Mrs. Zirczy's Class

Welcome November!

2011-11-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

October has flown by and we are already headed toward Thanksgiving! Our November calendar is already filled with field trips and fun activities. Here are some important upcoming dates:

November 4th: Mr. Leech will be coming to show us some props and give us an overview of The Barber of Seville at 8:10 in the cafeteria.

November 4th: Dad's Camp out

November 8th: Field Trip to see the Opera, The Barber of Seville - Students should dress to impress!

November 9th: Early Dismissal - The students will be rehearsing for Annie from 8:30 - 10:00. I will be available for parent conferences this day starting at 1:00.

November 10th: Field Trip to the MFA Sculpture Garden and Glassell 10:30 am - 2:30 pm We will eat lunch at the site, so please send a lunch with your child. If you would like to attend this field trip please let me know. I need at least 2 parents to come with us, but more are welcome!

November 14th- The Mark Twain Book Fair Begins

November 15th - We will have a school wide Story Book Character Parade. Please encourage your students to dress as their favorite story book character. They may make posters or signs as well. We will be parading around the school at 9am that day. They may want to bring a change of clothes for the rest of the day so that they will be more comfortable.

November 16th: Student Led Conferences: This is an opportunity for students to share with you their goals, their portfolios, and other work that they have completed in class. You can come at 3:00pm. 3:30pm, or 4:00pm. Conferences usually last between 20 and 30 minutes. If you cannot come on this day, or at one of these times please e-mail me or send me a note and we can work out another time for you to conference with your child.

November 19th: Twain Soccer Tournament 1-5pm

November 23rd - 25th: Thanksgiving Holiday

Please put on your calendars the 4th Grade Holiday Musical: Annie! It will be on December 8th! I am a little bit excited :)

The Square One Art Fundraiser went home today. The student's really created some beautiful artwork! The stickers are for the students to keep. You can send orders to me and I will turn them in for you.

We will be doing some longer assessments in the next few weeks. We will take a reading, math, and writing test. I will use the information from these assessments to highlight areas in which we need to focus on in order to prepare for the upcoming STAAR tests.

We are working on our matter unit in science. We are doing lots of fun experiments and using lots of scientific vocabulary. Please ask your children about the experiments and what conclusions they drew from these activities.

In math we are working on fractions. We are currently focusing on equivalent fractions and adding and subtracting fractions. This is a big concept for fourth grade, but so far the children are doing a wonderful job! We are also working on probability as it goes hand in hand with fractions.

In social studies we continue to work on map skills and are learning so much about different areas of the world. We have also started getting our Time For Kids magazines. The students are really enjoying reading about current events and learning about life in various areas of the world.

We are finishing up "Small Steps" this week. I am so excited that the students have shown so much interest in this book! They beg me to read it each day. We will be going to LDC starting next week and reading "Call it Courage". It is a wonderful adventure tale about a young boy who lives on an island, but is afraid of the sea. I anticipate the children really enjoying this novel as well. As we read our novels we continue to work on reading skills, editing, and of course our writing!

Scarlet! We have received the bearded dragon, Scarlet for the next 9 weeks! The students love her and she seems to be enjoying the classroom as well. They are eager to pet and hold her but we are moving slowly so that she has time to get used to us. There is a sign up sheet outside the door if you would like to sign up to bring Scarlet food for the week. She eats collar greens, mustard greens, blueberries, carrots, mangoes, and super worms. Other fruits are welcome as well. Someone told me bearded dragons also like zuchini! (Thanks Noah!) If you would like to send food and are unable to stop by the room please feel free to e-mail me and I will let you know what to bring and which weeks I still need help.

Thank you for all of your continued support! The students are working together very well and it is really starting to feel like home.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-09-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

We have had a very busy few weeks. The students are working very hard and we are beginning to get in to some more difficult objectives. Here is a run-down of what we will be doing in the next few weeks.

Math: We will start working on decimals this week. This is the year that we introduce decimals, so students will be focusing on place value, comparing and ordering, and adding and subtracting decimals to begin with.

Social Studies: We are focusing on learning the steps for research based on the IIM method that our school adopted last year. The students are researching one of their favorite authors. They are working alone or with a partner, the choice was theirs. They are then choosing a method for presenting their information to the class. They can do a power point presentation, an interview, a song, a report, or a poster board. The due date will be set based on how much class time students have this week to research.

Reading/Writing: This week students will go to LDC. We will be focusing on Writer’s Workshop. Students will be learning the steps of the writing process as well as many tools that will help them become powerful writers. In class we will continue to work on poetry for the next week or so along with hitting various reading skills.

Science: Next week we will start our planner that focuses primarily on matter and the scientific process. There will be many exciting experiments as we study the states of matter, volume, density, buoyancy, etc.

Reading Buddies:
Each week we go to Mrs. Jackson’s first grade classroom. We read to her students, listen to them read, help them with projects, and teach them new skills. So far the students seem to really be enjoying their time with their first grade buddies.

Time for Kids:
I will be placing the order this week for Time for Kids magazine. Thank you so much for making a donation for your child’s magazine. I hope that you will find that the student’s learn a great deal and really enjoy the current events found in this magazine.

Supplies:
I cannot thank you all enough for all of the extra supplies that you have donated to the classroom. Those things really help me to plan some exciting and creative activities that the students always seem to enjoy. I know there are many demands on parents and I truly appreciate your generosity.

Progress Reports:
Progress Reports went home September 20th. Thank you to everyone that signed the progress report and returned them to me. If you still have your child’s progress report please sign it and send it back to school. I am required to turn these into the office and it helps me to know that everyone received their child’s progress report. If you would like me to send home a copy please make a note or send me and e-mail and I would be happy to do that for you. On the progress reports that handwriting grade was listed as a numerical grade. To clarify I entered all grades as letter grades. An E = 95, S=85, N=75, and U=65. On the report card the grades will be letter grades and do not affect a student having all A’s or B’s.

Student Led Conferences:
Please put November 16th on your calendar. That is the date for Student Led Conferences in which students have the opportunity to show you some of the work they have been doing in class. They will walk you through their portfolio as well as show you their Writer’s Notebooks and any other work they would like to share with you. These conferences can be scheduled at 3:00, 3:30, or 4:00.

Important Upcoming Dates:

September 26th: LDC begins 8am-9am: Students will meet in LDC in the morning
September 29th: School Holiday
October 4: PTO Meeting
October 11th: Class Party
October 12th: Early Dismissal, 12:30
October 22nd: Spooky Spaghetti 4-8pm
November 1st: PTO Meeting 6:30
November 4th: Dad’s Club Campout
November 9th: Early Dismissal, 12:30
November 10th: Tentative Date for Field Trip to Glassel/Sculpture Garden
November 16th: Student Led Conferences 3:00 – 4:30pm
November 19th: Twain Soccer Tournament 1-5pm
November 23-25: Thanksgiving Holiday

As always, thank you for your continued support!
Rebecca Zirczy

A Great Start!

2011-09-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful start to the school year we have had! Your children came into the classroom energetic, enthusiastic, and excited about learning. I have really been enjoying my time with them. I just wanted to send out a few explanations of procedures and daily happenings. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to e-mail me at rzirczy@houstonisd.org.

Daily Schedule: I placed a schedule in the packet that was sent home the first day. I am also going to post our daily schedule here so you can access it at your convenience. At any time you can return to the blog and look over past posts.
Mrs. Zirczy’s Daily Schedule 2011 - 2012

8:00 – 8:15 Announcements
8:15 – 8:30 Morning Work
8:15 – 9:50 Reading/Writing/Language Arts
9:55 – 10:40 Ancillary
10:40 – 10:55 Restroom Break and Snack Time
10:55 – 12:15 Math
12:18 – 12:48 Lunch
12:48 – 1:18 Recess/ Restroom Break
1:18 – 2:50 Inquiry
2:50 – 3:00 Pack Up/Dismissal
*GT – Friday Mornings 8:30 – 9:50 and 10:55 – 11:30

Mornings: It would help me tremendously if the students were in the classroom by 8:00 each day. We try and hit the ground running as the mornings seem to be our most productive time. The students come in each day, show me their agendas and get started on their morning work.

Agendas: Every day when the students come in I have a homework reminder and sometimes an announcement written on the board that they are supposed to copy into their agendas. I ask that you look at their agendas each night, make sure they have copied what they did for homework that evening into their agendas, and sign the agenda for that day. That helps me know that you are getting information from the classroom. I hold the students accountable for their agendas. It is their responsibility to ask you to sign their agendas each day.

Homework: Students will have homework Monday-Thursday. They may occasionally have weekend homework from LDC, if they were absent, if they have unfinished work, or if we are working on a project. I send homework for the week on Monday. The daily homework assignments include spelling, reading/writing, and math. The students are not required to do homework each night, but they must have all of the #1 assignments completed and turned in by Friday. If they choose to do assignments that are labeled #2 or #3 they will receive extra tickets as a reward for doing extra work. I encourage all students to work toward doing at least a few #2s and #3s a week. I collect homework packets on Fridays. Students may turn in packets early if they are finished. Spelling words will be typed on the packet. I know this is a confusing system at first, but I like that the students have to make choices each day about what they will work on and plan for the rest of the week. I also understand that your children have lots of after school activities, so I hope this helps by alleviated homework stress on their busiest days.

Snacks: I allow students to bring a healthy snack to school each day. We have our snack following ancillary. Please do not feel obligated to send a snack for your child, but if you would like to that would be fine. I have told the students no sweets or chips to try and set a good example. Snack time usually last 5-10 minutes.

Birthdays: Please feel free to send treats on your child’s birthday or half birthday (for those who have birthdays in the summer). You may send them with your child in the morning, bring them by school and leave them in the office, or bring them around 12:45 and meet us for recess. We have to eat sweet treats after lunch, so we usually take them out to recess with us. There are 21 students in the classroom at this time.

Open House: Open House will be on September 13th. The fourth grade portion starts at 7:00. I will be in my room at 7:00 to give you a brief overview of what the year will look like and also review daily procedures, etc. There will be ancillary and GT teachers giving presentations from 6:30 – 7:00 as well.

