Read With Me Cultivating a Literary Community 

Did you know that one of the earliest symptoms of a teacher is their ridiculous love of school supplies? Nothing makes a teacher (or child destined to become a teacher) happier than fresh pens, pencils, notebooks and crayons.  Aaaaah…the smell of paste is in the air and I feel alive!….

But seriously, it’s that time again!  Are you ready to roll? Here’s what you’ll need for fourth grade:

Every child will need a backpack or bookbag.  Please do NOT purchase rolling backpacks (space limitations).  Thank you!

• 4 composition notebooks
• 4 packages of notebook paper paper (wide-ruled, loose leaf)
• 7 plastic 2-pocket, 3-prong folders (2 blue, 2 yellow, 1 red, 1 green, and 1 purple) **
• 4 dozen SHARPENED #2 pencils
• 1 hand-held pencil sharpener WITH COVER (to catch pencil shavings)
• 1 standard calculator (hint: check the dollar store!)
• 1 box of sharpened color pencils
• 1 pencil pouch with zipper (NO BOXES, PLEASE)
• 1 package of 5 write-on divider tabs
• 2 glue sticks
• 1 package white copy paper

Additionally, please check these lists:

BOYS: 1 box sandwich size zipper baggies, post-it notes, 1 3-pack pink erasers (no pencil topper erasers, please)

GIRLS: 1 box gallon size zipper baggies, 1 pack dry erase markers, 1 pack index cards

And, lastly, we are ALWAYS grateful for the parents who ask what else they can bring in to help stock our classroom.  Here are a few items we would greatly appreciate:

• additional items of anything on the student supply list
• boxes of tissues
• Lysol wipes
• liquid hand soap (Large refill bottle is fine – We’re green!)
• hand sanitizer
• Crayola or Mr. Sketch markers
• COPIES OF ANY BATTLE BOOKS FOR CLASS TO SHARE
• AA batteries
• hot glue sticks (the multi-temp skinny ones)
• gift cards to book stores, Office Max, Target or Walmart for projects and activities throughout the year

As always, thank you SO much for supporting our classrooms and your students.  We can’t wait to see you all again!

Happy shopping!

** This year the students will have recorders for music class and will need to bring their purple folders with them everytime they go to music.

First of all, THANK YOU to all of our families who have sent in the requested supplies!  As the year gets underway, we’re phasing in various pieces of our academic routines.  With each piece added, various supplies are called to duty.  I know it can be a hassle to chase them down (I’ve been there!), but the supplies are very much needed and appreciated.

This week each child was “issued” their Seed Journal (composition book #1).  I hope you received the message (via newsletter and child) that they are to be working on decorating and personalizing these notebooks at home this week.  As children complete this personalization process, they are given the opportunity to share their unique designs with their classmates.  We’re already hard at work generating ideas and early writing practice in these notebooks.

Soon, I hope to have enough composition notebooks collected (I need about 25 more)  to introduce an important piece of the reader’s workshop:  their reader’s notebook (composition notebook #2).  This space is reserved for students to record thoughts and responses to their reading; early planning for formal responses to literature; letters to me regarding their reading habits and thoughts; as well as for me to respond to these letters with guidance, advice and praise!

As a rare note regarding the math side of the day, Mr. Montisano has also phased in the use student math notebooks (composition notebook #3).  Each student will use their notebooks as a place to keep notes and daily practice with math strategies and class investigations.  Students are encouraged to refer back to past lessons throughout the year, especially in the event they get “stuck” on a problem.  These notebooks were a huge success last year with his students.  In fact, students filled one volume and began working in a second notebook for the second half of the year (composition notebook #4 — still needs about 35 more).

This week, all students also received their homework folders.  These folders are to be transported to and from school DAILY.  In addition to being a safe place to store their weekly homework, they are also a safe place for us to transport the occasional note or flyer that cannot wait for the Friday folder to go home.  Please help your child remember to keep this folder in their backpack with their planner and seed journal.

Speaking of planners, they’ve arrived!  A huge thank you goes out to Chick-Fil-A and Huntington Learning Center for sponsoring Chets Creek’s custom designed planners for grades 2-5 this year.  They are beautiful and filled with tons of CCE specific information and tools.  Be sure to sign your child’s planner each night and help them begin the habit of recording their pages read in the box daily.  What a convenient tool!

Coming soon, your child will receive a writing folder where they will their drafts and revisions for writing work in progress.  Additionally, I enjoy sharing poetry with children, and hope to have enough folders to help each child compile a poetry collection as the year progresses.  Mr. Montisano plans to use student binders as a part of the Daily Oral Geography program.

