Random Notes and Reminders

Reading Calendar

Don't forget that the January reading calendar is due on Monday, February 2. I will be sending home the February calendar tonight.

Valentine's Party

Our Valentine's Party will be on Friday, February 13. I sent home a class list tonight for valentine's day cards. It is a bright pink sheet. If your child wants to do cards, please have them give them to all the kids in the classroom.

The Valentine's Day Party committee is Raymond, Jalyssa, Kennedy, Sarah, Mackenzie, and Jeran. We will be meeting next week to make plans and decide who is bringing in treats and who will be working on games.

Language Arts Test / No Spelling

We will be taking our end of the theme test in language arts next week. This is the third unit test we will be taking. They are rather large, but we will split them up over three days.

Since we will be spending three days working on the theme test we will not have spelling next week. We will continue our spelling again on February 9.

Caps 4 a Cure

A reminder that IGEMS is doing Caps 4 A Cure next week. If students bring in a dollar by Feb. 3 they can wear a hat on Feb. 6. 

Updated Calendar

The calendar on the blog was horribly behind, and I finally got around to updating it. Here is a the schedule for the next three months. I'm sure I still missed a few things.

Feb. 2 - Groundhog Day

Feb. 6 - Caps for a Cure

Feb. 11 - Early Release

Feb. 13 - Valentine's Party

Feb. 14 - Valentine's Day

March 8 - Daylight Savings

March 17 - St. Patrick's Day

March 20 - End 3rd Quarter

March 20 - First Day of Spring

March 23 - Begin 4th Quarter

March 25 - Report Cards Home

March 26 - P/T Conf. 4-8 p.m.

March 27 - P/T Conf. 8-11 a.m.

March 26-April 6 - Spring Break

April 6 - Teacher Inservice

April 7 - Return to School

April 27 - Capitol Field Trip

Have a great weekend!

Student Timeline

In computers we started making a student timeline. For each year that your child has been alive they will have a couple of sentences about something that happened that year. I sent home a form for the kids to fill out on yesterday, but it isn't due until February 5 when we have computers again. It is usually pretty easy for the kids to come up with memories for the last few years, but the toddler years are more difficult. Your help will help make it a cooler project.

Students can also send in a picture from their childhood. We'll have a fourth grade picture, but you can send me another picture of the children to include. You can send in a picture with the students on a flash drive or just e-mail me a digital image at avanovermeer@igs.k12.wi.us.

Thanks for your help!

Upcoming Events

This Friday, January 30th, students are encouraged to wear their Badger Red and White---we'll be taking it to the hallway to "Jump Around!"


Next Friday, February 6th, students are allowed to wear a hat to school for "Caps for a Cure," sponsored by the Middle School Student Council.  In order to participate in the event, students should pay their homeroom teachers $1 prior to Friday, February 6th.  The money will be donated to Relay for Life by the Student Council. Be sure to wear that special hat to school on Friday---and wear it all day long! Thank you in advance for helping to support cancer research!

Sickness Going Around

It sounds like yesterday was a bit of a crazy day in our classroom. I was home sick and they couldn't find a sub until later in the day. So the kids had Mr. Rear for spelling, Mrs. Dums for writing, and Mrs. Laufenberg for math! They were able to find a sub for the afternoon though. All the reports were very good, and I appreciate the students being so flexible and behaving on such a strange day.

Not only was I gone yesterday, but we also had six students gone for part or all of the day! We definitely have something going around the classroom. Please be on the lookout for cold and flu like symptoms. We will be disinfecting everyday and I will remind students to wash their hands very well.

Kindergarten Buddies

This is part of our Friday routine that the class really looks forward to. Here are a few of the kids in action. 

Math

All the math classes are either just starting or will be starting Unit 4 soon. This unit will go over Equations and Word Problems. Along with this will be an introduction to algebraic terms. Above is a complicated picture with an example. We won't go quite into this detail yet.

xtramath.org

Congratulations to Jeran for completing the multiplication portion at xtramath.org. I appreciate your hard work on your math facts!

