Park Day

Our park day is planned for this Friday from 9:30-2:30. Please be sure your student dresses for the weather. The forecast says that if it rains it will be in the afternoon. We are planning on going in the morning, and the we may return to the school early if we need to. We will need help getting the food to the park. Please let me know if you can deliver the food in your vehicle. We also need one more table. If the weather gets bad before we eat, we will return to school and set up food in the hallway.

Friday is not free dress day. We will have free dress day next Tuesday and Wednesday.

I know some parents are trying to juggle park day and kindergarten graduation. You can either leave siblings with me, or take them from the park to graduation. Please let me know what your plan is and make sure I know if you are taking your child from the park.

Next Monday I am having the class store. I would appreciate donations of things for girls, and outdoor activities such as: sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, balls, bubbles, and jewelry.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday are free dress days. Your student should dress for field day on Wednesday. Next Tuesday we are having a read in and game day. Your child may bring books and games to share. They may also bring a small stuffed animal or pillow.

The school is not serving lunch Tuesday, May 24th, so make sure your child brings a lunch from home.

Wednesday is field day and school is released at 11:00.

I'm going to send home Summer Challenge Book Lists to help you choose books to read over the summer. This is a suggested book list, not a required book list. You can also go to www.scholastic.com to find different book lists based on your child's reading level and interests.

I believe Mrs. Sullivan is giving the third graders a book list for the summer, too.

Try to take your child to the library over the summer. The library has many free activities for children that will engage them in literacy. The best thing you can do to keep your child from losing what they have learned over the summer is to read to them and have them read.

Third graders: Are you ready for a night of fun? I will meet you on the baseball diamond at 5:00 tonight. We will play some outdoor games to start with. Then we will eat pizza and do an art project. After that, we will watch a movie and eat popcorn. Your parents will pick you up at 9:00. What to bring: Wear tennis shoes and bring a white t-shirt. Also bring a snack to share with the other third graders. I am so excited, I can't wait! Parents: you are welcome to join us, or enjoy the quiet evening. Just remember our kids night ends at 9:00.


Here is an interesting web site that lists 50 Brain Facts Every Educator Should Know. I thought parents would want to know this information, too. It lists how the brain develops and interesting facts about memory and learning. Check it out, it's a good resource for things to help your child over the summer. www.associatesdegree.com

A few notes and reminders

There is no more homework packets for the year, however, there are two big projects due tomorrow and if the students don't get them mostly completed today they will bring them home to finish and turn in tomorrow.

Monday, May 23rd I will have a store for them to spend the money they have earned this semester. I do have quite a bit for the store, but could use a few items if anyone can donate some things. The items do not have to be new, you can go through your toys and stuffed animals and donate near new items. Also things from the dollar stores or Target dollar bins are great. Outdoor toys like frisbees, jump ropes, and bubbles are always a good seller. I also have more things for boys so if you can donate jewelry, hair accessories or sparkly items that would also help.

Reminder of upcoming events:

Friday, May 13-third grade night out
please bring a white t-shirt, drinks, snacks, or popcorn
any outside toys you want to play with

Thursday, May 19th students will be bringing all of their school stuff home.

Friday, May 20 is park day-permission slips are due tomorrow
this is also our last dress of choice day
Monday, May 23-- Store

Tuesday, May 24--Read-in: bring books, a pillow or stuffed animal, and a board game
No lunch served at school-students need to bring a sack lunch

Wednesday, May 25-- Field Day- a great day to join us. The kids have a lot of fun playing games and competing. Early Release-- School is over at 11:00

Please contact me if you have any questions about end of year events.

Tonight's Performance

The Montessori Presentation of BIOMES is tonight at 6:30 in the cafeteria. Please have your child here by 6:00 dressed in black. Our class will be closer to the right side of the stairs. I look forward to seeing all of you. This play is fun and the children have been working hard to prepare for a great show.

