Regularly Scheduled Chaos

Man, must be a full moon or something today.

Homework tonight is just study for the spelling test, bookmark is due tomorrow, and my math class has home link 4.3!

Office Space

I don't know if I'm going to have much of a chance to update the blog after school today, so I wanted to let you know what's going on in 5-1.

Today is going to be a big BizTown day. We have already filled out our checkbooks with our account numbers and names. Later on, we will be writing friendly letters. That could be quite an undertaking.

We will also be doing some more Social Studies in the in-between time.

In Math this morning, we did quite a bit of work with order of operations!

Happy Humpday!

Wake Up the Echoes

Well, today was the first day we've had the "big triangle" since we went to Camp Jameson! Your kids will know what that means, but I have to say that I was extremely pleased with their behavior all day today. They were quiet, respectful, and kept up with what was going on throughout the day today.

We did close out the day by watching some more of Hidden Figures. This is a really powerful movie if you haven't seen it. By the way, if you haven't yet, the video above is worth a watch for sure. More true history and another really great story.

In the middle, we did some history (including discussing the reasons for the founding of the different colonies), we did some researching time, took some catch-up language arts time, and in Math, we talked exponents! 

The Color of Money

First and foremost, I am extremely grateful to my class because they were incredibly well-behaved for Mrs. Barnes, our guest teacher, this morning. She is a keeper--I will make sure to try and get her again sometime if I have to be gone.

We got some other things done when I returned. Some information gathered on the research projects, I was able to clear up some missing assignments, and we did quite a bit of check-writing this afternoon.

Tonight, their only homework is reading for 20 minutes, their math box fill-in (my math class only), and their spelling definitions.

Hopefully everyone had a great Monday. 

A Message From Clay Middle School

It is hard to believe that we are already beginning to prepare for the 2018-2019 school year. [That's because it's way too early to be starting this! Every. Year. Sorry, that's an editorial from Mr. C. Now, back to Clay...] We are excited for the opportunity to welcome and get to know our incoming 5^th grade students.  Below is a summary of orientation activities.  These events are designed to answer questions, provide information, smooth the transition and get students excited for the transition to Clay Middle School. 

February 15, 2018	4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Woodbrook Activity Night
Students will tour our school, learn about the day-to-day life of a Clay student, enjoy pizza, and receive a Clay t-shirt! Parents should drop off and pick up children at the front entrance.
January 23, 2018	7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.	Parents - Clay Middle School Auditorium Students - Clay Middle Gymnasium
While parents attend a meeting to receive information regarding curriculum and the course selection process, incoming sixth grade students will meet in the gymnasium to learn about our performing arts program. Teachers and current students will provide an overview of the middle school band, orchestra, and choir programs for students.
Jan. 29, Feb. 1 & 3	TBA	Instrument Try On Dates
Students considering playing an instrument in either band or orchestra will have the opportunity to try on a variety of instruments to determine what may be a good match.  Details and information will be upcoming.
February 1, 2018	9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Parent Coffee
Clay Middle School administrators, counselors, and student services coordinators will be hosting an informal coffee at Clay Middle School to address any unanswered questions and get to know our new Clay parents.
February 5 – February 9		Clay Counselors Visit Elementary Schools
Clay Middle School counselors will be visiting elementary schools to speak with 5th grade students about requesting courses for 6th grade. Parents will login to the online course request system to view and finalize their child’s selections.  Detailed instruction will be sent home.
February 26, 2018		Deadline for Online Course Requests

Combinations and Permutations

Here's what you will need to know this week, as far as I can tell right now:

• First off, I will be out tomorrow morning in a meeting, but I will be back at 11:30. I have left the substitute some pretty detailed instructions. I will be in the building, so I will make sure the kids know that I am easily within reach.
• In addition to that, I have quite a few missing assignments from certain students. I will go over that list with them when I come back tomorrow. 
• For Math, my students should get their tests back tomorrow, unless they haven't finished them yet. I will make sure they complete them tomorrow!

I leave you tonight with some Tom Petty, and best wishes for a great week!

Wild Ride Ahead

I hope everyone is having a great start to their holiday season.

I was at the school today, and let's just say that the next four weeks are going to be pretty packed. More updates tomorrow, but buckle up, buckeroos. You're in for some busy days.

Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! However you're celebrating, I hope you enjoy yourselves.

