October 26, 2009
Notes From Ms. Ferguson
II am so sad to say that our time with Ms. McDonald has come to an end. The
months that we had with her were precious and I believe that she is part of
the reason we’ve seen so much growth among your children. She and I were
able to do a lot of one-on-one and small group activities and I will continue
to do the same throughout the rest of our year. Doubling the student/child
ratio is always a great thing, especially with a hands-on teacher like she
is. Miriam is going to be amazing in the classroom and we were all lucky to
have her for the time that we did. I wish her the best!
Behavior: As we get into a routine with just 1 teacher (me!) I am really
stressing behavior again with the kids. It is now extremely important to
adhere to our rules. We are working on being first time listeners and
following directions (2 and 3 step). You can help me with this at home by
encouraging your children to complete tasks the first time asked. Challenge
them and tell them 3 things to do in row and see if they can follow your
directions. (Ex: Please go upstairs and brush your teeth, put on your
pajamas, and choose 1 book for me to read. When I come upstairs you need to
have all 3 of these things done). Your children have a lot of potential and I
will continue to push them. When behavior is under control, then we can get
a lot more accomplished. Please sign their card and return it when your
child has a check. They do not participate in Fun Friday if the card is not
back at school and signed on Friday. It is my way of knowing that they
showed you the card and you guys had conversations about their behavior.
Thank you for supporting me with this.
Read-A-Thon: We are so lucky to have Shanna Smith as our Read-a-Thon mom.
She’s offering the kids fun incentives to help them reach their goals and
graphing the progress as we go. Even if you didn’t pledge money for your
child, please encourage them to read and participate. I have enjoyed
watching our enthusiastic class read so many books this past week! Please be
sure to monitor your child’s reading at home, as I am doing at school.
Encourage them to read books on their grade level---no too easy or too hard.
This is a fun competition and I’m always amazed at the growth that occurs in
just 2 weeks. Thanks for your support with this. Your child can still show
me their library card (if they haven’t already) to earn a trip to the
treasure chest. This is my way of increasing the chance that you guys will
visit the library during these 2 weeks!
~Reading: In reading, we are still working on verbs (past, present, and
future) along with story sequencing and making predictions. We are also
working on coming up with good titles for stories and capitalizing the
important words in a title.
~Math: We are working on frames and arrows, telling time to the ½ and
quarter hour, and subtraction. We’re also working on reading a thermometer
and measuring temperatures to the nearest 2 degrees. Our Chapter 4 math test
will be next week.
Star Students: Our star students this week are Ella Wagner and Kennedy
Terry. They are both doing a wonderful job being balanced in their work and
friendships. Both Ella and Kennedy are always looking out for ways to help
out me and their friends. They also are focused on their work and try very
hard to do their best. Way to go, guys!
November
13 – High Touch/High Tech (Weather or Not; Heidi Russell parent volunteer)
16-19 Book Fair
18 – Read-a-Thon ends
25-27 Thanksgiving Holiday
