Mr. Nettle

Mr. Nettle

We have had a second day with Mr. Nettle. Mr. Nettle works with the class to learn to work together as a team, he teaches them various life skills like "mistakes = information", "stop and think first", and "what's my best choice right now". The class has responded very well and were able to show their positive personalities during our day and beyond. We are looking forward to our last day with him in a few more months.

If you would like to check out his Parenting Blog, here is a link: 

http://dgnparents.wordpress.com/

Walk Through California and Apple Field Trip

Dear Parents of Mrs. Bantley's class:

The class will be participating in the Walk Through California! and we would like to invite you to join the class.  This is a fun 2 1/2 hour history presentation taking place at Montair.  Since 1981 California Weekly Explorer, Inc. has educated hundreds of thousands of 4th, 5th and 6th grade students throughout the state of California.

During the program students will have an opportunity to participate in a number of ways.  One or more "Expert Word Cards" have been assigned to your child.  Please help your child memorize the card(s) and find the answer(s) to the question on the card(s).  This will help earn points for their team during this friendly classroom competition.  The students are encouraged, but not required, to wear period clothing from California history.  If nothing else, it would be appreciated if your student could refrain from current fashions and wear blue jeans/muted clothing.  Later in the year, there will be a dress-up day where students will be assigned a period in history to represent.

Watch history come alive for students!  Your child will remember this experience for years to come and walk away with a stronger appreciation for history.  We hope to see you on Monday, October 22 at 8:50am.  Due to the length of the presentation, it is suggested that younger siblings find alternative childcare. 

Additionally, the class will be taking a field trip on Friday, October 26th to the Apple Store in Pleasanton.  At this field trip, we will be learning how to and creating an electronic presentation using photos and videos gathered at the Walk Through California.  If you haven't returned   the permission slip, please do so.  

In order to pull all this off, we need some help from the parents:  

- We need three parents on Monday to be dedicated photographers during the whole presentation.  Basic pictures and some videos…  We will be consolidating them after the presentation.

- We need to borrow flash drives (8GB or more is best) to get their presentations home from the Apple Store.  Please label them and bring them in next week and give to Mrs. Bantley.  They will be returned after the field trip.  We need at least 15 drives.

Thank you so much for your support (and participation)!!

Jen Kral (for Mrs. Bantley)

Halloween Is Coming!

Halloween is getting closer! Thank you to Catie for using her sewing skills to make this Halloween bag so we could Boo! another classroom. The Halloween Parade will be on October 31st beginning at 8:30. Following the parade we will begin Halloween Party with a breakfast and some games following recess. Thank you Mrs. Haddock for organizing the party and for all the donations from our great families.

October 7

I hope the Friday off for the kids was enjoyed by all. The Montair staff had a productive day looking at the direction for the Common Core Standards.

Last week we completed our assessments and I'm looking forward to sharing those with you next week at conferences. I see that most families have already signed up for a conference time, if you have not yet, there are still many slots still available.

Over the next few weeks our focus in class will be:

Reading - taking a deeper look at characters in books

Writing - Revising and editing our narratives

Math - multiplication and division

Social Studies - different regions in California

I would like to give you the link to the Bantley Class Blog: http://bantleybunch.blogspot.com/

There is not a link to this blog on School Loop yet, so I will continue to send emails until that is complete. I have also posted some pictures of our field trip.

Cheers,

Christine Bantley

Marine Science Institute Field Trip

Here are some pictures from our Marine Science Institute field trip.

First Few Weeks

Dear Parents,

 Our first few weeks of school have been full of establishing routines and
 getting back into the swing of school at a new grade level.
 
 Math - We have completed our first unit, which gave me an idea of where the
 students are as far as independence and ability.  As we ease into the next
 few units I would like to try a few different things to help challenge the
 students that may need it. As a grade level we will be discussing options
 that may best meet the needs of students.
             Timed tests - Last week we have started having timed tests with
 our multiplication facts. Students should start practicing their facts at
 home for a few minutes each day. The timed tests should help push them into
 knowing their facts at a quicker rate. Right now we are aiming for about 25
 problems in 1 minute.
 
 Field Trip - October 3rd is our field trip to the Marine Institute. AS
 mentioned before the date is different than date shown on the field trip
 form handed out at back to school night. If you are interested in driving
 would you please send me an email with the number of student seats you will
 have. In the future I will include a place to include this information on
 the form.
 
 Reading Log - Please assist your child in getting their reading done each
 night at home. They should be logging first, planning their goal and then
 reading. When they finish reading they can mark weather they met their goal
 or not. On Thursday nights please initial their log.
 
 
 Thank you,
Christine Bantley