Multiplication Marches On

Despite the busy season we are continuing to work toward mastery of the multiplication facts through 10. Many of the children are diligent about practicing online, learning their facts and earning behavior bucks in the process. The children are continuing to earn parts of their ice cream sundaes, working toward an actual sundae that will be delicious to eat! Ask your child which factor he is working on now and please encourage him to play the multiplication games available through my math links.

Tangram Challenge

Today we read Grandfather Tang's Story, a Tale Told with Tangrams. We read the book and also made animals we saw online. The children then worked on a GA Performance Task, combining tans to make new shapes. They used their knowledge of number of sides in plane figures and types of angles to do this task. I added a link for a Tangram Challenge. Your children are ready to challenge you! Good luck---they've been practicing!

Thanksgiving Food Drive, November 1-11

We will be collecting nonperishable food items to benefit local families. Please support this very special project. All items should be dropped off on the stage in the cafeteria. Some of the items needed for the families are as follows:

*Grocery Store Gift Certificates (drop off in the front office)
Cereal Canned Vegetables
Cranberry Sauce Cake mix with canned frosting
Canned Yams Boxed jello and pudding
Boxed Stuffing Boxed Mashed Potatoes
Canned soup Canned fruit
Canned beans Rice Pasta Gravy

We have a lot of families to help this year so please bring in food items!!!! Thank you for your support!

Fossil Fun

OK boys and girls! Here it is by popular demand: The Burying Bodies Game. Go to the Science section and click on the fossil link for your fossil fun at home. Enjoy!

Multiplication Madness Goes On

We are continuing to work on memorizing our multiplication facts through 10. The children are earning parts of an ice cream sundae as they work their way from 0 through 10. So far all have earned the bowl (facts 0-1) and most 1/2 of a banana ( the 2 facts). The children are striving to earn the rest of the banana, scoops of ice cream, whipped cream, and the cherry on top! Please encourage your child to practice nightly through the multiplication games linked to this blog. It is a fun way to commit the facts to memory. We will be eating real ice cream sundaes in the future when we have earned our way to the cherry on top!

Notice to Parents

Annual Notice of Asbestos Management Plan:

A copy of the Inspections Report and Management Plan for detecting, controlling and informing the public of any asbestos containing materials that may exist at Keheley is available for public review in the administrative offices during normal working hours. Copies are available, upon written request, only in complated sets at twenty-five (25) cents per sheet.

Multiplication Madness!

Dear boys and girls,
Remember, you can earn ONE behavior buck for every 15 minutes spent playing a multiplication game. Go to the Multliplication Games link on this blog and choose one that appeals to you. Play for 15 minutes, and then have your parent write me a note verifying your time. These games will be so helpful to you as you are working to learn your facts with fluency.

Thanksgiving and Cobb Christmas Programs

WHAT: Thanksgiving and Cobb Christmas Programs Registration

770.428.2601, extension 414

WHEN: Tuesday, October 4 and Wednesday, October 5, 2011

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The number of applications accepted each day will be limited.

Registration may close earlier than 4 p.m., depending on the number of people waiting to be screened.

WHERE : Cobb Civic Center, 548 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060

Applicants must be low income and live in Cobb County. Cobb Christmas applicants must have

dependent children living in the household with them. We will not be able to verify benefits with
DFCS. All applicants must bring the following documents:

• Picture ID such as a driver’s license for the applicant;

• Social Security cards or birth certificates for all household members;

• Written verification of all household income for the previous 4 weeks such as check stubs or

letter from employer on letterhead;

• Written verification of all unearned income such as TANF, unemployment, workman’s comp,
Social Security, SSI, or child support, etc.; and

• Verification of residency in Cobb such as a lease, utility bill in your name, etc.

En Espanol: Registración de los Programas de Acción de Gracias y Navidad

770.428.2601, extensión 414

CUANDO

Martes, el 4 de octubre y miércoles, el 5 de octubre, 2011

9a.m. – 4p.m.

El número de aplicaciones que serán aceptados diariamente será limitado. La registración puede terminar más temprano de las 4p.m., dependiendo el número de personas esperando ser verificadas.

