Cole's Column

Welcome to Mrs. Cole's Classroom Blog

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Snow Day Reading!

I hope you are all enjoying our snow-free Snow Days!  I certainly didn’t mind the opportunity to sleep late on this unexpected winter break, but I am looking forward to getting back into our routine.  We have a lot of learning left before the school year ends!

Your child may have shared with you that we have been having fun reading various types of folktales – stories from long ago that often have similar types of characters and a common message that good wins over evil.  We have tried to use very specific words to describe the personalities of the characters and have discussed the similarities and differences among the different stories.  We have also looked at how authors today have taken the classic stories and put a modern twist on them.  Ask your child to tell you about his or her favorite stories that we have read.  The Three Ninja Pigs was one of my favorites!  You can find it at the Cobb County library.

This week, I was planning to read some fables, which are short stories.  These stories were originally told to teach a life lesson and typically have animal characters.  These stories have been told again and again and have been made into poems and children’s books.  You can find many animated versions online too.  If you’d like something educational to do today, try going to http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/ and viewing the folktales and fables there.  Your child can read along with the video, and then you can discuss the story’s moral or life lesson.  You can find many more stories and animated versions free online.  Search for Aesop's fables or go to YouTube and search for fables.

It is helpful for your child to read these stories over and over again.  Not only does rereading help with fluency and word solving, but good readers are able to go deeper into the text each time they read.  We have discovered new understandings about the characters, the setting, and the plot by rereading our favorite stories.  Try to help your child look for something new or gain a better understanding of the author’s message each time you read.  Actually, your child may be able to help you develop a deeper understanding of the story too.  I love that our conversations in class help me to discover new ideas about the stories and characters too!

Fire Safety Village

The children are very excited about our trip to the Fire Safety Village tomorrow!  Please be sure to ask them tomorrow about all the things they learned there.  Here are some reminders to help our trip go smoothly.

• Wear comfortable clothes for crawling and climbing.
• Wear a jacket. If the weather cooperates, we will be outside for some of the activities.
• If bringing a lunch from home, label it with your child's name and pack it in a disposable bag.
• Be at school on time and ready to have fun!

New Year's Updates

Happy New Year!  I was glad to see all the children’s smiling faces back at school today!  Here are a few changes you need to know about for 2015.

Lunch – We have a new lunch time - 11:38-12:08

Specials – We started fresh with Day 1 of the specials rotation today.  For the next two weeks, we will have specials at the end of the day, from 1:00-2:00.

SLOs – We begin the first part of the new standardized testing tomorrow.  We will go to the computer lab at 9:15 to take the reading portion of the test.  Math will be next Monday at 9:15.  We will take the tests again in May to show growth.

Report Cards – Please look for your child’s report card on Friday and return the signature card and the envelope.

MLK, Jr. Holiday – No school on Monday, January 19.

Fire Safety Field Trip – We will go to the Fire Safety Village on Friday, January 23.  There is no charge for this trip, but you must sign and return the two permission forms.  Thanks!

Using your child's Destiny account

Parents, Your child has created a Destiny account at school.  If have not yet logged onto Destiny from home, you will want to check it out.  Destiny is the online library catalog used in all Cobb County schools.  Each school has its own catalog that you can access either at school or at home from any internet capable device.

Using a laptop/desktop with internet:

• Go to the media center blog at www.cobbk12.org/acworth.
• From the media center tab, click on the icon for Cobb Digital Library -or- simply go to  www.mackinvia.com.
• The username and password are located in your child's agenda.
• You are logged in!

Using an I-pad or I-phone with internet:

• Download the free MackinVia App.
• Enter the username and password from your child's agenda.
• You are logged in!

Next, click "Destiny" and enter your child's username (student #) and password (birthday - 6 digits).  Once you have logged into your child's account, you can search for books on their lexile level and create a "wish list" of books to check out. 

