It's all about CRAYFISH...

Greetings from Room 10!
     I am attaching some photographs of the children with their crayfish.  Today our focus was inherited and acquired traits of crayfish.  We also chatted about our inherited and acquired traits, as well.  We rolled tongues, bent fingers, looked at dimples and checked out our ear lobes.  Afterwards, the kids used Shelley's nail polish to color-code their crayfish.  We are in the process of naming them as well.  Lots of learning and lots of fun!

     As I have already shared with the kids, I am going to be attending a writing workshop tomorrow with my 3rd,4th and 5th grade colleagues.  Therefore, there will be a substitute teacher in for me (as well as the other 5th grade teachers).  Spelling homework Wednesday night is spelling sentences.  In addition to writing 5th grade level sentences, they must also underline or highlight each word.  I have also asked them to skip lines between sentences and write their name ON the top line.
     This afternoon, we had our first Betor's Bulls-Eye project presentation.  It was an amazing web page.  October 31st is our target date for everyone's first Betor's Bulls-Eye project.  The children may choose any book they have read to base their project on, and may choose form any project category. 
     Have a great rest-of-the-week!
                                                                                        Lester B. and Class
    

An Amazing Second Week of School

Dear Parents of Room 10,

Our year together is off to a great start.  I have been really impressed by how well your children have settled into our routine.  Overall, it has been a very smooth transition into fifth grade; probably one of the best I have experienced since beginning my teaching career.  In many ways, it’s like we have been together for a long time.  Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me.

It was a pleasure having the opportunity to meet those of you who were able to come to Open House last night.  I love talking about my educational philosophy, and I am always anxious to share information about our program.  Fifth grade is an awesome grade to teach from both a curricular and developmental standpoint.  I am honored to have the chance to work with your children this year.

On Friday the children had their first opportunity to hold the crayfish.  Not everyone was interested in picking them up, but others couldn’t get enough of them.  We had one pinching, but no tears.  We have completed the first few lessons of our crayfish unit, and the children seem to be very engaged and interested.  We have learned about treating them humanely as well as how their new home in our classroom will be quite different from their home in a pond or stream.

Also on Friday morning, Mrs. Bonacquist had a great conversation with the children.  They seemed to enjoy chatting with their Principal about the responsibilities of being a 5^th grader.  They were very intuitive and impressed both of us with their thoughts.  Mrs. Bonacquist also read a book to our class called Enemy Pie.  Be sure to ask your child about the meaning of the title.  She also took the opportunity to chat with the children about the Lip Sync.  Be sure to ask your child about this interesting conversation.

Wednesday was our first day of DARE with Detective Whiteley.  It’s a terrific program and the kids were really into it!  Detective Whiteley will be with us for nine more weeks, and the lessons will culminate with our DARE Graduation.  The children will also write a DARE essay which you will have the opportunity to hear.  I will invite all of you in for lunch to hear the essays.  Details about the luncheon and the Graduation will be coming within the next month or so.

We are still running through the preliminary reading lessons that will set the stage for our year in reading workshop.  I hope to begin testing each student to determine his or her reading level early this week.  It will take several weeks to complete, as each test generally takes between 20-30 minutes.           Lester Betor and class

Our First Week of School is Over!

Dear Parents of Room 10,

Our first week of school has come to a close, and we have had an amazing start to the 2013-2014 school year. The class is coming together as a learning community, and it is really nice to see them work together cooperatively.  It was a busy and fun-filled week as we prepare for Open House.

Our Open House is next Thursday, September 19^th at 7:30pm in Room 10.  My presentation will last approximately 45 minutes.  At 8:15pm, you will move to your child’s math teacher for a 15-minute presentation on their math program.  And the evening will culminate with a presentation in the cafeteria on this year’s Nature’s Classroom trip.  We expect this presentation to last about 30 minutes.  I look forward to the opportunity to meet you Thursday evening.  During the Open House you will have the opportunity to sign up for your Fall conference and for sending in treats for one of our four parties.

Our first read-aloud for the school year, Along Came Spider by local author James Preller has been the catalyst for our discussions about bullying.  The main characters are 5^th graders, so the children can really relate to their experiences.  I encourage you to ask your child about the book.  The reason I selected this book is that it’s important for the children to know that it is okay to be different!

Next week we will begin to discuss and chart the guidelines for reading workshop.  We will also begin to practice literacy stations in preparation for guided reading.  The variety of stations I have prepared offer practice in various language arts skills.  I also include other curricular areas in stations such as non-fiction reading about crayfish.

Each week the children will bring home a “Weekly Reflection” in which they will reflect on their week. Generally, I will include a brief statement about how your child’s week went. I will ask that you read through and sign their weekly reflection.  Also, feel free to write a note on the bottom.  Having the Weekly Reflection signed is your child’s weekend homework, so please remind him/her to return the reflection to the red binder as soon as you have read, discussed and signed it.

If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for BC@Home.  The only way to view your child’s report card is through this webpage.  Also, it is important for you to include an email address as that is my way to communicate with you electronically.  

        See you Thursday night! 
        Lester Betor & class

Tomorrow's the BIG DAY!

Greetings from Room 10!

      I am so excited about starting school tomorrow.  I was in the classroom today putting the final touches on the students' desks, filling their mailboxes with TONS of information and making some last minute adjustments to our classroom library.  I had a special buddy with me while I was working in our room and wanted to share a couple of photos of the way it will look to your children when then arrive tomorrow morning.

     Among all of the mail your child will bring home tomorrow, you will find an invitation to our annual family picnic which will take place on Friday, September 20th.  The deadline for sending in your reservation is this coming Friday, September 13th.  I hope you will plan to attend, as I am looking forward to meeting those of you I have not yet had the opportunity to do so.

     In the meantime, let my student know that I am looking forward to an amazing 5th grade school year!                                                                            Lester Betor

Welcome to 5th Grade in Room 10!

Welcome new 5B families!

     My name is Lester Betor and I will be your child's teacher this year.  I am really excited about the start of a new school year, and I look forward to meeting each of you very soon.  I hope you are planning to come to our room to drop off your books on Thursday, August 29th between 3 and 4pm.  I am anxious to meet my new students.
     I am including a copy of my "Welcome" letter which was attached to the class placement information you received on Monday, as I was told that some of you were having difficulty locating it on BC@Home.
     If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at betolsli@bcsd.neric.org.  Enjoy the last few days of summer!
                                                                                                                  Lester Betor
_________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Fifth Grader,

         

       Welcome to Mr. Betor’s fifth-grade class!  It’s probably very hard for you (and your parents) to believe that you are already in 5^th grade.  I am so excited to be your teacher this year!  As you know, fifth grade is jam-packed with many exciting experiences, and I am looking forward to sharing each and every one of them with you.  In addition to our awesome fifth-grade curriculum, you will work at the school store, participate in a Wax Museum, perform in the spring musical and travel to Becket, MA to experience the long-awaited Nature’s Classroom!  In addition, as a fifth-grade student you have the important responsibility of being a role model to all of the students in our entire school.

         I don’t know about you, but each year I always get really excited about returning to school.  In fact, before our last school year even ended, I began planning for the 2013-2014 school year.  A new school year gives us all the opportunity for a fresh start and the promise of an outstanding experience.   I am honored to have you in my class this year, and I look forward to the opportunity of getting to know you!  As of right now, we will have 23 students in our classroom. I am very excited to meet you and to begin our year together!

         Over the summer I have read many amazing books that I am anxious to share with you.  My obligatory “adult” novel was Inferno by Dan Brown, but I also read MANY books you might also enjoy.  My favorite was Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

         I look forward to seeing you on our first day of school on September 9^th!  Until then, relax and enjoy the remaining days of summer!

                 

                                                                                     Your 5^th grade teacher,

                                                                                                             Mr. Betor

5th Grade Supply List

2 boxes of sharpened #2 pencils    

1 highlighter

1 package 100 3x5 index cards

1 fine-point black sharpie

Colored pencils (12 pack)

24-count crayons

Thin colored markers

Pencil case, box or bag

Scissors

4 large glue sticks (no bottles please)

1 package wide-rule loose-leaf paper

1 standard-sized clipboard

3 one-inch binders (red, blue, and white)

2 composition notebooks

3 two-pocket folders (solid yellow, green and purple)

$3.00 (cash) for Bare Book

$3.05 assignment notebook (check made payable to “Slingerlands”) $9.00 cash for Jeff Bennett, Local Historian

Room 10 Update!

Dear Parents of Room 10,

            As of late, we have been using some of our class time to prepare for our end of year festivities.  I have asked the children to begin thinking about their final essay of the year, “What Slingerlands Means to Me.”  Next week we will begin to plan for the essay with a planning page I have prepared.  This should make the process considerably more enjoyable as each of them reflect on what has made their experience at Slingerlands so unique and special.  I know quite a few of the children have been in the Slingerlands building for as little as nine months, but as I explained to them, it’s not so much about the physical characteristics of the building that has made their elementary school experience so memorable, it’s more about the people whom have touched their lives.

            In addition to the essay, I wanted to remind you about the request for pictures that I sent out recently.  The pictures will be displayed on a poster (which I will provide) that will be hung throughout the building on the evening of the Moving On Ceremony.  Also, we have begun to work on our scrapbooks.  The end of year is quickly approaching and I hate it!  Preparing to say, “Goodbye” to a group of children I have become very close to over the last nine months is very difficult, to say the least.  I never look forward to the last day of school, and I tend to become emotional as they leave the building for the last time as Slingerlands students.

            We continue to read and recite poetry.  We have been hard-pressed to get outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine as we look for meaningful and fun poems.  In writing, the children are finishing up their editorials.  Many of them have begun to write it on the good paper I have provided.  This is the final piece that will be included in the portfolio I will send with them to the Middle School.

            In Social Studies the children have completed the maps of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central American and South America, and they have put them together to form the Western Hemisphere.  They are on display outside our room.  Next week we will begin a study of ancient civilizations:  Incas, Mayas and Aztecs.      Have a happy, safe and restful Memorial Day!                                    Lester B. and Class

Nature's Classroom 2013

Hello Parents of Room 10,

Last week was amazing, despite the unpredictable weather.  It did rain on-and-off, but we benefited from some lovely hours during which the children hiked, took classes and participated in team building activities.  I have been asked numerous times about how Becket measures-up to previous years at Silver Bay.   Silver Bay is indeed truly one of a kind;  but then again, so is Becket.  There may not have been majestic views of Lake George and the Adirondack Mountains, but it certainly has a charm all its own.  The staff of Becket was excellent and the Director and Nurse were both accommodating and knowledgeable.  I went to Becket thinking that I would never like it as much as Silver Bay.  But I was pleasantly surprised.  But most importantly, the children loved it!!!

I am attaching one photo that I took during the trip.  It is just a sampling of the nearly 300 pictures I snapped.  I will be including many other photos in our class DVD, so you will have the opportunity to see others.  Thank you for sharing your children with me last week.  We made many memories together that I will cherish forever.  Take care and enjoy the photos!  Lester B. and class