Project Groundhog 2009

We are a member of the Internet project "Project Groundhog!" We are keeping data and trying to decide if we think the groundhog really is a good predictor of the weather.  Follow our progress for the next 6 weeks as we work with 5 other teams on this special project!

Welcome to our team mates!  

Here are the names of our team mates:

Our Lady of the Way: Stratton ON, Canada

Norma Goddard: La Crescenta, CA

Hawthorne Elem: Ladner BC Canada

Wickliffe Progressive Center: Upper Arlington OH

Prairiedale Elem: Vanderhoof BC, CA

We set up a blog devoted just for this project.  Click here on Project Groundhog 2009 to go there!

Learning about Caffeine and Energy Drinks

Cassy, a sophomore at AHS, came to talk to us about caffeine use and energy drinks.  We had no idea about how much caffeine is found in different drinks.  

Cassy gave us food for thought.  Thanks for coming and for teaching us.

This is for her FCCLA project.

Goodbye to Destiny

Sad news today as we heard that Destiny has moved out of state.  We will miss her sweet smile.  She was a good friend to all.  Best wishes ever!

Chinese New Year

Today began "Chinese New Year." 

Chinese New Year is the most important of the Chinese holidays, and is a time of feasting with the family, celebration, fireworks, and gift-giving. It is a 15-day holiday, beginning on the first day of a new moon and ending with the full moon on the day of the Lantern Festival.

During the Chinese New Year celebration, many children receive lucky money envelopes.

2009 is the year of the ox.  The Ox, or the Buffalo sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox or Buffalo are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Ox people work hard without complaints at work or at home. They know that they will succeed through hard work and sustained efforts, and do not believe in get-rich-quick schemes.

Here is a site that has posters to print out about the traits of your birth animal!

Here are a few websites with Chinese New Year Activities:

Kaboose.com - Chinese New Year

Activity Village

NAEP Testing

Our 4th grade classes were chosen to take part in the National Assessment of Educational Progress!  That testing took place today.  

I was very proud of the way my students seem to take the testing serious.  Their behavior was exceptional as the proctors administered the test.

NAEP LINK

Mind Over Matter

Each of our 4th graders received a "Mind Over Matter" CD  earlier this week.  A survey came home with the CD. Parents, will you please listen to the CD with your child, fill out the survey and return it to school as soon as possible.  This CD was provided by the  Prevention Dimensions division organized by the Utah State Board of Education.

The latest brain information shows that alcohol impacts the developing brain of a child a whole lot more than it does an adult. It is hoped that through the music and discussion between parents and children important concepts will be reinforced which will have a positive impact on the choices of our young people in regards to underage drinking.

OUR BRAIN AND OUR “SMARTS”
Facts about Alcohol and our Children:
 Almost 42% of ninth grade students reported having consumed alcohol before
they were 13.
Center of Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-U.S. 1997.
 15.9% of tenth graders in Utah reported having used alcohol in the past 30 days.
Utah SHARP Survey, Prevention Needs Assessment, Bach-Harrison, 2003
 The gap between alcohol use by boys and girls has closed. Girls consume alcohol
and binge during at rates equal to boys.
Alcohol epidemiologic Data System National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1997.
 The use of alcohol, by itself or with other drugs, can retard the normal growth and
development of young people.
American Academy of Pediatric, Alcohol: Your Child and Drugs
 “….the brain does not finish developing until a person is around 20 years old.”
Cynthia Kwhn, Ph.D., Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most used and Abused Drugs, Duke
University Medical Center,1998.
 “When there is a disruption of the normal developmental schedule of experience,
neural connections are not made properly…sometimes with devastating results.
Rethinking the Brain, Rima Shore, Families and Work Institute, 1997.
 “Exposure to substances that inhibit cell growth has some impact on an adult
brain, but a devastating impact on the developing brain.”
Kuh, Swartzwelder and Wilkie, Duke University Medical Center, Buzzed, 1998.
 Children shape their attitudes and opinions about underage alcohol use before
they are 12. If we are to prevent underage alcohol use, we must reach our
children while they are in elementary school.

New President!

We witnessed a piece of history together through watching the swearing in of our 44th President of the United States!

Another Welcome to a New Student

We are pleased to announce the arrival of our 29th student.  Welcome to our new friend.  Today will be her first day of class.  We are so excited to meet her for the very first time!  Our last three new classmates have been boys so the girls are especially excited to have a new friend that is a girl!

