Roots of Empathy Assembly

Tomorrow we will be participating in the Roots of Empathy assembly. This gathering will focus on the type of behaviors needed by our students in order to stomp out bullying. The assembly will being promptly at 2:00.

King County Library Summer Reading Program

The King County Library System is rolling out its summer reading program on June 16th. If you reach 1000 minutes of reading you will be entered into a drawing for a free laptop! If you would like more details on the program visit a branch of the library or go to their website:

http://www.kcls.org/

Deck of Cards

We need regular decks of playing cards for tomorrow's math lesson. There will be a reward for all students who bring in a pack. Thanks for your support!

Spirit Day

It is time to get out your leg warmers and keds, Friday is 80's Day! Show your school spirit by wearing an outfit from the very neon decade that brought us video games, crimped hair, and New Kids on the Block.

6th Grade Party

The 6th grade party will take place on Monday, June 16th from 1:10-3:18. The planning committee has asked that each student contribute $6 in order to cover the cost of pizza, drinks, and snacks. All money will need to be collected by Monday, June 2nd. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Help! Carnival Basket Items Needed

The EP carnival is set for Friday, June 6th. One of the annual traditions is to have each class make a gift basket for the raffle. This year we have been assigned to the Pets basket. Leashes, treats, toys, etc. are all great ideas to donate. Please help us by generously contributing to our class project. All items for the carnival basket are due by May 30th.

Thank you for your support!

Summer Reading Challenge

The EP library will be talking about different summer reading incentives that are available for them to participate in over the next few weeks.

A unique reading program that is free to the public is available for those students who are hooked on the Warriors series.

Here is the link if you are interested:

http://www.readingwarriors.com/rwshell.html

Spring Band/Orchestra Concert

The annual concert to celebrate an amazing year of learning will take place Tuesday, May 20th at 11:45. This concert will last about 45 minutes.

Arts Corps

Greetings!

As you may already know, Arts Corps participated in the planning and implementation of Seeds of Compassion youth events that culminated in April. Many of the students we work with contributed artwork, explored the themes of compassion and empathy, and attended Children's Day, and I know many of yours did as well.

Arts Corps is a youth empowerment program, offering free arts education classes to kids in grades K-12. Experienced teaching artists create rich learning environments in education facilities all over King County, fostering our greatest resource: young people. For a list of the current classes we offer, please visit our website at www.artscorps.org.

Social Studies Country Reports

Our country reports are in full swing and our goal is to complete three feature articles by the week's end along with drawing an artistic cover. Students may bring work home this week regarding the project that could include prewriting or cover design. Deadlines for this major project are made weekly and we are looking to finish after Memorial Day. Thank you for your continued support at home.

Talent Show

Emerald Park will be highlighting our bright, young stars at the annual talent show on Friday, May 16th. The talent show will start at 1:45 pm. Hope to see you there!

Update! Copper - Silver Drive

Our class is experiencing great success in the Copper - Silver Drive. Bring whatever money you have hiding in your couch cushions. We could very well be sitting on a victory!

Copper - Silver Drive

Next week EP will hold its annual Copper - Silver Drive. Bring in your spare change and help raise money for student programs here at school. Rules on this exciting fundraiser were sent home in today's Friday folder.

Twin Day

Show your school spirit on Friday and dress like someone else! It is Twin Day so plan your outfits accordingly.

The WASL has come and gone...

The WASL for sixth grade students is officially over. Monday we will return to our regular schedule of homework and things will finally get back to normal. The kids worked really hard this year on their tests and I expect great results!

Algebra Readiness Test Results

Results from the Algebra Readiness Test will be sent home this week in the Friday Folders. This test was an indicator of your child's ability to learn algebra by reading and viewing sample problems. The test score achieved on this test will be used in order to place your child into their math class for next year. Unlike the previous reading test there is no "cut-off" line for math placement which will determine the level of class they will be taking. I will inform you of their placement hopefully in the next month. Let me know if you have any questions.

Degrees of Reading Power Test Results

The Degrees of Reading Power Test Results will be sent home this week in the Friday Folders. The results include a national percentile (if your child scored a 71 that would mean in a class of 100, they would have the 71st best score) and a list of books that would be suitable for your child at thier level.

