Reminders
*Tom Sawyer and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory money ($15.75) is due October 23rd.
*Picture day is Friday, October 23rd. Please send the picture envelope to school.
*Family fun this month is at Plumper's Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, October 24th. Please contact Kelly Daily to make arrangements to meet up with class families for a fall day of fun! (See October's News for contact details.) This is also a great opportunity to car pool!
*Scholastic book orders are due November 11th.
Helping Your Child Find 'Just Right' Books
Please email me if you would like to know your child's approximate Guided Reading Level. It can be very helpful with finding 'just-right' books in the Scholastic book orders, at the library, and at book stores. There is a great web site that will do a leveled book title search, and give you a list of books for your child to try. If you are interested, go to: Bookwizard.scholastic.com. Once you are on this page, click on 'Leveled Search' and check the 'Guided Reading Level' box. Enter your child's GRL range and interests. The site will give you many titles to start with. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm happy to help! S.Reuter@fgcschool.org
Do you have a family fun idea for November?
Please email me if you have a seasonal activity for families to do together!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
October 2009
October Newsletter Summary
*Rainy weather is coming! Please send outdoor clothing for rain and cold every day to school!
(Please see a complete list of what to have at school in the 'school supply' section of this blog.)
-Out and About to B Street farm on Tuesday, October 13th.
Volunteers and children must have Pacific University form in to attend.
-In order to go to Nana Cardoon Farm, will will need 2-3 volunteers.
The trip is on Wednesday, October 14th, from 9:00-12:30.
-Tom Sawyer play: $5 per student for admission (Checks to FGCS)
-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory play: $10.75 for admission and bus (Checks to FGCS)
-Class family gathering at Plumper's Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, October 24 (Contact Kelly Daily)
-Barn Swallow class pear picker website and book coming out soon!
-Amaranth grains, harvested by the Barn Swallow students, to be eaten this week!
-Literacy volunteer opportunity
-Please read September's newsletter if you have not already! It includes our weekly schedule.
October Classroom News
B Street Farm Out and About
We will be going to B Street farm this Tuesday, October 13, from 12:30-3:00. If you would like to come with us, you are more than welcome! Visitors to B Street farm, must have a Pacific University B Street permission form completed in advance of the visit. Adult and child forms are available in the school office. We will be helping to harvest more amaranth grain on Tuesday and may begin collecting seeds for seed saving to plant in the spring.
Nana Cardoon Farm Visit
We have the great opportunity to go to Nana Cardoon farm this Wednesday, October 14th from 9:00-12:30. Everything from pressing apple cider to read alouds in the farm yurt happens here. We are in need of 2-3 adult volunteers to make this visit happen. If you are able to join us, as well as walk to and from the farm with our class, we would greatly appreciate it!
Tom Sawyer Play
Level 1 classes are planning on attending two plays this month! The first is Tom Sawyer, which is here in Forest Grove. Cost is $5 per student. We are hoping to attend on Monday, October 19th.
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Play
We are also going to be attending the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in Portland on October 28th. The admission fee has been greatly reduced for our students. The cost per student, including the bus fee, is $10.75. If you are able to attend, the extra supervision would be greatly appreciated!
Family Fun: From Parent Kelly Daily
"Hello Barn Swallow families. Community is one aspect of the Forest Grove Community School. With our busy lives, it's difficult to foster a sense of community outside of the classroom. I would like to invite all Barn Swallow families to a fun afternoon at Plumper's Pumpkin Patch, located at 11435 NW Cornelius Pass Road, Portland, Oregon, 97231 ((503)645-9561) on Saturday, October 24th, from 1:00-whenever. Come run through the corn mazes, pet the baby animals, pick a pumpkin, and have some fun with other Barn Swallow families. The cost is $3 per person. RSVP to Kelly at (503)359-9690." ~Kelly
Barn Swallow Pear Pickers
Our class has been learning about team work and positive communication skills through inventing and building 'pear pickers' in small groups. Teams were able to put their skills to the test during two visits to a near by pear tree. We were able to harvest 42 pears! (Yet most were bruised and lost to fruit flies. The school compost pile is now reaping the rewards of our team work!) After this experience we have decided to educate others on how to make home-made pear pickers. Students are now writing in preparation for our pear picker website, as well as a book, on how to make a home-made pear picker. We even have a jingle. Stay tuned!
Amaranth; Grains for Cereal and Bread
Students spent a sunny fall afternoon last week picking golden/orange amaranth at B Street farm. Amaranth is a grain that is both decorative and edible. We are hoping to shake the dried seed heads into buckets and make a hot cereal or bread with the nutritious grains. While picking in the field, the kids figured out ways to be helpful to one another and some designated themselves to be the 'runners' who would go to the kids that were picking, relieve them of their heavy loads of amaranth, and run the loads to the area to be tied together in bundles. Kids were sharing their picking techniques with each other and we left with buckets and bags full of amaranth. We're hoping to taste it this week!
Literacy Volunteers
A large portion of our school year has been about learning classroom routines and procedures as well as getting to know one another through games, songs, and team building activities. It has been a busy few weeks, with the Parents' and Guardians' Back to School Night and Student Goal Setting Conferences. Teachers have been spending a great deal of time on assessments as well. Reading assessments are one-on-one, while the rest of the class is working independently. As you can imagine, learning independence so early in the year can be a challenge for some 6, 7, 8, and 9 year olds. If you are able to volunteer in the classroom, a great time to come is during our morning literacy block, from 9:00-10:10. After one-on-one assessments, I will be working with small guided reading groups at this time, while the rest of the students independently do their daily literacy centers. If you are able to attend I would love to have you guide students as they do their handwriting and word study activities, read with students, and generally be there to help them get more out of each experience. The class has been doing an exceptional job at initiating and completing their daily literacy center activities, and keeping their voices at an appropriate volume. Extra student support would be the 'icing on the cake'.
