Dear Parents.
There will be a spelling test this week. These are the words:
Spelling 12/15/08
1) menorah
2) dreidel
3) stocking
4) snowman
5) snowflake
6) candy cane
7) Kwanzaa
8) reindeer
9) nutcracker
10) Christmas
11) gingerbread
12) surprise
13) naughty or nice
14) wreath
15)sleigh
The children gave a wonderful performance at Sheltering Arms. Everyone there seemed to really enjoy it! I was very proud of them!!
We will have our holiday party Friday afternoon. If you would like to send any type of treat for the class, please feel free. There are 23 students in our class. More details about the party will be sent home later this week.
We will be taking three benchmark tests this week. They are released TAKS tests that will allow us to assess the student's growth so far this year as well as what to focus on in the spring. I know this will be a difficult week for students to test, but these are the dates chosen by the district. Please support me in asking students to do their very best this week on the benchmark tests.
Thank you,
Mrs. Zirczy
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Holiday Giving Opportunities
Dear Parents,
What a busy week we have! A few reminders about this week:
*Students will be having a "dress rehearsal" at 8:30 on Thursday morning. Students are to dress in black pants and red shirts, according to the notice that Mrs. Bardin sent home. They will be able to change clothes following the rehearsal, so you may send a change of clothes with them.
*The Holiday Program is this Thursday, December 11 at 7:00pm. Students are asked to report to my room before the program. I will walk them to the stage at the appropriate time. Feel free to drop them off and find a seat in the cafeteria.
*Tuesday and Wednesday night, instead of math homework, I have asked students to look over the songs for the program. There were a few songs in which very few students knew the words today at rehearsal.
*Students will travel to Sheltering Arms on Friday from 9:50-10:40. Please make sure that their permission slip has been turned in.
Other Announcements:
*Our class is sponsoring a child from our community for the YMCA Holiday Project. We drew a 10 year old girl that would like:
Wish List:
1-a bicycle
2-barbies
3-a cupcake maker
Needs:
Shoes: Size 8
Clothes: shirts: large, pants: 14
Blanket Set (she prefers Hannah Montana blankets :))
Many times these are the only gifts that this children will receive for the holidays.
I will be accepting cash donations or toy/clothing/shoe donations. The money donated will go toward an item from the wish list which will be purchased by one of the room parents or myself. All items must be collected and delivered by Monday December 15th, so please have any items in by Friday, or first thing Monday morning.
*Mark Twain student council is collecting items for Compassionate Care Hospice to make gifts baskets for children under Hospice care. A list of possible items went home in the Tuesday folders, today, on a pink sheet. Dollar Store items are perfect for these baskets.
*Progress Reports will go home on Wednesday. Please sign and return as soon as possible. Feel free to e-mail me, call me, or stop by with any questions or concerns.
*Tutorials will begin on January 16th and be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in the spring.
*If you would be interested in babysitting Pumpkin over the holiday break please let me know. All student's whose parents are willing to host Pumpkin for two weeks :) will have their name put into a drawing. Pumpkin has a very large cage, however I believe that it would fit in a SUV type vehicle. I think it is easiest to take the large cage as opposed to purchasing a small cage, because it is for such an extended amount of time.
*Holiday party plans are in the works for December 19th.
This week's spelling words are:
1. vertices
2. convex
3. concave
4. polygon
5. pentagon
6. hexagon
7. heptagon
8. octagon
9. nonagon
10. perpendicular
11. intersect
12. obtuse
13. acute
14. equilateral
15. artifact
Thank You,
Mrs. Zirczy
What a busy week we have! A few reminders about this week:
*Students will be having a "dress rehearsal" at 8:30 on Thursday morning. Students are to dress in black pants and red shirts, according to the notice that Mrs. Bardin sent home. They will be able to change clothes following the rehearsal, so you may send a change of clothes with them.
*The Holiday Program is this Thursday, December 11 at 7:00pm. Students are asked to report to my room before the program. I will walk them to the stage at the appropriate time. Feel free to drop them off and find a seat in the cafeteria.
*Tuesday and Wednesday night, instead of math homework, I have asked students to look over the songs for the program. There were a few songs in which very few students knew the words today at rehearsal.
*Students will travel to Sheltering Arms on Friday from 9:50-10:40. Please make sure that their permission slip has been turned in.
Other Announcements:
*Our class is sponsoring a child from our community for the YMCA Holiday Project. We drew a 10 year old girl that would like:
Wish List:
1-a bicycle
2-barbies
3-a cupcake maker
Needs:
Shoes: Size 8
Clothes: shirts: large, pants: 14
Blanket Set (she prefers Hannah Montana blankets :))
Many times these are the only gifts that this children will receive for the holidays.
