Our Donors Choose Proposal Was FUNDED!

Look what happens when you go on the Internet asking for free stuff! I sent in a proposal to DonorsChoose.org over the summer and it was COMPLETELY FUNDED just today! That's $1200 worth of slides and 16 Leica microscopes for Room 11! Yay for us! WOO!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Room 11

HOMEWORK for December 10

Homework for December 10- December 14

1) Spelling Skills

2) Daily Language Review

3) Daily Academic Vocabulary

4) Daily Paragraph Editing

5) Daily Handwriting Practice

6) Daily Word Problems

7) Daily Geography

8) Daily Math Practice
a. Do NOT do Monday #4 and #5
b. Do NOT do Tuesday #1 and #4
c. Do NOT do Wednesday #1 and #2
d. Do NOT do Thursday #1 and #4

9) Reading Log (You do not need to do the weekend)

The AIDS Quilt Comes to Sutro Elementary

The AIDS Quilt arrived at Sutro last week, and the kids had a moment or two to appreciate the work, effort, and love that went into making each square. The part of the quilt that came to our school took up one full wall in Ms. Lau's Room 9 classroom, and gave the kids a small example of the enormous completed quilt that exists.

The students then wrote essays on what kind of impression the quilt made on them. Many made a statement about how AIDS should not scare people away from being friends with the sick. Others relayed their honest fear of contracting a disease such as HIV or AIDS, no matter how small the chances are. It was a truly illuminating experience...one that showed just how much the kids have grown since first arriving at Sutro years ago in Kindergarten. What an amazing class of students.

The AIDS Quilt
by Carmen Lin

On December 6, 2007, my class went to see the AIDS Quilt in Room 9. It was a very big quilt that had pictures of people who died from AIDS. On the quilt were objects that those people used or liked, their portraits, the dates of when they were born or died, etc.

I feel sad for those people because they were loved by their family members and they miss them a lot. Those people died from AIDS, a disease. AIDS kill your white blood cells and you get sick all the time. It's a tragedy that they died from AIDS.

A lot of people are scared of AIDS because they think you can catch it very easily. The only way to get AIDS is blood-to-blood contact. Since so may people fear AIDS, they stay away from people with AIDS, which will make that person very lonely.

If I was friends with someone who has AIDS, I would still be their friend even if other people didn't want to be that person's friend. I'd just have to be careful when that person was bleeding so that I wouldn't catch AIDS, too.

The Golden Compass Field Trip

The movie was a big success! The kids absolutely loved it. Although it was far more violent than I remember movies being when I was ten, the kids nowadays seem more mature. They weren't fazed by it in the least, which may be good AND bad!

But all in all, a very successful trip! Unfortunately, we only scored a Laidlaw bus on the way to the theater. On the way back, we were forced to take MUNI, which is never a comfortable ride with 33 kids. Everyone behaved wonderfully, however, and I commend them all on a job well done. Kudos to you, students!

Friday's Field Trip to The Van Ness 1000 Theaters!

Just a reminder that we will be seeing THE GOLDEN COMPASS on Friday! The movie begins at 10:50 a.m., and I have already purchased the tickets for the kids, so we are all set. Ms. Van Doren and I will be escorting the class.

Unfortunately, I have not heard back from Laidlaw about getting a bus ride over there, so I think we may have to MUNI it to the theater and back to school again.

However, considering we always get compliments on how well our class behaves every where we go, I have no worries about taking the Room 11 students anywhere in the city!

If you are coming with us to see the movie, please let me know! Thank you.

HOMEWORK for December 3

Homework for December 3-December 10

1) Spelling List

a. Do NOT do spelling dictation

2) Daily Language Review

3) Daily Academic Vocabulary

a. defend, viewpoint, position, perspective

4) Daily Paragraph Editing

a. Fable, “Maui and the Sun”

5) Daily Handwriting Practice

6) Daily Word Problems

7) Daily Geography

a. Mountains and Deserts of the U.S.

8) Tic Tac Math

a. Solve ALL problems

9) Daily Math Practice

a. Do not do Monday problems #2, 4

b. Do not do Tuesday problems #1, 4

c. Do not do Wednesday problem #2, 4

d. Do not do Thursday problem # 1

10) Reading Log

a. Choose a book and read every day. Log your ideas.

