The Season of Giving

The Globetrotters have been working hard this year to give to others. Below is a list of service projects we have completed this year.

• Stuffed stockings with goodies to send to soldiers serving overseas
• Made cookies and decorated bags to send to the Dementia Unit at a local hospital
• Made joke books to send to soldiers overseas

• Using money from the school store we have:
• Bought chicks and honeybees through Heifer International
• Bought 15 dollars worth of non-perishable food items for Soup for Seniors

 Thanks for helping us teach the children the importance of giving!

Pajama Party!

On Friday, December 17th we will be having a pajama party. Please send your child in his/her warmest pajamas. We are still planning on playing outside if weather permits.

We will be watching the Disney movie Earth and having popcorn with hot chocolate.

Super Hero Success

The Super Hero luncheon was a success. Students had a great time being of service, and they did a great job. We had a lot of parents who came to eat, visit Santa Cruz, and shop the book fair. Thank you to all of the parents who supported our book fair. You can also support Community School this season when you shop Amazon by going to www.communityschool.net, clicking on our links, and then entering the Amazon site posted on that page.

We are currently wrapping up South America in science and social studies. In math, Keri's group has been working on addition and subtraction with regrouping using catalogs.  Kids are having a great time spending their imaginary money! In Katie's math we are working on Mayan math. We made Mayan temples with geometric shapes, and added and subtracted using the Mayan number system. Today we started making Mayan masks with our little buddies in Katlyn's class.

Classroom request!
We're in need of plastic forks and 8oz. plastic drinking cups. Thanks in advance!

Classroom Request

Katie needs small boxes for a math project. Jewelry sized boxes or a little larger would be great. Shoe boxes are too big.

Thanks so much!

You are invited to a Super Hero Lunch!

You are invited to a Super Hero Lunch!

Tuesday, December 7^th from 12:15 – 1:30

Our students will be serving Super Soup, Villainous Veggies, and Nefarious Nachos. To reserve your spot, please call the office or contact Katie or Keri through email: kerij@communityschool.net, katiew@communityschool.net

Friends and family are welcome! We just need to know how many people will be attending so we can purchase enough food.

After lunch, the Globetrotters will perform with Kim Mucha.  Katie’s room will also be set up as Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  Please come visit this amazing display of buddy work.

You can do your super secret holiday shopping at the book fair before or after lunch.

Regrouping, Parts of Speech, and South America. Oh My!

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In math Katie's group has been working on odd and even. We have used hundreds charts and played games to reinforce the skill. Today we took a day trip from South America to Germany! We met with our little buddies in Katlyn's class and listened to Sophia's grandmother talk about life in Germany. We then learned how to count from one to ten in German.

Currently Keri’s group is working on subtraction with “regrouping” or “borrowing”.  We are using 20 pennies and 10 dimes and we are setting up the problem before we attempt it.  For example, if the problem is 22 – 8, we put out 2 dimes and 2 pennies.  Then we ask ourselves if we can take 8 pennies away from the pennies that we have.  If the answer is no, then we go to the dimes and trade 1 dime in for 10 pennies.  Then we complete the problem.  Try a couple of these at home with your child to see if they remember what they are working on.  It seems that everyone needs help with this.  Our goal is to be able to regroup without the coins when needed to complete problems. 

For reading, Keri's group is working on short vowel sounds and sight words.  This week and last we have worked on the short a sound.  They all know that the short a says “a” as in apple, but many struggle when it comes to reading consistently words in familiar families.  We will continue to work our way through the short vowels as we work to sound out words that we don’t know and memorize more sight words.  We will be sending home sorts that we do in class.  If you want to work with your child on reading or spelling, feel free to include these words.  We will also be sending home the book that we are working on for them to practice reading at home as well. 

In Katie's class students were finally able to read their Surprise Sack assignments. Students had a great time guessing what each other had in the sack. We have also started parts of speech. Students had a great time learning about nouns. We sorted them into person, place, and thing categories. We also played a game where students bounced a ball and had to come up with a noun.  Students continue to work on reading comprehension and fluency during quiet reading times.  

• The Thanksgiving Potluck and Art Show is quickly approaching. Join us for this time-honored, Community School tradition. Close to three hundred people attend this annual event, and the students have been working very hard on their pieces for the art show. Good food, good fellowship, and incredible student art…what a wonderful way to begin the Thanksgiving Holiday! 
• Please note, dismissal is at 1pm from Hollins University, NOT  Community School. 
• Middle Elementary families should bring an entree and side dish to feed 10 - 12 people.
• You will bring your child to school as usual, but with no backpack or lunch box. Please send in a disposable fruit break and we will walk over to HU around 11:15am. You will meet us at Hollins in the Moody Center lobby after we walk through the art show on the upper floor of the Moody Center. You will then trickle into the dining hall with your child and find a table to sit at and enjoy your feast!

