Ms. Walcavich’s January 2010 Newsletter

Monday 1/4 Science	Tuesday 1/5 Reading Quarterly Assessment Computer Lab Tuesday Folders go home	Wednesday 1/6 Math Quarterly Assessment Art Tues. folders due back Spelling HW due	Thursday 1/7 Science, Gym Spelling HW due	Friday 1/8 Music Spelling HW Spelling test
Monday 1/11 Science	Tuesday 1/12 Computer Lab Tuesday Folders go home	Wednesday 1/13 Library, Art Tues. folders due back Spelling HW due	Thursday 1/14 Science, Gym Spelling HW due	Friday 1/15 Music Spelling HW Spelling test
Monday 1/18 No School-Martin Luther King Jr. Day	Tuesday 1/19 Computer Lab Tuesday Folders go home	Wednesday 1/20 Library, Art Tues. folders due back Spelling HW due	Thursday 1/21 Science, Gym Spelling HW due	Friday 1/22 No School-Semester Break
Monday 1/25 Science	Tuesday 1/26 Computer Lab Tuesday Folders go home	Wednesday 1/27 Library, Art Tues. folders due back Spelling HW due	Thursday 1/28 Science, Gym Spelling HW due	Friday 1/29 Music Spelling HW Spelling test

Science There is still time to enter the science fair. Students but are strongly encouraged to enter a project of their own as this will help prepare them for middle school when they are required to completed a science fair project. There are multiple science fair project idea books available in our school library. Any questions should be addressed to your child’s science teacher, Mr. Larkin. The science fair will be held in February. Social Studies We will continue to study the Revolutionary War this month. A reminder, at the end of every chapter we have a test. Students complete a study guide in class and we review it before each test. Book Report Projects This week students will receive information on their second book report project, the Living Museum. This assignment requires students to research information on an African American that has contributed to our society. Students will receive a detailed packet of the information they will need to find, the different components of the project as well as organizers for gathering their notes. A due date still needs to be set; students will be presenting their projects to the school and parents will be invited to attend. Appropriate Dress As the weather becomes cooler, please make sure your child is coming to school dressed appropriately. Students will not be allowed outside in shorts or without a jacket when the weather is cold. Also, boys are not permitted to remove their shirts/sweatshirts and wear just their white undershirt. It is best for students to come dressed to school in layers as the classroom temperature changes throughout the day and students are going outside for recess, gym and science. Attendance Attendance is very important in order for students to do the best they can in school. During the winter season please make sure your child is getting plenty of rest, dressing appropriately for the weather, eating healthy and washing his/her hands multiple times throughout the day. These things will help your child stay healthy throughout the cold and flu season and maintain his/her attendance in school. Class Website Our class website is finally up and running! The URL for the website is www.ccboe.com/teachers/jwalcavich or can be found on the Matula website (go to staff, click on webpage next to my name). Featured on the website is class news, the weekly homework, spelling lists, and links to other educational websites. The website will be updated weekly. Please check it out and let me know if there are any problems with anything. Contact Information Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions or concerns you may have. I can be reached via email at jwalcavich@ccboe.com or at the school at (301) 934-5412. Email is the best way to get in contact with me as I check it frequently throughout the day.

Quarterly Assessments It is time again for the quarterly assessments. The Reading Quarterly Assessment will be on Tuesday, January 5^th and the Math Quarterly Assessment will be on Wednesday, January 6^th. Please help your child perform to the best of his/her ability by getting an ample amount of sleep the night before and eating a good breakfast in the morning. Please talk with your child about taking these tests seriously and doing his/her best (that is all we ask for) on them. Reading We will finish up our fantasy unit after the break by comparing fairy tales and looking at some different tall tales. We will begin our next theme, Problem Solvers!, at the end of the month. We will really be focusing on writing about what we read over the next couple of months to prepare for the MSA’s in March. Writing The first edition of our class newspaper will be hot off the press by around the middle of the month. We will be reviewing verb tenses this month, practice descriptive writing and writing persuasive business letters in time for shadow day, February 2^nd. Test Taking Skills As the “three month push” has arrived and we prepare for the Maryland State Assessments (MSAs), here are some test-taking skills that can be reviewed with your child to help him/her perform his/her best: 1. Get plenty of sleep the night before 2. Eat a good breakfast 3. Take a deep breath when you read a question you are unsure of 4. Never leave a question blank-eliminate answers that you know are incorrect and then make an educated guess 5. On a reading passage, read the questions first so you will know what you are looking for as you read the passage 6. Use evidence from the text when answering Brief Constructed Responses (BCRs) 7. When finished, go back and check over all of your answers 8. Do Your Best! Inclement Weather If the weather and/or forecast looks bad, please check the hotline or website listed below. All delays and cancellations for the county will be made by 5:30 in the morning or sometimes the night before. On one-hour delays, school starts at 10:20; on two-hour delays, school begins at 11:20. Please note, breakfast is not served on days when there is a two-hour delay. Please make sure to check again later on two-hour delay days as they sometimes cancel school after they reassess the situation. The hotline number is 301-934-7410 or you can check www.schoolsout.com for information. Character Trait of the Month: Fairness We will be talking about what it means to be fair and how we can show this character trait daily. ☺ Important dates coming in February: Friday 2/5 No School for students Thursday 2/11 PTO/Quarterly Recognition Friday 2/12 Class Valentine’s Day Party Monday 2/15 No School-President’s Day Friday 2/19 PTO Family Night Wednesday 2/24 2 hour Early Dismissal