INTERNET HUNT: Read the poem “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll. Write a two paragraph essay on what the poem means to you.

Search the Internet on facts about Lewis Carroll. Prepare notes for writing your 4 paragraph essay on his life and writing.

FREE DAY at the Asian Art Museum

The Asian Art Museum is FREE for a Community Day on Saturday, December 1st! Don't miss this chance to see the new exhibits at one of the coolest museums in SF! There will be docent tours, Korean drum performances, and storytelling, just to name a few...

HOMEWORK for November 19

Homework for November 19- December 3 (you have TWO weeks for this homework packet…have a great Thanksgiving holiday!)

1) Spelling List

a. Do NOT do spelling dictation

2) Daily Language Review

3) Daily Academic Vocabulary

a. defend, viewpoint, position, perspective

4) Daily Paragraph Editing

a. Personal Narrative, “My Favorite Music”

5) Daily Handwriting Practice

6) Daily Word Problems

7) Daily Geography

a. A Physical Map of Washington

8) Tic Tac Math

a. Solve ALL problems

9) Daily Math Practice

a. Do not do Monday problem #4

b. Do not do Tuesday problems #2, 4

c. Do not do Wednesday problem #2

d. Do not do Thursday problems # 1, 3

10) Margaret Bourke-White

a. Read and complete crossword

11) Reading Log

a. Choose a book and read every day. Log your ideas.

INTERNET HUNT: Read the poem “The Land of Nod” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Write a two paragraph essay on what the poem means to you.

Search the Internet on facts about Robert Louis Stevenson. Prepare notes for writing your 4 paragraph essay on his life and writing.

The field trip yesterday was amazing! The Asian Art Museum is such a gem. If you have a chance to visit with your kids, I would advise it! They loved the art for the different countries. We explored mostly China, Korea, and a little bit of Japan in the galleries, but the kids loved the brush painting lessons the most. They created some fabulous art, which is hanging from our clothesline in the classroom, if you want to see!

The kids did very well on the trip, and behaved their best. MUNI is not easy with 33 kids, but they did amazingly well, considering how crowded and grumpy some of the passengers and drivers were. We have some great kids in Room 11!

Mr. Reed came on our field trip as a chaperone, and we were lucky enough to have him teach a lesson before we left for the bus. He taught the kids all about woodcut art, and showed them his own woodblock prints, which left quite an impression. Then, we had time to make our own "wood" cut art by using styro-foam meat trays from the super market to carve our own Christmas card images. The are just lovely, and will hopefully find their way home to you and your families soon!

If you're curious about our trip, please feel free to take a look at our photos on the web...

HOMEWORK for November 12

Homework for November 12- November 19

1) Spelling List

a. Do NOT do spelling dictation

2) Daily Language Review

3) Daily Academic Vocabulary

a. complicate, complicated, complication, complex

4) Daily Paragraph Editing

a. News Article, “New Baseball Record Set”

5) Daily Handwriting Practice

6) Daily Word Problems

7) Daily Geography

a. The St. Lawrence Seaway

8) Tic Tac Math

9) Daily Math Practice

a. Do not do Monday problem #1

b. Do not do Tuesday problems #3, 4

10) Addition and Subtraction Page

11) Crossword Puzzles

a. Disappearing Frogs

11) Reading Log

a. Choose a book and read every day. Log your ideas.

INTERNET HUNT: Read the poem “Alone” by Maya Angelou. Write a two paragraph essay on what the poem means to you.

Search the Internet on facts about Maya Angelou. Prepare notes for writing your 4 paragraph essay on her life and poetry.

The World According to Sesame Street

I went to the free San Francisco Film Society teacher screening of The World According to Sesame Street at the very cool Bridge Theater on Geary.

If you didn't catch it on PBS when it aired last year, you should Netflix immediately. What a great film, especially for educators, who are given opportunities to teach peace and tolerance in their classrooms on a daily basis. Sesame Street is a far reaching neighborhood, it seems. 120 countries have their own, aculturated versions of the show, including Bangladesh, their most recent addition.

Kosovo was an eye-opening segment. Who would have guessed that politics could figure so prominently in the creation of a much-needed children's program. They could fit the Serbians and the Albanians in the same room, yet they couldn't make the tension dissipate no matter what cause they were all united in fighting for...be it the unification of a nation or something as essential as guaranteeing the future of their children.

