conferences

The first round of parent-teacher conferences will be held on November 10th and 17th, from 3:45-7:45. I have time slots opened and available for pick up on SignUpGenius, which is a link I just sent everyone in their emails. 

Conferences will be only 15 minutes long, which is just enough time for me to tell you about your child's progress and what to look forward to,  and answer any questions you may have ahead of time. I usually have a list of things I walk through during that time, but by all means, it is your conference. If you have questions or concerns and would rather spend your time with me on those topics, please let me know ahead of time, so I can generate those answers for you. 

 Topics I will cover:

-How awesome your kid is(--->for real, I'm a huge fan) 

-Writing goals/ achievements

-Reading goals/achievements

-what we are working on in the future, so you are aware of what's happening!

-Possibly math goals and progress (Mostly for those in my math homeroom)

I am so excited to see all of you again- if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! 

Pineapple.

What an incredible week we have had this week. I hope everyone is enjoying these beautiful days of fall, and getting outside and eating a ton of apples! I know I am!

The kids have been busy this week, as we've had a crazy schedule. Mark Denning, a teaching leader from the Oneida Community, has come in to teach the kiddos about various topics in Native American culture. Over the last two weeks, he has talked to the kids about dancing, art, lacrosse, homes, and stereotypes, as part of ways to use our resources in our community and bring perspective and awareness in our social studies curriculum. The kids really loved it, as you can see in the many pictures I've posted on the website.

Along with our speaker, we have also been working very hard on setting up expectations for our first book club. The kids have been doing okay with it- but it's been a bit of a challenge getting the kids to really "interpret" the books they've been reading. As a way to help them move through the book and read it with a steady eye, I had the kids participate in a read in this morning, that went from 9:30-11:00.  We moved all of our classroom furniture out of the way and  brought some of the collaboration space furniture inside, and READ.

As a rule in my classroom, stuffed animal friends are always welcome to join us on read-in days, as they not only provide the comfort of a friend, but also, they can be good pillows. They spent all morning read to their fuzzy friends, and had a blast. This has easily been one of my favorite days so far.


Next week I am going to prep them on Word Study rituals, and then they are off on their own the following week. Sorry for the delay in rolling that out. More information to come on that soon!

Why is this entry called "Pineapple" you might be asking? Well, this conversation happened on Monday. 

Carlos: Ms. Davidson, I have a huge problem

Ms. Davidson: Oh, well, what can I do to help you with your problem?

Carlos: Well, you see, every time I see a pine tree I just have the urge to throw an apple at it, and when I do, a pineapple comes out. 

Ms. Davidson:...wow. 

#reasonswhyIlovebeinga5thgradeteacher

#lovemyclass

#absolutesweethearts

october

1 month down, 8 more to go!

Thank you to all of those who were able to make it out to Back to School Night two weeks ago, it's always wonderful talking to parents and filling you all in on what your kiddos are doing every day, and how awesome they are.  We are officially a whole month into the transition into 5th grade, and I am very proud of how well they have moved in! We are really starting to get into the grind, and every day the kids are gaining more endurance and grit to work hard. I hope that all of you were able to access the assignment notebook page that I created last week. If not, please email me and I can try to send a link. I will be changing this daily, unless I am not at school, then there is a possibility that I won't be able to.


On a side note,  as I am sure some of the kids told you, my wonderful cat Skittles wasn't doing very well last week, and after almost 19 years, Skittles passed away peacefully on Friday.  As I learned it is never easy to let a family pet go, I had never had that experience, and was overcome with a plethora of emotions all week ranging from guilt, helplessness, sadness and acceptance. This experience has really changed my perspective on losing a pet, as I always knew it was sad, but now I really know... I, like Harry and Luna, can see the Thestrals.

With that said, as heavy as my heart has been all week, I could not be more thankful for the level of compassion your children showed me today. I came to a pile of wonderfully crafted notes and cards, that were meant to show that they understood, and cared. Not only about Skittles, a cat they never met, but that they cared about my sadness, and I quote, "We'll do everything we can to cheer you up, so you can be happy again."


You can't buy that kind of kindness and compassion. It blows me away. Thank you so much for teaching them this every day, as they have must have learned this from the models they have in their lives.