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Showing posts from October, 2009

Over the weekend:

-Math: Take the four "Five Minute Frenzy" charts on the orange practice sheet. You can give yourself 6 minutes for each one if you need to. Have a parent time you and check your work. -Happy Halloween! Be careful out there tomorrow night. Hope you don't run into any Cucuys, Duendes, Chupacabras, La Malogra, La Llorona, La Curacana, Cute Largos, El Big Bird, Lechuza Lady, La Jedionda, La Botas, Dona Sebastiana, or El Diasque!

For Friday:

-Math: SL 3-7 (p. 57), and check out the Timez Attack free download game in the links that kids are raving about. Thanks to Mattias for demonstrating this game to the class today. -Spelling: Study for the quiz. -Halloween: Our costume parade is outside in the playground at 1:45. Kids who want to dress up can bring their costumes into school and put them on in the afternoon before the parade. Afterward (weather permitting), we'll have an outside recess. Students may bring in snacks to share. No candy or soda, please. -1st Quarter Progress Reports: Went home with students today. I included the current Lexile reading range for each student as determined by their September MAPS test. For more information about Lexile, and to generate an individualized reading list for your child, go to "Finding Books by Lexile Range" in the Links for Parents list below.

New, new traffic configuration:

- A note from Nancy O'Bryan: Dear Parents, Due to the fencing off of the front of the school by the construction workers , Parents must drive in to the middle of the new parking lot and turn around, drive out back down the road to the school as though you were leaving, drop off or pick up your student at the WEST SIDE of the school where the orange cones will be so they will enter the school through the Middle School building doors. This is in immediate effect and intended for the safety of the students. There will be no walking to the picnic table/fence area across the Job Site from the parking lots . Thank you!

For Thursday:

-Math: Practice multiplication facts up to 144. Check out the link below for a good resource to get extra practice. You can print up customized multiplication fact sheets to use at home. Try the "Five Minute Frenzy." http://www.math-drills.com/multiplication.shtml#at -Spelling: Written work due. Study for the practice quiz.

Spelling List 10/27/09

1. Halloween 2. which 3. witch 4. scared 5. eerie 6. circulatory system 7. arteries 8. veins 9. capillaries 10. oxygen 11. carbon dioxide 12. brujo/bruja (witch) 13. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) 14. Blood is thicker than water.

Ms. Erin's Spelling List 10/26/09

ea=/e/ east beach clean dream feast lead least near please read teach year ea/gle ea/sy trea/ty sea/son mea/ger

Parent- Teacher Conferences

Due to technological technicalities, I’m unable to print and send home 1 st quarter progress reports today. Those will go home with students on Thursday. Wednesday is parent-teacher conference day, and I have a number of conferences already scheduled with some of you. Conferences are not required for all students at this time, but there are a few time-slots left if you’d like to set up a meeting and I haven’t yet contacted you. Email me at mlbonner@yahoo.com or call 751-7222 (ext. 221) and we’ll plan for it. I’m also available to meet most days after school from 3-4 pm if that time works better for you.

Over the weekend:

-Math: Multiplication fact practice. Take two 3-minute, 50 fact tests on the tan sheet. Have a parent or older sibling time you and score the tests. Be sure to fix the ones you miss, and fill in all the blanks afterward. -Have a great weekend. See you Monday!

For Friday:

-Math: SL 3-5 (p.53), and practice the multiplication facts. -Spelling: Study for the quiz.

Raffle to Benefit the TCS Gym

-The Friends of Taos Charter School have organized a raffle to help cover costs in our new gym. Tickets are $10 each, and prizes include: a 2 night stay at the Bavarian, dinner for 2 at the Bavarian, a couple of 2-day ski passes to TSV, and 2-day demos from Le Ski Mastery. A number of 4th graders have expressed interest in helping to sell tickets, and several students took home a packet of tickets today to get started. Please call Jessica Harrower at 613-0622 for more information.

For Thursday:

-Math: SL 3-4 (p. 51), and practice multiplication facts. -Spelling: Written work due Thursday. Study for the practice quiz.

