Similes and Metaphors

Isabelle took a picture of her certificate of authenticity.  The students made these last week as a reminder of their promise to tell the truth. 

Today we continued our study on similes and metaphors.  Here is a cute song to help your child remember the difference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoSBVNUO2LU.  They will have a quiz tomorrow.

Tomorrow spelling definitions and writing their words 5X each are due plus their memory verse and illustration.

The students are working on their readingplus in class a few minutes each day. In order to complete all of the assignments they will need to spend time every evening at home working on these.  

Remember that this weekend is the Fall Fest.  It is required attendance.  Also our class will be doing a rummage sale - any help would be appreciated.

Our quote for today is from Franklin D. Roosevelt,

“Confidence... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live.”

Confidence... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/f/franklind132559.html#80xPZixAS6TucjcL.99

Plant Cells

Thank you to Josue for taking this candid of his classmates.  They love to get in the picture of the day.

I am sending home another permission slip for our field trip to FLEC.  So you should have two permission slips - one for can collecting and one for FLEC.  Please return those ASAP.  I appreciate your timely cooperation.

The 4th graders will have a mid-chapter quiz tomorrow.  Please make sure they study for it.  All students will have a quiz on metaphors and similes on Thursday.  And because I will be absent on Friday, I am asking all of my students to turn in their definitions and bible verses on Thursday this week. 

We have been studying the plant cell in science.   A fun website that they can explore on is at cellsalive.com/.

Our quote for the day is from Louisa May Alcott, "Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won."

Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/louisa_may_alcott.html#zLHrcPcjDweqG4C2.99

Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/louisa_may_alcott.html#CJisku55T1FlW4Ky.99

Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/louisa_may_alcott.html#CJisku55T1FlW4Ky.99

Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/louisa_may_alcott.html#CJisku55T1FlW4Ky.99

Monday Assignments

The students came in today coughing and sneezing.  Please make sure they do not come to school with a fever.  Plenty of water, sleep and good healthy food.

Today they are adding readingplus to their weekly online assignments.  Hopefully you were able to look at the reading evaluation they brought home on Friday.  Many of the students are behind grade level.  Please make sure that they are doing their readingplus assignments AND reading for pleasure.  Encourage them by getting books at the library or bookstore on subjects they are interested in.

I have not heard back from any of the parents whether they would like to participate in the garage sale on Sunday at the Fall Fest.  Please let me know if you are interested in helping or donating. 

I am sending home a permission slip today that will need to be returned ASAP.  It is for can collecting on November 11 & 12.

Our Bible verse this week is, "For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him." Proverbs 2:6-8 NLT

Awards

  

Congratulations to our October award recipients!  Joshua is our Student of the Month, Patrick won the Honesty award and Nettly the Most Improved award.  Collin was awarded perfect attendance.  Dylan took a picture of his 3 friends today that also won Mrs. Velbis' reading and math awards: Collin, Patrick and Joey.  Great job students!

Today I am sending home the Readingplus evaluation results.  I also sent a sheet home explaining the meaning of each section of the test.  On Monday the students will be assigned 3 assignments in each section for a total of 9 assignments a week.  I am excited about the extended learning this program will give them.

On Monday I will need the bottom portion of their science project letters returned with your signature and their topic.

Our quote for today is from Laura Ingalls Wilder, “The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.”                                                                       

Keep Healthy

Today the weather turned cooler.  It feels great  but it also means that people start getting sick.  David took this picture of Josue while we were wiping down our desks with a sanitizing wipe.  Keep eating well, drinking enough water and getting enough rest.

Today, I sent home a note with the students about our class Rummage Sale.  Please fill it out and send back.  Any donations and help would be extremely appreciated.

Tomorrow is the last day of our Week of Prayer and it is also our October Awards Ceremony.  All parents are encouraged to attend and support our students. 

We finished our Reading Plus entrance exams today.  Next week they will start doing assignments.

Our honesty quote for today is from William Shakespeare, "No legacy is so rich as honesty."

Rummage Sale

What a beautiful sky God greeted us with this morning.  He is constantly giving us beautiful reminders of His love. 

Pastor Figueroa is reminding us everyday this week about how awesome God is.  Today He talked about how we know we are God's people - because He is with us!  I love His promise in Matthew 28:20, " And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Thanks to Joshua for taking this super picture of some of classmates.  He took a long time posing them.  Great job Joshua!

On Sunday, November 3, it is the DAS Fall Festival.  To raise money for our spring class field trip, our class will be hosting a rummage sale.  If anyone is interested in volunteering to help organize, run and/or donate please let me know!  Clean, workable and priced donations will be welcome.  All money raised will benefit Mrs. Velbis' 3-5 Grade Class.

Tomorrow our class will be taking a parts of speech quiz.  Please make sure to study!

