Happy New Year!

Hi Kids!

Happy New Year! What are your plans for the night? Will you be watching the parade tomorrow? We are going to San Diego for the night and I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to see you guys again. I miss you and I'm looking forward to the rest of the year with you. I think  we're going to open up 2009 in a great way. Now, if I can just finish grading your tests and papers... :) I guess I have a few days left, huh? 

Take care and have a great night tonight!

Love,

Mrs. Martin

Where there's a will and a Rudy, there's a way!!

Hi kids! 

How are you all? I miss you already and I hope you're having fun being on vacation. I just had to post about Rudy's latest adventure. You know there is no challenge he can not tackle. He doesn't shy away from work either. The following story is just one more example of how resourceful my husband is. Wherever there is an idea and a Rudy... there's a way to get it done!

We've been trying to borrow someone's ladder to put up our Christmas lights, but we haven't been able to find one yet. So, Rudy decided to make his own ladder! He found some left over wood in a corner between garages around here and had to use his truck to pull out the 9 foot 2x4's. He kept backing up and then pulling forward until the wood was free (from all the stuff it was buried under). Then, he worked in the garage for a couple of hours building it just right. He's out on the ledge hanging the lights as I type. Just had to share some pictures with you.  He's quite proud of himself, mind you. :)

I will post later. Thinking of you and wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Mrs. Martin (and Rudy)

Roanoke...

Hey wonderful kids,
What do you think happened to the people at Roanoke? Did they leave because they wanted to, were they taken captive or did they die? Remember they were hungry and were expecting a ship to come back within six months bringing more food. Unfortunately, we know it took 3 years! Did they give up? Did they starve?

You be the jury.

-Mrs. Martin :)

Miss me like I missed you?

Kiddos,
In case you doubt, I always miss being in our classroom when I'm away! I always look at the clock and think about what you're doing right then. Mr. Lantow and Ms. Sevilla and I had a very productive day and we are excited about getting ourselves more organized! :) That's always something Mrs. Martin is excited about!!
How did your day go today? What did you do in p.e. class? Are you excited for the Imagination Machine assembly! I LOVE this assembly - and wish it could be a second job!
I can't wait to see you tomorrow!
Love,
Mrs. Martin

What a wonderful 4-day weekend!

Hi Kids,
Thanks for sharing what you did over the weekend. I loved reading about your adventures and times with family. Rudy and I really enjoyed getting to go some place fun this year. We were in Del Mar, which is by San Diego. Some family relatives have a home a block away from the ocean.
We had gorgeous weather, fun games, walks at the beach and great food. My aunt and uncle and cousin and wife from Oregon were there, along with my other cousin and wife from LA. I learned how to play two games that I LOVE, called "Sequence" and "Rumikube." Overall, it was a very relaxing and fun time.

Being so close to the ocean, you know what Rudy did, right? He surfed both days we were down there and my parents and I got to watch him. The first day he got a small cut along his rib cage. The second day, he walked in the house limping... saying he'd broken his toe! I'll have to demonstrate how this happened, but it was while he was surfing. Yesterday and today, it's been black and blue with bruising all over the foot, too. Gross!! :) My aunt was saying I'd better be prepared if I have any boys in the future!! I know she's right!

So, now that we're home, I've been working on your essays. I graded science tests and social studies tests in the car, so you'll have those for sure on Monday. I'm looking forward to seeing you guys tomorrow as we begin the first week of December! I love December!!

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Martin

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello my Kids!
What are your Thanksgiving plans? Tell me what you think you'll do over the long weekend.
I am excited to read your persuasive essays and see how much you've learned!! I hope that you relax, have fun and enjoy the time with family! :)

I'm thankful for you!
-Mrs. Martin

Propaganda

My fellow tribesmen... :)
Let me see if I can remember all the various forms of propaganda. There's bandwagon, faulty cause and effect, flattery, transfer, overgeneralization, and testimonial. Which do you see most often and how? Watch some t.v. this weekend and pay close attention to how the comercials are trying to sell their product to you. Tell me what you notice or have noticed in the past! :)

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Martin

Rosa Parks

Hi my wonderful kids!
I almost forgot to post today. We had such a great discussion about our story today, and I really want to be able to hear your thoughts. Let me know what you were going to say, when I cut our questions/sharing time off. What do you think about Rosa Parks? What questions do you have about what was going on during that time?

