First Week--August 27

Wow! Can you believe how fast the first week of school has gone by? We have been having so much fun in class and look forward to the rest of the year. Here are some things we have been doing.

Math: We started out the year by reviewing multiplication. The students shared some of their favorite strategies to solve multiplication problems and learned many new ones. We will continue with the review next week as well as review division.

Science: The students watched a short video on how large we are when compared to atoms and single celled organisms, but also how small we can be compared to the universe and beyond. We read Dr. Xargles and talked about the difference between an observation and inference.

Social Studies: Students shared with the class the places they have traveled to around the world. Then they labeled and colored a world map. We discussed the different ancient civilizations they will study this year. Students analyzed a cookie and found civilizations, rivers, and mountains. They wrote about which civilizations would survive the longest and why, focusing on the land features surrounding each one.

*Students will be looking at artifacts on Monday. Have them bring one in to share about themselves.


Spelling: Look for Spelling List 1 homework to come home in your student's homework folder on Monday. We will be having our first Spelling Test on Friday!

Reading: This week we read several stories with themes that applied to our classroom. On the first day of school we read "First Day Jitters" and the students wrote about any 'jitters' they had for this year. We read "Michael's Golden Rules" and discussed how his ten golden rules of baseball apply to our class. In addition, we read "Knots on a Counting Rope" to help us remember how important each of us is in our classroom. We also created our own knotted bracelets. If the students wear this bracelet on the last day of class they will get a treat! Next week will be starting a class read aloud and have more SSR time.

Writing: Students started writing and publishing their Hands poems. We brainstormed different verbs, adverbs, and adjectives that could describe our hands. Then we turned some of these words into poems about our hands--what our hands can do and what we hope our hands will do in the future. We will finish these up on Monday and they will be on display in our hallway this week! I was very impressed with the poems the students wrote! :)

Also this week we came up with a city name, motto and symbol for our classroom community. We are Blazing Birdville and our motto is "to infinity and beyond!" Special thanks to Spencer Nelson who drew our class symbol! Look for a picture posted on here in the near future! Each student created their own house for our city which will be displayed this week.

Have a fabulous weekend and we'll see you on Monday!

Grades & Attendance

Here is the link that you need to visit when checking your student's grades and attendance. Please make sure that you have an account created and that you keep your information up to date. Watch for your username and password in the bottom right hand corner of your student's homework folder on Monday, August 30. Thanks!

http://www.nebo.edu/parents/sis

Volunteer Sign-Up Link

Complete the questionnaire to volunteer in our classroom. Make sure you press submit.
Thanks!

Classroom Information!

Thank you for visiting our blog. We will be updating this weekly with school and classroom information. We hope that you will find it to be a useful source to come to. As the school year quickly approaches we are both so delighted to have the opportunity to be working with your students next year. Please always feel free to contact us with any concerns you may have.

Management Plan: Our classroom will run like its own little community. The students will each be giving jobs that they are in charge of. They will receive fines and tickets based on behavior, and paychecks for completing their jobs. We feel that this will teach the students responsibility and helps them be more connected to their class. As a class we will come up with what things will be fined (chewing gum, disrupting the class, for example) and how much they will be fined. Those with excellent behavior will be given bonuses. Students are saving their money to get into a class party. There they will be able to spend their extra money earned on different privileges and treats.

Subjects: Mrs. Bird will be teaching in the mornings and the subjects of Math, Science, and Social Studies. We know that many are concerned about the math core for this year. It will be tough but we know that the students will be able to understand all the concepts and feel success in this area. Science is taught by all the sixth grade teachers through rotations. This gives them a feel for having more than one teacher and helps prepare for Jr. High.

Ms. Blaisdell will teach in the afternoon and cover all the literacy subjects consisting of: comprehension, book groups, writing, spelling & vocabulary. Look for weekly spelling lists and vocabulary words to come home every monday. There will also be opportunities for parents help in the classroom in some of these areas.

Homework will be handed out every Monday and collected on Friday. Parents are asked to always check their child's work. There is an area for parent signature, and this is worth homework points.

