How to describe today? Students began with the usual P.E.
When they returned I wanted to have a discussion about Friday’s events. However I wanted to respect family’s right to choose how much they wanted to share-out with their son/daughter. My main goal was to squash any false information or rumors that young kids can tend to spread which can cause anxiety or fears, discuss how we can make our classroom & school an even safer place, share that I would do anything to protect them while they are in my care and that school has been and continues to be a safe place.
To protect what was and wasn’t shared out, students were given five+ minutes to write out what they knew already and share any questions or concerns that they may still have. There will be no CNN Students this week so these events can play themselves out as we take a 2 week break from CNN Students.
It was clear from the responses that many of the kids had already broached this issue at home. I would say about 90% of the class already knew about basic information regarding the # of children and teachers/admin that had been taken from us. Since most seemed to have a strong sense of basic information and I didn’t want to delve into more specific details we discussed are we safe, how to make ourselves safer and the need to spread kindness out into the world.
I will point out that many of the kids want to know why this person did what he did and what was his motive. I shared that trying to explain events is a very human need. As a people we strive to explain things through a narrative that has a an antagonist & a protagonist. I said in my experience that this need to have a clear narrative and a clear antagonist has lead us to sometimes rush to find closure or explanation. I asked them to talk with you more about this issue since because depending on your spiritual bent or your perspective you will have a different explanation.
Many students also wanted to know what can we do to ensure this doesn’t happen again. I told them some people want further gun regulation, some people blame our inability as a society to adequately pay for care for our mentally challenged while others say it is our increasingly violent popular culture. I don’t have answers to this. I know something needs to change but what mix of legislation and cultural changes is the secret, I do not know. So they were told to talk with you regarding this.
Miss Sandy was worried about their spiritual well being after our conversation therefore she brought in some cookies for us to share and enjoy and get back into the holiday/winter spirit.
Math:
We reviewed how to multiply and divide fractions. Tonight’s lesson will be a review of concepts covered last week.
Here are our notes from today and for this chapter 12 on fractions.
Lewis and Clark -- students are putting their final touches on them. They will work tomorrow in the computer lab and then present to the class on Wednesday. Today they signed up for their specific order.
Caine’s Arcade -- students spent the last part of the day creating their arcades. It is funny to see the future engineers that have rough drawings made out before they start cutting and creating. While a group of others start cutting and planning as they organically create their arcade game.
Readathon -- students are to bring their daily reading log back and forth from home and school. Students are encouraged to try and out read me. I will be assigning reading instead of some homework assignments. Therefore students will need to bring in daily verification that they are infact reading. Students that choose participate in the fund-raiser part will have lunch w/ me and decide in how the money is spent.
See below about the adopt a family in need that we are doing for our Friday party. Students seemed excited to shop for kids that are similar in age to them and help others during the holiday season.
Mr. Hubbard
Homework for the week:
Math
Here are our notes from today and for this chapter 12 on fractions.
Page 273 8-16 even due Tuesday
Page 292 1-8 all due Tuesday
Page 284 11-22 all due Wednesday
Page 286 10-1 all due Thursday
Science
Study guide is due on Tuesday
Science Test is on Thursday
Social Studies due on Tuesday
Read and complete pages 71-84
Read 30+ minutes on Monday night. Social Studies reading and science work count towards the reading.
Free-Write no free write this week, rather please read for enjoyment.
Hello Parents and children,
Below is the information we received regarding the Dublin El family in need, along with some gift suggestions. Please note that these are only suggestions and any gift in any amount would be greatly appreciated. In order to ensure that each child receives a gift, we have created a sign-up genius site at
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D4AABAB2DA02-holiday
This is completely voluntary and understand if you cannot participate. However, if you do choose to participate, please involve your child in the gift decision. Gifts may be brought to school on the day of the party. If you choose to wrap your gift (optional), please put a sticky note with the age of the child you purchased for.
Thank you again for all you do for our class!
Family Information:
4 girls, ages 6,10, 11, & 15
2 Boys, ages 3 & 4
Gift Suggestions:
Girls: Novi Star dolls, ponies, and Barbie dolls.
Boys: Helicopters, airplanes - and
anything green
Teenage girl: clothes, nail polish, lip gloss, etc.
Clothing:
Girl: age 15: size 15 in juniors or 12 in misses.
Girl: age 11: size 4 in juniors or 18 in big kids.
Girl: age 10: size 14/16.
Girl: age 6: size 10.
Boy: age 4: size 6x.
Boy: age3: size 4t.
A Winter Read-a-thon!
Help raise money that will stay right in your child’s classroom!!!
Gather sponsors between December 13th through January 16th and read, read, read. This encourages students to enjoy reading and really helps improve their reading skills. Please help your child keep track of the number of minutes he or she has read!
Chromebooks for room C-5?
http://www.donorschoose.org/project/hubbards-heroes-need-chromebooks/933286/
To have your donation matched dollar for dollar, enter the match code INSPIRE on the payment screen. This awesome match offer lasts through December 20.
