Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Thanksgiving Celebration















What a great day celebrating our many blessings!  My students wrote poems and psalms of Thanksgiving this week.  Today we also made nature wreaths in celebration of God's awesome gift of creation. 

We played math challenge games at the below website.  Click on your grade on the left:
http://mathtop10.com/5th_Answers/5th_Ans2.htm.
We watched videos about the Pilgrim's challenging journey and life in America.  They will also be having a Thanksgiving webcast at the Plymouth Colony: http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/webcast.htm.

Congratulations to our November award recipients:  David for Student of the Month, Samantha for Most Improved and Joey for the Integrity award. 

Please remember that Monday is a half day - 11:30am dismissal.  Also students - please remember that ReadingPlus assignments will be due on Monday.

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Friday, November 22, 2013

Science Projects

What a great day for science!  I really enjoyed ALL of the projects that the students turned in.  As I predicted, their curiosity and creativity shined!!!

Don't forget to come support the DAS Science Night on Tuesday, December 3rd, at 6:30.  Your child's project will be on display.  
But before that we would love it if you could join us on Tuesday, November 26th at 10:30am for our monthly awards ceremony and Thanksgiving Feast.

Our quote for today is from C.S. Lewis, "We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good; if bad, because it works in us patience, humility, contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country"

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Successful Soccer


Thanks to Mr. Flores for some fun soccer clinics!  This Tuesday will be the last practice.

We have a Word Wall up in our room where the students illustrate and define some of their spelling words.  This one pictured about the word nutritious was made by Joshua - great job!!!

Today we got our new reading books, learned more about commas, angiosperms and literary elements.  We also started new chapters in 4th and 5th grade math.  

I cannot wait to see the science projects tomorrow.  The student's curiosity and creativity will definitely come out in their projects.

Our quote today is from Thomas Merton, "To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything."

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Grateful & Giving

Part of Thanksgiving is the word "giving."  Please help us do this by bringing in change for our Pennies for the Philippines jar!!!  Thanks so much in advance for your generosity.

Give thanks for what you have
Resist complaining for you have all you need
Always be thankful even for the little things
The Lord will help you to know what being thankful means
Everything you do, do it for the Lord
For being thankful is what God wants you to do
Under God's control you do not need to worry, God will lead you to do the right thing
Live only for the Lord

By Josue Ocasio, 5th Grade

Today we had math and reading tests, studied ferns, and are learning the different uses for commas.  We have also been studying literary tools.  Ask your child what an onomatopoeia is! 

Today the office is sending home student information sheets.  Please check them to make sure all information is correct and updated.

Next Tuesday is our DAS Thanksgiving feast.  All family members are invited.  We will also have our monthly award's ceremony that day.  Please join us!

Our quote for today is from Henry Ward Beecher,
"The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies;
but let the thankful heart
sweep through the day and,
as the magnet finds the iron,
so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!"

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Being Thankful

Being thankful is our Bible theme for the next few weeks.  The students did a coloring page where they added leaves of what they are thankful for.  Thanks Erica for this beautiful picture!  We also watched this video to help remind us of some things we take for granted but should be grateful for: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO8FQzoESTc.

Reminder that many of the students will have a chance to retake their math tests tomorrow and that tomorrow they will have a reading test.  Please make sure your student is completing all of their weekly assignments.  And don't forget the science project due on Friday!

Our quote for today is from A.J. Jacobs, “I've started to look at life differently. When you're thanking God for every little thing- every meal, every time you wake up, every time you take a sip of water - you can't help but be more thankful for life itself, for the unlikely and miraculous fact that you exist at all.”

Monday, November 18, 2013

Field Trip

"This is was the best field trip ever," was the response I heard the most last Friday.  Our field trip to the FLEC science lab was a great success for our budding scientists.  A big thanks to Ms. Taylor for hosting us and our parent volunteer drivers.

Our Bible verse this week is, "I will tell of the Lord's unfailing love.
I will praise the Lord for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love." Isaiah 63:7 NLT

Tuesday the students will have a science test on plants and each grade will have a math test.  All students will have a reading test on Wednesday.  This is a busy week - science projects are due on Friday.  All projects must be turned in by 8:00 am on Friday morning.

