Breaking News

Animal reports are DUE MONDAY! Please help your child put the finishing touches on her or his animal report. The information from the Note-Taking Packet should appear on the tri-fold display, box, or poster. Students who have had computer or printer troubles at home can have extra time to finish. I can't wait to see the reports!

Thank you to all my students and families for the Teacher Appreciation gifts! Candy, flowers, plants, Starbucks, and most importantly AMAZING, CARING, hard-working students who come to class each day excited about school and who also keep the "learning burning" at home, working on their animal reports and online activities!! I am definitely the luckiest teacher in the WORLD!

Thank you! Merci! Danke! Gracias! Enkosi! Dankie! Obrigado! Cam on ban, to all the parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends who visited Room A3 for this year's Open House! THANK YOU SO MUCH to Maia's dad Mr. Hull, for all his help in setting up the detailed Google map and the QR framework! Amazingly awesome! Room A3: We focus on Technology and Global Connections!

If you do not have the Animal Report Note-Taking Packet, click here to download one.

International Day was a huge success! Click on the Shutterfly icon to your left to see the International Day photo album!

Also, Room A-3 students received German lessons from Murdock intern/student teacher Miss Anna. .

I'm so very excited to introduce our global pen pal friends at Phakamile Primary School in East London, South Africa. Mrs. Kerper's class, Mrs. Harman's class, Mrs. Orr's class, Mrs. Saunders' class, Mr. Handley's class, and Mrs. Champagne's class (at Maryland Avenue School) sent letters, and our class sent four boxes of school supplies to Phakamile in 2012. We just sent two more boxes of donated children's books and classroom supplies thanks to Mrs. Guliasi and to Tatum's grandpa, who both contributed money to assist us in paying the (outrageously expensive) postage! Room A3 - Making a difference!! Below are a few of the students at Phakamile! Lots of smiles!

Below, Ms. Skolpati (Principal of Phakamile School), Sister Luci Fowers, and one of Phakamile's teachers.

I'll be posting more photos from Phakamile School soon on our BLOG!

Thank you VERY MUCH for your kindness!

Also this year we will again be donating Scholastic classroom teacher points to Reading Legacies - Family Connections, an amazing local literacy program that helps provide books to children whose parents are incarcerated. Please consider ordering your child a book from Scholastic Books! When you do, your child AND other children in our community will both benefit! For orders placed at home, my teacher code is J3KNQ,

In the 2012-2013 school year, sharing time at the end of the day will be devoted to STEMFALL presentations (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Fine Arts, Language, Literature). These presentations will affect students' Listening and Speaking grades on report cards. Students must make sure their presentation falls into one of the above categories. Students who'd like to present a book report (Literature) can go to bookreportcentral.com for many ideas.

This year students will have digital homework to include posting on our classroom blog, taking online quizzes, practicing Math on IXL Math and First in Math, and creating reports (the first report will be a state report) that will be turned into PDF files and posted on our blog/website. Students who do not have Internet access at home will be provided with classroom time to complete homework assignments.

       

It's great for current students to see what wonderful things await them in the future. I am proud and pleased to announce that my former Rancho Elementary student, Derrick Thompson, was a guest speaker in our classroom this Thursday. Derrick, who works at Murdock's Extended School Services, is only 19 years old yet already has 56 college credits! He is a student at Southwestern College but has received a scholarship to his top choice of universities: Texas Christian University, where he plans to major in Physical Therapy! He's a talented basketball player and he'll be playing for the TCU team! Catch him on ESPN!

DERRICK!

BRANDON!

Brandon was a scholar-athlete at Monte Vista High School, then received a scholarship and went on to attend, play football for, and graduate from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in International Business. Congratulations, Brandon!