But for me, the most touching and heartbreaking moments of the film were when they showed the South African version of Sesame Street, with their HIV muppet, Kami.

Apparently, for a country like South Africa, which now holds the highest number of known HIV related cases in the world, Kani is a welcome learning tool with which the show can help children understand the very heavy-duty concepts and unpleasant issues of loss, death, and the HIV virus.

However, in the US of A, we trampled the idea of Kani before it even had a chance to explain the benefits of educating a huge mass of children who have no means of understanding a sickness that is sweeping through their country.

The show at the Bridge ended with a very sparse Q and A with the director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, Milton Chen, and the man who was the soul of Gonzo on the Muppets, Dave Golez. Needless to say, I never got my answer to the question; what exactly IS Gonzo?! Ant-eater is my best first guess...an ant-eater that loves chickens and rats. Go figure!

FREE DAY AT THE SF MUSEUMS!

Hi everyone! And thank you all for some wonderful parent/teacher conferences. It was a pleasure discussing how terrific your children are. I love talking about how great my students are. Teachers get bragging rights, too!

Please remember...Saturday is FREE DAY at all the museums in San Francisco, including SF Moma, Zeum, Cartoon Art Museum, The DeYoung, Academy of Sciences, The Asian Art Museum, and The Legion of Honor...take advantage of this amazing offer if you can!

Also, MONDAY IS A HOLIDAY! NO SCHOOL!

And Tuesday is our fabulous field trip to the Asian Art Museum, where the kids will learn about Chinese brush painting in addition to seeing all of the amazing artifacts during our docent-led tour. Bring a bag lunch, kids!

As for curriculum, we are zooming in math, and are currently on Chapter 8, which includes:

Unit 1: Reasonable scale
Unit 2: Bar graphs and double-bar graphs
Unit 3: Ordered pairs and graphing
Unit 4: Line graphs
Unit 5: Histograms
Unit 6: And choosing the appropriate graph to represent your data.

We have learned up to unit 4, and will be continuing units 5 and 6 on Wednesday. The Chapter 8 test will be on Friday.

HOMEWORK for November 5

Homework for November 5- November 12

1) Spelling List

a. Do NOT do spelling dictation

2) Daily Language Review

3) Daily Academic Vocabulary

a. refer, reference

4) Daily Paragraph Editing

a. Directions: “How to Build a Sand Castle”

5) Daily Handwriting Practice

6) Daily Word Problems

7) Daily Geography

a. Picturing the World

8) Tic Tac Math

9) Daily Math Practice

a. Do not do Monday problems #1, 3, 4, 5

b. Do not do Tuesday problems #1, 3, 5

c. Do not do Wednesday problem #1

d. Do not do Thursday problem #4

10) Problem Solving

11) Crossword Puzzles

a. The White House

12) Reading Log

a. Choose a book and read every day. Log your ideas.

INTERNET HUNT: Search for the planet Venus. Research the planet, take notes, and prepare for Wednesday computer lab where you will write a 4 paragraph essay.

What's Up?

Sorry for the delay in posting, parents and students! This past week has been crazy with conferences and report cards, and finding time to log on to the Internet has been a challenge!

Ms. Van Doren has been coming on Fridays for nearly a month now, and hopefully you've all been able to get to know her better. She has told me how much she has enjoyed getting to know all of you better, and how she has been having a great time in class. In fact, she will be attending your field trip to see Seussical on Monday with you. Have a great time, and please behave while on the trip! It's important to remember where you are going...a theater...shhhh....

We have finally finished up Chapter 7, which focused on range, mean, median, and mode. There is no easy way to remember the four terms and what they mean, other than studying hard and practicing. The kids did a great job with the practice problems, however, and seem to have the gist of it. Good job, students. It was a hard chapter, and you conquered it!

Now that we've finished several chapters in Harcourt Math, the students have learned a huge amount of new vocabulary and mathematical terminology that they will have to retain. It is advisable that they study these terms as much as possible, as it will all be present on the test at the end of the year.

Oh, and homework is due on Monday. The students have been told to keep all of their completed homeworks as reference. All of their geography work in those worksheets will help them study later on, and it is helpful to keep all their work.

