Bastoky News
11/16-11/20
Academic Update: Writing
We are finishing up our small moment/personal narrative unit this week. We
hope to have all our finished writing up and displayed on the writer’s wall by
Friday. This was our first writing unit that we went through the whole writing
process that consisted of picking a topic and writing it down, making a web,
completing a graphic organizer, and before working on the final draft, each
student had to submit a rough draft and then go through the peer and teacher
editing process. The students worked hard on their writing and their writing
process is kept in their writing folders. If you are curious to see our steps
to writing, please come in and take a look. We will start our next writing
unit on “how to” after the Thanksgiving Break.
Spotlight on Shakespeare
Last Friday, we were fortunate enough to have Jessica Augusten from the Denver
Center Theatre Academy come and do a Shakespeare dramatic performance workshop
with our
class. They got to participate in a lot of fun activities that helped them
have fun acting the text and understanding a little more about Shakespeare's
world. It was a fun and educational time for all as it will help us prepare
for auditioning for the DPS Shakespeare Festival that takes place in the spring!
Class Thanksgiving Feast
Thanks to all those parents who are turning in their fest slips for next
Tuesday. I am updating the items being brought on the website. Please have
your forms turned in by this Friday so I can see what remaining items we need!
Thank you for your help with this. We are working on our Class Thanksgiving
Quilt that will be display outside our classroom starting Thursday morning.
This shows the Southmoor Community what the students in Room 8 are thankful for.
Weekly Homework
Nightly Reading for 1st/2nd graders: 20-30 minutes
Monday:
Spelling packets passed out today and due on Friday- test on Friday
Math: 1st grade, home link 4.2; 2nd grade, study link pgs.29-30
Tuesday:
Work on spelling packets
Math: 1st grade, home link 4.3; 2nd grade, study link, pgs. 31-32
Wednesday:
Work on spelling packets
Math: 1st grade, home link 4.4; 2nd grade, study link pgs. 33-34
Thursday: Spelling packets due tomorrow and study for test
Math: 1st grade, home link 4.5; 2nd grade, study link pgs. 35-36
Bastoky News
Week of November 2-6
I enjoyed meeting with you at our parent teacher conferences. Thank you all
for a successful October family night. It was fun making the graham cracker
houses! Our next family night will take place in early December. I will have
more information regarding this in the next couple of weeks. October book
orders will be passed out early this week. November book orders will go out in
Thursday’s take home folder. Happy November!
Weekly Homework
Homework: Week of November 2-6
-Nightly Reading (Monday-Friday)
1st grade: 10-15 minutes per night
2nd grade: 20-25 minutes per night
Monday November 2:
-Spelling packets passed out and due on Friday
-1st grade math: home link 3.8
-2nd grade math: study link pg.28
Tuesday November 3:
-Work on spelling packet
-1st grade math: home link 3.9
-2nd grade math: study guide for Chapter 3 test on Thursday
Wednesday November 4:
-Work on spelling packet
-1st grade math: home link 3.10
-2nd grade math: study guide due tomorrow; Chapter 3 test tomorrow
Thursday November 5:
-Spelling packets due tomorrow; study for spelling test
-1st grade math: home link 3.11; study guide for Chapter 3 test due on Tuesday
(Chapter 3 test will be on Tuesday)
-2nd grade math: sign and return chapter 3 math test
Class Thanksgiving Feast
There is an attached handout regarding our class thanksgiving feast that will
take place on Tuesday November 24th from 11:30-12:30pm in our classroom.
Bastoky News
October 19-23
Family Night is tonight, Monday October 19th from 6-7pm in our classroom.
Please join us to make graham cracker haunted house and socialize with the
other families!
Parent Teacher Conferences will take place this week. Please check the
schedule online to verify your scheduled time slot.
Homework: Week of October 19-23
-Nightly Reading (Monday-Friday)
1st grade: 10-15 minutes per night
2nd grade: 20-25 minutes per night
Monday October 19:
-Spelling packets passed out and due on Friday
-No math homework due to Family Night from 6-7 tonight!
