Parent Tip #7

MAKE AN EFFORT!

Make an effort to tie items you purchase for your child to his behavior at home. If the room isn't clean, the chores aren't done, and there are disrespectful moments, you shouldn't feel the need to purchase anything special for your child.

From Ron Clark

Reading Buddies

On Friday afternoons, the third grade and Mrs. Stanley's kindergarten class join together to buddy read. This activity serves two purposes: 1. the third graders are able to use their reading skills to teach the kindergartners and 2. the kindergartners are able to listen to good readers and earn AR points! Although the time is hectic, the students are settling in to the routine and being quite productive with the time! Several kindergarten students have an impressive AR average and points! Here are a few pictures from our reading buddy time this semester!

DreamBox

I am excited to announce Cravens has purchased a school wide license for DreamBox, a math intervention website. Students can log in at https://play.dreambox.com/login/y4t8/cravenses. The website is also located under Learning Links in teh right column! Their username and password will be sent home later this week!

Parent Tip #6

NEVER SPEAK NEGATIVELY!

Never speak negatively about a teacher in front of your child. If s/he sees you don't respect the teacher s/he will feel it's okay for him to show disrespect in the classroom.

Adopted from Ron Clark

Dec 5-9

So much to do with so little time!

This week we will attempt Winter MAP Testing...again! We hope to test on Tues, Wed, and Thurs. Make sure your child goes to bed on time, eats a good breakfast, and comes to school ready to test their best!

The Blue Reading Group will read a biography about the artist Picasso. We will review nonfiction elements and we will add main idea and supporting details to the CAFE Menu. We will also create an art piece like Picasso which should be fun and interesting!!!

The Red Reading Group will continue reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. We will add point-of-view to the CAFE Menu. The students are also responsible for an activity packet including story elements, character traits, vocabulary and more!

During writing, we will focus on IDEA, one of the six traits of writing. I have several activities planned to jumpstart the students creativity!

When we are able to squeeze MIND Time in this week, we will continue working on the cultural Christmas presentations with the hopes of creating powerpoint presentations.

Please don't forget the activities for the 12 Days of Christmas at Cravens. A green paper was sent home last week detailing the events!

Look for a letter this week detailing the 3rd grade Christmas party plan. Don't forget to start sending drinks and snacks for our party as well!

As always, thank you for all you do to make your student successful at Cravens Elementary School!!!

Parent Tip #5

USE CAR TIME WISELY!

Use the time in the car to discuss what your child is learning in class. The music is more fun, and you may have things to think about, but getting your child in the habit of sharing the knowledge he is learning in class will help him greatly in the long run.

From Ron Clark

Nov 28 - Dec 2

Ahhhh...hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving break as much as I did! Although busy, it was relaxing to spend time with Jay and Eva.

This week brings winter MAP testing!!! We will test on Tues, Wed, and Thurs. Please make sure your child goes to be at a reasonable time, wakes up on the right side of the bed, and eats a good breakfast :) But most importantly, please encourage them to do their best AND ask them about the test at the end of the day. It is hard to realize, but even third graders stress over test taking!

The Blue Reading Group will read a story titled The Cat Who Became a Poet! We will add fantasy to our CAFE menu. This group will also begin visiting stations this week. They will have two reading stations, a writing station, and an independent station...if all goes as planned :)

The Red Reading Group will begin ready The Best Christmas Pageant Ever...one of my all time favorites! They will review several comprehension strategies throughout this book!

During writing, we will complete our Turkey Disguise writing piece. As always, I am impressed with the students' creativity! I am also impressed that we have completed THREE writing pieces...WAHOO!!!

MIND time will be interrupted because of MAP testing. However, we will read with our kindergarten reading buddies on Friday aftenoon! I think we are finally getting into a groove with our reading buddies :) I hope to snap a few pictures this week and post them!

All in all, we are going to have another busy week full of learning and hopefully a little fun along the way!

Parent Tip #4

DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS!

Develop relationships with other parents at the school. You can then call them with questions and concerns.

