Room 306 Notes 11/3/11

Hello All

All is well in Room 306.  Post test bounce is kicking in and we are a
team with a united focus, to have fun with learning!

Fairview Cemetery

Great trip last Monday.  Thank you to all that came to help out to our
scavenger hunt.  I would also like to thank Bethany for the wonderful
cider and donuts.  I love that tradition of stopping off at her
backyard and sharing with us as we unwind after the hunt.
I big thanks goes out to the weather forecasters for being wrong:)

Hill Auditorium next Friday, Nov. 11

We have two chaperones going with us to Hill next Friday.  Thank you
Winnetha and Aviv.  Should be a good show.  We leave on the bus from
Northside at 10am and back by 12:30 for a late lunch.

Speaking of November 11

We will have a PBIS sponsored celebration of positive behavior party
that Friday.  Kayleigh's dad, Corey, is helping out with the pizzas
and if you would like to send a munchie or drink along with your
child, feel free!  Something else that is cool about that day is that
the date is 11 / 11 / 11 and we werte gonna have the party at 11:11
and 11 seconds.  Can't happen because we are at Hill.  I Wonder if the
musicians will mention it.  Pretty cool numbers thing!  By the way, we
will have our party in the room at 12:30 when we get back and we will
make note of 1:11 and 11 seconds.....one 1 less isn't that much
different:)

Yost

Heads up on our annual Yost skating trip.  We've nailed down a date
and time.  We are on the ice at 1pm on Thursday, December 22.  This is
not the norm, but the calender has us off school the next Friday, so
this will be a first.  You should meet us there if you can as we love
have adult chaperones, especially when we have 100 kids on the ice
(All of 3-5 is going).  We will not be having snacks or anything this
year, it is all about the skate.  I know skate rentals will be
available but if kids have skates, they can save the $2 fee.  We will
let you know the full cost as soon as we can figure out the bus.

Student Council

Campaigns started this week.  Speeches and posters are due Monday and
final elections are Wednesday, after the real election day, which by
the way is a day off for your kids...not me......I'm not
bitter.....much.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Tonight is second round of conferences.  They start at 4pm with Aidan,
Youngmin at 4:15, Bruce at 4:30, Ella at 4:45, Sumin at 5:30 and
Mohammad at 5:45.

Here is the Monday, Nov. 7 list

Monday, November 7
5-5:515 Hyrum
5:15-5:30 Kayleigh
5:30-5:45 Cam
5:45-6:00 Allea
6:00-6:15 Ellie
6:30-6:45 Tyler
6:45-7:00 Maggie

Until next time-Thanks folks!

Mr. Mosher

October 24, 2011

HELLO ALL!

I feel like we are in a big transitional moment, and therefore, I felt the need to share.  Here goes!

No question that we are about to make that transition from fall to early winter.  Started feeling it at football practices lately.  Another thing we are leaving behind are all of those early year tests.  That is not a season I enjoy. I am fine with saying bye-bye.  This means we can really start to kick it into another gear.  We know our routines.  We’ve gotten to know each other better and now it’s time to pick it up a notch.  Lookin’ forward to it!

(say in road runner voice)  MEAP MEAP!

On Friday we say goodbye to this testing period and celebrate our students’ hard work over the course of the last three weeks.  I wanted to say thank you to all of you, especially the parents that contributed to the MEAP snacks and delivery.  It made a big difference.  We are gonna have a modest celebration in the afternoon to celebrate their hard work. I’m buying!

Parent Teacher Conference season

I know, is it really a season?  Well yes it is, and it begins tomorrow night.

 Tuesday, October 25

5-5:515 Annika

5:15-5:30 Cameron

5:30-5:45 Cortez

6:00-6:15 Tal

6:30-6:45 Camil

6:45-7:00 Eliza

November 1st and November 7th are the final two nights and I will let you know if you are scheduled for a meeting.

MATH TEST

Heads up 5th grade parents.  There is a Unit 2 test Wednesday.  Look for a study guide Tuesday night as well as students having to return the tests after getting them on Friday ( CSR-correct, sign and return Monday).

Field Trips

Next week we are going to Fairview Cemetery.

We will leave at 1 and return around the end of the day.  Feel free to join us at any time over the course of the trip which will feature stone rubbings and a scavenger hunt.  We finish up at The Steinberg’s for a little donut/cider action, probably around 3.  