I will be accepting cash donations or toy/clothing/shoe donations. The money donated will go toward an item from the wish list which will be purchased by one of the room parents or myself. All items must be collected and delivered by Monday December 15th, so please have any items in by Friday, or first thing Monday morning.
*Mark Twain student council is collecting items for Compassionate Care Hospice to make gifts baskets for children under Hospice care. A list of possible items went home in the Tuesday folders, today, on a pink sheet. Dollar Store items are perfect for these baskets.
*Progress Reports will go home on Wednesday. Please sign and return as soon as possible. Feel free to e-mail me, call me, or stop by with any questions or concerns.
*Tutorials will begin on January 16th and be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in the spring.
*If you would be interested in babysitting Pumpkin over the holiday break please let me know. All student's whose parents are willing to host Pumpkin for two weeks :) will have their name put into a drawing. Pumpkin has a very large cage, however I believe that it would fit in a SUV type vehicle. I think it is easiest to take the large cage as opposed to purchasing a small cage, because it is for such an extended amount of time.
*Holiday party plans are in the works for December 19th.
This week's spelling words are:
1. vertices
2. convex
3. concave
4. polygon
5. pentagon
6. hexagon
7. heptagon
8. octagon
9. nonagon
10. perpendicular
11. intersect
12. obtuse
13. acute
14. equilateral
15. artifact
Thank You,
Mrs. Zirczy
Monday, December 1, 2008
Student Led Conferences, etc.
Dear Parents,
I apologize for falling off the blog wagon. I know it has been a while since I have updated this page! Well, we have a LOT of things coming up between now and the December break. Here are a few of the upcoming dates:
December 1-2: The Mark Twain book fair is at Barnes and Noble!
December 3: Student Led Conferences from 3-3:30, 3:30-4, and 4-4:30. Please sign up for a time to meet with your child if you have not already.
December 8th: Mark Twain Strings Concert
December 11th: Holiday Program: The Gift of Music will begin at 7:00pm, this concert features 4th and 2nd grades!
December 15th: Deadline for turning in donations for Hospice Gift Baskets (see below)
December 16th: Exemplary School Ice Cream Celebration at 3:15
December 19th: Classroom Holiday Party, last day of school before Winter Break
Other Information:
I am one of the staff members in charge of the student council. This year we have chosen to collect donations for Hospice to make holiday gift baskets for those people in their care. We will be focusing on children that are served by Hospice. We will be gathering items through December 15th. On the 15th the student council will meet and sort items to create the actual gift baskets. We are collecting items for children of all ages. Suggested items are: stuffed animals, costume jewelry, hats, watches, games (electronic or board games), craft supplies, books, small toys, baskets, gift bags, mugs, anything other than food items that you believe children can enjoy even if they are feeling under the weather. Dollar store items are greatly encouraged. Please look for a letter with more details coming home with your children this week.
We will be working on geometry this week, finishing Tuck Everlasting, and beginning our Texas Native American research. Students will be creating power points for their final presentations. Students have just completed research on Texas regions and did an amazing job!!
This week's spelling words are:
segment
angle
triangle
square
parallelogram
quadrilateral
vertex
ruler
endpoint
rhombus
rectangle
trapezoid
parallel
Native American
one more that slips my mind :)
Please feel free to stop by or e-mail me any time! I continue to enjoy teaching your children! They are a fun bunch!!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Zirczy
I apologize for falling off the blog wagon. I know it has been a while since I have updated this page! Well, we have a LOT of things coming up between now and the December break. Here are a few of the upcoming dates:
December 1-2: The Mark Twain book fair is at Barnes and Noble!
December 3: Student Led Conferences from 3-3:30, 3:30-4, and 4-4:30. Please sign up for a time to meet with your child if you have not already.
December 8th: Mark Twain Strings Concert
December 11th: Holiday Program: The Gift of Music will begin at 7:00pm, this concert features 4th and 2nd grades!
December 15th: Deadline for turning in donations for Hospice Gift Baskets (see below)
December 16th: Exemplary School Ice Cream Celebration at 3:15
December 19th: Classroom Holiday Party, last day of school before Winter Break
Other Information:
I am one of the staff members in charge of the student council. This year we have chosen to collect donations for Hospice to make holiday gift baskets for those people in their care. We will be focusing on children that are served by Hospice. We will be gathering items through December 15th. On the 15th the student council will meet and sort items to create the actual gift baskets. We are collecting items for children of all ages. Suggested items are: stuffed animals, costume jewelry, hats, watches, games (electronic or board games), craft supplies, books, small toys, baskets, gift bags, mugs, anything other than food items that you believe children can enjoy even if they are feeling under the weather. Dollar store items are greatly encouraged. Please look for a letter with more details coming home with your children this week.
