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.