Dear Parents,
Ms. Dastrup and I thank you for all of your kindness and support. It is such a joy to be working together with you to help these wonderful children grow and learn. Thanks to all who donated supplies and to all of you who came to help with our class party today. The kids had a really nice time! A great big thank you to our room parents, Kathleen Huntsman and Alysa Davis for all of their time and effort in planning and organizing the party!! You all amaze me. ENJOY your time together with your family and friends this holiday season. I look forward to seeing you again in the new year.
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Hello Parents,
There is excitement in the air as the weather is getting colder and the holidays are drawing nearer. Our class has been doing a great job of staying focused and working hard. I am very proud of their good efforts. Here are a few things to keep in mind before school lets out for winter break. DECEMBER BOOK REPORTS: The snowman book reports are DUE ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19TH. Your child may read a book from ANY GENRE for this book report. They will write a short summary of the book on the snowman form, and then cut it out and glue it onto colorful paper. If you need colored paper, your child can bring a piece home from our classroom. READING CALENDARS: December reading calendars are not due until JANUARY 3rd, so keep reading during the winter break! It would be a great time to find a good book to share together. I would love to hear about what books your kids are reading! WINTER BREAK & END OF 2ND TERM: Our school will be closed for winter break from Wednesday, DECEMBER 20TH through Tuesday, JANUARY 2nd. Classes will resume on Wednesday, JANUARY 3rd. The second term will be ending shortly after our winter break. Please take a moment to check your ASPIRE account. If your child has any missing assignments, winter break would be a great time to get them completed. HRP BOOKS: Please return all of your home reading program books (“baggie books”) on Friday, DECEMBER 15th. We will resume the HRP program again in January. CLASS CHRISTMAS PARTY & EARLY OUT: Tuesday, DECEMBER 19th is an EARLY OUT DAY. We will be having a party for our class in the afternoon, from 12:30 - 1:15. You are welcome to join us. Our classroom parents, Kathleen Huntsman and Alysa Davis, have sent out an email for those who wish to volunteer or donate party supplies. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. https://novotnenews.weebly.com/parent-involvement.html DANCE RECITAL VOLUNTEER: We are beginning to plan our end-of-year dance routine for the Odyssey Dance Festival. I am looking for a parent who would like to volunteer time to help our kids learn their dance routine. I will be sending out a separate email with more information. Let me know if this is something that would interest you. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * It is such a pleasure teaching your children! Thank you for all of your support and encouragement. Have a great weekend! Hello Parents,
Our class has had a great couple of days talking about gratitude and learning about our Thanksgiving holiday. There is NO SCHOOL tomorrow or the remainder of the week, so ENJOY your time together as a family. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! I am so grateful to be teaching your wonderful children. I am also so grateful for your support, which makes our class and our school a great place to learn. Thank you for choosing to be a part of Odyssey Charter School. I will see you all on Monday! Hello Parents,
We are learning so much in our class. I truly enjoy teaching your children. They are bright and eager to learn, and they have been working hard and doing their best. PICTURE RETAKE DAY is tomorrow - Thursday, November 9th. Please have order forms and payment ready and send it to school with your child. Your child will bring it along as he/she goes to get pictures taken. Please be sure that your child is dressed in school uniform. All students must have their picture taken (even if you are not ordering prints), so if your child was not here on picture day, we will have him/her take a photo tomorrow. STUDENT OF THE WEEK SCHEDULE: Please take a look at the attached Student of the Week schedule, and mark the date on your calendar for your child’s week. Students are asked to make a poster presentation, sharing with the class favorite hobbies, foods, activities, etc.. Our student presentations are on Wednesdays. EGYPT CET: Thank you to all of the parents who have volunteered to help or donate supplies for our upcoming CET on Friday, November 17th. We are still in need of 5 volunteers. If you would like to come and help, please send an email to our CET coordinator. This is the note from our CET coordinator: It will be on Friday, November 17th from 1:15-2:45. We will have an informal meeting on Wednesday, November 15th from 1:45-2pm where you will find out what to do for the activity you are running. Signing up to volunteer doesn't mean you need to come up with an activity (everything is already planned), I just need some parents to run the activities. As a reminder: ** Please be at the school by 1:15pm and expect to stay until 2:45 to help with cleanup. ** Please park outside the car pool area ** Please, no younger siblings CURRICULUM: This week we are learning about ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt. We are learning about the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia and the Nile River in Egypt, and how they helped the crops to bring food to the people living nearby. We are learning how the water was directed through canals, and how King Nebuchadnezzar built the Hanging Gardens for his queen. We are also learning about the pyramids of Egypt, and the great Sphinx, and about the hieroglyphic writing of the Egyptian people. We are working on the sight words: see, the, in, so Have a great week. Hello Parents,
