Observation Day

Observation Day

Wednesday

December 22, 2010

9:05am-9:55am

High School Pool

Spelling through December 17

where
which
whole
write
matter
machine
force
nation
motion
fiction
vacation
organization

Latitude and Longitude

Spelling 12/3/10

List 9 tried
trying
coming
making
explore
explorers
decimal

Spelling through Tuesday November 23

1. stopped


2. getting

3. different

4. really

5. biome

6. forest

7. desert

8. tundra

9. ocean

10. habitat

Spelling

1. problem



2. reason


3. trouble


4. having


5. riding


6. multiply


7. divide


8. won't


9. doesn't


10. shouldn't


11. aren't


12. you're

Eight Square School House

Donations

• We need 20 half ounce raisin packages for a math lesson next week.
• We need more back up snack for students without snack
• We appreciate the book donations we have received! Books are a great donation to the class.

Spelling List

Don't forget that you can find the spelling words and play games on Spelling City!
1. walking
2. nothing

3. running

4. swimming

5. playing

6. twelve

7. eighteen

8. twenty

9. hundred

10. thousand

11. fly

12. flies

13. try

14. tries

15. study

16. studying

17. buy

18. buys

Review On: The Problem with the Puddles by Kate Feiffer

By Abigail

Edited by Ellie

The problem with the Puddle parents is that they can never agree on anything.  Baby Puddle was named by a nurse because her parents coudn't agree on whether toname her Emily or Fertinanda.  When the Puddles decide to get a dog, they couldn't agree on what breed to get, so they got two dogs, and they named them both  Sally. But then Puddles forgot the Sallys when embarking on an 8-hour trip, the Sallys set out to find them.

Spelling City

I have created an account for our class. Our spelling lists are now automatically loaded into spelling city!

SPELLING CITY

Please utilize the spelling city link in the right hand column of the blog. The games are fun and it is easy to use. Just select batch entry on the opening page and type in our spelling words for the week!

Spelling Words

1. scared
2. school
3. class
4. rules
5. Constitution
6. angles
7. producer
8. consumer
9. through
10. threw
11. there
12. their
13. they're

Who found this moth the morning of the first day of school?

Open House

Thank you to all that made it to our open house.
Please return your homework ASAP!

I am currently adding people to the class e-mail list and will send out a group e-mail once it is complete. I would love to start adding pictures of our school day. Please return all media release forms so that all students can be included on the classroom blog!

Erin Martindale
www.msmartindale.blogspot.com
erin.martindale@lcsd.k12.ny.us
607.533.3020 ext. 1203

Spelling Words

We will have new spelling words each week. This week we worked on our names. Next week we will have a new list:

1. animals
2. doesn't
3. wouldn't
4. couldn't
5. shouldn't
6. globe
7. equator
8. symbol
9. New York
10. who
11. what
12. where
13. when
14. why
15. which

OPEN HOUSE IS WEDNESDAY

Wednesday September 15 from 6:30-7:30

Jan Brett

Jan Brett will be doing a book signing at Wegmans in Ithaca on October 9, from 10 to noon.

Check the store and website for more details.
http://www.janbrett.com/2010_fall_tour.htm

Adult Information Sheets

The office is requesting that if you have not returned your Adult Information Sheet that you do so as soon as possible.

AN INVITATION ESPECIALLY for Teachers, Parents, and Caregivers, and all others who love books and children...

Celebrating the Reading Magic of the fabulous Mem Fox!

Sunday, October 3

Presentation and Read-Aloud
1:00 – 2:00 pm

Books for Sale
12:00 - 1:00

Book Signing
2:00 – 3:00


Ithaca High School
Kulp Auditorium
1401 N. Cayuga St.
Ithaca, NY

The Family Reading Partnership is thrilled to invite teachers, librarians, parents, caregivers, and students, and all others who love books and children, to an exciting afternoon with world-renowned literacy expert and bestselling author, MEM FOX! Mem will bring her engaging style and extensive background in literacy, education and children's books to Kulp Auditorium at Ithaca High School on Sunday, October 3, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Her exciting presentation will include read-aloud from a number of her beloved children’ books and “Reading Magic.”

Mem Fox books will be on sale from 12:00 until 1:00, and she will be be available for signing books after the presentation.


Come and be inspired by Mem Fox and learn her reading magic secrets for creating wildly happy and successful read-aloud with children!

Admission is free. Book sales benefit Family Reading Partnership’s Give the Gift of Family Reading holiday new book drive.

