Mrs. Huebener's Blog

Huebener Highlights

Newsletter

November 9, 2009

Thank you for your participation with the Boosterthon Fun Run fundraiser.  Our class came in first from the third grade classes for pledges and money collected.  The funds raised by the Ford Foundation will be used to continue the Science Lab program.  This is another example of the families, students, staff, and the community going the extra mile to make Ford Elementary School an exemplary learning environment.

What an honor being recognized as a Georgia School of Excellence! This could not happen without the effort of all the people involved in the education process.  Thank you for placing education as a priorty, sending eager learners to school, and supporting the school.

Please submit any photos and text to the Veteran's Wall by Wednesday.  This can be family or friends who have been or are currently in the armed service.  The impressive display is across from the benches in the lobby.

We have a couple of busy months so I am adding to your family calendar:
Friday    11-13    Mrs. Jones "parting party" at the end of the day
Tuesday 11-17   Book Buddie Feast at 9:30 - Mrs. Allnutt is the contact person
Wednesday 11-18   Family Feast in the lunchroom, with Turkey Tales following in our classroom
Monday   11-30   Geometry Quit project will be assigned, due Dec. 16
Tuesday 12-08  Book Shares Dec. 8-11, similar to a book report with a visual, see blue Reading Folder
Monday   12-14  Crafts 1:30-2:00 Monday through Wednesday - Mrs. Allnutt is the contact person
Tuesday 12-15 Gingerbread Houses 9:30 with Book Buddies - Mrs. Allnutt is the contact person
Wednesday 12-16 Geometry Quilts due
Friday    12-18 Winter Holiday Breakfast 9:30 - Mrs. Allnutt is the contact person

Curriculum:
Reading:  How do inferences help with comprehension and how does the reader revise inferences?  Continue to work on A.R. points and Stampede to Read forms.

Writing:  What is the writing process for completing a fictional story?  Turkey Tales will be the focus in writing and construction of the turkeys will be this week.  Please send supplies to school.

Phonics:  What are the spelling patterns for to /ch/ and /tch/ words?

Grammar:  What are the rules for changing words from the singular spelling to the plural spelling?

Math:  What are the strategies for multiplying by 6's and 7's?  The Read Deal test this week will be Wednesday.  Study, study, study the facts.

Social Studies:  How did Frederick Douglass impact the history of America?

 

 

Boosterthon Update

Thank you for sending the pledge money in an envelope with your child's name.  We look forward to having all the money by Friday, which is the due date.

Classroom Information

Huebener Highlights

Veterans Day Opportunities

In celebration of Verterans Day the student may access the following links to add pictures and information to the wall outside the media center.

Download Vet Wall Announcement

Download Vet Wall Scroll & Instructions

Huebener Highlights

Huebener Highlights

October 26, 2009

 

Boosterthon Fun Run will be held on Wednesday, October 28th, with a rain date of Thursday, so get those last minute pledges.   Thank you for your participation and encouragement in this fund raising effort to maintain the exemplary Science Lab at Ford Elementary. We hope to have many families join us for the Fun Run on Wednesday at 9:30.

 

Red Ribbon Week is recognized in many ways at Ford Elementary.  Mrs. Garrison  decorated the door with student pledge to be drug free ribbons.  Students, at no cost to them, may dress in the following manner:

Tuesday    “Put a Cap on Drugs” – wear a favorite hat/cap – wristbands will be given to students

Wednesday  “Sock it to Drugs” – wear silly/mismatched socks – don’t forget Boosterthon Fun Run is Wednesday so comfortable sock with their running shoes are necessary

Thursday “Turn Your Back on Drugs” – wear clothes backwards or inside out – students will get bookmarks

Friday     “Wear Red Day” 

 

Upcoming Book Buddies activities:

Halloween candy graphing -     Monday, October 26^th

Thanksgiving Feast -   Tuesday, November 17^th

Gingerbread Houses -     Tuesday, December 15^th

 

Mrs. Allnutt is organizing the volunteers and the donations of food, so she will be contacting you.  Thanks for all you do to support and enrich our curriculum.

