11/15/17
Class Update
A couple of quick things.
*We are doing a special event during Reading Workshop this Friday to kick off our new unit on Non Fiction. If you are up for volunteering and have the time available on such short notice it might be nice to have a few extra hands available, so let me know. It would be Friday morning from about 10:05 – 11:15.
*Ask your kiddo about their experience as a deep water diving archeologist today in social studies.
*Remember to send your child with a raincoat on days like today, as they are outside for recess unless it’s a downpour (and even then they sometimes get caught in one). Kiddos came in very wet after lunch recess today and many were not in raincoats. It can make for a cold, damp afternoon sitting in class.
*We had 4 kiddos without their homework folder today, down by about half from yesterday, but we are aiming for 100% return.
*A few students brought home social studies to complete tonight.
Thanks,
Louise
10/6/17
Happy Friday!
Fall is definitely here, I find my morning bike ride with my dog Zelda is now done in the dark while wearing a warm coat and scarf. Please remember that here at school the classrooms can be inconsistent in our heating and we have outside recess in the cold and rain unless it is POURING! So, please help your child dress in layers and be sure to bring a raincoat on showery days.
Thursday I sent home a Scholastic Book Order Form. You are not obligated to order books, but if you would like they are generally good quality books at decent prices. You order and pay online with the code that has been stickered to the order form (HHJQC) and the books are mailed to the school and distributed by me. I am happy to keep the books aside and give them directly to you if you want to use them for holiday or special gifts, just let me know. This order is open until after school next Thursday October 12. You are able to look at and order additional books that are not on the forms when you use the website. The class earns points and the occasionally free books when you order. I have been able to get alternative seating, group reading books and even an iPad for our class to use with these points.
Our PTA is once again purchasing the usage of the Reflex Math program for our school. I have entered all of the students into our class and have sent home an information sheet and password for each student. Reflex Math can be played on a computer or iPad – I’m not sure about other devices. Please let me know if your child does not have access to a device for this activity.
Once students open the Reflex Math site, they use my name to log on – louiserichards. (no caps and one long string of letters) and then put in their own password to get started. I know that most students were working on multiplication, but I have started the whole class back at addition and subtraction as a review after the summer break. My hope is that they will be able to zoom through the +/- facts and start the multiplication facts by winter break.
We will not be having much time in school to use this resource, but I will reward kiddos with bonus class tickets for working on it at home. There will also be an occasional challenge homework activity using this resource. One comes home on Monday with the Daily Folder Checklist. This reminds me, thanks to all of you who are able to help their kiddo remember to bring in their folder every day.
9/29/17
Happy Friday.
Thanks to all of you who were able to make it to visit our classroom last night. I think the kiddos enjoyed showing you around the room, although several were bashful about doing introductions. It must have been a long night for folks as we had 8 students absent today – wow! I hope it’s just tiredness and not a bug going around.
If you were not here to sign up for conferences, please call the office at 503-916-6207 to schedule our meeting.
I wanted to let you know that quite a few students brought home math homework to complete over the weekend. They brought home a journal page to use for help in figuring things out and their math book with the page to complete still inside. They really need to complete the page and remember to bring the book back to school on Monday. We will be finishing the last column on the page and completing the back side on Monday. PLEASE HELP them remember this.
I had several folks send me an email to ask if the check they sent in had been received as they had not yet cleared. All checks should be clearing in this next week. There is a new system in place where we must submit all the checks to the PPS Main Office, via our school secretary. That means we have more paperwork to do on this end, including writing every child’s first and last name on the memo line of the check – could you please help do this in the future? It also means they asked us to hold on to the checks to try and be able to send in most (or all) of them at the same time.
Thank you for sharing your child with me. I am really enjoying getting to know them and work with them.
Louise Richards
9/15/17
Happy Friday,
It was great to be in school for the whole week and be able to be outside for recess in these nice Fall days. We have had a productive week!
Today many of your children have a math sheet in their Blue Homework (HW) Folders that is coming home to complete. Please make sure they do this work and return it on Monday.