Tuesday October 20:
-Work on spelling packets
-1st grade math: home link 3.5; 2nd grade math: study link pg.25
Wednesday October 21:
-Work on spelling packets
-1st grade math: home link 3.6; 2nd grade math: study link pg.26
Thursday October 22:
-Spelling packets due tomorrow; study for test
-1st grade math: home link 3.7; study link pg.27
Bastoky News
October 12-16
*** Early Release Day this Friday October 16 (School is from 9-12:45) ***
ACADEMIC UPDATE: TECHNOLOGY
We are starting a weekly routine to visit the tech lab and play everyday math
games on the computers. This is a great way for students to enrich and enhance
their mathematical abilities in a fun and hands on way. During parent teacher
conferences, I will show you how the students can play their everyday math
games at home. I am asking each parent to please send in a pair of headphones
with their child so they can listen to the sound on the games without
disturbing others. I will keep them in a bin with their name on it and store
it in the tech lab. I appreciate your help with this!
OCTOBER FAMILY NIGHT: Monday October 19th (6-7pm)
If you haven’t already RSVP’d, please do so by this Friday so I can get enough
supplies for the activities! If you need an extra REVP form or flyer, you can
print one off the family night link located on the website. It should be a fun
night for all involved!
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES:
The schedule was passed out last week and is available online. Please sign up
for a conference ASAP if you have not already done so. Please email me if we
need to change the day or time. Thank you for your help with this!
Homework: Week of October 12-16
-Nightly Reading (Monday-Friday)
1st grade: 10-15 minutes per night
2nd grade: 20-25 minutes per night
Monday October 12: (Sign and return math tests!)
-Spelling packets passed out; they are due on Friday and test is on Friday
-1st grade math: home link 3.1; 2nd grade math: study link pg.21
Tuesday October 13:
-Work on spelling packets
-1st grade math: home link 3.2; 2nd grade math: study link pg.22
Wednesday October 14:
-Work on spelling packets
-1st grade math: home link 3.3; 2nd grade math: study link pg.23
Thursday October 14:
-Spelling packets due tomorrow; study for test!
-1st grade math: home link 3.4; 2nd grade math: study link pg.24
Bastoky News
10/5-10/9
The Week in Review…..
Monday-Spelling packets handed out and due on Friday; spelling test Friday
Tuesday-Anderson Farms Field Trip (9:15-2:00pm) Please send your child with
old shoes and clothes, a sack lunch, and a jacket if it’s chilly!
Friday-Spelling packets due and test today; October book orders are due today
October Family Night
Our 1st family night of the year will take place on Monday October 26th in our
classroom from 6-7pm. The theme of the family night will be “Fall Fun” and
will feature fun activities geared toward the autumn season. A flyer will be
passed out later this week with more details and an RSVP slip. Mark the
date-our family nights are truly a blast!
Weekly Math Homework
Monday-1st grade: home link 2.10; 2nd grade study link pg.18
Tuesday-1st grade: home link 2.11; 2nd grade study link pg.19
Wednesday-1st grade: home link 2.12; 2nd grade study link pg.20
Thursday-1st grade: home link 2.12; 2nd grade study link pg.21
(Chapter 2 study guides will be passed out on Wednesday and will be due next
Monday, the day of the Chapter 2 test)
Parent Teacher Conferences
I will be sending out confirmation slips this Wednesday and will be posting
the schedule online under the conference link by Wednesday afternoon. If you
haven’t sent in your conference slip or need to check your time, please check
online first then email or send me a note. Please contact me if you need to
schedule a morning conference; I will be happy to accommodate!
HAPPY OCTOBER!
Bastoky News
9/28-10/02
The Week In Review….
Monday-Spelling starts this week! Packets are handed in on Monday and due on
Friday. There will be a spelling test on Friday. If your child wants to hand
in their packet early, the spelling words will be on the website under the
spelling link by Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday-Moose is Loose walk pledge forms are due; you can turn them in to
the take home folders and I will collect them.
