Book Projects and Book Talks

Each quarter the students are required to do a Book Project. There are about 15 different types of projects the students can choose from. They are to read a book at a 4th grade level or higher and complete a project by the end of the quarter.

Once a year the students will do a Book Talk or Book Presentation (same thing)
They will receive the directions and do three things: Create and outline of the book, make a Visual Aid, and Read a passage from the book. They will be scores on their Outline, Visual Aid, Reading from the book, and Overall Presentation Skills.

**Note- The quarter your child does his/her Book Talk they WILL NOT do a separate Book Project. 


To get a copy of the Book Talk Directions Click HERE

Infinite Campus App

There is a VERY easy way for you to see your children's assignments/grades/attendance often!

On your smart phone just type in Infinite Campus to find the app. On my Android, it's called Campus Portal.  Download the app, enter your IC login and password and the code below for the District ID. And voilà... instant access. Under settings you can set up to be notified (or not) when assignments/attendance/grades are updated.

**Note: If you don't know your Infinite Campus login information please call the school office and they can help you.  775-626-5200

Infinite Campus Mobile Application

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Infinite Campus has a mobile application available for both Android and IOS mobile operating systems

Please use the following District Code to access the app for your smart phone: MJCFXT

This is what the main menu will look like on Campus Portal...very easy to use!

(Food Service has now become a separate App: My School Bucks. 

You will have to download this one separately. See note below) 

This is how graded assignments will look.You can see the missing assignments have the

triangle with the exclamation point to easily see what your child is missing. 

This is what the icon looks like for the My School Bucks application. 

On this app you can put money into the hot lunch account for your child as well

as view their current balance. 

September Newsletter

Happy September Everyone!

I wanted to share what the kids are going to be working on this month.

1. First, we are starting our first project. It's a Family History Project. The students will be getting a packet of directions as well as the scoring rubrics. Rubrics are a great way for the students to know specifically how they can receive total points for assignments. There will be three major parts to this project: a family tree, a paragraph sharing a family members contributions to society, and a free choice activity. The students will need your help. Please be thinking about your family history, gathering photos if you have them, and set aside some time to share information and stories from your family's past. I will be covering all the basics of how and what they need to do in class. I will teach them the skills of conducting an interview, writing a strong paragraph, basic computer skills (using Word, formatting, using a flash drive), and primary and secondary sources. The only help I'm asking for at home is for you to share information about your family and for you to be checking in with them to make sure they are completing the work.

The due date for the project is October 2nd. Students will be sharing parts of their project with the class the following week October 5-9.

2. For Math this month we are continuing to work on Numbers Base Ten. We will cover place value, rounding. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Depending on where your child is mathematically will guide me how deep to go, with these concepts.

3. We are working on learning basic reading skills and terms as we read short stories as well as our Read Aloud, Percy Jackson; The Lightening Thief.

4. Friday September 18th we will be going to the Air Races. You will receive a form from both Whitehead as well as the Air Races. Please sign both and return them by Sept 11th. If you are interested in chaperoning pleas sign the form letting me know. I would love to take at least 5 parents. (Make sure you have submitted your Volunteer Application)

5. As we progress in the 1st quarter make sure to be checking Infinite Campus Weekly. There is an App, Campus Portal that makes checking grades very simple. If you need help just let me know.

If you ever have concerns about your child's grades please don't hesitate to email. Remember students can redo/makeup most assignments until the end of the quarter.