As a reminder, this is a great way for students to practice their basic facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Just go to xtramath.org, have the students log in and the will be done in five minutes.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

We spent some time talking about MLK Day today in class. We were able to watch a short video at the end of the day which gave an overview of his life.

Yearbook Reminder
If your child wants a yearbook the orders are due this Friday, January 23. The cost is $15 or $16 with a signature page.

Report Cards
The student's report cards will be sent home or e-mailed on Wednesday, January 21.

Grade and Report Cards

Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I have been working on administering the Benchmark Assessment test and finishing up grades. I enjoyed listening to the kids read on Thursday during testing and especially enjoy having the little conversations about the books they read.

Report cards will go home on Wednesday, January 21st. Just as a reminder, some parents have the report cards sent via e-mail now instead of a paper copy.

Next week I will return to filling up your inbox with more regularity. :)

Have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful winter temperatures!

Upcoming Events

Spelling Bee

The Middle School Spelling Bee will be on Wednesday, January 14 at 2:00. The fourth graders are not yet in the spelling bee, but we will be in the audience watching. Next year this class will have students in the spelling be though!

Benchmark Assessment Testing

On Thursday, January 15 I will be administering the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment test to the students during the day. We will have a sub in the room, but I will be in the building all day taking a student at a time to listen to them read. This is one of my favorite tests (and students too, I think) as I get to sit down and listen to each student read and answer questions for fifteen minutes or so.

End of Quarter / Half Day

Finally, a reminder that on Friday, January 16 we will be having a half day as we are half way through the year! It always goes so fast, it's hard to believe we are already half way there. The report cards for this quarter will get sent home or e-mailed on Wednesday, January 21.

Yearbooks and Congrats

Yearbook

Yearbook orders are going home tonight. They are $15 and due on January 23. The books usually get delivered in the spring.

December Reading Calendars

Congratulations to the following students for turning in their December Reading Calendars. I think that is the hardest month to remember! 

Jalyssa

Teejay

Mackenzie

Kennedy

Sarah

McKenna

Raymond

Alex P.

Ty

Ashley

Alexiyia

Richard

Evie

Pass the Time

So I said I would definitely be back today, but the weather didn't cooperate! If your child has a little cabin fever you can have them check out our vacation video that my wife made.

South Padre Island

Welcome Back

I was home with my very sick little boy today. It sounds like there have been lots of stuff going around. Hopefully everything went well at school, and I'll be back either way tomorrow.

 

LEGO Club at the Livingston Public Library

Livingston Public Library LEGO CLUB,
2nd Sat of the month, Jan. 10th, 10-11:00 am.

All ages invited, (6 yrs and under must be accompanied by an adult)

Playground Fund Update from our P.T.C. 
Iowa-Grant Parent Teacher Club

The objectives of the Iowa-Grant Parent-Teacher Club are to support the school in its endeavors, both educationally and financially, to support the staff and the school district in their educational procedures, and to promote goodwill among the families, staff and school community.

The IGEMS Playground Fund

The IGEMS Playground Fund was established with the support of the IGEMS PTC in the fall of 2013. Funds are being raised for new playground equipment, since several pieces of our current playground equipment are in need of repair. We want to provide the students of IGEMS with a safe, fun place to play.

Our goal is to raise approximately $30,000.00 for the cost of the equipment and installation. Fundraisers have included: Cinco de Mayo Festival, summer Read-a-Thon, Fun Run/Walk, money from Box-Top donations, and private donations. Our recent event “Kids Night Out” raised $878.00! We are currently collecting Box Tops for Education and planning even more fundraisers for this school year. Our current balance is $10,545.75.

If you are interested in making a donation please contact:
Holly Allen
5th and 6thGrade Teacher
hallen@igs.k12.wi.us
943-6313 ext: 1010