Homework

I sent home the homework packets today. You have ALLLLLLLL week to complete all the assignments. They need to be returned back to me in the yellow folders on Friday. Please don't do everything in 1 night. Your child should only be doing about 10 minutes of homework a night. The spelling list that your kiddo needs to study is the one that is circled at the top of their page. The blue paper is for the math home link. Please, please, please make sure your child is reading 15 minutes every night...this reading should be their own reading not you reading to them. If you want to do some additional reading to them that's great, but they need to be reading by themselves for atleast 15 minutes every night.

August 29, 2009

Dear Mark Twain Families,

I hope you and your children had a great first week of school. Please find below a few items of importance. I also want to personally encourage you to attend the PTO meeting on Tuesday, September 1st. You are an important and necessary component of the PTO as we plan for the upcoming year.

See you next week,

Jill Herrera, PTO President

Mark Twain PTO: United We Build Community

Jherrer5@sbcglobal.net

International Baccalaureate/Primary Years Program Ambassador

Dear parents,

You are invited to become a PYP Ambassador. The goal of this parent group is to focus our energies at Mark Twain so that activities connect more directly to our International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. We hope this will help deepen your conversations with your children about their work and encourage meaningful parent-teacher dialogue.

We plan to meet once a month starting in September - time and day still to be arranged to accommodate everyone's schedule.

If you would like to become a PYP Ambassador or if you need more information, please give me a call or send an email.

Thanks for all you do,

Kathleen Blakeslee

IB PYP Coordinator

Mark Twain Elementary

713.295.5230

KBLAKESL@houstonisd.org

Parking Courtesy

The school welcomes and encourages parents to park and walk their children into school each morning. Will you please be reminded to show courtesy to our neighbors by adhering to the following guidelines regarding parking on the street and in school parking lots.

1. Please make sure your car does not block a driveway
2. Please refrain from parking in any driveway
3. Please refrain from parking on the sidewalk
4. Please do not park in any reserved parking places in school parking lots.

Cell Phone Use Prohibited in School Zones

HB 55 -- a new Texas law that takes effect Sept. 1 -- amends the state's Transportation Code, Section 545.425 to prohibit the use of a wireless communication device (WCD) while operating a vehicle within a school crossing zone unless the vehicle is stopped or the WCD is used with a hands-free device. An exception allows the use of WCDs to make emergency calls to specific organizations listed in the law, including police, fire and emergency medical services.

Signs will be posted on September 1st to notify motorists of the new law.* * * * * * *

Sally Foster

The Kickoff for our Fall Fundraiser will be underway on Tuesday, September 1st. Your child(ren) will receive a packet of information regarding Sally Foster. Please look for it in their Tuesday folders.

Green/Brown Folders

Exciting news!! Collaboratively the PTO and the school are making the transition from Red Folders to a Green Folder system in an effort to "Go Green". Although originally we were calling them Green Folders the actual folders are brown, as they are made of recycled paper.

On September 1st we will send home a Brown Folder to every child. If you have not yet signed up for Green Folders there will be a "Green Folder" form in the brown folder. We ask you to complete the form and encourage you to join the effort by agreeing to receive communication electronically.

Beginning September 8th, the PTO Communications Director will compile and edit the weekly Mark Twain Electronic Newsletter. This newsletter will be sent electronically to your e-mail on Tuesday. For those families that have opted out it will be copied and put in the brown folder. The electronic newsletter will have live links that will provide additional information regarding the event. There will still be some paper flyers, as well as student work from your teachers in the folders, but it is our goal to significantly decrease the use of paper.

We appreciate your patience and support in this effort. As we begin this new initiative there will be adjustments and areas for improvement. We will appreciate your feedback and patience as we work to communicate effectively. In advance, thanks again for your support.

Going Green,

Jill Herrera, PTO President

Janet Schwind, Communication Co-Director (Brown Folder Coordinator)

Christine Dobson, Communication Co-Director (Electronic Newsletter Editor)

Math is Everywhere!

It was a busy math day today! The kids made some number collections and then we learned about one of our math tools: the pattern block template. The kids used the pattern block templates to make pictures and patterns (pictures will be up as soon as I can figure out how to make a mosaic of all their work!) We tried to throw in a game or 2 of number squeeze but we ran out of time...maybe tomorrow!