Upcoming Events

This Friday is our Montessori play. Children should wear black tops and bottoms. Please have your child here by 6:00; the play starts at 6:30. We like to serve juice and cookies as a refreshment after the play. We have the juice taken care of, but we need parents to help us with cookies. Please let me know if you can bring cookies. Homemade or store bought are fine. Some of the girls have volunteered to share head bands as part of our costume. Please send them to school tomorrow.

Friday, May 20th we will be going to the park. Please watch for more details. We usually do a potluck, and parents are invited to join us. Please consider a picnic potluck dish you can share. This event will be for all the Montessori elementary classes.

As many of you know, we are switching classrooms next year so all the Montessori classes can be close together. Monday, May 23rd is moving day. If you can help, please let me know. We will also do a lot of moving May 25th in the afternoon. I appreciate all the help I can get with this big project!

Wednesday, May 25th is the last day of school. It is also field day and an early release day. This is a fun day to come spend with your students.

Please let me know if you have any questions about all these activities.

The calendar for next school year is out; you can see it on the BECS home page.

Have a great week!

Spring Events

Here is a list of Spring Events for our classroom:

This Thursday, April 28th, the students have earned a treat from me and they can bring a board game they are willing to share and we will have game time in the afternoon. This is also free dress day.

May 6th is the Montessori play. Please have your performer here at 6:00. Performers are wearing black shirts and black pants to accommodate simple costumes. The play starts at 6:30.

May 20 is park day. More details will be given. This is a day we play at the park and have a potluck. Please help by bringing or sending a dish that we can enjoy. Please come picnic with the Montessori classes.

May 24 is Read-in. The kids can bring books to share with a small pillow or stuffed animal.

May 25th is early release at 11:30. It is also field day. We will be outside most of the day. This is a fun day to join us.

Dress Code Policy

The school board will be voting on a new version of the dress code tomorrow night at the meeting. I read the proposed policy to my class and told them to discuss it with their parents if they had any questions or concerns. You can attend the board meeting tomorrow night and make a statement if you have any concerns. You can read the proposed dress code on the BECS home page. The simple version is hunter green and navy blue short or long sleeve polo shirts and khaki colored bottoms. Socks will be of one color and shoes will be casual or tennis of mostly one color with coordinated laces.

3rd grade parents

Attention all 3rd grade parents: Your student will be coming home with an invitation to a year end event. Please look for it this afternoon. Please contact me if you have any questions about the invitation.

Free Dress Day

Free dress day for April is next Thursday, the 28. Your students may be confused because we got a notice that it was supposed to be tomorrow. It will be next Thursday because they do not have school next Friday. Please remember that students that have 3 absences or tardies for the month or who have had a behavior referral cannot participate in free dress days.

Play

You are invited to our annual Montessori play. The play will be Friday, May 6th at 6:00. The performers will need to be here at 5:30. I could use some help with some simple costumes. One of our songs features Polar Bears and the other features Cactus. If you have any ideas for costumes, please share them with me. If you cannot attend the evening performance, we are having a dress rehearsal on the 6th at 2:30. We would like all the students to be here for the evening performance, if your child cannot attend, please let me know. The play is a fun musical based on the different biomes that our classes have been studying all year. Please join us for a fun and unforgettable experience!

Your Vote is Important

Parents, please support BECS by voting for new board members. The process is easy and will only take a few minutes. Please bring a current photo I.D. to the library between 3:35 and 6:00 on April 21, 22, or 25. You can read more about all the candidates on the BECS home page. Please ask at the office if you have any further questions. Please stop by and vote!

Field Trip

The zoo field trip was a lot of fun. I know the weather could have been better, but it also could have been a lot worse. I will post some pictures on the picture page. Also, check out Mrs. Tate's blog, she took a lot of great pictures. Thanks to all the chaperones for keeping the kids safe and teaching them more about animals and biomes. I appreciate all of you for going with us and having a great time. We will be doing a lot of science activities until the end of the school year. We have been learning about insects and plants. We will also be learning about simple machines and magnets. This is a great time of year to be a guest speaker if you have anything that relates to these lessons, please let me know.