DONDE: Cobb Civic Center
548 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060

Los que apliquen deben ser de ingresos bajos y vivir en el Condado de Cobb. Los que apliquen para el programa de Navidad de Cobb deben tener niños dependientes que viven en casa con ellos. No vamos a poder verificar beneficios con DFCS. Todos los que apliquen deben traer los siguientes documentos:

· Identificación con su retrato como una licencia de conducir;

· Tarjetas del Seguro Social o tarjetas de nacimiento para todos que viven en casa;

· Verificación por escrito de ingresos del hogar de las 4 cuatro semanas anterior, como los talonarios de cheques o una nota del empleador con membrete;

· Verificación escrita de todo ingresos ganado como TANF, desempleo, compensación de trabajador, Seguro Social, SSI, o manutención del menor, etc.; y

· Verificación de residencia como un contrato de residencia o un recibo de utilidad en su nombre, etc.

Guiding Good Choices

The Guiding Good Choices parenting program is a 5 week class for parents and caregivers of elementary school children at Keheley and Nicholson. Workshops cover:

· Developing clear family guidelines and expectations for behavior

· Teaching children the skills they need to stay out of trouble while still

having fun

· Managing family conflict in a way that maintains and strengthens

bonds

· Increasing children’s involvement with the family

· Creating a parent support network

Nicholson Elementary School Cafeteria

1599 Shallowford Road

Tuesdays 8:00—9:30 AM

October 11 - Nov. 1, 2011

Workshop and materials are provided FREE of charge

Registration Deadline October 6th!!

Contact: Adia Fields, Nicholson Professional School Counselor

Adia.Fields@cobbk12.org or (770) 928-5573

or

Lori Armbruster, Keheley Professional School Counselor

Lori.Armbruster@cobbk12.org or (678) 494-7836

Common Core GA Performance Standards

Dear Parent(s)/Guardians:

On September 21, 2011 from 3:00PM-4:00PM, State Superintendent of Education, John D. Barge, along with staff in the GA Department of Education Curriculum and Instruction division, will host a web-delivered broadcast through Georgia Public Broadcasting to introduce to all stakeholders the upcoming Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS).

To provide you with a brief history, the state of Georgia, along with 47 other states, has adopted a new set of standards that are geared towards unifying the standards that are used from state to state and enabling students to be college & 21^st century workplace and career ready upon graduating from high school.

If you are unable to view the initial broadcast, it will air again from 4:00PM-5:00PM, and then an archived version will appear the following day. Three days later, a closed-caption version of the broadcast will air through the same site. The Web link for the initial broadcast and the archived sessions will be:

http://www.gpb.org/education/common-core

We hope that all stakeholders will find an opportunity to view this broadcast and learn about the future of education, not only in Georgia, but across the United States. Your participation in viewing this broadcast will provide your student with the greatest level of support.

Red Curb Alert

Red Curb - Please note that the Cobb County Fire Marshall has changed what used to be a yellow curb in front and back areas of Keheley into a red curb (fire lane). The fire marshall will be giving tickets to anyone parked in the fire lane (noted by the red curb) and the cost of a ticket is about $135.00. If you stop along the red curb and "run in" to drop off or pick up something, you are in danger of receiving a ticket and fine. Please take this seriously as there have already been tickets given this year at other schools.

Money, Money, Money!

This week we will be counting money and counting back change. This is very challenging for the children as they do not have too many real life opportunities to handle money. Their lunch is often prepaid and they may see their parents use debit or credit cards at the store instead of cash. Counting coins at home would be very helpful. Possibly your child could count the coins in your wallet each evening or even play store and count change back to you. What adds to the challenge is that when counting coins we must start with the coin of greatest value, but when counting back change we must start with the smallest value and count up. You may also enjoy trying the making change site in the math section of this blog for additional practice.

Important Program for 3rd Grade Parents

Please join us for “Curriculum and Coffee”

The topic: Gifted Services Eligibility:

“How Does a Cobb County Elementary Student Qualify for Target?”

Wednesday, September 7

7:30-8:00 AM

Room 333

(Mrs. Simpson’s room, the 1^st room on the

left side of the 4^th & 5^th Grade hallway)

Who should attend? Anyone who is interested in learning more about

how a Cobb County student qualifies for gifted education services

Presenters: Annette Simpson and Diane Gillen, Gifted Education Teachers

Hosted by: Keheley’s School, Family, & Community Committee

Coffee, muffins, and doughnuts provided

by the School, Family, and Community Committee

Great Beginning

We are off to a wonderful school year! As we just wrapped up week 2 I could not be more pleased.