Thursday-Donuts for Dads in the cafeteria, 8:00am
Friday-Spelling packets due and spelling test today
Academic Update: Guest Speakers
Last week we were fortunate to have two guest speakers come in and talk to our
class regarding two different academic content areas. We had a guest speaker
come and talk to us about basic money skills. She explained to us all about
the different types of banking options for children and also reviewed the
basic amounts of money and the importance of saving! The students also engaged
in a fun and interactive game involving figuring out the different amounts of
coin values. We also were fortunate to have another guest speaker come in from
the Dumb Friends League and help introduce our new science unit on animals.
The students learned all about how to take care of animals and the importance
of giving them a good home. The students also learned about which animals make
good pets and the steps involved to take care of them. Both of these speakers
did an excellent job of informing, educating, and motivating our students.
Anderson Farms Field Trip
A reminder that our Anderson Farms pumpkin patch trip is next Tuesday October
6th. We depart at 9:15am and we will return to school no later than 2:00pm. We
have enough parent volunteers for this trip-thanks for the support! Please
send your child with a sack lunch and good walking shoes for this trip. Also,
a water bottle would be a good idea to send if it is a warm day. Please send
in your $6.00 for this trip by this Friday if you have not already done so.
Thank you for your help with this!
Important Reminders
*September book orders have arrived; I had a couple order forms with no names
on them. Please send me an email or note if you have not received your
scholastic book orders yet and I will send them home with your child ASAP
*Please return the parent teacher conference slips ASAP to get one of your top
time slots. I will do my best to accommodate all conference requests. As soon
as I have generated the schedule, I will be sending home confirmation slips.
*I hope to see you all at the Moose is Loose Walk and Carnival this Saturday
October 3rd. It should be a fun time for all!
***ALASKA DAY WAS A HUGE SUCCESS! THANKS FOR ALL THOSE WHO ATTENDED AND FOR
ALL THE DONATIONS OF ITEMS. WE HAD A BLAST!!!***
Bastoky News for 9/21-9/25 will be posted and sent home tomorrow!
Bastoky News
September 14-17
Remember that Friday September 18th is a non student contact day; there will
be no school for students this Friday!
ABC FUNDRAISER
This year’s school fundraiser to raise money for class supplies is the ABC
Fundraiser. The catalog sent home last Thursday contains many goodies, gifts,
magazine, wrapping paper, and much more for sale. The students can even win
cool prizes for participating. This is an optional fundraiser; however, I
encourage the students to sell at least one item from the catalog to help
raise money for our school and class supplies. I am offering an extra
incentive as well. Each student who sells at least one item through the
catalog will earn 1 Bastoky buck for the class. Happy selling!
ACADEMIC UPDATE: SOCIAL STUDIES
We are entering our second week of our social studies unit on family and
community. Our first week’s lessons focused on getting along with each other
and problem solving when conflicts arise at school. We got a chance to sing
and learn a “getting along” song, identify and role play different conflict
resolution situations on the playground, help solve the problems of
irresponsible goats! Through a story, and learn about fairness, respect, and
cooperation. This intro to our social studies unit is a valuable lesson in
teaching the character values of respect, responsibility, fairness, caring,
and honesty to the class. We look forward to continuing our social studies
lessons!
STEMAPALOOZA
This is a field trip we took as a class last year and I was looking forward to
going again. However, due to the field trip being on an early release day we
cannot attend as a class. I wanted to pass the information along to you if you
get the opportunity to attend on your own. It is a fun and educational experience!
Mark your calendars! STEMapalooza is a two-day event that is FREE and OPEN TO
THE PUBLIC, October 16th and 17th, 2009, 9am to 4pm, at the Colorado
Convention Center featuring over 100 exhibitors from around the state of
Colorado that support Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math programs for
students and educators and employ hundreds of thousands of jobs in STEM
related careers. It will be a fantastic two-days for students of all ages to
engage in hands-on, minds-on activities, such as Fast-Track Racing, Robotics,
Gaming, Film Production, Staging, Rocketry, and much, much more.
