News from Room 205
Jacksonville, Fl
March 9, 2009 Volume 1, Issue 19
Mrs. Cowan’s and Mrs. McGeachy’sClass
Techie Thursday
Techie Thursday has been a success the past few weeks. It seems more and more students are taking part. Great work! Techie Thursday has been canceled for this week though due to FCAT. We will resume next week. To participate, students will be required to do 3 activities on the computer at home. This can include commenting on the class blog, e-mailing homework, completing a Destination Success activity and so on.
Proud Panther
Proud Panther enjoyed his journey last week with Anne. He is now excited to be visiting Justin this week. Justin has been working very hard. He has been really taking his time to complete tasks. Way to go Justin! Be sure to blog what Proud Panther does during his visit. If you have a moment, please check out his blog. He has already been to quite a few places.
Fun Friday
Beginning next week, 30 minutes of free time will be given on Friday to those that do ALL of their homework each day. To participate, students must turn in their homework EACH DAY that it is due. Students that do not complete their homework will use the 30 minutes on Friday to complete it. 30 minutes of free time will also be given on Friday to students that have maintained a blue card (A) all week. So, students have the opportunity to earn an hour of free time each week. We hope to see everyone participating!
Volunteers
A HUGE THANKS goes out to Mrs. Brundage and Mrs. Permenter for volunteering their time the past few weeks. They have been able to read 1:1 with each student. Remember that you are always welcome. Just give us a time when you are available and we will have something ready for you to do with the students, whether it is reading with a student or playing a learning game. A big thanks to Mrs. Ansley for the special pencils for FCAT testing as well. You are also welcome to be a “Mystery Reader” as well. This is when you read a book to the class. Please feel free to contact us anytime.
Important News Flash: The homework will now be posted on the blog for your reference. The address for the blog is http://mrscowansclass.blogspot.com.
Classroom Newsletter Page 2 This Week’s Homework
Daily: Read 20 minutes AND LOG IT! Monday: Get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast! Tuesday: Get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast! Wednesday: Get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast! Thursday: Get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast! Friday: Have a great weekend and READ! Spelling Words: No spelling words this week. Thank you for your support. Thank you for all of the snacks for our class! We appreciate it!
What are we studying?
Reading – main idea, supporting details, summarize, story maps, FCAT test prep, vocabulary strategies, cause and effect Mathematics – data analysis, graphing, probability, FCAT test prep Writing – informational writing, paragraph writing, researching Science – properties of matter, states of matter Social Studies –current events Grammar/Phonics – homophones, helping verbs, endings (-ed, -ing, -es, s), subject/verb agreement
Mrs. McGeachy’s Resources
P.E.: Red Day 9:45-10:15 Music: Green Day 10:15-10:45 Media: Green Day 9:45 – 10:15 Art: Orange Day (wk 2) 9:45 – 10:45 Computers: Orange Day (wk 1) 9:45 – 10:45
Reminders to Students
The Club Einstein and Brain are off this
week. They will be emailed again with the newsletter next week. So far Tori and Celine are in the lead but Alex has been working hard to catch up. Let’s see who gets it for the 3rd Nine Weeks. week, 30 minutes of free time will be given on Friday to those that do ALL of their homework each day.
Homework is due daily! Beginning next
Mrs. Cowan’s Resources
P.E.: Red Day 9:45-10:15 Media: Green Day 10:15-10:45 Music: Green Day 9:45 – 10:15 Art: Orange Day (wk 1) 9:45 – 10:45 Computers: Orange Day (wk 2) 9:45 – 10:45
Be sure to LOG YOUR BOOKS! Some
people did not log their books so they could not get credit for them. If your child has not read enough books, he or she will not be allowed to participate in the end of the year Reading Celebration.
Important Dates
Book Club will meet on Friday, March 13th at 7:30 this week. We are still looking for Mystery Readers. If you would like to read a book to the class, please contact us. March 10th, March 11th, and March 12th, are scheduled to be FCAT testing days. Please make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast. Computer classes for the rest of the year will focus on teaching your child how to use PowerPoint, Microsoft Word and many other programs.
Recommended Web Sites
http://www.mrscowan.com/fcatlinks.htm This is a list of links for a wide range of FCAT prep sites. There are math, reading, and writing sites as well as previous tests and sample books. Please feel free to check it out. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/ This is the link for National Geographic’s Kid Site. If you have a moment, please feel free to check it out.