Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years! Enjoy this time off with your family and friends. I know I will! We've only been out since Friday (it's Monday) and I've already finished a new book that I was given for Christmas while relaxing on my couch. I had almost forgotten what that felt like. HA! Can't wait to see you all in the new year.

December 10 - 14

Only two more weeks before the end of the marking period. Time sure flies when you're learning and growing. We're preparing for the holidays and have some great mothers getting our celebration all worked out! The kids will be celebrating on Friday, December 21st from 9-10. Thanks to Mrs. Toper, Mrs. Straight, & Mrs. Nardulli for helping us plan the event and some special craft days along the way. Make sure that you send in your donations for the party by Wednesday, Dec. 12th so that we can plan accordingly. There will be a $5 Book Exchange the day of the party as well.

We have a fieldtrip to Vulcan Rock Quarry on Tuesday from 9:00-1:00. It will be a great wrap-up to our unit on Rocks & Minerals as well as our Soil Unit.

Thursday is teacher collaboration in the morning. Mrs. Kelly and I will be at school, just not in the classroom in the morning. The third grade teachers will be planning some wonderful things during this time together.

Curriculum for the week:
Spelling: soon, story, since, white, ever, synonym, antonym, adjective, describe, & noun.
English: Prefix/Suffix & Word Ladders
Reading: Nonfiction Conventions & Inferencing
Social Studies: Map scale & Map grids
Math: Geometry

**COME ONE COME ALL**
This is your first chance to get the 1st Annual Ornament of Ford Elementary designed by our very own Art Specialist, Claire Dunaway. Ornaments are only $5 and proceeds benefit our Art Program at Ford. They are really cute. If you'd like to see one stop by and check out mine on our class tree. There are only a limited amount so act fast. Order forms are coming home today.

Marvelous Monday

Spelling:
Core Words: night, picture, being, study, & second
Challenge Words: December, winter, holidays, plural, multiplication

Ident-a-kid
All forms need to be returned to school by Tuesday, December 3rd.

**Don't forget Governor Perdue's Water Conservation Contest. Information was sent home last week.

PTSA this Thursday night at 6:30 pm. The Ford Elementary Chorus will be performing.

Monday, Dec. 10th we will have "Holidays and Hot Chocolate" in the media center.

December 11th 9:00-1:00 Fieldtrip to Vulcan Rock Quarry
Mr. Ross will be our chaperone for the day.

December 21st is the last day of school before the holiday break. School resumes January 8th, 2008.

Big thanks to Mrs. Toper, Mrs. Straight, and Mrs. Nardulli who came in and helped plan some exciting December activities for our classroom as well as our holiday party. Thanks for spreading some holiday cheer!

Fabulous Friday

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Just wanted to take a minute to wish you all a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you all take some time to enjoy your family and friends during this wonderful season. I know that I am looking forward to the time with my family. Going to the beach always helps in being thankful. HA, HA! Enjoy the long weekend. 2008 will be here before we know it.

Map Mania

This is a last call to pick up your child's Map Mania project. We have been asking for over two weeks now. If you do not pick them up by Monday they will be thrown away. The media center needs their space back. Thank you!

NO SCHOOL for students on Monday and Tuesday! Enjoy your time off.

SPECIALS:
Monday - No School
Tuesday - No School
Wednesday - Music
Thursday - PE
Friday - Art

There will be no Spelling/Sitton Words for this week due to only a three day week. The children will also have a week off of the routine morning work of DOL/DOM so there will be no quiz on Friday.

Math - Multiplication & Division
Integrated Studies - Fossils
Reading - We will continue a focus on Main Idea. We are finishingthe chapter book titled, Ahyoka and the Talking Leaves. The story is a tale of how the Cherokee Indian alphabet was created. This will lead into our Social Studies study of the Creek & Cherokee Indians.
English - Subjects/Predicates
Vocabulary - Unit 3.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

We wanted to wish a GREAT BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Lauren and Annie who were the top Stampede to Read readers in 3rd grade. WAY TO GO GIRLS!!!!! We are so proud that you are a part of our classroom family!

Square One Art

The kids are bringing home their Square One Art projects today. They really did a great job on their projects. Mrs. Kelly and I really enjoyed looking at their sample magnets today. Our school Art Department uses this as a fundraiser to help out in our Art room throughout the year. These are GREAT gift ideas as the holiday season approaches us. I have a mousepad and a photo book from a project when my niece was only 2 months old that was given to me last year for Christmas. It is a treasured keepsake forever. Please help out our Art Department. All order forms are due back to school before Friday, November 9, 2007. The information you need will be in a packet with your child today. If you do not order you need to return the sample magnet that was sent with the order forms. I have to keep track of who has turned theirs in or not. Thanks for your help with this!!