Nov 11 we are going to Hill auditorium for some Jazz.  I have two openings for parents.  First come, first serve.  Should be a fun show.  Let me know.

Pen Pals

We just finished our first round of Pen Pal letters with our University of Michigan pen pals.  The pen pals reside in either Delta Upsilon or Bursley.  This all culminates in a trip to Chrysler Arena, for the Pen Pal Kids Fair, in April or May.

Student Council  

The campaign week is coming up.  Students announce their intentions to run for Student Council on November 1st, begin campaigning on November 2nd and have elections on Wednesday, November 9th (no school Nov. 8, election day).  Candidates are expected to give a speech and make a poster on why they think they would make good student council representatives.  Any q’s, please ask.  Rick and I will be their teacher 

reps.

Well, that’s all folks.  Hope you all have a good Halloween and end of fall.  Thanksgiving will be here before you know it!

Mr. Mosher

Room 306 Notes/9-24-11

Hi Folks

I put together an email list from the information I got back from parents through backpack mail.  I am still missing a few and the list will probably not include all 20 families from room 306.  I think I will be minus a couple, so I will always send a hard copy of all class emails in backpack mail.  I wanted you all to know this in case this list gets used by others to get info out to the class, so that you know it's incomplete.

Parent Teacher Conferences

I have signed up 5 of the 20 families for Parent teacher conferences in October and November.  Here is a list of parents who have signed up and the available slots for those who have yet to make a date.  I will sign up folks on a first come, first serve basis.  Let me know if there is a good date and time for you.

Tuesday, October 25
5-5:515
5:15-5:30 Cameron
5:30-5:45
5:45-6:00
6:00-6:15
6:30-6:45 Camil
6:45-7:00

Thursday, November 3
4:00-415
4:15-4:30
4:30-4:45
4:45-5:00
5:00-5:15
5:30-5:45
5:45-6:00

Monday, November 7
5-5:515 Hyrum
5:15-5:30
5:30-5:45
5:45-6:00
6:00-6:15
6:30-6:45 Tyler
6:45-7:00 Maggie

4th Grade Waterloo Rec Area/Decomposers field trip

4th graders only, will be going on this field trip on Monday.  The bus leaves at 9:30 and returns around 2:30.  Students need to bring their own lunches and dress appropriately for outdoor walks.  parents are welcome to come, but they will have to ride on the bus, both ways.

Math Tests

4th graders took unit one math tests last week.  5th graders will have a unit one test coming up in a week.  I will always let you know the day before, so that you can go over the study guide the night before with your child, and they can be prepared for the test.
     Monday, 4th grade children will bring home their first math test.  They will write a note in their planners that says, "C, S, & R by Friday."  The translation of that note (which we will go over at the end of the day, but, this being our first time, could bear some repetition) is to Correct their mistakes, have a parent Sign it, and Return the test to school by Friday.  This will be our routine for tests all year long for both grades.

Field Trips

We went on a wonderful trip to the river on Friday.  We even got to stop and see Jack, Ella's dad on the way.  We conducted tests on the water for things like phosphates, nitrates and turbidity.  We also collected and recorded a variety of river life while walking around in the river in our big black boots:)  Amanda and Bob from LSC guided us on our trip and it went very well.  Over the next month we will reconvene with Amanda and review the data, and decide what we want to do as a response to the trip and our findings.

Other field trips coming up are our trip to Kerrytown with our K-buddies (date to be decided) and an October 31 trip to the cemetery to have a scavenger hunt with our Michigan Pen Pals.  Dave, Bethany....is the house available?  I would love to see what costume Dave will dress up in this year:)

Tests, tests and more tests!

We are finishing up the new NWEA tests this week as well as taking the SRI (reading assessments) tests in the 5th grade.  Not a big fan of the front loading of these, especially with the MEAP's coming in October, but it is a part of what the district has asked us to do, to give us a better reading on how your children are doing and to give us a better feeling of what we need to do as teachers, to give your children a better education.

Ok-that's all for now!  Let me know if you have any questions about any of this, as well as anything else you might want to know.  be sure to sign up for a conference and I will let you know if thte slot is still open.

Thanks

Nick Mosher

Stop The Presses!