We will be working on geometry this week, finishing Tuck Everlasting, and beginning our Texas Native American research. Students will be creating power points for their final presentations. Students have just completed research on Texas regions and did an amazing job!!
This week's spelling words are:
segment
angle
triangle
square
parallelogram
quadrilateral
vertex
ruler
endpoint
rhombus
rectangle
trapezoid
parallel
Native American
one more that slips my mind :)
Please feel free to stop by or e-mail me any time! I continue to enjoy teaching your children! They are a fun bunch!!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Zirczy
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Spelling Words and Time for Kids
Dear Parents,
These are the spelling words for this week:
1. there
2. their
3. they're
4. tenths
5. hundredths
6. thousandths
7. decimal
8. geography
9. landform
10. plain
11. plane
12. plateau
13. canyon
14. mountain
15. valley
1-3 are repeated due to the number of mistakes made on the previous spelling test.
I finally put in our order for the Time for Kids magazines. I am still short payments from 3 students, but I do not want to go without the magazine for any longer. If you did not send $4.50 for your student please send it as soon as possible so I can add magazines on to the order. As of right now I was only able to order 20 magazines, but I can add on more at a later time.
Please take a close look at student's agendas on Thursday. The landform quiz may get postponed until Monday, depending on how much we are able to cover tomorrow. I will have them put a note about the quiz on Thursday in their agenda.
I will leave all student conference times the same even though the date has changed. If you need to change your time please let me know. If you have not signed up for a time please do so as soon as possible. Just let me know if on December 3rd you would like to come from 3-3:30, 3:30-4:00, or 4-4:30. Other times and dates are possible upon request.
Thank You!
Mrs. Zirczy
These are the spelling words for this week:
1. there
2. their
3. they're
4. tenths
5. hundredths
6. thousandths
7. decimal
8. geography
9. landform
10. plain
11. plane
12. plateau
13. canyon
14. mountain
15. valley
1-3 are repeated due to the number of mistakes made on the previous spelling test.
I finally put in our order for the Time for Kids magazines. I am still short payments from 3 students, but I do not want to go without the magazine for any longer. If you did not send $4.50 for your student please send it as soon as possible so I can add magazines on to the order. As of right now I was only able to order 20 magazines, but I can add on more at a later time.
Please take a close look at student's agendas on Thursday. The landform quiz may get postponed until Monday, depending on how much we are able to cover tomorrow. I will have them put a note about the quiz on Thursday in their agenda.
I will leave all student conference times the same even though the date has changed. If you need to change your time please let me know. If you have not signed up for a time please do so as soon as possible. Just let me know if on December 3rd you would like to come from 3-3:30, 3:30-4:00, or 4-4:30. Other times and dates are possible upon request.
Thank You!
Mrs. Zirczy
Monday, November 10, 2008
Student Conferences Postponed
Dear Parents,
Today I was informed that Mark Twain was asked to postpone the students led conferences until Wednesday, December 3rd. I apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause you. A new letter will be sent out in the Tuesday folders in which you can again choose the time that is best for you. These conferences are a wonderful chance for you child to share with you their work, portfolios and goals for the rest of the year and the future. If you are not able to attend on December 3rd, or need to meet at an alternate time that can be arranged. All students will participate in a student led conference. If a parent or guardian is unable to attend a staff member will be asked to participate in the conference. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.
There will be a math quiz this Wednesday and a land form quiz on Friday. Study sheets for both of these quizzes will be sent home the night before.
We have started our planner on resources. Some new vocabulary we are learning is: resource, renewable resource, non-renewable resource, inexhaustible resource, capital resource, human resource and natural resource. Several students have expressed interest in bringing in minerals to share with the class. I would love for them to bring in minerals, however please do not send in any minerals that are valuable, as I would not want anything to happen to them.
Thank you to all of the parents that Mrs. Radtke talked to about donating money toward needed supplies. I was able to buy all of the items needed to make our land form models with your donations!
Alon's family recently e-mailed me and let me know that they are safe and sound in Israel. Alon was greeted enthusiastically by his school friends there and is getting back to his normal routine. They thanked us for the photo album with the pictures and messages that the class made for them. We will continue to keep in touch via e-mail and letters. We all miss Alon very much!
Slightly modified Reading Log instructions and Spelling Homework assignments were given out today. Monday's spelling assignment is still only 5 definitions from the dictionary. The other definitions can come from the Internet or can be put in their own words if they already understand the meaning of the word. Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have about any new/different assignments. Also, please ask your child to bring home their cursive workbook if they are still struggling with their cursive handwriting.
