http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100901-185157
I can't wait to see the sixth graders tomorrow! ]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100830-202220
September 11th has been designated the National Day of Service and Remembrance, and on that day young people across the country will be pulling on their boots and heading out to volunteer. For many, service means standing up for our neighborhoods, our communities, our country and our natural world. Through service, young diverse Americans are taking the lead in building a foundation for the future. The Sierra Club is proud to join this national call to volunteer on September 11, in honor and remembrance of those who bravely serve our country! We are honored to be part of this important day, and we hope you will join as well.]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100825-165557 Trapper Keeper or really sturdy three-ring binder
1 package of tab dividers
1 pencil pouch
1-2 packages of wide-ruled notebook paper
6 pocket folders in these colors: red, orange,yellow, blue, green, purple
1 glue stick
A BUNCH of #2 pencils
A personal (unmotorized) pencil
A "stick" for saving materials


Optional

scissors, colored pencils, markers,crayons
a red pen for correcting
erasable blue or black pens

SEE YOU SOON!!!!!!!!!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100815-211359

Adopt a Raptor Program

The VINS Adopt-a-Raptor Program is a fun way to learn about and support avian wildlife. When you sponsor one of our resident raptors or songbirds, you help provide the specialized care needed by the many and diverse animals living at VINS Nature Center. Plus, you have the pleasure and pride of helping to care for these avian ambassadors! You also can adopt a raptor or songbird as a unique gift for someone special!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100815-123304
This will be my tenth school year at ACS! How exciting! I have been planning some great lessons and units for this upcoming year. As a teacher, you are always finding new and exciting lessons.

I will be sending home information for parents. Please be on the look out for this information. This information will be for the fifth grade parents.

This year your child will see Mrs. Maynard and Mrs.DaBica throughout the school day.]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100727-191241 By: Reading Rockets (2008)

Writing is a terrific way for children to express their thoughts, creativity, and uniqueness. It is also a fundamental way in which children learn to organize ideas. And learning to write well helps children to be better readers.

Writing is a terrific way for children to express their thoughts, creativity, and uniqueness. It is also a fundamental way in which children learn to organize ideas. And learning to write well helps children to be better readers.

When engaging in writing, young children often mirror what they see around them; adults and older children writing lists, notes, text messaging. They are observing the way writing is used in our everyday lives.
Writing at home

Here are some suggestions that engage your child in the writing process:

* Have your child write instructions for taking care of the family pet. These will be useful as you plan your summer vacations!
* Write a letter or thank you note to a relative. Talk through what your child wants to say before writing begins.
* Make a shopping list before going to the grocery store.
* Write an online review of a book or an item you recently purchased (www.amazon.com) or a recipe you tried (www.allrecipes.com).
* Talk about the presidential election and write a description of the kind of president you want.]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100712-203231 By Staff Editor
Jul 10, 2010 - 8:56:41 AM


In fact, a recent nationwide survey co-sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association and pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim found nearly all science teachers wish their students' parents had more opportunities to engage in science with their kids-and many parents said they need help. Parents also said that access to materials and community resources would help them get more involved.

Science can be a tricky subject for mom and dad to discuss with their kids but there is no need to fear. Here are a few easy tips:

1. Incorporate science into everyday life. Ask your kids questions about things they see around them to encourage curiosity. Let kids take things like old toys apart to explore how they work.

2. Link family vacations to science. Whether on a camping trip or visit to the ocean, explore nature with your kids. In addition to being fun, trips to museums and zoos are good opportunities to ask kids questions about what they observe.

3. Conduct fun experiments at home. Some easy experiments can be found on the Internet. For example, the Family Science Quest Channel on YouTube features video tutorials of fun and engaging experiments using common household products. To find it, go to YouTube and search for "Family Science Quest."

The YouTube channel is part of the Boehringer Ingelheim Science Quest program. The program and its mobile laboratory bring hands-on science lessons directly to students at elementary schools that need it most.

