Classroom News: Week of November 17th

Hi Room 203 families,

Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for all you’ve done to make this a wonderful year so far. I want to let you know that I will be out of town this week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) in New York City for a Skype in the Classroom event as well as an event at the United Nations Headquarters. Your child will be in excellent hands and Ms. Roberts will be here to help make everything run smoothly. I will be checking email as often as possible but if you have any immediate concerns or change in transportation, please call the classroom, the office, and write a note in your child’s planner. Feel free to follow my NYC adventures at teachandtouchlives.blogspot.com. :)

News and Reminders:

• Claxton Holiday and Grandparents Lunch is this Friday, November 21st! We welcome you to eat lunch with your child/grandchild for our annual Holiday Meal. Please write a note in your child’s planner if your child will have guests attending. Our class goes to lunch at 10:40.  Guests are also invited to visit the Book Fair with their child after lunch. This is a great chance to get some holiday shopping in.

• Bake a Change Update: Thanks so much to all parents who contributed to our bake sale. We raised $200 for the student we are sponsoring in Nepal! Learn more at our GOAL Getters site. 

Learning Goals:

• FUNdations: We are learning about multisyllabic words, base words and suffixes and the vowel-consonant-e syllable (silent “e”). 
• Reading: We are working on answering questions such as who, what, where, when, and why when reading. 
• Writing- We are working on realistic fiction narratives. 
• Math- We are working on number strings and addition combinations.
• Science- We are studying weather.
• Social Studies- We are studying maps and globes.

Ms. Wertheim’s Contact Info

Classroom Phone: 828-350-6514

Email: rebecca.wertheim[at]asheville.k12.nc.us

Thanks so much for all you do,

Bake a Change at the Claxton Holiday Craft Fair

Hi again!

Did you know that only one in every five girls in the developing world finish primary school and only one out of every three countries has as many girls as boys in secondary schools? As part of our year-long global citizenship project, our class has been discussing education equality and the importance of education opportunities for all children. We have committed to take action by fundraising to sponsor the education of a girl in Nepal named Jarana, who you met in my last blog post! ;)



Our first fundraiser will be...drum roll...a classic bake sale! I've fundraised for children's education for years and have raised thousands of dollars selling cupcakes--tie-dye cupcakes to be exact. This Saturday is the Claxton Holiday Craft Fair and our class will have a booth set up selling not only cupcakes, but any type of baked goods and hot chocolate. Any donated baked goods (homemade or store bought) would be greatly appreciated. You can simply bring them to Claxton (the craft fair will be located in the gymnatorium) on Saturday morning beginning at 10 a.m. If you'd like to donate baked goods or hot chocolate but are unable to attend on Saturday, feel free to send them in with your child on Friday. I hope many kids can attend to help sell baked goods. I'd love for this to be as student-led as possible. Last year my class sold hot chocolate and crafts and it was a huge success. I'm hoping for another successful year! I am not measuring success based on the amount of money we raise, but rather the unique experience students get by knowing that they're volunteering their time for someone else. That, as I'm sure you agree, is truly priceless ;)

I hope to see you Saturday. Drop by anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and tell your friends!

Thanks so much,

Going Global

Hi Room 203 families,

I want to let you know about the recent adventures we've been up to. Your child has been traveling the world, Magic-School-Bus-Style, packed with imagination! Last Friday students participated in our first Google Earth "field trip!" We went all the way to Asia and made it back in time for lunch ;)

After the kids received their boarding passes and itineraries we boarded our plane for an 11 hour flight to Nepal. Upon arrival, students got their passports stamped before beginning their adventures.

First we explored Surkhet, Nepal, discovering Nepali architecture and landscapes, and made a visit to Kopila Valley Children's Home, where we are sponsoring Jarana's education as a component of our year-long GOAL Getters program. No trip to Nepal could be complete without a visit to Mt. Everest--and we didn't just visit--we hiked all the way to the top (in three minutes...record timing) and wow! What a beautiful view form the top (thank you, Google!)

Luckily their passports double as a journal and the kids were able to document their adventure.

(I tried everything to rotate these pictures but Blogger wouldn't cooperate. Sorry!)

Holding up their boarding passes! 

The view from the top of Mt. Everest

Jarana, our friend in Nepal! 

Proud world travelers :)

Our adventure didn't stop there! Today, we had the opportunity to Skype with our friends at Shanti Bhavan school in India. We took turns asking questions about life in America and life in India. The kids had a blast! Isn't it amazing what we can accomplish without even leaving the walls of our classroom?!

Excited to Skype with our friends! (Again, photo would not rotate ;/) 

Although it was dinner time in India, our kids wanted to sing our morning song to Shanti Bhavan (sorry it's sideways!)

Thank you Skype for allowing us to connect with students on the other side of the world!

Until next time, 

Gardening Galore!

Hi Room 203 families,

This week we have been learning all about gardening! Yesterday we added compost to the large new garden bed at the front of the school. (Huge thank you to Mrs. Johnson for helping!) Next week we will be planting cover crops and learning more about how weather affects the garden. 

Our class is in charge of watering the beds on the large playground, where many veggies are growing. Soon we will be able to eat what we've grown! 

Here are some pictures from our week. The kids had a blast! 

Characters Alive!

Hi Room 203 families,

I just want to send a HUGE thank you to all parents for helping with the fall celebration and character costumes yesterday! I think it's safe to say that a good time was had by all and the kids went home with lots of goodies. I really appreciate how the crafts were prepped ahead of time and the food was great! Thank you again. 

Also, book projects and presentations were incredible! What a talented group of students I have this year. I can't get over how awesome all the costumes were. I truly appreciate all the parent support!