6. Upcoming Dates to remember:

September 7th. - Labor Day No a School

September 18th- Air Races Field Trip

September 25th- September Birthday Celebration October 5-9th- Conference Week 12:50 Release all week October 16th- End of Grading Period October 23rd- Fall Fair (a fun Fall activity day in our class) and October Birthday Celebration October 26-30- Fall Break No School

Book Projects and Presentations

Reading Project and Book Presentation Information

¾  SWAS Whitehead

·         Book Requirements

o   At least a Reading Level of 4.0 or higher

     - Check on Scholastic Book Wizard for reading level if unknown
Scholastic Book Wizard

o   Only 1 graphic novel book project a year (can read graphic novels for fun)

o   Try to read a variety of genres for book projects

§  Science Fiction

§  Realistic Fiction

§  Historical Fiction

§  Mystery

§  Action

§  Adventure

§  Non-Fiction

§  Folk/Fairy Tales or Myths

o   Students can earn Genre Badges as they read a variety of genres

·         Book Project Information

o   One book project will be turned in each quarter. 4 total for the year

o   Students will present one of the projects in front of the class

§  Assigned quarter for Book Project Presentation/Book Talk at the bottom

§  Additional information on the book will be required when doing the Book Project Presentation/Book Talk.

·         Students will be given the rubric and additional information for the Book Project Presentation/Book Talk at the start of the quarter they will be presenting

o   Students will choose a different type of Book Project each quarter. They cannot do the same type of project twice.

o   They will receive the directions and rubric for the Book Project at the start of each quarter.

o   Students have all quarter to complete the project with the final due dates below. However, if they finish the project early they can turn it in anytime that quarter.

First Quarter Due Date: October 2^nd

Second Quarter Due Date: December 11^th

Third Quarter Due Date: March 11^th

Fourth Quarter Due Date: June 3^rd

  

Rock Candy

 

I love the little photo bomber!!! I

27 cups of sticky sugary sweetness just waiting to crystallize. 

Rock Candy should be done in about 2 weeks....fingers crossed!

Our Classroom

As a working mom with two kids both in school this year I know how some of you must feel. I wonder, "What does the room they spend their entire day in actually look like?" So I thought I'd post some pictures for you so you'd have an idea in case you haven't been in yet. 

You are always welcome to come by!!

Don't forget to mark your calendars: 

Back to School Night

Tuesday, August 25th 

6:00-8:00

Bucket Filling Board: a place for them to leave positive comments for each other. 

Our SWASome classroom! 

Meet Norm: The boy who is helping us to learn and remember how to think and act...

in class and beyond! 

Classroom Behavior Chart: Everyone has a clothespin they are able to move throughout

 the day as they make decisions. They will record the color they ended the day on. 

Edmodo

Edmodo is an amazing educational tool students. We will use Edmodo in class at home several times a month. The format is much like Facebook, but ONLY for educational purposes. Only students in our class who have the group code can access our account. They will use this site for posting answers to questions, accessing links to websites and videos I post, and asking each other questions about content from class they may need help on. 

Steps on setting the students up on Edmodo 

1. Go to  www.edmodo.com

2. On the right hand side choose "Students"

3. Enter this group code: ky6rg9

4. Write in their First and Last Name

5. Create a User Name **Please make sure their first name is somehow in there so we'll know who it is**

6. Type in either their email address or yours (optional)

7. Create a password **I HIGHLY suggest using a password they already know, or use: whitehead**   Students will need to remember their username and  password every time they log in- so something easy and memorable is best, have them write their username and password down as soon as they create their account somewhere they will be able to access it again.

Once the student is logged in, in the top right corner click the "Me" Account drop down button

1. On the left hand side go to "Email & Text Updates"

2. I suggest only checking the "Alerts" Notes" and "Direct Messages" options and leaving the rest blank. A student/parent does not need to see the other options unless you'd like to. If you don't click just these it may result in you getting MANY emails as students reply during an activity. 

3. Click "Save Updates" at the bottom 

If you'd like to be able to have your own log in to see what your child's activity is, here are the directions for using the Parent Code. I will send these home the first week of school

1. Visit www.edmodo.com and select  "Parents” 
2. Fill out the registration form with the unique parent code, the relationship with the child and a valid email address.
3. Select the “Sign Up” button to complete the sign up process

Note: Once the parent has created the Parent Account, the parent is automatically observing any Group that the child is part of in his/her Account. A Parent Account allows you to see a limited view of your child's activity. Any Group the child adds in the future will be added to the Parent Account as well.