Upcoming Events:
November 12: There is a middle school forum at the Rice school this Wednesday. Details were sent out in Tuesday folders.
November 26, 27 and 28: School Holidays
November 29: Mark Twain Tailgate beginning at 12:00 PM
December 3: Student Led Conferences
December 11: Holiday Music Program featuring 2nd and 4th grades!!
A spelling word update will be posted tomorrow (Sorry! I left the words at school!)
Please feel free to e-mail, call or stop by any time.
Mrs. Zirczy
Today I was informed that Mark Twain was asked to postpone the students led conferences until Wednesday, December 3rd. I apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause you. A new letter will be sent out in the Tuesday folders in which you can again choose the time that is best for you. These conferences are a wonderful chance for you child to share with you their work, portfolios and goals for the rest of the year and the future. If you are not able to attend on December 3rd, or need to meet at an alternate time that can be arranged. All students will participate in a student led conference. If a parent or guardian is unable to attend a staff member will be asked to participate in the conference. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.
There will be a math quiz this Wednesday and a land form quiz on Friday. Study sheets for both of these quizzes will be sent home the night before.
We have started our planner on resources. Some new vocabulary we are learning is: resource, renewable resource, non-renewable resource, inexhaustible resource, capital resource, human resource and natural resource. Several students have expressed interest in bringing in minerals to share with the class. I would love for them to bring in minerals, however please do not send in any minerals that are valuable, as I would not want anything to happen to them.
Thank you to all of the parents that Mrs. Radtke talked to about donating money toward needed supplies. I was able to buy all of the items needed to make our land form models with your donations!
Alon's family recently e-mailed me and let me know that they are safe and sound in Israel. Alon was greeted enthusiastically by his school friends there and is getting back to his normal routine. They thanked us for the photo album with the pictures and messages that the class made for them. We will continue to keep in touch via e-mail and letters. We all miss Alon very much!
Slightly modified Reading Log instructions and Spelling Homework assignments were given out today. Monday's spelling assignment is still only 5 definitions from the dictionary. The other definitions can come from the Internet or can be put in their own words if they already understand the meaning of the word. Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have about any new/different assignments. Also, please ask your child to bring home their cursive workbook if they are still struggling with their cursive handwriting.
Upcoming Events:
November 12: There is a middle school forum at the Rice school this Wednesday. Details were sent out in Tuesday folders.
November 26, 27 and 28: School Holidays
November 29: Mark Twain Tailgate beginning at 12:00 PM
December 3: Student Led Conferences
December 11: Holiday Music Program featuring 2nd and 4th grades!!
A spelling word update will be posted tomorrow (Sorry! I left the words at school!)
Please feel free to e-mail, call or stop by any time.
Mrs. Zirczy
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Spelling Words and Updates
Dear Parents,
Our spelling words for this week are:
1.difference
2. Antarctica
3. Arctic Ocean
4. there
5. their
6. they’re (they are)
7. doldrums
8. summative
9. baseball
10. division
11. quotient
12. mean (math word)
13. average
14. graph
15. calculator
Our spelling words for the week of 11-3-09 are:
1. resource
2. natural
3. human
4. capital
5. renewable
6. non-renewable
7. exhausted
8. investigate
9. promise
10. elephant
11. village
12. coarse
13.parentheses
14.sentence
15. pasture
Thank you to all that came to our class party! It was wonderful to get to visit with all of you and see the students enjoying themselves. A big thank you to Mrs. Florez and Mrs. Radtke who organized everything!!
This coming Wednesday, November 5, there will be early dismissal, parent/teacher conferences and report cards will be going home. I will be scheduling conferences from 1-3:30. The conferences will be limited to 15 minutes so that I am able to meet with every parent. If I have not had a conference with you I would like to meet with you on Wednesday. If you are not able to meet between 1-3:30 please let me know and I will work with your schedule. If I have already met with you this year, please feel free to schedule another conference for Wednesday if you would like to meet again. I will send home a form on Thursday or Friday for you to inform me of possible time slots that will work for you.
We are beginning our planner on resources on Tuesday, November 4th. Therefore, we will have our matter summative on Monday, November 3rd. Students will be asked to answer a series of questions pertaining to matter with short (3-5 sentences) answers. The students have a vocabulary study sheet to review for the test. If they have a working understanding of these vocabulary words they will be much more successful on their summative assessment.
