L*O*N*G days

Are the long days getting to your kids as much as they are getting to me?  I know we will all adjust soon enough, but I am still getting to school around 6:30 and not leaving until 4:30 or so.  By the time I get dinner done, homework checked, and all the other things I need to do completed, I fall into bed fast asleep.  I hope the kids are sleeping as well as I am!
I will have the September newsletter ready to come home on Friday.  But, until then, I have a couple of notes.

• Our lunch is not until 1:10.  The kids are absolutely starving by then.  I have been letting them have a snack around 10:30.  Feel free to send a healthy snack for them.  Please don't send anything messy (an orange to peel) or anything requiring utensils (yogurt-although go-gurt is fine, applesauce, pudding).  Cereal bars, apples, grapes, crackers, and granola bars are all filling and great choices.  Please, no candies and cookies.  I have a few crackers left from some donations, but once those run out I won't have extras for those who don't have a snack.  If you would like to donate, that would be great!
• Regarding homework, I am really looking for them to show me their strategies.  They should know (and have been writing it in their homework notebook) that when solving math word problems they need to highlight (or circle) the key word, underline the question, answer the question in a complete sentence, and show all of their work.  It is crucial for me to see that they are understanding what they are doing.
• THAT BEING SAID...I spent 30 minutes fighting with my very own 4th grade daughter last night over her math homework.  She needed to explain her answers and could tell me what she did but was having trouble writing it down.  I don't ever want homework to become like that at your house.  Fighting and tears (yours or theirs!) is counterproductive and unnecessary.  Please just jot me a note and I will go over it one on one with them.  My own personal experience tells me that children will often times listen to their teacher more than their own parent. 
• Now that I have a lot of my photo forms back, I hope to pack this blog full of photos!  Stay tuned...

Thanks for your constant support and praise.  This year has already started out so well.  What a wonderful class I have.  And, I am not just saying that!

And we're off!

And we're off!  Mr. Doerer always sends us a list of workday meetings and activities during the summer.  When it comes to the first day of school all it says is, "And we're off!"  I like it.
It was SO great to see so many familiar faces today.  I hope everyone is as happy to spend another year with Mrs. Denten as Mrs. Denten is to spend you!


Don't forget to finish up all of your paperwork.  Take the weekend if you need, but make sure I have it back Monday at the latest.  Don't worry, I'll let you know if you forgot something!

If you need me, I am an email away.  Email will probably get the quickest answer from me, but I will return all phone calls as soon as possible.  I do check my email from home a few times a night (unless I am not here) so feel free to email in the evenings too.

I am looking forward to a FANTABULOUS year!  And, we're off....

edmodo.com

Found something new and cool again!  I must have too much time on my hands!  It is called edmodo.com and it is a SAFE social networking site for teachers and students.  It looks like I can put homework/files/pictures and the such on it.  I have signed up- you can look for me and if you feel okay with it, you can sign up too.  I am still trying to figure it out, but I am there!  Looking forward to seeing you there too!

You will need a code~ 00fu0p is our class code.

Book Review~ by: Eli

Bees in my Butt by Rebecca Shelley

Book review by Eli Shenise

 

Bees in my Butt is about a group of smart kids who go to school and pretend they are dumb. One day ninjas take over thier school to try and prove the dumb kids are smart.The ninjas make the smart kids take a test and have water guns to squirt the kids when they do something wrong.The group of smart kids figures out how to deafet the ninjas when they figure out that the ninjas are their moms.The smart kids deafeated the ninjas with homemade squirt guns. One kid has a farting problem/bees in his butt.I liked the book becauae the kid farts and you learn it's okay to be a smart kid. I give this book 5 stars. It is fun to read. 

 

 

Great job Eli!  Sounds like the kind of book that anyone with a great sense of humor would like.  And, anything with ninjas has got to be cool, right?  Thanks for the review, and keep reading!

Never fear, the new schoolyear is near!

The new school year is certainly coming up quick.  I hope everyone got to do everything that they wanted to do this summer!  As for me, it has been a very lazy summer, and I am thankful for that!  I don't usually have time to flop on the couch and watch TV, color in a coloring book, play Angry Birds on the iPad, or go to painting classes.  This is exactly what I did this summer.  I don't think I could do this on a regular basis because I am already craving some sort of schedule, but I won't lie.  It has been nice.

That being said, I have also had a lot of time (including sleepless nights!) to think about 4th grade and I am getting pretty excited for it to begin.  So, I thought we would start with a few book reviews.  I have asked a few rising 4th graders to contribute, but I need more!  If you are out there, and you read a book that you want to share with the world, now is your chance!  Give us the title of the book, the author's name, and a short summary of the book.  But, don't give anything away!  Email your reviews to me at dagny.denten@cms.k12.nc.us and I will get them up on our class blog.

Here is an example of one we all know:

Book Review by Mrs. Denten
Title: Hachiko Waits
Author: Leslea Newman and Machiyo Kodaira
    Hachiko Waits is a fictional story based on true characters and events.  Hachi is a faithful Akita who belongs to Professor Ueno of Japan.  He is a well behaved dog and accompanies the professor to the train station every day and then returns to greet him just before his train arrives at the end of the day.  Hachi, along with the station master and Yasuo has much to teach us about patience, perseverance, loyalty, and love.  The ink and wash illustrations done by Machiyo Kodaira are very detailed and beautiful.  If you love dogs, I think you would really enjoy Hachiko Waits!