Upcoming dates: Nov. 6 Student Holiday Nov. 19-23 Thanksgiving Break We completed our Huck Finn Unit after learning about the characters (Huck, Jim, Pap, King and Duke, etc) and studying the setting (Mississippi River). Along the way, we "fished" for Algebraic Functions on cards, then solved the equations using Popsicle sticks. Then, we used those sticks to build a raft. We read a story about Freedom quilts that slaves originally made to give directions to freedom and then made our own unique paper quilt square using triangles. We learned an old fashioned game, Hopscotch and everyone gave it a try. To wrap up the unit, we shopped for cooking supplies at Kroger to make Cajun chicken pasta and Mississippi Pie. Both dishes were successful and received thumbs up! We enjoyed having Mrs. Harper, a student teacher work with us for 8 weeks and wish her well in her continued studies!
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I am so excited to start the new year! I really couldn't stop thinking about school all summer as I thought about new ways to bring out important skills in your children and support them in the best way possible! I moved to the room diagonal from where I was, room 1055. So it was a good time to evaluate and discard activities that I didn't think met my vision. I strive to invest our time in very functional and meaningful activities, not mind-numbing and boring. Although, sometimes to redirect or calm a student, there can be a need for those activities-- like knitting is for me!
This is a class for teaching skills that will make your child as independent as possible by both advocating, doing for themselves and managing their behavior. We teach pre-vocational skills in the form of "soft skills".... those attributes that a person needs to gain and maintain a job such as working independent, having a work ethic, being adaptable, etc. We access high school standards in Science, Math, English and Social Studies using materials adapted to your child's level. Additionally, we participate in physical education, art, music and recreational activities. I've probably left out some things, but you get the idea, there is a lot going on! We will not have a designated snack-time everyday. There was some confusion about that last year... your child may need a morning snack or afternoon snack--so I don't designate a particular time. I want them to advocate for themselves! If they want to bring a snack, they may eat it during one of the several breaks that we have during the day. Snack or not--it's up to you and your child. I would like to have some available snacks in the room, so I will be asking for contributions throughout the year. Water bottles are encouraged and may be keep on their desk. On the first day of school, we will have a waffle party. If your child has dietary restrictions- please let me know ! On the first day you will get a pack of forms to fill out. Please send these back on Thursday if possible. Please send a change of clothes for your child to be kept at school. If clothes become soiled at school, it is very hard for us to find spares and you will get the call to bring some! Also, if any of you have basic sweatpants/shirts that you would like to donate to us for such an occasion, that would be appreciated!!! Please see the supplies/forms tab above to get a list of supplies that will support your child this year. You do not have to send in everything the first day..... within the the first two weeks will be fine. Again, I am excited for the new year as we learn, grow more independent and of course have FUN! Last weekend Mrs. Holcomb-Knowles and I escorted students to the Wheeler Prom held at the Ritz Carlton. Everyone has a blast dancing the night away at the Masquerade Ball.
We have been following Phileas Fogg as he travels around the world.....we hope in 80 days, but we'll have to find out if he wins the bet. To honor England, his country of origin, last week we made scones with chocolate chips and had a tea party. On Thursdays, we have been going to Video productions to learn how Wildcat News is produced. Some of our students have had the opportunity to operate the cameras and to be the floor manager.
On Monday, did anybody hear...there is a solar eclipse!! We had a News2You unit on the eclipse and a demonstration on Friday using a lamp, a globe and a student to represent the moon, so your kiddos should have an understanding of what's happening. Some of you have decided to experience this phenomenal event with your family and I wholeheartedly support that! I'll expect you to tell or write 3 sentences about what you saw !! If you are here, we will be watching the eclipse on the NASA.gov site. School dismissal is delayed until 4:15 . On Tuesday, Wheeler is hosting an Open House. It starts in the Performing Arts Center at 6:00, then parents will be dismissed to the classrooms. Don't worry about picking up your child's schedule, just come on down to room 1041. You can see the classroom , the curriculum and what we are working on. As far as what we are working on- Mrs. Holcolm-Knowles and I are team-teaching this year. There is crossover, but currently she is teaching rules and safety leading up to Government. I am covering World Geography, land forms and Literature ( Around the World in 80 Days). Here is a video we have been watching to learn the continents- I am so excited to start the new year! Please see the supplies/forms tab above to get a list of supplies that will support your child this year. You do not have to send in everything the first day..... within the the first two weeks will be fine. Also please click on the form button and fill out the information about your child on- line. I apologize about the amount of information that you have to repeat on each form but they all go different places. On the first day you will get a pack of forms to fill out. Please send these back on Tuesday if possible. We will not have snack everyday, however we will for the first week. It seems to help to get them refueled as they transition into the new year. However, if your child wants a snack throughout the year, they may bring one and eat it during the break. Water bottles are encouraged and may be keep on their desk. On the first day of school, we will have a waffle party. I know some of your children have dietary restrictions; please send an alternate snack. Please send a change of clothes for your child to be kept at school. If clothes become soiled at school, it is very hard for us to find spares and you will get the call to bring some! Also, if any of you have basic sweatpants/shirts that you would like to donate to us for such an occasion, that would be appreciated!!! I am your child's case manager and primary teacher, however, we have a TEAM! I will be co-teaching with Mrs. Holcomb-Knowles who also has a MOID class next door. The paraprofessionals are Margaret Arny and Marcia Atkins. We have a new Speech Therapist...sorry, I've drawn a blank at this time on her name, but she is young and adorable. Also a new Occupational Therapist, CeCe Meyers. This may be temporary as Laura Hollar has a large caseload and had to drop us, but she wants to come back as soon as she can. The county nurse for those who need nursing is Margaret Haden and the Adapted PE teacher is Coach Baleu. Sorry, I think I am misspelling her name. In addition, there is the MID teacher next door, Rob Case and para, Cheryl Huston. We are looking to hire an additional para as well. As a team, we want to want to work together with you to bring out your child's strengths and accommodate for their weaknesses. We are working to make your child as independent as possible, whether it be at home, in a day program or at a job. Parents- here is the difficult thing to hear. There will not be a paying job for every student. However, we are teaching the soft skills of employ-ability that can carry over to all aspects of their lives. Students need to be taught how to communicate with supervisors and co-workers. They need to know how to adapt if they are assigned to a new task, how to ask for help, what to do when they are finished, how to be responsible about coming back from breaks...and so much more. There can be some frustration when they are learning a new task, but that is how we grow. I've been there- when Amanda's second grade teacher told me that it took her 30 minutes to take off her jacket. I was stunned, if not furious. "Surely you are exaggerating...she has cerebral palsy and you let her struggle for 20 minutes?!?!?" In retrospective, I realize that they were encouraging her to be independent and Mom (me) wasn't teaching that, so I sure am glad she can take off her own jacket now! You are the best expert on your child and I respect that, however we can offer a different perspective. That being said, before you get annoyed with us (me) let's talk about what is going on. We aren't perfect but we sure do love your children. We spend seven and a half hours with your child, so we feel like we are part of the family. We love seeing pictures of what your child and family is doing and it is an excellent way to initiate conversation, so please send in pictures of your summer! I've talked about pre-vocational skills but of course there is so much more. We teach adapted lessons on high school standards in Math, English, Science and Social Studies. More on that another day. Again, I am excited for the new year as we learn, grow more independent and of course have FUN! A Night at the Museum was the appropriate theme for this year's prom held at the High Museum of special evening. It is a beautiful venue and the students were able to tour some of the exhibit before dancing in the ballroom. Special thanks go out to all of our Wheeler family who made it a special evening.
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