About 70% of the class has been remembering their Blue HW Folders every day, but many have still not gotten into the routine of this expectation. PLEASE help your child be successful in class by checking with them every evening and looking at their folder. They should be asking you to sign the folder each day and showing you any incomplete work. This is also the place where flyers from school or special notes from me or others will be sent home. It is also the place where you send in any notes to me or completed forms that come back to class.
This system works well once we all follow the expectation, and it helps them set themselves up for success in fifth grade and middle school.
Please write your child’s name on the outside of their lunch box if they bring a lunch from home. Every day I have students who do not remember to pick up their lunch boxes and I cannot identify who they belong to. I know some have names inside, but I don’t have time to open them and look. THANKS!
Lastly, I am in need of some small pieces of cardboard for each student in the class. They need to measure about 12x16 inches. If you have a box that can be cut up and you can send in one or more pieces, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time. Have a nice weekend,
Louise Richards
9/11/17
Hello,
This is just a quick note to let you know that everyone brought home their Blue Homework Folder today with a job to be done. They are to show you the folder and have you sign the paper they ask you to read. They are bringing this home every day for the rest of the month (possibly longer) and asking you to look at it and sign it each day.
A few students also have some incomplete work to finish, please nudge them to complete the work.
ALL WORK that comes home to complete comes back to school (in the folder) even if it was not done (they need it here for the next step.
PLEASE help your child get into the rhythm of bringing home and returning their folder every day.
Thank you,
Louise Richards
9/6/17
Dear Parents,
What a crazy and sad week. Hopefully the air will clear up soon and we will have some rain to help with the fires. In the meantime, we continue to plug on and learn our new classroom routines.
Several students brought home a blue folder today with class work that needs to be completed and returned tomorrow. If for some reason your child is not able to complete the work tonight, please return it tomorrow any way, as they will need it to work on the next step tomorrow in class.
This year our homework will consist of a reading log and incomplete classwork. There will not be a packet or daily sheets that come home.
However, starting next week I will send home the BLUE HOMEWORK FOLDER every day with a form for you to sign. We will do this for the next few weeks to practice the habit of bringing home the folder and checking for incomplete work. It means that your child will need to show you their folder every evening, tell you if they have work to complete and have you sign that they have shown you their folder.
The folder is ALWAYS returned the following day along with all class work even if it was not completed.
More information will follow, but I wanted you to have a head’s up about the folder today.
Please remember to return the big envelope that went home on the first day of school, I still need forms from several students.
Thanks,
Louise Richards
8/21/17
Dear Parents,
It was great to meet so many of you and wonderful to spend the day with your child!
Please accept my apologies for the craziness at the end of the day. Thank you for bearing with me in checking your child out.
The forms are a bit confusing and so I wanted to try and clear a few things up. If your child is riding the bus they will be dismissed and head out the front doors to the bus. If they ride the bus only on certain days, they need to help remember which days those are and perhaps you sending a reminder note with them would be helpful.
If they go to Kid Zone they will walk downstairs with me and then be dismissed before we leave the building.
If they are going home alone and you marked the little box on the right side of the form, they will walk out of the building with me and then say goodbye.
If you are picking them up via car or walking or bike I don’t need to know that. What I do need to know is if you expect them to wait with me and you will come and check them out directly from me, or if you want them to meet you somewhere outside? Many families arrange to meet at a tree, the bike rack, the bench or even up the sidewalk a bit. If you feel your child is able to meet you at a designated place after we walk out the front doors together, then you also need to check the little box on the right side that says your child is allowed to leave school after dismissal (meaning, your child can leave the teacher to meet you at a designated spot and not need to stay with the teacher until they are picked up.)
I hope this makes things a bit more clear. I feel by fourth grade most students are able to meet their parent at a designated spot. If you need to alter the form you may do so at the office, or I believe if you send me a note or an email stating your child will meet you, that I can print it out and attach it to the form.
Other than the end of day crazies, I think we had a nice day. I look forward to tomorrow and want to remind you to send in a water bottle as it is supposed to be hot through much of next week and the water cooler line can get long (plus it’s so much better for the environment than using several paper cups a day).
Again, THANK YOU for sharing your child with me. I was delighted to meet them all today.