Zoo Field Trip

Parents, we need two wagons for the field trip. If you have one we can borrow, please let me know by Wednesday afternoon. Thanks! Also, the school is hosing a volunteer breakfast this Friday. Please join us for a wonderful breakfast in recognition of all your support to BECS and our classroom! We are having a Book Fair this week in the evenings. Please see the BECS home page for more information.

Friday News

Please disregard the numbers. It wouldn't space the way I wanted, so I used bullets for some spacing. Hello Parents, I wanted to let you know of some upcoming happenings at BECS.

1. We are having a book fair next week, please come check it out if you have time.


2. We have a field trip to the zoo Thursday, April 14th. Your student needs to be in dress code and bring a disposable sack lunch and drink. I also suggest applying sunscreen and having them wear appropriate walking shoes.


3. Spring fundraiser orders will be delivered April 18th.

1. We are getting closer to the end of the year and warmer weather. Please be sure your student is following the dress code and I suggest applying sunscreen in the morning before coming to school.




3. We are in the process of planning end of the year activities; please be sure to check the blog often so you are aware of all of our fun goings on.




5. I wanted to address some concerns I have heard about the Montessori program for next year. We have been interviewing teachers for a Montessori position to replace Mrs. Tate. Mrs. Tate helped us this year when the person we originally hired turned down the opportunity to teach at our school. Mrs. Tate has done a wonderful job, but has decided to move to a Core Knowledge classroom next year which means we need a Montessori teacher. There will continue to be Montessori classrooms for Kindergarten through 5th grade.


6. Also, I told my students I am moving and I think some of them didn't understand what I meant. I meant that I will be moving to a different classroom but I wil continue in the same position. Many teachers are moving to different classroom so that the Montessori rooms can be closer together, which will provide us the opportunity to do more activities together.




8. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding any of this information. Have a great weekend!

A few reminders

Welcome back, I hope all of you had a great spring break! We only have 35 school days left and we have a lot of learning to pack into the end of the year. We will be learning about insects and plants. We also will do some experiments with simple machines and magnets. We are going to the zoo on April 14th to review all we have learned from animal research and biome work. We are focusing on poetry for the month of April and I look forward to watching the creative writing process during this month. As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Denver Zoo Field Trip

Please be sure to turn in permission slips and fees for our field trip by this Friday. I have 10 students that have not turned these in yet.

Spring Break Guest

Please let me know if you would like Jerry McNibbles, our friendly mouse, to visit you for spring break. Thanks for your help!

Field trip permission slips and money are due by Friday.

Please support our school by donating a ream of copy paper. Our class will earn a free dress day and a pizza party if everyone participates. Thanks for your support, Mrs. Rollman

A few deadlines

If your student wants to participate in Wearin' O' the green on Thursday, they need to bring $1.00 to school tomorrow.

Field trip money and permission slips are due by next Friday, March 25th.

Please turn in your fundraiser orders and money now, if you haven't already.

Please help us win a free dress day by bringing a ream of copy paper to our class.

Thanks for supporting BECS!

Spring Field Trip

The Montessori elementary classes are taking a field trip to the zoo as an extension of our studies of biomes and animals. The field trip is April 14th. Your child should bring a permission slip home today. Please return the bottom portion with cash or check for $11.00 so your child can participate. FIELD TRIP FORMS AND FEES ARE DUE BY MARCH 25.

We do not have school this Friday. Have a great 3 day weekend!

BECS is sponsoring a Wearin O' The Green on March 17th. Please donate $1.00 to participate. This money will help with 8th grade graduation. Students are then allowed to wear jeans and a shirt of choice on March 17th.

Our class earned second place in the book report contest with 226 reports turned in. This is an amazing accomplishment in very little time. Mrs. Freeman's class beat us with 272 book reports, but third place only turned in 35 book reports. We did a great job and I will recognize their efforts with a surprise treat on Friday.