Hello all! I can't believe that it is the end of October already. This year is really flying by fast. The kids did an AMAZING job on Friday presenting their Mystery Book Reports. We had a great day listening to them all. Here are the "Cliff Notes" for this week.

SPECIALS:
Monday - PE
Tuesday - Art
Wednesday - PE
Thursday - Writing Lab
Friday - PE

Core Words:
almost, live, page, got, earth

Challenge/Vocabulary Words:
Halloween, November, multiply, divide, array

Math - We will start an additional math challenge this week with multiplication and division facts.
Integrated Studies - We are continuing our Science study on Rocks and Minerals. Our focus at the end of the week will turn to Fossils.
Reading - We will continue a focus on Main Idea. We are going to start reading together a chapter book titled, Ahyoka and the Talking Leaves. The story is a tale of how the Cherokee Indian alphabet was created. This will lead into our Social Studies study of the Creek & Cherokee Indians.
English - Subjects/Predicates
Vocabulary - We will start working on Unit 2.

**Big thanks to Mrs. McKay for coming in on Friday and doing our first Earth Parent lesson on dirt and soils. Fun was had by all!

Hope everyone has a great week. Please be safe and have a good Halloween!

STAMPEDE TO READ

Just a reminder!
***Stampede to Read ends this Friday. Let's READ, READ, READ this week to win this competition. We have been in first place through most of the competition and have fallen behind. Let's show everyone how great we are and finish this on top! :-)

Here it is everybody!!! The answer to your Friday daydreams!! A cool website all about DIRT!!! HA HA!! No, it is an interactive site that you can click on Soil Safari and let your children have an adventure in the dirt without getting dirty!! Have a great weekend!

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/soil/down_dirty.html

October 22 - 26

What a busy week we have had around Ford! We had an amazing fieldstudy to Cato Environmental Center on Thursday. Big thanks to Sonny Toper for going with us to chaperone as our Earth Parent substitute.

Big thanks to Mrs. Ross & Mrs. Toper for coming into our classroom today for our first Art Parent lesson. We had a great time learning about Da Vinci and The Mona Lisa.

Upcoming Week:

Spelling:
four, head, above, kind, began, igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic, cycle, & honor

Specials:
Monday - Art
Tuesday - PE
Wednesday - Writing Lab
Thursday - PE
Friday - Music

MYSTERY BOOK REPORTS are due Friday.

Homework will be in their agendas only next week. We are trying to work on independence and self sufficient learning.

Honoring Our Veterans on Veterans Day

A letter will be sent home today detailing a special project we are doing at our school to honor our Veterans. We want to recognize and honor family members of Ford Students and staff who are currently or in the past served in the Armed Forces. Please fill out and return the form if you would like a "scroll" to be brought home for your family to display information about that person. What a great way to honor these American Heroes! You may include picutures too. The scrolls will be posted on a large Wall of Honor during the week prior to Veterans Day, November 11th. I know I can't wait to fill one out for my father (Veitnam) and both of my grandfathers (WW2).

How can we make a difference with the water shortage?

Many of you have asked how can one person make a difference in the currentWater Crisis?
The answer quite simply is "Conserve Water".
The Cobb County Marietta Water Authority has a great program called"WaterSmart". Just click on the "WaterSmart" logo and read how you can makea difference in you own home.<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=i5vesfcab.0.9xgksfcab.jjsel7bab.2241&ts=S0289&p=htt p%3A%2F%2F/" target=browserView>www.watersmart.net%2F>
WaterSmart logo Another resource for the children is the "Allatoona Ally" coloring book."Allatoona Ally" is the official mascot for Lake Allatoona and along withher special helpers have some great ideas for water conservation. Click on"Allatoona Ally" for a downloadable copy of the coloring book.<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=i5vesfcab.0.8xgksfcab.jjsel7bab.2241&ts=S0289&p=htt p%3A%2F%2F/" target=browserView>www.watersmart.net%2FPDF%2FFinalBook.pdf> Ally Coloring Book
We all need to "Think Water First". One less flush; one less shower; oneless load of dishes; one less load of laundry will add tens of millions ofgallons of our depleted water supply.
One more way you can help. LAPA is looking for volunteers to help man ourbooth at the "Taste of Acworth" on October 20th. If you are interested inhelping distribute water saving information, send me an email atrpapaleoni@allatoona.org.Taste of Acworth logo<http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs053/1101536577833/img/175.jpg?a=1101 845911496>

Red Ribbon Week is Next Week

Monday- Students will receive a red Drug Free bracelet. They should wear it all week.
Tuesday- Hugs not drugs. The students will be allowed to bring in their favorite stuffed animal.
Wednesday- Put a cap on drugs. The students will be allowed to wear a hat.
Thursday- Team up against drugs. The students will be allowed to wear their favorite sports team attire.
Friday- Wear Red- The students should wear as much red as possible.

