Lessons hard to learn are sweet to know!

Progress reports will go home on Monday. There is still a month to get those grades up! Our Thanksgiving Feast will be on November 22nd. The 4th Grade classes are responsible for bringing in Turkey Gravy. Please send in a can or two with your child. Time flies once we hit November, so mark your calendar for the Holiday Concert on December 14th. It will be fantastic!
Please remember to tell your family and friends about donating to La Paloma Academy through the Arizona Tax Credit. Those funds will go towards improving technology in our classrooms.

The chicken contributes to breakfast, the pig commits!

You can commit to helping your child's future by taking a tax credit and making a contribution to La Paloma Academy. Money earmarked for our school will go towards advancements in technology for classrooms. This is a win-win situation, as you get the money back when you file your tax return and our school will receive valuable resources!

Too Much Honesty Never Harmed A Person!

Today marks the end of the 1st Quarter and report cards were sent home. If you have not already done so, please return your conference request form.
Mr. Ewald, our counselor, came in this morning to address the class about the numerous Bully Report Forms that the class has turned in on each other. There were over 30 reports turned in this quarter. Out of a class of 26 students, only 11 of them were not mentioned in any of the reports. Those 11 students are going to be rewarded for their tremendous effort to follow the Character Counts lessons we always talk about by having their own Pizza Party with Mr. Ewald!
We will continue working hard to make sure everyone is treated with respect at our school. It would be great to cut that number down to zero, and I hope his talk was a wake up call for all the student's to think twice before acting out against their friends.

The Mind Is Like A Parachute, It Works Best When Open

The first quarter is rapidly coming to a close. Report cards will go home on Wednesday, October 12th. We are having conferences for every student the week of October 17th through the 21st. I will send home a sign up sheet on Monday in everyone's Homework Folder. Please sign up for three times, so that I can try and give you one that fits your schedule. Conferences will be for 15 minutes, and will focus on grades and behavior.

Imagination is the highest kite that one can fly!

The papers on "What I Would Do If I Was Invisible!" that I've been color editing with students have been very creative so far! A great imaginaion is a wonderful thing for all young writers to have. We did not get around to picking out "Critters" this week, so no need to worry about doing any research at home just yet.
You will find in Monday's homework packet the glossary of words from our Buckle Down Science books.
These are terms that they must all be familiar with in order to be successful on the Science portion of the AIMS test. They have plenty of time between now and then to work on just one column at a time to be able to recognize the word and remember it's definition.

A Wise Man Reads Both Books And Life Itself!

I spent the weekend in Phoenix watching our son play in a baseball tourney. In between pitches I managed to grade seven different assignments for 26 students, which comes out to 182 papers. Everyone kept asking me the score because they thought I was keeping the book.
Please look for your child's graded papers in their Homework Folder on Monday. There is some important information going home tomorrow regarding the Scholastic Book Club. Everyone should  receive at least two different papers on available books to order. All orders must be returned by Tuesday, September 27th.
It doesn't matter if the order form is from Arrow, Lucky or Scholastic, as you can just send in one check with the total amount. Please make checks payable to SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB.
Please do not send cash, or checks made out to me.
This is a wonderful opportunity for students to pick out books they find interesting and earn free pizza from our "Book It" program that was discussed in last week's blog.

A Book Shut Tight Is Just A Block Of Paper!

I hope you were able to visit the Book Fair last week. Our Big Dog Reading Logs will soon become even more important as we start the "Book It" program! For each four completed reading logs that are turned in with a parent's signature, students earn a coupon for a free pizza from Pizza Hut! Students who fill in the entire "Book It" chart, which will be on display in our room, will receive an additonal prize from me for reaching Super Reader status!
I will soon be sending home Scholastic Book club forms so students can order books on any topic that interests them. Every child should be reading for at least twenty minutes each night, as practice is the best way to improve this important skill.

