Friday, October 30, 2015
Pumpkin Patch!
Monday, October 26, 2015
Another Update
It's Red Ribbon Week! This is a fun week to show we are drug free and make healthy choices. Here are the themes for each day:
Monday, October 26-"Be Red-y to say no to drugs." Wear red
Tuesday, October 27-"Put a cap on drugs." Wear a hat
Wednesday, October 28-"Drugs stink, wear pink." Wear pink
Thursday, October 29-"No drugs in this hood." Wear a hoodie and sweats
Friday, October 30-"These paws don't touch drugs." Show your school spirit and wear Bitterroot Bobcat colors and paws
We will be having an assembly on Monday to kick off Red Ribbon Week.
The field trip has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 29. We will be leaving at 12:10. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate this week!
This week we are back to our regular routine and will have reading groups. Our spelling is a bit different for the next few weeks. After each unit in spelling we usually work on high frequency words for a week or two. As the year goes on the high frequency words will get harder and harder. This week most of the words are pretty easy and that's OK! We like the kiddos to feel successful and we need to know that they can read and write their high frequency words.
We will be completing our 1st quarter assessments in math this week. Can you believe first quarter ends on Friday?!
Monday, October 26-"Be Red-y to say no to drugs." Wear red
Tuesday, October 27-"Put a cap on drugs." Wear a hat
Wednesday, October 28-"Drugs stink, wear pink." Wear pink
Thursday, October 29-"No drugs in this hood." Wear a hoodie and sweats
Friday, October 30-"These paws don't touch drugs." Show your school spirit and wear Bitterroot Bobcat colors and paws
We will be having an assembly on Monday to kick off Red Ribbon Week.
The field trip has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 29. We will be leaving at 12:10. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate this week!
This week we are back to our regular routine and will have reading groups. Our spelling is a bit different for the next few weeks. After each unit in spelling we usually work on high frequency words for a week or two. As the year goes on the high frequency words will get harder and harder. This week most of the words are pretty easy and that's OK! We like the kiddos to feel successful and we need to know that they can read and write their high frequency words.
We will be completing our 1st quarter assessments in math this week. Can you believe first quarter ends on Friday?!
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Red Ribbon Week 10/26-10/30
BITTERROOT
RED RIBBON THEME DAYS
MONDAY, Oct. 26th “Be Red-y to say no to drugs.” -wear red
SCHOOL ASSEMBLY KICKOFF!!
TUESDAY, Oct. 27th “Put a cap on drugs.” –wear a hat
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 28th “Drugs stink, wear PINK.” –wear pink
THURSDAY, Oct. 29th “No drugs in this hood.” –wear a hoodie and sweats
FRIDAY, Oct 30th “These PAWS don’t touch drugs.”–show your school spirit and wear Bitterroot Bobcat colors and paws
Classroom Contest: Decorate your door with the theme “These PAWS don’t touch drugs.”
Student Council will select a first place and honorable mention.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Another Weekly Update!
What a great 4 day weekend! I spent Thursday and Friday learning and connecting with teachers from across the state.
This week we'll be working on words with short /o/ and start our DRAs to see how much each student has grown in reading since the beginning of the year. Remember to send the kiddos with a full stomach and plenty of sleep so they can do their best! In math, we'll continue reviewing addition strategies and start preparing for our end-of-the-quarter assessments. Where has the time gone?!
I can't wait to surprise all of you parents with the awesome personal narrative writing the kiddos have been working on. It will be a great celebration after Unit 2 is done. Way to go, firsties!
Here are some cool pictures from this last week!
Mr. Barbeau, a Billings firefighter and paramedic, came and spoke to 1st grade on Monday. He taught them about what do to in case of a fire at home.
Third grade buddies are the best!
We love our OSMO center!
How did I end up with such an awesome class that we can do writing around the room?!
Working on our silly pumpkins.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
A Trip to Sartorie Farms
Dear Families,
On Thursday
October 22nd your child’s classroom will celebrate the fall season,
take a hay ride, see Llamas and Alpacas and pick out a small pumpkin at nearby
Sartorie Farm. They will need good walking shoes and to be dressed for the fall
weather. Each class will walk to the farm. We will use the bike path to avoid walking on
streets and proceed right through the pumpkin patch to the main buildings to
start the tour. Please send 4 dollars cash or a check to the Bitterroot PTA for
the same amount to cover the cost. We are looking forward to an afternoon of
adventure and learning on the farm.
Mr. English
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Sunday Update!
It looks like we will have another nice week for weather. Whew! Make sure your child has a coat for those chilly morning and for unexpected rain. We go out for recess unless it is down pouring or below zero degrees.
Picture Day- All kids get their photo taken on Monday. Make sure your little darling looks adorable even if you do not plan to purchase.