Jim Baxter, senior vice president of development for Boehringer Ingelheim, explains, "As a company committed to innovation in science for 125 years, we support programs that further science education and help extend the learning process into the homes and families of students. Through our Science Quest initiative, we hope to encourage a passion for science in children beginning at an early age."

It doesn't have to be hard to get kids curious about science. Trying these tips and engaging the family together are great ways to bring science to life.
]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100707-105356
Share examples of good interactive educational websites that parents and young kids can explore together. Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) has an excellent bilingual site called Let's Read as a Family designed to help Latino families read, sing, and share stories together at home. There are lots of other quality websites for kids. Here are a few more of our favorites:

* National Geographic Kids: offers great nature videos, activities, games, stories, and more
* CoolMath4Kids: take a trip through an amusement park of math and more at this extremely interactive math website
* Smithsonian Kids Collecting: how to start your own collection and see what other kids collect
* Explore Dinosaurs: FAQs and top 10 myths about dinosaurs, a virtual dig, behind the scenes tours, and more from the National Museum of Natural History
* Smithsonian Digging for Answers: a site that tests your research skills and knowledge
* NASA Quest: interactive explorations that engage students in real science and engineering. Topics include robots, helicopters, lunar exploration, and designing your own human-friendly planet
* My Wonderful World: a multimedia tour of our seven continents
* Time for Kids: fun games (The Great State Race), an online weekly magazine written for kids, and news from around the world

]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100707-105028
How are you doing with your math work????

Have a super summer and see you soon!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100614-171010
Have a wonderful summer. School work has been handed out or mailed to you. This work will only help!!!

See you in September for 6th grade!!!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100610-194313
Friday is our fifth grade celebration. Pizzas will be picked up for noon and we will have a pizza party...yum!

Monday is our READ-A-THON! We will read for 45 minutes and take a break. We will do this all day! The kids are able to bring in pillows and get really comfortable for this reading day!

Thanks for all you continue to do!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100608-201529
The community BBQ is tomorrow. Please let the sub know if you are taking your child home early. I have asked the kids to sign out. Thank you in advance.

We are having a few celebrations over the next couple of days. Thanks for helping out.

The kids gave Mrs. Ross a beautiful book today. They each wrote poems and took photos. It was a very thoughtful gift. It is moments like this that I love and will cherish about this group. They have wonderful hearts. Good kids!!!!

As there is no camp-out, I am having a pizza party for the kids on Friday. I will provide drinks and the pizza. This is for a wonderful year. Please send in a PG or G movie for the afternoon, the kids can vote on a movie.

Thanks for everything!

]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100604-173334
Enjoy your weekend!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100603-143452 A Cure for Kids' Summer Reading Doldrums

by John Kelly
Detail from the cover

Detail from the cover of Summer Reading Is Killing Me! by Jon Scieszka
For Grades 1-3

See John Kelly's summer reading picks for first grade through middle school.
'The Magician's Boy'
'Mr. George Baker'
'Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog'
'Mighty Jackie, the Strikeout Queen'
'How I Became a Pirate'
For Grades 4-6
'Each Little Bird That Sings'
'Saffy's Angel'
'The Giant Rat of Sumatra or Pirates Galore'
'Summer Reading Is Killing Me!'
'Toad Rage'
'The Tarantula Scientist'
'How to Train Your Dragon'
Middle School
'The City of Ember'
'The American Plague'
'Bindi Babes'
'The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela'
'For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy'
'Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery'
'Wolf Brother'
'Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman?'

Also for Grades 4-6: Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments From My Life, by Dr. Mae Jemison. An inspiring and accessible autobiography by the first woman of color in space, who knew as a youngster that she wanted to be an astronaut and was determined not to let any obstacle stand in her way. (Excerpt unavailable)
Save, Print This List
Summer Reading Picks for Kids: Full List June 22, 2005
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June 22, 2005

I think of it as the summer of Tom Brokaw. He hung around our house like an uninvited guest.