It was great to meet my new fourth grade class!

It was great to meet you! Comment on this post to tell me something about yourself. You can also write about the games you wanted to play next year.

Last Day of School

Your child will meet her/his new teacher on the last day of school. Your child will also bring home her/his last report card on that day.

Summer Birthdays

 Please feel free to send in any birthday snacks for summer birthdays.

PJ DAY

BY POPULAR DEMAND!

Parents are welcome to join use for...
Monday Field Days
Thursday Playground party at 11:20

It is a Lansing tradition for the teachers to wave good-bye to all of the children on the buses at the end of the day. You may want to consider sending your child home on the bus even if you attend the playground party.

We LOVED Swimming

Field Day

Field Day is Monday, June 21, raindate June 22.




K 9:10 - 9:55

1st 10:00 - 10:45

2nd 1:00 - 1:50

3rd 10:55 - 11:55

4th 2:00 - 3:00

Friday June 18th is Pajama Day!

Pajama Day 2008-2009

We are having fun with Mrs. H!

Friday June 11th is Observation Day!

Parents are invited to an observation day Friday June 11th. Please come to the High School Pool at 12:40.

The Last Week of School

Apparently there have been some discrepancies in information sent home. We have full days June 21 and June 22. We have half days June 23 and June 24.

Reader's Theatre

Half of the class preformed their play for our fourth grade buddies. The other half will preform next week. Please ask your student about the play and how she or he knows when it is her or his turn to read.

We Love Swimming!

The kids did a great job today. Ms. H. taught us to hold our breath, blow bubbles, and float. It looked like so much fun that I will join them in the pool Tuesday. Ms. H. would like our kids to practice in the bathtub.

Free Book!

http://www.borders.com/online/store/MediaView_doubledogdare?cmpid=SA_20100513_V2

Pool Time is Coming!

We will begin swimming on Thursday May 27th. We will have 14 days of swim lessons. Parents will be invited to observe one of the swim lessons. I will let you know about that date when it is finalized. Students will use school provided towels and suits during swim lessons. I am so glad we will have the opporunity to swim and walk during the warmer part of the year. Please feel free to e-mail me, erin.martindale@lcsd.k12ny.us with any concerns about the swimming program.

Pond Life

Reading at Home

We have been working on using decoding strategies when we stumble upon a difficult word. We use the easiest strategy first becouse reading is fun!

1. Look at the picture
2. Skip the word
3. Use the beginning sound
4. Chunk the word (look for pieces you do know)
5. Stretch the word by saying each sound

Always reread to check that you have it right!

We will have a substitute teacher on Monday.

I will be out on Monday for next year's class placement. Our sub will be Miss M.

May 20th is the Art Show!

http://lcsd.k12.ny.us/18482022581827980/site/default.asp?

It is so ncie to be back!

I'm so glad to be back in the classroom after three days of Kindergarten screening. Miss M. was a great sub and she will be back with us on May 17th while I am working on class placements for next year.

Baggie books have not been coming home regularly for the past few weeks as our schedules have been interupted. Please look for baggie books to pick up again over the next few weeks.

We are beginning our plant and seed unit this week. We will be discussing how plant lifecycles are related to other lifecycles we have studied.

The kids have been busy this week! Be sure to unpack backpacks by Sunday!!

POETRY!

We are enjoying poetry in the classroom! Please help your child find an object from nature such as a rock, shell, flower, or anything else that we can use to practice writing descriptive words.

We will also recognize the poetry in our everyday speech. Please help your child write down any phrases that they say or hear if they recognize poetry in the words!

When I Grow Up...

Have you checked out our tulips?

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/tulips_spring2010.html

Check out our Raz-Kids Accounts!

Use lansing as the teacher name and password.

Your child can take it from here...http://www.raz-kids.com/

Summer Camps

http://www.tompkins-co.org/youth/campguide/index.asp

Have a Great Break!

See you again on Monday April 12th!

Living and Nonliving

Our discussion of living and nonliving things has taken an unexpected turn. The children have toyed with the idea that the distinction between living and nonliving is that living things were made by God while nonliving things were made by people. This distinction will not work as people did not make rocks!

Please be assured that I have defered all questions of a religious nature to you!

This would be a great topic of conversation over break. It would be great if you would comment on this post with your family's theory on the distinction between living and nonliving!

NO SCHOOL APRIL 2nd!

Guess What We Want to Learn About!

We are looking at the distinction between living and non-living things. We wil begin with our worm friends. What is living? What is not living?