Important Upcoming Dates:
Labor Day – September 5th, No School
Open House – September 13th, 7:00pm
International Pot Luck – September 19th, 5:30pm
Fall Holiday – September 29th, No School
LDC – September 26th - October 7th, 8-9am each day
Early Dismissal - October 12th, 12:30
October 22nd - Spooky Spaghetti, 4-8pm

I am sure that you have many more questions that I have not answered, so again feel free to stop by the classroom or e-mail me at any time. I am available before school, after school (except Wed.), and during ancillary (except Thurs.). Please let me know if you are planning to stop by so that I make sure that I am in my room and not lost somewhere in the copy room J
Thank you for your support and for sharing your wonderful children with me each day!

Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy

Welcome to Fourth Grade!

2011-08-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I will be using this blog to relay information to you on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I will have students write in their agendas "blog updated" when I update. This is a read only blog, but please feel free to e-mail me at rzirczy@houstonisd.org.
I am attaching the letter that will go home with the student's on the first day just in case you need to refer back to it at any time. I am extremely excited about the new school year and hope that my excitement will rub off on the kids.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy

Parent Letter:

August 22, 2011
Dear Parents,

Welcome back to a new school year! I am very excited about working with your children and know that we will have fun learning together each day!
There are a few items that may help students with organization that were not on the school supply list. These are only suggestions and not required. The first is a three ring binder that has a soft cover that zips closed. In the fourth grade we work on teaching organizational skills and this binder is a great tool for that. Students will put their agenda, informational sheets, homework, etc. in this binder. Any binder will do, but the zipper binders are much more durable and have space for students to put their folders, etc.
Another item I recommend is a flash drive of any kind. We do a great deal of power points, research projects, etc. where this will come in handy. We will not be using them for a few more weeks, but if you have one on hand you might want to set it aside for classroom use. It is not necessary that they bring one to class at this time. I will let students know when they need to bring the flash drives to class. Again, this is only a recommendation.
There will be several forms coming home on the first day. I know this is a very busy week, so if you could return them by Friday that would be wonderful. There is a parent survey and information sheet coming home specifically from me as well as the regular first day packet.
We will not have spelling words the first week of school but will have light homework assignments. These assignments will be written in the student's agendas each day. Please sign the agenda nightly so I will know that you have received the day’s homework and announcements.
I use a blog to post announcements, general info, upcoming items students may need, and upcoming events. Please check posts weekly or bi-weekly at www.zirczysclass@blogpot.com. You can also e-mail me any time at rzirczy@houstonisd.org with any questions or concerns.
I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to be beginning my fourth year at Mark Twain. The families and faculty at Mark Twain make my job a joy. I truly appreciate the support and kindness I feel every day.
I look forward to the 2010-2011 school year and working with you and your children!

Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy

One down, two to go!! :)

2011-03-03T18:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

I want to thank you all for your kind words and thoughts while I was sick last week. I tried to come back to work on Thursday and made it through the day, but just wasn’t ready yet. However, I am feeling much better now and am very excited to be back in the classroom.

The students worked very hard on Tuesday and now we have one TAKS test behind us!! I hope that the week free from tutorials and homework did not throw you for a loop. I felt that the students needed a break after the intense preparation for the Writing TAKS test. We will now be focusing on preparing for the reading and math tests which are on April 26th and 27th.

Another important upcoming date in March 11th! Field Day! The fourth grade is responsible for running the events for the younger students as well as organizing overall procedures for the day. We will be in charge of the snack valet in the cafeteria. This is just an area where parents can drop off any drinks or snacks until the students are ready to enjoy them. To raise some money for the winning classes to donate to a charity of their choice we will be holding a healthy bake sale. Ms. Clayton’s class is in charge of selling the goods but I would like for my class to pass out some healthy recipe ideas next week. If you have a favorite recipe or healthy baking tips please share these with your children. For the next two weeks we will be focused on getting ready for our field day responsibilities.

When we return from Spring Break we will be going to LDC for two weeks. Mrs. Gee and I will be reading about and studying the Dust Bowl with the students using Cobblestone magazine. This will give us a jump start into our next planner which focuses on processes that create soil, natural and human forces that alter soil, and the consequences of human activity on our environment. This planner will also give us a lot of wonderful opportunities to work in the garden! We already have plans to work with Mrs. Rawson’s class to help plant a butterfly garden in a special place in Huckleberry Park.

Unfortunately it is almost time for Scarlet to return to Mr. Bonn’s class for the remainder of the year. However, I am looking for a babysitter for Spring Break. If you are not going out of town, would be willing to take on a very well behaved bearded dragon, and have a vehicle large enough to transport her palace please let me know! I will be traveling during part of Spring Break and Scarlet really needs daily care. Her daily care just includes fresh water and fresh veggies. She gets about 24 crickets a week or 15 -20 super worms per week. The most challenging thing is transporting her dwelling.

I apologize that I have fallen behind on the conduct charts. You will get updated charts this Tuesday. Two Tuesdays ago I was home sick, the next Tuesday was the writing test and it really just slipped my mind! I promise to be more diligent! Thank you for your understanding.

Here are some important upcoming dates:
Field Day: March 11th
Spring Break: March 14th – March 18th
April 22nd: Spring Holiday – No School
April 26th: Math TAKS
April 27th: Reading TAKS
May 9th – May 13th: Stanford Testing
May 17th or 18th: Field Trip to Galveston
May 23rd: Field Trip to San Jacinto Monument
May 30th: Memorial Day -School Holiday
May 31st: Awards Ceremony

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. As always, I greatly appreciate all of your support!

Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T18:09:00.001-08:00

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! Thank you for all of your generous gifts and kind words during the holiday season! I feel blessed to work with such wonderful children and their families!

We are starting our systems planner. This is the planner in which the fourth grade gets to plan field day! We will be starting early this year with preparations. However, to start off the planner we are looking at the many systems in our lives: government, electricity and many more. Students will be starting a research project about a system of their choice in the coming weeks. This should prove fun and informative for all.

Writing is definitely a focus for the next two months as the writing TAKS test quickly approaches. The TAKS test has a revising and editing multiple choice section and the students are required to write a two page narrative. You may hear moans and groans about the amount of writing we are doing in class, but with writing it takes a lot of practice, and it is a long process. The fourth grade teachers pull out all of the stops to keep it fun and exciting as writing should be. We will continue to focus on writing in LDC from January 18th - 28th. You may also see revising and editing homework, and may be asked to read pieces that your child has written (rough drafts) and give them compliments and suggestions to take back to class.

In math we are finishing up our Unit on decimals with a test on Friday. We will be discussing measurement briefly and then jumping right into more difficult multiplication followed by fractions. I hope that you received the copy of the Math Benchmark from your child. Once you have had a chance to look over this with them please sign the front page and return it to me.

We continue to work on a variety of reading skills and will most likely start another novel following our time in LDC. Please encourage your child to read a minimum of 20 minutes a night. The reading TAKS test is very long and they need to be working on their fluency and stamina, as well as developing a love of reading!

Tutorials will begin again next week. I will be holding math tutorials on Tuesdays and writing/reading tutorials on Thursdays. Some students will also be attending writing tutorials with Mrs. Gee. If I feel that your child is in need of tutorials at this time you should have received a permission slip in the Tuesday folder yesterday. As the year continues if you or I feel that other students are in need of tutorials at any time I can add students as needed.

I am available for parent conferences from 1:30 - 3:30 this Friday (Jan.7th). If you would like to meet with me please sign up on the sign-up sheet outside my door, stop by and talk to me, or send me an e-mail. I would be more than willing to schedule a conference at another time if you are not available this Friday.

We are in need of a few items for the classroom:

1) Kleenex, any size or kind
2) skinny sharpie markers, ours are drying up one after another :)
3) standard size post-its, any size, shape, or color
4) a stapler, we only have one left and it is hanging on by a thread!!
5) clip magnets, the kind that can hold a piece of paper and are also magnetic
Thank you!!

Here are some important upcoming dates:

Parent Teacher Conferences: January 7th 1:30 – 3:30 PM
Bingo Night: January 7th 6 – 7:30 PM

Spelling Bee: January 11th 1:30 PM
MLK Day, No School: January 17th

February 11th: Huckleberry Bash

February 26th: International Festival 1-4 PM

Writing TAKS test: March 1st

Spring Holiday: April 22nd

Math TAKS test: April 26th

Reading TAKS test: April 27th

Field Day: March 11th

Spring Break: March 14th – 18th

Memorial Day, No School: May 30th

Stanford Testing: May 9-16

As always, thank you for your continued support. Please feel free to e-mail or stop by with any questions or concerns. It is truly a privilege to work with your children!

Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy

Upcoming Events, Academics, and a Thank you!

2010-10-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Here are some important upcoming dates:

October 22nd: Early Dismissal, I will be available for parent conferences from 1:30 - 3:30 on Friday. Please e-mail me if you would like to set up a conference on that day. Of course, if you are not able to come by on Friday, I would be more than willing to meet with you on another day.

October 22nd: Please look for report cards on Friday. Return signed report cards as soon as possible and I will provide a copy for you. Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns.

October 23rd: Spooky Spaghetti 4 - 8pm

October 29th: The students filled their cotton ball jar!! They voted to have a P.J. day and watch an educational video. We will be doing this on October 29th.

November 9th: We will be going on a field trip to Wortham Theater to see a matinee of Madame Butterfly. You will be receiving a permission slip in Tuesday folders closer to the field trip date. From what I have heard there will be no charge for this field trip.

What we are working on in the classroom:

Math: We will start learning about multiplication very soon. In class, we have already started taking 3 minute multiplication quizzes and graphing the student's progress in class. These quizzes are not graded, but are designed to encourage students to memorize their multiplication facts. It would be wonderful if students could practice multiplication facts (1-12) for 5 to 10 minutes a day. If students memorize their multiplication facts more complex multiplication (2 and 3 digit) and division will be so much simpler.
LDC will end this week. We have been working on writing tools and the students have been doing a wonderful job of trying new "tools" in their writing. Starting next week we will begin a novel and continue working on writing, revising and editing, and reading skills. Students should be reading 20 minutes or more each evening. Reading log assignments may change next week to incorporate our novel.
Planner: Our current planner is a study of resources and how adaptations and environment produce a communities’ culture. We will be starting a research project this week in which students will work in groups of 2 or 3. They will be studying a region of Texas, Central America, Peru, or Mexico and a Native group that lived/lives in that region. The final product will be a PPT and a map. I will be giving students at least two weeks to work on this project in class, not counting this week. I want students working on this project primarily at school. If the due date is approaching and students are behind I may then allow them to work on their project at home. If students have a flash drive they should start bringing it to class next week.