I can't wait to see you tomorrow. I can't wait to introduce you to RUDY!!!! :)
Sweet dreams,
Mrs. Martin

No students at school tomorrow!

Hi kids,
I just got word from our principal that tomorrow will be a no-student day at Vejar and at many schools in the surrounding areas. Just wanted to let you know.

Michael and Jessica, if you get this, please have your parents check their email, ok??? I would like to reschedule their early morning conference times! Thanks!

Hope you all are breathing well!
Love,
Mrs. Martin

How was your weekend?

Hi M-Team!
Just thinking of you and wondered how your weekend went. We have so many minimum days this week, so our time together is short and I won't be able to hear about everyone's weekend. Post here about what you did and how you're doing with all that bad air and fire scares! So sad that so many people are homeless tonight! We have much to be thankful for.
See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Martin

Report Cards!

Well kiddos, let's be honest. Writing report cards are never easy or quick to do. They take time. A lot of time. However, they are more fun when I have such great students, like you! It's easy to brag and write good things, so keep up the good work! I'm proud of you all, and am so thankful for you. This Thanksgiving, when my family shares what we are all thankful for, I will share that I'm thankful to have you! I'm already dreading having to say good-bye in June! You're a GREAT class and I'm happy to write your report cards! :)
See you tomorrow!
Love,
Mrs. Martin

Explorers...

M-teamers,
Hope your 4-day weekend is going well! I'm justing getting ready to write your report cards! :) Of course, before doing what I really have to do, I'm going to add a new post here, and check email! :)

We've been talking about explorers and the first encounters they had with the Native American Indians. We started reading a picture book called, Encounter, and had to stop just as the little American Indian boy was trying to persuade his chief to not welcome these strangers.

What would you do, if you were that boy. How would you persuade your chief? Would you welcome the strangers with all their new and exciting things they brought, or would you attack them?

Come up with your most persuasive answer, if you can!
See you Wednesday!
Mrs. Martin

I miss the M-Team!!

Hi my wonderful students!
It's only been a day, and I already miss you! I was so nervous for my presentation today! I'm a little more confident about tomorrow and I can't wait to be done and back to teaching you! Teaching adults is hard and kind of scary! You'll have to write and tell me what you did on Wednesday and how things went with Mr. Murray. I'll be curious to hear how your day was.
See you Thursday!

Your Queen,
Mrs. Martin

Red Ribbon Week!

Hi kids,
Today we had a good discussion about drugs. Many of you had questions or thoughts you'd like to share. Let's continue our discussion on our blog. Feel free to comment or ask questions, but remember to be careful about what you share here. This is a public blog and you may want to share some things with just our class or just me. I'm always available if you'd like to chat!

Love,
Mrs. Martin

How's the weekend?

What a busy week we had, eh? We didn't get to go to the computer lab on Wednesday because we had a different schedule with Deputy Witlow coming and we had to make sure we started our science presentations. The goal was to have all of them presented by Friday! :)

The Harvest Festival was really fun! I loved seeing my students, former and new, and being able to squeeze you all!!! Did you get to play the washers game? Rudy would have been proud! So, speaking of him, can we all get our signatures this weekend, so we can even think about having him come for a visit? He even said that just progress report signatures isn't enough. He thinks you should be able to do all your homework, like good students, before he comes. I was talking to Mrs. DeAnda with Jacob and she said that if it was last year's class, they would have gotten all their work done! And you know, it's pretty true. I don't know why we can't get our homework done this year. So, for all of you who do your work, thank you! For those of you who don't, you're hurting the M-Team, and the Queen isn't too happy about that!

Let's start this week off on a really good note, by being super responsible, ok?
Blog about your weekend, too. I care about what you're up to and how your games are going, for those of you who have some this weekend!
Love,
Mrs. Martin

South, North, East, West

Hello Room 25ers!
I can't wait to see your science presentations! I always love watching you teach the class with your group members. It's fun to watch you spread your wings and grow! Good luck preparing for it tonight!

We've been talking about Native American Indian tribes and the regions in which they lived. Out of the regions we have studied (plains, southwest desert, pacific northwest, eastern woodlands, and the arctic), which would you rather live in and why? Tell me which sounds most interesting, even if you wouldn't want to live there for very long.

See you tomorrow,
Mrs. Martin

Perseverance.