Room 306 just changed.  Looks like we're gonna split folks so 8 or 9 of these wonderful 4s get to stay and the rest are moving down the hall to Room 303 with Mrs. Li.  I have a feeling, with a split, this isn't the end of our relationship.  I see a lot of teaming happening over the course of the year, so that's great!

Anyway, thank you for your patience as we navigate our way out of these topsy turvy waters.

Thanks

Mr. Mosher

Welcome Back!

Hi Parents

Welcome back to Northside!  We've had a good start to the new year.  27 fourth graders are learning the routines of room 306 and getting to know each other.  We just had our curriculum night and tomorrow night I will have a up on this site a number of good resources that parents can use to help you over the course of this year.  i will send out an email with updated info as soon as I get our new email list going.  Thanks for coming tonight!

Mr. Mosher

Good Bye Camp

Well, that's it.  Kids are on their way back, only 72 miles away.  It was fun, but it's now time to focus on the end of school, as it is near.  Thanks again and enjoy watching how much your kids sleep this weekend.

Nick

Thursday evening

Hi!

Our final chaperones have arrived.  We are joined by heros named Rick, Susan and Kirsten.  After day classes we got in a swim and played in the big field.  Dinner was ham and potatoes and the other usual side options.  We had ice cream sundaes for dessert.

After dinner we played a great game of capture the flag followed by the traditional last night campfire and smores.  Around the fire we sang “repeat after me” songs and told stories.  Expect some of those songs to trickle into some of your homes:) We used the island for our campfire and it proved to be a beautiful setting for the final night.

The kids are off to bed and so are we!  We’ll see you tomorrow at Northside around 2:15.  We’ll call Becky to give a more accurate time of arrival when we get closer to school.  Thanks for helping make this another successful camp experience!

Good night and sleep tight.

Mosher/Carnegie

Thursday Night

Hi!

Our final chaperones have arrived.  We are joined by heros named Rick, Susan and Kirsten.  After day classes we got in a swim and played in the big field.  Dinner was ham and potatoes and the other usual side options.  We had ice cream sundaes for dessert.

After dinner we played a great game of capture the flag followed by the traditional last night campfire and smores.  Around the fire we sang “repeat after me” songs and told stories.  Expect some of those songs to trickle into some of your homes:) We used the island for our campfire and it proved to be a beautiful setting for the final night.

The kids are off to bed and so are we!  We’ll see you tomorrow at Northside around 2:15.  We’ll call Becky to give a more accurate time of arrival when we get closer to school.  Thanks for helping make this another successful camp experience!

Good night and sleep tight.

Mosher/Carnegie

Thursday

6-2 Morning

Thursday started off with GaGa Ball, which has replaced soccer as the game of choice with this 5th grade group.  The kids went to the field before breakfast to play.  It’s a game played in an Octagon filled with sand.  Kids knock each other out, by hitting the ball against their legs, using only their hands, until their is only one person left.  We have some other field games coming up tonight as well as a game of capture the flag.

We began the wall climbing classes today.  Two of the four groups have had a chance to tackle one of the three wall options here at Eberhart.  There will be no ropes courses this year as the storm knocked several trees into the towers used to support the climbing structure.   BBQ chicken and pork for lunch today and then it’s off to the afternoon classes and another swim, as the weather continues to cooperate.

Mr. Nick

Wednesday Night

Hello All!

First, I apologize for the omission  of one of those Tuesday night chaperone legends I wrote about earlier....Andrea, along with Halima, Jodi, Heidi and Yariv all did an excellent job in paving the way for Ken, Marjorie and Nancy, tonight’s cabin chaperones. 

We are playing the Dutch Auction right now and the kids are coming up with a number of creative responses to the chaperone requests.  Don’t forget to ask who had the dirtiest fingernails or who brought it when the burp contest was up:)

Just had some good beatbox/dance combos from all the groups.  Good stuff!  Check out the picture.

