May 2, 2011

I have a few videos that I'd like to share this week. The first one comes with a huge thanks to Scott Ramsden, one of our many wonderful parents. He came in on Friday this last week and taught the kids a bit about his homeland of New Zealand. Part of that came with a wonderful demonstration of the Native Haka dance. The below video is a bit of that presentation. The last 30 seconds or so is a full on show of the dance.

The other video comes from our PE class. First off, a huge thank you, thank you, thank you to Deb Pullum who has taught out PE class for us the entire year! She has done a fantastic job with it! I had afew of the girls in the class approach me and ask if they could teach a dance during PE. Their rationalization behind it, "We did football with the boys, they can do dance with us." I was all for it, but I figured I'd let Mrs. Pullum have the final say considering she's been running our PE program for the year. She let them do it, and after one days work they produced this video. They did work on it a second week, but I promised them I wouldn't record the second one.

A few bits of important information to pass along. After a few bits of heartache on Thursday, we did finally begin end of level testing today. Our schedule has changed just a bit. We did the first Language Arts test today. We will do the second tomorrow. Because of the issues last week, on Wednesday we will now be taking both sections of the science test. We still have next week off of testing, and we take the two sections of math the following week.

The days are really winding down quick. Only 22 school days remain. It will be a bittersweet ending as I know we are all ready for summer vacation, but I really will miss these guys.

April 21, 2011

I feel as If I've been a terrible slacker at keeping you all updated here via the blog. I apologize! It's been a VERY busy couple of weeks both in and out of school The Friday before Spring Break, my wife and I signed on a house so the past few weeks, I've been leaving from school as soon as contract allows to try and get us set up in our home. Aside from the moving in, it seems we find one repair after another, and though none are major, it's still very time consuming. All in all, none of this is really an excuse for my slacking on the blog, just an explanation.

Here we are, back and at it though. We've been doing so much here! For about a week and a half of math time, we created game boards, with questions and rules, and everything! I have them being displayed in the halls right now, and I'll make sure I keep them up until conference time, so you'll have the opportunity to see them. As for what I've been teaching in math, it's all been review. Everything your student needs to learn in the sixth grade has been taught. The next few weeks we will spend reviewing some of the key materials they seem to need support in. Can you believe that end of levels are right around the corner? We're only exactly one week away from our first Language Arts test.

Here is what our testing schedule looks like as far as the last revision of the schedule goes:

Thursday, May 28 - Language Arts 1
Monday, May 2 - Language Arts 2
Tuesday, May 3 - Science 1
Wednesday, May 4 - Science 2

(We then take a week break from testing)

Monday, May 16 - Math 1
Wednesday, May 18 - Math 2

And with that, end of level testing is complete!!! With these testing days, I'm going to get down on my knees and beg that you have your students here. It makes it so much easier to have everyone here for testing, rather than trying to squeeze them into the make-up sessions. We do hold the make-up sessions for emergencies, but if at all possible, please have your students here on these days!

Also during this time, we will be having conferences. They will fall on Thursday, May 5, and Friday, May 6. Both of these days will be early out. These conferences are not mandatory conferences, therefore no schedule will be sent out. I will be my classroom from 1:30 to 4:30 both of those days, so if you want to conference, feel free to swing by at any time!

All in all, things are moving at a VERY rapid pace. The end of the school year is coming up quick! Only 29 days left of the school year! (Not that anyone has been counting!) It has been excellent ride this year, and I'm just going to start now with my several chances to thank each and every one of you, parents and students, for the fantastic year we've has this year! It wouldn't have been the same without all of us! We've been the only sixth grade class this year to keep all 27 students the entire year and I wouldn't have had it any other way! Thank, you, thank you, thank you!

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"