Thank You For Attending Parents'/Guardians' Night and Goal Conferences!
*Rainy weather is coming! Please send outdoor clothing for rain and cold every day to school!
(Please see a complete list of what to have at school in the 'school supply' section of this blog.)
-Out and About to B Street farm on Tuesday, October 13th.
Volunteers and children must have Pacific University form in to attend.
-In order to go to Nana Cardoon Farm, will will need 2-3 volunteers.
The trip is on Wednesday, October 14th, from 9:00-12:30.
-Tom Sawyer play: $5 per student for admission (Checks to FGCS)
-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory play: $10.75 for admission and bus (Checks to FGCS)
-Class family gathering at Plumper's Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, October 24 (Contact Kelly Daily)
-Barn Swallow class pear picker website and book coming out soon!
-Amaranth grains, harvested by the Barn Swallow students, to be eaten this week!
-Literacy volunteer opportunity
-Please read September's newsletter if you have not already! It includes our weekly schedule.
October Classroom News
B Street Farm Out and About
We will be going to B Street farm this Tuesday, October 13, from 12:30-3:00. If you would like to come with us, you are more than welcome! Visitors to B Street farm, must have a Pacific University B Street permission form completed in advance of the visit. Adult and child forms are available in the school office. We will be helping to harvest more amaranth grain on Tuesday and may begin collecting seeds for seed saving to plant in the spring.
Nana Cardoon Farm Visit
We have the great opportunity to go to Nana Cardoon farm this Wednesday, October 14th from 9:00-12:30. Everything from pressing apple cider to read alouds in the farm yurt happens here. We are in need of 2-3 adult volunteers to make this visit happen. If you are able to join us, as well as walk to and from the farm with our class, we would greatly appreciate it!
Tom Sawyer Play
Level 1 classes are planning on attending two plays this month! The first is Tom Sawyer, which is here in Forest Grove. Cost is $5 per student. We are hoping to attend on Monday, October 19th.
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Play
We are also going to be attending the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in Portland on October 28th. The admission fee has been greatly reduced for our students. The cost per student, including the bus fee, is $10.75. If you are able to attend, the extra supervision would be greatly appreciated!
Family Fun: From Parent Kelly Daily
"Hello Barn Swallow families. Community is one aspect of the Forest Grove Community School. With our busy lives, it's difficult to foster a sense of community outside of the classroom. I would like to invite all Barn Swallow families to a fun afternoon at Plumper's Pumpkin Patch, located at 11435 NW Cornelius Pass Road, Portland, Oregon, 97231 ((503)645-9561) on Saturday, October 24th, from 1:00-whenever. Come run through the corn mazes, pet the baby animals, pick a pumpkin, and have some fun with other Barn Swallow families. The cost is $3 per person. RSVP to Kelly at (503)359-9690." ~Kelly
Barn Swallow Pear Pickers
Our class has been learning about team work and positive communication skills through inventing and building 'pear pickers' in small groups. Teams were able to put their skills to the test during two visits to a near by pear tree. We were able to harvest 42 pears! (Yet most were bruised and lost to fruit flies. The school compost pile is now reaping the rewards of our team work!) After this experience we have decided to educate others on how to make home-made pear pickers. Students are now writing in preparation for our pear picker website, as well as a book, on how to make a home-made pear picker. We even have a jingle. Stay tuned!
Amaranth; Grains for Cereal and Bread
Students spent a sunny fall afternoon last week picking golden/orange amaranth at B Street farm. Amaranth is a grain that is both decorative and edible. We are hoping to shake the dried seed heads into buckets and make a hot cereal or bread with the nutritious grains. While picking in the field, the kids figured out ways to be helpful to one another and some designated themselves to be the 'runners' who would go to the kids that were picking, relieve them of their heavy loads of amaranth, and run the loads to the area to be tied together in bundles. Kids were sharing their picking techniques with each other and we left with buckets and bags full of amaranth. We're hoping to taste it this week!
Literacy Volunteers
A large portion of our school year has been about learning classroom routines and procedures as well as getting to know one another through games, songs, and team building activities. It has been a busy few weeks, with the Parents' and Guardians' Back to School Night and Student Goal Setting Conferences. Teachers have been spending a great deal of time on assessments as well. Reading assessments are one-on-one, while the rest of the class is working independently. As you can imagine, learning independence so early in the year can be a challenge for some 6, 7, 8, and 9 year olds. If you are able to volunteer in the classroom, a great time to come is during our morning literacy block, from 9:00-10:10. After one-on-one assessments, I will be working with small guided reading groups at this time, while the rest of the students independently do their daily literacy centers. If you are able to attend I would love to have you guide students as they do their handwriting and word study activities, read with students, and generally be there to help them get more out of each experience. The class has been doing an exceptional job at initiating and completing their daily literacy center activities, and keeping their voices at an appropriate volume. Extra student support would be the 'icing on the cake'.
Thank You For Attending Parents'/Guardians' Night and Goal Conferences!
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