Twiehaus Tidbits

Celebrations
Thank you to those that were able to attend Curriculum Night. I know it is a busy time of the year and not everyone was not able to join us. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions regarding the notes I sent home. Thank you for being so supportive our new year at PB!

In the Classroom

We have established the procedures and expectations in all subject areas, but we will continue to revisit these as we dive deep into the curriculum. This week, we begin our first units of study in both readers and writers workshop. 

Reader's Workshop - Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. 
Writer's Workshop - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. 
Math - Use estimation to solve number stories and check accuracy when solving for exact answers. 
Science - Distinguish between and explore ecosystems, biomes, and habitats. 

Reminders for this week!

• Tuesday night there is a PTA meeting in the library starting at 6:30 pm. There will be babysitting available. All are welcome!
• Wednesday is Donuts with Dad in the gym between 7:45-8:15. This is an event hosted by PTA and AllPro Dad. 
• No School on Monday, September 7: Happy Labor Day!

Looking Ahead

September

1 PTA Meeting 6:30 PM in PB Library

2 Donuts with Dad 7:30-8:30 am

7 Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)

15 Cookie Dough Pick-up

17 Two Hour Late Start

19 Homecoming Parade

29 PTA Skate Night at Rink Ratz in Blue Springs 6-8 pm

Curriculum Night 2015

This is the presentation I will use at tonight's Curriculum Night. If you are not able to attend, please let me know if you have any questions or need further explanation. Thanks!

Twiehaus Tidbits

In the Classroom...

What a great start to the new school year. I am completely convinced we have the greatest class at PB and it is going to be a fantastic year in fourth grade! Thank you for helping making the start of school such a great transition. The kids are all so sweet and they make my job so much fun!

Last week, we focused on building our classroom community and getting familiar with classroom routines and procedures. We have already begun the work as readers and writers, but our workshops will be in full swing starting tomorrow. Here is a quick glimpse of our week ahead. 

Reader's Workshop - Preparing for collaborative discussions with overs about what we read
Writer's Workshop - Setting up and utilizing a writer's notebook
Math - Identify, compare, and order numbers
Science - Scientific Inquiry... preparing for experiments

Exciting News!!!

I have some really exciting news to share with the kids tomorrow and I can't wait. After attending a math workshop this summer, I posted a project to Donors Choose for 5 mini iPads. The site allow donors to make contributions to classroom projects. This weekend, the Gates Foundation matched a very sizable donation to our project and we were completely funded! We have 5 mini iPads on the way to our classroom. We will use these to enhance our math curriculum as well as provide some great learning extensions in other content areas. I am so excited!

I have posted another project in hopes of bringing Chromebooks into our classroom as well. I will keep you posted on the status of this project, but you keep track of the progress by viewing it online too. You can read more about our new project, here.

Looking ahead

Curriculum Night 

I hope to see you on Thursday night for Curriculum Night. We will go over classroom information and I will share about the fourth grade curriculum. I will also have the parent teacher conference sign-up for those still needing to schedule a time. 

PTA Movie Night

Looking for something to do on Saturday? How about an outdoor movie? On Saturday, August 29th, PTA will be sponsoring a FREE outdoor movie on the playground at PBE. Light concession and t-shirt sales will start at 7:30 pm and the movie will start at sunset. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and come hang out! They are also looking for some volunteers to make the night a great success. Click on the link below to sign up. 

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044faeab22abfe3-family

Jefferson City

One of our two field trips this year will be to our state capital, Jefferson City. This is always a very fun and educational field trip that we are very fortunate to take each year. This is a free field trip, but also a LONG one! We will leave before school starts and arrive home after school is dismissed. More details will be in your child's folder on Monday. 

Mark your calendars

August

25 Cookie Dough Fundraiser begins

25 PTA Papa John’s Night

27 Curriculum Night at elementary schools 5:00-6:30 pm

29 PTA Outdoor Movie 7:30 pm PB playground

September

1 PTA Meeting 6:30 PM in PB Library

2 Donuts with Dad 7:30-8:30 am

7 Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)

15 Cookie Dough Pick-up

17 Two Hour Late Start

19 Homecoming Parade

29 PTA Skate Night at Rink Ratz in Blue Springs 6-8 pm

Have a great week! Thanks for your support!

Mrs. Twiehaus

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting our classroom blog! Please take a minute and click on the 4 picture icons to the left of this post. There you find pertinent information regarding our classroom. Thank you for making my job of communicating with you even easier! I appreciate your help! I am looking forward to a fantastic year!

Welcome to a new year... It is going to be GREAT!

Welcome!

I am ready to get the new school year up and going. This summer has been great! We enjoyed some much needed family time, relaxation, and even chipped away at the never ending to do list. All in all, it was a wonderful summer vacation and we are ready to head back to school and our normal daily routine. 

A little about myself...

My husband and I have four kids and live on a farm in Grain Valley. Jeralyn (2nd grade) and Makenna (1st grade) are both students at Prairie Branch. Bethany (3 years old) will be starting preschool and Adam (almost 1 year old) is growing way too fast for his mama! We all enjoy spending time outdoors and camping. This summer went on a camping trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas and smaller trips visiting family near Jefferson City. 

This will be my 13th year of teaching. I taught 3rd grade for 8 years before moving up to fourth. I love this age group! I received my undergraduate degree from UCM in 2003 and returned to school to obtain my master's degree in 2005. In 2012, I finished my specialist degree in school administration. I truly believe that we should make learning a priority and I try to model that as much as I can! I am always learning and growing as an educator. 

This year, I have been accepted as a member of UCM's Teacher Academy. This is an excellent opportunity that will help me develop as an educator. This will require me to miss a few days throughout the year, but it will be of great benefit to me and our classroom. 

This year...

We have a very exciting year up ahead and I am looking forward to working with you and your child. I truly believe that a child's education is the product of great partnership between home and school. Please let me know how I can best help you and your child! 

I work hard to stay in constant contact with you. Please use the blog as a means to keep updated on the school's most current events as well as specific information regarding our class. I will also be utilizing Class Messenger. This is a way for me to send text messages, polls, sign ups, and more. You can sign up for the best way to contact you by visiting this link.

Click to Sign Up for Class Messenger

Upcoming dates...

PTA has already planned several upcoming events. Use the blog as a means to keep updated on the school's most current events as well as specific information regarding our class. 

August

17 Meet the Teacher Night 5:00-6:30 PM

19 First day of school

19 PTA Boohoo Yahoo quick Breakfast for Parents 8:30-9:00 AM

25 Cookie Dough Fundraiser begins

25 PTA Papa John’s Night

27 Curriculum Night at elementary schools (5:00-6:30 PM)