We have an exciting week ahead! HALLOWEEN PARADE & PARTY: You are welcome to see our historical and book characters on parade tomorrow at 9:00 in the gym. It is so fun to see all of the creativity. You are welcome to join us also in the afternoon for our class Halloween party. The fun will begin at 1:45. Thank you to all who have already sent in donations for our afternoon festivities! If you are going to join us for the party, please plan to remain at school until 2:55. Students leaving before this time will need to be checked out at the front office, and this will affect their wristband attendance award. OCTOBER READING CALENDARS: Our class did an excellent job getting their October Book Reports done and turned in. NOW I NEED OCTOBER READING CALENDARS. Please send these to school with your child this week! WRISTBAND REWARDS: Students who have had perfect (punctual, all-day) attendance, proper uniform attire, and great participation throughout the entire month of October will earn their wristbands this Thursday. If your child earns a wristband, they are entitled to a FREE DRESS DAY on Friday!! They will also be invited to a little game time in the gym on Friday afternoon. (They may bring a game to share with their friends.) ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS ASSEMBLY: This Friday, November 3rd, we will be holding our Achievement Awards Assembly in the gym at 8:45. You are welcome to come and congratulate our hard-working students as they receive a variety of academic and achievement awards. Hello Parents,
I hope that you all enjoyed your fall break. It is nice to be back together again. Our class has done such a great job of jumping back into our routines and hard work. Welcome, to the beginning of the 2nd term. I am excited to see all that your children are going to accomplish these next few months. BOOK REPORTS: October book reports are due THIS FRIDAY. The genre for this month is HISTORICAL FICTION - The story is made up, but the setting is an actual historical event or time period. The book should describe the characteristics of that period in history. CLASSICAL CHARACTER PARADE: On Tuesday, October 31st all of our book characters will come to life in our classical character parade. I have heard from most of you about costume ideas for your children, but if you have not let me know what character your child has chosen, please send an email to me. We are asking that the characters come DIRECTLY FROM A BOOK rather than a movie. Please DO NOT choose characters that are excessively violent, in the form of death, or a superhero or character that comes from a comic book. You are welcome to join us for our assembly on October 31st, We will be in the multi-purpose room (the gym) from 8:45-9:30. Hello Parents,
It has been such a lovely week with the leaves changing colors, and the brisk morning temperatures. I hope that you all are looking forward to fall break. It is so nice to be able to enjoy family time and savor these final days of warm weather. FALL BREAK begins Thursday, October 19th and continues through Monday, October 23rd. Just a couple of reminders in the meantime: ODYSSEY T-SHIRTS: Odyssey apparel can still be ordered online, but please be sure orders are placed by TOMORROW AFTERNOON (WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19th). END OF FIRST TERM: Tomorrow is the final day of the first term. Congratulations to all of our first graders who have worked so hard. If you have any assignments that need to be turned in, please send them with your student tomorrow. OCTOBER BOOK REPORTS: You may want to choose a book for your child’s book report to read during the fall break. Book reports are due on October 27th. HALLOWEEN PARTY: Our room parents, Kathleen and Alysa, have sent out an email with information regarding our Halloween party on October 31st. Please consider if you would like to sign up to help with the party, or if you would be able to donate supplies. There is a sign-up form included with the email. Your support makes our activities a success, and I thank you in advance for your involvement. I am so grateful for the opportunity to partner with you. I love teaching your children, and I am so proud of how they are growing and learning. Thank you for all of your support. Hello Parents,
It has been a busy week and I want to remind you of a few upcoming events. HALLOWEEN COSTUMES / CLASSICAL PARADE - On October 31 we will have a Classical Character Parade here at Odyssey. You are welcome to come and watch the parade - it is a lot of fun to see all of the creative costumes. Join us in the gym from 9:00 - 9:45. At Odyssey, we celebrate classical characters for Halloween, so we are asking your child to dress as a historical figure, or as character who originates from a book. We will not allow any gory, violent, or inherently evil characters, nor will we allow any weapons, masks, or whole face make-up. Please complete the COSTUME FORM that I sent home with your child and return it by this Friday, October 13. The form simply lets us know the character that you have chosen. (See the Classical Characters PDF below if you do not have a copy.) Students who want to participate in the costume parade need to complete our OCTOBER BOOK REPORT and turn it in by Friday, October 27th. ODYSSEY T-SHIRT ORDERS - Odyssey T-shirts are now available for purchase. These T-shirts may be worn by students every Friday (with uniform bottoms). If you would like to purchase an Odyssey T-shirt, please complete your order online. All orders are due by WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18th. This is the ONLY time this school year that you will have the opportunity to purchase any Odyssey apparel. Please purchase shirts in your ASSIGNED HOUSE COLOR. I sent a form home with your child last week, letting you know your house color, but if you have any questions, please contact the front office. VISION SCREENING - The students participated in a vision screening this week. If there are any areas of concern, the school will let you know. KEYBOARDING SKILLS - Each week we have a time allocated for computer use. The students are practicing