His World War II book, The Greatest Generation, had been assigned to rising seventh graders at my daughter's middle school. It seemed that wherever I looked that summer, there was Tom: on our bookshelf, on the dining room table, on the floor of Gwyneth's room.

Everywhere, it seemed, but in Gwyneth's hands. As June turned to July, I could predict — with the unique clairvoyance that comes from being a parent — that the book would be tackled in a desperate, last-minute, tear-stained frenzy.

And so it was. Gwyneth hated that book.

She hated it just like kids through the ages have loathed Johnny Tremain, Where the Red Fern Grows, All Quiet on the Western Front, and all those other earnest, dull and occasionally disturbing books that populate summer reading lists.

As one preteen girl from my Sunday school class said when I brought up the subject, "The problem with summer reading lists is I never like any of the books you have to read."

Uh, yes, that would be a problem.

And it's a problem that we grown-ups don't have to deal with. When the weather gets hot and the beach beckons, we trade in our nutritious, fiber-filled reading for a diet of delicious junk: gruesome mysteries, trashy romance novels, tell-all autobiographies.

Meanwhile our kids are on a forced march through books in which a dog dies and a child learns a painful lesson, or a parent dies and a child learns a painful lesson, or a child dies and ANOTHER child learns a painful lesson.

I exaggerate, of course. And asking kids whether they like being forced to read a particular book during summer vacation is sort of like asking them if they enjoy having their braces tightened. Not many say yes.

Not every school has a single book an entire class must read before the fall. Some have a list of authorized books from which students must pick a requisite number. Then there's the looser conglomeration of titles recommended by librarians for summer reading clubs.

Just as some books are better than others, some of these lists are better than others. Kids, though, are quick to detect the telltale tang of dust and embalming fluid: too many official classics.

That's a shame, says Sharron L. McElmeel, a literacy consultant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"There are no 100 books that every child must read before they grow up," she says. "They need to read 100 books before they grow up — and many, many more — but there is no list."

And the kids most likely to read don't need any lists. Readers read.

"The trick is to entice the rest of the school population," says Vicki Velsey, who recently retired after 29 years as a school librarian in Washington, D.C.

Velsey compiled her summer book lists by asking clued-in kids what they had enjoyed recently and what they were looking forward to that summer. The goal of summer reading, she says, is to help limit "summer learning loss," the term for the drop in skills that occurs when school is out.

Proponents also point to another reason that specific, mandatory books are a good idea: A summer book is a way to engender solidarity among students, to create a shared experience. Too often the media that kids talk about — deconstruct, analyze, argue over — aren't books, but TV shows, movies or video games. A required book is one way to focus the spotlight on something more positive, more — dare we say it? — educational.

"You've got a frame of reference that's universal within that classroom," says Judy Fickes Shapiro, a children’s author and bookstore owner in Ventura, Calif. "When you're creating community in the classroom, you've got to start with something common."

There's no doubt kids should read over the summer, and even as many schools tweak their lists to make them less ponderous, some version of the dreaded required book will probably always be with us.

So what can you do to help your foot-dragging child through his or her required books? You can take turns reading them aloud, or find copies on cassette tape or CD to listen to in the car. You can rent the movie versions to make the narrative accessible. And of course, encourage your kids to pick out their own books to serve as palate-cleansers between required courses.

I make no claims or guarantees about the summer reading I assembled here, other than to say I asked librarians and teachers for titles you'd probably never see on a mandatory reading list. Give me books that are just fun to read, I said, painful lesson not required.

Oh, except for Gwyneth. She'll be reading The Odyssey this summer. Fortunately, she still has the whole summer ahead of her. Plenty of time.

John Kelly is a columnist at The Washington Post and was the founding editor of KidsPost, a daily news page for the 8- to 12-year-old set.




]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100601-183418
We are wrapping up our fifth grade year with assessments and end-of-the-year activities.

Solar cookers and food will need to be in on or before June 7, 2010. The kids will create a hypothesis and test it throughout the day. They will collect data by taking the temperature of their cookers and or food. This will be the last science piece of the school year.