A Feast of Friends

A huge thanks goes out to Mrs. Zimmer, Mrs. Alderman, Mrs. Elshire, and Mrs. Bailey (who was called away to help out in her younger son's party, but was still with us in spirit) for today's fifth grade fall party!

The rest of the day was spent with a Math test, a special extra-credit Word of the Day quiz, and then watching Hidden Figures. And then, when the party committee ran out of stuff to do with some time left, I told them they needn't worry. The kids were more than happy to play Silent Ball for the rest of the time.

More later, but for now, I wanted to thank our moms for their patience and cooperation during our afternoon parties. I was very happy to say that all of my moms had prior experience in 5-1!

We Call It Our Burden, But It's Really Our Privilege

As challenging as the class was today, I couldn't help but feel a soft spot in my heart when I thought back to the attention and doting I have received from them over the last few days.

We have one more day, guys! Let's hold it together.

Math test tomorrow!

Survey Says

Well, the ladies beat us men, but the best thing about all of it is that they did bring in much more food than we would have otherwise. Great job, everyone!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The best parts of my Friday in Area 51:

• The excellent report I received from Mrs. Bennett (and, I am guessing, Mr. Hunter) as they were my "subs" this afternoon while I was busy with the other teachers putting the kids in their jobs for BizTown. The very fact that they were playing Silent Ball when I returned was a good sign, but Mrs. Bennett's "perfect" report did my heart some real good.
• The "card" the kids gave me when I came back wishing that I get well soon. It was signed not only by my class, but also by Mr. Vahle's class (I'm guessing they all came into the room at some point while I was gone?). That made me smile out loud. It's a keeper, I assure you.
• All of the help I got today (and yesterday) from Nurse Barb, Mrs. Somers, Mrs. Stemnock, Mrs. Loeffler, Mr. Vahle, Mrs. Jarding, Mrs. Ratner, Mr. Z, Mrs. Helgeland, Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Wald, Mrs. Allen in the lunchroom, Mrs. Young, Miss Liz, Mr. Sloane, and Mrs. Vahle, Not to mention the help the kids have given me--in both homeroom and math class--over the past two days. Doggone it, I love where I work! 

The worst part of today:

• Having to report to my class that none of the three who ran for the office of mayor, girl DJ, or boy DJ won the election. What can I say? That's life. But life isn't always fun. But I am happy to say that I loved putting all of my students into jobs today. Even if barely anyone got one of their three picks, we have all done this for many years now, and we know what each kid is going to like and dislike.

 

On Ice

First of all, I am sorry that the blog hasn't been more content-heavy this week. I was out yesterday (and took a fall as well...), but it looks like I have a somewhat decent report from Mrs. Ullman. 

For Math, I helped the kids figure out today what is going to be on the Quest next Tuesday. 

For Social Studies, we're plugging right along with our BizTown unit. The kids are getting pretty great at writing checks so far. 

Your kids were all really good at helping me out today--I turned my ankle yesterday and have been pretty gimpy all day. Luckily I had a bunch of little assistants looking out for me. 

More to come, but right now, I'm turned in my chair with my foot up on ice and it's kind of hard to type. Have a great evening!

Luke

Happy Birthday to Luke!

To say that Luke is the heart and soul of the 5-1 class would be an understatement. He is always happy. He is always up for anything. He does such a great job of coming in every day and doing his attendance, and not only that, but he lets me know if his Lifeskills friends Dalila and Liam are here or not.

During the morning announcements, whenever someone is talking in the classroom, he always looks at me and puts his finger to his mouth in a "shhhh!" movement. Whenever he walks into the classroom, I am always greeted with a big hug. When I see him again at recess time, it's like he hasn't seen me in a year.

I've heard it said that you don't remember people for what they do or say, you remember them for how they make you feel. I think this is very true. And I have to say that I think Luke will always be remembered for someone who makes people feel great.

Happy birthday, Luke! You definitely deserve it!

Oh, It's On!

During the staff meeting after school today, Mrs. Stemnock, Mrs. Loeffler, and I came up with a great idea. Instead of pitting one class against another (it was originally going to be my class against their two classes), we thought we would do a boys (MEN, seen above) vs. girls. We challenged each other to make cool signs, and now in fifth grade, we have the "Man Barrel" vs. the "Girls Rule" barrel. The challenge is to be the first to fill it!

