5/30/12 - Last Day Items

1.  Have a book or two available
2.  Have a backpack or similar to bring home items
3.  End of year assembly is 9:00
4.  If, for some reason, you forget something, I will be here Friday all day
5.  Have a great summer and/or future academic career and keep in touch!!

5/30/12 - Last Day of School Read-a-thon!

Okay maybe that’s an overstatement.  However, we will have some down time the last day, so if you can make sure that your student has reading materials (plural), that would be great!

5/29/12 - Picnic Thursday Confusion

“Picnic” not in that special food will be here, but in that students may eat under the blue skies, instead of the dark, dank gym.  Students will either bring their lunch or get the school lunch, which is the ICCSD Sack Lunch.

That is DIFFERENT than the Wednesday “picnic” where there will be special food!

Whew.

5/29/12 - Students do not bring lunches tomorrow!

5th and 6th grade picnic tomorrow!

5/29/12

Language Arts: 


Math: 
Balke:  finish EOY assessment
Gordon: no hw bring math games
Hall: EOY test  -   wkst - no hw
Moen: bring a pencil


 Science: Graph, table


 Social Studies: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34


 Other:  Kickball changed to Tomorrow 2:00!

5/24/12

Language Arts: 


Math: 
Balke: Finishing fractions test and EOY test
Gordon: MJ 279 F, MJ 283 T
Hall: wkst
Moen: Finishing EOY test

Science: data


Social Studies: 30, 31 32


Other:  6th gr. SOX!!!!!!

5/23/12

Language Arts: 
Spelling test F


Math: 
Balke: Rev wkst 
Gordon: p 29-30 Th, MJ 279 F, MJ 283 T
Hall: wkst 
Moen: test EOY assessment


Science: -----


Social Studies: 30, 31 due Th,    32 due F


 Other:  

5/22/12

Language Arts: 
see earlier posts


Math: 
Balke: Mult and Div Mixed #s wkst 
Gordon: MJ 279 F,  MJ 283 T
Hall: 2 wksts
Moen: no hw - end of year assessment


Science: Compiling data


Social Studies: Main idea 30, 31 (Th)


Other: Skating party F 

5/21/12

Language Arts: 
see Tuesday's notes


Math: 
Balke: mult. and div. of fractions  no hw
Gordon:  p.86 wkst T, MJ 276 T, MJ 279 F
Hall: fractions wkst
Moen: SL 9.8  MJ 323??


Science: Collecting data


Social Studies: Main Idea Ch. 30, 31 due date TBD


Other: 

5/16/17 - I will be gone Th 5/17 and Friday 5/18

I will be at the state track meet.  I hate having subs.

If you could urge your student to be just as well-behaved with the substitute teacher as they are with me (or better) that would be great!

5/15/12

Language Arts: 
New group books
Skeleton - Ch. 1-2
Wenny - Ch. 1-4
Star - Ch. 1-5
GAir - Ch. 1-2
Signal - Ch. 1-3

Math: 
Balke: Fractions Rev 1 - due Th
Gordon: MJ 339 Th, MJ 267 Th, MJ 271 Th, MJ 258 F, MJ 276 T
Hall: Finish wkst - Mult fractions
Moen: MJ 300-301


Science: Compiling milestone data


Social Studies: Brain only test


Other: get ready for some track and field!!

5/15/12 - Directions to West High

From: 3100 E Washington St, Iowa City, IA 52245-3928 US
To: Iowa City West High School, 2901 Melrose Ave, Iowa City, IA 52246 US

