I have also uploaded this week's newsletter. Both the Christmas Party Signups and the Newsletter can be found on the "Handouts and Newsletters" Tab.
God Bless,
Miss Wilson
I have uploaded the Christmas Party signups. Thank you to those who volunteered to bring items! You may notice that you are bringing something slightly different than what you signed up for-some people signed up for multiple things, but others had signed up for those same things! So I adjusted things a little bit to make sure everything was covered, but no one doubled up. :)
I have also uploaded this week's newsletter. Both the Christmas Party Signups and the Newsletter can be found on the "Handouts and Newsletters" Tab. God Bless, Miss Wilson
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First, let me apologize for any inconveniences with the website/spelling city the past few weeks.
For some reason, I have been having trouble getting the weebly and spelling city to function properly while on the school wifi. However, this problem seems to have gone away for this week. I am hoping it was "user error" and I figured out what I was doing wrong. Whatever the case, this week's Homework Page has been posted on the Handouts and Newsletters Tab, and the spelling list has been entered on Spelling City. Thank you all for your patience! God Bless, Miss Wilson I have posted this week's Homework Pages, and I have also posted this week's spelling list on spelling city.
:) We are working hard to complete a fun writing activity that should come home before Thanksgiving. Your child will probably want to share it with you, because it's silly! We are spending a lot of time laughing while we work on these! God Bless, Miss Wilson So, I have fallen off the wagon a little bit with these "blog" updates. I will try to post at least twice a week, but keep your eyes open for updates, as I will try to update when things come up. :)
I have posted this week's handouts on the handouts and newsletters tab. Included are this week's Homework Page, the EvErYoThEr spelling worksheet, a shoe reminder, and this week's newsletter. :) I hope this cold weather has treated you kindly... God Bless, Miss Wilson I hope you had some extra time to spend with your child this weekend! 4 whole days without school can be a lot of fun!
The teachers had a WONDERFUL conference at Salem Academy. Our conference was the ACSI Nexus conference, which is a simulcast video conference. This year it was based in Maryland, and we were able to (via technology) "meet" with teachers from all across the US and the world. It was a great time of inspiration, refreshment, and learning for the teachers. There are a few things I have taken away from the conference. One is called a "flipped classroom". This is a strategy that allows some of the teaching time to happen at home so that the students have more time to work and get help in class. This is a strategy that works really well in classrooms that are single-subject (traditional middle school and high school), but it can be very successful in the elementary classroom if implemented well. I am planning to work on flipping a lesson or two as a trial run. What does that mean? I will be recording video lessons that your child can access through the classroom website. They can watch these short lessons at home, which allows our in class work time to be used for work time, help with concepts, etc. instead of direct instruction. What if my child can't access the website? I am happy to work with families individually to find a method that works for you. I should be able to put videos on flash drives, ipods, burn them onto DVDs, etc. There are a variety of methods that will work. What if my child forgets to watch the video before coming to school? I will have a few options for students who (for whatever reason) do not watch the video prior to coming back to school. If it's one student who needs to watch the video, they can sit at my computer with headphones to watch it before working on the class work. If it's a small group, I can play the video for them at the table in the back before they do the class work. What subject will these videos be for? Currently, I am planning to use the videos for Language/Letters and Sounds. I think this is the area of least independence and work time, which could be improved best through this method. If I decide this strategy works well and I want to continue, I will keep communication flowing to inform you in the event that I add additional subjects for the videos. :) What's the purpose of this? A "flipped" classroom is intended to provide students with teacher help on the "hard stuff". In the older grades, students take home a lot more homework, which is typically the "hard" work they need more help on. In the younger grades, I believe it could be more beneficial to allow students more work time, additional practice activities for the quick workers, and more individual help from the teacher. I would love to spend less time talking to the group of students and more time talking to individuals. This also allows me to teach an entire lesson without stopping to ask students not to talk, play, etc. Redirection is the most common reason a lesson takes longer than it "should". With video lessons, students can go back and watch them again if they miss information, rather than missing the information or immediately asking for it to be repeated (which is still ok!). It allows students to be more prepared prior to the class time, it allows them to be more independent during work time, and it allows them more freedom. My intent is not to add extra work for parents at home, but rather to improve and increase work time in the classroom. When will these videos be used? I have not yet decided when I will implement this strategy, just that I will. I have some preparation to do before I can use this idea of "flipping". I will send information and reminders home when I begin using the video lessons. Additionally, I am not currently planning to use them for ALL lessons. I plan to try 2-3 video lessons to see how well they work before making a decision about continuing or discontinuing. What if I have more questions or concerns? Please talk to me! I am glad to answer them or discuss your concerns with you. I want this process to be as "pain-free" and pleasant as possible. :) So...enough about the conference! I have uploaded this week's Homework page and the spelling lists are up on Spelling City. God Bless, Miss Wilson I have uploaded this week's newsletter to the Handouts and Newsletters tab. :)
Due to the 3-day week, I would HIGHLY recommend trying out spelling city. It is a great way for your child to practice the words in games. It is fun, allows them to practice in a new way, and the students who are already using it LOVE it! Give it a try and see if that can boost your child's practice during the short week. :) The url for my spelling city page is in the newsletter. God Bless, Miss Wilson Good Morning!
I wanted to explain how the 3-day week works in regards to homework, spelling, and memory verses. I treat a 3-day week the same as I do a full week. I know that there is a shorter amount of time to learn and practice spelling and memory verses, but in order to get through our curriculum and have things line up the way they should, I can't skip a week of spelling and memory verse. Please know that I take into account the length of the week when it comes to grading. I am aware of a 3-day week and how it can impact a child's spelling test or memory verse "performance". This is not a reason to go easy this week. It is in your child's best interest to work as hard as possible to learn the spelling words and memory verse. Please help them put in the appropriate amount of time and energy. If your child is the type to worry or stress about these types of things, help them understand and work through that. I am also glad to help with that in class as needed. I have posted this week's Homework Page on the Handouts and Newsletters tab. :) God Bless, Miss Wilson Hello again! :)
I've uploaded this week's newsletter to the Handouts and Newsletters tab. :) Also, I wanted to put this reminder in...picture day is Thursday. I didn't make as big of a deal out of it as I probably could have in the newsletter, but an envelope with picture day info is coming home as well. Please make sure your child brings this on picture day. :) If your child needs to bring a change of clothes to play in on Thursday, I will provide some changing time so they don't get their picture day clothes dirty at recess. God Bless, Miss Wilson Good morning!
I have uploaded this week's homework pages. I also want to address a concern I have. Many students are not completing the spelling activity that is due each week. At the bottom of the homework page, there are spelling activities! Please look at these, read them carefully, and help your child complete them. This is a part of your child's spelling grade, and when activities are not done (especially the one your child needs to turn in) it drops your child's spelling grade. I do not send home much homework, but the little I do send home is still not being completed by some students. Most of the students who did not turn in last week's spelling activity have not completed ANY (or very few) spelling activities for the year. This concerns me. PLEASE check your child's homework page and help them complete the spelling activity that is due on Friday. I expect them to be completing all 3 activities, but I only ask that one be turned in. Thank you. God Bless, Miss Wilson |
Miss WilsonI am the 1st and 2nd grade teacher at Silverton Christian School. I have a BA in Liberal Studies with a Music Concentration from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California and a MA in Teaching from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. I also have my ESOL endorsement. I am so excited to be teaching at Silverton Christian School! Archives
June 2016
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