Ms. Vaughan's Blog

Vaughan's Voice - May 12, 2008

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:16:30 GMT

THEME:

I would like to have two more chaperones for the field trip on Thursday. We are walking from the Denver Art Museum to the Denver Mint and it would be nice to have more chaperones. Please let me know if you are available.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD CONTINUES TO WORK ON HIS/HER STATE FAIR PROJECT. It is due on May 28^th. If you need the information on it, check under “documents” on the 3/4 web page.

This week we will study the planets more in-depth. We will make a book with all the information we gather and also perform some experiments about rotation.

Last Monday we had a guest speaker from Lockheed Martin talk to the 3/4 classes about space. He showed us some amazing pictures, shared with us interesting information about the planets and told us about the different space vehicles Lockheed Martin is involved in making. Ask your child how long it takes for a message to get from Earth to Mars.

IMPORTANT DATES:

May 15^th – Field trip to the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Mint – bring a sack lunch
May 23^rd and 24^th – Overnight field trip to the Denver Zoo
May 28^th – State Fair Project due
June 4^th – Field Day
June 5^th – Last day of school

Vaughan's Voice - May 5, 2008

Sun, 04 May 2008 18:33:56 GMT

THEME: PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD HAS BEGUN WORKING ON HIS/HER STATE FAIR PROJECT. It is due on May 28^th. Last week I had the students write down what they had already done on their projects and many said they had not started. This project is very extensive - please don’t wait until the last minute to work on it. If you need the information on it, check under “documents” on the 3/4 web page.

Last week in theme we began our unit on the Solar System by learning about early astronomers such as Pythagoras, Eudoxus, and Aristotle. This week we will learn a few more of the early astronomers and begin to talk about the planets in more detail.

IMPORTANT DATES:

May 5^th – Guest speaker from Lockheed Martin
May 8^th – Field trip to see “Slim Goodbody” at Loretto Heights Theatre – bring a sack lunch
May 15^th – Field trip to the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Mint – bring a sack lunch
May 23^rd and 24^th – Overnight field trip to the Denver Zoo
May 28^th – State Fair Project due
June 4^th – Field Day
June 5^th – Last day of school

Vaughan's Voice - April 28, 2008

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:06:57 GMT

THEME: Please look in your child’s Monday folder for permission slips to two more field trips we have coming up in May.

Please encourage your child to work on his/her States Fair project. It is quite extensive and it would not be a good idea to wait too long to start working on it. It is due on May 28^th.

Last week: We learned the capitals, major industries, major geographical features, national parks of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. The final test is on Tuesday, April 29^th.

Coming up: We will play a review game on Monday to prepare for the states test. On Wednesday, we will begin studying the Solar System. This will be our final science/social studies unit this year.

IMPORTANT DATES:

April 29^th – Final States test
May 8^th – Field trip to see “Slim Goodbody” at Loretto Heights Theatre
May 15^th – Field trip to the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Mint
May 23^rd and 24^th – Overnight field trip to the Denver Zoo
May 28^th – State Fair Project due
June 4^th – Field Day
June 5^th – Last day of school

Vaughan's Voice - April 21, 2008

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:07:22 GMT

We are half way through with the third trimester. Please check your child's grades in Powerschool. There is only about 6 weeks left of school and the kids (and teacher) have spring fever. Please encourage them to keep up the hard work.

We collected over $3,300.00 for our Read to Feed community service project. This week we voted on what would like to spend this money on to help those underpriveleged families in underdeveloped countries. We decided on a hodge podge which includes 3 cows, 3 llamas, 10 flocks of ducks, 3 groups of honeybees, 9 rabbits, 2 sets of tree seedlings, 1 water buffalo and 5 pigs.

The information on the State Fair project was sent home last Monday. Please hang it on your refrigerator as a reminder. It is a very extensive project and your child should start working on it as so as possible. If you did not get the information, please check under "documents" on the 3/4 website. If you have any questions, please call or email me.

We are going finish up studying the states this week in my classroom. I will be sending home a study guide for the final test which will be on Tuesday, April 29th.

IMPORTANT DATES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDARS:

Overnight at the Denver Zoo on May 23rd and 24th.
"Slim Goodbody" at the Loretto Heights Theatre on May 8th.
Denver Art Museum and Denver Mint on May 15th.
June 4th - field day
June 5th - last day of school

Vaughan's Voice - April 11, 2008

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:32:16 GMT

Thank you so much for helping your child participate in our Read to Feed community service project. We collected over $3,000.00. We will be voting this week on which items we would like to buy.

Last week we wrapped up our unit on the digestive system. We did an experiment testing different foods for starch and/or fat.The student's digestive system projects are due today.

TODAY I WILL BE SENDING HOME INFORMATION FOR THE STATE FAIR PROJECT. This at-home project is very extensive and will require lots of work. It will be due May 28th. Please check in your child's Monday folder or homework folder for information on this and if you have any questions, please call or email me.

We are going finish up studying the states this week and next in my classroom. We will be studying Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. We will be learning the locations of these states, the capitals, state abbreviation, major industries, and tourist attractions. Due to the upcoming state fair project, I will not have an at-home project for this unit.