Here is a great video that we watched in class about honesty, http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1101415446001.

Today's quote is from Oprah Winfrey, "Truth allows you to live with integrity. Everything you do and say shows the world who you really are. Let it be the truth."

Science Links

We were so busy today I forgot to have someone take a picture.  We had our week of prayer speaker and then we were catching up from the work we missed on the half day.  Today we took math facts quizzes - I think some of the students realized they will need to be studying these a few minutes a day if they want to improve.

I sent the students home with another packet to help them figure out how to do their science projects.  I am putting up the links of where you can find ideas for their projects. Remember that I need to have the bottom portion of the paper returned on Monday.
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/projects/plants.html
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/Intro-Plant-Biology.shtml

http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/category50.html

 

Please Google in images science fair projects for some examples.  4th and 5th graders are required to type their information. Extra credit will be given to students who add a report.

Our quote is from Thomas Jefferson,“Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.”

Lots to Look Forward To

Collin took our picture today - a great candid of his classmates posing during recess.  I love those smiles!!!

This week's Bible verse is from 1 Peter 3:9-11 NLT, "For the Scriptures say, "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.
Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. "  A great prescription from the Master Healer.

We will be going out into our community for can collecting very soon, the date will be announced this week. We will definitely need a lot of parent involvement to make it a success. What a great way for our school to be a light on a hill. 

Please put November 15th, on your schedule.  We will be going to FLEC for a day of science lab experiments.  Any parents willing to be drivers please let Mrs. Best know.  Permission slips will be going out shortly.

Today I sent home a science project packet with your child.  Their chosen project and your signature needs to come back to me on Monday, October 28th.  The project is due on November 22nd.

Did your child tell you that I changed their name today?  Today their names were math fact answers!  We did this to help memorize math facts.  Tomorrow we will be taking our weekly math facts tests.  They will be different this quarter with 3rd graders adding in multiplication facts and fourth and fifth-graders doing 3 & 4 digit addition and subtraction problems.

Today the 4th graders took their chapter test and did really well!!!  3rd graders will have theirs on Tuesday and 5th graders on Friday.

This week is week of prayer with Pastor Figueroa and this Friday is our October awards ceremony.  Whew!  A busy week.

Honesty is the trait we will be studying in Bible.  Here is a great quote from, Albert Einstein, "“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters."

Honesty is the most single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/honesty_2.html#75LgfyxkIdSOIp68.99

Honesty is the most single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/honesty_2.html#75LgfyxkIdSOIp68.99

Honesty is the most single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product.
Ed McMahon
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/honesty_2.html#75LgfyxkIdSOIp68.99

Scientists and Synonym Rolls

On Thursday, the 3rd-8th graders had the opportunity to talk with two professors at Daytona State College. Ms. Itzel is a civil and industrial engineer and shared the reasons why she chose those careers. Dr. Rivera is a biologist and chemist and is also the STEM coordinator. Daytona State College’s STEM Community Scholars Program aims to increase the number of students receiving degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines. This program is supported by the National Science Foundation. Both presenters spoke about some key concepts that all students need to keep in mind: organization, math, asking questions, studying and never giving up!                                                        We also made synonym rolls! Don't they look scrumptious?! We are working on word choice in Writer's Workshop and knowing synonyms is a great way to make their writing come alive.                                                                                                      Next week I will be implementing a new reading program into our curriculum. You can go to http://readingplus.com/ for a sneak peek.                               Today Nettly took a selfie - love the smile! In worship we watched a video on John 3:16.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05nA0cNEEqk "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."                                                                                                                                                       I almost forgot - HALF DAY ON MONDAY! Teacher in-service.

Science

I am so proud of my students.  They helped to make two really creative bulletin boards.  One is in the church and the other one is in the school next to our classroom.  Make sure to take a look.

Today we started science.  We talked about how science is such an important part of our world.  On November 15th, we will be able to take a field trip to FLEC to spend the day in their science lab.  We also have a guest speaker coming from Daytona State College tomorrow.  She is a chemistry professor and is going to talk to the students about her occupation.  The students are very excited to talk to a "REAL" scientist.

Because of the short week the only out-of-class assignment the students have is to write their Bible verse 5X and illustrate it.

In Bible class we talked about how knowing God is the greatest treasure in the world.  Gandhi said, "God, as Truth, has been for me a treasure beyond price. May He be so to every one of us."

Long Weekend

Thanks Joey for this great picture of your classmates.  We were working on our parts of speech lapbooks.  Learning grammar can be fun!

Congratulations to all of our students for successfully completing their first quarter of school!  Thanks to the parents, family members and friends who have helped them.

The students did a fantastic job on all of their tests and projects this week. I am truly proud of them and their accomplishments.  Now they can enjoy the long weekend.  No school on Monday or Tuesday.