Thanks to the ladies of the fifth grade pod for coming up with this great idea and making it fun for all of us.

Bring It!

After the exercise in Math the other day with the groceries, I jump-started 5-1's donation barrel. (I wish I had read what they said here about corn, though...)

I'm thinking I may need to challenge another class to try to get the highest amount of donations. Come on, guys! Let's show them that Area 51 has more than just alien life forms!

Red-Shifting Toward the Speed of Light

First off, I'm going to link right here so that everyone can see that I did finally get a picture of Dalila after school was over the other day!

Secondly, our trip to the Palladium is this Wednesday. This is just during the morning hours, so everyone will be back way before lunch; no need to pack one. I will not be at school this day. Luckily, one of the kids' favorite guest teachers, Mrs. Ullman, has agreed to take over for me that day. I am not worried about her going on the field trip. What I am worried about is that not everyone is going to have their permission slips turned in on time. I am still missing a few, so if you haven't signed one for your child, take a look through their go-folder to make sure it's not in there. If it's not, I need to know ASAP so that I can get one to your child before then.

Third item: This week, I am starting a new thing in the grade book under work habits. They will have one for their general homeroom, and I believe I'm going to set one up for my Math class as well (probably just ten points). If they come in without their homework finished, they lose a point--I have told them countless times that it does not count if they come in and are doing it really fast in the morning.

Talk soon!

Appreciated Even More

Our day on Friday started off with the Veteran's Day program. Although it's been two years since my class last ran this program, it still makes me happy every time I see it. I am happy to report that nearly all of my class was quiet and respectful of the veterans Friday morning.

We said good-bye to a beloved WBE staff member on Friday morning, and it's most likely someone you have never met if you're a parent. Mrs. Carol Moore spent the last eleven years at Woodbrook as the cashier in the lunch line. She was one of the "invisible" people who makes the school run as well as it does. She always spoke so kindly to the kids, calling them "sweetie", and always made sure that I was taken care of as well. Everybody at Woodbrook is going to miss her like crazy. She gets to retire now and help take care of her grandkids. We would never want to deprive her of that.

Lastly, the speeches for BizTown were very successful. 5-1's own Connor A, Hope E, and Kiarra T did a great job and did us proud by getting up and delivering their speeches to the entire fifth grade.

Book Fair

Dear Parents,

It’s time for our school book fair!  Join us on a trip to the  “Wild West Book Fair - Saddle Up and Read!”  The book fair will take place in the Woodbrook Media Center on November 13-17, 2017.

Our class will shop on Tuesday, November 14, from 9:30-10:20. You may send money with your child on that date or you are welcome to join them at that time to shop as well.

In addition, there will be a Family Night on Tuesday, November 14th from 5-7:30 p.m. where you can shop together as a family.

We are looking forward to a fabulous week of adventure on the wild frontier during book fair week. Hope you can join us for some fun.

Sincerely,

Mr. Carter

The Wolves of 116th Street

What a good day we've had!

Today, we started off with Math. In Math, we did our version of Supermarket Sweep. Students walked around and took down statistics on two similar items. For instance, I had a can of Kroger corn, and a can of Del Monte corn. They found that what appears to be the best deal is not always the best deal.

Then, the kids went to specials, where, luck would have it, it was their day to do the Pacer Test! Most everyone decided to change out of their nice clothes for that one, understandably. But of course, they had to put their good clothes back on when we came back, because then...

We had the big BizTown interviews! The kids looked so nice. They had a mix of anxiousness and confidence as they were called out one by one to be interviewed. I gave them a good amount of buzzwords yesterday to help them; hopefully they remembered.

This afternoon, the kids learned the fine art of check-writing. If you think writing checks is time-consuming now, try teaching the kids the importance of every little detail of writing a check, writing a deposit ticket, and keeping a bank ledger. I told them that, yes, this is a pretty outdated thing in the days of debit cards, but we still do write checks from time to time, and it's a good habit to record things in your check register.

All in all, a great day full of real-world learning opportunities. 