Check out the updated classroom pictures page.

During the month of March, students may read aloud to the class. They need to choose a picture book they are familiar with and practice reading it aloud. Please help your child choose a book for read aloud. Below is a list of whose turn it is for the next two weeks so you can help your child be ready.

March 3- Gabby
March 4-Breanna
March 7- Charlie
March 10- Jenaya

Inventors

Your student is in the process of writing a biography of an inventor. Many of the girls wanted to research female inventors, but it has been difficult for them to find information, especially in books. We went to the computer lab. today so we could use the internet, and while the girls were researching inventors, they discovered Temple Grandin.

I know who Temple Grandin is and have seen the biographical movie HBO did of her life. Some of the students were very curious about her and I suggested they find out more at home. Temple Grandin has autism and has overcome many obstacles. She has a doctorate in animal science and has written books about humane treatment of animals she also gives speeches on autism. The HBO movie gives an amazing look at her life and her success. I told some of them they may want to watch the movie, and I recommend that you, the parent, watch it first. There are some unusal scenes in it, but it does give a realistic view into autism and how Temple overcame many obstacles.

TOMORROW IS DRESS OF CHOICE DAY

Homework is due tomorrow

The third graders did well with two sessions of the CSAP. They have completed the reading portion. They will take the writing and math sessions in a few weeks.

Our classroom is running low on some supplies and I am including a list of things we need. Thank you for your help.

wide-ruled notebook paper
markers
colored pencils
clear/invisible tape

Our school is having a book report competition and my class is really trying to win. The students are allowed to do book reports at home if they want. The contest is over on Monday and the students have been working hard. If your child brings home book reports, please encourage them to complete their reports and turn them in.

Bromley East Charter School is having a spagetti dinner this Friday to support Tina Gertsmann, a past teacher of BECS in her struggle with cancer. You can buy tickets in the office or room #171. Come enjoy a family dinner at school and support Tina.

Picture Orders

Picture order forms must be turned in by Thursday.

Third grade CSAP

Parents, third graders are taking the reading portion of the CSAP test Wednesday and Thursday morning. I have explained that this test is for them to show what they know. I would suggest that they get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast. Please support your student and provide what they need. Try not to make them more anxious, I have told them they will do well as long as they follow directions. Thanks for supporting your child's education.

It was great to meet with all of you for your child's conference. I enjoy talking with parents and sharing your student's success. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns the rest of the school year.

No homework this week. Go play outside and do some extra reading.

Pictures are rescheduled for February 14th. Students are to wear dress code.

Party and Conferences

We are having a Valentine's Party this Friday at 2:30. Please send your child to school with their cards. Please let me know if you are planning on sending them with any treats, snacks, or drinks for the party.

Conferences are next week, and I still have several families that have not signed up for a time. We will discuss your child's overall progress, learning goals for the rest of the year, and plan for next year.

Conference times

Many of you have not signed up for a conference time. Please e-mail me with a time that works for you, I can usually make it work. Conferences are next week.

Classroom pictures from last week and this week

I wanted to remind you to sign up for conferences which will take place February 14, 15, and 16. Please e-mail me or stop by the classroom to set up a time.

We have done several science experiments the last few weeks to practice using the scientific method and now we will do some more challenging experiments and really test our hypothesis and and record data. Thanks to all of you that donated materials. I may be asking for more materials for science projects. We do have many materials in the school, but sometimes we need one or two things to complete and experiment.

Please have your student bring a small bucket to school by Monday. We will start being bucket fillers next week.

Science Experiment

We did a great science experiment today to test the absorbency of diapers. The students learned about polymers and you can check out their work on the Classroom Picture page.

We are also finishing Power Point presentations of biomes. I am hoping to e-mail them to you so you can watch them at home.

Dress Code

Many of you know that changes to the dress code are being considered for next year. If you would like your voice heard please come to the meeting on February 3rd at 6:00. Anyone can speak for five minutes about the issue, the administration would like input from parents to help decide if any changes need to be made. You can also let me know through e-mail any opinions you have and I can pass the information along.