Let's show our school spirit and support RED RIBBON WEEK!

Weekly Reminders

Don't forget to wear your favorite hat to school on Wednesday. Bring $1 to support the American Cancer Society and wear your hat for the day. Also, Wednesday is a Cobb County Early Release Day with a 12:20 dismissal.

Environmental fieldstudy on Thursday. We will leave school about 9am and return about 1:30. We will be outdoors all day. Watch the weather channel to dress appropriately. There is a slight chance of rain that day.

Weekly Updates

The Ford P.T.S.A. Community Outreach and 4th grader Reilly McDurmon are having a food drive called Food For Friends. We will be collecting dried beans and rice for people in parts of Central America hurt by hurricane Felix as well as canned foods and boxed dinners for our local community.
There is a basket in the room for all the goods we collect. The class that donates the most items will have an ice cream party at lunch courtesy of 4th grader Reilly McDurmon who is leading the drive.

Please come to our rescheduled Ford Movie Night tomorrow night, Sat. October 13th. We are watching the newly released "Surf's Up".

Keep Reading and turning in those Stampede to Read Cards. Some classes are starting to catch up with us. We want to stay in first place.

Don't forget Early Release Day is this Wednesday------12:20 Dismissal

We also have a fieldtrip on Thursday. The trip is entirely outdoors so watch the weather channel and dress appropriately.

Specials:
Monday - Writing Lab
Tuesday - PE
Wednesday - PROGRAM for Early Release
Thursday - Music - But we won't be at the school to participate.
Friday - PE

HW:
Mon. - Spelling (three times in pencil - two times in ink), Math (Estimating worksheet), Science (Read Science Newsletter that you bring home)
Tues. - Spelling (Finish Take Home Task - we'll do part of it at school), Science (Bring in a 3-D model of the earth on Friday - will be explained in class this day - don't work ahead you might do it wrong), Math (Estimating Worksheet)
Wed. - Spelling (Study), Math (Word Problem Worksheet p45) DON'T FORGET TODAY IS EARLY RELEASE DAY!
Thurs. - DON'T FORGET TODAY IS FIELDTRIP DAY! DRESS APPROPRIATELY--We'll be outside all day.
Friday - Have a fabulous weekend!

SITTON WORDS:
once, animal, life, enough, took

CONTENT WORDS:
rock, mineral, core, mantle, crust

FOOD FOR FRIENDS DRIVE

Ford will be conducting a food drive, FOOD FOR FRIENDS, beginning this coming Monday, Oct. 8th until Nov. 2nd. The goal of this project is to collect bags of rice and beans for the victims of hurricane Felix which hit Central America last month, as well as non-perishable food we can donate to a local food shelter so local families can have a happy Thanksgiving.
The classroom with the most donated items will be awarded with an ice cream party courtesy of 4th grader Reilly McDurmon, who is responsible for organizing the food drive.
There will be a box at the entrance to the school, as well as a box in our classroom to collect the goods. Thank you to Mrs. Toper for getting us organized and already having some food collected in our box. Please put the student's name, grade and teacher on the items if students leave them in the box located at the front of the school.

October 8 - 12

Hello all! Welcome to another new week at Ford Elementary. This week's schedule is as follows:
SPECIALS:
Monday - PE
Tuesday - Music
Wednesday - PE
Thursday - Art
Friday - PE

HOMEWORK:
Monday -
* Spelling - Write words 3 times each
* Math - TBA
* Reading - Mystery Book Report. Pick your book & get it approved.
Tuesday -
* Spelling - Take Home Task 7
* Math - TBA
* Science - Quiz tomorrow
Wednesday -
* Spelling - Study. Cloze Activity Tomorrow
* Math - TBA
* Reading - Re-read The Monster Who Grew Small (Junior Great Book)
Thursday -
* Math - TBA
* English - Study for DOL quiz
* Math - TBA

**DON'T FORGETS**
~ Ford Movie Night is this Saturday, October 13th. Come and support our school.
~ Keep Reading for those Stampede to Read minutes and Reading Logs.
~ Buy/Sell those Ford Discount Cards.
~ End of 9 week grading period is Monday, October 15th, 2007
~ Cobb County Early Release Day is Wednesday, Oct. 17th. 12:20 Dismissal

Terrific Tuesday

Don't forget about Ford's Movie in the Garden Night this Friday from 6:30-10:00. I'll be at the food table working so please stop by and visit.


PLEASE~ Either buy or return your Ford Discount Cards. I got mine and some to use for gifts for others. Please help support our wonderful PTSA. I spoke to one parent today who used the card at Entree Vous just this one time and saved $20. That is all the card cost so everything else is just saved money.