If your child applied for the Honors program their national percentile score will be used to determine placement. They are looking for a score of 90 or higher. If your child did not score in this range they will need to be awfully close to be accepted into the program.

If you have any questions regarding this material, please contact me.

Support Our Troops

Student Council approved an idea to rally behind our troops and support them through a variety of donated items. More to come on this event...

Homework!

FYI: I will be assigning less homework over the course of the next two weeks due to WASL testing. Get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast every morning before walking to class!

WASL Schedule for the week of April 14th

This week we will be taking the reading section of the WASL. Testing dates and times will be:

Tuesday 4/15 from 9:15-11:15

Thursday 4/17 from 9:15-11:15

Morning recess will be moved back that day to accomodate for those students who need longer on the test. Students who need more time outside of the two hours already designated for testing will be allowed to finish their testing in a different classroom.

Sample questions and prompts are available on http://www.k12.wa.us/

Good luck!

Spring Break

School will resume Monday, April 14th. Enjoy your vacation!

Music Concerts

The following music concerts are all scheduled for this week:

Wed: Tierra Musica Concert at the Columbia Tower, 11:30-12:15
Thurs: Tierra Musica & Baroque n' Toys in the EP cafeteria, 7:00
Fri: Tierra Musica & Baroque n' Toys in the EP cafeteria, 2:00-3:00

Two Hour Delay

School has been delayed due to snow. The start time for Thursday, March 27th is 11:10. Thank you for being flexible with this time change.

Ugandan Choir Visit

On Thursday, March 27th the EP gym will be home to a unique music experience. A Ugandan Children's Choir will perform a singing and dancing musical presentation to our students. Come join us for a unique musical experience at 9:30 am!

Middle School Registration

Middle school registration is due on Thursday, March 27th. If you have any concerns about placement or would like to discuss your child's options for next year please contact me.

Talking to Your Kids about Puberty

Today marked the start of our unit of study on the reproductive system. Here is a website which I found helpful for talking to kids about puberty. I hope that everyone has the opportunity to talk to their child about what they are learning this week and can help answer any questions that your child does not want to ask in class.

http://www.growingkids.co.uk/TalkingAboutPuberty.html

Conferences

Sorry I have not updated this website in the last week. I am finally done with my National Certification writing and plan on getting back to a normal, quiet life.

Next week is conference week. Dismissal will be at 12:48 daily. Please call if you need to schedule a new time for your conference or would like to check the time as well.

Enjoy your weekend!

Assembly

You are invited to attend a presentation of The Stinky Cheese Man on Monday morning at 9:30. Seating for adults will be in the back of the gym. See you then!

Conferences

Schedules for conferences go out tomorrow. Please verify your time and return your form by Wednesday! Thanks!

Flexible Enrollment for 2008-09

If you are interested in sending your child to a different middle school than the one that they were assigned to the information is in! As soon as possible, you will need to visit the middle school that you would like your child to attend and ask to fill out the flexible enrollment information. Only about 20 students are allowed to flex enroll at each school. Hurry before they run out of room!

Open House for Middle School

If your child is going to Meeker Middle School:

Open House
Tuesday, March 11
7:00 PM

or

If your child is going to Meridian Middle School:

Open House
Wednesday, March 12
6:30 PM

If you are not sure where your child is going and would like more information, please call me.

Teacher Workshop Day

No school on Friday!

Conferences

On Thursday the schedules will be sent home for conferences at the end of March. All schedules must be submitted by Wednesday so that I can make the schedule. Thanks!

Field Trip

On Wednesday we are going to Seattle for our Moon Mission. Don't forget your lunch!

Another Probability Game

Here's another probability game that deals with flipping a coin.

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/probability/index.html

Spirit Day

Friday is Sports Day at EP. Dress in your favorite team garb. The best dressed (in my classroom only) as voted on by the students will win a Cougar basketball poster.

Class Picture Day is Tomorrow!

Cheese!

Probability Unit of Study

In math we will begin our study of probability this morning. I have listed a website below that you will find helpful for discussing probability at home.

http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol6/intro_probability.html

CBS Early Show Video

Ms. Hansen's class was recently featured on the CBS Early Show. Here is the link, click on the Babies Fight Bullies video.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/earlyshow/main500202.shtml

I hope you are all enjoying your break. So long from Montana!

Moon Mission Chaperones

I am currently looking for parents to chaperone our Moon Mission field trip to the Museum of Flight. We will be going to the museum from 9:15-2:30 on Wednesday, March 5th. If you are interested in attending please contact me. Thank you!

New Website

http://teacher.kent.k12.wa.us/emeraldpark/jlee/index.php

Let me know what features I should add so that I can best meet your needs!

Thank You EP!

Our annual Candy Gram sales were once again a huge success. Thank you to the EP community for supporting programs that impact student learning.

A special thank you goes out our parent volunteers and the KR leadership class for helping with this project. We couldn't have done it without you!

Fifth Grade Featured in the Wall Street Journal

Check out this online article from the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120217269044942825.html?mod=hpp_us_pageone

Fifth Avenue Theater at EP!

Join us Monday, February 11th from 10:45-11:35 for a unique theaterical experience. The Fifth Avenue Theater presents Northwest Bookshelf #2 a play which features five different children's books.

Valentine's Day Party

We will be having our annual Valentine's Day Party on Thursday, February 14th from 1:45-3:00. If your child would like to bring a cards to school they must bring one for everyone in the class. A list of students will be sent home at the beginning of next week.

Super Bowl XLII Math Problem

If Tom Brady completes 26 of 32 passes, what is his pass completion rate?

If Plaxico Burress drops 2 of 9 passes, what is his catch completion rate?

Post your answer in the comments section.

Website Update

My new website for room 309 is in the process of getting linked to the EP homepage. Are there any features you would like to have included? Please let me know what you would like to see!

Class Website

I will have our new class website up and running this week. I will update my blog with the web address so you can visit this great site!

Ms. Hansen's Class Joins Blogger!

Ms. Hansen's class is joining in the blogging fun. Visit her 5th grade classroom blog by visiting:

http://mshansensclass.blogspot.com

Snowy Monday

I was personally shocked to wake up this morning and find that school was going to start on time. It took me one hour to get to school this morning which is forty minutes longer than usual. Buses and cars were having difficulties and frustration was at an all time high on the roads.

With the possibility of more snow this evening please be prepared for a wild Tuesday. School delays and cancellations can be tracked by visiting:

http://www.schoolreport.org/

You can also visit websites of major news stations in the area, watch the morning news or turn on your radio. Drive safely and stay warm!

State of the Union

Every year I provide an opportunity for students to learn more about the world we are living in through a simple assignment.

Monday, January 29th is the annual State of the Union address by President Bush. Students will be encouraged to view his speech for at least 15 minutes and report what they learned to the class. Please take the time tomorrow to sit down with your child and discuss the current events.

The speech will begin at 6:00 and last for approximately one hour. The president does not start speaking until about 6:10 due to applause by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Every major news network will be airing this speech on their network.

Teacher Workshop Day

Wednesday, January 30th is a teacher workshop day. Sleep in and enjoy your day off!

See you back at school on Thursday.

Family Writing Night

If you are still interested in attending Family Writing Night please contact the office on Monday or Tuesday. Family Writing Night is Tuesday, January 29th from 7:00-8:00. Different topics will be presented by teachers around the building.

Volunteers Needed!

I am organizing the annual Student Council Candy Gram sale. Last year through the help of parent volunteers and staff we created over 1,100 cards for distribution on Valentine's Day. If you would like to help us create these cards, I would appreciate your help! Either call, email or stop in and talk to me.

Thank you in advance for volunteering your time.

Word Puzzles Galore

http://weeklyreader.com/teens/games/index.asp

This is a great website for fun with words (crosswords, word searches, etc.) and numbers. Enjoy!

Super Bowl XLII

Football has quickly become the most popular game played at recess. This movement to throw the pigskin was started by many of the students in my class.