To search by Lexile Level:

• Log into your child's Destiny account.
• Click on the "Advanced Search" tab.
• Locate the "Limit my search to" section and select "Lexile."
• Enter your child's Lexile range, which is from 100 points below your child's lexile level to 50 points above. (So if your child's lexile level is 320, the lower number would be 220 and the upper number would be 370).
• Click "Go" and Destiny will show you all of the books in the Acworth Media center within your child's lexile range. 
• You can scroll through the selections and drag and drop books into your child's "Personal List."  You may add or remove books from this list at any time.

*We will go to the library on Wednesday to check out new books.  If possible, please help your child search at home for books to check out at school.  You can print a list or simply write the call # on a slip of paper.  Note that Destiny will let you know if the books are currently available at the time of your search. 

In addition to Destiny, Cobb Digital Library has a wealth of other resources that you can use at home.  Some of our favorites include Brain Pop, Brain Pop Jr., TumbleBooks, PebbleGo, and World Book Student.  Have fun reading and doing educational activities at home!

2015 Parent Workshops

You are invited to attend the following parent workshops at school. Your child brought home a reservation form, or you can use the link below to download one.

January 23, Friday 8:00-9:00 a.m.

Guest Speakers: Kerri Bell, Academic Coach & Peggy Clay, Media Specialist

"Supporting your Child w/Independent Reading at Home & Understanding Lexile Levels"

February 6, Friday 9:00-10:00 a.m.

Guest Speaker: Margaret Moss, Elementary Assessment Supervisor

"Common Core Math Assessments"

February 25, Wednesday 8:00-9:30 a.m.

Guest Speakers: Tina-Stevens-Carty, 2 & 3 Gr. Guidance Counselor

Angela Hunt, 4 & 5 Gr. Guidance Counselor

"Information on the RTI Process" (Response to Intervention)

Download Reservaton flyer

Holiday Party

Our holiday party will be Wednesday, December 17th from 9:30-10:30. We will be doing some center activities, eating snacks, and watching a movie. Your child should have brought home a letter with more information. Please send in the highlighted item by Tuesday, December 15th. If you would like to join us and help with the activities, please let me know. Thank you so much for your help! 

Parent Survey

Greetings Acworth Families,   

When you have an opportunity please click on the link below to take a  

school climate survey for Acworth. 

   Thank you.

Georgia Parent Survey:

http://apps.gadoe.org/schoolclimate/parents.nsf/Survey.xsp

Events and Activities

Happy Thanksgiving!

November is the time when many reflect on all the things they are thankful for.  We have truly been blessed with a wonderful class full of sweet students and supportive parents.  It was a pleasure meeting with you during conference week. Have a safe and fun time next week enjoying your family and friends.

December 3-6 Holiday Shoppe: This is a PTA-supported event giving the kids an opportunity to purchase gifts for their friends and family. You should have received a flier with the details.  This is a cash only event.

Friday, December 5: Performing Arts field trip. 

December 6: Breakfast with Santa 9-11

The Giving Tree: Our school will be sponsoring the Giving Tree again this year. The tree is located in the front hallway. Your child may pick an ornament from the tree (with a note from a parent) and buy a present for an Acworth family in need. Please return unwrapped presents by December 18th.

Science Info

We have been learning about heat and energy. We will have a test the week we get back. Please review the following information.

Vocabulary:

Science- Heat and Energy:

Please go to the following website for science terms and definitions to review with your child:

http://quizlet.com/824696/2nd-grade-unit-3-science-energy-and-motion-flash-cards/

 

Here are the words, if you do not have Internet access:

Energy: the ability to do work; some forms of energy are light, heat and electricity

Force: push or pull that can make something move

Friction: the rubbing of one thing against another

Gravity: force that pulls things toward the center of Earth

Heat Energy: energy from sources of heat (friction, the energy of motion, can cause heat energy)

Light Energy: energy from sources of light

Motion: the act of moving

Pull: to grab or hold something and move it forward or toward oneself

Push: to press on something in order to move it

Weekly News

November 17th-21st: Book Fair

November 19th: Progress reports

November 24th-28th: Thanksgiving Break (No School)

Canned Food Drive: Our annual food drive has begun!  We use this as an opportunity to talk about how important it is to look out for the people in our community. You may send any type of canned or non-perishable food as well as different home items such as toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, and diapers. Even the smallest donation is a great way to contribute to our community.