**** We will be having phonics packets this week. They will be due on Thursday
because of no school on Friday. We will be having show and tell on Thursday
this week instead of Friday****
Bastoky News
September 8-11
THE WEEK AHEAD…
Tuesday September 8: Class Picture Day
Thursday September 10: 2nd grade SPREE field trip to Bear Creek; leave school
by 9:15 and return by 2:00pm. Please send comfortable walking shoes and a sack
lunch.
Friday September 11: 1st grade SPREE field trip to Commons Park; leave school
by 9:15 and return by 2:00p.m. Please send comfortable walking shoes and a
sack lunch.
LET’S PICK A PUMPKIN
Sent home in today’s take home folder is information regarding our pumpkin
patch field trip to Anderson Farms on October 6th. This trip ties directly in
with our 1st and 2nd grade science standards regarding plants and animals. On
this trip, the students will not only get to learn all about how pumpkins are
grown but also visit and get up close with different animals. The highlight is
that each student will take a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch and pick their
very own pumpkin! This should be a great and fun learning experience for us
all. The cost of this trip will be $6.00; please send your money in an
envelope to Mr. Bastoky before October 1st. Thank you for your help with this!
I will be able to take the first 4 parent volunteers who email or send me a
note on the bus with us. Mrs. Gilbert’s 1/2 class will be joining us on this trip!
ACADEMIC UPDATE: MATH
The chapter 1 test for both 1st and 2nd graders will be on Monday September
14th. A study guide for the test will be passed out in Wednesday’s take home
folder and will be due on the day of the test. This will help the student
prepare for the chapter test. Each grade level has their own specific study
guide for their chapter test which is based on the everyday math lessons.
Reviewing the home links is also good practice to study for the test. The 2nd
graders have received their study links books and were passed out in class
today. The study links books will be used this year instead of the home links
last year. They are a great resource and practice guide that will help
supplement our everyday math lessons.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS:
Thank you to all the parent volunteers who signed up at back to school night.
I will be sending you a note home confirming your volunteer day and time
sometime this week. Due to the short week and field trips, we will be starting
parent volunteers next week. Thanks again!
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER BOOK ORDERS:
August/September book orders were placed last week and should be arriving in
the next couple of weeks. I will send them home in the student’s backpack with
the order slip as soon as they arrive! October book orders will be sent home
sometime later this month.
HAPPY SEPTEMBER!
BASTOKY NEWS
8/31-9/4
CURRICULUM NIGHT
Curriculum Night for our class is this Wednesday September 2nd from
6:30-7:00pm in our classroom. Parent volunteer sign up forms and information
on our academic curriculum will be available and discussed. I also hope to
answer any questions that you might have regarding academics or other areas of
interest pertaining to our classroom. I look forward to seeing you there.
Remember, this night is for parents only! If you cannot attend, please let me
know and I will send home a curriculum packet with your child in their take
home folders.
SPREE FIELD TRIPS
Thank you to those parents for returning your field trip permission slips so
quickly; if you haven’t returned yours yet, please do so as soon as possible.
Thank you and I appreciate your help with this!
**1st grade SPREE trip to Commons Park w/ Mrs. Gilbert (Friday September 11)
Leave school at 9:15; Return to school around 2:00pm
**2nd grade SPREE trip to Bear Creek w/ Mr. Bastoky (Thursday September 10)
Leave school at 9:15; Return to school around 2:00pm
Please remember to send your child with comfortable walking shoes, a sack
lunch, and sun screen applied before the field trip if it is a warm day. Thank
you!
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
I will be welcoming parent volunteers in the classroom the week of Monday
September 7th. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up on
curriculum night or stop by the room to sign up for a slot. I will be looking
for volunteers to help with reading groups during reading time (9-10:30); one
on one or small group reviewing various math concepts (10:30-11:50) and help
with photocopying (a time that is convenient for you) I will always provide
the materials and directions for you to make volunteering as easy as possible!
I always appreciate, welcome, and value parent volunteers in the classroom.