Hard Work and Perseverance Bring Reward

We had a great turn out for Open House! Thanks for stopping by to see what we're learning in The Big Dog Room. I would also like to thank everyone for the birthday cards and thousands of cookies the class brought me. I knew it was a good idea to name the room's mascot, "Cookie".
This week we worked on making a Multiplication Table up to 12. I have been stressing the idea that multiplication is a much faster way to do addition, and the sooner they memorize the table, the better off they will be. Not easy, but like the title says, hard work does bring rewards.
I tied this weeks Science lesson into our Writing, with an assignment on being an inventor, and describing what their latest invention would be.We will be working on this for another week, so they get used to the format I want them to follow, and instructions on how to color edit their work. I am hoping they will put all our Super Sentence lessons to good use.
We continued researching members of the animal kingdom this week. Our focus here was on Mammals, Spiders, and Insects. The class will be doing a lot of Science during our short week.

There Is No Such Thing As No Chance!

The class did a much better job behavior wise this week. They have been writing the school rules from our behavior matrix in their journals as part of morning Bell Work. This seemed to help keep them focused on what is expected of them during the school day.
We continued working on "Writing Super Sentences", and putting spelling words in alphabetical order. In Science, we focused on characterisitics of fish, birds, and reptiles.Our Social Studies Newspaper was called, "Finding Arizona" and it gave them a look at different types of maps, and how they are used.
We continued working on place value, and introduced ordinal numbers during Math. Everyone has been working extremely hard on their Math, so I'm looking forward to grading today's tests to see their growth.

Be Respectful! Be Responsible! Be Caring and Safe!

We have gone over a lot of school rules this week, but by following the words of wisdom in this week's title, every student should have a great year. Part of being responsible, is coming to class every morning prepared to work. That means having a pencil ready, listening to directions, and staying focused on the task at hand. Breakfast is served to the students, but as I constantly remind them, they must eat while doing their morning Belll Work, "Spoon in one hand, pencil in the other."
The class was introduced to their Buckle Down Science workbooks, by finding definitions of animal characteristis. The Buckle Down series we use for Science, Math, and Reading provide wonderful material to prepare them for AIMS testing in the spring. It is interesting, and covers all the state standards.
In writing, we worked on "Writing a Super Sentence"! Ask your child to show you how they can do that while describing a pig, bear, dog, cat, and mouse. It will give you an idea of just how well they listened this week, because they did the same assignment in class!

Back To School!

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year at La Paloma Academy! Everyone on campus is excited about getting started tomorrow morning! It's been a busy summer, and I'm looking forward to meeting my new class. You can read my blog every week, and I can be reached at cstauch@lpatucson.org if you have any questions. Go Patriots!
La Paloma Patriots that is, not that team from New England. I'm a Chicago Bears Fan!

A Dog Wags Its Tail With Its Heart!

If that's the case, there's been a lot of tail wagging in The Big Dog Room this year! It has been a pleasure getting to know your children and having the opportunity to prepare them for their future educational endeavors. I certainly hope I've given them enough encouragement to read more, go to college, never give up, and  always treat others the way they like to be treated. Add the importance of our Character Counts Lessons, a ton of Math, Writing, Social Studies, and Science, and you've got a pretty well-rounded student heading off to the challenge of 5th Grade.
I am fortunate to have a career where so much of what I do comes from the heart.I care about the students in my class and I take the responsibility of their education very seriously. I always tell them that they can come to me in the years ahead should they ever need a helping hand. Education is a journey, not a destination, and I hope they've enjoyed this portion of the trip.
Have a safe and wonderful summer!

Don't Expect Anything Original From An Echo.

The class has shown a tremendous amount of originality in their end of the year Art Project. They are working on self portraits, with a very unique style. Unfortunately, the laminating machine is down, so we won't be able to protect them like I'd hoped.
Career Day on Friday was a wonderful experince for all the children.We had guest speakers who were paramedics, hair stylists, vet techs, nurses, stuntmen, a member of an Air Force helicopter rescue team, and a young lady who was a Captain, and pilot, in the Air National Guard. They all stressed the importance of staying in school, and especially how often Math played a role in their careers.
Wednesday, May 18th, is our Field Day. There will be a fire truck on site to spray water. Students may wear bathing suits, but they have to wear shorts and t-shirts over them. Bringing a towel to dry off when you change would also be a great idea!

Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk.

I plan on doing a lot of listening today at "Teacher Day at the U of A"! I hope to get to the Arizona State Museum for a Native American tour, called "Paths of Life", visit Flaundrau Planitarium to see a volcanic eruption, and also find out more about the "World of Words" and the culture book kits that are available to schools. Not to mention all the free stuff I hope they will be passing out for classrooms!
The Book Fair will be in the library all week. We will tour it on Monday so students get an idea of what books they would like to buy.
Our Social Studies News this week is titled, "How Culture Conflicts Lead to the Indian Wars". In Science, we'll read about "Competition and Adaptation: Wings, Beaks, Legs, Tails, and Feet". We've finished most of the lessons in our Buckle Down series, and will continue working in the Saxon Math Books. Everyone is enjoying reading, "Holes"! There will be a vocabulary test on Friday that will cover all the words we're studying from Chapters 1-10.
We will also be reading a Character Education Weekly paper called "Caring". It deals with the importance of caring for others, and has stories on Mother Teresa, Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman.

If You Play To Win The Game Never Ends!

Sports, much like school, is all about the effort. You might not win right away, or know how to do a certain math problem right away, but if you work hard, things are bound to eventually turn in your favor.
This is an important lesson that I've stressed in class the entire year. If you know you've given your best effort, no matter what the final score, you can walk off the field with your head held high. I've been thinking about sportsmanship with our upcoming field trip to the bowling alley just around the corner. The class has made tremendous strides this semester in their willingness to encourage their classmates whenever we have played kickball, basketball, jumping rope, or our daily Jumping Jack Challenge during AIMS. I love it when someone repeats an old quote from the board, like I heard last week, "We're here to help each other up, not put each other down!"
Spirit Week continues on Tuesday with "Hippie or Disney" Day, along with the Character Trait of CARING. Wednesday is a "Dress Down Day", with the Character Trait of RESPONSIBILITY. Thursday is "Pajama Day", with the Character Trait being FAIRNESS. We will wrap things up on Friday with RESPECT DAY, to coincide with "Crazy Hat or Hair Day"!
Lots of fun activities, but we'll still be tackling a lot of new material in class to keep them busy!

Success if often just an idea away!

Success! We did it! The class worked very hard all week on their AIMS tests, and the majority of them said it wasn't nearly as bad as expected. They were divided pretty evenly about which section was the most difficult. Only time will tell how they did, but at least they felt prepared and were up to the challenge. I was extremely proud of their positive attitude.
We wrapped up the week with the investigation of owl pellets, which I'm sure you all got to see when they brought the bones home. They were fascintated by this science experiment and I'm hoping my niece will be able to round up some more of them at her job at Forever Wild before school lets out. Everyone wrote her a thank you note, and included some art work, thanks to a website I found on how to draw a variety of owls!
The "Penny War" has begun, so please send in whatever loose change you have so the Boys will defeat the Girl's Team!! Whoops, I mean so that we can raise money for our school.
We raised a lot of money at the golf tourney this weekend, and I know my foursome had a lot of laughs. A big THANKS goes out to Mrs. Stewart for all her hard work at the event!
Wednesday is a dress down day for Spirit Week, and everyone must wear something that shows their love for their favorite sport's team! Go Cubs!

I Believed In Myself Because You Believed In Me!

We've been talking about approaching the AIMS Test with a positive attitude! I believe in their ability and know they will give it their best effort. Please encourage them to come to school this week with an extrememly positve attitude, and an "I Can Do It" feeling!
Here are some ideas to talk about at home to help them this week:
Get in at least eight hours of sleep.
Eat something healthy to start your day.
Be prepared with pencils, and a book to read when you finish.
Send them out the door with some positive reinforcement, remind them how well they've been doing in certain subjects.
Give them a big hug and say, "Try your best. I love you!"
Coming to school with a smile helps set your attitude for the day.

A Number Two Pencil And A Dream Can Take You Anywhere!