DRIVING DIRECTIONS
--------------------------------------------------
A) 3100 E Washington St, Iowa City, IA 52245-3928 US
--------------------------------------------------
    1. Start out going west on E Washington St toward Dartmouth St.  (go 0.75 miles)
    2. Turn left onto S 1st Ave.  (go 0.26 miles)
    3. Take the 1st right onto E Court St.
      - E Court St is just past Mayfield Rd
      - If you reach A St you've gone about 0.1 miles too far
  (go 0.66 miles)
    4. Turn slight right onto Muscatine Ave.
      - Muscatine Ave is just past Fairview Ave
      - If you reach Grant St you've gone a little too far
  (go 0.11 miles)
    5. Turn slight left onto E Burlington St.
      - If you reach E College St you've gone about 0.1 miles too far
  (go 1.32 miles)
    6. Stay straight to go onto S Grand Ave. Pass through 1 roundabout.  (go 0.33 miles)
    7. Turn right onto Melrose Ave.  (go 1.95 miles)
    8. Make a U-turn at Hawkeye Park Rd onto Melrose Ave/Iwv Rd SW.
      - If you reach Dublin Dr you've gone about 0.1 miles too far
  (go 0.15 miles)
    9. 2901 MELROSE AVE is on the right.
      - If you reach Westwinds Dr you've gone about 0.1 miles too far
  (go 0 miles)
--------------------------------------------------
B) Iowa City West High School, 2901 Melrose Ave, Iowa City, IA 52246 US
--------------------------------------------------
>> TOTAL ESTIMATED TIME: 16 minutes | DISTANCE: 5.54 miles


To view your map, click on the link below or copy and paste it to your browser:
http://mapq.st/K0O5b9

MapQuest - Helping People Find Places
http://www.mapquest.com

5/15/12 - Bring your lunch tomorrow!!

Make your best effort to have your student bring their lunches tomorrow.  It make it a whole lot easier to eat early and get in the bus and get to West High on time!!

5/14/12 - 58th Annual ICCSD Elementary Track Meet

WEDNESDAY
Students should have brought home a blue schedule last Friday.(some forgot-check tonight.)
We will eat lunch at 10:30.
We will be bussed to West High at 11:00.
Events start promptly at 11:45.
PLEASE send sunscreen, sunglasses and/or hat and tennies. It gets VERY hot in the stands.
The UICCU is providing water bottles.
Students should sit with Lemme in the bleachers. You may come sit with us.
IF YOUR STUDENT ISN’T RIDING THE BUS BACK TO LEMME, I NEED TO KNOW. STUDENTS MAY ONLY GO WITH A PARENT.
Thanks. If you have any questions, be sure to let me know. The meet usually ends around 2:00-2:15.

5/14/12

Language Arts: 


Math: 
Balke: no hw - fraction review
Gordon: MJ 298 T, MJ 256 T, MJ 258 F
Hall: Some have a wkst (fraction review)
Moen: SL 9.1 9.2   MJ 297-299


Science: Observations


Social Studies: Brain only test tomorrow


Other:  Track meet Wednesday!

5/11/12

Language Arts: 
DIBELS


Math: 
Balke: TEST today!
Gordon: Coordinate grid    MJ 256  T,  MJ 258 F
Hall: Finished dividing decimals
Moen: Coordinate grid M


Science: ------


Social Studies: CHANGE!  Check open book test MONDAY!  Brain only TUESDAY!


Other: Elementary Track Meet Wednesday @ WEST

5/10/12

Language Arts: 
GRI and GRII books - finish!!
Sequel writing - due tomorrow
Prequel writing - due tomorrow
Spelling test tomorrow


Math: 
Balke: Review for division test tomorrow
Gordon: SL 254 F, Sheet 1-5 F, MJ 253 F, MJ 256 T
Hall: Decimal division wkst
Moen: no hw 


Science: More on pollination, seed pods, and observations


Social Studies: Ch.29 wkst - due tomorrow
Ch.29 Open book test - take it home if you are not done!! Check tomorrow, brain only test Monday


Other: Elementary track meet WEDNESDAY at West High!

5/9/12

6th Grade to SEJH today!


Language Arts: 
GRI GRII - finish
Prequel and Sequel writing - due F


Math: 
Balke: Division review wkst 
Gordon: MJ 253 F, MJ 256 T
Hall: MJ 374
Moen: Wkst


Science: Pollination and observations


Social Studies: Ch. 29 assignment - due F


Other: Beautiful day - go outside!!!!