Mr. Mosher

Wednesday PM

Afternoon

Pulled in to the Camp Director's parking spot to get this afternoon's blog out.  Just finished the 4th of the 4 canoe rotations, so look for some good happy canoe faces.  We are off for a swim in 30 minutes.  Since the brief rain last night, the weather has been superb and it looks like that's the way it will be for the rest of the trip....Northside good luck I guess:)

After a swim, we will dine on chicken, mash potatoes and eat some brownies for dessert.  Tonight's activities include a Dutch Auction (stupid human tricks) and a night walk around the massive grounds.  I believe your campers will sleep well tonight, since they all woke up around 5 or 6 am this morning and by the way, all chaperones from here on out, owe a debt of gratitude to their "pioneers", Heidi, Jodi, Mecca and Medina's mom, and Yariv.  Wewll done people, well done!

Until later

Mr. M

Wednesday Morning

Good Morning Northside!

All is well here.  We are gonna spend the day canoeing, looking at Lakeside communities and studying Native American Traditions.

Have a great day cause we will!

Mr. Mosher/Mr. Carnegie

Finally.....Camp!

Hi Campers!

My apologies for the late blog on this first day of camp, but we have been hit with technical difficulties, due to the storm.  These guys lost power for two days from Sunday's storm and the router has been goofy, ever since.  I'm actually in my car, down by the lake near a private house, sniffing internet off a guy's router (don't worry, it was set up prior to my drive:), so I will be brief!

Everything has gone quite smoothly.  We arrived around 10:45 for an introduction to camp and the counselors, and then immediately went off into classes of Forest Communities, Horse Science, Low initiatives (challenges) and my personal favorite, Frisbee Golf.  In between those classes, we had a lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, salad bar and cold cuts bar.  Dinner was Pasta and Lasagne with ice cream for dessert.

It's been very hot so two things happened to cool things down.  We went for swim before dinner and then immediately after we cleaned up a big 10 min downpour came from the West, which apparently could have been much more severe, but wasn't.  We have been visited by 4 parent chaperones so far:  Yariv, Carol, Heidi, Andrea and we have Jodi coming tonight.  Hope the storm doesn't get her!

Well, I have to go....the kids are finishing up field games and we are gonna go inside for Egg Drop and Get To Know Your Counselor.

Should be Fun!  The kids are great!

Until next time

Mr. Mosher

Room 306 Notes

Hi

Great Show.  Your kids did very well tonight!  Now it's on to the vocal music show on Wednesday.  Day show at 10 and night at 7.

Here are some odds and ends to get us through the end of the year.

1.  MATH-Unit test on Thursday and practice test Wednesday night.  It's on conversions with weight, measurement, volume, area, time and capacity.

2.  Camp-May 31-June 3

We leave at 8am, so it would be good to get your children to the back parking lot by 7:50 so they can pack their luggage into the bus.

For people who are coming to camp, here is a link:http://www.campeberhart.org/directions.htm. Don't forget to get the background check in by Friday, May 27 if you want to go.

Thanks for sending the $50 checks in this last week.  It's not that much for a 4 day trip so thanks a lot!

Meds for camp need to be handed to a teacher at the bus before we leave on Tuesday morning.

Any $ for the camp store need to be given to us in an envelope at the bus before we leave, Tuesday morning.

3.  Graduation 2 or 2:30 start on Thur. June 16, runs til 3:30 and then school is over.  There is a half day the next day.

There needs to be a group to spearhead this event.  It's not to much material to cover.  It means making a program, diploma, a cake with a group picture and getting balloons, decorations and caps.  Some kind of fruit punch and other munchies is nice.  Please let Ralph or me know if you are interested and we can help form that group.

Ok...that's all.  Look below too!







> Upcoming Events


>>> Wednesday, May 25-Vocal Music Concert 10/7
>>> Monday, May 30  No School Memorial Day
>>> Tuesday, May 31  5th graders to Camp 8am
>>> Friday, June 3  5th graders return 2:00 approx
>>> Wednesday, June 8 - PTO meeting
>>> Friday, June 10 - Ice cream social
>>> Tuesday, June 14  5th Grade Fuller Pool Trip
>>> Thursday, June 16 5th Grade Graduation 2:30
>>> Friday, June 17 1/2 day-Summer Vacation
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>> Nick Mosher
>>>
>>
>

Room 306

Hi 306'ers

9 weeks left of school, but who's counting?  I am, because we have a lot to do and really, not quite enough time.  We'll do our best, I'm sure.

Thanks for coming to Open House last Wednesday.  We promised a packet of info for you all, so we can get going on our pre-camp organization.  That packet comes home on Thursday.