Reminders:

Please check students agendas daily. They should be writing their homework in their agenda each day and asking you to sign it.
If you could send Tuesday folder graded papers and conduct charts back on Wednesday that would be wonderful. If you would like me to make a copy of any assignment for you for further review please write me a quick note and I will be more than happy to make those copies for you.
Picture day was Monday, I believe there will be an opportunity for you to buy photos upon their return. I will keep you updated on that.

THANK YOU!

I would like to say a big Thank You to all of my students and their parents for a wonderful birthday!! I had every intention of writing individual thank you notes, but the weeks have slipped by and the stationary is still riding around in my purse blank :(. I truly had a special day thanks to all of the sweet notes, cards, sweets, gifts, and songs! I am pretty sure the students sang Happy Birthday to me at least 25 times :) Thank you for making my day so special!

I appreciate all of your support!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Zirczy

Quick Update

2010-09-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I apologize for the field trip rush! The fourth grade team is trying to get some field trips in the books and the process this year is very tedious for getting field trips approved by the district. I do realize that we have given you very little notice for the payment and permission slip for tomorrow's field trip and I apologize! Today, we were informed that the landfill would also like you to sign the yellow release form, so I sent that home with students today. Again, I apologize for the rush! You may pay for the field trips with a check if that is easier, just make the check out to Mark Twain. I would like to assure you that tomorrow's field trip is very controlled. Students will be on the bus the entire time we are on the landfill, and will have no contact with the actual landfill. In the recycling center students stand in a classroom/conference room space with a window from which they can view the recycling facilities. I hope this answers any questions that you may have, but please feel free to e-mail me or stop by with any other concerns or questions. Please also see the post I wrote yesterday for other info!

Thank you,

Rebecca

Field Trips!!

2010-09-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

First of all I want to thank you for the multitude of birthday wishes, goodies, and gifts. You all and your children made me feel truly special on my birthday!! I cannot thank you enough!

Great news! Our class raised the most money for the Yankee Candle Fundraiser out of all of the classes at Mark Twain! The students will soon be enjoying a pizza party compliments of PTO! Needless to say, they are extremely excited!!

Today in the Tuesday folders there is a permission slip for a field trip this Thursday! I apologize for the short notice! The charge is $4.00 which will cover the price of the bus for the day. If you would like to write a check please make it out to Mark Twain. We will be going to the MRF (recycling center) and the landfill that is on the same property. The fourth grade went on this field trip last year and it was very educational. Please feel to join us if you would like to attend. We will be leaving school at 8:30, and returning around 12:30. Please send your child with a packed lunch because we will arrive back at school after our scheduled lunch time. We will not eat at the landfill, but when we return to school.

There is another field trip coming up shortly. We will be visiting a sculpture garden on October 14th. Please look for the permission slip for this field trip in the Tuesday folders next week. Again, if any parents are able to attend I would greatly appreciate it!

I placed the September order for the Scholastic magazine today, and sent home new magazines today in the Tuesday folder for October. The September order should be in before next Tuesday. I would like to place the October order by Friday, Oct. 15th. Thank you for all of your orders! Your orders help me to get new books for the classroom library.

The matter vocabulary quiz was sent home today in the Tuesday folders. If your child did not pass the test I attached a new vocabulary sheet and wrote that the retest will be Oct. 1st, this Friday. The retest will be in the same format, matching, but I will alter the order of the questions. I suggest that students make flash cards and practice nightly to prepare for the retest.

Our class party will be Friday, October 8th from 5:30 - 7:00 on the pavilion! You should have received an e-mail with details. If you did not, please let me know and I will forward it to you.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. The best way to reach me is via e-mail, but please feel free to stop by before school, during ancillary (10-10:45), or after school to speak with me.

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy

Spelling Words for the Week of 9-20-10

2010-09-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

This week's spelling words:

prairie
calorie
honey
valley
money
finally
movie
country
empty
city
rookie
hockey
collie
breezy
jury
balcony
steady
alley
trolley
misty
Challenge Words
frequency
parsley
journey
chimney
attorney

More info coming soon!! :)

Open House, Math Test, Scholastic Orders

2010-09-08T19:56:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,

Open House is fast approaching! It is this coming Tuesday, September 14th. I will be speaking with you at 7:00pm. I am aware that some parents may have multiple rooms to visit, or may be unable to attend. I will have copies of the power point that I will be covering to send home with you, or your child. Please feel free to e-mail me with questions at any time.

We will be having a math assessment on polygons, triangles, lines, and angles on Friday. I will be sending home a study guide with students tomorrow. They also have notes in their math notebooks that they can study from.

I will be sending home Scholastic Book Order forms with the students tomorrow. There will be instructions attached for ordering online, but please feel free to send in cash or check (written to Scholastic) along with a paper order form. I will place the order on September 28th, so please have all paper orders to me on or before that date. All online orders will also need to be completed by September 28th. I do earn points from all orders which I then use to order books for our classroom. However, please do not feel obligated to order anything at all, it is completely voluntary. Orders will be delivered to the school and I will distribute the books to the students at that time. If you are ordering anything that you will be using for birthday/holiday gifts let me know at the time you place the order and I will set those books aside for you to pick up at your earliest convenience.

I hope that you are finding the homework matrix a bit easier to understand this week. I made an effort to specify which worksheets were part of the packet. I realize that it was a bit confusing last week and I apologize. I forget that everyone does not speak my specific dialect of teacher lingo and get carried away :)

It looks like we will be going to the recycling center/landfill on September the 30th from 8:30 - 12:30. We will be going with Mrs. Marroquin's class. She has 3 parent volunteers for the trip, so I do not have to have any parent volunteers, but I welcome you to come along. It is a bit stinky but a very interesting field trip. This year we are even going to get to observe a composting area.

This week's spelling words are:

sigh
right
weigh
eight
detail
height
spray
braid
bait
grain
slight
thigh
tight
raisin
trait
highway
frighten
dismay
freight
sleigh
Challenge Words
eighteen
mayonnaise
campaign
daylight
twilight

Thank you for your continued support! I could not do my job with you! We have another 4 day week next week, so I suggest that you look for the student's spelling words on Friday and encourage them to practice them a bit over the weekend. Homework charts are always sent home on Mondays. E-mail me or stop by with any questions or concerns!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Zirczy

Week 2 is here!

2010-08-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

We have had a busy but wonderful first week together. It has been a pleasure getting to know your children and I am very excited to have such a sweet and hard working group of students! The students are getting used to the new routine including homework, LDC, conduct charts, etc. Please feel free to write a note in the student's agendas or email me with any questions. rzirczy@houstonisd.org Here is our daily schedule:

Mrs. Zirczy’s Daily Schedule 2010 - 2011

8:00 – 8:15 Morning Work/Announcements
8:15 – 10:00 Reading/Writing/Language Arts
10:00 – 10:45 Ancillary
10:45 – 11:00 Restroom Break and Snack Time
11:00 – 12:15 Inquiry
12:18 – 12:48 Lunch
12:48 – 11:18 Recess/ Restroom Break
1:18 – 2:50 Math
2:50 – 3:00 Pack Up/Dismissal

Vanguard Classes: Thursdays from 11:30 - 12:15 and 12:50 - 2:50 (we will do an early recess on these days)

You received conduct charts in the Tuesday folders today. I will send these weekly and ask that you sign and return them on Wednesdays. I will go over in detail conduct grades at the open house. If you have any questions between now and then please let me know!

I also put in a handout that asks for you to sign any student papers and place them back in the brown folders. I keep a file for each student that contains their student work. This is helpful when we are choosing work for student portfolios and for parent conferences as well.

I like to use Time for Kids magazines to enrich our social studies curriculum. It is $5.50 per student to order this magazine for the school year. If you are unable to, or choose not to participate your child will still benefit from the magazine and the coordinating activities, but they will not have their own copy to take home with them. You have been so generous this year already, I apologize for imposing another expense on you, but I believe that this is a valuable resource for students. I will collect the money and then write a personal check for the magazine. I will do my best to get any change back to you in a timely manner.

As you may have heard we have a class pet named Scarlet! She is a bearded dragon. We are co-parenting her with Mr. Bonn's class. She will be in our classroom for the first and third nine week periods! I have posted a weekly schedule outside my classroom for Scarlet food. If you would be willing to bring in a bunch of mustard greens or collard greens, and two dozen crickets for one week during this 9 week period please sign up on the weekly schedule or e-mail and let me know what week you would be willing to help. I am prepared to buy her food each week if needed, but any help would be appreciated.

I am in need of at least two chaperones for some upcoming field trips. We will be going to the recycling center and landfill on September 30th. We took this trip last year and it was very educational! You may drive your own car to the site, but the bus will take us up on to the landfill. We will be happy to squeeze you on if you would like a closer look at the landfill. Warning: It is stinky!

We will also be going to a sculpture garden and Glassell foundry on October 14th. This will be a new field trip for us, but will fit in nicely with our matter planner. If you would be interested in attended either of these field trips please let me know via e-mail. Thank you!

Open House will be on Tuesday, September 14th at 7pm. If you cannot attend I will send home a handout with the information I will present on that evening.

This week's spelling words are:

1. admire
2. magnet
3. contest
4. method
5. custom
6. rally
7. soccer
8. engine
9. sudden
10. finger
11. accident
12. mitten
13. intend
14. fabric
15. flatten
16. rascal
17. gutter
18. mammal
19. happen
20. cannon
Challenge Words
21. dungeon
22. magnify
23. festival
24. thunderstorm
25. injury

Thank you for bringing in wish list items, extra math and reading resources, and for all of your support already this year! I am looking forward to an exciting year full of learning and great experiences

Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy

Welcome Back to School!!

2010-08-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I am very excited to be starting a new school year at Mark Twain! I look forward to getting to know the most important people in your life! I hope your children will enjoy coming to school each day as much as I enjoy coming to school each day. I look forward to a fun-filled year of learning.
I am posting a copy of a letter that I will send home with the students on the first day of school, and also a letter that I wrote to the students that tells you a little bit more about me. This is a post only blog, so if you have any questions regarding the blog or any information on it please e-mail me at rzirczy@houstonisd.org

See you on Monday!!

Mrs. Zirczy

Parent Letter:

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to a new school year! I am very excited about working with your children and hope to foster their love of learning.
I use a blog to post announcements, spelling words, general info, upcoming items students may need, and upcoming events. Please check posts weekly at www.zirczysclass@blogpot.com.
There are a few items that I ask the students to bring that were not on the school supply list. I realize that the first week of school is a busy week for all, so if the items are at school by Friday of this week that would be just fine. I am asking for a three ring binder that has a soft cover that zips closed. In the fourth grade we work on teaching organizational skills and this binder is a great tool for that. Students will put their agenda, informational sheets, homework, etc. in this binder. Although these binders are a bit pricey they will be able to use them in fifth grade as well. Any binder will do, but the zipper binders are much more durable and have space for students to put their folders, etc.
Another item I recommend is a flash drive of any kind. We do a great deal of power points, research projects, etc. where this will come in handy. We will not be using them for a few more weeks, but if you have one on hand you might want to set it aside for classroom use. It is not necessary that they bring one to class at this time. I will let students know when they need to bring the flash drives to class. Again, this is only a recommendation.
There will be several forms coming home on the first day. Please try to return them as soon as possible. There is a parent survey and information sheet coming home specifically from me as well as the regular first day packet.
We will not have spelling words the first week of school but will have light homework assignments. These assignments will be written in the student's agendas each day. Please sign the agenda nightly so I will know that you have received the day’s homework and announcements.
Please pick up students in the cafeteria after school if possible. It helps the flow of traffic and allows me to make sure I know where each student is going and with whom.
I look forward to the 2009-2010 school year and working with you and your children!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Zirczy

Student Letter:

Dear Student,

Welcome to the fourth grade! Fourth grade is a very exciting grade and we get to learn about many interesting topics! I am looking forward to getting to know you and learning from you as well!
I want to tell you a little bit about myself. When I was growing up I moved around quite a bit. I lived in Houston, Midland, San Antonio, Cody Wyoming, Lexington Kentucky, and Vincennes Indiana. There were some great advantages to living different places, but at times it was tough. However, now I have friends all over the United States!
My parents live in Houston as well as my younger sister, Rachel. Rachel and her husband Dan have a 2 year old boy named Payne. I try to see him as much as possible. Do you have any brothers or sisters? My grandparents and aunts and uncles live in Kentucky. I enjoy visiting them about once a year and I love to see the beautiful horses that are raised there. Does any of your family live outside of Texas?
Growing up I really enjoyed school. My favorite subject was music. I started playing the piano and cello in elementary school and continued through college. What subjects do you enjoy? I graduated from the University of Houston in 2004. Since then I have taught second, third and fourth grades. This will be my sixth year teaching! I have to say that fourth grade is my favorite so far. This will be my third year at Mark Twain. I love teaching at Twain because the students here are very enthusiastic and committed. What do you enjoy about being a part of the Mark Twain community?
I had a very exciting summer. I started the summer with a trip to Toronto, Canada. I had french fries with gravy and cheese! It is a very popular dish there. I also got to go to the top of CN tower! It was very high and had a wonderful view of Toronto. Next, I spent 3 weeks teaching at the Summer Creative Writing Workshop at the Shlenker school. Teaching writing there was a wonderful experience for me, and I learned a great deal from the other teachers and my students. I cannot wait to teach again next summer! I also went to Miami, FL and Lexington, Ky. There were a few days left for reading and playing with my 20 year old cat, Holly. Right before school started my husband and I got a chocolate lab puppy name Mac. He is extremely cute, but a real wild man! What did you do this summer?
I am looking to fun filled year of exploring new things! Thank you for being a part of our class!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Zirczy

End of the Year Update

2010-05-18T19:24:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,

A few updates about upcoming events:

Tomorrow is the Spring Reading at Rice University. I am a part of the School Writing Project and therefore get the opportunity to ask students to come and read their writing at the Spring Reading at Rice. Other students from Twain and another HISD school will be there as well. Some students are reading individual pieces and the entire class is invited to come to perform the class poem. The reading begins at 4:30. Students may arrive between 4:00 and 4:30 to enjoy pizza, sweet treats, and drinks. All parents and other guests may attend. I will be at Rice University at 4:00 and will show students where our class will sit. Students are asked to dress nicely, but it does not have to be formal dress. Please bring your cameras! This is a wonderful opportunity for the students to show off!

Friday we will be going to Galveston for the Artist’s Boat field trip. I have never attended this field trip before, but from what I hear the students may get wet, so I would recommend that students dress in shorts and sandals (not flip flops) of some sort (to prevent wet socks). We will be riding in standard school buses, and therefore there is no room for parents on the bus. However, parents may attend the field trip free of charge and all are welcome! Students will again need to bring a sack lunch and some kind of refillable bottle. Sunscreen and hats are also recommended.

Our awards ceremony is Monday at 1:45.

Wednesday we will have our end of the year party from lunch on. You can send pizza money to me and I will pass it along. Please let me know if for any reason your child will not be at school on Thursday, May 27th. There are several materials I typically hand out on the last day and if I know they will not be there I will give them as much of that as I can on Wednesday.

Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or concerns. I have REALLY enjoyed my class this year and appreciate all of the support I have gotten from all of you all!! Thank you for a wonderful year!

Sincerely,
Rebecca Zirczy

Busy Week Ahead

2010-04-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

It was wonderful to see so many of you this afternoon! The students really love to show off their hard work.

Please send $3 with your student by Friday for Field Day T-shirts.
The end of the year is near, but we are in need of skinny sharpies for the students to use with the white boards. You may send one or two for your child only and we will sharpie their names on them so they can take them home at the end of the year.
Thank you for sending Kleenex! I believe we have enough to last through the end of the year.

We have a busy month ahead! Here are some important upcoming dates:

Thursday, April 22nd: Last day of tutorials and Bring your favorite book to school day.

Friday, April 23rd: P.J. Day

Monday, April 26th: College T-shirt Day

Tuesday, April 27th: Math TAKS Test - Please make sure students go to bed early, have a hearty breakfast, and get to school on time.

Wednesday, April 28th: Reading TAKS Test -Please make sure students go to bed early, have a hearty breakfast, and get to school on time.

Thursday, April 29th: 5th Grade Science TAKS, make up testing, continued testing for some students

Wednesday, May 12th: Field Day - 4th grade is in charge of this event and we will need lots of help! We will be in charge all day. Our class is the Nutrition Committee!! More info to come after testing.

Tuesday, May 18th: Field Trip to the San Jacinto Monument - Chaperones Welcome!

Wednesday, May 19th: We will have visitors from the Artist Boat Group to provide a pre-field trip workshop and School Writing Project reading at Rice University from 4:30-6:30

Friday, May 21st: 1/2 of the 4th grade will go to Galveston for the Artist's Boat field trip

Monday, May 24th: 1/2 of the 4th grade will go to Galveston for the Artist's Boat field trip

Thank you for your continued support!!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Zirczy

Homework Packet/TAKS

2010-04-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I apologize for the lapse in posts! I have fallen behind, needless to say. TAKS is fast approaching so you will notice that the homework packet has both TAKS Reading passages and TAKS formatted math questions. We are working very hard in class, but it would be wonderful if you could look over their math and reading and help them correct mistakes as they work. That prevents them from doing something wrong and not realizing it is wrong. I know this is a lot to ask, but with the nature of this homework packet I often go over things with them well after they have actually completed it. To assist I am including the Answer Key for the four stories in this weeks homework packet. Thank you for your support! Another blog entry will be coming shortly!

A Case of Mistaken Identity
1.D
2.B
3.B
4.B
5.C
6.D
7.B
8.A
9.C
10.A
11.C
12.B

Sharks: The Perfect Predators
1.B
2.B
3.C
4.A
5.B
6.A
7.C
8.A
9.B
10.D

Nature's Construction Workers:
1.A
2.D
3.A
4.B
5.C
6.C
7.D
8.C
9.B
10.B
11.C

My New Friend:
1.C
2.A
3.D
4.D
5.A
6.B
7.C
8.D
9.B
10.B

Please be advised that these are a bit harder than the passages that have previously been on the TAKS tests. However, I feel that if we practice with these passages then the students will be very confident on the actual test.

Thank you!
Mrs. Zirczy

Stanford, Inventor's Showcase, Tutorials, etc.

2010-01-20T17:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

A long overdue update! I apologize for the lapse in posts! There is a lot going on in the Spring semester! Here are a few upcoming events:

Stanford Testing:

Stanford testing began today and will continue through Tuesday, Jan. 26th. Students who miss any part of the test will make up tests in the afternoon on testing days, or on Jan. 27-29th. During Stanford testing there will be no formal homework. There will be no math, reading log, LDC, or spelling words. It is imperative that students arrive on time in the morning because we are trying to start testing promptly at 8:15. From 8:00-8:15 we are sharpening pencils, choosing books, using the restroom, etc. We have a very tight schedule and all of the 4th grade classes start and finish at basically the same time.

Tutorials:

Tutorials started last week and will continue until the end of April. I am tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15-4:15. I will be available for conferences on Fridays and some Mondays after school, and every day except Thursdays during ancillary.

Inventor's Showcase:

Please bear with me as this is a completely new program for the entire school. I received the information packet the same day the students did. I altered the first deadline (for the invention proposal) to today because I did not have time to discuss the project with the students until Friday. I am extending the proposal due date to this Friday, the 22nd. After Friday all other due dates in the packet will be accurate. I will keep in mind when grading final projects that this is the first time the students have had experience with this type of project.
This project is mandatory, but can be done in groups of 2-3 if students wish to work together.
Extra copies of the Inventor's Showcase packet can be purchased in the school store for $1.00, I was not given any extra copies.
The students need to get some type of notebook ASAP to use as a log book for their project. We have discussed that the log book is like a diary of what they are working on daily. I have also explained that when their projects are being judged they may not be there. This log book is an insight into their thoughts and ideas for those that view their project.
I will be checking log books and Step 2 (Plan and Research) on January 26th. I do not want to extend any more of the deadlines because I cannot extend the final project completion deadline. Every step is explained in detail in the packet, but please feel free to e-mail me or stop by with any questions.

LDC

We are in LDC this week and next week. Due to testing we met with Mrs. Gee on Tuesday, but the remainder of the lessons will be taught by me in the classroom. Homework is being done in class, so we are spending a great deal of time after Stanford on LDC. Mrs. Gee and I are hoping that if there are not too many makeups we will return to her classroom on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week to wrap up the lessons. We are studying articles about the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. This ties in perfectly with our soil planner and is great practice reading non-fiction text.

Huckleberry Bash:

There is a donation bag in my room for any donations for the 4th Grad Sports themed Basket. All donations can be dropped off in my room and I will make sure they get to the appropriate PTO member.
I will be discussing ideas for the Classroom Creation with my students this week. Once we settle on an idea, any help with the actual "creating" would be greatly appreciated!

