daw.com - September 28

I want to thank all of you for the wonderful sessions we had over the past two days.  I have gotten to know your scholar more and this is always a positive move forward.  If there is anything you need to talk to me further about or questions you have please let me know.

Retreat is this week and here is the information you need for it;

1.  We are still arriving home on Wednesday at 4:30 in time for the 5:00 late bus.  Please make sure that your scholar knows where to get off for the late bus or that arrangements have been made to pick him/her up.

2.  Snack and lunch are needed for Tuesday.  There is no hot water or microwave so everything must be able to be eaten as is.  I do suggest a hard case to store it in as the day pack will have a lot of other things in it that could squish the lunch.  We have several severe nut allergies so nothing nut related please (oh man— no peanut butter!!!!!). Please do not pack any other food for the trip.  We have plenty for meals and snacks at camp.

3. If students want a snack from the convenience store on the way home then they will need 5,000 KWN.  This will easily cover some snack foods as we come home.

4.  No electronics at all - none.  We do have a photographer with us and these photos will all be shared with you.  There is so much going on and a lot of water around which means, no electronics are needed.

5.  Please make sure that packing is done by the students so they know where everything is in their pack.  Also remember, we are only out for one night.  As it is a little cooler now than our original time 3 weeks ago, sweater/light jacket and blanket for night is probably a good idea.  The dorms are heated but it is always better to be safe than sorry.  It is also better to not need something than to find that you do need it and not have it.

6.  If any students is on medications of any kind, remember to pack them up in a ziplock or other secure bag with their name and instructions clearly on the outside.  The nurse will collect these as soon as we arrive at the beach.

We have come to the end of our first set of units and our second unit in math. Our next reading unit is on tackling complex non-fiction books, our writing unit is on article writing and out math unit is Fractions and Mixed numbers.  I expect to write the math test for the current unit on Monday and should have it back to you the first week after the holiday.

 After we return from retreat, students are on a well deserved break.  I hope the family takes the well deserved time off to regenerate, recuperate and just rest and relax.  I will be traveling to Hawaii to visit some friends who are moving to Zimbabwe at Christmas time.  I have not seen them in four years so it will be a great reunion.

There will be no home learning next week or over the holiday.  Regular home learning resumes after October break. 

daw.com - Sept. 20

I do hope everyone had a great Chuseok holiday and spent quality time with the family.  I went out and about Seoul over the holiday and really enjoyed learning more about this wonderful city and country.  When we came back on Monday there was a realization that this quarter is almost at an end.  Wham!!!   Wow!!!

All that we have left for our MAP testing is the makeup sessions for absent and incomplete tests.  I expect that to be completed this coming week.  We are also starting our Fountess and Pinnell reading inventory and while I would like it complete before fall break, I am realizing it might take longer than the time we have left - in that case, we will complete it soon after we return from Fall Break.

Our writing unit on personal narratives is going really well and many of the students are now at the final stage of edits and revisions.  This means that throughout this week I will see some published pieces completed.  I have noticed a marked improvement in the students writing but I keep reminding them that there is always more that can be accomplished.

Our book clubs are coming to a close with our first and second journal article completed.  There are two sections of reading left and one more journal article before we wrap this up.  Being able to share idea and concepts has helped the students make sure they have a full understanding of the book they are reading.

The unit on migration is also coming to a close with the final piece well underway.  There are four stations where students have looked at m migration over history and throughout the world.  This week the will also look at personal history and any migration they have been.a part of.  To do this you may find that the students have questions they need to ask you about the family tree and history.  Any help you can give them will be greatly appreciated.

I hope that everyone has signed up for parent teacher conferences.  I look forward to this each year as we talk about the future of your scholar.  I believe the system has closed now so if you still need to make an appointment or change the time, please call the ES office to help you.  Thank-you in advance for this.

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Remember that this coming Friday is no school for scholars since I will be busy with parent teacher conferences.,  Students get a three day weekend.

The whole class was proud to see our own Jonasz as one of the prayer moderators in United in Prayer on Wednesday.  It was a glorious day and a wonderful event.  Thanks to Christian Ministries for this.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.

daw.com - September 6

It was a terrible disappointment for the scholars to have to reschedule retreat since we had done a lot of work already, but the good news is that it was not cancelled all together.  As far as I know, we are all set for Oct 1-2. More info on this as we get closer to the dates.

Please remember that there are only three days of school next week, since Thursday and Friday are national holidays. There will only be home learning on Monday and Tuesday evenings. If anyone is leaving early or coming back late, please let me know so I can plan accordingly.  It is not a problem, but knowing in advance is very helpful for me.

Next week is MAP testing on Tuesday and Wednesday so please make sure your scholars have plenty of sleep the night before and a good breakfast in the morning.  These tests, if done accurately, can really show you where your scholar is in learning at that particular moment in time.

I have now asked all students to have some kind of pencil/supplies case for school.  I had not been too specific on this in the past but lately I noticed scholars not prepared for the day with pencils and erasers and when we talked about this, it was mostly that they had no place to store them.  I do know it is the one things that the school asks parents to supply for their students.  I will always make sure the instruments for learning are available.  Could this be done as soon as possible please.

I also need to ask that students have their computers fully charged when they arrive to school.  Leaving them plugged in overnight is the best way to accomplish this.  I have very limited access in my room to electrical outlets so it is hard for a student to work if their computer is not functional.  It is also a good system to have in place since the use of computers increases as the years go on. As most of our math lessons are first thing in the morning, there is no time to use the class charging station before we begin.

We are at the revising stage of our first piece of writing and while this is a struggle for most students, it is a very important part of their writing.  We are looking at making our writing bigger and better with each draft that his done. How we do this, depends on the type of writing and for narratives, asking the right questions is important.

Our math unit on multiplication and division of whole numbers is moving along nicely and we are looking at multiplying by 2-digit numbers.  Also required is a look into whether the answer is reasonable by estimating the product.  Two sets of multiplication for each question means twice the thinking and twice the work but checking an answer is always a good idea.  Most times, students can instantly catch any errors they make.  This unit really uses the basic multiplication facts so if your scholar is still weak in this area, have them orally practicing every night - you will see immediate results as this is a fast learn for most students.

We did our first reading journal entry this week and I was impressed.  We have looked at 4 examples and also done one as a class.  The important aspect here is to look for an idea in the story and then explore it deeper and have examples to back up the concept.  This, most likely, has never been done by my students so there is lots of learning here.  Please, please please make sure they are reading at home every day.  As a teacher of many years, I can, with authority, tell you the improvement will be significant if they do this and it will also prepare them for the increase in reading in the years ahead.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me and I will gladly set up a time to meet.