their typing skills, and it is exciting to see their progress. Many of the students are interested in practicing at home, so I wanted to send you a link to the program that we use: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr (BBC Dance Mat Typing). OCTOBER BOOK REPORT - Our genre for this month’s book report is historical fiction. I have attached a list of books by genre from our OCS book list, but please remember that there is a wide selection of books that would be great for your students. You can check with your local librarian, or stop by our library here at the school to find a great selection. Please have the Paper Bag Puppet book report turned in by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27th. THANK YOU - Thank you to all of you who donated supplies and provided help for our Human Body CET! The students really had a great time learning about their bodies. Your support makes such a difference! AMBASSADOR OF LOYALTY - Our character value for the month of October is LOYALTY, and it has been fantastic to see our class rallying around each other in an effort to encourage and support one another. Congratulations to Leonel, our Ambassador of Loyalty. Leonel is a kind friend and he has a genuine concern for the interests and well-being of his classmates. We are proud to have him in our class. I want to let you know how much I love teaching your kids. Thank you for letting me know about your questions and concerns. Please remind your kids to talk with me and let me know if they have any problems at school. I am here to help and support them, and I am happy to help them find the solutions that they need. Hello Parents,
Thank you so much to all of you who came to parent-teacher conferences last week. It was so nice to meet with you and to hear your questions and ideas. Our conversations have given me points of new inspiration for working with your children. We have such a busy, exciting week ahead. SCHOOL PHOTOS - Tuesday, October 3rd (TOMORROW) is our picture day. If you plan to order pictures, please have your child bring the picture order form along with any payment to class. We will have the students give the order forms directly to the photographer as pictures are taken. ALL STUDENTS WILL HAVE PHOTOS TAKEN, regardless of whether or not you are purchasing photos. PLEASE BE SURE THAT STUDENTS ARE DRESSED IN PROPER UNIFORM ATTIRE. CET - This week we are finishing our study of the human body, and this FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6TH will be our Human Body CET. If you are donating any items, please be sure to turn them in as soon as possible. Thank you so much to all who have donated, and thanks also to those who are planning to help on Friday afternoon. Your support is what makes this such a dynamic time of learning for our students. OCTOBER READING CALENDARS & BOOK REPORT FORMS - I will send October reading calendars home with your child tomorrow so that you can begin recording home reading minutes. Our goal for each student is to be reading 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week (400 minutes in a month). Our genre for October book reports is HISTORICAL FICTION. Take a look on our classical literature list for some great books to read, but please know that there may be many other great books from which to choose. Please let me know if you have a book idea that is not on our reading list. CURRICULUM - This week we are learning about taking care of our bodies - eating nutritious food, exercising, and getting plenty of rest. We will also be learning about germs and about 2 scientists (Louis Pasteur and Edward Jenner) who made great scientific breakthroughs concerning germs and disease prevention. We are learning the elements of line in art, and we will be making a reproduction of The Swan by Henri Matisse. We will also be reading a historical fiction book about John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed. Mr. Chapman was a pioneer who traveled across the American west, introducing and planting apple trees as he went. Hello Parents,
I am so thankful to be teaching such a wonderful group of children. I am so proud of the hard work and growth that I am seeing in our class. Let me share some things that are happening this week: PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES: I am looking forward to meeting with you this WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th (2:00 - 7:00) and 28th (2:00 - 5:00). I am excited to talk with you about the great things your kids are doing, and the potential I see in them. If you have not yet made an appointment, you can schedule online, or contact the front office. EARLY OUT DAYS: Due to parent teacher conferences, we will have two early out days this week. Please plan to pick up your children at 1:30 on WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR: Come check out the great selection of books at the Book Fair this week. Books are set up in the gym. This is a great opportunity to encourage your kids to read! SCHOOL PHOTOS: Students will be taking school photos on Tuesday, October 3rd. Flyers have been sent home regarding purchase prices. CET: Our first CET for our first-graders is on Friday, October 6th. This is such a great time for our students to participate in fun activities that reinforce the knowledge they have gained during our Human Body unit. Thank you so much for all of you who are able to donate time and supplies to make this a success. If you did not receive an email, but would like to sign up to help, please let me know. FABLES/GEOGRAPHY BOOKS: I am sending home geography books and fables books that the kids worked on in class. If there are incomplete pages, your child can do the work at home and return it for credit. For the fables, you will need to read the story (you can easily find them online) and have your child write the moral of the story. BOOK REPORTS & READING CALENDARS: Please remember that September book reports and reading calendars are due THIS FRIDAY. |
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