Parent/Teacher Conferences

We have scheduled Parent/Teacher Conferences for October 24th.  I have made contact with most of my parents, for the rest of you I have sent a note home with your child TODAY.  I am very flexible on meeting with you.  If, for some reason, you can't make it, call me and we will do the conference over the phone.  Most of my conferences are on a 10 minute schedule.  If I have trouble with a student, I am not going to wait until October to talk with mom/dad.  So, they are quick, easy, and USUALLY pain-free.  Please feel free to contact me if you need to change a time or can't make it on the 24th.  :>)

dana.westmoreland@cavecity.ncsc.k12.ar.us

Riley Claire's First Day of School

My baby started HeadStart on September 3, 2013.  We had planned on NOT sending her to school this year.  She was doing so well at Grannie's house, she is very involved at church with the other children, and (even though she is mine) she is pretty smart.  HOWEVER....She had other plans!  She begged me to send her to school this year.  After talking it over with Daddy, we decided Angie Womack would be wonderful for her.  It was a tough day for mom, sniff, sniff.  Dad had a rough time the entire week, sniff, sniff, boo-hoo.  But she loves it and I wouldn't change a thing!

New way to multiply!

Here's a new way that I have taught students to multiply.  Yes, yes, I know...this is TOTALLY different than the way us old people learned to multiply.  Through the years, I have seen this helping SO many students when they move on to algebra.  This is taking the Distributive Property of Multiplication and applying it in the early grades.  We expand the numbers, multiply them, and then add our products.  I have even began doing this myself when I am multiplying.  Old habits are hard to break.  But I have accepted this as MY WAY to multiply double digit numbers!

This is sideways....I couldn't get it to turn.  But we made notes into our math journals about this method.  Here is an example from Jacob Jones...

Using our post-it notes while reading

I found this on www.pinterest.com.  I realized that, as a student myself, I always had to write and take notes about what I was reading in order to understand it.  My students are the same way.  In my mini lesson over post-it notes, I handed out this on cardstock paper and had them glue in into their Reading Response Journals.  We had a HUGE discussion over what they thought this meant.  "Going back and re-reading makes you understand better." "Going back and taking notes helps you to comprehend it more." "Your pencil is like digging a hole, except in your brain." WOW...they totally got it!  They loved this so much that they asked if I could turn these into bookmarks.  You BET!  is all I could say.  I got them bookmarks that day.  And we continue to dig...

www.pinterest.com

Rounding Numbers... Who knew it was so hard!!!???

When we started rounding numbers, we began with 2 digit numbers.  "NO PROBLEM" was the comment I heard from all of my 4th graders.  We moved on to 3 digit.  I got the same response.  I was so proud... Maybe this year will be easier!!!  WRONG!!!  We struggled.  I would model, have the kids work in groups, work them out, share on the projector, share on the board, share, share, share....  And on independent assignments, even my best rounders would bomb it!  So I found a neat little sheet on www.teacherspayteachers.com.  I printed it out and shared it with my students.  FINALLY, we caught on to this whole rounding idea.
www.teacherspayteachers.com

In the words of Olivia Smith:  "5 or more, raise the score!  4 or less, let it rest!"

Welcome to Mrs. Dana's Class, Lenny!

We got a surprise this morning....  A classroom pet.  Robert & Jake Hutchison brought their pet guinea pig for us to "enjoy" in our classroom.  We have named him Lenny.  As long as I don't have to touch the little rat, I don't mind. ;)

Lightin' Up for Lil

Family members and close friends of my sister-in-law, Chrysti Turner, got a group together and ran the Afterglow 5K as part of the White River Water Carnival on September 22nd. We had pink and orange glow-in-the-dark shirts that said "Lightin' up for Lil" on the front.  It was rough.  It was tough.  There was a lot of sweat.  But we all did it!  I finished 688 out of almost 1100 people.  Yes, I know that really stinks... but for my first time to run...and to be as "thick" as I am...I was pretty proud!

Elizabeth Smith & me before the race.

Marion Herrington & Grannie Linda Kay before the race

Paislee & Grannie before the race.


There weren't any pics after the race.  We were too sweaty, stinky, & tired to worry about pictures!