Adapted from Ron Clark

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Thank you for the opportunity to teach your child this year. Each and every day with them is an amazing adventure! Most days I learn more from the students than they do from me...but we make a pretty good team together :)

Through all the craziness of this year...maternity leave, becoming a working mom, new teaching standards, an amazing new principal, and the list goes on...this class has been a blessing to me!

Thank you for trusting me to help mold your child! I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings!

Mrs. Harrison

Parent Tip #3

WATCH EDUCATIONAL TV!

Watch educational channels instead of more popular shows. DVR your favorite shows and watch them after your children go to bed.

Adapted from Ron Clark

November 7-11

We are moving on through the month of November! This week will be as busy as the rest!

TONIGHT (Monday) is Cravens Fall Festival! I plan to be here, and I will have a special booth set up close to the classroom :) I hope you plan to attend!!!

Tuesday is Election Day, and Kentucky State Law says NO SCHOOL because we use school buildings as election sites!

On Thursday, Mrs. Fogle will be here because Jay and Eva have an important date with the doctor!

Friday is Veteran's Day, and Cravens will host a special assembly to honor all our Veterans! It will be in the pavillion starting at 8:15 am.

Oh, and even with all of those events, we should still learn a little this week!

The Blue Reading Group will read The Boy who Didn't Believe in Spring. We will be learning about homophones. We will test over the story and homophones on Friday.

The Red Reading Group will complete The Kid in the Red Jacket. Many of the reading buddies have completed the story and are working on an iPod Project! We will test over the story and vocabulary by the end of the week.

These WONDERFUL writers will be finished with their Haunted House stories by the end of the week. I am really impressed with their effort and creativity! I will make a copy to send home with each student! Hope you enjoy their stories as much as me :)

My Lil Devils have earned 20 (actually 21) Brownie Points and will be earning a treat for their effort! What are Brownie Points?!?! Every time the class gets a compliment from another adult (transitioning through the halls, music bravo board, pe golden shoe, etc) they earn a brownie point. Twenty brownie points = a class treat!!! Make sure to ask your child what the special treat was this time :)

Those students hired for a job in the month of October will also be treated to lunch in the classroom and a small token of appreciation for their effort! New students have been hired for jobs for the month of November!

Parent Tip #2

TAKE THE TIME TO READ!

Read everything that is sent home from school. When your child isn't prepared,

it causes him to feel stress.

From Ron Clark

October 31 - November 4

I spent a few hours at school earlier today, planning activities and organizing the upcoming week! As usual it will be a busy one, but hopefully a fun one as well!

The blue reading group will take a much needed break from Open Court! Our focus story is The Little Old Lady Who was Not Afraid of Anything. I think the kids will really enjoy it! We will add visualization to our CAFE Menu.

The red reading group will continue reading The Kid in the Red Jacket. Some of the buddy readers will finish the book this week, complete a few book assignments, and test! We will add sequencing events to our CAFE Menu.

In writing, I hope to finish our Haunte House story by the end of the week! The kids are really amazing me with the details they are including in their brainstorming and prewriting!

Oh...should I mention that Monday is Halloween?!?!? I love when Halloween falls on a school night as I am sure parents do too! I am really not a fuddy dud about it, I just know it will make for a hectic week! However, I am excited about Halloween with Jay and Eva this year. NO we are not trick-or-treating, but they will dress up to help pass candy to the neighborhood kids. We hope to have a few visitors come to see our Lil Devils :)

The kids will be making masks Monday morning to wear during our 2nd annual Halloween through the Halls! Oh yes, they are coming home loaded with candy!!!

During MIND Time, our focus will be money! Mr. Williams has planned some fun stations for the kids to rotate through in the afternoons!

Otherwise, it will be another fun filled, learning loaded week at Cravens Elementary School!

If you would like to receive an email when I post to the blog, please send a note in your child's agenda with your email address! I will also send home a permission slip to include/not include your child (name, picture, work, etc) in the blog. Please make sure to send that back ASAP!

