September 14 Picture Day
September 16 Laura at writing training; Vanessa will be the Plover's teacher for a day!
September 28 All Day Out & About
Homework Due by Thursday, September 15th
1. If you haven't done so yet, bring in or email a family photo to display in the classroom.
2. Read for at least 20 minutes every night.
3. Complete classroom job application. Click here for an extra copy of our Classroom Job Application and Plover Job Postings.
4. New Plovers: return your Google Apps permission slip.
Upcoming Out and Abouts
This Wednesday, we will walk to Main Street to look at what goods and services can be found in downtown Forest Grove as we start to study Natural Resources and Consumerism. Next Wednesday, we will go to the Forest Grove Police Station to support our investigation of community resources and to learn about the skills different workers need for their jobs.
On September 28th, we will be gone all day on a trip to Metro Central Transfer Station and the Hazardous Waste Facility in Portland. Students who ordered a school lunch for this day will get a sack lunch that contains a sandwich, fresh fruit, fresh vegetable and milk.
Volunteer Opportunities
Under Forest Grove School District policy, criminal background checks are required for all volunteers. This includes, but is not limited to, Out & About chaperones and classroom volunteers. Please visit the Volunteer page for more information.
Each week in the newsletter, I will mention upcoming opportunities for volunteers. I use a website called SignUp to manage volunteer scheduling and donations. You do not need to create an account to use the website, but it will ask for your email to send reminders or provide updates (like if an event is canceled). There are currently three ongoing Plover projects that you can sign up for:
1. Breakfast Donations - The Plovers will enjoy a breakfast together every Friday morning. You can sign up now to help provide snacks. There are 2 spots available each week, so one family can donate cereal (or bagels, muffins, granola bars, etc) and another family can supply fresh fruit. We would like to avoid sugary treats and candy.
2. Mystery Readers - Parents, relatives and other Plover friends are invited to surprise the class by being a Mystery Reader in our classroom this year. Mystery Readers send in 5 clues about themselves, but their true identities are not revealed until they arrive! Readers are asked to bring a picture book to read out loud to the class. I have 2 spots available each week for mystery readers, but I can add more if those times do not work with your schedule. Please email me to schedule an additional time.
3. Out & About Chaperones - Sign up to join the Plovers on an Out & About! On our SignUp page, you'll be able to find out more about each Out & About, including locations and times. You can sign up now to join us for a Main Street mapping activity on Sept 14th or a trip to the Police Station on Sept 21st!
Weekly Review: Written by the Plovers
Last week, we went to the Backyard Garden with Erin to learn about resources. We collected and observed things in the garden that are resources, which means they can be used for food, shelter, protection, hydration, tools, clothes, or relaxation. We also talked about the resources we use at school, like glue, pencils, scissors, paper, technology, calculators, markers and tape. Then, we took an inventory of the supplies in the classroom and made lists of the things we need to resupply or purchase. This week, we will decide on the most important resources to order for our classroom.
In reading, we finished Mercy Watson to the Rescue and began another book by Kate DiCamillo called The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. In the first few chapters, we've learned that Edward Tulane is an arrogant, selfish toy rabbit. We are also working on building reading stamina, which means staying focused and concentrating during reading. We've met our goals of 6 minutes and 9 minutes of uninterrupted reading, and this week we hope to reach 12 minutes!
Communication
Please contact me with any questions or concerns. Parents and students can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also leave a voice message on the class phone or set up a time to meet with me before/after school.