 

The Third Grade Family Feast will be Wednesday, November 18^th with Turkey Tales in our classroom immediately following lunch.

 

Reflection Entries are as follows:

Photography –    Sara – 3^rd place

Harry – Participation

Visual Arts - Chris – 1^st place

Imani – participation

Music - Sara – 2^nd place

Film - Maddie S. – 2^nd place

Literature -   Karah – 2^nd place

Christina W. – 3^rd place

Andrew – Honorable Mention

Participation in Literature:

Chris, Elizabeth, Imani, Bryan, Drew, Harry, Brandon, Sara, Will, Zachary, Cody, Connor, Eva, Mattie, Kristina D.

Thank you for encouraging your child to participate and for completing the entrance form.

 

Congratulations to the students who have passed the Addition/Subtraction Principal’s Math Challenge:

Will, Bryan, Harry, Christina W., Imani

The students will not participate in the challenge this Friday because they need to study extra hard, then take the test next Friday.

 

Curriculum:

Reading – How does activating prior knowledge before and during reading help the reader set the purpose for reading and increase comprehension? The week will end with how a reader answers the “I Wonder” questions, especially with nonfiction.  Students will read one chapter per night about the famous historical figure, Paul Revere.

 

Grammar – How does recognizing nouns and verbs help the reader/writer determine the subject and predicate of a sentence?

 

Phonics – How does a writer spell words ending with /ce/, /se/, and /ve/?

 

Math - What strategies do we use for multiplying by 3’s and 4’s?  Why is it important to memorize multiplication facts?  The Read Deal 3’s will be this Wednesday and the 7 Minute Test will be Tuesday.  

 

Science – What are the elements of the layers and types of soil?  How are weathering and erosion alike and different?  Students were given the Soil Unit Study Guide on Monday, with the test scheduled for Wednesday.   

 

Social Studies – What role did Paul Revere play in American history?

Huebener Highlights

Boosterthon Fun Run Arrives at Ford!

The Boosterthon Fun Run arrived at Ford Elementary School. We had a fun-filled Pep Rally this afternoon to get everyone eager for the Fun Run. The students brought home their "Secret Mission" CD as well as the Parent Information sheet. New on the horizon this year is the website, www.funrun.com This website will be used to collect pledges and for students to view the 3-D video. The front of the envelope for the CD has your child's online access code for the Pledge website. Incentives will be given to the children as they reach certain goals.

All funds raised from the Boosterthon Fun Run will be used toward our Science Lab and Mrs. Belmonte. If we succeed in raising the needed funds for the Science Lab, we will also be adding a technology support person in the Computer Lab.

Join us on Wednesday, October 28 at 9:30 am as we run to support our Science Lab!

Early release is on Wednesday - students will be dismissed at 12:20.

The Boosterthon Fun Run arrived at Ford Elementary School. We had a fun-filled Pep Rally this afternoon to get everyone eager for the Fun Run. The students brought home their "Secret Mission" CD as well as the Parent Information sheet. New on the horizon this year is the website, www.funrun.com This website will be used to collect pledges and for students to view the 3-D video. The front of the envelope for the CD has your child's online access code for the Pledge website. Incentives will be given to the children as they reach certain goals.

All funds raised from the Boosterthon Fun Run will be used toward our Science Lab and Mrs. Belmonte. If we succeed in raising the needed funds for the Science Lab, we will also be adding a technology support person in the Computer Lab.

Join us on Wednesday, October 28 at 9:30 am as we run to support our Science Lab!

Early release is on Wednesday - students will be dismissed at 12:20.

Huebener Highlights

Huebener Highlights

October 19, 2009

Good morning parents!  I hope you all had a nice, relaxing, and fall-filled weekend!  We seemed to go straight from summer to winter didn't we?  Thank you all for your prompt attention in returning your students' report cards!  If you didn't get them returned today, please try to get them back to us tomorrow. 