See you soon, students! And have a great time on the field trip on Monday!

HOMEWORK for October 29

Homework for October 29- November 5

1) Spelling List

a. Do NOT do spelling dictation

2) Daily Language Review

3) Daily Academic Vocabulary

a. refer, reference

4) Daily Paragraph Editing

a. Directions: “How to Build a Sand Castle”

5) Daily Handwriting Practice

6) Daily Word Problems

7) Daily Geography

a. Picturing the World

8) Tic Tac Math

9) Daily Math Practice

a. Do not do Monday problems #1, 3, 4, 5

b. Do not do Tuesday problems #1, 3, 5

c. Do not do Wednesday problem #1

d. Do not do Thursday problem #4

10) Problem Solving

11) Crossword Puzzles

a. The White House

12) Reading Log

a. Choose a book and read every day. Log your ideas.

INTERNET HUNT: Search for the planet Venus. Research the planet, take notes, and prepare for Wednesday computer lab where you will write a 4 paragraph essay.

MONTEREY, HERE WE COME!

Thanks to the help of a t-shirt fundraiser, we have made our goal and can now afford to charter a bus to Monterey in February! We are going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium...the furthest a class has traveled from Sutro!

Congratulations, students...you certainly deserve a great field trip for your last year in elementary school!

HOMEWORK for October 22

Homework for October 22-October 29

1) Spelling List

a. Do NOT do spelling dictation

2) Daily Word Problems

3) Daily Handwriting Practice

4) Daily Academic Vocabulary

a. Review Words

5) Daily Language Review

6) Daily Paragraph Editing

a. Science Article: ”Busy as a Beaver”

7) Daily Geography

a. Picturing North America

8) Tic Tac Math

9) Daily Math Practice

a. Do not do Thursday problems #3, 4, 5

10) Problem Solving

11) Crossword Puzzles

a. Ancient Roman Baths

12) Reading Log

a. Choose a book and read every day. Log your thoughts and ideas.

INTERNET HUNT: Search for the planet PLUTO. Research the planet, take notes, and prepare for Wednesday computer lab where you will write a 4 paragraph essay.

Essay Topic: FAVORITE SONG LYRICS

Revolution
by Jacob

This is a song by The Beatles. It is off what I think is the best Beatles album; The White Album. It was written by John Lennon. He talks about how important it is to fight for what you believe in, without violence.

John Lennon originally wrote this song to all the militant groups who were challenging him about how he was left wing, yet did not support their ways. John Lennon was peaceful and did not believe in violene, but was still unsure. For instance, he says in the song, "But when you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out, in?"

This song is relevant for today because the things that were happening when Lennon wrote this in 1968 are happening now. America is at war, and thousands of people are dying every day because we cannot find a solution.

Martin Luther King Jr. said that you cannot fight fire with fire. We decided to go into this war, and look where it got us. John was right about how peace is the way to go.

This song was written in the sixties when I was not born yet, but I understand how it is the same thing today. Maybe we need a change, a revolution, in the way we look at things.

Be sure to check out more of our pictures from the SF MOMA field trip last Thursday on our donation site!

Best Field Trip Ever!

Our trip to the SF MOMA was a raging success! The kids all agreed...BEST FIELD TRIP EVER! The group of 32 kids that braved MUNI to get to the museum were split into groups of six and seven, and five docents led them through the museum, including the cool light and color installation. Docent Susan had the kids transfixed with her explanation of Andy Warhol and his depiction of Elizabeth Taylor, 12, riding National Velvet in one of his lesser known works. Mondrian was explored in depth, and the kids even made their own art with horizontal and vertical lines. Note to parents: BUY CONSTRUCTION PAPER. These kids made some amazing things with simple strips of construction paper. And all of these wonderful pieces are now hanging in OUR museum in Room 11...namely, the clothesline above the desks. Check it out!

After the museum, we had a picnic lunch at the greatest (and most crowded) playground, Yerba Buena. The kids ran around, blew off some energy, and flew down the big slide onto the soft floor below. Victorio waved to me as I ate my sandwich and yelled, "THIS. IS. AWESOME!!" How much better can it get than that?

And even though our Laidlaw bus ride back to school ditched us and we had to take MUNI back...the kids never once complained. They're simply the best.