Our class has a subscription to Weekly Reader magazine. On the magazine website is an opportunity that I thought I would pass along. Weekly Reader is now taking questions regarding Super Bowl XLII. If you submit a question and it is selected, it will be answered by a player from the New York Giants or New England Patriots and printed in the magazine.

Here is the link:

http://weeklyreader.com/wys/askacelebrity.asp

Ms. Buchwald Joins Blogger!

Blogging is becoming very popular internationally for people that would like to keep family and friends updated on their lives. Recently educators have joined the epidemic as a way of maintaining communication with the community. I hope that over the course of the past few months you have enjoyed reading my posts and exploring helpful websites.

Ms. Buchwald has now joined the group of EP teachers blogging. Here is her new blog!

http://msbuchwaldsclass.blogspot.com/

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

There will be no school on Monday, January 21st as we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Enjoy this time off with your children!

More Positives and Negatives

http://www.mathsisfun.com/positive-negative-integers.html

Mr. Johnson sent me this link for more fun with positive and negative numbers. I thought I would pass it along to you. Enjoy!

Positive & Negative Numbers

Our new unit of study in math revolves around concepts such as positive and negative numbers along with pre algebra material. I have listed a website below that offers basic information on working with positives and negatives.

http://cs.gmu.edu/cne/modules/dau/algebra/basicarith/arith1_frm.html

Young Author's Day

Young Author's Day is tomorrow! Students will be working on two different writing themes presented by two different teachers. Instructors for tomorrow include EP staff, district personnel and community members. If you would like to stop by and observe the wonderful writing taking place we would love to see you. Intermediate writing sessions run from 9:30-10:25 and 10:40-11:35.

Roland Smith Assembly

Roland will be presenting life stories and the pursuit of excellent writing tomorrow for the 5th and 6th grade students. The assembly will take place in the gym from 2:10-3:10. Seats will be available in the back if you would like to attend.

Celebrate Diversity

On Wednesday afternoon the choirs of Emerald Park and Kentridge will combine to perform a concert in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Please join us for this concert which begins at 1:45. We are saving a seat for you. See you there!

NASA for Students

We are visiting the Museum of Flight at the beginning of March for our mission to the moon (more information will be sent home in the next few weeks regarding logistics). I have integrated information needed for the field trip into a unit on questioning in reading. We have been reading printed materials and also reading online. Below is the link for the NASA for Students page which students will be able to find interesting topics on all things space.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html

Roland Smith Book Forms Due Monday

Roland Smith is visiting Emerald Park on Thursday. If you would like to order a book please turn in the order form by Monday. All students who purchase a book can have the famous author autograph it as well.

New Hampshire Primary and Beyond

Registered voters will select their choice for president of the United States in November and pass that information onto their state's electoral college. The elections are right around the corner!

With the New Hampshire primary taking place today I thought I would post a student-friendly website that will clear up questions like:

Why are people voting today?
Who is running for president?
Can I be president?

Get all of those questions answered and more by visiting Weekly Reader online.

http://www.weeklyreader.com/election/index.asp

Asteroids Rock!

To follow up on the article we read today, we will continue to examine asteroids and their role in the solar system. Below is the article that we are reading during our next instructional block.

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0609/articles/mainarticle.html

Young Author's Day

Young Author's Day is right around the corner. Roland Smith will be visiting on Thursday, January 17th to talk with students about the challenges writers face in their trade. The following day we will follow up on Roland's visit by working on skills author's use in a small group setting.

Stay tuned for information regarding how you can order Roland's books and get them autographed by the author himself.

http://www.rolandsmith.com/

The Changing Face of Mars

Tomorrow we will be reading the following article in class to prepare ourselves for our upcoming field trip to the Museum of Flight.

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0710/articles/mainarticle.html

In our tour of the solar system, Mars is up next. Enjoy!

Go Hawks!

Mixtures & Solutions

Today we started our first science unit for the new year. Mixtures and solutions will be our area of study over the course of the next month. I have listed a link to the science curriculum website below. There are games and activities for your child to complete at home.

http://www.fossweb.com/modules3-6/index.html

Happy New Year!

See you in just two days. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.