As you can see, we’ve got a lot planned and we’re excited to share these opportunities and tools with your children.  Thank you for your time and efforts to enhance and support our classrooms and your children’s learning experiences.  We’re ready to start this journey!

Each year, I have been so fortunate to have a few parents ask me how they can help the classroom in a greater sense. Some parents have time they’d like to donate, others would prefer to donate additional supplies. All of these donations are greatly appreciated! Here are a few ideas of ways you can contribute more to your child’s experience this year.

Volunteer Opportunities

• Mr. Montisano and I appreciate help on Friday afternoons stuffing the “Friday Folders” with communications, flyers, newsletters, etc. If you are available to come in for an hour or so to work on these folders, please let us know.
• Early in the year, I love help with special classroom project. The students will create their own, special, personalized writer’s notebook. These need to be covered in clear contact paper to preserve them throughout the year. This is a great short-term volunteer opportunity that parents can help with at home or in the classroom.
• I like to give my students and their families the opportunity to place book orders through Scholastic book clubs. If you would like to assist me in placing these orders from home, please let me know. I’ll be happy to have you trained. (This job does not require time in the classroom at all. Orders can be placed by phone or internet.)
• Every classroom needs a reliable room mother and chaperone parents. If you would like to volunteer for one or both of these roles, please be sure to speak to Mrs. Nash or Mr. Montisano at Orientation.
• We love a few good volunteers to turn to when it comes time for special class celebrations!
• In order to preserve our classroom books as long as possible, I try to cover books in clear contact paper. (I can train you on my “tried and true” method.) This volunteer may also be useful as a “book hospital” helper, mending “sick” books. This job can be done in the classroom or at home.
• Occasionally, I need assistance with laminating projects. Volunteers are appreciated to assist with the actual laminating process and/or cutting out the finished product.
• There will be many opportunities throughout the year for “short term” volunteer opportunities, too. Chets Creek traditions such as literary pumpkins, fall festival, holiday auction, arts extravaganza, end of the year celebration, third grade play, and many more require lots of parent support and are excellent ways for your to get involved without making a long-term commitment.

Donation Opportunities

• hanging file folders
• portable CD players with headphones
• labels for printer (shipping and return address size)
• reams of white copy paper
• reams of white card stock
  
• gift cards to Amazon, Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble (great source for classroom books)
• gift cards to Michael’s, Target, Wal-Mart, Joann’s, Office Max (great sources for special projects throughout the year)
• rolls of clear contact paper
• cardboard or plastic magazine file boxes
• candy
• healthy snacks (I like to keep these on hand for students who didn’t get breakfast/lunch.)
• juice boxes/bags
• kid-size water bottles
• 3-hole puncher
• clean tennis balls (can be used or new — If you play tennis, please save your “flat” balls for me!)
• additional supplies (Each year we’ve found that some of our students are unable to purchase their own supplies. If you’d care to donate duplicates of folders, notebook paper, pencils, soap, hand sanitizer, baggies, wipes, etc. that would be greatly appreciated!)

Thank you in advance for all your help throughout the year. I know this is going to be a wonderful year!

Each year, as the summer dwindles to the close, an amazing shift happens in my life.   Honestly, it happens within a matter of hours — I go from being a full-time mommy and wife, living the “leisure” life (I use that term lightly), to being a teacher again.  It’s almost like a someone flips a switch and I become obsessed with getting ready for back-to-school!  This is probably a common theme in teachers.  Which came first?  The love of back-to-school season or being a teacher?  The two traits seem inseparable.

This year, for the first time, I’m also getting my own child ready for back-to-school.  While the retail stores have been wonderful about providing copies of each school’s individualized school supply lists, I understand how feels to never have what you need when you need it!  I thought it might be helpful to provide you a copy of the third grade recommended supply list here.

We recommend each third grade student brings:

• 1 three-ring, 2″ binder (good condition, with clear plastic sleeve on cover, any color)  no zippered binders
• 4 packages of notebook paper (wide-ruled, loose-leaf)
• 6 plastic duo tang folders (colored) with pockets (red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange) folders with two pockets and three metal prongs inside to hold paper
• 2 pack of ten-subject write-on tab dividers
• 48 pencils – sharpened
• 1 package of page protectors

Please do not label supplies with your child’s name.

Teachers would also appreciate some miscellaneous supplies for the classroom (optional):

• box of tissues
• antibacterial wipes
• box of gallon-size “Ziploc” bags
• liquid hand soap
• 8 oz. hand sanitizer
• sandwich-size “Ziploc” bags

Thank you for your assistance in providing materials for our classroom!  We appreciate your contributions!