At a conference I attended over the summer, I learned about a site called freerice.com. This is a site where people can answer some basic knowledge questions in a wide variety of areas. It has been on my list of suggested sites to check out since the day I found out about it, but nothing has really been done with it. As I was teaching the group this year how to navigate through the site to find old postings or other sites to visit. It was during this time that I was reintroduced to freerice and showed the kids how to use it. Everyone was immediately hooked and in about ten days, as a class, we have already donated over 12,000 grains of rice. This is a pretty amazing number since you get ten grains for every correct answer you give and the time we have had to spend on the site has been minimal. While I think it is awesome, to watch the excitement and intensity the kids approach the site with, what has been even more heart warming is that the kids are visiting this site when they have their own choice for computer time. How cool is that, spending indoor recess doing something to help out someone less fortunate or in need. Keep up the great work everybody! Perhaps we can set a goal and a celebration for when we reach one million grains!
Upside down like a gravitron,
Mr. Fletcher
Friday, October 29, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Don't Forget Us!
Miss Berger has promised to check in with us and let us know how she is doing at her new placement. Let's leave her some questions or words of encouragement for her to reply to!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Do You Miss Me Yet?
Hi Everyone!
I know you all have had a great week with Miss Berger and I would like to hear all about it! What's been going on? What have you been learning? While this solo week is an incredibly important time for Miss Berger on her path to becoming a teacher, I can't help but miss your smiling faces! Take some time to fill me in on everything that has been going on with you that you would like to share. Give Miss Berger some feeback about how you think this week has been going. Before you know it, we'll have to say goodbye to her. Let's use this opportunity to catch up with each other and share all the positive things that have been happening in the class this week! I can't wait to read and respond to your comments!
Talk to you soon,
Mr. Fletcher
I know you all have had a great week with Miss Berger and I would like to hear all about it! What's been going on? What have you been learning? While this solo week is an incredibly important time for Miss Berger on her path to becoming a teacher, I can't help but miss your smiling faces! Take some time to fill me in on everything that has been going on with you that you would like to share. Give Miss Berger some feeback about how you think this week has been going. Before you know it, we'll have to say goodbye to her. Let's use this opportunity to catch up with each other and share all the positive things that have been happening in the class this week! I can't wait to read and respond to your comments!
Talk to you soon,
Mr. Fletcher
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Ordering Online From Scholastic 2010 - 2011
Online Ordering Information
Web address: scholastic.com/bookclubs
Class Activation Code: GNRZW
Dear Parent,
There’s no time to lose! In order to make our deadline and have all our books arrive on time, your order to Scholastic Book Clubs is due by the date shown above.
Use the order form in the flyer your child recently brought home and return it to me with your payment right away!
Or, make it easy and send me your order online!
Go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs and log in using your user name and password.
If it’s your first time ordering online, use the Class Activation Code shown above to get started
SIGN UP at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the “Don’thave a user name or password?“ link, then register for your own user name and password. When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This code ensures that your order is sent to me.
SELECT the books you’d like to order—choose from thousands of titles—many more than in our monthly flyers.
SEND your order to me online by the due date and your child’s books will be delivered directly to my classroom.
Ordering online is fast and easy!
Best of all, we earn a FREE book for the classroom library every time a parent places an order online.
Thank you!
Web address: scholastic.com/bookclubs
Class Activation Code: GNRZW
Dear Parent,
There’s no time to lose! In order to make our deadline and have all our books arrive on time, your order to Scholastic Book Clubs is due by the date shown above.
Use the order form in the flyer your child recently brought home and return it to me with your payment right away!
Or, make it easy and send me your order online!
Go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs and log in using your user name and password.
If it’s your first time ordering online, use the Class Activation Code shown above to get started
SIGN UP at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. On the parent page, click the “Don’thave a user name or password?“ link, then register for your own user name and password. When prompted, enter the one-time Class Activation Code shown above. This code ensures that your order is sent to me.
SELECT the books you’d like to order—choose from thousands of titles—many more than in our monthly flyers.
SEND your order to me online by the due date and your child’s books will be delivered directly to my classroom.
Ordering online is fast and easy!
Best of all, we earn a FREE book for the classroom library every time a parent places an order online.
Thank you!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Makin' New Friends Along the Way....
I'd like to send a big "Thank You" to everyone who was able to make it to Open House last night. It was a fantastic turn out and for that I am truly thankful. Your presence at these types of events speaks volumes about the involvement you have in your child's education! Based on last night, I'd say I have some pretty lucky kids. Thank you for the more than kind words of support, encouragement, and praise....they are truly appreciated and meaningful....despite how much I try to take the attention off of myself! This year has gotten off to an amazing start and Open House last night gives me a strong feeling that many, many, more good things are to come. Thanks again for a great night!
Keep in touch,
Mr. Fletcher
Keep in touch,
Mr. Fletcher
Thursday, September 30, 2010
6 Hours and 40 Minutes
That is the amount of time that your child spends in school each day. This is also the topic that I am going to speak about the most at tonight's open house (here's a preview for those of you who are followers already and attending tonight). Six hours and forty minutes is a lot of time. When you think about it, your child may in fact spend more time here at school than awake at home with you. Let's do some math:
6hrs. 40min. is only the time in the building, we also need to add time on the bus if your child is not brought to school. If we allow thirty minutes travel time each way that is another hour and brings us to 7hrs. 40 min. Perhaps your child is involved in early morning art or music. You would need to add another hour which would bring your total to 8hrs. 40min.
If you let me use 7:00 a.m. as the time that your child gets up in the morning, that would give you one hour of awake time with your child. Let's say that your child arrives home from school at 4:00 p.m. and goes to bed at 9:00 p.m.. That gives you a total of five more hours with your child awake, bringing your total to 6 hours of awake time with your child. Please adjust the times accordingly to fit your lives. The point is this....where does your child spend more time awake? For most of you the answer will be here at school.