Please make sure students promptly to school each day. The first bell rings at 8:55, and learning begins immediately. The class goes to lunch from 11:30-12:05. They are released from school at 3:15.

Scroll down to read all about your new teachers!!

Meet Miss Blaisdell

Hello new sixth graders! I’m so excited to meet all of you and I’m looking forward to a fun, learning-filled year! This will be my first year of teaching and I’m thrilled that I get to spend my first year with all of you! As Mrs. Bird already posted, sixth grade is going to be a lot of fun, but also a lot of hard work. I know that working together, we’ll all experience great success! I will be teaching you literacy—spelling, reading, writing, etc. Along with Mrs. Bird, I’ll do my best to make learning as fun as possible. I hope that you will be eager to listen, learn and do your best this year!

I was born and raised in Boise, Idaho (yes, I’m a Broncos fan, as long as they aren’t playing BYU!) I’m the youngest of five children. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister. My two oldest brothers, Darrin & Craig, and my sister, Sharyn, are all married—I have 12 adorable nieces and nephews that you will hear all about, I’m sure! My other brother, Brent, recently graduated from BYU and is working in Provo. It’s possible that you will get to meet some of my family members as well—most of us are big BYU football fans and love attending the games. I graduated from BYU in April of this year. I love BYU sports and will always “bleed blue!”
Left to Right: My friend Jen and myself at graduation

In June, I got to visit my sister and her family in Ohio for a couple of days. I had a fun time swimming, playing games, and bike riding with my nieces Katelyn and Maya and my nephew Jacob.
Left to right:Brother-in-law David, my sister Sharyn, Maya Front row: Katelyn, Jacob

I also visited Boise a couple of times this summer and got to hang out with my brother Craig’s family—Joshua, Ryan, Avery, and Camden!
Left to right: Josh, sister-in-law Jaime, Camden, Avery, Ryan, my brother Craig

This week I get to go play with the rest of the kiddos when I visit my brother Darrin’s family. Ben is my oldest nephew and is starting sixth grade in a week! I don’t have any recent electronic pictures of them right now, but you’ll be able to see some in our classroom.

This summer I’ve also enjoyed spending time with all of my friends having crazy adventures. We’ve been rock climbing, camping, hiking, played night games, and went down the natural waterfall slide in Alpine. The water was freezing and it was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but so exhilarating!
Having fun with friends

When I’m not out playing with friends, I get to be a nanny to a cute little baby named Rhea. I hope you are having a relaxing and eventful summer as well! I’m looking forward to the start of school and getting to meet all of my new students!

Meet Mrs. Bird

Hello to my cute new class! I can't believe how fast school is approaching and I can't wait to meet all of you! This will be my sixth year teaching. It always amazes me how excited I get for the beginning of the year, but I also get a little nervous. (Maybe you are feeling the same way!) Sixth grade is going to be so much fun, but also tough. Look forward to working and playing hard all year. I will be teaching you math, science, and social studies. We have a lot to learn and I will do my best to make it as fun as possible. The fun we are able to have depends on all of you so come ready to listen and learn and you will have your best year yet!

A little about me: I grew up in Las Vegas, for some reason the heat didn't seem so bad. Now when I go back to visit my family I melt! I have two wonderful parents, a big brother, and three little sisters. I have always enjoyed my place in the family. You will probably meet many of my family members throughout the year as they like to come and visit. After High School I moved to Utah and attended BYU. Go Cougars! While there I met my handsome husband and we were married on 7-11. Yep, we had slurpees at the wedding! YUM. I received a Masters Degree through SUU in Math Education. I greatly enjoyed going back to school and love that I am able to apply all my learning to my teaching. A year ago we had the cutest little boy I had ever seen; Brighton! I never knew I would enjoy being a mom so much. This summer has flown by as I have gotten the opportunity to spend all day with him. It amazes me how kids learn just by watching what you do. He is so adventurous and enjoys every moment of life. He is constantly smiling, talking, and exploring his new world. Being a mom and teacher are the best jobs. I am so lucky to be able to do both this coming year!