Welcome!

Biographies Are Almost Done Too!

We continue to have some places visitors come our way!  We are learning a great deal each day!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day

Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day!  

You get to stay home from school!!!!

Think of the things that he wanted to see happen in the world.  Think about the movie we saw and the things that "one" person can do.

What important thing will you do?  What is your dream?

Report Cards

Expect report cards to come home this Friday, January 23rd, if all goes well.

I  am excited about a new term beginning.  We all have a clean slate and can begin again to do our best and learn all that we can!

Biographies

Today we had more biography reports given.  We learned about John F Kennedy and Pocahontas when they "came" to speak to us.  

We also learned about Amelia Earheart and Larry Houdini.  The students are doing a good job telling us the things they learned by reading a biography.

Biographies Again

Brigham Young came to tell us of his accomplishments, as well as other famous people of the past!  We learned about Albert Einstein, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Johnny Appleseed.

Project Groundhog 2009

I am excited - I have signed my class up to be part of an online project called "Project Groundhog."  

Project Groundhog is about finding out if the groundhog as weather hog is myth or truth. For the six weeks following Groundhog Day, February 2nd, you will record the daily temperature and sky conditions in our area. The information collected is shared weekly with the participating schools via email and the Project Groundhog website. 

I hope that we have a good team and can have fun and learn a great deal!

More Biographies

Here are some more of my students presenting their biographies.  They are doing such a good job.  We are learning so many things about different people from history.  

We learned about Ben Franklin, Harriet Tubman, Leonardo Da Vinci, Ferdinanad Magellan, and Harry Houdini.

No one choose to do a report of Miss Snapp, can you imagine that?

Isn't she important enough to be learning about?  Ha ha  :-)

Actually when I said that to my students, I had a couple jump up and say that they could do a report on my life. How scary!

Poster winners

Earlier this year our 4th grade classes took part in an anti-drug contest. This contest was sponsored by the Northeastern Counseling Center. The purpose is an attempt to encourage and promote drug and alcohol free lifestyles. Two of my students' posters were chosen to be put into a calendar that is published! Each of the winning students were given 10 complementary copies of the calendar to distribute to friends and family members!

We are so proud of all of our 4th graders for making the decision to stay "drug free!"

Here is a picture of one of our lucky winners!

Biography Reports

WOW! We had some cool visitors come talk to us in our class today. We had Annie Oakley, Pocahontas, John Wesley Powell and Sacajawea. 

Each of these people told us interesting things about their life. It was so fun listening and learning to them!

New Student

Wow!  We have another new student!  This student makes number 28 in our class!!!!  

This is a return friend. He went to school here when he was younger.  Welcome to our newest friend.... Kalab!  We are glad to have back at AES again.

Report Cards and Day Off

As you know, the end of the term is Friday, January 16th.  I am available to work with students several afternoons after school, if desired.  I do have some commitments a few of those days, so please contact me to make arrangements before assuming that I am available.

There is NO SCHOOL for students on Monday, January 19th.  This is 

"Martin Luther King Jr.  Day."  We will be studying a little about Rev. King's life next week so that we understand why we have this holiday.  We will also talk about Civil Rights with the story of "Ruby Bridges."

Report cards are scheduled to come home on Friday, January 23rd!

Biography Oral Reports

Biography Presentations
Our presentation portions of the biography reports begin Tuesday, the 6th of January.

If the folder was not turned in on time, make sure it is brought the day of the presentation.

Public Speaking Monologue
This activity will give you an opportunity to meet your benchmark in public speaking. You may dress up (as much as you can) as your person and pretend you are the person. You will tell all about your contributions, and about your life
Remember you will be scored for”
o C Content – important details included
o O Organization – a clear beginning, middle and end
o L Language – appropriate and interesting words and language
o D Delivery – good eye contact, volume and body posture

"Series" Book Report

Our next book report is due anytime before February 13th.  The forms will be sent home Monday, January 5th.  The book needs to be a book on your child's reading level that is a part of any series. Hopefully, he/she will find a series that interests him/her and he/she will want to read more of that series!

If pages get lost and you need another set, they may be printed from my official class page

http://www.dcsd.org/AltamontElementary.cfm?subpage=486294

Feel free to run off copies as needed.