A Christmas Carol

Two more weeks til the semester end - WOW - are you as shocked as I am?
We finished problem/solution and cause/effect text structures in November. December reminds all of us of the true meaning of Christmas. "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, is the classic read I chose. The classes will read the novel in play form. All my students will have a t least three parts to read. We will conclude with a vocabulary test and comprehension test.
The final Starbooks Cafe open for this semester is December 16th. I am offering peppermint mocha frappucino along with hot drinks. They will cost a dollar however because of the expense of making them.
My Christmas wish list if any parents are interested include: pencils, glue sticks, magnetic dry eraser from Office Max, M & M's, Skittles, small candy bars or jolly ranchers, styrofoam cups 12oz. size, plastic spoons, napkins all for the cafe!

November already!

I cannot believe that 1/3 of our school year together is complete! I love my kids this year - they work hard, they are attentive, and seemed to really like reading class. It sure makes going to school everyday a blessing.
We are working on compare/contrast and cause/effect stories and short articles. We will begin problem/solution in a few weeks. I particularly like teaching problem/solution techniques with the ever popular Sir Arthur Doyle-Sherlock Holmes:)
If you have an old or classic Clue game please send it to school. I promise to take care of it and return it for Thanksgiving break!

Silent Auction for Rion Sandavol

My TA's works of Halloween art are on display in the cafetorium. The kids painted and designed Halloween cans and filled them with various goodies provided by The Hutchinson Clinic and my TA families. We are hoping to raise a sizeable amount to contribute to Rion Sandavol's family fund.
Reading classes are finishing up folklore with a 3D pop-up project and summary of a fairytale/folklore book with a partner. They are due Monday, October 31st!
We will focus on another persuasive article over vampires - one of my favorite topics:)
We will also delve into compare and contrast text structure. Do you remember Twilight Zone?????

The Weather is Changing!

October is here and the end of the first quarter is Friday, October 14th. Just a reminder that all blogs are due by the 14th and worth 25 points. Blogs can be done before and after school, TA, Enrichment, Read-in's on Fridays, or at home. Please check with your child to see if they've completed their blog.
Check out the blog and read what the kids are reading - they just might entice you to pick up a selection!
The first reading test is Thursday over Rikki Tikki Tavi, a story from our basal that we've been reading. It will be multiple choice.
I will email my parents of late assignments instead of detention slips this year. I am using the email that you provided to the office. Please make sure you've updated your email!
I absolutely want my students to turn in their work it breaks my heart to put zeros in the grade book:(
My TA will be completing their MAD Make A Difference project this month. Watch for our spooky idea in two weeks on the PHMS newsletter and KIDZ news!

Starbooks Cafe

The Starbooks Cafe opened last Friday and again today in my room during reading classes. So far I have purchased $114 worth of spoons, cups, 2 different cappuccino mixes, hot chocolate mix, apple cider packets, hot teas, marshmallows, and aerosol whipped topping. This amount also includes a new Westbend coffee pot 30 cup maker from Westlake. The coffee pot was $49 and I had $15 off in rewards - YAHOO! This has been a wonderful addition to the coffee bar - wish I would've thought about it last year!
I will make a deposit over Labor Day weekend. The kids know we keep track of the expenditures and money taken in. At the end of the year we will donate the profit!
Last year's donation went to the Ronald McDonald House in Wichita!

First District Common Assessments

Parents - I will administer the first District Common Assessments. It is usually review of everything they've had and possibly a few text structures or features they are not as familiar with.
I will also administer the San Diego Quick Assessment to determine their instructional level. I will share the results of these tests at the fall parent teacher conference sessions.
Please make sure your child has a healthy breakfast this week:)

Welcome 7th grade parents to the new 2011-2012 year!

Thank you for coming to the Open House last night. I'm so excited to get this year started. This year I am teaching reading only for Team B, and Ms. Phillips will teach the writing.
I will update this parent blog periodically to keep you informed about reading class throughout this year. Please don't hesitate to email or call with any questions or concerns.
I appreciate the parent support at home encouraging your child to read at least 20-30 minutes each night. They will be so excited to accumulate their auction bucks for the end of the year Reading Auction!

End of the Year!

The end of the year Reading Auction will be held Friday, May 20th from 1:55-3:20 pm. You are more than welcome to join the festivities! After the auction the reading store will be open for my students to spend the remainder of their Obama bucks!
Be sure to check out our mythology webpage my writing students created the past few weeks.
The final week will conclude with a mythology Bingo! It's a crowd pleaser!
Thank you for being such wonderful parents and sending your blooming learners to PHMS! I will deeply miss this class.
Ms. Sillin

Mythology

Please check out our pop talks blog to see the Literature Circle book trailers that were uploaded to the blog.
We will conclude the 4th quarter with a mythology unit. We will view "Jason and the Argonauts" and then begin the epic 'The Adventures of Ulysses" - in other words the classic Odyssey by Homer. I love mythology so it is a joyous and intense unit!
In writing my writing classes will pilot creating a web page - the first here at PHMS!
It will be a mythology page depicting the Greek gods/goddesses greats!

Spring Break

It's almost spring break. The end of the third quarter and onto our final quarter of the year. Where did the time go? My how my readers and writers have grown - literally:)
We are finishing up our state reading assessments this week and will begin literature circles after Spring Break. I will introduce the circles with book trailers that my readers made last year! I'm excited to see the book trailer projects my kids turn out this year!
I have a few exciting writing projects the final quarter also. One of the projects will be edited with 8th grade partners. All of our middle school writers will be completing a similar writing project to be partner edited.
Enjoy your spring break vacation - I will be in San Antonio!

Review Review Review

It's that time parents - our MARCH MADNESS begins:) We finished Steal Away Home novel and will review and test next week Feb. 22nd. We will review types of texts, text features, structures, and vocabulary to prepare for the Kansas State Assessments.
I am looking forward to parent/teacher conferences on Tuesday and Thursday! I have parent letter about the Reading Auction for you and test results to share with you concerning your child.
Enjoy this beautiful weather right now - I'm ready for spring:)

It's a New Year!

Where did 2010 go?????? Well, welcome 2011 and to all the exciting things planned this semester. In reading we began the novel Steal Away Home. This novel ties in with Kansas History/Mrs. Siefkes lessons. I had the opportunity to meet the author last October at the State Reading Conference. She was a delight and just as vibrant as ever! The majority of the third quarter grade has to do with this novel, so we take our time covering it. We will also be taking practice formative tests on the KCA website to prepare for our March Madness-state assessments!
In writing classes we are continuing rainbowing, free-write piece, and other grammar skill lessons. My students will send their persuasive letters to businesses next Friday and will wait in anticipation for reading auction prizes! I will be sending a parent letter in late February about this BIG EVENT!