Farewell, Friendly Smile

Today we said goodbye to Mrs. Sculthorpe. You may not have heard her name this school year, but I assure you that hers is a face that is known well to all members of Area 51. You see, Mrs. Sculthorpe was the long-range sub for Mrs. Mitchell, who adopted a baby this summer and is on maternity leave. She has been the teacher for the Lifeskills class, and so she has been the main teacher to three of our 5-1 classmates. Normally, she plays invisible, just walking around and helping Luke, Dalila, and Liam with their Word of the Day and with their attendance in the morning. She has been really great about including many of the mainline fifth graders in helping the Lifeskills kids during silent reading time and during dismissal.

Starting tomorrow, she finally gets to begin enjoying her retirement! She officially retired from CHS this spring, but came right back to work on the first day of school this year. We all wish her the absolute best, and we hope to see her subbing again soon. She said that right now, she gets to focus on some volunteer work she does for Janus Developmental Services, which provides help in finding jobs for developmentally challenged adults.

So long, Mrs. Sculthorpe! We all know you will love the retired life, and we thank you for all you have done during this first few months of the school year.

Rhapsody In Black & Blue

Once again, it feels like we have skidded into the end of the day... accomplished, but spent! We worked on our job applications, did some preliminary research in our reading materials over the Wild West, responded to some questions in our story about the sunfish and Dr. Tierney Thys, and in Math, we talked about the division of numbers with decimals in them.

The homework for tomorrow is a page (three problems!) for Math, 3x each for spelling, 20 minutes of reading, and then the biggest one is that they should have their job application filled out. I told them either blue or black ink is a must. I told them that if they make a huge mistake, they need to start over. They have four copies of the job application with them. Hopefully that's enough!

More to come!

Full Steam Ahead

Hey, everybody! Sorry for the late one tonight, but I hope everyone has had a good evening.

Today we did manage to get almost everything scratched off our list. We didn't get to our writing projects today, but something had to go so that we could get everything else fit in.

We have to keep going tomorrow. I found out we have lost two days of Math in the next two weeks--Friday because of the Veteran's Day Program, and then next Wednesday when we go to the Palladium to hear the Carmel Symphony Orchestra (more on that later...).

If the kids are going to run for either mayor or D.J., their speeches are due when they walk in the door on Thursday! Speeches will be delivered on Friday afternoon.

That's the short of it for now.

Remember Remember the Fifth Of November

Today is Guy Fawkes Day. This isn't a day that I "celebrate" or hype up in school, but it has always been a day that I mention in class.

Guy Fawkes was a man whose face you may have seen on the masks of groups like Anonymous or other rebellious groups of hackers out there in modern days (most recently popularized in the movie--after the graphic novel--called V for Vendetta). But he was actually a person who lived in London in 1605, when he had planned to bomb the House of Lords in protest of the Protestant King James I.

Of course there is much more to this story, but the fact is that--as far as we know now--Guy Fawkes was drawn and quartered on November 5 of that year, hence the children's rhyme, "Remember Remember the Fifth of November", as a reminder of what would happen if you protested or questioned the status quo.

I might add in here that it wasn't just for questioning the status quo, he was also actually looking to commit an act of terrorism, so it should be said that he probably had it coming.

I can't help but think that there is a lesson in here somewhere. I don't care where you fall on the political spectrum, but never let anyone tell you that you can't question something. Of course, there is a proper time and place, but if it's not permitted, you may just have to create it yourself.

Now, it doesn't always work out (see Guy Fawkes), but that's not always what it's about. Just...try not to get drawn and quartered to prove your point.

Moving the Goalposts

This week, we are not only going to need to catch up on a few things from last week (including finishing a story we started last week about Dr. Tierney Thys and the amazing sunfish, above).

We will be...

• filling out job applications.
• researching our wild west events as well as the geography where they took place.
• looking for connections including contributions between characters and events in what we are reading.
• learning about punctuating in both possessives and titles of TV shows, books, and movies.
• finishing up our Roanoke book--by the way, once again, I love how much this class is into this book.

That's just the main part of what we're learning. On Thursday, the kids are doing their job interviews for BizTown! I have told the kids that they will need to speak up, look the interviewers in the eye while they're talking, have a good handshake, and be able to smile. Plus, I told them that they should look really nice that day.

In Math, we will be writing percentages in both fractions and decimals, and vice versa for all; we will continue dividing decimals (a favorite of everyone!--not);  and lastly, we will find percentages off of prices and other similar changes based on decimals.

Stay tuned right here for the latest goings on in 5-1, and remember to email with any questions in the meantime, in the in-between time.