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, Jan. 21st: Stanford - Math Procedures and Listening - Math Tutorials

Friday, Jan. 22nd: Stanford - Reading Comprehension

Monday, Jan. 25th: Stanford - Reading Vocabulary and Language - Rainbow Challenge Practice

Tuesday, Jan. 26th: Stanford - Social Science, Science, and Spelling - Step 2 of Inventor's Showcase Due - Reading Tutorials

Friday, Jan. 29th: Free Dress Day and Mark Twain Spelling Bee

Saturday, Jan. 30th: Rainbow Challenge, Mark Twain International Festival (Students will be collecting money for the Red Cross during the festival!)

March 3rd: TAKS Writing Test

April 27th: TAKS Math Test

April 28th: TAKS Reading Test

Thank you for your continued support! Thank you again for all of the sweet holiday gifts! I was definitely spoiled rotten! We have had a wonderful start to the new year!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Zirczy

Progress Reports/December Schedule

2009-12-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

We are back for a busy three weeks before Winter Break! We are wrapping up our Native American projects this week, so we can start our planner on soil before the holiday. Tomorrow we will be taking our assessment on decimals and moving on to measurement. We will be comparing U.S. standard measurement with the Metric system. In reading we started a new novel, The Sign of the Beaver. We are working on inferencing as a focus skill and will start a new writing prompt this week. We will be starting to write more lengthy compositions in preparation for TAKS.

Painting the Town December
We have the Winter Program "Painting the Town December" next Thursday on December 10th. We will be spending the better part of the morning on Monday - Thursday of next week in rehearsal. If you are unable to attend the program on Thursday at 7:00, we will be performing for the school body at 8:30am on Thursday morning. Students need to wear black short sleeved T-shirts, jeans, and tennis shoes. The students will need to be in our classroom at 6:30 prior to the program. I heard them practicing this morning and they look and sound amazing!

Human Growth and Development Video
I just wanted to pass along this note that was sent by our school nurse...Dear Parents, Teachers, and Students,The Human Growth and Development program has been canceled for December 2nd and 4th due to technical difficulties. I'm very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you at his busy time of the year. I will keep you posted. When we set a program date, you will be notified. Thank you for your understanding.Mrs. D. M. Cleary R.N.

Winter Celebration
We will be having our class party the last day before winter break, December 18th. More information will be coming home with details in the near future.

LDC
We will be having a one week session of LDC next week, December 7-11 from 2-3 in the afternoon. We will be attending LDC for only one week because Mrs. Gee is trying to see all classes in December, which is very beneficial for the students. Mrs. Gee and I decided to change our LDC time for one week so that it will not interfere with the music program practice.

Marathon Kids
Mileage logs for the Marathon Kids program need to be turned in December 17th at the latest.

Progress Reports
Progress Reports were sent home today. I am asking that you sign and return the reports as soon as possible. I have to turn in all signed progress reports next week. If you would like a copy of the progress report please just let me know and I will print an exta copy.

Bubbles
Bubbles is enjoying her new 30 gallon home! There are still a few small items that could make the upkeep of Bubbles a bit simpler. If you would be willing to donate any of these items it would be greatly appreciated by both me and Bubbles :).
1) turkey baster - it will make cleaning the water in the tank much simpler
2) small fish net - this will allow the students to clean out uneaten food and other muck on a daily basis
3) crickets! You can buy a dozen crickets for about $1, Bubbles would be happy to have them any time
4) large container of plain oatmeal - Bubbles is hoping we wills start a meal worm colony to vary her diet
5) meal worms - one or two containers to help us start our colony!
6) a few dollars to go toward the purchase of turtle food, replacing light bulbs, etc.

Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or stop by during my planning time if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for all that you do!

Mrs. Zirczy

Spelling Words for the week of Nov. 16, 2009

2009-11-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

The spelling words for the week of November 16, 2009 are:

1. connection
2. perspective
3. reflection
4. responsibility
5. sailor
6. weather
7. collar
8. temper
9. proper
10. harbor

Have a wonderful weekend!
Thank you,
Mrs. Zirczy

Student Led Conferences and Bubbles!!

2009-11-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Thank you to everyone that attended Student Led Conferences today. The student's always love to share their work with you. It was wonderful to see and speak with you all. This week has been a bit different because we have been having benchmark assessments (released TAKS tests). Although this testing is not a favorite of the students (or me :)) it gives me valuable data which allows me to plan more focused instruction. It is a bit overwhelming for students because they are being given old versions of 4th grade tests that are officially given much later in the year. Thank you for bearing with us through the week!

We now have an official class mascot: Bubbles the Red-Eared Slider. Although very cute it has been a bit of a project getting her habitat set up and functioning. I was misinformed by several pet store employees. I was reassured that a 10 gallon tank would be big enough for her...but it turns out she is quite a bit bigger than anticipated and we will need to get her a 30+ gallon tank before long. Her UV light stopped working on Monday (I will take it back to the pet store and return it ASAP), and her heat lamp bulb went out on Tuesday. Mind you, we have only had her since last Thursday. I fed her crickets on Friday to hold her over the weekend and now she does not want to eat anything else. I do appreciate all that you have done to donate money toward Bubbles. It took the money that was donated, plus a very happily donated sum from me to get all of her equipment and now we are having problems. I do not want to ask for anything else, but I am not in the position at this time to spend more on her. If you would like to donate any of the following items it would be greatly appreciated. Bubbles :) is in need of:

One small fish net (for scooping out uneaten food)

A turkey baster (used is perfect, to allow us to clean out her tank water weekly without emptying everything out)

75 Watt basking heat bulb for reptiles

A 30 gallon tank with a screen top (or donations towards a tank)

Large gravel - 6 small bags, or 1 large bag (for bigger tank)

Crickets: large - you can bring them by any day, any time and I can keep them in Mrs. Kasner's cricket keeper, they cannot live overnight in the plastic bag, she will eat 5-10 at a time

meal worms (to start a meal worm colony - to feed to Bubbles)

One large box of dry oatmeal (for the meal worms)

I apologize for agreeing to such a complicated pet!! However, the children are really enjoying her!

On to academic matters....The students started a Native American research project today. They are researching Native American Tribes that lived in Texas. They will be doing a PowerPoint presentation to organize their information. If they have a flash drive it would be helpful if they could bring it to school to use over the next few weeks. It is not necessary that they have one because I can always save their work on mine as well. They do not need to research at home, they will have plenty of class time for that. They are working with one other person on this project. I am hoping that the smaller size of these groups will be easier for the students than the size of the region groups.

We will be starting decimals and fractions next week. I had hoped to star this week, but benchmarks got in the way a bit. We will also spend some time looking over the most missed questions from the Math benchmark and working on strategies to tackle those types of problems.

We will soon start a new novel and continue working on writing. When we start our new novel the Reading Log will be geared toward the novel, although I would still like students to be reading books of their choice in their extra time. I will tell the students more about this next week. In writing we will be working on using our five senses to add important details into our writing. We are always striving to allow our readers to see what we see, feel what we feel, and think what we think.

This week's spelling words:
1. Native American
2. form
3. function
4. causation
5. change
6. forever
7. meanwhile
8. understand
9. railroad
10. fireplace

Upcoming Dates:

Friday, Nov. 13th: Jon Levitt will be coming to share some of his scientific knowledge with the 4th grade!

Monday, Nov. 16th and Tuesday, Nov. 17th: Book Fair at Barnes and Noble

Wednesday, Nov. 18th: Hansel and Gretel Opera performance at Mark Twain

Friday, Nov. 20th: Diabetes Walk 8:10-8:20

Wednesday, Nov. 25th - Friday, Nov. 27th: Thanksgiving Break

Monday, December 1st: Marathon Kids Mileage Logs Due

Tuesday, December 2nd: Human Growth and Development Presentation for the girls

Thursday, December 4th: Human Growth and Development Presentation for the boys
Thursday, December 10th: Holiday Program Featuring the 4th Grade!!!!

December 10th: Holiday Program starring the 4th Grade!!!!

I am enjoying every day with your children! Thank you for your support and appreciation!!

Mrs. Zirczy

Early Dismissal on Wednesday/Parent Conferences

2009-11-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

The weeks are already getting busy as the holiday season approaches! We are having a wonderful time in class, but there is not enough time in the day to do all that we want to!

This Wednesday, November 4th students will be dismissed at 12:30. Report cards will be sent home with them. I will be available for parents conferences between 1:00 and 4:00. Please let me know if you would like to schedule a conference to discuss your child's school work, behavior, or any other questions or concerns. I would be happy to schedule a conference on a different date or time if you are not available on Wednesday. My e-mail address is rzirczy@hosutonisd.org.

We have been in LDC this past week and will continue through next week. The children are reading "The Green Book", which they seem to really be enjoying. This book works perfectly with our planner on resources. They are also practicing writing character journals from the point of view of characters in the story. It is challenging but they are improving every day!

We have started our 2nd planner on resources and the students are working very hard on their first research project. They are researching a region in Texas and creating a presentation to go along with their findings. As a class we came up with research questions that are aligned with the Key Concept questions which are an important part of our PYP curriculum. They students came up with wonderful, but challenging quesitons. The plan was to have them present their regions using PowerPoint presentations, but due to time constraints they were willing to do a paper presentation for this research project. However, I have promised that their Native American research project will be presented on PowerPoint.

In math we have been working on multiplication, division, and a bit of algebra and will continue that through part of this week. We will soon be moving on to decimals and fractions, although we will continue to revisit many concepts throughout the year. This Friday the students will have their 3rd multiplication quiz on facts from 0-9. So far, they have been doing a wonderful job on these quizzes! Please continue to encourage them to work on their multiplication facts, it simply makes more complicated math so much simpler if they know those facts.

We are preparing for Student Led Conferences on Nov. 11th. Students will be choosing items that they would like to put in their portfolios to share with you. Please try and sign up for a 30 minute time slot on Nov. 11th so your child can show off their work. If that date and time is not convenient for you please let me know what time would work for you. If needed, I can schedule times before school, or after school on different days. Any family member is welcome to come! There is a sign up sheet with time slots outside my door. If you have e-mailed me or returned the Student Led Conference form I have penciled you in.