Thank you so much to Jamie and Alex for bringing their terrific dads, and to Jacob who brought his wonderful mom to help chaperone. And to Mr. Reed, who also volunteered on his day off. It was a tremendous help!

And thanks to all the kids for being so awesome...people on the bus and all of the docents actually commented on how super you were. And YOU ARE! KUDOS TO YOU!

Check out the photos HERE.

FIELD TRIP TO THE SF MOMA TOMORROW

We are very excited to visit the SF MOMA tomorrow! A wonderful docent from the museum came to Room 11 and discussed various forms of art and what kind of things to expect on our tour. Her visit was extremely illuminating, and we even built our own statue at the end!

Please make sure you are ON TIME tomorrow, as we will be leaving from the yard at exactly 8:40 a.m. If you are late and you miss us, please report to the office and receive your instructions from Ms. Marcy. You will be spending the day in Mr. Kuo's class.

Please bring a BAG LUNCH tomorrow. I have ordered extra lunches, but a home lunch is far more desirable for the kids.

Mr. Reed and two parents have graciously volunteered to chaperone our trip. We are traveling to the museum by MUNI, so we are very appreciative for the extra help!

The Laidlaw bus will be picking us up at 12:45-1:00 p.m. to give us a ride back to school, where Mr. Reed, a fabulous artist, has promised us an art lesson!

Again, PLEASE BE ON TIME. I will be in the classroom with the door open at 8:00 a.m. if you would like to drop off bags or heavy objects you do not wish to carry with you on this trip.

Thank you!

CHAPTER 5 MATH TEST

There will be a test on chapter 5 tomorrow, which covered commutative and associative properties, zero property, and variables and expressions. STUDY HARD, STUDENTS!

HOMEWORK for October 15

Homework for October 15- October 22

1) Spelling List

a. Do NOT do spelling dictation

2) Daily Academic Vocabulary

a. estimate, estimation, calculate

3) Daily Language Review

4) Daily Paragraph Editing

a. Journal Entry: “Trade Route to India”

5) Daily Handwriting Practice

7) Daily Word Problems

8) Daily Geography

a. A Mercator Projection Map

9) Tic Tac Math

10) Daily Math Practice

a. Do not do Monday problem #3, 4

b. Do not do Tuesday problems #2, 3, 4

c. Do not do Wednesday problem #4

d. Do not do Thursday problem #5

e. Friday question is a bonus cub buck!

11) Subtraction Practice

12) Reading Log

a. Choose a book and read every day. Log your ideas.

INTERNET HUNT: Search for the planet Jupiter. Research the planet, take notes, and prepare for Wednesday computer lab where you will write a 4 paragraph essay.

Room 11 Website du Jour!

When you have a moment to spare, you may want to check out our new ROOM 11 DONATION WEBSITE! And feel free to pass the web address around to friends, family, co-workers...and shamelessly promote your school!

A Couple of Small Things...

There were a few things sent home today, so keep your eyes open for some papers and whatnot. Please sign on the dotted line and send them back to school tomorrow with your fabulous kids, please. Thanks in advance for your attention!

1) A "waiver" of sorts. Not an official waiver, but a request from your teacher. It's hard to have such terrific pictures of the students and not post them on the web. It's completely understandable if you do not want your child's image on the Internet at all. Safety is my number one concern 100% of the time, also.

However, I ask that you reconsider and allow some images to be posted. Most of the photos I have are group shots, not singles. And the blog address is not advertised openly, nor is it posted on Blogger's public sites page. It's a private site, open only to those who know the address. It is not searchable.

It is entirely up to you and your child, so I understand if you can not accommodate me. Thanks nonetheless!

2) A survey is being sent home. Please look it over carefully and fill it out. It is being requested of all parents of Sutro Elementary, and we will be checked by the "powers that be" once they are all in. It will do ME some good, too! I get a $10 gift card from Target if they are all returned in a timely manner. That means more notebooks and pencils for Room 11...WOO!

SIGN UP SUTRO!

I don't know about you, but I have a million key fobs and store cards in my purse. Did you know you can sign up your fobs and cards and donate money to your school with your purchases?

Target has a program where a percentage of every dollar spent at their stores goes to your school of choice.