Most immediate on the calendar is the Reflections Reception coming up tomorrow night, Tuesday, October 20, at 7:00 PM at Durham Middle School.  We had 100% participation from our class and we are so very proud of all of our entries!  Each student will be presented with a ribbon which they will receive as they walk across the stage.  Refreshments will be served immediately following the program as families are able to view the entries.   We look forward to seeing!

Wednesday, October 21st is Early Release Day!  Students will be dismissed 2 hours early at 12:20 PM and yes, ASP is available that day!

We are extremely proud of all of our Pepper's Math Challenge participants!  We had several advance to final rounds this past Friday!  Congratulations to all who competed and to all who won!

Next on our agenda will be Red Ribbon Week the week of October 23-30.  Tuesday of that week will be Hat/Cap Day.  Wednesday will be Silly Socks Day.  Thursday will be Backwards Day where students will be allowed to wear their clothes backwards for the day!  Friday will complete the special week with Red Day where everyone will be asked to wear red to support our efforts towards being "Drug Free"!

For the 3rd grade students, on Wednesday, October that 9:AM, we will be participating in the Fun Run.  We will have our kick-off pep rally today to build enthusiasm for this event.  The Fun Run pays for our fantastic Science Lab conducted by Ms. Belmonte.  Without her and her lab, our students would not have the additional "hands-on" experience in science.  She supports and enriches the science standards required by the state of Georgia.

Our Thanksgiving Feast will be held on Wednesday, November 18th from 12:15-1:00!  Please join us for a festive meal with your students!  We will have Turkey Tales in our classroom after lunch!  If you joined us for Poetry Reading recently, you know how enjoyable this can be!  We look forward to having you stay for the presentations of our Turkey Tales!

My last day as your students' Student Teacher will be November 13th.  I have had an amazing semester with all of them and Mrs. Huebener.  The faculty and staff here is like no other I have ever encountered!  You are so very lucky to have such a phenomenal school, faculty, and staff.  The parent participation here is incredible and believe me, not every school is as fortunate.  I could not have asked for a better Student Teaching assignment.  They have all become a part of my life and I have enjoyed working with them, Mrs. Huebener, and all families.  You are terrific and without your assistance, our lives as teachers would not be quite so fulfilling.  I have enjoyed seeing several of you and your students at the Kennesaw ball fields, often times our children playing against one another, and I enjoy every minute!  I am even fortunate enough to be emailing a student so I can keep up with her progress after my departure. Thank you all for the great book lists you provided.  With winter upon us, I needed some suggestions for good curl-up-and-read books!  I will miss all of the families!!!

Curriculum This Week:

Reading:  How do we make connections with fictional text?

Writing:  We wrote summaries from the nonfiction reading last week.  How do we write summaries from fictional text?

Phonics:  Three-letter blends will be our focus this week; words beginning with str, squ, spr

Math:  Multiplication is our word for the quarter!  Please sign and return the Banana Split letter that will come home Monday.  We will be working extensively in this area and the students could use all the assistance they can get from home!  Don't be afraid to practice in the car or while waiting in line somewhere!  It will only help them progress!

Science:  Now that we have completed our unit on Greece's influence on the United States and Government, we are ready to switch gears and go to Soils, Weathering and Erosion.  Mrs. Belmonte, the CATO Environmentalists and classroom instruction compliment and enrich one another in this unit of study.

Updated by: Beth Jones, KSU Student Teacher

 

 

 

 

Huebener Highlights

Huebener Highlights

October 12, 2009

The class had many accomplishments the first nine weeks.  Our class is recognized as the Ford First Place Class Winner for participation in Reflection entries.  The reception will be held this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at Durham Middle School. All participants will be recognized by receiving a ribbon as they walk across the stage.  Families will have the opportunity to view the entries and enjoy refreshments.  I am so proud of all the students for entering in at least one category.

Another accomplishment for the first quarter are the 15 students who earned 10 or more AR points.  We look forward to celebrating 100% of the class earning 10 points or more for the second quarter.  Thank you for encouraging your child to start early on this goal by talking to them about their books, making sure they take time to read each night, starting and finishing a book before starting a new title, and signing the Reading Log.  Once your child earns the 10 points they may read anything they wish whether it is AR or not.