Louise Richards
Class Update
A couple of quick things.
*We are doing a special event during Reading Workshop this Friday to kick off our new unit on Non Fiction. If you are up for volunteering and have the time available on such short notice it might be nice to have a few extra hands available, so let me know. It would be Friday morning from about 10:05 – 11:15.
*Ask your kiddo about their experience as a deep water diving archeologist today in social studies.
*Remember to send your child with a raincoat on days like today, as they are outside for recess unless it’s a downpour (and even then they sometimes get caught in one). Kiddos came in very wet after lunch recess today and many were not in raincoats. It can make for a cold, damp afternoon sitting in class.
*We had 4 kiddos without their homework folder today, down by about half from yesterday, but we are aiming for 100% return.
*A few students brought home social studies to complete tonight.
Thanks,
Louise
10/6/17
Happy Friday!
Fall is definitely here, I find my morning bike ride with my dog Zelda is now done in the dark while wearing a warm coat and scarf. Please remember that here at school the classrooms can be inconsistent in our heating and we have outside recess in the cold and rain unless it is POURING! So, please help your child dress in layers and be sure to bring a raincoat on showery days.
Thursday I sent home a Scholastic Book Order Form. You are not obligated to order books, but if you would like they are generally good quality books at decent prices. You order and pay online with the code that has been stickered to the order form (HHJQC) and the books are mailed to the school and distributed by me. I am happy to keep the books aside and give them directly to you if you want to use them for holiday or special gifts, just let me know. This order is open until after school next Thursday October 12. You are able to look at and order additional books that are not on the forms when you use the website. The class earns points and the occasionally free books when you order. I have been able to get alternative seating, group reading books and even an iPad for our class to use with these points.
Our PTA is once again purchasing the usage of the Reflex Math program for our school. I have entered all of the students into our class and have sent home an information sheet and password for each student. Reflex Math can be played on a computer or iPad – I’m not sure about other devices. Please let me know if your child does not have access to a device for this activity.
Once students open the Reflex Math site, they use my name to log on – louiserichards. (no caps and one long string of letters) and then put in their own password to get started. I know that most students were working on multiplication, but I have started the whole class back at addition and subtraction as a review after the summer break. My hope is that they will be able to zoom through the +/- facts and start the multiplication facts by winter break.
We will not be having much time in school to use this resource, but I will reward kiddos with bonus class tickets for working on it at home. There will also be an occasional challenge homework activity using this resource. One comes home on Monday with the Daily Folder Checklist. This reminds me, thanks to all of you who are able to help their kiddo remember to bring in their folder every day.
9/29/17
Happy Friday.
Thanks to all of you who were able to make it to visit our classroom last night. I think the kiddos enjoyed showing you around the room, although several were bashful about doing introductions. It must have been a long night for folks as we had 8 students absent today – wow! I hope it’s just tiredness and not a bug going around.
If you were not here to sign up for conferences, please call the office at 503-916-6207 to schedule our meeting.
I wanted to let you know that quite a few students brought home math homework to complete over the weekend. They brought home a journal page to use for help in figuring things out and their math book with the page to complete still inside. They really need to complete the page and remember to bring the book back to school on Monday. We will be finishing the last column on the page and completing the back side on Monday. PLEASE HELP them remember this.
I had several folks send me an email to ask if the check they sent in had been received as they had not yet cleared. All checks should be clearing in this next week. There is a new system in place where we must submit all the checks to the PPS Main Office, via our school secretary. That means we have more paperwork to do on this end, including writing every child’s first and last name on the memo line of the check – could you please help do this in the future? It also means they asked us to hold on to the checks to try and be able to send in most (or all) of them at the same time.
Thank you for sharing your child with me. I am really enjoying getting to know them and work with them.
Louise Richards
9/15/17
Happy Friday,
It was great to be in school for the whole week and be able to be outside for recess in these nice Fall days. We have had a productive week!
Today many of your children have a math sheet in their Blue Homework (HW) Folders that is coming home to complete. Please make sure they do this work and return it on Monday.