Also, Washington Mutual has Wamoola, a program designed to help schools. You must go in to your branch office and sign up, however, as it is not allowed on line.

Office Depot has a 5% Back to School program, as well. Sign up and your purchases can go towards your school!

Verizon also has a 5% school program for new and existing customers. Check it out!

Also, there's the awesome eScrip, which offers you a chance to shop and give at the same time.

If you have a Safeway card, make sure you sign up your school through eScrip. Every grocery purchase will benefit the school of your choice...namely, SUTRO!

School Pop is the coolest! If you shop online often, you need to go through this site and donate to your school at the same time! It takes a small effort to sign up, and Sutro gets paid a percentage of your online expenditures.

So be sure to check...sometimes your shopping trips turn into cash for Sutro!

HOMEWORK for October 9

Room 11 Homework for October 9-October 15

1) Spelling List
a. Do not do spelling dictation

2) Daily Language Review

3) Daily Academic Vocabulary
a. interpret, interpretation, clarify

4) Daily Paragraph Editing
a. Letters: "Foreign Exchange"

5) Daily Handwriting Practice

6) Daliy Word Problems

7) Daily Geography
a. A Robinson Projection Map

8) Tic Tac Math

9) Daily Math Practice
a. Do not do Thursday problem #4

10) Addition Practice

11) Crossword Puzzle
a. Harry Houdini: Master of Escapes

12) Reading Log
a. Choose a book and read every day. Log your ideas.

INTERNET HUNT: Search for the artist LEONARDO DAVINCI. Research the artist, take notes, and prepare for Wednesday computer lab where you will write a 4 paragraph essay.

Aquarium for Room 11?

The idea of a class pet has been swimming around in Room 11 for a while now...maybe a fish would be the best pet to have! If you think this may be the case, check out your nearest PetCo store and recommend Ms. Kim as the teacher most deserving of a free aquarium for her classroom! For your convenience, here are some of the locations:

Sloat
1591 Sloat Boulevard
San Francisco, CA 94132
415-665-3700

San Francisco - Taylor
2598 Taylor Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-440-0423

San Francisco - Potrero
1685 Bryant Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-863-1840

HELP FUNDRAISE FOR ROOM 11!!

As some of you parents may know by now, I am a shameless Internet beggar. I am on every site on the world wide web, asking for donations, freebies, and grants to be filled. If you look, you can see me logged on to Adopt a Classroom, Donors Choose, and every other teacher site. The word "free" is my favorite of all the words in the English language.

And some of you may also know I am interested in taking your kids to the Monterey Bay Aquarium this February. However, SFUSD will not accommodate us with a free bus. Therefore, I have been looking into alternatives...charter buses.

Unfortunately, they are extremely expensive. I'm planning on fundraising this year to raise funds. Also, I've earmarked my small stipend from the PTA towards the trip.

Here are a few other ways I can raise money. 826 Valencia has a Teacher of the Month award of $1500. That would more than pay for our bus, AND lunch in Monterey. Woo!

So consider this a blatant attempt at fundraising on my part. If you feel so inclined to nominate me for a fabulous Teacher award, thank you in advance...and cross your fingers...the kids (and by kids, I mean ME) want to go to Monterey! Don't you?

HOMEWORK for October 1

Room 11 Homework for October 1-October 8

1) Spelling List
-do NOT do spelling dictation

2) Daily Word Problems

3) Daily Language Review

4) Daily Academic Vocabulary
-translate, translation, quote, quotation

5) Daily Paragraph Editing
-Social Studies article, "Pap" Singleton: A Man with a Dream

6) Daily Handwriting Practice

7) Daily Geography
-Map Coordinates

8) Tic Tac Math

9) Reading Log
-Choose a book and read every day. Log your ideas.

10) Daily Math Practice

INTERNET HUNT: Search for POET LANGSTON HUGHES. Research his life and take notes. Write a four paragraph journal essay.

READ: The Langston Hughes Poem THE DREAM KEEPER. Write two paragraphs on what you thought of the poem and what you felt about the words. What does it mean to you?

SEPTEMBER 27, 2007

THURSDAY...Today was a busy day! The students watched The Bridge to Terabithia, a movie based on the fantastic book we have been reading in class. It's a story written by Katherine Paterson, and was a popular mainstream movie last summer. If you haven't seen it, it's a beautiful tale of friendship, amazing imaginations, and the beauty of creativity. A definite "must see" on your Netflix list!