Due Wednesday:

-Math: SL 3-3 (p. 49), and spend 15-20 minutes each day practicing the multiplication facts up to 144. -Friday Field Trip: This Friday afternoon, we'll be visiting the Stables Art Gallery to see the Millennium Seed Show, and participate in a science/art activity. Cost of transportation for the trip is $3 per student.

New Driveway Configuration

-Drivers this morning noticed we have a new traffic arrangement at Taos Charter School. It will take a liittle getting used to, but will work very well once we all get into the groove! It was hard to see looking into the sun this morning, but there is a new circle driveway. The circle drive is currently for busses, and for parent drop-off and pick ups. Please pull your car as far around in the circle as possible and unload there. Because of the number of cars that need to move through the circle, we need to load (or unload) 4 or 5 cars at once, like the rides at Disneyland... This will help keep the flow moving safely, and keep the wait to a minimum. Please don't get out of your car in the circle. If kids need assistance getting in or out of the car, park in the parking lot and walk with them down the new fire lane into the playground. Just veer to the right, past the circle entrance and go into the upper parking area. We have to continue to mix bus traffic and parent traffi

For Tuesday:

-Math: Complete the empty multiplication chart on the yellow practice sheet. Use the chart to help you memorize and practice the multiple strands forward and backward.

Spelling List 10/19/09

1. factor 2. product 3. homophone 4. clothes/ close 5. break/ brake 6. buy/ by 7. hear/ here 8. right/ write 9. sum/ some 10. whole/ hole 11. would/ wood 12. there/ their/ they’re 13. peek/ peak 14. mail/ male 15. (your own pair of homophones) _________ / ________ 16. Money burning a hole in your pocket

Ms. Erin's Spelling List 10/19/09

x = /ks/ con/vex ex/pel in/dex ex/pand con/text ex/pect ex/pert ex/tent ex/tend next sixth

Over Fall Break:

-Today's hike was really fun -- muddy, cold, snowy, and wet, but fun nonetheless thanks to the good attitude of our group. We have some serious hikers in this class. I'd always heard that mountain kids were tough, but now I've seen the proof! If you brought a camera, please send any good pictures to me at mlbonner@yahoo.com and I'll post them. -Math: Over break you need to get to work on memorizing all the multiplication facts up to 144 . Use flash cards, fact triangles, and websites for practice. Ask your parents to help test you. Also start to practice reciting the all multiples up to the 12's, forward and backward to the 12th multiple. Print up the table from the links to get rolling. Start with the easy ones: the 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's . Then venture into the " Danger Zone ": the 6's, 7's, and 8's . It's no harder than hiking seven miles in the Pecos Wilderness during a raging snowstorm, right? -Have a safe, fun Fall Break!

For Wednesday:

-Creative Writing: Cuento final drafts are due. -Bring in your permission slip and the $4 bus fee for the Thursday hike.

For Tuesday:

-Math: SL 3-1 (p. 45) -Creative Writing: Rough drafts of cuentos due Tuesday. -Scholastic book orders due Tuesday. -Hiking field trip on Thursday: Information and permission slips went home today. -Spelling: No list this week (except for students who work with Ms. Erin).

Ms. Erin's Spelling List 10/5/09

/i/ = igh bright fight flight fright light might night right sight tight high thigh sigh mid/night in/sight light/ning

Over the weekend

-Creative Writing: Work on the rough draft of your cuento.

Creative Writing: Write your own cuento

Choose one of the scary or funny characters from the folktales we’ve read ( Cocos y Coconas , Creepy Cucuys , or from the My Land Sings collection) and plan your own new cuento with that character in it. Your story should be at least 3 paragraphs long and have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Use your best grammar and handwriting, and be sure to punctuate your quotations correctly. Your cuento should teach a lesson (have a moral), or explain the origin of something. It should also be set somewhere in New Mexico , like most of the stories we’ve been reading. After you edit your rough draft for errors in punctuation and spelling, write a flawless final draft and include an illustration of a scene in your story a-la-Amy Cordova. Have fun with the story, and of course BE CREATIVE! Final Draft Due: Wednesday, Oct. 7. -For Friday (Oct. 2), do some brainstorming for your story. Start an outline, web, or story map and bring it in to school to continue.

Scholastic book orders are due Tuesday, October 6th