The children are doing a great job working at centers while I have guided math or reading groups. They are diligent going through the writing process during writing workshop and are very serious about the pieces they are working on.

They can identify Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns through our study of ancient Greece's influence on our architecture. They worked in teams to create columns, write, and perform a cheer to describe their column's characteristics. The cheers---priceless! I am so enjoying your little people!

Back to School

This is always such an exciting time of year! I am writing this the night before Sneak a Peek and I am so excited to meet my new students! We will be together for a wonderful year, and I cannot wait to get started! Please stay tuned for updates, class news, and websites. We are off to the start of a terrific year!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Wow! This has been a tremendous week and I feel very appreciated! Thank you room moms for all the organizing. The kids were so excited to bring in fresh fruit for my fruit bowl, and my husband and I are really enjoying it! The goody bags were fun and today's luncheon and FANTASTIC dessert table were amazing!!! Thank you for giving me a wonderful week, and thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me every day!

Addition Regrouping Success! Can We Do It Again?

Wow! I am amazed by the children's growth in addition with regrouping! They took a pretest on Monday, January 31st and showed that they REALLY needed LOTS of practice with adding 3 digit numbers. By Friday, February 4th, most of the children demonstrated mastery, many even earning scores of 100% on the post test. Whew! I am so proud of them!

Thanks to all the parents too for encouraging extra practice at home on First in Math. I know that having the addition facts memorized really helped the children focus on the process of regrouping without having to figure out each fact.

Please help them continue their success by having the children work on First in Math at home again. This week we will attempt to conquer 3 digit subtraction!

To regroup or not to regroup? That is the question.

We will begin adding two 3 digit numbers next week. It is always a challenge for the children to analyze each problem and decide if they need to regroup or not. Previously all they had to focus on was trading 10 ones for one 10. That still remains of course, but now they also need to focus on trading 10 tens for 1 hundred. Whew! That is a lot to think about!

In light of all this critical thinking, it would be SO helpful if your child has all of the addition facts memorized. There is enough to think about without having to use fingers and toes to add each column. The First in Math site can really help with that goal in a fun way. I strongly encourage you to have your child go on First in Math for about 15 minutes each evening to work on the facts. Your child will thank you for your encouragement. While this post has been all about additon, subtraction is just around the corner!

Bullying Info from Ms. Armbruster

Jewish Family & Career Services

Bullying: A Community Response

Bullying

has reached epidemic proportions in our community. All one has to do is turn on the evening news or, even more disturbingly, listen to our children as we sit at the dinner table to understand how prevalent it has become. 66% of youth are teased at least once a month, and nearly 1/3 of youth are bullied at least once a month. 6 out of 10 American teens witness bullying at least once a day. For children in grades 6 – 10, nearly one in six — or 3.2 million — are victims of bullying

each year and 3.7 million are bullies.

(From

http://www.groundspark.org/ )

Jewish Family & Career Services, in collaboration with the Atlanta Rabbinical Association and the Anti-Defamation League is proud to present an important community program about Bullying.

The afternoon will consist of a panel of experts, moderated by

Bill Nigut, ADLSoutheast Regional Director, followed by separate break-out sessions for youth,parents and educators to speak honestly about the prevalence and impact ofbullying and how to take action against it.

January 23, 2011 from 3 - 5 pm

Congregation B’nai Torah (700 Mt. Vernon Highway Atlanta, 30328)

This session is intended for parents, educators and youth ages 10 and up.

RSVP to outreach@jfcs-atlanta.org or 770.677.9434

Free of charge and open to the community.

January Excitement

We have all enjoyed our first day back in school and excitement began bubbling for our January activities.

Today the children found out that they would be researching an animal (all to be done at school) and writing their very own hardback book about it, just like the books in the media center. The children will choose their animal on Wednesday, so be sure to ask about it tomorrow evening.

We will be visiting Safety Village on this Friday. I have everyone's permission slip, but wanted to remind you that we will be out of the building from @ 9:15-1:45. It is a wonderful field trip and I am so happy the children will get to experience it.

This is an unusual week due to the 4 day week and the field trip on Friday. We will resume spelling words/tests and homework notebooks next week. Look for the new spelling words in agendas this Friday. Meanwhile, there will be the usual Wednesday math homework and lots of free evenings for reading and writing responses as we kick off our 3rd quarter.