We are in need of:
Prizes for the Prize box
Paint Brushes (6-24) (to create land form models)
Temper Paint (at least 6 bottles, to create land form models)
Crayola brand white clay that hardens when dry, it comes in a bucket, I can't think of the exact name...sorry (to create land form models)
Cap Erasers
Sticky Tack
2 more rolls of scotch tape (in disposable roll)
Thank you to all that have been helping me with my wish lists!! I appreciate it very much!
Alon's last day will be Friday :(. He and his family will be returning to Israel. His parents will be coming in on Friday afternoon to teach us about Israel and even a little bit of Hebrew! We will miss Alon greatly, but plan to keep in touch with him via e-mail and letters!
We are in LDC this week and next week. We are reading a book called, The Green Book, and working on journaling in first person.
Please spend 5-10 minutes a night working with your students on their multiplication facts. We are working hard to memorize them so that we can work our word problems more efficiently and it will greatly help the students learn their division as well!
Mark Twain Bingo Night is Friday, November 11 at 2008
Our Library will be used for voting on Tuesday, November 4...just FYI
Reminder: This Friday, October 31st is free dress day, but no costumes please.
We are having a wonderful time learning! Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions!
Mrs. Zirczy
Our spelling words for this week are:
1.difference
2. Antarctica
3. Arctic Ocean
4. there
5. their
6. they’re (they are)
7. doldrums
8. summative
9. baseball
10. division
11. quotient
12. mean (math word)
13. average
14. graph
15. calculator
Our spelling words for the week of 11-3-09 are:
1. resource
2. natural
3. human
4. capital
5. renewable
6. non-renewable
7. exhausted
8. investigate
9. promise
10. elephant
11. village
12. coarse
13.parentheses
14.sentence
15. pasture
Thank you to all that came to our class party! It was wonderful to get to visit with all of you and see the students enjoying themselves. A big thank you to Mrs. Florez and Mrs. Radtke who organized everything!!
This coming Wednesday, November 5, there will be early dismissal, parent/teacher conferences and report cards will be going home. I will be scheduling conferences from 1-3:30. The conferences will be limited to 15 minutes so that I am able to meet with every parent. If I have not had a conference with you I would like to meet with you on Wednesday. If you are not able to meet between 1-3:30 please let me know and I will work with your schedule. If I have already met with you this year, please feel free to schedule another conference for Wednesday if you would like to meet again. I will send home a form on Thursday or Friday for you to inform me of possible time slots that will work for you.
We are beginning our planner on resources on Tuesday, November 4th. Therefore, we will have our matter summative on Monday, November 3rd. Students will be asked to answer a series of questions pertaining to matter with short (3-5 sentences) answers. The students have a vocabulary study sheet to review for the test. If they have a working understanding of these vocabulary words they will be much more successful on their summative assessment.
We are in need of:
Prizes for the Prize box
Paint Brushes (6-24) (to create land form models)
Temper Paint (at least 6 bottles, to create land form models)
Crayola brand white clay that hardens when dry, it comes in a bucket, I can't think of the exact name...sorry (to create land form models)
Cap Erasers
Sticky Tack
2 more rolls of scotch tape (in disposable roll)
Thank you to all that have been helping me with my wish lists!! I appreciate it very much!
Alon's last day will be Friday :(. He and his family will be returning to Israel. His parents will be coming in on Friday afternoon to teach us about Israel and even a little bit of Hebrew! We will miss Alon greatly, but plan to keep in touch with him via e-mail and letters!
We are in LDC this week and next week. We are reading a book called, The Green Book, and working on journaling in first person.
Please spend 5-10 minutes a night working with your students on their multiplication facts. We are working hard to memorize them so that we can work our word problems more efficiently and it will greatly help the students learn their division as well!
Mark Twain Bingo Night is Friday, November 11 at 2008
Our Library will be used for voting on Tuesday, November 4...just FYI
Reminder: This Friday, October 31st is free dress day, but no costumes please.
We are having a wonderful time learning! Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions!
Mrs. Zirczy
Monday, October 20, 2008
Class Party/ Spooky Spaghetti
Dear Parents,
A few new updates:
2. biodegradable
3. translucent
4. gyre
5. vortex
6. plastic
7. garbage
8. clockwise
9. counter-clockwise
10. reduce
11. reuse
12. recycle
13. pumpkin
14. spooky
15. spaghetti
I gave students a paper copy of the spelling words on Friday.
A few new updates:
- This weeks spelling words are:
2. biodegradable
3. translucent
4. gyre
5. vortex
6. plastic
7. garbage
8. clockwise
9. counter-clockwise
10. reduce
11. reuse
12. recycle
13. pumpkin
14. spooky
15. spaghetti
I gave students a paper copy of the spelling words on Friday.