Report cards will go home on the last day of school. I have graded your child on the profile pieces that have been completed. This is what will be reflected on the report card. You will find comments attached on various papers and not on the report card. I find the attached paperwork more telling than the report card but you can be the judge.

Thanks!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100526-190829 http://www.universityreviewsonline.com/ ... chers.html]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100526-184254 May 24, 2010

When I first heard the term "summer slide" I thought of equipment on a playground. But as I'm sure you're aware, there's another meaning entirely. This slide refers to summer learning loss.

There's lots of research about it. Children tend to lose reading (and math) skills over the summer when they're not used.

There are many activities that enhance reading and will slow or stop that slide — talking, singing, reading aloud, keeping a journal or photo album of summer activities, and lots more.

One thing that our family still does is cook together. And lots of cooking can start with a story book that involves food and more.

Cook-a-doodle-doo (Sandpiper) by Janet Stevens and her sister is a very funny take-off on the traditional story of the industrious Little Red Hen. Just like his grandmother, the rooster asks for but actually gets help. Together the friends find a recipe for and make delicious strawberry shortcake. (I've tried the recipe and it is quite good!) Along the way, they also learn a few things about following the special language of cooking and recipes.

Another enjoyable story book that includes a tasty cooking activity is Honey Cookies (Francis Lincoln) by Meredith Hooper. A grandmother almost poetically describes the ingredients she and her grandchild need to make this sweet treat. (She's actually telling Ben where each originates.) A recipe for the cookies is included in this book, too (though if you try this one, add a little more butter than called for; makes them moister.)

A classic summer activity is planting a garden — even better when you're Growing Vegetable Soup (Voyager). Vegetables, seeds, and garden tools are all presented in Lois Ehlert's colorful illustrations that present a handsome garden. A recipe for vegetable soup is also included. (I've never tried this one, but it looks pretty standard.)



]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100525-192524 http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/algeb ... games.html]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100525-191310
The kids are finishing up assignments for Mrs. Maynard and myself. It is important to try and get all the work in before June 9, 2010, which is when the marking period closes.

We are moving along with our Algebra unit in grade 6 and starting it with grade 5. Yay!!!

Keep practicing math facts in the car. It is important that the kids know these 100%. It is the foundation of math success.

The kids are still writing in their planners, please check them.

Thanks!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100524-161546
I can not believe that we are in the final stretch of 5th and 6th grade. We have lots of assessments that will be taking place during the next 10 days. I have instructed the kids to bring in their BOOK IT PROJECTS and then can work on them during LITERACY. I am assessing during this time. I am seeing some great progress in reading.

We have started Algebra in sixth grade and will be starting in grade 5 after our DATA ABOUT US test.

The kids are working on vocabulary this week during the school day. We are continuing our conversation about energy with the focus on SOLAR ENERGY. Some kids have finished their cookers and I am really excited to see them.

Can you help with our SOLAR FESTIVAL???? Let me know. I am planning on the 14th of June. 1:45-3:00!!! Thank you.

If I do not say it know, I may forget to say it. Thank you for supporting your children and the work we do at ACS. The kids have made huge gains this year and we want to continue with these gains. I am doing a summer work challenge for reading and math!! I will provide more details in the next days.

CAMP OUT! Yes, it is true that I need every kid to have a parent sleep over. This will ensure the safety of all students. I have tried it with fewer parents and it isn't as successful as it could be. Also, do you have a craft or project that you would like to share with the kids??? We have done stations before and that works out GREAT!!!! I will provide the list of items needed. It is a great night to see you kids be kids. We will also play games and eat yummy food....stay up late and watch movies. Cool, huh???

Thank you for everything you have done to make this year a successful one. Can you believe they will be 6th and 7th graders soon????? Tear,tear.

