Welcome Back!

I can't believe the school year is upon us! It seems like just yesterday I was welcoming you into our fourth grade class, and here we are beginning fifth grade together. I can't wait to get started.

Going back to school was always my favorite time of year, and it continues to be.

We are going to learn a lot together. While we learn together, we are also going to have a lot of fun together.

Here is a little information about myself. This is my seventh year teaching, and my seventh year at UPA, and am a highly qualified teacher. Teaching is my second career. I graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management (Business). After working in the business field for a while, I did not feel I was making a difference in my life and the lives of others. That being said, I went back to school to The University of Michigan and got my Master's degree in Education. I am a Spartan all the way and bleed Green!

I was born and raised in Holland, Michigan. I go there often to visit with my family.

I have been married to my husband, John for ten and a half years. We have two great children. Skyler is four and a half, and Owen is two. Over the summer, we adopted a dog, Violet. She is five months old and is a retriever, shepherd mix.



In my spare time, I love to read, travel, and be adventurous. I love trying new things, including food.

Here are some reminders for school.

Uniforms - All students must be in uniform starting the first day of school. Students must be in complete uniform from their head to their toes. This includes belts, shoes, and socks. If you have any questions about uniform, please see me.

Cold Room - Our NEW room is quite chilly. In fact, I have been wearing a sweatshirt while getting things ready for this year. If you are someone who gets cold easily, please remember to bring a sweater. Remember, no hoodies, or sweaters with zippers, etc. If you are unsure about your sweater, please reference the uniform policy.

Snack - We are going to try and fit a snack time into our schedule. That being said, it is important that everyone is on the same page with snack. Remember that this is also a learning time and having snacks that involve a lot of preparation can be distracting.

Summer Reading Club Books - Please return all of your summer reading club books as soon as possible. It is a big job organizing the books once they are returned. The sooner they are returned, the better.

Please, only water during snack time. Other liquids can spill and make a sticky and smelly mess.

Learning Team Meetings - I was so glad to meet with some students before school started. We were able to talk about their future exhibitions and reflect on the summer. For those of you who I didn't get a chance to speak with, I will be contacting you in the near future.

If there is anything that you need from me, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Exhibitions – I was very impressed by the effort that the students put into their projects. I could see a tremendous amount of growth in each one of the students. I can’t wait to see their final exhibitions.

Milestone Dates
• Milestone #1 – April 14th
• Milestone #2 – April 28th
• Milestone #3 – May 12th
• Milestone #4 – May 25th
• Exhibitions: June 6th – June 10th

Field Trip – We will be going on a field trip on Friday, April 1st. We will be attending a play about Anne Frank. The cost of the field trip is $5.

Music – Ms. Ritter will be placing the order for recorders on April 1st. If you are planning on purchasing a recorder at that time, please have the money turned in to me by no later than Thursday, March 31st. The cost of the recorder is $5.

Newbery Reading Project – We have started our Newbery project. This project is a great way for students to get involved in reading. All of the students have selected their books. Most of the students selected books that I do not have in our library, so it is important for students to check the books out of the library. More information will be going home with your child as the project progresses.

Interest Project Ideas- All students have chosen and interest project idea either at their learning team meeting or at a meeting with me. Their interest project idea is listed on their learning team form.

Snack Time – Please make sure that if you are sending your child with a snack that it is a healthy simple snack. Snacks that involve utensils and/or peeling take too much time to eat. We have a working snack time and if your child is peeling their fruit, they are not focusing on the lesson. Thank you for your cooperation.

I am looking forward to an outstanding final trimester with all of the kids! This trimester promises to be a busy one.

Notes Home

No School – There is no school tomorrow, March 11. Teachers have professional development meetings.

Exhibitions – Exhibitions begin next week. Thank you to all of you who signed up promptly. It makes preparing for exhibitions a lot easier.

Field Trip – On Friday, April 1, 2011, our class will be traveling to the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn to see the play, The Diary of Ann Frank. The cost for the play is $5.00, and is due by Monday, March 28th. Please have your student to school on time, as we will be leaving school at 9:00 a.m., and returning around 1:00. There will be bag lunches for those students who normally buy their lunch. All other students should still bring their lunch.