You will see on the important dates that on December 2nd and 4th Nurse Cleary will be giving a Human Growth and Development talk. This consists of a video and short discussion. Please know that there will be permission slips going home and no student will attend without a singed permission slip. I was present for the talk last year for both the boys and girls and would be happy to answer any specific questions you might have.

Unfortunately I was unable to make it to Spooky Spaghetti. I had booked a ticket to Washington D.C. this summer before Spooky Spaghetti was scheduled. I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Lux for the wonderful job they did with the cake walk. I cannot tell you how many parents and staff members have stopped me to tell me what a wonderful booth it was! Thanks to all of you who were able to donate cakes and to Mr. and Mrs. Lux for their donation to the turtle fund for each cake provided from our students!

Now, the important stuff, the turtle! The students have raised enough money for the turtle! They have been very patient and have worked hard for their class pet. I admire their dedication. I went shopping today and bought the set-up for the turtle and will buy the turtle this week after we have the habitat in place and ready. Thank you for your support in this, it has been a wonderful incintive for the students.

A thank you to all of the parents who have been ordering books through Scholastic! I have been able to order so many free books through Scholastic already! I really appreciate your help in building our classroom library. A special thanks to Janet Schwind for setting up and organizing our orders, it is a big job!

As many of you may know, Monica Phillips, a first grade teacher at Mark Twain has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in her lungs. She will not be able to return to school during her treatment. The PTO has organized a calendar online where families can sign up to provide dinner one night for Monica and her family. There are also other ways to help detailed on the website. I believe an e-mail was sent out to all Mark Twain families, but if you would like more information about how to help please let me know. I know many of my students had Mrs. Phillips in Kindergarten.

This week's spelling words are:
1. tenth
2. hundredth
3. thousandth
4. decimal
5. landform
6. plateau
7. curl
8. shirt
9. search
10. cure

Important Dates:
Monday, Nov. 2nd: Last call for March of Dimes Reading Champion Donations
Wednesday, Nov. 4th: Early Dismissal Day, Report Cards, Parent Conferences
Wednsday, Nov. 4th: "Field Trip" to Paershing to watch a performance of the Aztec
Dancers from Mexico 10:30 - 11:30
Thursday, Nov. 5th: Library Day (and every Thursday from now on :))
Wednesday, Nov. 11th: Student Led Conferences
Thursday, Nov. 12th: Jon Levitt will be coming to share some of his scientific knowledge with the 4th grade!
Monday, Nov. 16th - Friday, Nov. 20th: Benchmark Week
Monday, Nov. 16th and Tuesday, Nov. 17th: Book Fair at Barnes and Noble
Wednesday, Nov. 25th - Friday, Nov. 27th: Thanksgiving Break
Monday, December 1st: Marathon Kids Mileage Logs Due
Tuesday, December 2nd: Human Growth and Development Presentation for the girls
Thursday, December 4th: Human Growth and Development Presentation for the boys

Thank you for your continued support!

Rebecca Zirczy

Spelling Words

2009-10-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Parents,

I did not hand out spelling word today at the end of the day. Sorry about that!! Here are the spelling words for the week of October 19th -October - 23rd:

Math
1. divisor
2. quotient
3. remainder
Social Studies
4. human
5. capital
6. impact
ou/o
7. couple
8. pound
9. gown
10. dawn

Thank you!
Mrs. Zirczy

Class Party, Spooky Spaghetti, Time for Kids

2009-10-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

We have bittersweet news this week. Miguel will be leaving to return to Nicaragua on Tuesday. This is wonderful news for him and his family but we will miss him terribly! He will be returning to Houston periodically and promises to visit. It was wonderful to get to know the Castillos!

I placed the Time for Kids order this week and hope to start receiving the magazines in the next few weeks. Thank you for all that participated and to Mrs. Schachter for help organizing the order. This is a wonderful resource for the students and helps me bring more current events into the classroom

Thank you for allowing your children to do chores and odd jobs for the class pet fund. We already have over $50.00! I am hoping to get our pet by Halloween.

This Friday, October 16th is World Food Day. Some of the students at Mark Twain are organizing a canned food drive to support local food banks. Please feel free to send any canned goods or non-perishable foods to school.

Students may wear their Spooky Spaghetti T-shirts any day between now and Spooky Spaghetti.

Upcoming Events:

Tuesday, October 20th: Scholastic Book Orders Due
Thursday, October 22nd: Class Party! 5:30 -7:00
Saturday, October 24th: Spooky Spaghetti 4:00-8:00
Monday, October 26th: LDC Begins (We will be doing a novel study with character journals)
Tuesday, October 27th: Library Day
Monday, November 2nd: March of Dimes Reading Champion Packets Due
Wednesday, November 4th: Early Dismissal/Report Cards Go Home
Wednesday, November 11th: Student Led Conferences 3:00-5:00
Monday, November 16th and Tuesday, November 17th: Book Fair at Barnes and Noble
Tuesday, December 1st: Marathon Kids Mileage Logs Due

Thank you for your continued support!
Mrs. Zirczy

2009-10-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

We are having an exciting week! We are wrapping up our Matter Planner and getting ready to begin our Resources Planner. We are working on "Object Writing", addition and subtraction strategies, map skills, and revision/editing.

Just a reminder about homework:
Please expect to see Spelling, Reading Log, and another assignment (usually Math) Monday - Thursday. I also ask that student's get their agenda signed each day so I know that you are aware of homework assignments and announcements. Conduct charts and graded papers are sent home on Tuesdays and I ask that the students return them on Wednesdays. The students have gotten a little relaxed about these classroom procedures. If you could please help me keep them on their toes I would appreciate it!

Thank you for your support with the class pet. The students are showing a great deal of excitement about raising money for their turtle. I hope this is not an inconvenience to you. Please know you do not have to participate. Depending on how much the students raise we will get a pet turtle, or a less expensive pet if needed. We will work however much is raised.

This week's spelling words:
1. America
2. Asia
3. Europe
4. Antarctica
5. Australia
6. Africa
7. still
8. hint
9. inch
10. brick

Upcoming Events:

October 12 - 16: Announcements
Tuesday, October 13th: Library Day
Wednesday, October 14th: Early Dismissal
Thursday, October 22nd: Class Social 5:30 - 7:00
Saturday, October 24th: Spooky Spaghetti 4:00-8:00
Monday, October 26th: LDC Begins
Tuesday, October 27th: Library Day
Monday, November 2nd: March of Dimes Reading Champion Packets Due
Wednesday, November 11th: Student Led Conferences

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Thank you for the continuous support and treats!! You and your children have made this school year so much fun already!

Thank You!
Mrs. Zirczy

Oops!

2009-09-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I have to say that I have not started off the week at the top of my game. Here are a few of the mistakes I have made :) Please forgive me! :

1) I could not get the spelling words to print and forgot to put them on the blog this weekend, however, I passed them out today
2) I repeated two spelling words on the list. Therefore, the students only have 8 words this week. Due to the fact that we have a four day week that is ok with me.
3) I completed the conduct sheets today, but forgot to send them home in the brown folders. I caught a few children after school, but most did not receive them.
4)Spelling test did not make it in the brown folders either!!

I hope that those will be the be the only slip ups for a while! I apologize for any inconvenience.
I will send the spelling tests and conduct charts home tomorrow.

** There were very few graded papers in this week's brown folders today. This is because we spent a great deal of our time last week taking benchmarks. Expect more graded papers next week. Thank you for your understanding!**

This Week's Spelling Words:

1. addition
2. subtraction
3.recycle
4. landfill
5. lead lead
6. led led
7.steel
8. steal steal

Important Events this Week:

Thursday:

Picture Day (We get our pictures taken first thing in the morning so that it will not interfere with our field trip.)
Field Trip: We will be leaving at 9am, and returning between 12:30pm and 1:00pm. We will eat lunch upon our return (there is no where to eat on the landfill :)) Please make sure you have returned your child's permission slip and $5.00 fee.

Friday:

All Progress Reports must be turned in to me with a signature. I will return an extra copy when I receive a signed copy.
We will have a place value quiz. We will review on Thursday and Friday for the quiz

Upcoming Events:

Monday, Oct.5:

We will have a quiz on the science vocabulary words that the students will receive on Wednesday. They should already be familiar with these terms.

Tuesday, Oct.13:

Library Day

Wednesday, Oct. 14:

Early Dismissal

Saturday, Oct. 24:

Spooky Spaghetti, 4pm-8pm

Monday, Oct. 26:

LDC begins

Thank you for the birthday wishes, balloons, songs, goodies, and gifts!! You made my 30th VERY special!!

Mrs. Zirczy

Progress Reports

2009-09-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Progress Reports went home today. Please sign the copy you received and send it back to school as soon as possible. When I receive the signed copy I will send home a copy for you to keep.

We had a wonderful trip to the Children's Museum on Tuesday. The children had lots of time to explore and learn. Thank you to Mrs. Powers, Mrs. Spike, and Mrs. Castillo who joined us.

We have another field trip fast approaching! We will be going to the Landfill and Recycling Center next Thursday, Oct. 1st. The price in $5.00. The permission slips went home in Tuesday folders.

We have been having Benchmarks this week so the students have had to take 4th grade TAKS release tests. I spoke with them about not getting too worried over these tests, given the fact they are given at the end of 4th grade. I explained that there are many things on the test that I have not yet taught them. However, these tests are very useful for me to gauge their strengths as well as areas for improvement for each student. I will use the results to guide my instruction. We have been going to LDC every day, but the testing has taken up most of the day other than that. I would like to compliment student behavior during testing. They have been very quiet and respectful of other students!

This week's spelling words are:

1. mode
2. maximum
3. minimum
4. hundred
5. thousand
6. million
Science
7. solution
8. mixture
Language Arts
9. peach
10. cream

Upcoming Dates:
Monday, Sep. 28 - School Holiday
Tuesday, Sep. 29 - Library Day
Thursday, Oct. 1 - Field Trip 9am-1pm *please send sack lunch*
Wednesay, October 14 - Early Dismissal
Saturday, October 24 - Spooky Spaghettie 4pm-8pm
Monday, October 26, LDC begins
Tuesday, October 27 - Library Day
Wednesday, November 11 - Student Led Conferences : 3pm-5pm

A few notes from Open House:

My Classroom Schedule:
8:00 – 8:10 Announcements
8:10 – 9:15 L.A.
9:15 – 10:00 Ancillary
10:00 – 10:10 Restroom Break/Snack
10:10 – 11:45 Math
11:48 – 12:18 Lunch
12:18 – 12:48 Recess (with Restroom Break)
12:48 – 2:30 Planner
2:30 – 3:00 Reading

Times to Note:
School begins at 8:00. (*tardies)
Dismissal is at 3:00.
GT pull-out is Thursdays 12:15 – 2:45
Library is every other Tuesday 10:30 – 10:50.
LDC is 8:00 – 9:00 for two weeks at a time. We are then off for four weeks.

