Second Week of School

Well the first week is over and I have to say "WOW" have these students impressed me- academically and with their conduct!  They were focused, participating, respectful and picked up on the rituals and routines with ease.  I would also like to shout out a huge "THANK YOU" in your effort to get the supplies to the classroom.  It really does make a big difference for students when they have the needed notebooks, etc during our lessons.  I also would like to say "Thank you" to parents who sent in extra folders, notebooks, paper for students who might not have theirs yet or for the class through the year.  I think we are off the an AWESOME start!


Reading
Last week I set up the reading log folder with students which they brought home for a parent signature.  This week we will continue to practice in  class, however I will also assign a nightly reading log this week.  We have not started using the textbook or introducing vocabulary but that will be coming.

Language
This week students will begin using their writing journal to review the writing process by writing a paragraph about their favorite character so far from our read alouds.  Ask your student who they are writing about.

Spelling
This week we will not have a spelling list.  Soon, however students will have a pretest on Mondays and a spelling test on Fridays. Look for reminders in homework agendas.

Important Dates:
Monday September 3............Holiday Labor Day
Wednesday September 5.......First Early Dismissal Day

Until next time,
R. O'Steen

Welcome to Mrs. O'Steen's Class

I was so glad many of you were able to come to our "Meet and Greet" Friday!  So many smiling faces and many students ready to get back to school.  Well I am too! I look forward to meeting everyone of you Monday morning. 

This year we will be in a three man team.  I will teach the literacy (reading and language), Mr. Brown will teach the math and Ms. Kitchens will teach Science.  Students will be able to get some very focused lessons this way.  That being said, students will need to be well organized throughout their day.  To the right you will find a supply list that will help your students be organized and focused throughout their school day. 

The first week 2 weeks of school students will work of rituals and routines of the school and classroom.  You may not see all aspects of reading and writing, such as their reading logs, reading textbook etc. come home the first week or even the second.  I will slowly roll out each part so students can get a firm understanding before adding something more to their plate.

We will also be administering beginning year baseline assessments to know where each student is so we can differentiate our teaching to help each student the best we can!

You should see a blue folder coming home the first day with important paper.  Please return the folder and information cards etc by the end of the week.

Students should also receive a planner or agenda to use nightly to write down homework and to be used as a communication tool between school and home.  So please sign the planner nightly and write any questions or concerns and I will get back to you quickly. I look forward to working with all of you this year!

Until next time,
R. O'Steen

Summer is Over!

I always said I couldn't believe how fast the year went last year and now I am saying to myself, "My how summer did fly by!"  I hope you all had a relaxing and fun summer and are now ready to get back to the fun of learning!  If you are reading this you most likely have been notified that you will be in my class this 2012-2013 school year!  I will post often so come back frequently to see what is going on.  Also you can look to the sidebar and see the supplies you will need to be successful this year in fifth grade.

 Look forward to see you soon!

Until next time,
R. O'Steen