Fabulous Fall Update

December 6th, 7th, and 8th.  Community School will host it's annual book fair. This year we will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair on campus as well as working with Amazon.

In keeping with the Scholastic Book Fair's theme, Super Heroes, the Globetrotters would like to invite you to a Super Hero's lunch on Tuesday the 7th. We will be serving Hero Sandwiches, Villainous Veggies, and Super Soup. After lunch our students will perform with Kim Mucha. Then off to class they will fly so you can do some super sneaky holiday shopping. Please call or email us if you are planning to attend so we can make sure we have enough food.

This week we have gone south.  In science and social studies we have started studying South America. In Keri's class kids are focusing on the rain forest. In Katie's class we are focusing on Santa Cruz, Bolivia where our exchange students are from. 

In math, Keri's students played a great button game that focused on regrouping and place value. Brown buttons represented 10's and white buttons represented 1's.  Kids shopped using brown buttons to purchase items and were given change in white buttons. Today they put that knowledge to work subtracting two digit numbers with regrouping.

In Katie's class, we have been focused on the school store this week.  We have done inventory, counted money, used subtraction to figure out how much of each item we have sold, estimated next week's profits, and set goals for our business. Kids are filling out a weekly chart that helps us keep track of sales so that we can make decisions about purchasing and marketing.

The kids have been reading away.  In Keri's class they are sorting words with the "short a" sound.  We are adding new sight words to our reading library each week as well. Katie's group is playing literacy games that focus on blends, digraphs, plurals, and contractions.  Today students traced sight words on each others' backs. We also are finishing our "Surprise Sack" paragraphs. Students are super excited to have their classmates guess what is inside their imaginary sack. 

On Friday, November 19th we will be taking the train to South America! We will be visiting the VA Museum of Transportation, the O. Winston Link Museum, and having lunch at Alejandro's.  Please make sure your child's Alejandro's order is turned in by Monday with their $5.00 payment.

SAVE THE DATE!

Save the date Tuesday, December 7th from 12:15 - 1:30!

We are planning something special on campus for parents and grandparents. More will be revealed in the next few weeks.

Niagra Falls!

This morning we strapped ourselves in, made sure we had our parachutes, and took a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls. Students learned that 3,000 tons spill over the falls every minute! We learned about daredevils who have gone over the falls in "barrels". This lead us to a great discussion about the physics off falling and velocity. Students can't wait to get started on their egg drop containers!

Please don't forget to send in supplies for Friday's project. The egg drop will be held at 2:30 pm on Friday.

In Science, students presented their 5 senses projects on Mexico, Canada, and the United States. In Social Studies, students completed their passport to the world projects.

Next week we will be moving on to South America!!!

Keri's Class has written and illustrated this story.

Listen as we read the story that we wrote and illustrated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHy0KkW-Uf0

Cool Stuff is On the Way

The Cool Stuff Store is opening November 4th. We will be in business every Thursday during fruit break. The Globetrotters are so excited about this business venture. We have placed an order for new inventory and have counted what we have so far. We also spent time setting prices and discussing profit. Profits from the store will be split between classroom supplies and service projects chosen by the kids.

Apples All Around

This week it has been apples all around! Yesterday we celebrated Apple Day. We read The Adventure's of Stanley Wiggle: The Sunny Side of the Apple, written by Keri's husband Gary Jackson. We discussed the themes of friendship and trust in the book. Each student also got to bring home their own copy of the book.

In math students use their sense of sight, taste, and smell to graph different types of apples. In literacy we played a syllable game and wrote apple haikus. Ask your child how to use their Adam's apple to count syllables. Students also measured ingredients and followed step by step instructions to make a yummy apple crisp that we ate in the afternoon.

Nana Slaughter's Apple Crisp

Grease an 8x8 pan
Mix:
4 cups apples
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water

In a separate bowl use a pastry fork or regular fork to slightly blend
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter

Cook on 375 for 40 minutes. Yummy!

Don't forget to send your child's Halloween costume in on Friday. They should wear their regular clothes to school.

Globetrotters Get Around

This Friday we will be celebrating Halloween. Please send your child's costume in a bag so they can change into it at school. Label all pieces. Kids will travel in groups through the elementary classroom where they will make crafts and play games

On Monday the Globetrotters will be attending the Roanoke Valley Symphony. Kim Mucha has been preparing students for this trip for weeks. They are very excited.

Fall Festival Success

We had so much fun on Fall Festival last week. Kids had amazing adventures and everyone rolled with the punches when we woke up with no power and no water! Thank you so much to all the parents for being so flexible.

If you have pictures you are willing to share we would love to have a copy on CD or a flash drive. We are missing one of our Community School cameras that was handed out for students to take pictures. If you have it you can drop it off in one of our classrooms or in the office with Connie.

Katie would love to have some Nate the Great and Geronimo Stilton books donated to her classroom. If you have some gently used books you are willing to part with please send them in.

