Lovin Learnin

What a fun week we have had!! Our class is absolutely amazing. They are great writers, mathematicians, and readers. Everyday I am impressed by their wide range of abilities, and their love for learning.



Math: We continued to review multiplication strategies and moved on to division as well. Next week we will spend a little more time with dividing, and start chapter one in our mathbook reviewing place value of numbers.



Writing: The students are getting ready to start Writer's Workshop by writing down ideas, prewriting, and practicing all parts of the writting process. We wrote poems about what our hands have done and will do in the future. They will be hung up in the hall next week for all to see and read.



Reading: We have been practicing metacognition; thinking about our thinking. The students are doing wonderful with takin notes as we read, expanding those notes in a journal and using their notes for discussion.



Science: The week was spent discussing what good scientists do. We did a lot with observation and inference.



Social Studies: It was fun to get to know the students better by looking at the artifacts about themselves. We also studied artifacts from years ago that many of the students were unfamiliar with. We began learning about the beginning of civilizations-the Ice Age. While watching "Ice Age" the class made a list of things in the movie that could have been real. They also drew a picture of the hunter/gatherer civilization.



Homework: Students should be reading at least 150 minutes per week. They can split this up however they like. Also-On last weeks homework there were many students who turned in incomplete work. Please make sure they are doing all their assigned work. I do not feel like my homework is overwhelming in any way and feel the students should be able to complete all of it. Remember to sign the homework sheet as well.
**For extra credit this week the students can watch "Finding Nemo" for a writing activity we are doing next week.



I got some volunteer lists back, but feel that I might still be missing come. This came in the mail at the beginning of the year. If you did not get one or missed placed yours let us know and we'll get you another one. It is always so helpful when parents come in.

We made it!!

It is amazing how fast the weeks fly by. I can't believe that we have already have completed three days. Before we know it we will be able to say that about the year. We had so much fun this week getting to know one another. The students created timelines about their lives, completed a scavenger hunt using activities that each other have done, and answered questions about themselves from our question ball. In math we have been reviewing multiplication strategies and are breaking down multiplication problems to see how they really work. For science we discussed how large we can feel when we consider microscopic things, but also how small we are compared to the universe. In social studies I was amazed to see all the many far away places the students have traveled to as we colored a world map and pointed out where we had been. Such world travelers we have!!

Since our classroom is set up like a community we came up with a town name (Double Trouble), and each student made their house for our town. We look forward to starting our jobs next week.

I'm am so excited for this year. The class is absolutely wonderful and already gets along so well!

Our cute class and the friendship bracelets we made!! It's amazing, I just love them already.

Thank you parents for quickly returning the papers and the large amount of supplies!

Policies and Procedures

Attendance and Tardies--School starts at 9:00 and ends at 3:15 (2:30 on Wednesdays). Students are not to be in the building before 8:30 and will be asked to stay up by the office if they are earlier. Sixth grade is a very crucial year for the students. Missing one day can really put a student behind and requires a lot of make up. It is important that your child is at school everyday possible, but because of the flu outbreak keep them home when they are sick. We ask that you schedule any appointments after school hours and keep vacations during school days limited. We start math first thing in the morning, which makes being on time even more vital. The state is getting very strict on absents and tardies and you will receive a note home after 10, and be asked to meet with the principal after 15.

Homework--Students will receive their homework on Mondays in their homework folder and it is due back by Friday. They are asked to read 150 minutes every week and complete the assigned math, science, social studies, writing or spelling work. Part of their score is a parent signature. This lets us know that you have looked over your students work. We do this so you know more about what they are doing in school, and you can monitor the quality of the work they are turning in. Occasionally they will have extra math, or projects that you are informed of ahead of time.

Grades--The students' grades will be recorded on the SIS database system. We will send home instruction on how to sign on and view your child's grades.

Management Plan--Our classroom is not only run by the teachers. We feel that the students are old enough to take on a lot of responsibility in helping around the class. They will have weekly jobs and receive a salary for these jobs. They will change every other week so all students have a chance at the jobs. Students are in charge of: taking attendance and lunch count, passing out papers/supplies, monitoring the hall lines, monitoring class behavior, library clean up, news reports, and so on. The money they earn gets them into our monthly reward party. They receive bonus' and fines based on their behavior that is also calculated into their party spending. The bonus and fines papers will be sent home twice a month so you can know what they are getting. These are also recorded on SIS.

Curriculum--The sixth grade curriculum is very large but also extremely fun. In math they will work very deeply with the relations of numbers, learn lots of algebra, and further their studies of fractions and decimals. We study ancient civilizations in Social Studies and find the many ways they influenced our culture today. For Science we cover a wide range from microscopic things to the Universe. They will learn about microorganisms, sound, heat, light, seasons, moon phases, constellations, solar system, and universe. Each teacher instructs a different area of the science core. This gives the students a chance to learn from all of us, and a chance for us to become experts on certain topics. We will continue to read many books and dig deeper to find their meanings. Students will participate in Writer's Workshop where they will have the chance to write their own stories and study different genres. They will also have weekly spelling and vocabulary tests.

Every week the blog will be updated with the current events of the classroom. Check back often. Our door is always open and we love to have parents in the classroom. Let us know if you would like to be more involved. We have made a shared email account so we both know what is happening in the classroom and can stay in touch with the parents. The email is checked at least twice a day by us both. Feel free to email at any time with any concerns, questions, or comments. doubletroublebd@gmail.com

Mrs. Davis had her baby last Friday, a very healthy little boy and will be posting pictures soon. She will be back in six weeks. Until then, Mrs. Bird will be teaching full time.

Check out the blog weekly for updates on what is happening in the school and our classroom!

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Meet Your Teachers!

Mrs. Davis







Zac and I on our first
anni-
versary.


















My family in our favorite places, Disneyland and Hawaii.




I am a Utah girl, born and bred. I grew up in Ogden but moved south to go to BYU. I graduated from BYU with my Bachelor's degree and just completed my Master's from SUU this summer. This will be my fourth year teaching--I taught third grade for two years and made the move to sixth grade last year. I am so excited to be working with some of my third graders again! My husband, Zac, is a student at UVU and sells pest control in Texas during the summer. We love to watch sports and we love the Boston Red Sox. We have been waiting all summer for the arrival of our new baby, Beckett. He will be joining us on August 14th and we can't wait! I love nothing more than my family, teaching, and reading a good book. This year I will be teaching Math, Writing, and Spelling in the morning. I look forward to working with this class after my maternity leave. I know we'll have a great year!


Mrs. Bird












Chris and I on our Wedding Day 7/11














Brighton, my wonderful
baby boy!













My family





I am originally from Las Vegas, but have been living in Utah for 7 years. I graduated from BYU with my bachelor degree and from SUU this summer with my Masters degree in education. My first year teaching was in second grade, and this will be my 4th year teaching sixth graders. I am so excited to be working with many of the students I taught in second grade this year. Back then I was Miss Albright which of course changed when I married my wonderful husband Chris Bird. He owns the Orem Baskin Robbins with his family, sells cars, and also works in telecommunications. Last year I had a baby boy named Brighton. He is just the cutest little baby, and very bright already. He loves to look around and see what is happening in the world. My loves are Chris, Brighton, my family, and teaching. I will be teaching Reading, Social Studies, and Science this year. I look forward to working with my new class in a few weeks.