5/8/12

Language Arts: 
Finish GRI  GRII books
Before and After writing


Math: 
Balke: Division wkst
Gordon: MJ 247 250 tomorrow, MJ 253 F, MJ 256 T
Hall: no hw 
Moen: no hw


Science: Observations - Photosynthesis


Social Studies: Ch. 29


Other: 
Tomorrow - SE visit - a.m.
5/16 - Elem. Track Meet - West High

5/7/12

Language Arts: 
GRI and GRII books - finish!!!
Before and After assignment


Math: 
Balke: Division review - no hw
Gordon: Packet due T,  MJ 246 T, MJ 243 T, MJ 253 F
Hall: MJ 382
Moen: no hw, review, Test WEDNESDAY!!!


Science: Staked up plants, caught up on milestones and recording


Social Studies: ----------------


Other: 

5/4/12 - School of the Wild - Osprey

The final day of 2012 School of the Wild.  Huge storm the night before, but no rain during the day.  Extra squishy parts of the trail and extra water on the spillway, but otherwise an excellent day.

A little help with the identification of this cooperative butterfly?

Big Ol' Fish.  Caught by hand.

Some other Lemme Leopards floating by.

Fishin'. No hooks or bait needed.

The Geome-TREE.  It has a right angle.

Quenton and friend

The falls

Leading the Osprey to the Secret Place.  Students must be blindfolded so that they do not know the location.

Silly Osprey

Multi-talented Meredith - she also captures snakes as well as birds!

Frolicking amongst the rocks.

Osprey at the summit 

5/3/12 - School of the Wild - Skeeters

Pretty nice day for the Skeeters - got pretty hot by the end of the day!

Meredith found a male and female goldfinch - Iowa's state bird!  If you grow some sunflowers in your backyard, you will have a riot of goldfinch to view in the fall! 

The trails have been pretty damp this week, so we have seen a lot of snails and this juicy slug!

Someone help me with the name of this guy!

A peaeeful visitor to the spillway!

Not so peaceful visitors to the spillway.  We got out of there just as they were arriving.

Balancing nicely on a log.

Lunch time!

On the Road

Splashing through the Spillway

Skeeters on the Hill

5/2/12 - School of the Wild - Dragonflies

The day started rainy, then cleared, and ended hot and sunny!  As it was once said, "Be Prepared"!

We saw our share of wildlife today: two fleeting glimpses of deer, a mysterious dead creature hanging from a tree (see picture below), many snails, and 100 species of High Schoolicus Studentus from the wilds of Cedar Rapids Prairie.  They were quite a nuisance in the spillway area!

Enjoy!

Jack in the Pulpit

Creepy weird dead animal in a tree!

Success for Meredith! 

Checking out the birds

High Schoolicus Studentus - an invasive species, native to the southern Cedar Rapids area.

I believe this is the hollow tree of Keebler fame

Calm and quiet Dragonflies

Lunch!

Dragonflies who survived!

5/1/12 - School of the Wild - Carp

Tuesday began foggy and chilled, similar to yesterday.  No rain came our way and the sun did try to come out around 2:00! The Carp lived up to their name, as we found many fish,  alive and deceased.  We also encountered 6 crane.  Unfortunately, my tech skills failed me, and all I could get was Yeti/Sasquatch/Loch Ness quality photos.  Enjoy:

Big Tree!

2 Great Blue Heron - or are they?

Close up fish

Carp on top!

Heron in flight

An ex-fish

Lucas the fisherman and Fish

Carp survive the day!

Grace and Fish

4/30/12 - School of the Wild - Vultures

On Top of the World!

I began the week of School of the Wild with the Vultures.  The day began a little chilly and damp.  A tiny but of rain fell, but then passed.  Enjoy:

Cool vines

Pretty flowers!

Lunch - on the rocks!

The Skull Tree

Wet Vultures

Survival!  Good job!