We are going to Clague this week to watch their orchestra perform.  On Wednesday, April 20, Ms. Platte and Mr. Horn,  will take us on the AATA around 9:30 am and return around 11:30.  Just a reminder that there is no school on Friday this week.

We have a Unit 9 Math Test this Thursday.  Study guides will come home Wednesday night.

WE NEED YOUR BABY PICTURES!
Well, not your baby pictures, but your 5th graders.  Over the course of the next 4 weeks we would like you to either send in a baby picture for us to scan and return, or to attach it to an email, and get it to us digitally.  We are using them for our 5th grade video.

Here is an updated schedule.  Check it out because there have been some changes.

Wednesday, April 20 - PTO Meeting/trip to Clague to see Clague Orchestra

Thursday, April 28 - Hockey Night / Book Sale

Tuesday, May 10  Carnegie-St Joe’s Visit

Wednesday, May 11  Clague 6th grade orientation

Wednesday, May 11-PTO Meeting

Saturday, May 14 - Run/walkathon

Monday, May 23-Inst. Concert

Wednesday, May 25-Vocal Music Concert

Monday, May 30  No School Memorial Day

Tuesday, May 31  5th graders to Camp

Friday, June 3  5th graders return

Wednesday, June 8 - PTO meeting

Friday, June 10 - Ice cream social

Tuesday, June 14  5th Grade Fuller Pool Trip

Thursday, June 16 5th Grade Graduation

Friday, June 17 1/2 day-Summer Vacation 

Thanks

Nick Mosher

Room 306 update

Hi everyone and welcome back to school!  We have 5 weeks until our next break.  There's a lot going on over these next 5 weeks and they will go quickly.  Just a reminder that there is no school next Monday.

2 permission slips came out today.  One is for our trip to The Hill Auditorium(March 16) to see the Ann Arbor Symphony.  There is a $6 donation for that trip.  The slip is due this Friday.  The second is a walk to the public library, downtown.  You are welcome to walk with us after an early lunch or meet up with us at the library at 1pm, for some book talks and some storytelling from the wonderful Laura Raynor.  This is a free trip.

We started a new unit in math today, continuing our work with fractions.  In science we are continuing our unit on force and motion for the next few weeks.  After that we will begin our big unit on the human body.  Book groups continue in reading and in writing we are starting our second feature articles where kids will choose something they know and like and put it into a magazine style format.

Thanks for your support and please let me know if you have any questions.

Nick Mosher

Room 306 Update

5th Grade Update

Schedule of upcoming events

Tuesday, Feb. 8-Winter Survival

Thursday, Feb 10-Clague 6th grade orientation

Thursday, Feb. 10  Hockey Night

Monday, Feb. 14 NAAPID/Valentines Day

Wednesday, Feb. 16  No School Teacher meetings

Friday, Feb. 18  Mid Winter Break Begins

Monday, Feb. 28  School Resumes

Monday, Mar. 7  No school Teacher meetings

Wednesday, Mar. 16  A2 Symphony Orchestra at Hill

Thursday, Mar. 31  A2 Downtown Library visit

Friday, April 1 Spring Break begins

Monday, April 11 School resumes

Tuesday, April 12  Mosher to St Joe’s Healthy Hearts

Tuesday, May 10  Carnegie to St Joe’s Healthy Hearts

Monday, May 30  No School Memorial Day

Tuesday, May 31  5th graders to Camp Eberhart

Friday, June 3  5th graders return

Ok.  These dates are pretty firm but a few could change and we will let you know if that happens.

There will also be a few added like Open House at Northside where we will talk about camp with parents and a couple of Hockey nights I don’t have dates on yet.

DON'T FORGET -- OUR A2 PTO THRIFT SHOP FUNDRAISERS HELP SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL.  SHOP at the Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop this next week to support Northside 5th Grade Campers.

From Sunday, Feb 6 until Saturday, Feb 12, for every $5 you spend at the A2 PTO Thrift Shop, you receive a token. Cast your token for our school's

5th Grade Camp fundraiser and help us win the top award of $500!

Check out the Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop at 2280 S. Industrial Highway, Ann Arbor.  It is open from 10-6 M-F and 10-5 on Saturday. Visit their website to learn more.   http://a2ptothriftshop.org/

Thanks for showing your support!