Blog? What blog?

Wow!  Is it really Thursday?  I am so sorry I have dropped the ball on my blogging.  So to make up for it, I will compact 4 days into one!  Woohoo!

Star of India Trip is October 26th.  I have listed the following people as "Safety Officers:"  (A.K.A. CHAPERONES!!!!!) Lisa DeFabrizio, Matt Kalla, June Maeva, and David Mulvaney.  Remember to fill out the Liability Release form and the Adult medical form.  I am still waiting on some forms from students.  Please visit the website for the Maritime Museum of San Diego.  I provided the link to the right.  Once again, we are splitting this trip with Stella Marris.  I think it will be a blast with 36 children!  They will be able to do a lot more.  Finally, make sure you review what can and cannot be brought aboard the Star of India. 

Be on the look out for Progress Reports online Monday.  Please take a good look at how your child is doing.  If there are issues, we need to get them corrected now and not the day before report cards come out.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Didn't I tell you Halloween was just around the corner?  Next Friday is our Carnival.  I have been looking at the level of cooperation going on in this class.  Thank you for making this event a success and enjoyable!  (Who came up with this idea anyway? - Thanks Michelle.)

I think I am caught up.  Let's encourage each other to check out the blog.  It is an easy way for me to get information out to you between Friday Folders.

You may think its silly, but its not!

Parents,

Just to let you know, we have been doing some Superbrain Yoga in class during the ITBS Testing in order to rejuvenate the kids in between the various tests.  Silly?  Yes.  Effective?   More than you think.  I have put up a video link on the subject in the sidebar area.  Please take a moment to review it and see if you want me to include it in our daily routine or perhaps you can incorporate it into your morning routine.  Lord knows you have tons of spare time in the morning.  Seriously, check out the information.  I think you will be amazed.

Also, we will be completing the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) portion of our Testing on Monday.  Then the nightmare is over for the children.  Like I have said earlier, the kids have been troopers!  We will resume our regular schedule and play a little catch up on some of our subjects.

We are still in the midst of ITBS testing.

The children could not be more thrilled!  OK.  That may have been a little exaggeration on my part, but they are taking the various tests without complaint.  We should finish the "regular testing" today and start the cognitive abilities test tomorrow and completing it on Monday.  So, please keep your children well rested and well fueled.  It truly does make for better results.

With all this testing going on, my curriculum letter has been tossed out the window.  What we are covering is Math and Social Studies, and Mrs Valenti-Turskey and Ms. McQuade are covering there subjects as planned.

I received a comment on my blog last night that made me stop and think.  Mrs. McKenzie ask if I was going to include information about 6th and 7th grade Social Studies.  I had never thought to do that.  So, here we go!  6th grade is sailing through the unit on Judaism and Christianity.  We will be discussing section 5:  "The Rise of Christianity" in class today.  (Where would we be without Paul?)

As For 7th grade, we have been discussing the rise of America as a world power.  We have had some great discussions.  Most of our topics revolved around the influence of Hearst's and Pulitzer's use of Yellow Journalism  as a way to sell newspapers and influence public opinion.  Our current Assignment is creating our own "Yellow Journalism Headline."  It should take us a few days to get through this process.  I am expecting to finish this unit next week and have a test by Thursday.

That is all for now.

About the Curriculum Update...

Due to ITBS Testing schedule and our class schedule, we will only have a Math Exercise this week.  You may discard all other exercises that were scheduled.  ITBS is taking up most of the morning, so I have little instructional time with them.  We are concentrating on Math and Social Studies.  Their afternoon schedule is normal:  Science and Language arts.

One final comment:  I would love for you, my loyal followers, to spread the word about my blog site.  It is a simple way for me to communicate to everyone.  Issues such as the "Erroneous Curriculum Update" can be easily remedied using this effective communication tool.

Shooting for 100% classroom parent participation,

Mr. Turskey

Star of India! Forms, Forms, and More Forms!!!!

Parents,

Star of India trip is only 16 days away.  I will be reviewing my forms received so far.  Look in your child's assignment book for notes concerning  the needed forms.  I have also included a link to Maritime Museum of San Diego in my Suggested Links column to the right.  If you need forms, you can go to their website and download them.  Look for "Voyage of Hope."  You will need the student medical form, medication administration form, and the student liability form.  If you are a chaperone, the Adult medical form.


Thank you,

Mr. Turskey

What a wonderful week this was!

So, you think this week has gone by fast?  Or is it me?  With that being said, I really don't have too much to say.  The week was uneventful. 

Reminders:
     If your child has a rosary, please have them bring it to school. 
     Star of India is coming!
     Please review all the paper that was in the Friday folder.

Short and sweet.  Have a great weekend

Another week bites the dust!

Tonight is Friday eve!  Wooohooo!  Everybody's working for the weekend.....I should write a song about that.

This week has flown by.  Sorry for no update last night.  I need to really force myself to get into the habit of  blogging.  It is a nice communication tool.  I am hoping more people will follow my blog.  (For my two followers, thank you.  Now lets get the rest of the class online.)

We are having our Friday assembly tomorrow.  We will be praying the Rosary at every assembly in October.  October is the month of the Rosary.  If your child has a rosary, please remind them to bring it to school.  This weeks chapter in Religion is about sacramentals and how they reminder us God's presence in the world and, more importantly, in our daily lives.

A gentle reminder:  Tomorrow is a half day.

Our Star of India Trip is fast approaching.  I will start covering all the Sea Chanties and Sailor talk in the coming weeks.  I will be reviewing what forms I have received and start bugging people for the forms I need.  If you have them, please fill them out and return.  The cost is still going to be $50.

Next week we begin the ITBS testing.  Remember, this is just used as a diagnostic tool for the teachers.  To help your child perform at his or her best, make sure the get plenty of rest and have a good breakfast before coming to school.  A full stomach helps a powerful brain!

Thanks,
Mr. Turskey

Progress Reports? Already! My how time flies.

Well, the first three weeks of school have flown by.  I don't know about you, but it seems to me that we just started school.  September is a memory.  Now we race into the Season of celebrations.  Halloween is fast approaching.  Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Year!  Holy cow!

Kind of makes your chest tight doesn't it.   Speaking of tight chests, I want to keep you apprised of what we three teachers have been discussing.  We are trying to be better aware of what we are giving as homework and scheduled exercises.  We are mindful that four exercises on one day might give a parent pause.  I do want to say that I do not consider a Math exercise on the same level as a Social Studies exercise.  Math you need to know and practice every day.  As always, your continued input is welcomed.  We want this new program to be a successful venture.


We start the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas this week!  This unit of Social Studies is a favorite for the boys.  I don't understand why.  Oh wait, yes I do.  Human sacrifice.