Our class is in FIRST place for Stampede to Read. Keep up that reading at home and logging the minutes on the Reading Log and the Stampede cards. Big thanks to Mrs. Coleman for heading this up. Check out our class tracking chart. Annie is in the lead with 30 cards filled.


The ballots for the School Council are in the office. Please stop by the front office and vote .Only parents/guardians can vote as we have already voted for our teacher rep. See Julie Brauninger if you have any questions. Voting will take place between 6:30 am and 3:15 pm through Oct. 5th. Mrs. Pepper has done a phone message as well.

Today was our First Mighty Mustang Day for the school year. We had 14 out of our 21 students participate. We want to win next time. Please mark your calendars to show your school spirit!

Below are the tentative dates and themes of each "Mighty Mustang Day" forthe school year.
Friday, September 28- College Day
Friday, October 26- Red Day
Friday, November 16- Favorite Book Character Day
Friday, December 21- Holiday Wear Day
Friday, January 25- Dress as a teacher/staff member Day
Friday, February 22- High School Musical Attire Day
Friday, March 28- Camouflage Day
Friday, April 18- Wacky Tacky Day
Friday, May 16- Hawaiian Day
*These dates may also be found on the PTSA calendar atwww.fordptsa.com.Please encourage your child to show their Ford Spirit!

October 1-5, 2007

There will be no homework or spelling words this week due to ITBS testing. Please remind your child to work on their "Tab" words in their spelling journals. We may pull them for special review sessions with their words. Below is the schedule for testing this week:
Monday - Reading
Tuesday - Language Arts
Wednesday - Math
Thursday - Social Studies/Science
Friday - Maps & Diagrams/Reference Materials

Specials for this week:
Monday - Music
Tuesday - PE
Wednesday - Art
Thursday - PE
Friday - Writing

**Stop by the Media Center this week and see our Map Mania projects. The kids did and AWESOME job!

**Don't forget Ford Movie Night this Friday. I'll be there behind the food booth raising money for our school chorus and the Relay for Life team at Ford.

**PLEASE buy your discount cards to support our school PTSA.

Fabulous Friday 9-21

First off ~ thank you for a wonderful day before my birthday. Mrs. McKay came in to be Mystery Reader and brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a Blockbuster giftcard. Several of the kids had sweet gifts too. Thanks for making me feel special!

PLEASE help out our PTSA by not only joining, but also with the fundraiser. Over half of our class has not sent in money or returned their cards that were sent home during Open House or the day after with your child. We would like this to be our only fundraiser for the year so please support our PTSA.

Don't forget that next week is our Cogat testing. A schedule of special treats for the kids to reward testing was sent home on Thursday. Each child is responsible for something on one day.

Specials for next week:
Monday, Wed., & Fri.-PE
Tuesday-Art
Thursday-Writing Lab

Spelling List: until, form, food, keep, children, plain, peninsula, gulf, island, & plateau

Homework:
Daily - Read for Reading Log and Stampede to Read - Map Mania project which is due Thursday
Monday - In spelling journal list 5 additional words for each diagraph in the chart we make in class. Math - Rounding Numbers
Tuesday - Spelling Take Home Task, Math - Rounding to the thousands place, Early to bed for testing tomorrow.
Wednesday - Finish Map Mania and bring in tomorrow, Math - Round the World, Cloze activity tomorrow.
Thursday - Landform Quiz tomorrow (be able to name/recognize them)
Friday - Have a fabulous weekend. Remember testing every day next week. Eat a good breakfast and get lots of sleep.

Week of September 17th, 2007

Hello all! Things are alive and in full swing in our classroom. I would like to start by complimenting all of the kids on the great job they did with their clock catalogs last week. They were awesome! Here's this week's news:
Spelling word list: world, going, want, school, important, landform, ocean, mountain, river, & lake
Homework:
Monday - Spelling (one pen-one pencil)
Math (Study for time quiz tomorrow - Complete review activity)
Tell mom/dad about Stampede to Read program
Tuesday - Spelling (Take Home Task)
Tell mom/dad about your new book buddy from Mrs. Jones class
Don't forget Cobb County Early Release tomorrow (12:20 dismissal)
Wednesday - Early Release Day
Spelling (Study for Cloze)
Math (Odd/Even)
Thursday - Social Studies (Map Mania project sent home and explained - Due September 27th)

**Don't forget your Reading Log -- Minimum 20 minutes at least 4 days
* Reading minutes count on both Stampede to Read & Reading Log

Welcome Back

As summer draws to a close, are you ready for the new school year to start? I hope that everyone has had a fabulous summer and is ready for a fun new school year. I spent a lot of time playing with my neice, getting things done around the house, and visiting with family in Ohio and Kentucky. I can't wait to see what this new school year brings! See you all soon.