Welcome to a New School Year

Welcome fifth graders! It's the third week of school and I've already had such a blast. Grandparent's Day was a ton of fun (we had more grandparents show up to our class than any other year I've been at Aspen), and I sure have had a good time getting to know all the students in our class.

I'm hoping to use this website as a way of keeping you in touch with all the amazing things we'll be doing this year. I'd even like to do a student of the week feature.

However, for now, I will simply say hello and that I feel so lucky I get to teach fifth grade.

p.s. If you read this blog and tell me the secret password: thousandths I have a prize for you! Don't tell your friends. Let's see how many people actually look.

The DWA

Our 5th grade writing test is coming up on Monday, March 1st. The students are prepared for it, but could definitely use some help having a good breakfast that day and getting enough sleep. Also, it's important that every student be there at school to take the test (violent illness would be the one exception). I have a lot of confidence in our class and I look forward to being past this hurdle.

Thank you for all of your help!

Getting Ready for Clear Creek!

Going to Clear Creek is one of the most exciting/exhausting times of year for me. At Aspen Elementary, 5th grade is the only year of students that gets to go, so it's extra special for us.
This year we'll be going up there from February 17-19. The boys will be up there the 17th and 18th, and the girls will go up the 18th and 19th. The fact that we do it right after President's Day is just a bonus. It is such a fun week.
Most students have already turned in their forms and money to go. Let this be a reminder to any of you who haven't. I have a list, so if you need to check, you can come see me/call me.
For those of you parents who have signed up, don't forget to make an appointment with the district office to get fingerprinted.
The fun part about having a class blog (and I KNOW it's been a while since I changed it) is that I can post my favorite Clear Creek pictures here for you to enjoy.
If you have any questions about Clear Creek, make sure to give me a call.

The IOWA Testing is Over!

Yes! It seems like fifth grade is the year when we have to do tons of tons and testing. Luckily, one of the biggies is now out of the way. This week the students finished the IOWA test.
There are some fun things coming up soon:

Tomorrow is our first homework reward activity. Everyone who has turned in all their math and reading homework since the beginning of school will get to go to the activity. People who are missing assignments will work on their missing assignments. Help your fifth grader be ready!

Next week, on Wednesday and Thursday (the 7th and 8th) we'll be having SEP conferences. Your student has your appointment time, so be sure to get it from them. I can switch your time if you need to, but please call or email me.

Also, and nobody knows this yet, our first Rotar store is taking place on Friday, October 16th! The students have been saving their Rotarbucks for weeks and will finally get a chance to spend them!

Miss Rotar (and her evil twin sister) is celebrating her 29th birthday on October 23rd. This might not be exciting to you, but I sure can't wait. There might even be some sort of birthday treat for students involved. . .

That's all for now! Hope you're all having a great week.

This is a Test!!!

I want to see how many of my students check the blog, after I've told them about it. So here's how this works: Every student who whispers the secret password "hundred billion" to me, will get a reward. Don't tell your friends! Let them figure it out for themselves. In fact, during recess is an excellent time to whisper secret passwords to me. :)
Let the games begin!

I Love School!

Today was the first day, and all the 5th graders survived. Yay! Almost all the students shared their paper bag items (those who didn't bring it, will share tomorrow). The first homework was sent home as well.
The students were given their planners today. We are asking for a $3 donation for each planner. I understand if funds are tight, but it will help us be able to afford other things for the grade later on (i.e. field trips, classroom supplies, etc.)
It looks like we have a lot of readers in the class, which is very exciting to me!

Welcome Back!

It sure was fun to meet all of you tonight! (For some who I knew already, it was very nice to see you again!) I'm looking forward to this school year. I'm hoping that the 5th graders are ready to present their "Paper bag" Intros tomorrow. It's always so much fun getting to know my students every year.
Often parents want to know what their 5th grader needs to bring to school. The truth is, everything they NEED (other than their families, of course!) the school will provide. However, if they want to have extra pencils, their own set of crayons or colored pencils, a pencil box, extra folders. . . they are welcome to bring them.

Looking forward to working with you for this year!