Students turned in some fantastic stories last week with their practice AIMS Writing Test. Very creative! They were asked to use their imagination and tell a story about what would happen if they found a secret door in the back of their closet. The class enjoyed listening to them!
We still have a lot of work to do for next week's testing. Students are allowed to use highlighters during the test, so if you're able to donate any to the class, it would be greatly appreciated. We still need pencils, sanitizing wipes, crayons and colored pencils, too.
The five girls from our class who participated in the talent show last week did a wonderful job! I know how hard they'd been working to put on their dance routines, and it certainly paid off! Congratulations to all of them!

Most people see what is, and never what can be.

I've been talking to the class on a daily basis about always putting extra effort into their work in order to improve. You can't let one mistake bring you down, but instead, think of how you can strive to achieve the long term goal of a better report card at the end of this last quarter.
The practice tests we've been taking for the AIMS exam are difficult. We go over each answer so the students can see how they can eliminate choices that make no sense, and narrow their decision down to one or two. They will be bringing home one of the pracice Math tests in their Homework Folder on Monday so that you can look over it with them. Please encourage them to think positive about the upoming tests! They will not be tested on anything we haven't covered in class at some point. If they take their time, read each question carefully, and stay focused, I'm extremely confident that they will all succeed.
Our Social Studies lessons on Arizona will take us up to the year 1848 and the end of the Mexican War. We will be talking about the influence of vaqueros on the American Cowboy, NAFTA, and the Kit Fox as part of this week's newspaper.
Our Science newspaper is all about Earth's Place in the Universe. The class will be reading articles about the possibility of life on other planets, and Polish astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus, who wrote about the sun being the center of the solar system and the other planets revolving around it back in the 1500's, decades before anyone else.
We are in need of classroom supplies. Pencils, highlighters, sanitizing wipes, and for an end of the year art project, crayons and colored pencils. Thank you in advance for anything you are able to contribute!

It's Not Over, Until It's Over!

Those words are so true! It doesn't matter if you're talking about an NCAA basketball tourney game, or 4th Grade Math grades, you always have a chance to succeed! We will continue to work with our Saxon Math Series, but our focus in the weeks ahead is going to be on taking practice AIM'S tests from our Buckle Down Series. Getting the students used to "bubbling" their answers, reading quietly when finished with a session, and being sensitve to the speed at which other's work, are things they've improved so much on during the past quarter.
Testing will be the week of April 11th. Please make sure you try not to schedule any vacations, doctor appointments, etc. during that time. Students will be allowed an oppotunity to make up missed sessions of the tests, but it has been my experience that student's scores are  much better when they work with their class, in their own classroom, instead of being pulled out later, and taking the test with students from different grades, in a usually smaller, uncomfortable setting, going over the test with someone besides their regular teacher.
Stress plays a role in testing. Being in your own room, with your friends and teacher, helps to alleviate some of that burden. Getting plenty of sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, being on time, and having a great attitude are also important!

Don't tell me how hard you worked, show me how much you got done!

That was a fabulous quote of the day last week, that is so appropriate as we near the end of the 3rd Quarter. I was so proud of the effort the vast majority of students put into their Natural Disaster projects! The team work, art work, oral presentations, and the papers I received were some of the best work they've done to date. It was very impressive, and you should take the time to come into the room and see the projects on display. Unfortunately, it coincided with the recent tragedy in Japan, and they were able to see the destruction and suffering earthquakes and tsunamis of that magnitude inflict on the people of communities that are touched by the devastation.
Everyone was running up to me first thing Friday morning to ask if I'd heard what had happened? They were excited that they had been able to tell people in their family exactly what caused it all from all the research they'd been doing. One girl was shaking her head, "Can you believe my older brother didn't even know that tsunami means, "harbor wave", in Japanese?"
I was sure to point out how important it is to read and stay on top of current events through newspapers, and other sources of information. That allows you to be part of the conversation, and not just one who stands around listening. Knowledge is power, and the more you know the further you go!
Those lessons were instilled in them this week, and they were able to see first hand how knowing about science helped them understand what was happening in the world around them!