Homework:
Your child should be spending a maximum of 1 to 1 ½ hours on homework.
I expect all homework to be completed. If your child has a busy night scheduled, they can complete homework in advance.
They will get spelling, reading or LDC, and math homework nightly.
I will pass out spelling words on Friday for the next week.

Tuesday Folders:
Every Tuesday students will bring home their Green Folder.
The Green Folder will contain their weekly conduct chart, graded and returned work, and other notes.
Conduct sheets and graded work should be signed and returned in the folder by Wednesday.

Grading Policy:
Each assignment will be weighted as follows:
Daily Grades—40%
Tests/Quizzes/Projects—50%
HW (completion)/Spelling—10%
Students will have an opportunity to retake any failed tests or quizzes for a maximum of 70%.
Students will be given a week to complete missed assignments due to absences. (Long term absences will be dealt with on a case by case basis.)

Conduct:
Weekly conduct sheets must be signed and returned on Wednesday with the green folder.
Conduct grades will be based on daily conduct marks I take in class. I will try to add a note about what type of behavior resulted in a daily mark.
E—1 mark
S—2-3 marks
N—4-5 marks
(If N’s continue, we may need a conference.)
U—6 or more marks
(We may need a parent conference.)

4th Grade Testing Day:

TAKS
Writing: March 3, 2010
Math: April 27, 2010
Reading: April 28, 2010
Stanford Window:
January 20-28, 2010

Birthdays:
On your child’s birthday you may send cupcakes or goodie bags to be passed out after lunch.
When lunch ends at 12:18, the students go outside to recess and may have their cupcakes.
Please send enough for the entire class. We have a total of 21 students.

Time for Kids Magazine:
I would like to use Time For Kids magazine for reading and social studies instruction.
The cost is $5.50 per student. Please send cash (no checks, please), I will place the order online with my credit card.I will not be able to place the order until the majority of students have brought in their money.

Thank you for your continued generosity and support!!
Mrs. Zirczy

Spelling Words

2009-09-14T19:25:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,

I have been preparing for open house, so there is much info to come tomorrow. I just wanted to get this week's spelling words up. I will post a more informational letter later this week.

This week's spelling words:
1. equivalent
2. equal
3. place value
4. weight
5. mass
6. balance
7. pain
8. gain
9. aid
10. drain drain

Thank You!
Mrs. Zirczy

Field Trips!

2009-09-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Field Trips:

We will take a field trip to the Children's Museum on September 22nd. They have a new exhibit that is all about Matter! Permission slips with the details of the time and price will be coming home this week. I will need 2-3 adult chaperones to accompany us. If you are interested and available please send me an e-mail.

We are tentatively planning a field trip for October 1st to a local recycling center. I will update the blog when I get more information. Again I will be needing 2 - 3 adult chaperones.

Presidential Address:

We will be showing the Presidential Address to Children at 11:00 on Tuesday. If you would like your child to view the address please return the permission slip that was sent home on Friday. If you do not wish for your child to view the address please return the permission slip with a statement that you do not wish for your child to view the address. I no permission slip is returned the student will not view the address. Students not viewing the address will be assigned a different activity which they will complete in a 4th grade teacher's room where the address is not being shown.

Sally Foster Fundraiser Update:

The coupon books are on sale for $20.

Reading Log:

This week students will begin having a daily reading log as part of their homework. I am asking that student's read 20 - 30 minutes nightly and complete a short writing assignment based on what they have read. They do not have to complete a book to write about it in their Reading Log. The Reading Log assignments will be set up similarly to the spelling assignments. Students will have a sheet in their binder that will describe their Reading Log assignment for Mondays, assignment for Tuesdays, etc. If students are unsure of what to do please refer to that sheet.

Math:

For the next two weeks we will be working on place value. We will be focusing on reading numbers correctly, identifying which numbers are in the ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred- thousands, and millions place, as well as describing words in standard, written and expanded form. We are also working on problem solving daily.

Language Arts/Reading:

We will continue working in our Writer's Notebook and practicing editing in LA. We will continue reading "Lost and Found" by Andrew Clements and work on character development and plot.

Science:

We will continue our unit on Matter. This week we will be discussing mass and weight, volume, and states of matter. We will be conducting several experiments related to these topics.

These are the week's spelling words:

1. property

2. buoyant

3. volume

4. solid

5. liquid

6. gas

7. skate

8. blade

9. safe

10. shape

I have combined some of the words we will be using in science with a few words that follow a common spelling pattern. I am hoping this will benefit all students.

Upcoming Events:

Presidential Address to Children: September 8th 11:00 am

Extended Day Classes will Change: September 14th

LDC: September 14th - September 25th (We will be working on writing.)

Next Library Day: September 15

Open House: September 15th - 4th Grade is from 6:00-7:00

Sally Foster Fund Raiser Packet Due: September 18th

Field Trip to Children's Museum: September 22nd

Library Day: September 29th

Possible Field Trip to Recycling Center: October 1st

Thank you for all that you do!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Zirczy

In the Swing of Things!

2009-09-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I have had a wonderful first week with your children! We are officially in the swing of things despite my absence on Monday due to a sinus infection. I am enjoying all of the students personalities. They are a very bright and outgoing group! Here are a few weekly procedure details that I need to share with you:

Agendas: I have students write their homework in their agenda each morning as soon as they arrive and settle in. I am asking that you sign their agenda each night. This is so I know that you are aware of what homework was assigned and any additional information that I might need to pass on to you via their agendas. It is very important that students have their agendas with them each day.

Homework: Students will have reading reflection journal assignments (starting next week), spelling assignments, and at least one other assignment each night for homework. I do not give homework on Fridays unless we are working on a large project, or students have not completed all of their work from the week. If for some reason your child is unable to complete their homework please write a note on their homework page and they can complete it either during class or the next evening.

Spelling Words: I will send spelling words home on Fridays for the next week. I only send 10 words home because I send words that are relevant to the vocabulary we are learning in class. The vocabulary words are sometimes more difficult than traditional spelling words. Daily spelling homework will help the children prepare for the Friday spelling tests, because we will not spend much time in class working on the actual spelling of these words although they will come up often in discussion.

Conduct: I will send a weekly conduct chart home on Tuesdays. There will not be a daily conduct grade in the agenda, however please be aware that if there is a major problem during class I will either send a note, or give you a call that day to let you know specifically what happened. I give all students one warning per day. If they continue to break classroom rules, they receive a check. At the end of the week 0-1 check is an E (Excellent), 2-3 checks are an S (Satisfactory), 4-5 checks is an N (Needs Improvement), and more than 5 checks is a U (Unacceptable). I ask that a parent/teacher conference is scheduled if a student gets a U, or has more than on week in succession with an N.

Snacks: I allow students to eat a small, healthy, mess-free snack each day around 10:00. Feel free to send a snack with your child if you think that they may get hungry during the morning. You may also send water for them to drink in the classroom.

E-mail: My e-mail is: rzirczy@houstonisd.org . Please feel free to e-mail me at any time and I will do my best to get back with you in a timely manner.

Important Times: Students need to be in the classroom at 8:00am, unless they are Safety Patrol members. My conference time is 9:15 – 10:00. Lunch is from 11:48-12:18 with recess immediately following. Students are dismissed at 3:00

This week's spelling words are:

1. matter

2. line

3. ray

4. point

5. segment

6. obtuse

7. acute

8. vertex

9. basic

10. complex

We are working on cursive a few times a week in class. By November students will be expected to do spelling homework as well as spelling tests in cursive. I feel that it is very important for students to practice reading and writing in cursive.

Sally Foster Fund Raiser: It is my understanding that the large coupon book is $35. The Sally Foster representative wanted me to make sure and pass along that the coupon book is for purchase and is not free. All other instructions are in the packet. If you have any other questions about the fund raiser I will do my best to find the answers for you.

Upcoming Events:

Labor Day: September 7th - no school

LDC: September 14th - September 25th (We will be working on writing.)

Next Library Day: September 15

Open House: September 15th - 4th Grade is from 6:00-7:00

Sally Foster Fund Raiser Packet Due: September 18th

Library Day: September 29th

I am sure there are many more upcoming dates I am forgetting, but I will continue to update them as I hear about them.

Please feel free to e-mail me any time with any questions or concerns. Thank you for you warm welcome back this year! I am looking forward to working with you and your children!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Zirczy

The 2009 -2010 school year is here!

2009-08-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to a new school year! I am very excited about beginning my second year at Mark Twain! I use this blog to post announcements, spelling words, general info about what we are doing, upcoming items students may need, and upcoming events. This is a read only blog, but please feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions or comments you may have.

There are a few items that I ask the students to bring that were not on the school supply list. I realize that the first week of school is a busy week for all so if the items are at school by Friday of this week that would be just fine. No rush. I am asking for a three ring binder that has a soft cover that zips closed. I saw some at Sam's today, or anywhere that carries school supplies should have some. In the fourth grade we really work on teaching organizational skills and this binder is a great tool for that. Students will put their agenda, informational sheets, homework, etc. in this binder. Although these binders are a bit pricey they will be able to take them to fifth grade as well. The other item is one composition notebook. These are sold at the school store and are available at Wal-Mart and Target for 50 cents. We will be creating "writer's notebooks" which we will use to write in daily.

There will be several forms coming home on the first day. Please try to return them as quickly as possible, but again I know it is a busy week so please do not worry if they are not back until the end of the week. There is a parent survey, informational letter, and information sheet coming home specifically from me as well as the regular first day packet.

Our first planner is called "Matter Matters" and is a study of the three states of matter and their properties. We will be covering mass, density, volume, colloids, and some related environmental issues. More detailed information will be posted after the first week of school.

We will not have spelling words the first week of school but will have light homework assignments. These assignments will be written in the student's agendas each day.

Please pick up students in the cafeteria after school if possible. It helps the flow of traffic and allows me to make sure I know where each student is going and with whom.

We will not have Vanguard or LDC the first week.

Please check the blog weekly for more updates!

I look forward to the 2009-2010 school year and working with you and your children!