Tomorrow we will be welcoming a new teacher to Sutro. Ms. Yvette Van Doren will be teaching in Room 11 on Fridays. Everything is explained in detail in the letter that was sent home today with your kids. Please read it, and feel free to contact me with questions. Ms. Van Doren is a fully credentialed teacher with experience in many different grades, including elementary and middle school. I am sure she will be a wonderful addition to Sutro and hope you will all welcome her with open arms!

Great job this week, students! See you tomorrow!

Homework for September 24

Room 11 Homework for September 24-October 1

This is your homework for the week. You have Monday through the weekend to finish it. Go at your own pace, but be sure to complete everything by Monday or you will be docked one grade point. You are responsible for your own work. Make sure you double-check your answers and write neatly and clearly. Use extra paper when necessary. USE YOUR BEST HANDWRITING!

1. Spelling List
-Copy and spell
-Word study page
-Edit for spelling
-Skip “Spelling Dictation”

2. Daily Academic Vocabulary

3. Paragraph editing

4. Daily Math practice

5. Daily Word Problems

6. Daily Language review

7. Daily Handwriting Practice

8. Daily Geography
-Read the page carefully.
-Answer the daily questions.

9. Choose your own book and record in the reading log.

10. Internet Hunt
-Search on http://www.askforkids.com for the planet Mercury.
-Write a four paragraph journal essay about the planet.

California Coastal Commission Art and Poetry Contest!

Fuel your child's inner creative writer and artist with this cool contest being held by the California Coastal Commission! If your kid likes art and/or poetry, this may be a great activity to introduce him/her to! Wouldn't it be amazing if a Sutro kid actually won a prize? With this year's class, I wouldn't doubt it one bit!

UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS

I've been trying to secure most of the field trips for the year early on so we have less of a chance of being refused due to full schedules. Here is an overview of what's ahead for the upcoming school year.

October 18
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Docent led tour and MOMA student activities starting at 10:00.
Leave the school at 8:40 to catch MUNI.
Return at 1:30
COST: FREE

November 13
San Francisco Asian Art Museum
Docent led tour and museum lesson on brush painting beginning at noon.
Leave the school at 10:45 to catch MUNI.
Return at 2:30.
COST: FREE

November 29
The DeYoung Museum
Docent led tour of museum.
Leave the school at 9:45 by Laidlaw school bus.
COST: FREE

December 14
San Francisco Academy of Sciences
Docent led tour of the Academy starting at 11:o0.
Leave the school at 9:45 by Laidlaw school bus.
COST: FREE

January 9
The Golden Compass Movie (movie theater not determined)
This will be in addition to reading the book in class.
We will be taking MUNI to the nearest theater. If the theater is unreachable by bus, this trip will be canceled.
COST: $8.00 per student.

February 12
The Monterey Bay Aquarium (depending on fundraising for charter bus)
Self-Guided tour of the aquarium beginning at 12:45.
Leave school at 9:00.
COST: FREE (except for bus donations, which are gratefully accepted in any amount.)

April 4
San Francisco Zoo
Leave school at 9:45 by Laidlaw school bus.
Return to school by 1:30.
COST: FREE

SEPTEMBER 18, 2007

Opera in the Park? I'll do you one better...Opera in the BALLPARK! If you haven't exposed your kids to opera yet, this is your chance. Pac Bell Park is hosting a large-screen live simulcast of the San Francisco Opera production of Samson and Delilah on Friday, September 28 at 8pm (gates open at 7pm.) And here's the kicker...IT'S TOTALLY FREE!! You'll get to sit in the stands, behind home plate, or anywhere on the lawn of the ballpark and soak in some of the culture that makes San Francisco such a fabulous city. Don't miss this great opportunity...who knows...your kids may actually love opera!

Register at www.sfopera.com/giants if you're interested.

Homework for September 17

Room 11 Homework for September 17-24

This is your homework for the week. You have Monday through the weekend to finish it. Go at your own pace, but be sure to complete everything by Monday or you will be docked one grade point. You are responsible for your own work. Make sure you double-check your answers and write neatly and clearly. Use extra paper when necessary.