A website that is fun to study up on the plants is:  http://www.neok12.com/quiz/PLANTS01
 
Today the students were also sent home with a note from the office asking them to bring a specific item for the DAS Thanksgiving Feast next Tuesday.  If you have any questions please ask Mrs. Best in the office.



Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Pennies for the Philippines

Thank you Isabelle for drawing this great cover for our Pennies for the Philippines jar.  Please encourage your student to bring in loose change.  Every penny will make a difference.  Or you can give directly to ADRA at www.adra.org.

Please make sure that your child is doing their Readingplus assignments.  To see what grade level they are reading go to this page: https://learn.readingplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/SeeReader-Rate-Goals-by-Level.pdf.

Please remember that science projects are due on November 22!

This Friday we will be going to FLEC for science labs.  Make sure your child packs a sack lunch.  We will return by 2:00pm.

Tomorrow is our punctuation test.  Here is a site where your child can practice: http://www.timeforkids.com/homework-helper /punctuation-practice/rules/10411.

Today's honesty quote is by Max Lucado, "I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness"

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Can Collecting



What an awesome way to start off our day - collecting donations from the neighborhood for the less fortunate.  Because of the generosity of the local neighborhood many people will be helped this holiday season!  Great job students on this year's can collecting.

Today we also started Pennies for the Philippines to help out the people affected by one of the world's worst natural disasters.  For the next few weeks we will be collecting monies to send to the Philippines. Please help us help others by sending in your extra coins.

Today our students did an AWESOME job on their prefix/suffix test.  Thursday will be a punctuation test.  

Please remember that this Friday is the field trip to FLEC for science experiments.  Have your child bring a sack lunch.  I am still missing a few permission slips.

Our quote today is from the Bible, "
An honest answer
is like a warm hug." Proverbs 24:26 MSG.


Monday, November 11, 2013

Prefix/Suffix Bingo

Today we started off by passing out grocery bags in the surrounding neighborhood.  The bags included a note requesting non-perishable food items for the less fortunate.  We had a great time - especially knowing that it was for a good cause! Tomorrow we will be going back out into the neighborhood to collect the donations.  I need one more driver if I have any parents that would like to volunteer.

Today we played prefix/suffix Bingo and we also made a prefix/suffix garden.  Tomorrow the students will have a quiz on prefix/suffixes.  Thursday they will have a quiz on punctuation.  

No SpellingCity or Bible Verse this week but they will still have ThinkCentral and ReadingPlus assignments.

Today's quote is by Abraham Lincoln, "No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar."

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Twin Day

We had a couple sets of twins and even a set of triplets today!  Tomorrow is "Turn back the clock day."  It will be interesting to see what kind of history figures will come to school tomorrow.

Tomorrow there will be a verb tense quiz.  To study for it we played Verb Tense Jeopardy.  The students really enjoyed it.  Here is the link: http://www.eslgamesplus.com/verb-tenses-interactive-grammar-game-for-esl-jeopardy-quiz-game/

The students will have their Science Cell quiz on Thursday.  Today we drew a picture of Cell City - making the cell look like a city.  Ask your child what the function of the nucleus is or the mitochondria.

Today's quote is a Yiddish proverb, "A half truth is a whole lie."

Monday, November 4, 2013

Fall Fest and Spirit Week



What a fun weekend!  DAS had a great turn out at the Fall Festival.  Thanks to parental support we were able to raise $75 for our spring field trip.  The goal is to be able to go to the Kennedy Space Center.  We will probably do a few more fund raisers to help defray the costs.

This week is the DAS spirit week. Today was crazy hair day. Tomorrow is twin day! Thanks to those who are participating.

Please make sure that your child is doing all of their online homework.  Tomorrow the 5th graders will have a Mid- Chapter math test.  The 3rd graders will have their chapter math test on Wednesday.  This week we will also have a quiz on verb tenses.

Please make sure that your child has turned in their release forms for the Can Collecting and FLEC field trips.

Our Bible verse this week is: "For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth." Psalm 33:4,5 NLT