PICTURE DAY
Student Picture Day is Tuesday September 8th. Picture forms went home in last
Thursday’s take home folder. If you are interested in purchasing pictures for
your child, please return the form prior to Tuesday September 8th.
Bastoky News
8/24-8/28
Academic Update: Writer’s Wall
We had a great 1st week of school and are very busy into our daily routine.
The writer’s wall is now up for viewing. Feel free to stop by our room and
check out your child’s spot on our writing wall. You can find their spot by
locating their picture! The current writing sample on display is the students
“Meet Me” books. Also on display outside our room is your child’s “All About
Me Tee” posters they created last week during the first few days of school.
Please check them out! The writing wall and outside wall will be changed with
new items every few weeks or so.
Homework Update:
This week we will start our daily homework routine that will continue until
the end of the year. There will be homework on a daily basis Monday-Thursday
nights. The assignments will always be posted on the website. Please email or
send in a note if you would like a hard copy of the weekly homework assignments.
Nightly Reading: Every night there will be nightly reading. Recommended times
for 1st graders are 10-15 minutes per night and 2nd graders are 20-25 minutes
per night. Books that can be used consist of any books at home, classroom
library books that can be borrowed, or library books.
Math: Every night there will be a home link worksheet that will be due the
next day. Each student has a home link book. Please leave the home link in the
book, not ripped out. Every night, the home link book should be brought home
and returned the next day to be checked. There will be no home link the day
before a test or on the night of the test. Before each test, I will give a
week’s notice and a study guide before the test.
Spelling/Phonics: For the first month of school, I will pass out a phonics
packet of activities geared toward the appropriate grade level on Monday. This
packet will be due on Friday. Packets can be turned in earlier! At curriculum
night, I will address how I instruct spelling, spelling packets, and spelling
tests.
I understand and respect the busy schedules of 1st/2nd graders and their
parents! Please let me know if you have any concerns or comments regarding
homework. Unless there is a frequent problem with late homework, I do not give
consequences for late assignments. I do reward the students with a Bastoky
Buck for each packet turned in on Fridays (they can also receive the buck if
it is turned in late) My main purpose for homework at these grade levels is to
instill a routine of homework and give them a nightly practice for the core
academic areas.
Water Bottles and Snack Break:
I encourage parents to send their child in with a water bottle to be used
during the day. This helps out with fewer trips to the drinking fountain and
is helpful on warm and hot days!
Each day we have a short snack break from 10:30-10:35. Feel free to send your
child in with a healthy snack. If your child forgets to bring in a snack,
don’t worry! I always have an extra snack on hand, usually a hand full of
cereal or some crackers!
Bastoky News
8/17-8/21
TAKE HOME FOLDERS
Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year! I look forward to a great school year.
The Bastoky News will be posted every Sunday on my website and a hard copy
will be passed out every Monday in the student’s take home folder. Each night
the take home folder is brought home, please return it the next day with your
child. Thank you for your help with this!
CLASS WEBSITE
http://teacherweb.com/CO/SouthmoorElementarySchool/MrBastoky
The class website will be updated daily with homework assignments. In
addition, the website provides the weekly class newsletter, field trip
information, class behavior policy and other important information, an email
link to my email address, and links to great educational websites where you
can even print your own extra homework sheets, such as phonics and math
related activities if you are interested!
BACK TO SCHOOL PACKET
Sent home today is our class back to school packet that contains very useful
and important information. On the back of the packet is a contract saying that
you have read and understand the information included in the packet. Please
sign and return in your child’s take home folder as soon as possible. Thank
you for your help with this! All this information is also included on the website.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Attached to the newsletter is a hard copy of our 2009-2010 class schedule. Our
library time will be on Thursday’s at 3pm. Students will be able to check out
books starting next week; please send library books that need to be returned
with your child on the next Thursday morning.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS
Each month, I will be sending home scholastic book orders in the take home
folder. These are completely optional. If you are interested in purchasing
books for your child, please return a check made out to Scholastic Book Orders
on the return date listed on the monthly book order form. The August book
orders will be due on Friday August 28th.