CRAYFISH!

Greetings from Room 10!
     It was a pleasure having the opportunity to meet you on Thursday night and to share information about our class. Teaching 5th grade is a gift that keeps on giving!  I LOVE IT!  Speaking of Open House, if you did not have the opportunity to provide your name, phone number and email address on the form that was going around (I believe this applies to four families), could you please email Julie Sasso (Grady McSharry's mom) with the information. She can be reached at juliesasso@verizon.net.
     By the end of day on Friday, 25 of the 26 students in 5B had touched, held or picked up the crayfish.  The kids LOVED experimenting with them. They brainstormed ways to test the crayfish's senses, tried a variety of methods and inferred what their reaction meant.  It was really neat to listen to the children discuss possible tests and watch them experiment. We spent about an hour with our class "pets."  Please be sure to ask your child about the crayfish experimentation.  Here are some photos of the kids with their crayfish!

     Your child should have brought home his/her spelling test and weekly spelling grade sheet.  As you can see, I grade each of their five assignments out of 10 points for a total of 50 points, and their spelling test is worth 50 points.
     I also sent home the Nature's Classroom information letter.  Please send in both the permission slip and $100 deposit by October 17th.  If you plan to apply for a scholarship, please contact our school nurse, Mrs. Betzhold.
     The children begin choir on Wednesday. They will go to choir with Mrs. Platek in lieu of recess. 
     Please remind your child to have you sign their weekly reflection and put it in their red binder to return tomorrow!!!
     Have a wonderful week!                              Lester Betor and class 

The First Full Week of School 2014-15

Greetings from Room 10,

     During the first full week of school, we were very productive.  Although we have only been working together for a mere seven days, I feel like we are establishing a sense of community in Room 10.  It is nice to see the children working together harmoniously.  Did they mention to you that I am very impressed by their enthusiasm when it comes to morning singing?  Your children LOVE to sing and have already learned 3 new songs!  They especially like songs from The Sound of Music.  

     Did your child tell you about DARE?  Detective Kenneth Beck came into our room twice last week.  This year we decided to try something different and have invited Detective Beck to teach DARE two times each week.  We believe that the children might benefit from this approach and look forward to an earlier DARE Graduation.  I will keep you posted on the date and time as we progress.

     This coming week will be our first official week of spelling.  Each Monday I will pre-test the children on priority words and cluster words (i.e., AD prefix) and they will take any words they missed during that initial assessment. All children will have 10 spelling words weekly which will include any words they miss and/or challenge words.  Spelling homework is nightly, and I will give them a score out of 10 points.  They will take their spelling test each Friday.

     The crayfish arrived earlier in the week.  We started with 13, but sadly, we have lost a couple.  The children have learned about the anatomy of a crayfish, which included a cut & paste vocabulary activity.  Eventually, they will be quizzed on the vocabulary and the anatomy of a crayfish.  This week, they will have their first opportunity to hold the crayfish. Last year NO ONE would touch them.  We shall see how this group reacts.  They are really weird looking creatures who prefer to walk in reverse.  

     I am including some photos of the children working in the classroom.  We are actively preparing the room for Open House which is this Thursday evening at 7:30pm.  In addition to spending about 45 minutes in homeroom with me, you will attend a 15-minutes presentation by your child's math teacher and a 30-minute Nature's Classroom informational meeting.  I look forward to seeing you Thursday at 7:30pm!                  Sincerely, Lester Betor & Class

Greetings from Room 10!
     It was a great start to the new year! I am pleased to say that the children are settling in nicely. I am really looking forward to our first full week of school. It will give us the opportunity to get better acquainted and to develop classroom routines. 

     One of my focuses this year is to create a sense of community/family in room 10.  We spent some time on Friday discussing how we can support each other both in and outside the classroom.  I asked the children to identify both a "high" and a "low" for the first day of school.  This exercise gave us a "jumping off point" for our class discussion.  In addition, we began listening and responding to "Jeff's Journey" an anti-bullying program.  I have used it for many years, and I find that the children both enjoy it for its entertainment value and develop a better understanding of what it means to be a bystander.
     Next week we begin DARE with Detective Kenneth Beck.  We are trying a new approach to DARE this year by participating in two sessions each week. We are hoping that it will provide more consistency in the program delivery.  Be sure to ask your child about DARE on Tuesday after school.
     Once again this year, Mrs. Clarkson, Mrs. McCaffrey and I are chairing the Slingerlands Family Picnic.  We look forward to see you all there on Friday, September 19th.
     Finally, I am attaching a few photographs that I took of 5B on the first two days of school.  Enjoy!!  Have a terrific weekend!  Lester B. and class