Homework- This weeks homework will be a lesson check on adding 3 numbers and making 10. Since we don't have school Thursday and Friday, it will be due on Monday the 19th.
Scholarships-Miss Hughs and I are in charge of the Karen Cox Memorial Scholarship Basket Fundraiser at our school. Karen Cox was a beloved educator in our district who lost her life in a tragic car accident in 2004. Her legacy lives on through the BEA Karen Cox Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to three high school seniors. We are calling for gift cards, of any nature or amount (labeled with the amount), for our school's basket. You may also make a cash donation and which will go purchase a gift card to add to our basket. This is a community effort and we look forward to collecting as many as we can. We have until October 23rd and then the baskets from all over the district will be raffled off in November. It sounds like we'll have some pretty neat ones to pick from, so help our basket be one of them!
XtraMath sign up directions will be in the green folders this week. XtraMath
XtraMath is a free web program that teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts which are critical to success in mathematics. Speed and accuracy are both important to fluency, and XtraMath will help kids build up both. Math fluency is essential for success with fractions, decimals, multi-digit algorithms and any higher level math. It is based on the assumption that students who regularly practice will quickly and easily recall answers when needed, freeing up mental resources for more complex problem solving (also known as fluency).
After a simple placement exam, fluency goals are achieved through timed practices. Students are given 3 seconds to correctly answer each individual math fact. If they answer the fact in under 3 seconds (the deemed rate for fluency) they earn a smiley face. An answered keyed in under 10 seconds earns a green check mark. Finally, if a student takes 10 seconds or more, the answer will display in grey beneath the math fact and the student still must key it in. Any incorrect answers show a red “x” and still require the correct answer to be keyed in. This is great, because it forces the student to focus on the right answer before moving on. These problems will also show up again soon, so that the student reviews them quickly, before they have lost the fact from their memory (a research based strategy for learning new facts).
Our practice spelling test went okay on Friday. Please help your child practice their spelling words. It makes a huge difference. I did however have to mark many letters incorrect. Please make sure you are helping your child with correct letter formation. The correct letter formation went home in the parent orientation folder. This week the spelling test will be graded. Good Luck!
Homework Suggestions:
Monday- Read (10 minutes) Practice spelling words (5 minutes)
Tuesday- Read (10 minutes), Xtra Math session, Practice spelling words (5 minutes)
Wednesday- Read (10 minutes) Green Folder homework, Practice spelling words (5 minutes)
Thursday- Read (10 minutes), Xtra Math session, Practice spelling words (5 minutes)
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday- Have fun first and enjoy your family! If time allows, read, do an Xtra math session, and explore fun math and reading games on my blog!
Have a great rest of the week!
Mrs. Dimock
Picture Day- All kids get their photo taken on Monday. Make sure your little darling looks adorable even if you do not plan to purchase.
Homework- This weeks homework will be a lesson check on adding 3 numbers and making 10. Since we don't have school Thursday and Friday, it will be due on Monday the 19th.
Scholarships-Miss Hughs and I are in charge of the Karen Cox Memorial Scholarship Basket Fundraiser at our school. Karen Cox was a beloved educator in our district who lost her life in a tragic car accident in 2004. Her legacy lives on through the BEA Karen Cox Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to three high school seniors. We are calling for gift cards, of any nature or amount (labeled with the amount), for our school's basket. You may also make a cash donation and which will go purchase a gift card to add to our basket. This is a community effort and we look forward to collecting as many as we can. We have until October 23rd and then the baskets from all over the district will be raffled off in November. It sounds like we'll have some pretty neat ones to pick from, so help our basket be one of them!
XtraMath sign up directions will be in the green folders this week. XtraMath
XtraMath is a free web program that teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts which are critical to success in mathematics. Speed and accuracy are both important to fluency, and XtraMath will help kids build up both. Math fluency is essential for success with fractions, decimals, multi-digit algorithms and any higher level math. It is based on the assumption that students who regularly practice will quickly and easily recall answers when needed, freeing up mental resources for more complex problem solving (also known as fluency).
After a simple placement exam, fluency goals are achieved through timed practices. Students are given 3 seconds to correctly answer each individual math fact. If they answer the fact in under 3 seconds (the deemed rate for fluency) they earn a smiley face. An answered keyed in under 10 seconds earns a green check mark. Finally, if a student takes 10 seconds or more, the answer will display in grey beneath the math fact and the student still must key it in. Any incorrect answers show a red “x” and still require the correct answer to be keyed in. This is great, because it forces the student to focus on the right answer before moving on. These problems will also show up again soon, so that the student reviews them quickly, before they have lost the fact from their memory (a research based strategy for learning new facts).
Our practice spelling test went okay on Friday. Please help your child practice their spelling words. It makes a huge difference. I did however have to mark many letters incorrect. Please make sure you are helping your child with correct letter formation. The correct letter formation went home in the parent orientation folder. This week the spelling test will be graded. Good Luck!