IMPORTANT DATES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDARS:

Forms for the overnight at the Denver Zoo on May 23rd have already been sent out. Please return the form and $35.00 by April 18th.
"Slim Goodbody" at the Loretto Heights Theatre on May 8th.
Denver Art Museum and Denver Mint on May 15th.
June 4th - field day

Vaughan's Voice - April 7, 2008

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:14:22 GMT

Our Read to Feed community service project was a huge success. We are still adding up the total amount of money the kids earned, but it looks like we will be able to help out many needy families with a variety of animals. We will vote for the types of animals we want to buy sometime this week. If you still have money to turn in, it can be turned in Monday.

Field trip permission slip forms for our overnight field trip on May 23rd and 24th were sent out last Monday. Please turn these in along with a check for $35.00 by April 18th.

Theme: Last week in theme we learned more about the different organs of the digestive system. The students were supposed to take these notes home to use for the digestive system project which is due on April 14th. If you need a copy of this project sheet, it is under my documents. This week we will be doing a few experiments on how enzymes in the digestive system break down different types of food.

Vaughan's Voice - March 31, 2008

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:37:53 GMT

THEME: We are finally back to a normal schedule after CSAP testing and Spring break. I hope you all enjoyed your time off and were able to relax and have lots of fun. Please check your child's Monday folder for the permission slip to our overnight field trip to the zoo on May 23rd and 24th. Please return the permission slip to school by April 18th.

The “Read to Feed” day on Friday before Spring break was a great success. It was an enjoyable time for all to do some silent reading and have some parents read to the students. The money for the “Read to Feed” community service project is due on Friday, April 4^th. We will count the money and decide as a grade level what animals to buy through Heifer international.

We are continuing to study the digestive system this week and next. Instead of a final test the students will be doing an at-home project. The students can choose one of six projects that was presented to them today. The paper explaining the projects is in their homework folders today.

MR. BURNS’ CLASS FOR STATES: The final test for the Northwestern States is on Thursday, April 3^rd. Also, the “Spotlight on a City” travel poster is due on April 3^rd. The students will present their posters to the class after the test on April 3^rd and the following class period on April 8^th. If you need a study guide or the instructions for the travel poster, see “my documents” under my page on the Stargate website.

Vaughan's Voice - March 17, 2008

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:26:29 GMT

Please check your child's Monday folder for questions and answers from the Stargate Governance Board and information on an on-line parent survey. PLEASE, PLEASE fill out the parent survey by March 20th. We need the whole Stargate community to participate in the survey so we can have the most accurate information.

Remember to send a sack lunch with your child on Tuesday, March 18th. We are going on a field trip to Fiske Planetarium.

The fourth grade students have CSAP tests this week on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Please make sure they have plenty of rest and encouragement to do their very best. Third grade students will have fun activities to do while the fourth graders are testing.

This is the last week for the READ and FEED community service project. We will have a final celebration on Friday. The students may wear their pjs, and bring in pillows, stuffed animals, their favorite books, and healthy snacks. We plan to spend the day reading and having lots of fun. If you would like to volunteer to read your favorite picture book to the class, please let me know. The money for the project will be due after Spring break.

Vaughan's Voice - March 10, 2008

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:45:42 GMT

Vaughan's Voice - March 10, 2008

CSAP tests begin this week. Please make sure your child has plenty of rest and positive encouragement. All third and fourth grade students will have CSAP tests on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week. Next week, only fourth grade students will have CSAP tests. They will be on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (afternoon), and Thursday.

The fieldtrip to Fiske Planetarium is on Tuesday, March 18th. Please remember to pack your child a lunch.

Hopefully your child is doing a lot of reading for our community service project "Read to Feed". The last day to count books for the project is March 21st. The money will be due the week after Spring break. After we have totaled the money, we will vote on the animal(s) we would like to buy and donate to the needy families. To celebrate the fantastic job the kids are doing and the end of this project, we will dedicate Friday, March 21st as a day of reading for fun. The students will be allowed to bring pillows and stuffed animals for the day. If you would like to volunteer to read your favorite picture book to the students, please let me know.

This week in theme we talked more about muscles and did an experiment on how muscles get tired after exercising. Ask your child about the experiment with the clothespins. There will not be a final test on muscles. We are moving on to the digestive system this week and will be spending the next three to four weeks discussing and doing experiments on this.

Vaughan's Voice - March 3, 2008

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:12:52 GMT

Vaughan's Voice - March 3, 2008

Theme: This week in theme we will continue to learn about muscles. Last week, we learned about voluntary and involuntary muscles and the three types of muscle tissue: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth. For the next states unit, my homeroom class will be with Mrs. McLeod.

The students are very excited about our community service project "Children Changing the World - Read to Feed." Please encourage them to read as many books as possible so we can "buy" an animal for a needy family in another part of the world.

Check your child's Monday folder today for the permission slip to the Fiske Planetarium which will be on March 18th. Please return it as soon as possible.

CSAP testing: Next week and the week after will be CSAP testing for all students. Please make sure your child has plenty of rest and encouragement.

Mr. Burns' class: Welcome to the new states unit on the Northwestern states. I will be sending home an informational packet with your child on Tuesday. It explains my expectations for the class along with the due dates of the project and the final test. The information is also posted on my web page under documents.