AR Reminder

Don't forget, all 6th grade students are required to get 5 AR points this 9 weeks. If you would like to see if a book has an AR test go to www.arbookfind.com . Happy Reading!

Red Ribbon Week

October 25th - October 29th

"Be a Superhero: Have the Power to say No to Drugs & Alcohol"

Theme Days:

Monday, October 25th: "Rally in Red. . . Don't be Silly. . . Don't Use Drugs Day!"

(Wear red, silly bands, and silly socks.)

Tuesday, October 26th: "Drugs Will Mix You Up Day!"

(Wear mismatched clothes and shoes)

Wednesday, October 27th: "Shade Out Drugs Day!"

(Wear hats and sunglasses.)

Thursday, October 28th: "Drugs Will Make You Crazy Day!"

(Wear crazy hair.)

Friday, October 29th: "Team Up Against Drugs Day!"

(Wear a team shirt or jersey.)

Book Report

Have you noticed your child reading recently? Hopefully, you have. Newbery book reports are due on November 5th. Students have been given directions for their reports, and should be working a little each evening on the requirements. I am encouraging them not to wait until the last minute. Learning to plan ahead will be a very useful skill next year. Happy Reading!

Apples Wanted

October 27th is Apple Crunch Day. We are in need of apple donations for our classroom activities. If you are willing to donate a bag of apples please send a note in with your son or daughter, or email me. We are looking forward to an apple filled day. As always thanks for your support.

Kindness

Loser is a tender story about Donald Zinkoff, a young character who demonstrates great self-acceptance and wh0 is not afraid to fail. With the encouragement of his family, he learns to approach life with a positive spirit and to enjoy all that it has to offer. Donald faces the familiar challenges of elementary-aged children: disagreeable teacher, peer pressure, social conformity, and competition. By maintaining a strong sense of self through his experiences, Donald Zinkoff teaches us all about important and unforgettable lessons of self-esteem and happiness.

Loser is our first read aloud for the year. We are using the book to review many reading skills. Additionally, we will be using the book as a basis for our first few bi-weekly bullying prevention meetings. Please take a few moments to ask your child what they think of the book, and its main character.

Welcome Back

It is hard to believe we are back in school. The summer just flew by. The first few days have been warm and wonderful. I have enjoyed meeting all of the students. We have a great class this year in 212. I encourage each of you to discuss your child's first few days of school. Sixth grade is truly a busy and exciting place to be.

Busy

The past couple of months seem to have flown by. As always we have been busy in 212. From Heinz Hall to Dr. Seuss we have had a great time. Please remind your child to continue to work hard. As the end of the year approaches we continue to have things to learn.

AR Reminder

Just a quick reminder that students are required to get 10 AR points this nine weeks. We now have a new AR computer program. The great thing about the new program is we now have more availabe AR tests. That means students now have more books to pick from to get AR points. Also, the books we read in class have AR tests to help students earn points.

Americanism Essay Contest

Room 212 is once again taking part in The Americanism Essay Contest. This contest is sponsored by Dehart-Rossman-Wenner American Legion Auxiliary of Lamartine. This year's title is "What Is My Patriotic Role As A US Citizen." Each student will compose an essay with this title. The essay must contain 250 to 300 words. Each essay should be typed or written on compostion paper. The essays are due on Wednesday, February 24, 2010. Please encourage your son or daughter to share their essay with you.

Olweus Assembly

Congratulations to Room 212 for performing an excellent skit at the Olweus Assembly on Tuesday. The assembly focused on remembering to be kind to others. Students who have been caught being kind this year were recognized at the assembly. Please ask your son or daughter if they have been caught this year.

Jump For Heart and Fuel Up To Play 60

Students at KES are celebrating Jump For Heart Month. Along with Jump For Heart, students are tracking their physical activity and healthy eating choices for the next 6 weeks. Please sign your child's tracking sheet each week. Every week that your child returns the tracking sheet he or she will be rewarded with some extra physical activity.

Caring Week

Next week Keystone Elementary will be celebrating "Caring Week." During the week students will learn to be "Bucket Fillers" not "Bucket Dippers." Are you wondering what that means? Let me explain. . . . Each of us carries an invisible bucket. It gets filled up when someone says or does something nice for us, or when we say or do something nice in return. The opposite of a "Bucket Filler" is a "Bucket Dipper." A "Bucket Dipper" is someone who tries to fill their own bucket by "dipping" from others' buckets. They do this by being unkind. We are striving to be a class of 6th grade "Bucket Fillers." Each week we will share with each other how someone else helped to fill our bucket or how we were "Bucket Fillers." Please talk with your child about how he or she can be a "Bucket Filler."