This fact determines many of my classroom policies. For example, homework. If we examine that five hours you have when your child gets home, how much of that time is spent doing homework? In my opinion, that time should be spent with you enjoying each other's company. This is why I will explain my homework policy as follows:
#1. NEVER spend more than 45 minutes on homework. NEVER! Yes, your child may have homework most nights, but my belief is that it should never be anything more than what can be completed in 45 minutes or less. I give the kids plenty of assignments and tasks in school that I use to assess them with on a daily basis. In addition, I give the students numerous times throughout the day to work on their homework assignments and complete most, if not all of it. What I ask is that students do not turn an assignment in until the next day so that if it is completed in school, you still get to look it over with him/her before it gets handed in.
If your child does come home with work and is struggling, please don't let them stress out all night. If he/she has put in a full and honest 45 minutes, stop them and write me a note on the assignment letting me know that the task was difficult and then I am able to address the problem during our support time here in school.
The numbers speak for themselves. Your child spends so much time with me that the last thing I want to do is invade or take away from the precious time that you have with your child. After all, I am a parent myself and I know firsthand how crazy things can get during the evening hours.
What I ask of you in return is that you spend that time I am not taking up with your child. Use it. Ask them about their day. Check in and see if everything is good with their friends. Tell them a joke and make them laugh. Use the time and enjoy your child being nine and ten years old...it will never happen again. Get them involved in something they enjoy without any pressure.
Other Policies:
#2 Let's be on the same side. Could you imagine how miserable your child would be if the place they spend the most time awake is a place they hate being? As your child's teacher, I ask for your help, support, and understanding. I have the safety and well being of fourteen little faces to think about each day....I am only one person. Your support is essential if I am to do everything I possibly can to make your child's fourth grade experience a positive one. If there is ever a problem, question, concern, please bring it directly to me first. Nothing is worse than finding out about a problem after it has been discussed with numerous other people and usually blown out of proportion. Feel free to email me at anytime. This is the easiest and fastest way to reach me.
#3. Have fun.
#4. Be involved.
Many thanks to all of you who are able to attend open house tonight. I look forward to seeing you all!
You should look as good as your outlook,
Mr. Fletcher
6hrs. 40min. is only the time in the building, we also need to add time on the bus if your child is not brought to school. If we allow thirty minutes travel time each way that is another hour and brings us to 7hrs. 40 min. Perhaps your child is involved in early morning art or music. You would need to add another hour which would bring your total to 8hrs. 40min.
If you let me use 7:00 a.m. as the time that your child gets up in the morning, that would give you one hour of awake time with your child. Let's say that your child arrives home from school at 4:00 p.m. and goes to bed at 9:00 p.m.. That gives you a total of five more hours with your child awake, bringing your total to 6 hours of awake time with your child. Please adjust the times accordingly to fit your lives. The point is this....where does your child spend more time awake? For most of you the answer will be here at school.
This fact determines many of my classroom policies. For example, homework. If we examine that five hours you have when your child gets home, how much of that time is spent doing homework? In my opinion, that time should be spent with you enjoying each other's company. This is why I will explain my homework policy as follows:
#1. NEVER spend more than 45 minutes on homework. NEVER! Yes, your child may have homework most nights, but my belief is that it should never be anything more than what can be completed in 45 minutes or less. I give the kids plenty of assignments and tasks in school that I use to assess them with on a daily basis. In addition, I give the students numerous times throughout the day to work on their homework assignments and complete most, if not all of it. What I ask is that students do not turn an assignment in until the next day so that if it is completed in school, you still get to look it over with him/her before it gets handed in.
If your child does come home with work and is struggling, please don't let them stress out all night. If he/she has put in a full and honest 45 minutes, stop them and write me a note on the assignment letting me know that the task was difficult and then I am able to address the problem during our support time here in school.
The numbers speak for themselves. Your child spends so much time with me that the last thing I want to do is invade or take away from the precious time that you have with your child. After all, I am a parent myself and I know firsthand how crazy things can get during the evening hours.
What I ask of you in return is that you spend that time I am not taking up with your child. Use it. Ask them about their day. Check in and see if everything is good with their friends. Tell them a joke and make them laugh. Use the time and enjoy your child being nine and ten years old...it will never happen again. Get them involved in something they enjoy without any pressure.
Other Policies:
#2 Let's be on the same side. Could you imagine how miserable your child would be if the place they spend the most time awake is a place they hate being? As your child's teacher, I ask for your help, support, and understanding. I have the safety and well being of fourteen little faces to think about each day....I am only one person. Your support is essential if I am to do everything I possibly can to make your child's fourth grade experience a positive one. If there is ever a problem, question, concern, please bring it directly to me first. Nothing is worse than finding out about a problem after it has been discussed with numerous other people and usually blown out of proportion. Feel free to email me at anytime. This is the easiest and fastest way to reach me.
#3. Have fun.
#4. Be involved.
Many thanks to all of you who are able to attend open house tonight. I look forward to seeing you all!
You should look as good as your outlook,
Mr. Fletcher
Friday, September 24, 2010
Sugar Maples 2010
What a fantastic day! We were able once again to visit Sugar Maples under the direction of the AMAZING RitaMary Vining to design and paint reusable canvas bags. The weather couldn't have been better and Miss Rita treated us to an absolutely fantastic day. The purpose of this trip was to kick of a BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag campaign to promote reusable shopping bags as an alternative to plastic or paper bags. Each student designed a bag with a positive environmental message to help spread the word and encourage others to BYOB.
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