Halloween Update!

Happy Halloween, everyone!! 

The kids are very excited to dress up and go trick-or-treating, and I bet you are looking forward to the inevitable sugar high! ;)

Here are some announcements for your reading pleasure: 

Fundraiser Pickup (from JTSD PTA)
We have received confirmation from Great American that our delivery will arrive on Thursday, November 14th.

Items must be picked up in the gym between 4:00pm-7:00pm on November 14th.  

If your student qualified for the movie, limo lunch, or "human sundae" we will be sending home a notice next week with the date for the event.  We will also send home a Permission Slip for the Limo Lunch.  Students who qualified for that prize cannot go unless the signed permission slip is returned.  If your student earned the "toilet", we will distribute those at school after the 14th.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this fundraiser a success.  We raised enough funds to purchase the stage curtain for the gym.  We look forward to showing it off once it is installed.

2nd Quarter Learning Goals

Math: Our overall focus will be in Number and Operations.  Topics we will focus on are division of whole numbers, data, probability, and graphing.  We will include problem solving through application of these skills in word problems and real-life situations.  Students will focus on explaining their thinking and understanding problem solving through these standards.

ELA: In Writing, students will review and apply the writing process to compose well-developed text.  Students will continue to work on proper conventions within their writing.

In Reading, students will focus on developing and applying skills and strategies to comprehend analyze and evaluate various fiction and nonfiction texts. 

Science: Students will learn properties and principles of Matter and Energy.  Students will focus on changes in properties and states of matter.  The students will also learn about processes and interactions of the Earth’s Systems.  Students will focus on interactions of weather, water, and environments.  Our third Science Unit will be the composition and structure of the universe and the motion of objects within it.  Our focus will be the motion of objects within the universe. 

Social Studies: Students will focus on geographical and physical features of the United States.

No School

Just a quick reminder that school is not in session on Tuesday, November 5th.

Thanks and have a wonderful day!!

Mr. B

Friday Update

Happy Friday! Here is some news you can use!

PTA Newsflash: Fall Parties

If you would like help at the Fall Party on October 31st, please go to www.signupgenius.com and search under jtsdvolunteers@gmail.com. At this time we are requesting 8 volunteers per grade level. Only parents who are signed up may attend the party, so sign up ASAP if you would like to come! It is going to be a blast! If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact Stephanie Forsee. 

SBG Fliers

Standards-based grading fliers are being sent home today with your child. Please take some time to look over this information. I'll try to answer your questions about grading at conferences, but this should help make things a little clearer.

P/T Conferences

Conferences are next week! You should get a reminder e-mail from SignUp Genius a day or two before your conference. If you have not signed up for a Parent/Teacher conference yet, please do so at your earliest convenience. I must meet with all parents and I can schedule around what is most convenient for you. Take a look at our Parent/Teacher Conference Sign Up to see if there is a time that works for you. If not, please e-mail me ASAP so we can schedule a conference at another time.

Coats for Kids
Winter is coming soon, and there are many children in our community who will not have coats to keep them warm. Your family can help a child in need by donating a new or gently-used coat to our Coats for Kids program. You can bring in your coats at any time and place them in the collection bin by the front office. Your generosity can change a child's life this winter!

Website
Remember you can find all the latest school news & updates on our website. Just go to http://www.johnthomasschoolofdiscovery.net.

As always, please feel free to e-mail or call me if you have any questions or concerns! Have a great day!

Mr. B

News You Can Use!

Happy Monday! Here's the lastest news from the 5th grade Beach Brains!

Coats for Kids
Hundreds of children in our area will be without adequate clothing in the upcoming winter months. You can make a difference in their lives by donating new or gently-used coats to keep them warm. You may bring in your donations to the school at any time. There will be collection bins to drop off your donations.

Standards-based Grading
Dr. Chastain will be sending home an informational brochure about our standards-based grading system this upcoming Friday, 10/11. We hope this will answer some of our questions before conference time. Speaking of which, if you have not signed up for a Parent/Teacher conference with me, please do so at your earliest convenience using our online sign up sheet.

Half Day - 10/11
Just a reminder that this upcoming Friday, 10/11 is a half day. Students will be dismissed at 12:30pm.

Fundraiser Info
Please send in your fundraising order forms and money to school on Thursday, 10/10. This is the very last day for the fundraiser. Students earning prizes will receive them at a later date, once fundraising orders have been verified and processed.

We're Collecting...
We're collecting Box Tops for Education as well as Little Cesar's box tops. You may send them to school with your child at any time.

From the PTA
We're enlisting 5th and 6th graders to help with a book bingo game at the Chili Cook Off in November. A flier went home last week with the information. If your child is interested in helping to run the game, please return the form you received by Wednesday, October 9th.

That's all I have for now. Thank you for your support and please feel free to e-mail me at any time with your questions and concerns!

Mr. B