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September Salutations From Mr. Mauntler’s room |
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Reading We will be beginning our Guided Reading program in just a few short weeks. Three to four days a week your child will meet in a small group with me to read books at his/her instructional level. In these groups we will be practicing our fluency, word attack skills, phonics, and comprehension. We will continue to read stories as a whole group, as well as poems that incorporate phonics. Your child may be ready for Literature circles. He/She will be asked to complete assignment for a certain chapter at home. They will be meeting in small groups to discuss the chapter and then move on to a new chapter until they have read/discussed elements of the whole book. The period of time depends on how far they go each day. A note will come home when your child is ready for these activities. Writing/SpellingIn three weeks or so we will be starting a writing workshop where your child and I develop writing skills through one-to-one interaction, as well as whole-group instruction, during writing time. Your child will be taking words from her/his writing assignments and adding them to their spelling dictionary. Your child should be bringing home a spelling list within the next two - four weeks. Please look on the homework assignment sheet for spelling test times and study nights. HomeworkI generally start giving homework in the 2nd – 3rd week of school. It is important that your child complete his/her homework each night. If for some reason the homework does not get finished, please do not sign the sheet. I understand that there will be nights where completing homework is just not an option, ski club nights, late soccer games, family visits, etc. On these occasions please try to write a short explanation (“soccer game”, “family night”) on the homework sheet and I will be happy to stamp it. Also, please help to remind your child that the homework sheet must be signed and returned each day. It is my intention that homework is their responsibility, not yours! The assignments are meant to be a tool to reinforce and show off their understanding of strategies/skills we have worked on here at school. It is also my intention that homework is a way for your child to learn the responsibility of thinking ahead for their next day (by making sure it is completed, signed, and packed up, ready to go!) and to get things done on time. If you ever have any questions or concerns about an assignment I send home please write me a note on the homework sheet or call me here at school. Book OrdersI will try to send home a book order every other month. Before sending one home, I spend some time with the students identifying appropriate books. Please do not feel pressured to buy any of these books. I am pointing out books that I feel are written at an appropriate level. Parent Volunteers If there are any parents who would like to come in and help during the week the class and I would appreciate the help. The time that I could most use the help is between 8:00 and 11:00 in the morning. I would be doing language arts at these times so it would be a time to just try to keep the class focused on the centers and activities. Other times are certainly open as well. Please send a note or call me if you think you would like to give some time to the class and myself. Thank you. |
Projects In the past we have had parents who have generously donated their time/talents/treasures to help us create puppets, pizza parties, a crocheted quilt (made up of individual students’ patches!), class books, window decorations, Christmas presents, and much more. If you have an idea (and energy) for a project you think you would like to share with the class please contact me. Absences/Leaving Early/Transportation Home If your child is not going to attend school on a given day please be sure to give Mary Bergren a call in the Student Services Office. If you are bringing your child in late please sign in with Mary in the Student Services Office. If you are planning on taking your child out of school early, or, if transportation plans change, please send a note to me with your child or call Mary (preferably by 2:00 p.m.). Show-and-Tell If your child has something really exciting he/she really wants to show to the class, by all means send/bring it in if appropriate. We love to see pictures, things found on nature walks, family artifacts/heirlooms, things that tell stories, etc. If they find a “pet” outside and want to try to keep it and bring it in my policy is “If you can take care of it, keep it alive and contained, and it doesn’t distract us through the day, I don’t mind.” Generally the end of the day (from 2:00-3:00) is the best time, Friday is the best day to share these things. Snacks Generally we have snacks in the afternoons due to the fact that lunch is at 11:00 a.m. This makes for a short morning, but a long afternoon. Please try to make sure your child brings a somewhat healthy snack like fruit, granola bars, crackers, peanut butter, etc. I welcome snacks to share with the whole class if you are so inclined! Please make sure there is enough for all. Contacting Me I believe in an open door policy. If you have a question or concern, please feel free to contact me at any time for any reason. I am very open to your feelings, concerns, and suggestions. Working together will ensure that your child is getting the most out of all our efforts. The school’s number is 889-5521. My extension is 342. My e-mail address is bmauntle@manistee.org. My home phone number is 889-2051. The school’s website is onekama.k12.mi.us/. Please check out the website if you haven’t already. I am looking forward to working with your child this year and meeting all of you. This is going to be a great year! Sincerely, Ben Mauntler
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