About 70% of the class has been remembering their Blue HW Folders every day, but many have still not gotten into the routine of this expectation. PLEASE help your child be successful in class by checking with them every evening and looking at their folder. They should be asking you to sign the folder each day and showing you any incomplete work. This is also the place where flyers from school or special notes from me or others will be sent home. It is also the place where you send in any notes to me or completed forms that come back to class.
This system works well once we all follow the expectation, and it helps them set themselves up for success in fifth grade and middle school.
Please write your child’s name on the outside of their lunch box if they bring a lunch from home. Every day I have students who do not remember to pick up their lunch boxes and I cannot identify who they belong to. I know some have names inside, but I don’t have time to open them and look. THANKS!
Lastly, I am in need of some small pieces of cardboard for each student in the class. They need to measure about 12x16 inches. If you have a box that can be cut up and you can send in one or more pieces, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time. Have a nice weekend,
Louise Richards
9/11/17
Hello,
This is just a quick note to let you know that everyone brought home their Blue Homework Folder today with a job to be done. They are to show you the folder and have you sign the paper they ask you to read. They are bringing this home every day for the rest of the month (possibly longer) and asking you to look at it and sign it each day.
A few students also have some incomplete work to finish, please nudge them to complete the work.
ALL WORK that comes home to complete comes back to school (in the folder) even if it was not done (they need it here for the next step.
PLEASE help your child get into the rhythm of bringing home and returning their folder every day.
Thank you,
Louise Richards
9/6/17
Dear Parents,
What a crazy and sad week. Hopefully the air will clear up soon and we will have some rain to help with the fires. In the meantime, we continue to plug on and learn our new classroom routines.
Several students brought home a blue folder today with class work that needs to be completed and returned tomorrow. If for some reason your child is not able to complete the work tonight, please return it tomorrow any way, as they will need it to work on the next step tomorrow in class.
This year our homework will consist of a reading log and incomplete classwork. There will not be a packet or daily sheets that come home.
However, starting next week I will send home the BLUE HOMEWORK FOLDER every day with a form for you to sign. We will do this for the next few weeks to practice the habit of bringing home the folder and checking for incomplete work. It means that your child will need to show you their folder every evening, tell you if they have work to complete and have you sign that they have shown you their folder.
The folder is ALWAYS returned the following day along with all class work even if it was not completed.
More information will follow, but I wanted you to have a head’s up about the folder today.
Please remember to return the big envelope that went home on the first day of school, I still need forms from several students.
Thanks,
Louise Richards
8/21/17
Dear Parents,
It was great to meet so many of you and wonderful to spend the day with your child!
Please accept my apologies for the craziness at the end of the day. Thank you for bearing with me in checking your child out.
The forms are a bit confusing and so I wanted to try and clear a few things up. If your child is riding the bus they will be dismissed and head out the front doors to the bus. If they ride the bus only on certain days, they need to help remember which days those are and perhaps you sending a reminder note with them would be helpful.
If they go to Kid Zone they will walk downstairs with me and then be dismissed before we leave the building.
If they are going home alone and you marked the little box on the right side of the form, they will walk out of the building with me and then say goodbye.
If you are picking them up via car or walking or bike I don’t need to know that. What I do need to know is if you expect them to wait with me and you will come and check them out directly from me, or if you want them to meet you somewhere outside? Many families arrange to meet at a tree, the bike rack, the bench or even up the sidewalk a bit. If you feel your child is able to meet you at a designated place after we walk out the front doors together, then you also need to check the little box on the right side that says your child is allowed to leave school after dismissal (meaning, your child can leave the teacher to meet you at a designated spot and not need to stay with the teacher until they are picked up.)
I hope this makes things a bit more clear. I feel by fourth grade most students are able to meet their parent at a designated spot. If you need to alter the form you may do so at the office, or I believe if you send me a note or an email stating your child will meet you, that I can print it out and attach it to the form.
Other than the end of day crazies, I think we had a nice day. I look forward to tomorrow and want to remind you to send in a water bottle as it is supposed to be hot through much of next week and the water cooler line can get long (plus it’s so much better for the environment than using several paper cups a day).
Again, THANK YOU for sharing your child with me. I was delighted to meet them all today.
Louise Richards