Here's a new way to get invlolved:

Our school has recently started using www.donorschoose.org which is a website that allows teachers to apply for grants for projects. The grants are funded by community members that want to support education. Please take a look at the current projects for our school. The Montessori classrooms are planning to submit a project that would allow us to get materials to start a flower and vegetable garden on our school campus.

Valentine Party

Our class Valentine Party will be Friday, February 11th. I am not sure what time, yet. I am going to see if we can switch our specials time so we can have our party at the end of the day, around 2:30. We will have a traditional party which involves trading cards with classmates. I will send home a class list in this Friday's folder. Please let me know if you can provide treats, snacks, or drinks for our party.

Pictures and Conferences

Picture Day is Tuesday, February 1st. Students are expected to wear dress code for individual and class pictures.

Conferences are the week of February 14th. I am going to schedule first grade conferences on Monday, second grade on Tuesday, and third grade on Wednesday. I am planning on holding conferences from 3:00-7:00. Please e-mail me with an approximate time that will work for you.

Science experiments

We will be doing several science experiments over the next few weeks and I would appreciate the following materials:

8 baby diapers-this is for an experiment involving absorbency and what absorbs the liquid.

Dental floss

hex nuts

food coloring

Next week, we will be reading a book titled: Have You Filled a Bucket Today? This is an inspiring book that helps children understand the golden rule. They learn that being nice to others makes them feel good and filling other people's invisible buckets also fills their bucket.
Each student needs a bucket. They have nice ones in the Target $1.00 bins. Please have your student bring a small bucket to school. It will belong to them and they can fill each others buckets with beads that we will string onto a necklace at the end of the year to represent all the great filling of buckets they did.

Thanks for your help!

Safety

We are practicing a lockdown procedure tomorrow. I talked to the class about a lockdown and what it's for. They had a lot of "what ifs" and questions about being safe. I encouraged them to talk to their parents about being safe and what to do in unsafe situations. Please talk with your child about staying safe.

Lockdown is a procedure we have in our school district if a person is in the school threatening the safety of our school. This is a procedure we practice similar to having fire drills and tornado drills. If you have any concerns you can contact me or any of the administration.

Sandwiches

Thank you for helping us make 126 sandwiches for the Brighton Pantry! It is so great to see the children take pride in making sandwiches for our community. Thanks to Daria Peterson, Jenny Brandsma, and Amy Bargman for helping make sandwiches. I would like to thank Shannon Ayres, my classroom assistant, for helping gather our materials and support our community project; I would have had a much harder time with this activity without all of your help!

I have made a Classroom Pictures page. Please check out some pictures of what we have been doing. I am moving all pictures to the Classroom Pictures page.

This week, we are finishing our biome research and continuing to work on counting coins and exchanging coins for a dollar.

Third graders will take the CSAP reading test the middle of February and we are working on test taking skills to help them prepare. I am confident they will do well. I will let you know the exact dates as it gets closer.

Report Cards and Sandwiches

Your students second quarter report card will come home on Monday.

Our class is making sandwiches for the Brighton Panty on January 18th. We will need bread, lunch meat, and cheese to make 100 sandwiches. Please send an e-mail to let me know what you can bring. If each family can supply 1 loaf of bread, 1 pack of lunch meat, OR 1 pack of cheese, we can make a lot of sandwiches to help our community. Thanks for your help.

Awards Assembly

BECS is having an awards assembly January 14th to acknowledge 3rd and 4th grade students who are on the honor roll. Parents are invited to join us for the assembly at 8:45. Please contact me if you have any questions.

New Homework Packets

I hope all of you had a nice, restful winter break. I am implementing a different homework process for the second semester. Your child will receive a homework packet at the beginning of the week and it is due on Thursday. This will help teach your child time management and make it easier to get homework back and forth. Your student will come home with a packet today that is due Thursday. I explained this to the class and they understand the expectations.