Class Dojo & an apology

Sorry for the absence!  We are in the middle of our beginning of the year benchmarking window.  I have been spending every spare second in the classroom benchmarking the kiddos!  These tests take between 45-120 minutes PER CHILD!!!  Needless to say, I have been super busy!  In turn, I have to take all work home to plan and grade, and.... well..... the blog has been put on the back burner.  I'm hoping to be all caught up next week.  I'm also sorry for the turn around delay in Thursday folders. 

Anyway, Class Dojo is up and running!  This is my first time using it, so please be patient while the kinks get worked out.  Here is an Idaho teacher's video that show the program:

Right now, I am requiring the kids to get at least 50% positive per week.  My students are required to get a parent signature when they get below 50%.  Also, Parents, please send me your email addresses!  This way I can email the report directly to you.  It is easier to see in color.

Coming up:
Wordly Wise 2 Test on Thursday
Science Test next week



P.S.- Great news!  They fixed my laptop today!!   YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Starting to get it together....

This year has started off pretty rough.  It may not look that way to everyone (at least I think that I am faking it!), but it has.  I use technology A LOT.  A LOT, A LOT, A LOT, A LOT.  My laptop is still out of commission.  My iPad had to be sent back to Apple because the problem is internal.  This means I cannot use my projector and ActivBoard.  EEK!!!!  This is how I teach!  I am going crazy without it!  The good news is that they finally have my desktops and printers up and working.  Baby steps I guess!  Now I have a new problem- I am supposed to begin assessing the class in reading fluency and comprehension.  Well, guess what!  The program we use is computer based.  *Bangs head against the wall*  Sigh.  I do have the desktops, but they would be very awkward to use.  I will stop rambling about my technology woes now.

In other news, I am starting to check a few things off my to-do list.  Remember one of the pictures I posted of our first day?  Well, I have finally had time to drag a ladder in the classroom and hang them up!  First, they turned out super cute.  The kids were quite creative.

Now, this is what they look like up on the wall!  I put them off center because I planned on hanging something else to the right of them, but it was too tall.  So now it is bugging me that it is off center, but I am so not taking them all down and starting over!  I am terrified of heights, and doing this once was bad enough!  I had plans to make them all turned a different direction (because I have symmetry issues and I knew I could never hang them all straight and evenly spaced), but my need to get off the ladder ASAP ruined that idea! 

I'm pretty sure I mentioned before that I am a blog stalker.  The idea is not mine!  I found a 5th grade blog via Pinterest, and I stole found the idea there!  


 

September Currently

I had to take a break from school stuff and do something fun!  Here is my September Currently!  Please note that my text boxes are MUCH better aligned.   It is a minor improvement, but it IS an improvement ;)

Coming up... Week 2!

I hope everyone has had a restful long weekend!  We did a ton of things last week that allowed me to gather data and other information.  I am still reviewing it all, and I hope to share it with you all soon!  In the mean time, I wanted to let you all know what is coming up this week. 

Enhancements start this week.   Mondays will be Music, so we will see Mrs. Shue for the first time next week.  Tuesdays will be Art.  We have a new art teacher this year.  I deleted my email that had her name (oops), so I will share that later. (Sorry!!)  Wednesdays will be P.E. with Mrs. Earnhardt, so make sure to wear tennis shoes!

Our school benchmarking will happen this week.  This determines who needs to be placed into RtI, and also who needs some enrichment. 

Finally, we have a few tests coming up this week.  Thursday will be the Science test over chapter B1.  It was only two lessons about cycles.  They need to know the Nitrogen Cycle, Carbon Dioxide-Oxygen Cycle, and the Water Cycle.    Friday will be our Wordly Wise Lesson 1 test, as well as our Math test.  The math test will include place value and exponents.

Until next time,