Practicing Creative Writing

Kids need to practice creative, free form writing. Why do I say this? It's not because kids aren't writing in school. They are and they are often asked to write informational, descriptive,  and short story pieces on a topic. There's a specific outline and I'm grading them according to a certain rubric. I believe to become a better overall writer, kids need to free write on a topic of their choice knowing they're not be graded. A fun way to practice this is give your child an interesting picture (real or cartoon) without a caption and have them write a story to explain what's going on. You can also find story starters that give you a picture and the start of a line and the child has to finish the story. The stories can be outrageous or realistic in content but either way, your child has an opportunity to use their imagination to construct a story without the stress of a grade. You can search "picture story starters" online for pictures. Enjoy the creative process!

Halloween Fun

I like to think of myself as a baker. I enjoy baking and creating yummy treats for my friends. I also have made cookies from time to time for a baptism or wedding. That being said, my cousin Kristen is a bonafide pastry chef and I have to give her a shout out! She has her own blog/website called INK foods- In Nanny's Kitchen, where she creates delicious treats and shares the recipes along with her delightful stories. I saw these Halloween treats the other day and even though they have nothing to do with Common Core or the OAA's, I thought you'd like them. They're something fun to do with your children and you don't have to be super crafty or a pastry chef to make them! Theses treats are called Halloween Cookie Critters and they're made with your favorite store bought cookie. Check out her website for this treat and other mouth watering creations!

Practicing Spelling

Fall is definitely here along with my favorite fall treat- candy corn and peanuts! If you haven't tried this delicious combination yet, get on it! I keep it in a jar at home and it disappears quite quickly! Some people add M&M's to the mix but I like it without the chocolate. It almost tastes like a Payday. Anyway, enough about my sweet tooth and onto educational things! Many parents have said, "My child is a horrible speller. How can I fix this?" Practice! It takes time for kids to quickly recognize blends, prefixes and suffixes and often using a dictionary proves hard because it's time consuming. Kids also don't like writing but they do like playing in sand. I saw this, on Pinterest of course, and thought I would pass the idea along to parents of struggling spellers. Using their SFA word list (their teachers would be happy to give it to you) or words they come across as they're reading, they can practice "writing" in the sand. Unfortunately there aren't sight word lists for kids above 3rd grade so I don't have a specific list for you. If you want to practice Pre-K through 3rd grade sight words search "Dolch Sight Words" on the computer for lists or look here for complete lists. You can practice in the sand by providing a model like the picture shows or giving your child a word aloud and having them "write" it with their finger.

Image and link found here

Star Wars

Do you have any Star Wars fans in your house? If so, I have the event for you! If not, maybe this event will be just the thing to start your obsession! Here is the flyer information for the event taking place this Saturday at the Sharonville library.

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will be reading scenes from "William Shakespeare's Star Wars" by Ian Doescher in celebration of Star Wars Reads Day! A Q&A session will follow the performance.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 · 10:00 A.M. All Ages 

Sharonville Library

10980 Thornview Drive

513.369.6049

www.CincinnatiLibrary.org

Websites for Kids

Good morning! Can you believe this gorgeous weather? It's supposed to be 70's all week and that sounds like perfect fall weather to me! I love taking time, walking through my neighborhood and enjoying what's around me. We all know though fall weather can bring some rain showers too! I found this list of 10 free learning websites for kid (on Pinterest, of course!) and thought I'd share it with you when you're stuck inside on a crummy day. They are interactive and interesting for kids of all ages. Enjoy!

Websites for Kids

Here is also a list of upcoming events to put on your calendar: 

Tuesday, September 24        Staff Meeting

Thursday, September 26       Fall School Pictures

Friday, September 27            PTA Reading Reward during lunch

Wednesday, October 2         Professional Development – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

Thursday, October 3             Parent/Teacher Conferences with homeroom teachers

Friday, October 4                  Duke Energy, "Showdown at Resource Ranch", Grades K - 5, 2:55 -3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 8               Ohio Achievement Assessments Grade 3 Reading

                                              6:30–8:00 PTA Business Meeting

                                               Book Fair Days

Wednesday, October 9          Student Council Meeting

Thursday, October 10           Parent/Teacher Conferences with homeroom teachers

Friday, October 11                EV Fire Department Safety Week Lessons Grades 2 & 4

Wednesday, October 16       sChipotle Fundraiser 4:00-8:00

Help with Multiplication

Happy Monday morning! I was thinking this weekend of ways to make students' lives easier. I know what you're thinking- don't they already have it made? With fantastic parents and teachers like us, who can argue! Well, I was thinking of ways to make their educational lives easier. I came across this technique to teach kids how to successfully multiply more than 1 digit and I thought I would pass it along. Kids love writing in different colors (those multicolor pens are a hit!) so this might encourage them when solving math problems (I'd use color pencils to start off). Here's the link if you'd like to check it out:
Using color to teach multidigit multiplication

Reminders for upcoming events:

Tuesday, September 10        PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, September 11   Patriot’s Day (Wear Red, White & Blue)

Monday, September 16         Bengals Spirit Day

Tuesday, September 17        Constitution Day (Wear Red, White & Blue)

Wednesday, September 18   Student Council Elections

Thursday, September 19      Interim Reports Sent Home

Friday, September 20           Family Movie Night- Wreck it Ralph- beginning at 6pm

Thursday, September 26      Fall School Pictures

Friday, September 27            PTA Reading Reward during lunch

Parents' Guides to Student Success

It was great to see everyone at Curriculum Night on Thursday! Teacher's handed out packets including various items such as school discipline and homework policies and what to expect in the upcoming year. I've mentioned Common Core before and I thought I would let you know there is a resource put out by the National PTA that outlines what your child should learn by the end of the year. I'll include the link here and I'll also put it on the side where the other links are located. I'll also include the Intermediate Discipline plan so you have easy access to it. If you have any questions, let me know!

Parents' Guides to Student Success

Intermediate Discipline Policy 

Responsibilities for Learning                                                  Responsibilities for Behavior

               Complete class work                                                           Follow school/classroom rules

               Complete homework                                                          Respects rights and property

               Follows directions                                                                 Practices self-control

   Participate/exhibits effort                                                    Works cooperatively

Responsibilities for Effective Communication

                              Communicates appropriately

                              Respectfully expresses ideas clearly

                              Is an attentive listener

·      These responsibilities are aligned and reported on the elementary report card.

·      Evendale students are expected to be positive problem solvers and work with staff members to solve problems that arise though the use of the conflict stoppers, Think It Through sheets and Peace Path.

·      If a student fails to meet the expectations, the intermediate classroom discipline plan will be followed.  In addition, an “N” may be reported on the report card in the area of the infraction(s).

·      Severe infractions will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

·      The Evendale Student Handbook describes the types of infractions and the range consequences in more detail.

·      Students will receive recognition based on how well they achieve the Evendale Expectations.

Intermediate Action Steps to Discipline
Step 1	Warning (verbal, nonverbal cue, etc)-connection to specific expectation that was not followed.
Step 2	Completion of Think it Through Sheet- Teacher/student conference
Step 3	Same as above and loss of recess, note in planner
Step 4	Phone call home- document parent phone call
Step 5	Same as above and submit behavior documentation report to principal, contact parent and possible request of conference, and multiple infractions might result as an “N” reported on report card.
Step 6	Same as above and office referral

Students can be recognized for their successes throughout the year in various ways including, verbal praise, recognition on announcements, inclusion in the newsletter, reward recess, choice time, homework passes, certificates, S’s recorded on report cards, and semester and end-of–the-year awards assemblies.