Thanks for all you do to help your child be successful at Cravens!

Parent Tip #1

LIMIT CHAOS IN THE MORNINGS!

You want it to be drama free so that your child starts school with a calm spirit. Even if you aren't a morning person, force yourself to get up early and start the day off right!

From Ron Clark

October 24-28

We have a full week of learning ahead of us!

• We will begin a writing piece about a Haunted House, and I think the kids will enjoy this piece and not even realize they are writing!


• The blue reading group will read City Lots and focus on categorizing information. They will have a test on Friday afternoon.


• The red reading group will continue reading The Kid in the Red Jacket and focus on categorizing information as well.


• The Junior Achievement girls, Megan and Sarah, will be here for their final lesson on Wednesday.


• We head to the RiverPark Center on Thursday for the Chinese Acrobats from 8:45-10:15.


• On Friday, I have a reading meeting so the students will have a small break from me :)

All the students have settled into the new routine with me as their teacher, and I am so proud of their effort. I didn't realize how hard it would be on all of us for the teacher to miss the critical first six weeks of school. But I think we are in a good place now, and we are headed to a great place!

Their new agendas will go home Monday afternoon. The agenda pages will remain the same, but they are assuming more respobsibility with the agenda book!

We have a small pencil issue in the classroom...the pencils are TERRIBLE and most difficult to sharpen/keep sharpened. It was beginning to be a HUGE frustration for the kids and myself! SO...they have also assumed more responsibility in the classroom with mechanical pencils. I provided their first mechanical pencil on Friday. They know they are to be respectful during teaching and working times. They are also responsible to keep up with their pencil. Their consequence for needing a new pencil will either be "buying" a new one with class money, repaying me during recess if they don't have enough money, or using regular wooden pencils. You are more than welcome to provide your child with mechanical pencils if they need one!

I will finish conferences this week. So please let me know if you would like to speak with me on your child's progress. We can meet after school or on the phone!

10 Things about the Teacher!

1. I am married to Mr. Harrison...you might have him for a teacher, football coach, or basketball coach at OHS! We LOVE the red and black! 2. We have TWINS...Jay and Eva...born May 9th. They are the absolute light of my life. I never knew how much I could love until the twins arrived :)

3. We also have a fur baby...Mia...a six year old black and tan miniature dachshund! She is also the light of my life. You could say I am obsessed with weiner dogs!

4. Teaching is a calling. You could say I have always known I was going to be a teacher. I am passionate about teaching, and I cannot imagine any other profession! This is my 10th year of teaching...really...WOW time flies when you're having fun! I have a masters degree in elementary education, and I am a National Board Certified Teacher!5. I love to nap! Although it does not happen as often as it used to...wonder why, I could sleep for hours...anywhere, anytime!

6. My favorite colors are red and black, black and pink!

7. I love to read...children's books! Some of my favorites include Thank You, Mr. Faulker, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Because of Winn Dixie, There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom. My favorite authors include Patricia Polacco, Dr. Seuss, LeighAnne Florence, and Beverly Cleary.

8. I love all things Christmas...lights, ornaments, Santas, angels, nativity scenes, presents, shopping, wrapping, parties, food, etc!
9. My favorite sport is soccer, but I also like football and basketball. Mr. Harrison coaches football and basketball so I attend a lot of games! I have coached soccer most of my life, but gave it up for a couple of years because of the twins.

10. I love to eat...almost anything and almost everything! Red Lobster might be my favorite restaurant!

Guess Who's Back!

Ahhh...back to third grade and back to blogging! As much as I enjoyed my time in first grade, I am absolutely stoked to be back in third grade. I am a good teacher at any grade level, but I must admit that I rock third grade!

I invite you to visit our blog often! If you have an email address, I will email you when the blog is updated! You never know when your child will be showcased! I post weekly updates with class happenings, brags and boasts, upcoming events, parent tips, and useful (or useless) tidbits! Eventually the students will also update the blog...nothing better than real world writing to create little authors :)