More than half of our class challenged themselves by trying Mrs. Pepper's Math Challenge last Friday.  We are eager to repeat the challenge this Friday.  Four students passed the subtraction, and three students passed the subtraction and addition challenge.  We will keep you posted on our progress.

The Poetry Shares were enjoyed by students and adults.  Thank you for practicing at home.  We will present Book Shares this quarter.  The students are to read a book this quarter and complete a presentation by using the guidelines that are found in the Reading Folders. More information will come at a later date.

The CATO Field Trip will be tomorrow, Tuesday, October 13th.  Remember to watch the weather and dress accordingly for outdoor and indoor lessons.  It will be muddy so the children should wear old tennis shoes and older clothes.  The environmentalists suggested the students wear bug repellent which must be applied before they come to school.  It was suggested they wear long pants and long sleeves.  Students are to bring a sack lunch and drink or buy one from school.  We will be leaving around 9:00 and returning around 1:30. 

Watch the backpacks for Report Cards on Friday.  Thank you for reviewing the accomplishments and setting goals for second quarter.  Please sign and return the signature card in the unsealed envelope.  The Report Card is for you to keep at home.

Boosterthon Fun Run pep rally will be held on October 19th.  The third grade run will be held on Wednesday, October 28th at 9:30.  The Science Lab and Mrs. Belmonte are exceptional opportunities that are possible thru the proceeds from the Fun Run.  Thank you for supporting the fund raiser. 

Thank you to all the parents who helped with individual activities where children counted change.  The children were so pleased with the help and asked to repeat this periodically to reinforce making change and counting money.  The one-on-one reinforcement was helpful to the students and can be repeated at home.

Early Release will be Wednesday, October 21st.  The students will be dismissed at 12:20.

Curriculum:
Reading: How can text features assist in writing a summary?  What is the difference between important and interesting information? 

Writing:  How does the writer break down a prompt to determine the type of writing?  What is FAT  P?

Grammar:  How can a writer improve the subject and predicate of sentences?  What are the 4 types of sentences?

Phonics:  What are homophones? 

Math: What are the skills we studied the first quarter?  Review the math study guides for the Benchmark Test which will be on Wednesday.  7 Minute Test each Tuesday/ Study multiplicaiton facts

Social Studies: What are the important facts we studied in the Ancient Greece and government unit?  Review the social studies study guide for the test on Wednesday.

 

 

Huebener Highlighs

Huebener Highlights

October 5, 2009

Where does the time go!  We are starting the ninth week of school, which means we almost have one quarter of third grade completed.  As you and your child reflect on the first nine weeks of school discuss the independence they are developing by writing their homework legibly and remembering what is to be accomplished.  How are they doing with completing all homework each night.  Another area of independent learning is the number of AR points earned.  The children should have at least 10 points per quarter. Each child knows the number of points earned as of Monday, Oct. 5th.

The students brought home CRCT practice test information last Friday.  Please have your child try these tests at least once a week to become familiar with terminology, format, as well as tested skills.

Students brought home a baggy from PTSA for collecting Box Tops for Education. The baggy or envelope needs to be labeled with our class name.  The winning class will receive a gift card to Barnes and Noble.  Thank you for helping our school earn money from Box Tops.

WOW!  There are many children purchasing books at the Book Fair.  Thanks for your support.

Tuesday, October 6, CATO Environmentalists will come to our classroom for the first of five field trips.  Thank you again for paying for this excellent science program that supports the standards.  Our first out-of-school field trip will be next Tuesday.  The students need to dress for the weather - rain or shine.  They may buy a school lunch or bring a bag lunch and drink from home. 

Curriculum:

Reading:  We will continue reinforcing strategies that increase comprehension.  The children will work on "fix up" strategies when they do not fully understand what is being read.  Continue reading AR books for this quarter or start books for next quarter.  Poetry Shares are due Friday.  The students must memorize their poem/s and have a visual that enhances the presentation.