Homework Suggestions:
Monday- Read (10 minutes) Practice spelling words (5 minutes)
Tuesday- Read (10 minutes), Xtra Math session, Practice spelling words (5 minutes)
Wednesday- Read (10 minutes) Green Folder homework, Practice spelling words (5 minutes)
Thursday- Read (10 minutes), Xtra Math session, Practice spelling words (5 minutes)
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday- Have fun first and enjoy your family! If time allows, read, do an Xtra math session, and explore fun math and reading games on my blog!
Have a great rest of the week!
Mrs. Dimock
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Sunday Funday!
Welcome to a new week! I've been prepping and planning for a week of fun and learning. The colder weather made it easier to stay inside and get my work done ; )
Just a few FYI's for the week:
Miss Hughs and I are in charge of the Karen Cox Memorial Scholarship Basket Fundraiser at our school. We are calling for gift cards, of any nature or amount (as long as they are labeled with the amount), for our school's basket. This is a community effort and we look forward to collecting as many as we can. We have until October 23rd and then the baskets from all over the district will be raffled off in November. It sounds like we'll have some pretty neat ones to pick from, so help our basket be one of them!
We had an assembly on Thursday where Mr. English introduced the "Bobcat 200." This is a program that rewards great behavior. Teachers will have 1 chip to hand out to a student each day. If it is a blue chip the teacher hands it out to a student in their class. If it is a yellow chip he/she hands it out to someone in a different class who they catch having great behavior. The student takes the chip to Mrs. Zimmerman and she will let him/her sign the book of fame, you receive a nice call home, and the student draws a number. The student will place his/her name on the number he/she selected on "Bobcat 200" board. Once there are 10 names in a row (horizontal, vertical or diagonally) on the "Bobcat 200" those kids whose names make the 10 in a row get to participate in the special motivator. We will be starting this program on Monday.
As many of you have seen in the news recently there have been multiple students hit by cars on their way to school. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE talk with your kids and remind them to be safe and watch for traffic. Mr. Bouck sent out some great information and safety tips. They are certainly worth taking a look at. Please set a good example and use the crosswalk at all times.
I'll be putting in a book order on Friday, so either order online (preferred) or send money and the order form to school.
Wishing you well,
Mrs. Dimock
Just a few FYI's for the week:
Miss Hughs and I are in charge of the Karen Cox Memorial Scholarship Basket Fundraiser at our school. We are calling for gift cards, of any nature or amount (as long as they are labeled with the amount), for our school's basket. This is a community effort and we look forward to collecting as many as we can. We have until October 23rd and then the baskets from all over the district will be raffled off in November. It sounds like we'll have some pretty neat ones to pick from, so help our basket be one of them!
We had an assembly on Thursday where Mr. English introduced the "Bobcat 200." This is a program that rewards great behavior. Teachers will have 1 chip to hand out to a student each day. If it is a blue chip the teacher hands it out to a student in their class. If it is a yellow chip he/she hands it out to someone in a different class who they catch having great behavior. The student takes the chip to Mrs. Zimmerman and she will let him/her sign the book of fame, you receive a nice call home, and the student draws a number. The student will place his/her name on the number he/she selected on "Bobcat 200" board. Once there are 10 names in a row (horizontal, vertical or diagonally) on the "Bobcat 200" those kids whose names make the 10 in a row get to participate in the special motivator. We will be starting this program on Monday.
As many of you have seen in the news recently there have been multiple students hit by cars on their way to school. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE talk with your kids and remind them to be safe and watch for traffic. Mr. Bouck sent out some great information and safety tips. They are certainly worth taking a look at. Please set a good example and use the crosswalk at all times.
I'll be putting in a book order on Friday, so either order online (preferred) or send money and the order form to school.
Wishing you well,
Mrs. Dimock
Friday, October 2, 2015
Spelling Tests
Please review the first spelling test of the year! The kiddos did great learning the routine and expectations. Take time to review letter formation, as we have spent a month on capitals and lowercase letters. Tall letters (i.e. t, h, d, f, b, l) need to touch top and bottom. Small letters (i.e. a, c, e, i, m, n, o, p, r, s, u, v, w, x, z) need to touch the middle and bottom line. Fall letters (i.e. g, j, p, q, y) need to touch the middle line, bottom line, and below the bottom line.
Celebrate, study, and check back on Sunday for the updated short /i. spelling list!
Check out Spelling City Unit 1 Week 3 for a fun way to practice spelling.
Check out Spelling City Unit 1 Week 3 for a fun way to practice spelling.
Questions, concerns, or need suggestions? Shoot me an email or give me a call!
Wishing you well,
Mrs. Dimock
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Giveaway Winner!
Congrats, Misti, on winning the first giveaway this year! I'll be sending home the $5 off the October book order coupon. Thanks for playing.
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