- There will be a geography test on Thursday. Students will need to label the 7 continents and 5 oceans correctly without a word bank. I will also count off for spelling because we have had all of these words as spelling words.
- Spooky Spaghetti is this Saturday, October 25, 2008 from 4:00-8:00. We are still looking for volunteers!
- Our class party is this coming Monday, October 27, 2008 on the slab outside of the cafeteria.
- Friday, October 31st is free dress day...but no costumes please.
- Please e-mail me at rzirczy@houstonisd.com if you would like to set up a conference. My availability has not changed.
- We are in need of: cap erasers (the kind that you put on the end of a pencil), scotch tape in disposable rolls (6), prize box donations, and standard size construction paper (1-2 packages)
Please feel free to stop by or e-mail me any time! I am really enjoying working with your children!!
Thank You,
Rebecca Zirczy
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Dear Parents,
Progress Reports went home today. Please sign them and return them tomorrow, Wednesday, October 15. When you return the white copy, I will send home the yellow copy for you to keep. If you would like to have a conference to discuss any grades or other concerns please e-mail me at rzirczy@houstonisd.org, or call the school and leave me a message.
We started the TAKS release testing today. The students completed the math portion of the test and will complete the reading section tomorrow. This is a fourth grade release TAKS test and students are not expected to have mastered all of the skills presented on the test. The test will give me information to help to guide my teaching. No skills that have not been taught this year will be used for a grade. This test is an informational tool. Students were a little frustrated today so please reassure them, as I have, that they are not expected to have mastered all of these skills.
I gave out this weeks spelling words last Wednesday, due to the fact that I knew I would not be at school on Friday. This weeks spelling words are:
1. North America
2. South America
3. Asia
4. Africa
5. Antarctica
6. Europe
7. Pacific Ocean
8. Atlantic Ocean
9. Indian Ocean
10. Arctic Ocean
11. Southern Ocean
12. continent
13. Earth
14. multiply
15. product
We welcomed the class pet today!! Thank you to all who helped us to get together all the needed supplies! The students were so excited and we are deciding on a name tomorrow. At this time I plan to let the guinea pig stay at school over the weekends with extra food and water. If we are able to get a traveling cage later we may send the guinea pig home to those that would like to "babysit" on the weekends. We will need volunteers to take care of her over Thanksgiving and Winter holidays, as well as Spring Break and long weekends. I will send home more information about this in November. I hope that having a class pet will allow students to learn how to care for an animal, as well as all of the responsibilities that go along with choosing to have an animal.
We need a few more parent volunteers to help with the Spooky Spaghetti booth. Please see the sign up sheet outside of my room, or e-mail me and I will let you know what time slots still need to be filled.
Scholastic book orders came in today. I will be sending home new order forms tomorrow. Please turn these in by Monday, October 20 if you are interested in ordering books at this time.
We will be going to the library every other Tuesday. Our next library date is October 28. Please make sure students bring their books back on that date, so they may check out new books.
Report cards will go home on Wednesday, November 12.
Thank you for your continued support! I am really enjoying my time with your children! They are a bright and hard working group.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Zirczy
Progress Reports went home today. Please sign them and return them tomorrow, Wednesday, October 15. When you return the white copy, I will send home the yellow copy for you to keep. If you would like to have a conference to discuss any grades or other concerns please e-mail me at rzirczy@houstonisd.org, or call the school and leave me a message.
We started the TAKS release testing today. The students completed the math portion of the test and will complete the reading section tomorrow. This is a fourth grade release TAKS test and students are not expected to have mastered all of the skills presented on the test. The test will give me information to help to guide my teaching. No skills that have not been taught this year will be used for a grade. This test is an informational tool. Students were a little frustrated today so please reassure them, as I have, that they are not expected to have mastered all of these skills.
I gave out this weeks spelling words last Wednesday, due to the fact that I knew I would not be at school on Friday. This weeks spelling words are:
1. North America
2. South America
3. Asia
4. Africa
5. Antarctica
6. Europe
7. Pacific Ocean
8. Atlantic Ocean
9. Indian Ocean
10. Arctic Ocean
11. Southern Ocean
12. continent
13. Earth
14. multiply
15. product
We welcomed the class pet today!! Thank you to all who helped us to get together all the needed supplies! The students were so excited and we are deciding on a name tomorrow. At this time I plan to let the guinea pig stay at school over the weekends with extra food and water. If we are able to get a traveling cage later we may send the guinea pig home to those that would like to "babysit" on the weekends. We will need volunteers to take care of her over Thanksgiving and Winter holidays, as well as Spring Break and long weekends. I will send home more information about this in November. I hope that having a class pet will allow students to learn how to care for an animal, as well as all of the responsibilities that go along with choosing to have an animal.