Please remember that parent teacher conferences are on Thursday.  Make your appointment with Mrs. Best. Also please check that the office has your correct email if you have not been getting my weekly progress reports.

Today we had Pastor Bernie Anderson as our guest speaker for chapel.  He also talked about his profession for those interested in that line of work.  His topic today was that with God on our side we do not ever have to be afraid.  "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? " Psalm 27:1

French Experience

We got a rare treat today.  We were able to Skype with Kaelibeth (my daughter) who is at Campus Adventiste du Salève in France. The students were able to ask her questions about France and her experience there thus far.  They were even able to get a look at the mountain outside her window.  She also taught them a simple song in French.  Merci, Kaelibeth!

Samantha took our picture of the day of this beautiful tree.  She loves God's nature.  Great picture Samantha!

Please remember that the students have two quizzes tomorrow.  One in reading and the other over writing traits.  These are open book/open note quizzes.

Our quote for today is from Winston Churchill, " Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_courage.html#CL9h26wgEPxR4Sek.99

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_courage.html#CL9h26wgEPxR4Sek.99

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_courage.html#CL9h26wgEPxR4Sek.99

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_courage.html#CL9h26wgEPxR4Sek.99

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_courage.html#CL9h26wgEPxR4Sek.99

Last Week of the Quarter

First, I just want to congratulate my students on a job well done!  Thank you to the parents for your support of our program on Saturday morning.  

This is our last week of the first quarter.  Next Thursday there will be parent/teacher conferences.  Please sign up with Mrs. Best in the office.

We have a lot of assignments and quizzes this week. Today the students took their math facts tests and did a superb job!

Wednesday - 3rd and 4th graders have a Mid Chapter Math Quiz.
Thursday - Quiz on writing traits.  Quiz on reading books.
Friday - All normal Friday assignments plus 5th graders have a Mid Chapter Math Quiz and National Parks brochures are due.

Our quote of the day is a thought provoking question from Francis Chan, “Has your relationship with God changed the way you live your life?”

Music Performance Tomorrow

Here are some pictures from the DAS Poetry Night.  What a great time! Our students have so much talent and it really shined.  They are skillful writers, thinkers and performers.  I was very proud!

Today the whole school practiced for the music performance.  They sounded great.  Please make sure to be there NO LATER than 10:30 A.M.  Attire is black and white.

The students were assigned a national park today for their social studies project. It is due next Friday, October 11th.  

Today we talked about how Jesus is the ultimate example of courage.  "And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

Prodigious Poets

Tonight is the enjoyable DAS Poetry Night.  I will be posting pictures tomorrow of our poet laureates.  I am confident that you will be pleased with your child's performance and their display of thoughtful musings.

I can't believe it but next week will be the last week of the first quarter!  We will be having math facts tests that will count as chapter test grades.  PLEASE encourage them to study over the weekend.

Today I gave them a social studies project.  They will be making a national park brochure, which will be due next Friday.  Their assignment tonight is to come to class with the names of three national parks.

We continued today to talk about getting back up when we have failed.  Here is an encouraging quote from Vince Lombardi, “It's not how many times you fall that matters, it's how many time you get back up.”

Preparation for Poetry Night

Kristen took a great candid of her classmates after school dismissal.  I love the camaraderie and joy on their faces.  Great shot Kristen!

Today we practiced our lines in front of a microphone in preparation for the poetry night. Please remember that we need 100% participation because this will go towards their grade and is necessary for the success of our class poem.  Eight of our students have volunteered to recite their own original poems.  We have so much talent in our class! I know you will be impressed!  Please have your child practice their lines in front of a mirror - speaking slowly, clearly and loudly.

The students are also practicing hard for their musical performance on Saturday morning.  They sound like angels!!!

Today we talked about how courage means getting back up even when it is hard.  We watched this video to demonstrate the concept:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K873NUl3jFo.

I love this quote from Colin Powell, " There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."

Poetry Night & Performance

 

Thank you Jose for taking a picture of your friend Joshua's art project.  He really thought Joshua did a great job!  I can't wait to see if any of our student's win a prize in the art and poetry contests that I will be entering them into.

The bottom picture is a check that we were able to give to ADRA International.  Congratulations students on giving to your world! You never know what the ripple effect will be.

I am SO proud of my students.  We have been diligently working on math facts and there has been A LOT of improvement!!!  Keep up the hard work students!!!

We will be performing an original group poem on Thursday night.  I am asking that the students bring a prop(s) for their line. Please have them bring something in tomorrow so that we can practice with it.  

Please also remember that there is a class performance on Saturday morning.  Please have students in black and white attire. All students need to be at the church no later than 10:30.

Today we talked about honesty in our devotion.  Our quote is by Thomas Jefferson, "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."