A Great Goal In Life Is The Only Fortune Worth Finding

The class has been working hard to complete their research on Natural Disasters! They have come up with some extremely creative ideas on how their group plans to display the material. I've been very happy to see how much they've enjoyed reading the books from the Wilmot Library. Please remember that Library Cards are free to anyone who fills out the paperwork at your nearest branch. This allows you to check out up to 25 books at one time, and keep them for three weeks.
I hope you'll take the opportunity to take your family to the 3rd Annual Tucson Festival of Books at the University of Arizona. Their are many great activities for children. Their is a free children's book available with a coupon from the Bear Essential News.
I recieved an email from Scholastic Books regarding an informative Math Workbook they are offering students that costs only $2.00. If you would be interested in purchasing one for you child, please return a check payable to Scholastic News by Friday, March 11th.
In Science this week, we will be covering "How to Protect and Conserve Eath's Resources". Our Social Studies newspaper is called "Transportation and Communication", with information on everything from stagecoaches to the telegraph. Learning about early Arizona has been fun with the papers we're provided to help us cover all the required state standards.
We're going to begin taking some practice AIMS tests in Math this week, so the class gets a better idea of what lies ahead in April. Like our weekly sing along to "Ghostbusters" says, "Testbusters! We're aren't afraid of any test!"

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for ICE CREAM!

Congratulations to all our scientists in The Big Dog Room, as our class project was selected to go on display at the Science Fair in the Tucson Convention Center! We did a blind taste testing of different brands of vanilla ice cream. Taste testers had to fill out a form that asked a variety of questions about the flavor and texture of each brand. Parents are always happy to hear, that in every year I've conducted this experiment, the cheapest brand of ice cream always wins! I will provide the class with details as to the dates of the Science Fair, because by attending, students can take notes on experiments that interested them and get ideas for projects they'd like to do in the years ahead.
We will be learning about "Natural Disasters" with our next Science Weekly. I'm excited about the Wilmot Library reopening, so that we can take advantage of their resource books. I hope to get them started on group science projects next week.
Our Social Studies focus will be on the settlers and railroad men who followed the miners into Arizona. One of the questions they'll have to answer in Reading Groups this week is, "What character quality helped pioneers settle Arizona?"
The answer is, "They weren't afaid of working hard."
A tradition that started with early Arizona pioneers, and continues with the students in The Big Dog Room today!

Every Moment You Make A Difference!

Love of Reading Week gave us the opportunity to have some fabulous guest readers in our room! Our readers were La Paloma's own Mr. Rubasch, Mrs. Sullivan, and Mrs. Childress, and Ms.Griffith (editor from "Bear Essential News", and Heather Rowe (KOLD Ch 13 News Anchor).
Besides being in awe by Heather's tv star background, the class really took her message to heart. She told them how she wasn't the best reader in her class at their age, and how hard it had been for her to keep up in school. She made an effort to improve by finding books on subjects that were interesting to her, which were dogs and horses. She found that the more she read, the better she got at it, and now reading is major part of her job as the news comes up in front of her on a teleprompter for every newscast. She pointed out that this job would never have become a reality if she hadn't worked so hard to improve her reading skills.
Students talked about what she had said all week, how they were going to try and find as many books on subjects they really liked from sports, to music, and fashion. Some even remembered that I always talk about the same thing, just minus the tv star background! A love of reading will last a life time and I'm so happy she was able to step up and make a difference that day.

Treat Failure As Practice Shots!

We're going to be reviewing double digit multiplication and division this week. I was reminding the class that they are closer to being in 5th Grade than 3rd, so they need to really focus on mastering these basic math skills. These seem to be the two major areas of concern in math right now, so we're going to revisit the basic steps you need to follow in order to complete the problems successfully. Just like we started talking about in August, that you need to always, "Use your addition to check your subtraction." the same holds true with, "Use your multiplication to check your division." While this extra step might take a little more time to do the homework, it will assure that you've done the work correctly.
If your child needs extra work in any areas of study, I would suggest taking them to the Parent-Teacher Connection, which is located on the north side of Speedway, just east of Kolb. I have used this store for years to find materials, and I know you will find it extremely helpful. There are also math workbooks at Walgreen's, usually located in the toy aisle, near the coloring books and flash cards. All of these books have the answers in the back Students should do three or four, than check the correct answers to make sure they are on the right track.
Math is such a part of everyday life, that I want to do everything possible to help them feel comfortable with any problem they face.