Kiddos,
Today, we started reading picture books about perseverance. Our first book was called Courage. We talked about different kinds of courage. Courage to go on a roller coaster, courage to tell the teacher when you've done something wrong, and courage to be the first to do something. I notice courage when students raise their hand to ask a question. This tells me they aren't afraid of what their classmates will think of them and they care about their learning. I also notice courage when I ask a question, and the student who is the only one who agrees, still raises his/her hand.

When you think of the word courage or perseverance, what comes to your mind? What have you had to have an extraordinary amount of courage to face or overcome?

Can't wait to hear your stories of hard work and success!
Mrs. Martin

Quiz yourself...

If someone said...

Ptolemy
Copernicus
Giordano Bruno
Galileo
Sir Isaac Newton

...what would you say about each?
Try telling me what you remember. Are you studying for your quiz on Monday? :)

Your loving teacher,
Mrs. Martin

Thinkin' on the Past

Hi kids,
Yesterday we discussed what history is and why we study it. We started talking about how we, today, are affected by the past. Brainstorm here, the many ways we are affected by our history. Let's try and blog as many different ways as we can.

Happy thinking!
Mrs. Martin

Missed You!!

Hi M-Team machine!
I have missed you over the long (for me) weekend! How was your Friday? How did it go picking out new books for our reading groups? Congratulations, again, to our VIP award winners! I'm sorry I couldn't be there to present them myself! I thought of you quite a bit, though!

We had a great trip to Chicago, but we're glad to be back! I can't wait to see you all on Monday! Fill me in here on how your Friday went and what you did over the weekend!

See you soon,
Mrs. Martin

Night of the Twisters!

Hey kids,
Did you like the book? Why or why not? What was your favorite part?
Lastly, what genre was it?

Impress me with your scholarly answers! :)
-Mrs. Martin

New Month - New Goals!

Hey Marvelous M-Teamers,
Happy October! It's a new month, so you know what that means?? We get to make a new set of goals! Today I collected our September goals and asked you to think about what you were most proud of accomplishing this last month. I'd also be interested in knowing what percent of your goals you accomplished. Ask someone how to calculate percent if you forget how.

So, what are you most proud of accomplishing this month? :)
-Mrs. Martin

Enjoying the weekend?

Hi guys,
Since I will be at a training on Monday, I won't be able to hear how your weekend was. Write me about what you've done this weekend. So far, I've gone to a favorite bbq restaurant with friends, went on a really long walk with a very good friend, got a pedicure!!! with that friend, and have been hanging around the house. My type of weekend, so far! Tomorrow I will go on a good, long bike ride, too!

I will miss you on Monday, but I'll be so excited to see you on Tuesday! :)
Hope you're having a great weekend!
Love,
Mrs. Martin

Volcanoes!!

My M-Team weather experts,
What do you know about volcanoes? What do you want to learn? We will be reading an expository text on volcanoes this Friday, so think about what you already know and what you'd like to learn!
Write them here... I will transfer your comments from the blog to the poster on our disaster wall.

-The M Queen!

Tornado Challenge!

Dear kids that I love,
Do you know or can you find the answer to the following questions? These are the ones you asked before our story, "Eye of the Storm!" See how much you've learned or what questions you still have!

Q #1: How do funnel clouds form?
Q #2: What technology does Warren Faidley use?
Q #3: Has Warren Faidley ever been caught in a tornado?
Q #4: What was the deadliest tornado ever recorded?
Q #5: What do you do when a tornado hits?

Show me how much you know by answering these questions. Even if someone has already posted, I'd like to hear your thoughts, too!

-Mrs. Martin

Henry or Henry's Friend?

M-Team,
Today we read a book called, "Henry Hikes to Fitchburg" that related to our discussion this month on goal setting and self-awareness. Henry and Henry's friend each wanted to get to Fitchburg but went about getting there in completely different ways. Henry chose to walk there and stopped along the way to enjoy the journey, while Henry's friend worked hard for a few days in order to buy a train ticket to zip his way there!
Who are you? Are you a "journey enjoyer" who likes to accomplish a goal in due time like Henry, or do you like to work hard and accomplish a goal quickly? Please respond telling us why or giving us an example!

Thanks!
Mrs. Martin

Earthquake Questions

M-team-a-lonians,
You like that name, don't you?? :) Well, as I said I would, I'm going to list the questions we asked at the beginning of our story on earthquakes. Would you look up information on at least one of the questions and post the answer you find? If you see someone already answered the question adequately, please don't post a duplicate, ok? Let's try to get all of them answered by this weekend!