Exemplar (Word Problem) Examples

We have reviewed how to use all the graphic organizers to solve the math word problems. I will send home written examples of each organizer to help with homework. Your student can now pick which one they like best to complete the homework. The students may draw the organizer in their homework journal and then solve. They do not have to write the problem on the organizer unless they just want to.

Book Fair

The Fall Bookfair is Here!

Online shopping begins on 11/10 and continues through 11/28. Your online orders are shipped directly to Acworth and hand delivered to your student. There are no shipping fees! The link to our online fair is: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/acworth

The Media Center Fair will begin on Monday 11/17 through Friday at noon on 11/21. We welcome you during school hours to shop with or without your child. We accept CASH and CREDIT at our fair. Please do not send checks!

Your student will get a flyer sent home highlighting the books on 11/13.....the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, The Long Haul, is featured as well as new Pete the Cat, Fly Guy, I Survived, Minecraft, and Book 5 of the Heroes of Olympus!

We hope to see you at the Bookfair!

What's Happening This Week?

Creek Native American in-school field trip: Parent volunteers, please sign-in at the office and meet us at the bus port at 9:10.  We will spend an hour doing some hands-on activities to learn more about the Creek Native Americans.  We can always use an extra set of hands with the crafts, so feel free to join us if you are available.  Thank you to all our volunteers!

Election Day: No school for students on Tuesday, November 4.  

Reading and Writing: We are focusing on informational text in both reading and writing.  We have learned that authors write informational text in order to teach us facts or information about a topic.  We are taking a close look at different types of informational books and articles to determine what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.  And as authors, we have all chosen topics that we know a lot about - things we can do well or topics we have studied and know enough about to teach others.  We are writing chapter books and incorporating many of the text features we have noticed in the books we are reading.  You can support your child's learning at home by reading some nonfiction books and articles together.  Discuss how certain features that the author includes helps you to understand the big ideas in the text.  Look for features such as a table of contents, headings, labeled diagrams, pictures with captions, bold words, text boxes with additional facts or explanations, and glossaries with defintions for key words.  Help your child use those text features to gain a better understanding of the information in the text.

Homework Changes for this month: We will be putting a new calendar in the homework journal. Please follow the weekly schedule:

Monday:  math page from workbook

Tuesday:  Solve the word problem.  Include all 5 parts:  representation, strategy, computation, answer sentence and communication

Wednesday:  math page from workbook

Thursday:  Solve the word problem.  Include all 5 parts:  representation, strategy, computation, answer sentence and communication

Friday: 3 Spelling Activities Due.  These should be written in the homework journal as usual.

The children have been working on problem solving in Mrs. Shirley's room. I will send home the templates for the problem solving to help with homework. Some of the templates are new and will be used for the first time in class this week. I will also send home the rubric that is used in class to grade each exemplar (word problem).

Have your child choose the template that works best. The children should copy the template into their homework journal (just as they do in class), and use the template to solve the word problem.

The children will bring home the math workbook page on that day it is assigned for homework.

Family Science Night: ‘Out of This World’ & Science Fair - Thursday, November 6, 2014 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria.  There will be many hands-on stations to enjoy with your child.

Message from Dr. Champion, our music teacher: The music room needs your help. We are in desperate need to Kleenex, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes. With cold and flu season fast approaching we need to keep everyone germ free especially since we are sharing instruments and materials.

Canned Food Drive: Our annual food drive has begun!  We use this as an opportunity to talk about how important it is to look out for the people in our community. You may send any type of canned or non-perishable food as well as different home items such as toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, and diapers. Even the smallest donation is a great way to contribute to our community.