Writing: Students are completing their personal narratives.

Grammar:  Identifying subjects and predicates in sentences are a continued skill.  The students are also identifying types of sentences in all curricular areas.  Another grammar skill is the ability to identify complete sentences, fragments, run-on sentences, and complex sentences.

Phonics: /au/ /aw/ /al/ /ou/ letter combinations

Math:  The new unit of study is counting change and elapsed time.  Many parents are coming Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to work with children on counting change correctly with the least number of coins.  Thank you so much. This is a skill you can reinforce all year.  An example:  "I buy an eraser for $.27 and give you a $1.00.  What change will I get and count it back to me?"  Do this with greater amounts and pay $5.00 and $10.00.  This life skills isn't easy, is necessary, and needs reinforcing at home. 

Social Studies:  Reinforcing how Ancient Greece and the current United States government are alike and different is carried over from last week.  The new information will be the levels of government, branches of government, and the seperation of power.  Students will have the unit test next Wednesday. 

Here is the link to Picasso where the Third Grade Standards can be accessed:
http://picasso.cobbk12.org/?module=Pagesetter&func

 

 

 

Huebener Highlights

Huebener Highlights

September 28, 2009

 

There are numerous community service opportunities available through various organizations as well as through our school for the families who are affected by the flood.  Thank you for the generous donations for Clarkdale families and the stuffed animals for the firefighters.  Thursday was heartwarming as the the children proudly shared how they helped in their neighborhoods and in their own homes.  Thank you for comforting the children as they arrived home safely on Tuesday.

 

Public Safety Appreciation Week - Fire Station #18 is asking for donations of gently used bears or other stuffed animals.  Please send donations in before Oct. 4th.

 

Information on how to help Clarkdale Elementary families can be found on the PTSA website.  Any school supplies or clothing are needed.

 

The SCRIP PTSA fund raiser will be sent home Monday.  As you prepare to purchase gifts for the holidays please consider ordering gift cards through the PTSA.  The cards do not cost any more than they would in the store, by ordering through SCRIP the school and our classroom will receive a percentage of the money.  Please look over the information and consider ordering.  Thank you for all the ways you support Ford Elementary.

 

Picture retakes will be Tuesday, Sept. 29th.

 

We have almost 100% participation in the PTSA Reflection writing entries.  The theme for this year is "Beauty is ..." and the students are to submit their entries by September 29th.  I encourage you to help your child enter in other areas: visual arts, musical composition, photography, dance chorography, and film production.  The rules and regulations can be accessed through http://tmc.ptsamail.com/reflections/.

 

Movie in the Garden  will be Saturday, Oct. 3rd.  What a wonderful way to enjoy a FREE evening - movie, soda, and popcorn, as you watch The Wizard of Oz.

 

The CATO In-School field trip has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 6th.  If you have not sent your permission and money for the 5 Environmental Field Study opportunites, please do so before Oct. 6th.  Our children are so fortunate to be involved with this exemplary program that supports the 3rd grade science standards. 

 

Curriculum:

 

Reading:  How can making predictions and questioning increase comprehension?   There are only two weeks left for completion of the 10 AR goals.  The children should have an independent reading book at school every day. 

 

Writing: How can we add voice to our personal narratives? The children will work on word choice in their writing and the ways to write strong leads.

 

Grammar: What are the parts of a quality sentence?  Recognizing and writing simple and compound subjects and predicates are reviewed through Morning Work, writing projects, and Words Their Way exercises.

 

Phonics:  What are dipthongs?  No new words sorts will be given this week.  We will continue to work on Sort #6.  The assessment will be this Friday.

 

Math:  How do we use regrouping to solve addition and subtration problems?  Place value, rounding and graphing will be revisited.  Manipulatives will be used during multi-digit addition and subtraction number stories.  We will discuss strategies for solving the number stories.  Keep working on quick-recall of the facts for the 7 Minutes test on Tuesday.

 

Social Studies:  What is the impact of ancient Greece on our architecture, government, and the Olympics?  The assessment will be Friday.