? Then you may want to attend Becoming a Love and Logic Parent classes being offered at Emerald Park. These classes are based on the Love and Logic philosophy which is an easy to learn and unique approach that unlocks the secrets of successful parenting. You will learn the specific "how-to's", not just theoretical concepts.

Becoming a Love and Logic Parent class will be held on Thursdays, January 10, 17, 24, 31 and February 7, from 6:30-8:00 in the Emerald Park Library. These class sessions are free, however, you may purchase the recommended workbook for $10. Registration forms will be sent home in December with students, additional forms will be in the main office. If you have any questions or would like more information, please call the office at 253-373-3850. The deadline for registration is Monday, January 7. Space will be limited!

Food Drive Update

This year the student council challenged their peers to bring in items for donation to the Kent and Maple Valley food bank. Over the past week we have been collecting and sorting those items for pick up on Wednesday. As a school we donated 878 items! Kudos to you for giving to those in need.

Unit 4 Math Test

Wednesday all students will be tested on the material covered in unit 4 of our math curriculum. Concepts covered over the past month have included fractions, decimals and percents. Students will be presenting study information to each other on Monday and Tuesday for review. The test was postponed one day due to presentations in class.

Homework 911!

It is often difficult to find the balance between helping your child with their homework and letting them work out the answers for themselves. I have attached an article which may help you with a few tips on how to find the right combination for homework time in your family.

http://www.familytlc.net/preteen_homework.html

Roland Smith to Visit Soon!

Are you a lover of books about animals? Do you like mysteries? Are you interested in ABC books? Then you won’t want to miss seeing Roland Smith when he comes to Emerald Park on Thursday, January 17th. He is the author of Jack’s Run, Zach’s Lie, Cryptid Hunters, Peak, Z is for Zookeeper and E is for Evergreen, to name just a few. Thanks to the generosity of our PTSA, Roland will be presenting three assemblies throughout the day as well as autographing any books purchased by students. Book orders will be sent home on Friday, January 4th.

Young Author’s Day Leaders Needed

It’s not too late to sign up to participate in Emerald Park’s 4th Annual Young Author’s Day event. We are still looking for parents, grandparents and community members to lead small groups of students through a writing activity. Groups will consist of 6-10 students. The students love this day and so will you! Please consider participating. This is an excellent opportunity for students to experience writing in a small group setting with an adult they might not usually work with. If you are interested in participating in this fun day, please contact me at school and I will get you signed up. There will be an information/planning session for all interested parents/grandparents/community members on Tuesday, January 8th from 3:30 – 4:30 in the Library. We look forward to seeing you then.

You Are Cordially Invited...

To volunteer at our annual classroom holiday party. Our celebration of the 2007 school year will take place on December 19th from 1:45-3:00. As always, we would love to have you volunteer at this event. Please call or email me if you are able to attend.

Tierra Musica Concert

Our sixth grade music group will be performing at Kent Station this upcoming Saturday. The performance will take place outside of the movie theater from 12:00-12:45. I will be swinging by to listen to the sounds of the popular music group. I hope to see you there!

List of Fraction Game Links

Yet another fraction resource for you. This website contains a list of links that contain fraction games.

http://www.homeschoolmath.net/math_resources_3.php

Online Fraction Games

Happy Tuesday! This website has fun games that will help with fraction comprehension.

http://www.visualfractions.com/

Help with Fractions

Over the course of the next few weeks we will be studying fractions. This is a tricky area of math and can cause frustration. During this time period I plan to place helpful websites in my blog to assist with vocabulary and rules of working with fractions.

www.helpwithfractions.com/

Look for more help tomorrow!

Having Fun with Words

Over the course of the last few months our classroom has been participating in the new school wide spelling program. By the end of the sixth grade students will be expected to spell the most frequently used words in the English language correctly. While some students are already experiencing success, others are struggling to remember spelling patterns and usage rules. I have attached an article stating ways in which families can help to support their student spell efficiently through the use of games and activities.

http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/spelling.shtml

Also, directly to the right is a list of websites and the spelling games site which is designed for our curriculum. Enjoy and remember that the more your child is reading and writing at home, the easier spelling will become for them!

Go Cougs!

Conferences November 19-21 & 26-27

Conferences will begin November 19th with student dismissal taking place at 12:48 PM. If you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment, please call me so we can arrange another time.

Unit 3 Math Test

We will be having our third math test of the year this Thursday. This test will include material questions relating to reading and interpreting graphs, variables in number sentences and calculating formulas. Journal pages covered during this unit were located between 83-123. A study guide will be sent home on Wednesday in order to help you review.

Fostering a Love for Reading

Over the past week, I have sat down with every student and discussed their goals for the remainder of the school year. Many students stated that they are easily distracted while reading and are not spending that much time at home with a book. I came across this article and thought it was relevant to what they had stated for their personal goals. This article provides simple tips on how you can help to foster a love for reading in your home. Enjoy!

http://preteenagerstoday.com/resources/articles/lovereading.htm

Welcome!

I am always looking for different ways in which I can keep the community informed with the happenings at Emerald Park. This is by far the most creative method to date!

While technology is advancing far more rapidly than even I can keep up with, I decided to give a fairly new method of internet communication a try. Blogging is a tool used by millions all over the world that allows people to talk via the internet and spread news about what is important to them. This is a simple tool which is rarely used in education. Since teaching is a passion of mine, this is yet another logical procedure which allows me to accomplish tons of work in just a few clicks of my mouse.

I plan on using this site to promote different educational websites and resources along with informing our EP community of special events and curriculum.

Please feel free to leave comments and respond to blogs that are of interest to you. Thank you so much for the support that you provide your child each and everyday. Together we will make this school year memorable for everyone!

Mrs. Lee