Happy Halloween! BOO!

Did I scare you? Oh well, it was worth a try. Here at Jones we still do not have the use of our regular copy machine, but I am going to try and get some of our newsletter made on the old one upstairs. Hopefully you will receive that today. On a different note: for those of you who are regular readers of the blog, I just want to thank you! Even if you don't leave a post, I appreciate knowing that I am not just writing here for no reason.

Last Friday you should have received an e-mail from me about our end-of-year idea. Let me know what you think, but DON'T TELL THE STUDENTS!! It will be our little secret!

And, I promise this will be the last photo of Kaleb I post for awhile, but I thought you might enjoy seeing him dressed up for his first Halloween! It's too cute!!

Have a Happy Halloween!

Newsletter for 10/22

I hope you got the note that we have no working copy machines at school right now. What in the world!?! Please read below for the information that is in this week's newsletter. Thanks!
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It is the day that strikes fear into the heart of school-aged children all over Nashville! Yes, the first report cards are coming home today!! Look them over and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Please sign and return them as soon as possible.

Don’t forget Family Game Night is this Thursday. Bring your favorite games and come by for some family fun!

If any of you are looking for that kind deed this week, our class is running low on tissues. We would greatly appreciate any donations!

Student pictures are coming home today. If you are interested in purchasing anything, I must have the forms and money by November 2.

We are working on our social studies projects and things are going well. Sorry for the confusion last week about what was actually due. Last week the students simply needed to let me know the specific item they would be adding to the trunk. Some of the students have the responsibility of providing the trunks—if this is your child, the easiest thing to do is purchase a Styrofoam cooler. They can be decorated to look very old!

As the weather begins to turn cooler, I want to bring up the regulations for sweaters in the classroom.
1) Outerwear such as raincoats, windbreakers and cold-weather jackets and coats may not be worn in the school.
2) A single blazer, suit jacket, vest, sweater, or cardigan is permitted as an item that may be worn over the Standard Attire top. These garments must be in one of the district- or school-approved solid colors. Hooded sweatshirts are not allowed.

Have a great week!

Catching Up

The one bad thing about being out of school is how behind I feel once I get back. (Oh, and of course not getting to see the dear children everyday, but you know how I feel about them :-) ) I am up to my eyes with papers that I am trying to collate and get home to you. Please look for that work by the end of next week (I hope)! Remember that report cards will go home Monday, as well. ---That makes me realize that we have spent about 45 weeks together and have only 27 to go. Wow!

After sitting down with so many of you and talking this week, I was reminded that I am very lucky to have had this group of students for two years. It may seem like I complain too much about behavior and seemingly "little things," and I am going to try to step back and see the whole picture more often. I tend to focus on the little things with this group because we don't have big problems that other classes have to deal with. This class is composed of 25 students who truly care about one another; sure, on any given day they might not like everyone, but they know we are in this together. So when I write about the talking or playing, I am just trying to get the students to see that it can be even better. We have high expectations, and this class has shown that it isn't too hard to work together to be the best. You should know that the hard work of their kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade teachers is paying off! (I get to reap the rewards of their hard work!) It is proof positive that a focused, guided, and consistent effort put into the first few years really does make a difference! Don't forget to thank those teachers for the excellent start they gave your children!

Halloween is coming, and like last year we will not have a class party. If, however, you would like to send in items for the class, you may. Just please be sure to send enough for all 25 students. For those of you who like to know, we have 14 girls and 11 boys.

Here is another of the amazing pictures my brother is able to take when inspecting the booster rockets before a shuttle launch. It makes me sick with jealousy, but at least I can admit it!

And because I know none of you will complain, I will share some more pictures of my nephew, Kaleb. I understand that I am a bit prejudiced about how cute he is, but I trust you can overlook my weakness! As you can see, he is already a Cardinals fan--raise the roof! (I wonder where he got that bib?)

Since You Asked. . .

First of all, I want to thank so many of you for meeting with me today. I think we win the prize--21 conferences in one day!! Please know that you can contact me any time you have a question or concern about what is going on in class or in school.


Now, since so many of you did ask about my trip, and some specifically asked to see pictures, I would hate to disappoint you! Let me first share a picture I took Wednesday night; I got to see a rocket launch, and it was amazing! The first photo is from NASA, and the second is my amateurish attempt to catch the take-off with a slow shutter.




Now for the important pictures! Here is my nephew, Kaleb. He turned 5 weeks old while I was down there. He is doing well and is getting stronger each day. It was hard to leave, but I will see him again at Thanksgiving. The first is of a proud aunt, and the second is one where I caught him mid-yawn; it makes me laugh because he looks as if he is screaming his head off! It looks so cute I had to share that one! Thanks so much for understanding my need to visit him and take care of family business!

Crazy Week Ahead (at least for me!)

I am going to leave this post now, as I have no idea if I will get a chance later on. This is the week I will get to go down and visit my nephew for the first time! That means this will be the first time I will have a guest teacher filling in for me this year. Please remind your child that our high expectations are in place no matter who is in front of the class. I know they will do well, but it never hurts to remind them that we will be watching!!

Please remember that the students have Friday and Monday (10/12 and 10/15) off from school. Also remember that the 15th is the date most of us will sit down and talk about progress thus far this year and to set goals for the rest of the year. It is hard to believe that our two year adventure is quickly passing by. As for our conference, please try to be on time, and I will do the same. I know what a burden it is for many of you to rearrange your schedules to come by, and I am grateful that you make the effort to play such an active role in your child's school life. I don't know what the future holds, but I would be hard pressed to imagine another group of students and parents that are as dedicated to the Jones family and our Loopers family as you.

If anyone needs to contact me after Tuesday, please use e-mail or contact Mrs. Ward. (By the way, I finally got her to get her blog up and running!) Have a great week, and pray that the airplanes make safe and uneventful flights!

Conference Day!

Please get your conference notes back to me as soon as possible. It is very important for me to know when you are able to come in or if you feel a conference is not necessary. PLEASE let me know as soon as possible.

I sent book orders home on Monday. Please turn those orders in by Tuesday, October 16. (You could even bring them to your conference!) Remember you can also order online by clicking right HERE. Class user name is-- karraker and our password is--bookorder.

Also, notes were sent home about Jones P.I.E. (Partners In Education) donations. If you want to contribute your $45 pledge to P.I.E., your child will be able to participate in the "Inflatables Party" next week. Those donations must be in to the school by THIS Friday in order to count toward the party!

I need your help!! After Christmas we are anticipating the arrival of some new computers in the library. Mrs. Sharp and I are making plans for a project of some sort utilizing our technology. It all sounds really good and exciting to me, but there is something I need to ask of you. Our students are really quite skilled when it comes to using a mouse and pointing and clicking. Most of what we will need to do on the computer will required typing, and this is not so fluid or automatic for the students. I admit that I am not the world's best typist, but the students could really use some practice typing. If you have a computer in your home, PLEASE allow your child to type words and sentences. Show them how to use the "shift" key to capitalize one letter. Many don't understand that only one space is needed between words, but two are needed after a sentence. Many also don't realize that if a mistake is made, they needn't erase everything to fix it! Typing skills that we take for granted are really lacking with our children. And when you think about it, these students will need to know how to use computers as they grow up. Any practice you can offer your child with typing would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much and have a great week!