Reminder – Our blog address is: mrslwmartin.blogspot.com
You can go to our blog to find updated information as well as links to fun and educational sites.

I look forward to seeing everyone on the day of their exhibition. I can’t wait to see the progress everyone has made.

Exhibition Schedule
3/14 @10:00 Zaria
3/14 @ 11:00 Samyia
3/15 @ 10:00 Paris
3/15 @ 11:00 Bakari
3/15 @ 1:10 Aaron
3/15 @ 2:15 Faizah
3/16 @ 10:00 Dennis
3/16 @ 11:00 or 1:10 John
3/16 @ 2:15 Joshua
3/17 @ 10:00 Myles
3/17 @ 11:00 Kendray
3/17 @ 1:10 Future
3/17 @ 2:15 Larry
3/18 @ 10:00 De'Jana
3/18 @ 11:00 Ryan
3/18 @ 1:10 Kourtney
3/18 @ 2:15 William

Announcements

No School – There is no school next week. School resumes on Monday, February 28th.

Wax Museum – Students have been working on finding information about important African Americans in our countries history. They will be presenting this information on Tuesday, March 1st from 1:30 to 2:00 and from 2:30 to 3:00. I do not know the exact time our kids will be ‘performing’. It is asked that students bring along a prop and/or clothing to help them ‘dress’ the part. This does not have to be elaborate, by any means. If your child is to play a doctor, they prop may be a doctor kit. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Exhibitions – The exhibition check list is attached to this letter. Please go through it with your child. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me. The exhibition signup sheet is also attached. Please return this sheet right away. Exhibition spots will be given out on a first come first serve basis.

Have a fun and restful break! I look forward to seeing all of you on Monday, February 28th.

2nd trimester exhibition checklist

February Update

Classroom policies –
• Cell phones – Students have been bringing cell phones to school with more frequency. Ideally, cell phones should be left at home to discourage other students from taking them. However, I do understand that sometimes it is necessary for the students to bring them to school. In order to keep the cell phones from being a distraction students should:
o Turn off the phone
o Keep the phone in their coat or backpack
• Lip gloss – Girls bringing lip gloss and applying it throughout the day has been a distraction in the past. I have asked the girls to keep their lip gloss in their bags during the day. With the cold weather our skin can dry out, including our lips. I suggest bring Chap-stick or Vaseline to combat the dry lips. The lip gloss tends to be more fashionable than practical.

Poster board – I have asked that all students please bring a piece of poster board with them to school next week. We will be spending some time working on our science and reading portion of the exhibition.

Milestone #3 – Milestone #3 is due on Thursday, February 17th. Fun Friday will be on Friday, February 18th. We have been talking about the due date and the requirements daily in our Morning Meeting. The requirements for Milestone #3 are that ALL visual aids, for the interest (state) project, are completed and turned in. Examples have been sent home, and are on the classroom blog (mrslwmartinupa.blogspot.com) for assistance. If you have any questions about the requirements, please contact me as soon as possible.

Responsibility – We have been talking a lot in our class about taking responsibility for our actions. This is a concept discussed quite frequently in fourth and fifth grade. This conversation has mostly been centered on homework. We have had quite a few days where students have not completed their homework. We have also had some instances with students trying to sign papers for their parents. Please discuss with your student the importance of homework as well as not forging someone’s signature.

No School – There will be no school February 19th through February 27th. School resumes on Monday, February 28th. Enjoy your Mid-Winter Break!
Wax Museum – Students have been working on gathering information on poignant African Americans. The culminating activity is the students writing a paragraph about this person, memorizing it, and performing during the wax museum. The wax museum is scheduled for Tuesday, March 1st.

My Example

Here is my example of Michigan's Power Point.

Michigan - Example

Here is one of the brochures I created for one of my cities...Holland

Brochure Holland

Milestone #3 Examples

Here is a student's example of the State Project Power Point.

State New York