Welcome Back!

Welcome Back Everyone!   

I hope you all had a peaceful and restful winter break.  We are in full swing at Earl Boyles, as January is a busy month.  Everyone is excited to begin cursive, explore fractions, and to learn about the history of Portland. As always, please call or email if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach me at 503-256-6500 x 8145 or linda_long@ddouglas.k12.or.us

Important Things to Remember:

1.  Send back Wednesday Folders.

2.  Homework is sent home on Wednesdays and is due the 

following Wednesday.  Please send a note if you have special 

circumstances.

3.  Reading Logs are due at the end of each month.

4. For those who have Internet access, please aim for 15 minutes of daily practice on IXL or another math website listed on my blog.

New Year’s Resolutions: Revisit your child's goals that we created during conferences!

Here are a few things you can do at home with your child to help build his 

or her reading skills:

*Point out the relationships between print and meaning when your child looks at labels, boxes, newspapers, magazines, and signs.

*Continue to listen to your child read words and books from home.

*Have your child reread familiar books.

*Build reading accuracy by asking your child to fix a sentence if s/he missed a word.

*Build reading comprehension by talking with your child about what  s/he is reading.  Ask about new words to build vocabulary skills.

*The Multnomah County Library has books on tape for everyone to check out.  Some are bilingual! 

*Choose a book that is above your child’s reading level to read to your child.  This will challenge their comprehension and excite them to grow as a reader without frustrating them with decoding that is too hard for them. 

This year elementary students will receive two report cards. The first report card will be sent home by mail in February. 

Important Upcoming Dates at

 Earl Boyles:

Spirit Assembly:
Monday, January 26th at 2:15
Hat Day!

No School:

Thursday, January 29^th

Professional Development

No School:

January 30^st

End of 1st semester grading period. Teacher work day.

We'll see you back at school on Monday, January 5th, 2015!

We sure had fun celebrating the end of 2014!

Don't forget to read every day!

Practice your math facts over break!

Remember to revisit your goals from conferences!

Holiday Party

Friday, December 19^th

Just taking some time to celebrate the beginning

of winter and the end of 2014! Students are welcome to bring a board game to play with other students. We will also have popcorn and a movie.

                Pajama Day

December 19th—

We are celebrating the last day before Winter Break with pajamas and a Sing-Along starting at 2:15 in the gym.   

Winter Break

December 20th - January 5

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Make sure to read everyday!

  

IXL/Xtra Math UPDATE:

Over Winter break, please encourage your child to practice IXL or Xtra Math for 15 min. daily. We are working on multiplication fluency (up to 10) in class and simple division. 

Celebrations~ Yesterday students took a four minute timed multiplication quiz with 64 problems.  Everyone showed growth from last month's quiz! Keep up the great work and practice!

The following students mastered this test with a score of 57 or above and have moved on to division facts: Adil, Aidan, Adrian, Evan, and Kayley! Our next quiz will happen in mid-January.

Thank You for Attending Conferences!

Thank you to everyone who attended conferences. Thank you for coming and spending the time. I really appreciate your support. Copies of your student's goals will be in their homework folder tomorrow. We'll also be revisiting these goals every week at school. Setting AND working toward goals is an important life skill. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

Again, my email address is: linda_long@ddouglas.k12.or.us 
My phone number is: 503-256-6500 x 8145.

There were so many great questions at Conferences!  Here are a few reminders:

*Homework sheets come home on Wednesday and are due the following Wednesday.  Please let me know if you ever have special circumstances.  I am very respectful of family time and understand that, sometimes, family obligations take priority over homework.  Just let me know ahead of time if possible. 

*Rockin’ Readers Reading Logs – They come home at the beginning of the month.  As a part of our required homework, each child needs to read 15 or more minutes each school night.  It is okay to make up those minutes on another day if he or she misses a day.  Also, if you read to your child, that counts!  MOST IMPORTANTLY … they are due at the end of the month. Thanks for sending in those November Logs!

  

*Xtra Math: I am asking that families with Internet access please include 10 minutes of practice each night on Xtra Math. Let's do our best to use this resource to strengthen math skills! 

https://xtramath.org/signin/student

December’s character trait is Integrity. Integrity means to do the right thing, even when someone isn’t looking. Talk to you child about a time when he or she showed integrity.

I am thankful for...

Students used their Chrome books to access the Padlet website and write about things for which they were thankful. 

Do You Think P.E. is Important?

Good Afternoon! Students in room 21 had a great week. In writing, we learned language to state opinions. Today I asked students the following question: Do you think P.E. is important?

Here are some students' opinions on the matter:

I believe physical education or P.E. is not important. I feel this way because us kids have to work the pacer test and stretches, 4 corners, mingle, and the actual pacer. An example of this is after gym we do recess and I'm sweating like a hedgehog. Additionally, after gym I'm aching. p.s. we do too many stretches. Therefore, I think physical ed is not important.
By: Corbin

On the other hand...

I believe that P.E. is important. I feel this way because it increases your strength and it makes you healthy. An example of this is when you don't go to P.E.  you can't stay healthy. Additionally, P.E. makes your body do work. Therefore, I think that P.E. is important for your body.
By: Evan

Conversely...

I believe P.E. is not important. I feel this way because we don't do anything. An example of this is he makes you run 20 inches. Additionally, we play games. Therefore, I think PE is not important.
By: Hailee

And finally...

I believe that P.E. is helpful because P.E. is an important subject in school. I feel this way because when you're at school you're normally sitting doing your work. But with P.E. you have more time to get exercise. An example of this is when you're sitting sometimes your blood doesn't flow as much as it should. Additionally, P.E. gives you a lot of exercise and helps your body. Therefore, I think P.E. is important subject in school.
By: Anna

We will spend the next few weeks learning how to state opinions with supporting details and evidence. :)

Now for some updates and reminders...

*There is no school this Monday (Teacher Work Day) or Tuesday (Veterans Day). 

*We've been working on multiplication and division in math. Students may use the following website for fluency practice: https://xtramath.org/signin/student. The site asks for my email address: linda_long@ddouglas.k12.or.us, your student's name, and PIN. Many students have their PIN memorized however, next Wednesday I'll be sending home your student's PIN in his or her folder.

*Thank you to Liliana, Corbin, Kayley, Adil, Hailee, and Adrian's families for donating snacks the past few weeks!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the November sunshine!

Fall Conferences

Fall Conferences

November 24th and 25th

I look forward to meeting with all of you at fall conference time. Thank you for quickly returning your time and date preferences. In this week's Wednesday folder, you will find a confirmation sheet.  I tried my best to give everyone their first choice.  Also, I gave priority to families in the order in which they turned in their preference sheet.  If your scheduled time doesn’t work, call me at school or send me an email and we will reschedule.  Please bring your child with you to conferences so that we can all work together!  Conference times are tightly scheduled together because of families with multiple children and those who need interpreters, so please arrive on time.  Kim and Denese (in the office) will have a copy of our schedule in case you misplace your confirmation sheet.

Thank you!

Days to Note:

No school on the following days:

Monday, November 10

(Teacher Grading Day)

Tuesday, Nov 11

(Veterans Day Observed)

Monday & Tuesday, Nov. 24-25 (Conferences) 

*Please note:

Monday, November 24th -- 2 pm dismissal

Wed/Thurs/Fri, Nov. 26-28(Thanksgiving)