Spelling List
-Copy and spell
-Word study page
-Edit for spelling
-Skip “Spelling Dictation”

Daily Academic Vocabulary
-imply, implication, contend

Paragraph editing
-Edit: “Editorial-Pizza Thursdays”

Daily Math practice
-FRIDAY question is a bonus Cub Buck.

Daily Word Problems
-North is up, South is down, East is to the right, West is to the left

Daily Language review

Daily Handwriting Practice

Daily Geography-A Map Grid
-Read the page carefully.
-Answer the daily questions.

Choose your own book and record in the reading log.

Internet Hunt
-Who is Galileo Galilei and what is he famous for? Why is he important to us now?
-Write a four paragraph journal essay.

Sutro Open House Tomorrow Night!

Just a quick reminder about tomorrow...we are having an open house from 5:30-7pm! Feel free to bring your family, and be sure to check out all the classrooms to get a feel for what Sutro is all about. We look forward to seeing you!

Homework for September 10th

Room 11 Homework for September 10-17

This is your homework for the week. You have Monday through the weekend to finish it. Go at your own pace, but be sure to complete everything by Monday or you will be docked one grade point. You are responsible for your own work. Make sure you double-check your answers and write neatly and clearly. Use extra paper when necessary.

1. Spelling List
-Copy and spell
-Word study page
-Edit for spelling

2. Daily Academic Vocabulary

3. Paragraph editing
-Edit: “Summer Solstice”

4. Daily Math practice
-Do NOT do question 3 on Monday, or question 4 on Tuesday.
-FRIDAY question is a bonus Cub Buck.

5. Daily Word Problems

6. Daily Language review

7. Daily Handwriting Practice

8. Daily Geography
-Read the page carefully.
-Answer the daily questions.

9. Choose your own book and record in the reading log.

10. Moon Journal
-Every night, look at the moon. Draw what you see in the box for that night of the week. Make observations.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2007

TUESDAY...Welcome back to everyone! I trust you all had a restful and relaxing three-day weekend. School started off again with a bang! We had a visitor to class, Bongo the corn snake! The kids loved it, and are now asking me for a class pet. I think I'm in trouble!

But other than the visit from Bongo, and the lesson on "what happens to a mouse when you squeeze it" she taught us while feeding, the students fell right back into the curriculum and got straight to work.

Everyone has been doing a terrific job, and has managed to wade through the craziness of the first days of school without so much as a complaint. As your teacher, I'm very appreciative of all the hard work and effort I've seen in the last week. Keep up the good work, students!

Oh, and Angela or Victorio, if you ever need a job as a snake handler, you've definitely have my recommendation!

We'll be playing a little bit of catch-up in math today and tomorrow, so be ready for some intensive lessons on comparing and chart reading.

Also, we will be covering a non-fiction story on El Nino and tornado chasing in reading. If you have access to a computer, please do a little research and tell us what you find out about El Nino!

And for those of you who didn't hear me explain homework...which I hope is no one...it's due on MONDAY, and you do NOT need to complete the math questions on fractions since we have not covered that in class this week. You DO have to write out your reading logs, however. One entry a day for the entire week, including the weekend.

Have a great day and see you tomorrow, students!

AUGUST 31, 2007

FRIDAY...We continued with Harcourt's first chapter in math. Today's lessons focused on comparing, which lends itself to comprehension and reading skills. The students are all voracious readers, and love the books in the classroom library. But how much detail do they really soak up from those books? That is the true test of a good reader.

The math and reading connection keeps the kids on their toes, making them very aware of the details of every chart, number, and graph they see on their math book pages. This helps in retaining information that they will need later on when problem solving and reviewing.

We also began our journey into science today, with a huge topic...THE SOLAR SYSTEM. The kids loved the first part of this series of lessons, which was about stars, hydrogen, super novas, and how they made the universe (and every living thing in it) possible. The very real video footage of the very first hydrogen bomb being tested surprised the kids, especially when it was explained just how much hydrogen was needed to level a huge field of shacks and old autos...just enough to fill a balloon.

We will be continuing our lessons on The Solar System next week, when we review what we saw on Friday. I'm hoping the homework wasn't too taxing, and helped the students review what was learned during the week.

Good job this week, students! Enjoy your long weekend and I'll see you on Tuesday!