MRS. GIBSON’S BLOG

It is hard to believe that we are down to only five weeks left in the school year! This year has flown by! Before it gets away completely, I want to tell you how much I have enjoyed teaching your children this year. Thank you for sharing them with me!

One word of caution, however. Students often think once TCAP tests are complete that the school year is over. This is far from the case. We still have MUCH to teach and the children still have MUCH to learn! Please help your child understand this. Encourage your son or daughter to continue to complete work and study diligently until the year has truly come to an end.

Again, thank you for a great year!

We have all read or heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast becomes even more important for our children on testing days. However, all breakfast menus are not equal. It is known that food high in refined sugars will temporarily send blood-sugar levels high which gives quick energy. However, after about thirty minutes, the blood-sugar level drops lower than it was before. Low blood-sugar levels can cause fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, excessive hunger, and drowsiness. To prevent these types of effects, try to avoid highly sugared cereals, pancakes or waffles with lots of syrup. Foods high in protein take longer to digest which in turn delays feelings of hunger. The traditional bacon and egg breakfast is one possibility that meets this criteria. One way to give your child a boost in doing the best he/she can on the TCAP is to start their day off with a nutritious, high protein breakfast.

Yes, once again TCAP testing time has rolled around. The dates for these tests will be Tuesday, April 15 through Friday, April 18. Many parents ask what they can do to help their child be prepared for TCAP. Here are a few ideas:
Note the test dates on your home calendar.
Schedule appointments on non-testing days.
Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep.
Make sure your child arrives at school on time and relaxed.
See that your child eats a good breakfast.
Do not send your child if it is apparent that he/she is ill.
Encourage your child to do the best work possible.

Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do to help your child achieve this year.

Parents and students, I wanted to give you a little heads-up about the homework this week. The assignments will be done on the computer. Students will need to get online. In the URL box, they will need to type www.thinklinklearning.com and hit “enter.” Once connected with the website, they will click on “student login.” They will then click on the orange box which says “Practice Probe.” In the box that comes up next, they will type in the code number that is given both on the agenda board in the classroom and on the homework pages on this blog. There is a different code for each day so it is important that they type in the correct code for that day. Next, they are asked to enter their name. Instead of simply typing in their name, they will need to put their class period first, then a comma, then their last name followed by their first name. For example: 2nd, Jones John. Then they click on the “Begin Probe” and complete the problems. When they have finished, they will need to print out a copy of their test results if they have a printer available to them. The children will need to bring this printout to class with them. If it is not possible to print out the results, I can access them from school. It is just not as neat and concise as the printout they will get. A different practice probe will the the homework each night Monday through Thursday. The children actually seem to enjoy getting to do their math homework on the computer instead of on a worksheet with a pencil.

The homework assignments for the week of March 31 - April 4 are now posted. The assignments for this week are longer than the usual homework assignments up til now. This is because we are reviewing for the upcoming TCAP tests. Should your child have difficulty with a particular problem or type of problem, please tell him/her to be sure to ask about it when we go over the homework. As always, these assignments are not carved in stone. Should there be a change in the assignment, I will make note of it here on the blog. Have a wonderful week!

Please make note that there is a change in Wednesday and Thursday night’s homework for the regular math classes. Since the skills that were originally scheduled to be taught will not be tested on the TCAP, I decided to begin reviewing skills which have already been taught rather than begin new skills. As a result, the homework for these two nights has been changed. The skills that were originally planned will be taught after TCAP.

Today NASA/Honeywell will be presenting a program to all of the students here at Schilling Farms. The sixth grade program will be from 1:15 until 2:15. It will be interesting and exciting to see the types of information and technology they will be showing to the children and telling them about. When you think about it, some of our children may be the inventors and developers of new technology just like what they will see and learn about today! After all, someone is going to be making these new discoveries…who is to say it won’t be one of our children! You might ask your child what he/she learned from the presentation today!

Many thanks to all of you who sent in cans last week for the Kids Kan collection. For the sixth grade Mrs. Gibson’s homeroom came in first place, Mrs. Emerling’s homeroom came in second place, and Mrs. Norton’s homeroom came in third place!!! Way to go Team 6 D!! Again, thanks to all for your participation.

A big Thank You to all of you who sent canned goods via your child for our annual Kids Kan drive! At the time of this writing, we do not know which class won in terms of bringing in the most cans, but in truth, the actual winners are those people who have a real and often desperate need for these items. Again, thank you so much for modeling civic mindedness and compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves. These are lessons that are best learned out of the classroom and in real life.

Parents and students, this is the week of our Kids Kan food drive. The types of food that have been requested are peanut butter, canned fruit and vegetables, canned fruit juices, canned meat and tuna, jars of baby food packed separately, and ramen noodles. If you have these types of items in your pantry or if you would be willing to go to Sam’s or your favorite grocery store and buys these items for our annual food drive, the people who would directly benefit from your generosity would be very grateful. This is such a perfect opportunity to model for our children how important it is to give to our community. I thank you in advance for your generous participation in this all important food drive.