Ms. Maa's Marvelous Mob - Class Blog

Class Slideshow

6/1/2016

I can't believe this school year has come to an end! As I've been reflecting on this school year and this class, I am just so so proud of all that they have accomplished. Each and every one of your children have huge, kind hearts that have continued to support and encourage one another while persevering and learning tough material all year. I am going to miss them! I know that these students are a reflection of you and you have all done a wonderful job! Thank you so much for all your constant support throughout this school year. It was truly a team effort! :) I'm leaving you with a link to a slideshow I made for the class. I hope you enjoy!

PARCC Testing

4/17/2016

We will be taking the state test on the following dates:
* Monday, April 18, from 8:30am - 10:20am
* Tuesday, April 19, from 8:30am - 10:05am
* Wednesday, April 20, from 8:30am - 10:20am
* Friday, April 22, from 8:30am - 9:50am
* Monday, April 25, from 8:30am - 9:50am
* Tuesday, April 26, from 8:30am-9:50am
* Wednesday, April 27, from 8:30am-9:50am

During these dates, we will have a snack time before we start. If you are able, please bring in a snack for 22 students. Please do NOT bring in snacks that contain a lot of sugar. Some suggestions: string cheese, GoGurt, bananas, apple slices, grapes, celery with peanut butter, crackers, pretzels. Thanks in advance for your support!

Please keep a couple things in mind for the above dates:

Come to school on time. Once the testing starts, I cannot let your student into the classroom. They will need to wait in the office.
Make sure to get enough sleep prior to and during the testing days. Your body and mind needs rest and being able to come to school rested and ready is important.
As much as possible, avoid scheduling appointments during the testing times. I understand if appointments have already been made.
Try to eat a good, healthy breakfast. The cafeteria will have breakfast for all students, so please direct your student towards the cafeteria in the morning if they have not had breakfast at home (even if they come in a few minutes late).

Please make sure your student knows that they need to do their best on the test, but that it does not define who they are or whether they are smart. It is important that they take their time and try to answer every question, but I do not want them to feel extreme pressure over these tests either. The students have worked very hard this year!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

3/5/2016

We will be having Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, March 10 and Friday, March 11. Below are the scheduled times.

Thursday, March 10
3:00pm - Henry
3:15pm - Hadyn
3:30pm - Aubrey
3:45pm - Jaiden
4:15pm - Nathan
5:00pm - Kayauna
5:30pm - Charlotte
5:45pm - Chloie
6:00pm - Saria
6:15pm - Jada
6:30pm - Morgan
6:45pm - Rylan

Friday, March 11
8:00am - Owen
8:15am - Dakota
8:30am - Reyna
8:45am - Cannon
9:00am - Jessica
9:15am - Alex
9:30am - Ramsey
9:45am - Quinton
10:00am - Jason
10:15am - Javontay

Passion Projects

3/1/2016

We finished up Round 2 of our Passion Projects. This time around, the students were told that they must actually physically MAKE their projects. The students had 3 weeks to use technology to find information and directions to make their projects and now they are making their projects. We combined our bi-weekly passion project times to one longer period so that students had an extended time to work. The students finished off or worked hard to finish off their projects and presented last Friday. They did a great job! The students had the opportunity to present in front of some of their peers as well as some classmates from Mrs. Meyer's 4th grade class. I was thoroughly impressed with their work ethic and with their presentations. Great job! Here is a look at some of the projects the students made!

Celebrations and Parties

2/1/2016

On Monday, February 8th, it is Chinese/Lunar New Year. The class has been very interested in this tradition so we will be learning more about it on that day, as well as celebrating. Part of the tradition is to wear RED as a sign of good luck for the new year. Please have your child(ren) wear RED on Tuesday. Happy New Year!

*Please note, I had to change the date of our Chinese New Year Party and we will be doing preparations on Monday and celebrating on Tuesday.

On Friday, February 12th, we will be having a Valentine’s Party together. If you would like for your child to bring in Valentine’s cards, please bring them in for the whole class. I will be sending home a Class List so be on the lookout. Please do not feel obligated to send in cards, but if you do, please do so for all 21 students. Thank you!!

Holiday Activity

12/10/2015

With the holiday season coming near, I thought it would be fun to do a little “gift exchange” among the students. The students will be picking a secret student this Friday and next week, will be leaving little clues for the student throughout the week. Some examples might be: “I’m a girl.” “I’m 8 years old.” “I sit at the White Table.” On Friday, December 11th, each student will bring in a gift for their secret student. This gift CANNOT be bought, but must be made with things in the house. If the student wants, they can give a piece of Halloween candy or something small of their own (with your permission). More than anything, I would love for the students to spend time thinking about their secret person and making something for them. Some examples of things from the past are: a decorated tissue box with a drawing inside, a colorful picture, a craft, etc. Last year, I got a spatula made out of duct tape! If you need some materials, please let me know and I can try to send some home with your student.

Change in Spelling and Homework

12/8/2015

We are taking some District tests this week so the students have voted to not have Spelling homework while we are testing and to push our test back to next Wednesday. The students will not have spelling homework Tuesday and Wednesday this week but will have it Monday and Tuesday of next week. Thanks!

Hour of Code Week

12/1/2015

Next week is National “Hour of Code” week. There are over 15 million students worldwide (and 5,000 in Champaign) that are signed up for this event. Even though we do some sort of coding/computer programming every week, our school is trying to make this week a little different and more special for our kiddos.

On Thursday, December 10th at 1pm, I would like to invite all parents, guardians, or family friends/members to “Code with Your Kid” time. We will talk a little bit about our code time and then you will have the opportunity to experience Code Time with your student. We will be coding from 1:00pm - 1:45pm and then pack up to go home for the day. Please feel free to stay or leave as time allows for your schedule. We hope to see you all there!! :)

What's On Your Plate?

11/15/2015

This quarter, we have been taking a closer look at where our food comes from. The students have been studying about corn and soybean as well as farming and animals. We have learned about the different layers of soil and germinated our own soybean and corn plants. The students have learned about the different parts of a soybean and corn plant and have learned extensively that soybean and corn are in a lot of things that we eat and use! This week, we will be taking a closer look at the work of farmers as well as different animals that live on the farm. Farmers where many different hats and students will be learning about some of those roles and jobs. To end the unit, students will take a closer look at the meat that we eat and learn more about those animals.

Passion Project Presentations

11/11/2015

We had our first round of Passion Project Presentations this week and the students did a wonderful job! You will see some students you do not recognize since we presented with Mrs. Meyer's 4th grade class. The students did a wonderful job! We had projects ranging from a variety of topics. It was wonderful to see what students learned about pet care, sports, video games, food, and even the Titanic. Kudos to all the students, learning, and sharing!

This round, we did not invite an audience as we wanted students to get a true feel of a project cycle without the added pressure of an outside audience. They were already nervous enough presenting to one another! With that being said, our next round of presentations may look very different and you may be getting an invitation soon! Thanks so much for all your support in these projects! The students truly seemed to be proud of their work and loved sharing their learning with their peers!