We need a few more parent volunteers to help with the Spooky Spaghetti booth. Please see the sign up sheet outside of my room, or e-mail me and I will let you know what time slots still need to be filled.
Scholastic book orders came in today. I will be sending home new order forms tomorrow. Please turn these in by Monday, October 20 if you are interested in ordering books at this time.
We will be going to the library every other Tuesday. Our next library date is October 28. Please make sure students bring their books back on that date, so they may check out new books.
Report cards will go home on Wednesday, November 12.
Thank you for your continued support! I am really enjoying my time with your children! They are a bright and hard working group.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Zirczy
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Items Needed
P.S. I forgot to mention on the last post that we are running low on hand sanitizer. Also, any donations for the prize box would be greatly appreciated. Usually I put small items that are between $1 and $2 in the prize box. Thank you for all of your support!!
Class Pet Information
Parents,
I gave the student's their new spelling words on Friday. These spelling words are:
1. transparent
2. opaque
3. difference
4. metal
5. magnetic
6. iron
7. autumn
8. hurricane
9. variable
10. manipulate
11. weight
12. gravity
13. solution
14. mixture
15. heterogeneous
Update on Class Pet:
The class has been working toward earning a class pet since the first week of school. They earned their pet last week! I gave them an opportunity to research several different animals for extra credit. On Thursday we compared all of the information that they gathered and voted. They voted for a guinea pig! Mrs. Florez sent out an e-mail on Thursday for me, with all of the items that we will need for our guinea pig. So far Jennifer has volunteered to bring food, Logan and Phillip have volunteered to donate toward the cage (It costs between $70 and $120), and Daniel has volunteered to bring the guinea pig. Other items we need are: one or two more people to donate toward the cage, bedding, a food dish, a "home" (somewhere for the guinea pig to hide away), bedding, a water bottle/water dish, toys, grass, vitamins for water and treats. If you are able to donate any of these items please respond to all on the e-mail or let me know and I will update our list. If you are not able to donate any items, but would like to send $2 or $3 towards these items that would be greatly appreciated as well. I am hoping that we will have the supplies gathered by the end of this week. Thank you for your help in this!
Other Updates:
I gave the student's their new spelling words on Friday. These spelling words are:
1. transparent
2. opaque
3. difference
4. metal
5. magnetic
6. iron
7. autumn
8. hurricane
9. variable
10. manipulate
11. weight
12. gravity
13. solution
14. mixture
15. heterogeneous
Update on Class Pet:
The class has been working toward earning a class pet since the first week of school. They earned their pet last week! I gave them an opportunity to research several different animals for extra credit. On Thursday we compared all of the information that they gathered and voted. They voted for a guinea pig! Mrs. Florez sent out an e-mail on Thursday for me, with all of the items that we will need for our guinea pig. So far Jennifer has volunteered to bring food, Logan and Phillip have volunteered to donate toward the cage (It costs between $70 and $120), and Daniel has volunteered to bring the guinea pig. Other items we need are: one or two more people to donate toward the cage, bedding, a food dish, a "home" (somewhere for the guinea pig to hide away), bedding, a water bottle/water dish, toys, grass, vitamins for water and treats. If you are able to donate any of these items please respond to all on the e-mail or let me know and I will update our list. If you are not able to donate any items, but would like to send $2 or $3 towards these items that would be greatly appreciated as well. I am hoping that we will have the supplies gathered by the end of this week. Thank you for your help in this!
Other Updates:
- This week the cafeteria will return to their normal procedures. Those students who normally pay for lunch will need to begin paying again. The new menu will be sent out this week.
- There will be no school on Thursday. I will not be at school on Friday due to an appointment, so please be aware that there will be a substitute that day.
- The week of October 13 we will be giving students Reading and Math TAKS release tests. This will allow us to see what areas the students are strong or weak in, helping the teachers to guide instruction. These tests can take up to a full day a piece, although I am anticipating that they will take about 1/2 a day each.
- We will not be required to make up any of the days that we missed because of the hurricane. However, Mark Twain will be required to come up with a campus plan to boost instructional time, so that the students do not fall behind due to the days missed.
- I am available for conferences from 10-10:35 M,T,W,F or 3:00-5:00 M,T,Th,F. If you would like to schedule a conference to discuss any concerns that you may have please send me an e-mail, note, leave a message with office, or catch me before or after school.
Thank You,
Mrs Zirczy
Thursday, September 25, 2008
New Spelling Words and Reminders
Dear Parents,
If you have not sent $4.50 for the Time for Kids magazine please do so as soon as possible. This will buy your child a year long subscription to the magazine. It will be delivered to school and we will use it to integrate additional social studies information into our curriculum. When we are done using this in the classroom the magazine will be sent home with your child.