Reading Groups and Jobs

Today we started our reading groups and jobs to get the kids used to rotating and working in groups. Things went smoothly and everyone had a good time.

Lunch Cards

Go to www.parentonline.net to put money on your child's lunch card.

1st Day Packets

I guess they should technically be called the 2nd Day Packets.... :) There are many important forms to read and fill out in these packets. I'm asking that everything is returned by the end of this week.

Please go over the student handbook and the code of conduct with your child so that you are familiar with what is expected. The lunch application needs to be filled out even if you aren't going to be participating in free or reduced lunch. If you aren't participating in free or reduced lunch all you have to do is opt out of it on the form. Make sure to sign the media release so that your child can be involved in our class blog. If you do not want your child involved please let me know right away. The enrollment card needs to be filled out completely...I know that you filled the exact same thing out last year, but the cards do not travel with your child. Also, the information does not transfer from siblings cards.

Welcome Back!!!!

Miss Kristal's

1^st Grade class

2009-2010

Hello! I am so thrilled to be teaching your child this year! There are many fun things planned for this year. The focus will mainly be on math and reading, but there will be lots of science and social studies as well. At Open House I will go into more explanation about what we do during the school year.

The first weeks of school we have to go over a lot of routines and procedures. This week the class will start every morning with some morning work to establish the morning routine of putting away backpacks, lunches, folders, information sheets, etc. and then going to their seats to start their morning work. Starting next week the kids will be writing in their journals every morning until 8:30. If you would like to volunteer to help with journal just let me know. Kids love to have their parents AND grandparents help out in the classroom!

Next week we will start spelling. Every Monday the kids will be given a list of 10 spellings words. 4 of those words will be sight words. I will give a spelling test every Friday. I will include more challenging bonus words from the social studies/science/PYP planners that we are studying. We will work on daily lessons with these words and I will be assigning daily spelling homework.

As a school, Mark Twain uses Chicago Everyday Math for its math curriculum. This is a great program that I really enjoy teaching and I know it will get the kids ready for next year in 2^nd grade. Incorporated into this curriculum is homework called "Home Links". Home Links go right along with what we are learning in class and they also include weekly letters to the parents and answers for the homework for the following week. I encourage you to keep these as a reference tool to help when you are working with your child at home.

 

A homework packet will be sent home in a yellow folder every Monday and is due on Friday. These are checked for completion. These packets will consist of the Home Links from Everyday Math, spelling homework and a reading log. I am asking that your child commit to reading at least 15 minutes every night (Monday-Thursday). The reading log will have spots for listing book titles and also a spot for a parent signature.

 

On Tuesdays brown folders are sent home. These folders will have notes from the office about what is happening at school, important dates/information, and work done in class the previous week. You can opt out of the brown folders and choose to do a "green" folder instead. This would mean that you would get everything electronically on your email. We have decided to do this as a school to cut back on the paper that we have been using in years past.

The bell rings at 7:50 and class begins right away. Every child should be on time. If you find that you are running late a tardy slip from the office is needed for your child to enter class. If your child is sick or misses school, a note needs to be brought to me within 3 days of them returning to class.

 

Please, please, please fill out ALL paperwork in the big manila envelope ASAP. The office needs this information quickly. They will hound me daily for it.

I have a classroom blog www.misskristalsclass.blogspot.com and it is updated frequently. Be sure to sign the media release enclosed in the manila envelope so pictures your child, your child's work and their actual work can be included. Most of what you will see is what has been done in class that day, quotes from children, upcoming event information, etc. If you need a better idea of what I am talking about please feel free to visit and see what was going on last year.

I am so excited to get to know your children! I know we will have a very successful year. Please plan to attend Open House so I can further explain what happens in my classroom. This is also a great time to ask questions and meet the other parents. Please know that I am very open to answering all your questions and hearing your comments and concerns. I have time during my planning period from 10:10-10:50 every day (except Thursdays), before school at 7:30 and after school at 3:15 for parent conferences. I am ALWAYS available through email. My email address at school is kdick@houstonisd.org. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Whew! I know that was a lot of information! I look forward to working with you and your child this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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