Be so good they can't ignore you!

They certainly couldn't ignore Anthony Doherty at the Spelling Bee! He was up against some outstanding students, but was able to take the crown. Our entire school is proud of him for a job well done. Aliyah Singh, who is in the 8th Grade, took the title for the upper grades, and will be representing La Paloma in the county contest. The class wanted to send her a good luck card, so we all signed one and sent it to her room.
We continue to work on mastery of 100 Division problems in five minutes. Please continue working with your child at home with those Multiplication flash cards, because that extra effort is really paying off!
Besides congruent figures, we're also studying geometric transformations during our Math Lessons. Our Buckle Down series is reviewing plotting points on a cordinate plane.
Our Science newspaper will deal with Oceans and Waterways. In Social Studies we are moving on to "Mountain Men In The Wild, Wild West". The Social Studies newspaper also has an interesting article on the largest rodent in North America. Quiz your child if they remember what that is when they get home on Monday!

Congratulations!

Aliyah Madayag and Anthony Doherty represented our class in the school Spelling Bee on Tuesday. Anthony took the top spot, defeating 11 other students from grades 3 & 4. Everyone did a fantastic job representing their class.
We also had 100% attendance on the 100th Day of School, so Congratulation to all!!

Friendly Reminder!

Please remember that Monday, January 24th is our 100th Day of School and it's extremely important that we have perfect attendance that day!

All things are possible, always believe that!

Perfect quote for the class to get fired up about winning the Spelling Bee! We will have our class Spelling Bee on Thursday, and it should be a close contest. Students are working hard on the list, and we've been practicing together everyday.
Many of the students continue to struggle with our Saxon Math Tests. In order to make them feel more comfortable with them, today we walked, step by step through what would be the next test. I did every problem on the board after they attempted it on their own. We discussed each one, answering all their questions along the way.Tomorrow I'm going to give them the same, exact test to see how much it helped!
The 100th Day of School is Monday, January 24th. Please do everything possible to make sure your child attends school that day! We have fun activities planned and it is a Free Appropriate Dress Down Day!
In honor of Martin Luuther King, Jr., we have been reading about African American Heritage this week. We will also be reading about Spanish missionaries moving into Arizona, Father Kino, and The White Dove of the Desert (San Javier del Bac).
Our Science lesson focuses on our changing Earth, and the forces that change our planet. The class will be finished with their Grammar Packet soon, so I'll send it home in their Homework Folder so they can have it to study.

The future is yours!

That was the quote of the day on Monday morning when my class returned from the Christmas break! I wanted them to know that this was a new year, a new quarter, and a new opportunity to improve their grades and live up the potential I know they all have. Knowledge is power, and the effort you put into your school work now will pay off down the road.
Don't forget to send in the form on the back of this weeks "Link" to attend Friday's Big Special Family Event! There will be food served at 5 pm, and informational meeting at 5:30, and a move ("Legend of the Guardian") at 6.
There are a lot of exciting things going on at school this month, the Daddy/Daughter Dance, Spelling Bee, and Science Fair. All 5th-8th Graders must have an entry in the Science Fair, but I'm encouraging everyone in my class to do one, so they'll have a better idea of what's expected in the future. We will be doing a project in class!
Please be sure to mark Monday, February 24th on your calendar, as it's the 100th DAY OF SCHOOL!
It is extremely important that we have 100% attendance at La Paloma that day!

Happy New Year!

We're going to have a busy first week back in The Big Dog Room! We'll hit the ground running with a Bell Work Packet that focuses on grammar and writing. The students were encouraged to finish reading their Christmas gift book over the break, so they could come back and exchange it with someone in class. We'll be doing oral book reports so everyone will be given the opportunity to share the books they've enjoyed. Hearing a good book review from a peer should inspire them to want to read that book. The more they read, the better the chance to improve their future test scores. Reading a varitey of books exposes one to unknown words, which leads to dictionary use, and an expanded vocabulary.