Please read in Quick Notes about the upcoming yard sale. What an easy way for you to help fund raise and clean out your basement.

This week we are continuing our study of North America. Kids are also reflecting on their experiences at Fall Festival. In math we are working on addition and subtraction.

Pictures are coming home today. Make sure you check your child's folder.

The Globe Trotters Are Learning So Much!

The Globetrotters have been working very hard in all subjects. Some days, when it's time to clean up, we are amazed to hear a groan or two, "I'm still working!".

In Keri's math class kids have been working on adding and subtracting from 100 and making change for a dollar. In Katie's math workshop kids were introduced to equivalent fractions while cooking with math buddies. We also continue to work on calendar skills.

In literacy we are reading and writing up a storm. Keri's literacy has written a group story and is illustrating it. Katie's class has picked their "just right" books and are working on descriptive writing.

In Social Studies we had a great time comparing and contrasting Keri's farm to the Booker T. Washington plantation. We also combined social studies and science by creating a group collage on the sites of Virginia.

Next Tuesday the students will be going on a hiking field trip. Please read the note sent home in your child's folder today.

A couple of quick notes.....

Just a reminder that we do show-n-share on Wednesday's for Keri's class and on Thursday's for Katie's class.

On every Wednesday, there is a bake sale. Items are only 50 cents and the proceeds go to groups at school. Please let me know if you do not want your child to have these treats.

For those that wish to purchase Lunch-A-Month, the orders need to be turned in on the Monday of that week. Payment is due at that time as well. This helps them know how many lunches to plan for.

Next Monday, October 4th, there will be no classes. The teachers will be here for a staff in-service.

Don't forget to return Parent/Caregiver Pledge sheets that were handed out in the packets at Gatherings.

Also, please turn in your Fall Festival forms.

And don't forget to pack that sweater or sweat shirt for those days when the weather is a little cooler. They are welcome to keep one here for those such days.

And most of all, thank you for all that you do. We appreciate all of the supplies that you have brought in as well.

We will go on our first field trip of the year on Tuesday, October 5th. We will need each child to pack a disposable lunch and to wear some shoes that they can hike in. We will be visiting a couple of places and we most likely will be a little dirty. So dress accordingly.

Updates and Corrections

CORRECTION!!! Please have Fall Festival Forms in by Friday, October 1st, not Tuesday, October 5th.

We need 1 or 2 chaperones for a hiking field trip we are planning for Tuesday, October 12th. This will be an all day trip.

We also need at least one driver for a possible field trip we are planning for October 5th.

Other upcoming field trips that will need drivers are November 1st and February 25th. Please let Katie or Keri know if you will be available.

Katie and Keri’s Classes

We will be traveling the globe this year and have some wonderful activities and trips in the works. Stay tuned for our first outing, the Fall Festival, Oct 13th through the 14th. Information will be coming home shortly.

Class Supply Wish List:
Paper towels
Low Odor Dry Erase Markers
Sandwich Size Ziplocs
Quart Size Ziplocs
Dixie Cups
Eating utensils.
A large container of Goldfish for those that forgot snack.

*if you are able to purchase one or two of these items for our classes, it will be much appreciated.

Here is our contact information:
kerij@communityschool.net
katiew@communityschool.net
Community School
7815 Williamson Road
Roanoke, VA 24019
540-563-5036 (Phone)
540-362-1183 (FAX)

Class Name Skits and Gatherings

In math this week we have been working on numeration and number sense. Kids have counted to 200, discovered number patterns, and written numbers to 100. We have also played number guessing games and skip counted.

We have been spending time getting to know our buddies. Katie's class had math buddies today with Katlyn's class. We taught them how to create an ABAB pattern using materials found on the playground. On Friday Keri's class made pet rocks with their buddies in Tulie's class.

In literacy we have been working on All About Me books and writing about a summer memory.

We are focusing on Roanoke,Virginia in social studies and science. In science we talked about Roanoke's original name, Big Lick and learned the difference between dissolving and diffusing. In Social Studies we are studying the state of Virginia and learning cool facts about this great state we live in.

DON'T FORGET: Gatherings tonight at 7:00. This is a great time to learn about teachers, the theme for the year, and fall festival. There is no child care provided.

Our name skits are tomorrow at 10:30. We will be revealing out secret class name in a skit. If you have time stop by and check them out.

Settling In

We have had such a great time getting acquainted and reacquainted with our students. What an amazing group of kids we have this year.

We have done many team building activities and established classroom guidelines. Yesterday students fingerprinted each other and did a classroom scavenger hunt. Today Keri's kids played math games and Katie's class had buddies with Katlyn's class.

We are looking forward to the middle schooler's playground skits tomorrow. The first week of school has flown by!

First Day of School

We had a great day of school. We gathered together and learned about each other. Here are some photos from the day: