Greece and Christmas

Hello! It seems like an age since I updated the posts. I have added another class, so I do not have a prep during the day. It is a great group of kids (thanks Mrs. Lea), but it leaves me less time to do "all those other things", like posting on the blog. We have started our unit on Greece. Students should have brought home a permission slip for Hercules yesterday (12/10). After Christmas, we will be starting our Newspaper project, and students will have instructions and a rubric then.

Christmas break will start on 12/19 and students do not need to return until Tuesday, 1/5. Enjoy the holidays! Thank you for all your support! Merry Christmas!

2nd Trimester Has Started

We have begun our second trimester. This will end in February. Students will need to remain focused on their work as we go, so that they don't end up behind. We will be studying India, China, Greece, and Rome in this trimester. Our Egypt Books were due (1, 3, 4, 5, 6) last week and for 2nd period, are due this Friday.
Our next break is for Thanksgiving - we will get out early on Wednesday, and have no school on Thursday or Friday. Since Thanksgiving week will be short, there will be no Thunderbolt time that week. Our next Thunderbolt session (#4) begins on Dec. 8.

End of 1st Trimester

1st trimester ends tomorrow! Report cards will come home early next week with your student. We will be having a Thunderbolt Open House event...watch for more news!

I am very pleased with most students' learning in my class. This has been an enjoyable year so far...please be sure to encourage your child to read every day, as this is the most important skill they can master. If you watch the news, please ask your child to watch with you occasionally and to talk about current events. It helps them to form connections to the world around them and to be aware of things beyond their immediate world, which helps with our history studies.

Thank you for all you do and for sending great kids to SRIS!

Please Be Aware...

The end of 1st trimester is Nov. 6. This is 2 1/2 weeks from now. ALL work needs to be turned in NO LATER than Monday, Nov. 2, for credit on your trimester grade! Please get any make up or redo tests done - see Mrs. White about coming in early or staying after school to get those done.

Make a Difference Day is Saturday. We are encouraging all students (and families) to come to SRIS and help with projects around the school from 9-12 that morning.

(It's Custodian Appreciation week - give them a "thank you" for keeping our school so nice!)

1st Period won last week's school challenge - Pizza at lunch on Friday!

Have a Great Fall Break!

Students took their test on Mesopotamia today. Most of the tests so far look good. I should have them graded and entered by Monday night. On Tuesday, we will begin our unit on Egypt.

10/24 will be Make a Difference Day here at Sunrise Ridge and we are hoping to show appreciation to our custodial staff - everyone is encouraged to come to school and help with a project that will MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

10/26-30 will be Red Ribbon Week with specific themes and activities each day.

Enjoy the Fall Break long weekend - No School 10/16 or 10/19.

School and Class Items

The school's first case of H1N1 has been confirmed. The student is resting at home, on medication. We are encouraging all students to use hand sanitizer and wash their hands regularly, to use kleenex when possible, or their elbows if necessary to control sneezes. For other school measures, please check your email or the school website (found in the links to the right).

Also, we are in the middle of our Mesopotamia unit. Our test for this unit will be next Thursday, 10/15. There is no school (Fall Break) Friday 10/16 and Monday 10/19. When we return, we will be beginning our unit on Egypt.

Thank you to all those parents who came to SEP's! It was great to get a chance to talk with all of you.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Please remember that if you signed up for the PTA Breakfast, it is this Friday morning.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held next Wed. and Thurs. (9/30 and 10/1) from 4:30 pm- 7:30pm. Both days will be full school days, all conferences will be held after school in those times. I look forward to meeting everyone.

Our next break from school will be Fall Break, Friday 10/16 - Monday 10/19.

Sept. 11 and other news...

Parents - Today in class we are watching the BrainPop video about the September 11, 2001, attacks and having a short discussion. It is hard to believe that it's been 8 years - I found myself getting choked up listening to the remembrances on the radio this morning.

We will be working on our Map Your Own Island maps today. I expect that they should all be complete to turn in on Monday.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week I will be at a professional conference in Las Vegas with a few other teachers from our school. Mrs. Williams will be the substitute teacher again for my classes - I really appreciate her! Some of the students are wanting to retake or make up their Geography tests next week. Please allow Mrs. Williams to decide when she is available for that. I will be back on Thursday and Friday, students may come before or after school any day when I return.

I hope all the students are enjoying their Thunderbolt time this session. Remind them that they need to maintain their grades in all their classes AND make sure that all assignments get turned in AND have good citizenship. Any one of those areas with an issue can have a student in Interventions for 2nd session (9/29 - 10/23). Our Take Charge goal for next week is ORGANIZATION! Please check your child's planner each day to make sure they are using this valuable tool...

Have a great weekend!

Parents -
Tomorrow, Wed. 9/9, we will be showing a video of the President's remarks to America's school children in social studies. I encourage you to watch the video/broadcast yourself first and make a decision about whether you want your child to view the speech. I will attempt to link the video to my blog, but for now, here is a link to the written remarks. Please read and/or watch before making your decision. We will have a short class discussion, but will not be participating in the suggested curriculum which has been controversial.
President Obama's Remarks in written form

Here is the video link to watch the speech. I will be skipping part of the introduction, to focus on the President's message. YouTube - President Obama's Message to American Students

Thank you!

Geography Test tomorrow

Please be sure to study for your Geography Test tomorrow. Also, tomorrow is Picture Day (bring your order forms and money with you) and Scholastic Book orders are due for me.

Have a happy 4 day weekend, Fri 9/4 - Mon 9/7!

Happy to be back...

I am happy to be back in school! Please remember the following items:

1) Parent permission/acknowledgement forms (in a packet) NEED to be signed and returned ASAP.
2) TBT registrations MUST be completed ASAP.
3) Pictures are Thursday, Sept. 3.
4) LONG holiday weekend, Sept. 4 - Sept. 7 (NO SCHOOL)

I am trying to catch up on all I missed while I was out. Feel free to email me with any concerns.
Thanks!

Please Excuse My Absence

Dear Parents and Students -

This is only the 2nd time in 12 years of teaching that I've been sick like this. I feel so horrible to be gone this early in the year. However, the doctor today confirmed that I have strep throat, and so I will be out for at least one to two more days. I hope that you are doing your best for Mrs. Williams, and I will see you soon!

Planners are here!

Parents and Students - Planners will be handed out today as the science classes go to orientation. Please be sure to use these to organize your schoolwork! They WILL help you to ACHIEVE success. Try to learn the ABC's of Sunrise Ridge this week and practice the student pledge at home. We will be pretesting on Tuesday...no stress! Remember this is to let me know what you do/don't already know, and to measure how much you've learned by the end of the year :) Happy Monday!

I'm so excited!

Wow! It was great meeting so many parents at Back-to-School night...I hope we can count on all of you for future events, too. I was so impressed with my students today in class - I can tell we are going to have a great year! Be sure to read the disclosure statements carefully and to sign and return that page only. Parents, I did assign you more homework, that green paper with questions about your child. I find it valuable to get your input on "who" your child is, outside of school as well. I appreciate the time you spend on that for me!

Sunrise Breakfast tomorrow morning...7:15 we start serving pancakes (no cost to students)...COME HUNGRY!

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

Tuesday, 8/11, from 6:30 to 8:00

Hello! Teachers start back to school ONLY 3 days before students this year, so all the teachers will be crazy busy during that Mon-Wed. I know that there is open registration on Mon. from 12-2:30, but I may not be in my room or available during that time. If you do come by, I may have a desk out with information that will also be handed out Tues. night. If I have my door closed, please do not be offended...I will be working hard to get everything ready for Tues. night. Back-to-School night for Sunrise Ridge will be Tues., 8/11. (Check with the office for times...probably 6-8 or something like that.) I would LOVE to meet everyone there. School will officially begin at 7:45 on Thursday, 8/13. I can't wait to meet you, and I promise we will have a blast learning about ancient civilizations (how we got here) this year!

A New School Year: 2009-2010

Welcome to my class blog...feel free to look around at some of the posts from last year. It will give you some idea of what information I like to share using the blog. I will also have an email contact list and will send regular emails with information. Please note, I also have direct links to the SRIS school page, the WCSD site, and also PowerSchool login. If you bookmark my blog, then you can go directly from here to any of those places.

I am looking forward to the new year! We will have a good time, learning about the contributions of ancient civilizations and doing projects.