Ragna-Rock-n-Roll

Today I was reminded of just why I love this class so much.

Lately, they have been testing the limits of my good humor, but I ended up rediscovering just why it's disappointing when they are talking in the middle of lessons, or don't get quiet when I ask the first time. The reason is because they are just wonderful kids. I'm really happy that I have to hang around with them every day.

We did a spelling test, a states and capitals quiz, we learned some stuff for BizTown, we did some reading comprehension stuff, and so on and so forth.

But the best part (and perhaps the most important) came at the end, while we were singing Starman by David Bowie. For maybe the first time this school year, I had more than just a couple kids get up during the instrumental solo and dance, I had everyone singing, and I actually had to ask the kids to get a little quieter during the song. I know it sounds nuts, but that's the best kind of feeling a teacher can have. Okay, it's the best kind of feeling a teacher like me can have, at least.

I had a student ask a really good question today while we were talking about BizTown today, too. The question was, "What is a good job that nobody thinks to interview for/put on their job application?" I loved that so much. I hope I loaded them down with enough choices, because BizTown has some real hidden gems, and I would much rather see my class go for those jobs than for the high-profile, flashy jobs that everybody tries to get.

And lastly today, I saw Thor Ragnarok. Sorry for the random nerd-aside, but it was awesome. When the strains of Immigrant Song started, my geek veins were overflowing with rock-n-roll, comic book awesomeness. Highly recommended to those who love awesome movies, action movies, or movies that pump you up for the rest of the week.

Okay, sorry about the geekery, but just know that it was the perfect way to end a day that didn't start off perfectly, but definitely ended that way.

Carry the One

In my sixth grade math class, we have been learning about decimal computation. We have divided with decimals, added and subtracted with decimals, and today we learned how to multiply decimals. Multiplying, unlike with adding and subtracting, is the one where you don't need to line up the decimals when you are computing them. It's not until the end where you need to count the numbers that come after the decimals, then move the decimal to the right that many spots.

Today we went to the library after recess, where Mrs. Vahle helped us all out with the research papers we started yesterday. She is an amazing resource and, as she said today, she loves research. It's exciting to see her share that passion with the students. She even wants us to come back, which I'm not complaining about.

Homework for tomorrow is study for Spelling, States and Capitals, and to do your math. Also, remember that bookmarks are due tomorrow!

Gold In the Hills

Well, today we started our BizTown curriculum. Students should definitely have an economics homework page with them tonight. They received it before they went home, but they certainly did not have enough time to do it well enough to be satisfactory.

Also, students are to have three jobs by tomorrow that they think they would want to perhaps have at BizTown. We went through the list today, and there are plenty to choose from. I also told them that, unfortunately, 90% of the students go for 10% of the jobs, so it is more than likely that they will get a job that was not in their top three choices. As one student said, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

In Math, we learned about dividing with decimals. The kids learned a lesson about the tedium of doing long division. I told them that they need to learn how to be bored! It is definitely a lost skill.

In Language Arts, we went through my extensive list of topics for the Wild West. Mrs. Vahle just brought me an even more extensive list, so I think we are in good hands. I can't wait to get started with it.

More to come!

But What Happened?

As alert readers will know, we are just a few chapters away (actually only two now) from finishing our book about the mystery of Roanoke Island. It's by historian Lee Miller.

The kids asked a couple of really good questions today. First off, the chapter ended with Sir Walter Raleigh, who had been the queen's favorite in England, falling out of favor with her suddenly. This was after he had spent years and years being beloved in her eyes, and then it was his plan that finally allowed the small British Navy to defeat the monstrously large Spanish Armada.

The question was, "Why did the Queen of England not like him all the sudden?"

I explained that it was so long ago (the late 1500's) that we simply don't have the primary resources to give us any idea. It's a mystery that we really don't have an definite answer for.

Very similar to this is the reason we still don't know quite what happened to the people left at the Roanoke Colony. We talked about how, these days especially, we would have all kinds of knowledge (although maybe not all of it trustworthy) through the internet, books, and unfortunately now social media. I explained to them that, of course, someone knew--surely Raleigh did, at least--but it is not in any written accounts.

This week, we are starting our research projects in writing. I'm hoping some of the kids actually do find a few roadblocks for what they are trying to find out, and that some of them are even able to find ways around them.

More to come!