Question #1: Why do plates move?
Question #2: Is a doorway the safest place to be?
Question #3: What has been the strongest earthquake ever recorded?
Question #4: Are there earthquakes on other planets?
Question #5: How often do earthquakes occur?

Good luck!
-Mrs. Martin

Nature's Fury

As we work today in the computer lab, use these websites to help you compare the data you find on your newspaper weather map with the data you can find on the web. Have fun completing your computer lab challenge!

Dan's Wild Weather Page
http://www.wildweather.com/index.html

National Weather Service
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

Weather
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/weather/

Weather Watch
http://www.teacher.scholastic.com/activities/watch/

Yahooligans Weather Links
http://kids.yahoo.com/search/web?p=weather

"the dot"

M-teamers,
After reading, "the dot," we talked about the various ways we get motivated. Some of us are like Vashti, and just need a little encouragement. Others of us feel more motivated when someone doubts us or our ability to do something and we want to prove that person wrong! When are you most motivated? Think about why you do the things you do and when you do your best.

Can't wait to read your thoughts!
-Mrs. Martin

Self-Awareness

Hey kids,
How was your weekend? Don't ask me yet if I've got all your writing papers graded! :) I've still got a few hours to the day!

I wanted to give you a heads up about our Monday reading. I will be reading one of my favorites called, "the dot." It is written just like that. We will be continuing our discussion on self-awareness and goal setting. I will be handing you a sheet of paper with "Alphaboxes" on it. You will be asked to think of a word that would describe you in a positive way that begins with each letter of the alphabet. So, start thinking... for example, A= attentive, B= ?, C= courageous, D= disciplined, etc. Get the idea? Start thinking about who you are and use the letters of the alphabet to guide you! :)

See you tomorrow!
Mrs. Martin

Patriot Day

Hi M-Teamers,
Today is September 11th. When you were three years old, the World Trade Center (twin towers) in New York went down due to terrorists. Today, our flags are flown at half mast to respect those who died in such a tragic way. It is also to honor those who risked their lives (and gave their lives) to rescue people from the towers.

When we say the pledge of allegiance to the flag, I've encouraged you to show respect and honor for those who have fought for our country and endured challenging times. I've talked about how there are many reasons to show respect for our flag. What reasons would you give? What does the flag mean to you?

I'm excited to see what you say and later discuss during our social studies time!
-Mrs. Martin

September Goals

Hi kids,
What is your goal for the month? How are you working on it? I want to be able to personally ask you about your progress, periodically throughout the month, so let me know!

My goal was to stay organized and on top of my game! I'm working on it by making sure I do all the things I need to do for school before I go home or before I enjoy the rest of my evening. So far, it's working! :)

Good luck to you all, too!
Mrs. Martin

Inch and Miles' Journey to Success

Attributes: Action, Self-Control, Fitness, Enthusiasm, Alertness, Poise, Cooperation, Team Spirit, Loyalty, Confidence, Hard Work, Skill, Friendship, Determination.

I am strongest in team spirit, and feel I need to work on self-control. Which attribute do you feel you are the strongest? Which attribute do you want to work on this year? Let's talk about it in our blog so we are ready to do something about it on Monday!:)

Happy thinking...
Mrs. Martin

Treasure Hunt!!

How did you like our p.e. game for the week? What did you do for your team? What rules could we go over or establish to make it better? It was fun playing with you! :)

Have a great weekend and get lots of rest!
Love,
Mrs. Martin

Natural Disasters!

Hi Team,
Today, we talked about weather and some natural disasters. We listed a few like: typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, thunderstorms, wildfires, drought, etc. We realized that although we don't experience a lot of variety in our weather, here in Walnut, compared to other parts of the state/country/and world, we still experience quite a few things. We have had drought, lightning, thunder, mudslides, hailstorms, small tornadoes, earthquakes, rain, fog, and intense heat!

Question: Which natural disaster or form of weather would you least like to encounter and why? Give an explanation for your reason!

Can't wait to read what you think!
Mrs. Martin

Welcome!!

Welcome kids!
Are you excited to be back in school? I know I am! What did you think of our first week of school? I'm excited to get to know you more and hopefully this will be one way to do that!

In the future, I will be posting questions about our learning. In order to get a lot of participation points, you'll need to be a regular responder! Are you ready?? For this blog, let me know what you thought of our first week. What did you like best?

Looking forward to a GREAT year!
-Mrs. Martin