Mrs. DaBica]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100520-174921
Vocabulary books are due on Friday. Get. Them. In. ;0)

Our Solar Study is in full swing. We are reviewing all types of energy but focusing on the SUN!!! Solar cookers are due on or before June 7, 2010. We will be writing up our labs that week. Yippee. We will conclude with a Solar Festival.

The book projects are DUE NEXT FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make sure that you have your paper to follow the directions. I am expecting it to be FANTASTIC!!!

We have started reading assessments. This will take about a week. We will then move to spelling assessments and wrap-up with out math assessments. We have two busy weeks ahead of the time.

We are going to do the play in the fall. As part of the kids summer work, I am asking them to MEMORIZE THEIR LINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We simply do not have time.

Camp Out is on the 11th and starts at 6:00. I need a parent to sleep over with their child. If you can not sleep over, you child will leave at 9:00. Thank you for understanding.

KYLE'S RACE IS ON SUNDAY. BE THERE FOR 11:00!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!

PHEW- that was a lot of information.

Thanks for all you do. ]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100519-171949

The kids have work due for Mrs. Maynard for Thursday and Friday.

The kids are to bring in their silent reading book from home. I will start to do assessments in reading and the kids will read silently as I do this. I need to have a quiet room to complete these assessments. I hope the kids remember their books.

How are the solar cookers coming along? We have started our Solar Unit in science. Cool stuff.

Thanks!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100518-193552
We started the senior class project today and this is taking place throughout the district. The seniors are with us from 8:10-10:10 for the next few days. The kids resume a somewhat normal day after 10:15. This means less time for work to be completed in class. The kids should be continuing to work on their solar cooker, book project and questions and any work for Mrs. Maynard.

Please remember to pack snacks for kids. The apples are running low and the kids are getting hungry. Thanks.

Thanks!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100517-161345
PLEASE SEND IN YOUR MONEY FOR KYLE'S RACE!!!! THE SLIPS WERE SENT HOME TO THE FAMILIES THAT ARE PARTICIPATING. THE ORGANIZERS NEED THIS MONEY. THANKS!!!

The kids have vocabulary, creating a solar cooker, finishing up their book for May and making their PROJECT, which I have assigned.

This time of year kids miss school and they are responsible for making up the school work. Thanks.

BAKE SALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for making a yummy treat for our sale. The kids are very excited about raising money for dog and cats. The kids have good hearts, wouldn't you say??? I have already started baking...yummy. I am making dirt.

Thanks for all you do. The kids get smarter when we work together!!!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100512-190136
We had a super day today. Our last day of Four Winds and we aren't sure if it is coming back next year...sniff, sniff. The kids really have enjoyed this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to all the people that have made it possible. You are super.

The kids seem to be really overwhelmed with work. I provide lots of time in class to complete these assignments. Lots of kids are chatting and finding lots of other things to do and it isn't their school work. Please chat with your child about focusing on work and not socializing.

We really have 15 more academic days of school. The remaining days are end-of-the-year assessments that take many days to complete. WOW! This year has flown by.

Thanks for all you do!]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100510-192802 http://solarcooking.org/plans/funnel.htm]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100510-192508 http://www.instructables.com/image/FP2D ... -dish-.jpg]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100510-192232 http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/upl ... oker-2.jpg]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100510-192056 http://www.rahji.com/wordpress/wp-conte ... ooker1.jpg]]> http://www.dabica.org/blog/sphpblog049/index.php?entry=entry100510-191326
The kids in both science classes will start their energy unit next week. The kids will construct a solar cooker at home and test it out the week of June 7th. This will be a very cool project.

I have sent home the information to get started on the project.

The kids have math work this week.

The fifth-graders will complete spelling for Thursday.

They have work for Mrs. Maynard.

The fifth-graders will read their last book for the month. I have prepared the project for this month and have called it "Book It". These directions have also been sent home.

Continue to check the assignment pads.

We are still doing our math timed tests for fact fluency. I am concerned that some kids are not making the growth necessary. PRACTICE EACH NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Bake Sale on May 19th!!!!!!!! Thanks in advance!!!!!!!!]]>