If your child is not proficient in cursive handwriting, and they have not brought their cursive handwriting book home recently, remind them they are allowed to take their book home for practice. We have very limited time for this during the school day, so please encourage them to practice at home as much as possible.
The spelling test for the following words will be Monday, September 29th:
1.estimate
2. maximum
3. minimum
4. range
5. mode
6. tally
7. million
8. molecule
9. brainstorm
10. predict
11. standard
12. expanded
13. rounding
14. volume
15. pollution
The new words for the week of September 29th are:
1. density
2. approximately
3. grams
4. milliliters
5. hundred
6. thousand
7. million
8. ninety
9. thirty
10. eighty
11. nineteen
12. seventy
13. materials
14. procedure
15. reflection
*I have included a lot of number words in this spelling list because I have seen many errors when students were writing their numbers in word form.
*Please look for an updated Spelling assignment sheet on Monday. The homework for spelling will be slightly altered. I would like students to look up the 5 words that they need the most help defining in the dictionary. For the rest of the words they may write the definition to the best of their understanding and in their own words. Please let me know if this is working better for your children as far as understanding as well as time management.
Thank you!
Mrs. Zirczy
If you have not sent $4.50 for the Time for Kids magazine please do so as soon as possible. This will buy your child a year long subscription to the magazine. It will be delivered to school and we will use it to integrate additional social studies information into our curriculum. When we are done using this in the classroom the magazine will be sent home with your child.
If your child is not proficient in cursive handwriting, and they have not brought their cursive handwriting book home recently, remind them they are allowed to take their book home for practice. We have very limited time for this during the school day, so please encourage them to practice at home as much as possible.
The spelling test for the following words will be Monday, September 29th:
1.estimate
2. maximum
3. minimum
4. range
5. mode
6. tally
7. million
8. molecule
9. brainstorm
10. predict
11. standard
12. expanded
13. rounding
14. volume
15. pollution
The new words for the week of September 29th are:
1. density
2. approximately
3. grams
4. milliliters
5. hundred
6. thousand
7. million
8. ninety
9. thirty
10. eighty
11. nineteen
12. seventy
13. materials
14. procedure
15. reflection
*I have included a lot of number words in this spelling list because I have seen many errors when students were writing their numbers in word form.
*Please look for an updated Spelling assignment sheet on Monday. The homework for spelling will be slightly altered. I would like students to look up the 5 words that they need the most help defining in the dictionary. For the rest of the words they may write the definition to the best of their understanding and in their own words. Please let me know if this is working better for your children as far as understanding as well as time management.
Thank you!
Mrs. Zirczy
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Post Ike Updates
Dear Parents,
I hope that you are all safe and well after a tough week of dealing with the damages from Hurricane Ike. I wanted to give you a few quick updates on the information I have been given thus far.
Post Ike Updates:
I hope that you are all safe and well after a tough week of dealing with the damages from Hurricane Ike. I wanted to give you a few quick updates on the information I have been given thus far.
Post Ike Updates:
- School starts today, September 23rd
- Red Folders will go home today.
- There will be no homework or testing this week, because some students are still without power and staying at alternate locations. Please have students read at least 30 minutes a day, even though they are not required to do their reflections.
- The spelling test on the words that the students currently have will be given on Monday, September 29. New words will be sent home that day. Please look for an updated homework sheet regarding those spelling words.
- Free breakfast and lunch will be provided for all students this week. However, students may still bring their lunch if they would like to.
- Students will go to LDC this week.
- Extended Day starts today, and will follow its regular schedule.
- There will be no early dismissal this Wednesday.
- I have no information about when, or if, the days we missed will be made up. I will let you know as soon as I have that information.
Please feel free to e-mail with any other questions that you may have.
Best Wishes,
Mrs. Zirczy
rzirczy@houstonisd.org
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Welcome to Mrs. Zirczy's Class
Parents,
This blog is to serve as a convenient way to access information about your child's classroom. I will update it periodically with information about what we are currently studying and any additional information about school events, field trips, parent help needed, etc. I will have students put "Blog Updated" in their agendas when I have created a new post. I hope that this will assist you in your involvement with your child's education. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments that you may have at rzirczy@houstonisd.org.
This blog is to serve as a convenient way to access information about your child's classroom. I will update it periodically with information about what we are currently studying and any additional information about school events, field trips, parent help needed, etc. I will have students put "Blog Updated" in their agendas when I have created a new post. I hope that this will assist you in your involvement with your child's education. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments that you may have at rzirczy@houstonisd.org.
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