Thank You,

Rebecca Zirczy

Upcoming Dates

2009-03-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Science Fair was due today, I know you are all relieved that it is behind you, but I think it was a wonderful experience for the children. The boards and projects look beautiful! I truly appreciate your support with the this.

With Reading AND Math TAKS tests only 4 weeks away we have been working very hard on specific objectives as well as familiarizing students with the format of the test. You will start to see Reading passages as homework. It is extremely important that students underline their "proof". For each question they need to locate a sentence or two that support the answer they have chosen. This does two things, it slows students down so they do not rely only on their memory and rush, and it also helps them to choose only answers that are supported by the story. Please check over these reading passages with your children and encourage them to show their "proof". Students need to realize that the TAKS test is very important and that they need to put forth their best effort in our practice and on the day of the test. On the same note, if students get too stressed out about the tests, they will not do well and it is not healthy for them to be overly concerned. As parents, you know your children best and should discuss the upcoming tests in the best manner for you and your child.

We completed our soil summative today, and will be working on our heroes planner. We will be learning about the Texas Revolution and studying many "heroes" from the U.S. and around the world.

We could use the following items for our classroom:

1) pencils

2) hand sanitizer

3) expo markers

4) scotch tape

There are many upcoming tests, activities, and events. Here are a few:

Jump For Heart forms due: Friday, March 27th

Class Picture Orders Due: Monday, March 30th ($10)

Book Orders Due: Tuesday, March 31st

Come and view all of the science fair projects: April 1st

Report Cards Go Home: April 1st

Bingo Night: Friday, April 3rd - 6:30pm

Student Holiday: April 10th

Student Led Conferences: April 15th - 3:00-4:30

Math TAKS: April 28th

Reading TAKS: April 29th

4th Grade Awards Ceremony:Thursday, May 21st - 1:30pm

Thank you for your continued support! Hope to see you on April 1st!

Mrs. Zirczy

Upcoming Writing TAKS - March 3rd!

2009-02-24T18:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

The most pressing matter this week is that the Writing TAKS test is next Tuesday, March 3rd. We will be working diligently for the next 4 days to prepare for the revising and editing section, as well as composing written essays. We have been working on these things for several months and will do all that we can to put the polishing touches on our skills. Please remind students to get to bed early on Monday, eat a substantial breakfast, and remain positive. The students will have the entire day to revise, edit, and write. We are working on a five step process with our writing: brainstorming, rough drafting, revising, editing, and final drafting. It will take the majority of the day for students to complete this process if they are working to the best of their abilities. Please make sure students arrive on time, and are not picked up early unless absolutely necessary. There is no writing re-take and I want all of the students to show off their best writing. Please continue to encourage your children to believe in themselves. I want this to be a positive experience for them.

On a lighter note, we have some upcoming events:

Free Dress/Go Texan Day - Friday, February 27th

LDC Begins - Monday, March 2nd

Last Day for Reading/Writing Tutorials - Monday, March 2nd

Huckleberry Bash - Friday, March 6th 7:00PM

End of 3rd Nine Weeks - Friday, March 13

Spring Break - March 16-March 20

Report Cards - Wednesday, April 1st

Bingo Night - Friday, April 3rd 6:00-8:30

TAKS Math Test - Tuesday, April 28

TAKS Reading - Wednesday, April 29

This week I only gave the students 10 spelling words. This is due to the fact that I did not get the words to them on Friday. Reminder: All spelling homework and tests are to be done in cursive. I am not requiring student's essays to be in cursive because they are free to choose print or cursive on the TAKS writing test. This weeks words are:

1) composition

2) adventure

3) elated

4) excited

5) hero

6) admire

10)

(the list is at school but I will update it! My apologies, my memory fails me!

A big thank you to Ms. Mills for putting together our classroom creation! That is a major project to undertake!

Thank you to those parents who donated bedding for Pumpkin! She is thoroughly enjoying it!

We are in need of:

#2 Pencils (what came in the school supplies packages has just run out)

Cap Erasers

EXPO markers (skinny or thick)

Germ-X (or any brand of hand sanitizer)

One last thing ... Science Fair:

This Friday the students should bring in the data from the experiments. If experiments are still in progress please send a note along with any data that has been collected. Completed projects are NOT due, I only want to ensure that students are well into their experiments.
Science Fair boards ($2.75), Subtitle Cards ($.25), and 1MG memory sticks ($5.00) available in the school store.
Please write out any specific questions about science fair projects and send them with your child. Some questions have been "lost in translation". :)
Thank you for your part in this project! I realize it takes a great deal of time and energy, but I know this is a wonderful and important experience for the students.

Thank you for your continued support!

Mrs. Zirczy

Valentine's Day/Writing

2009-02-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Just a quick update to let you know that I will allow the students to exchange valentine's and treats on Thursday February 12th. I will be out of town on Friday, and I do not want to leave that type of activity for a substitute. Let's just say the children tend to be extremely excited :). If you choose to send valentine's to school please send one for every student, so there are not hurt feelings. If you would like to send candy or treats, that will be fine, but I will have to give them out at the end of the day (during the card exchange) for the children to take home with them. We are only allowed to have 2 official parties a year (winter break and the last day of school) so we will not be taking the entire afternoon, or eating in class.

I will also be sending home more writing in the next few weeks for homework. I will be giving them different types of writing prompts. The idea is not for them to write a large quantity each night, but to write well thought out pieces with voice. It would be best if they do not get too much advice on their writing, because they will be writing without any aid on March 3rd.

Thank you for your continued support!

Mrs. Zirczy

Upcoming Fieldtrip/Science Fair

2009-02-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

I apologize for the long break in posts. It has been a crazy few weeks with Stanford, etc. HISD is requiring that we give a writing and math benchmark this week. The writing benchmark will be Tuesday, February 3rd exactly one month before the actual TAKS writing test. This will be a full day of revising, editing and writing. Although this will make for a long day of hard work I believe that it will be extremely beneficial for the students to experience what March 3rd will really be like. The math benchmark will be given on Thursday, February 5th in the morning. This test will probably take the entire morning.

There are a few things that I need your help with:

* I need one more parent volunteer for the field trip on Wednesday. We will leave school at 9:00am and return at approximately 12:45.

*We are in desperate need of some bedding for Pumpkin. The bedding is a bit pricey and I have used all of the extra Pumpkin money we had collected. Any type of bedding is fine as long as it is soft. Guinea pigs have sensitive feet :)

*Please make sure to send a sack lunch on Wednesday for your child. We will be returning to school to eat, but the cafeteria will be closing down at that time.

Science Fair: I know that this has been a bit of an overwhelming experience so far. It is a big step for students to be designing and carrying out an experiment along with all of the paperwork involved. Please know that we are performing experiments in the classroom and going through the same steps that the students are asked to go through. Please look at the schedule in the science fair packet as well as the second to last page that talks about the Science Fair Log. We discussed the log in class today, but detailed instructions are in the packet as well. Please bear with me, as this is my first time working with science fair projects as a teacher. Please let me know what guidance is needed, but also know the bulk of the work should be done by the students at home. I have explained that they are the leader of the project, and although they will need help, they should be doing the work associated with the project. Please make sure that they are filling out their science fair packets according to the schedule and bringing it on the due dates. If they are unable to finish a step on time please send a note.

Spelling Words were given out this week and I let the students know that all homework is now to be done in cursive. This will include the weekly spelling test.

Spelling words are coming...

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank your support with the science fair projects!

Mrs. Zirczy

2009 is here!

2009-01-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

One week has passed and we are officially back in the swing of things. Here are some important upcoming dates.

January 12th: Tutorials Begin 3:15-4:15

January 14th: Report Cards Go Home

January 16th: School Spelling Bee: 8:30am, Bingo Night: 6:30pm, Aeros Night: 7:35pm

January 19th: School Holiday MLK Day

January 20th - January 27th: Standford Testing Window. We will be testing at least 5 days during this time. Please make sure your children are getting lots of sleep and a hearty breakfast each day.

January 21st: Scholastic Book Orders Due (2)

January 31st: Mark Twain International Festival

March 3: TAKS Writing Exam

March 6: Huckleberry Bash

April 28th: TAKS Math Exam

April 29th: TAKS Reading Exam

This week's spelling words are:

1) fraction

2) numerator

3) denominator

4) anterior

5) posterior

6) conservation

7) agriculture

8) soil profile

9) horizon

10) bedrock

*You may have noticed that there were only 10 spelling words this week. That is because we are going to start taking on cursive by storm. I am requiring that all spelling homework, except definitions, to be done in cursive. Also, starting the week of January 20th cursive will be required for all spelling tests. All students have shown improvement, which is very encouraging.

*Report Cards will be going out on Wednesday, if you have any questions, or would like to schedule a conference please let me know.

*We are currently in LDC and working on writing. Mrs. Gee is not giving them much homework this turn, because she is trying to help them to be more independent writers. We are working diligently to prepare the students for the quickly approaching Writing TAKS.

*We have started our 3rd planner, Soil is Essential. In this planner we will be discussing soil as a renewable resource that we need to preserve. We will be looking at soil's affect on our life, as well as our affect on soil. We are learning about soil layers, soil types, soil characteristics, soil permeability, farming and earthworms. We currently have a worm compost bin in our classroom. I have encouraged students to bring in a sample of soilfrom around their home or garden as well as vegetable and fruit peels to feed our worms. We can also put crushed egg shells into the bin.

*As we get closer to the TAKS tests I have high expectations for the students. I have spoken with them about remaining focused and responsible. Although I do not agree with "teaching the test" I do want students to be as prepared as possible to ensure their success. We will be doing lots of experiments and fun things along with a little test preparation. I am dedicated to helping your student to achieve their full potential.

Thank you for your continued support!!

Mrs. Zirczy

Upcoming Week

2008-12-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

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

Holiday Giving Opportunities

2008-12-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

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

Student Led Conferences, etc.

2008-12-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

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

Spelling Words and Time for Kids

2008-11-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

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

Student Conferences Postponed

2008-11-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

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

Spelling Words and Updates

2008-10-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

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

Class Party/ Spooky Spaghetti

2008-10-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

A few new updates:

This weeks spelling words are:

1. Australia
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

2008-10-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

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

Items Needed

2008-10-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-05T16:15:00.001-07:00

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:

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

New Spelling Words and Reminders

2008-09-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

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

Post Ike Updates

2008-09-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

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:

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

Welcome to Mrs. Zirczy's Class

2008-09-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

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.