Weekend Homework

Yes, it's true...there is homework this weekend. Luckily for your child, I devoted class time this week for each child to work on it so there would not be too much to do. I hardly ever give homework over the weekends; but the exception has been made for this weekend.

EXPLORERS: Due Monday, Dec. 3rd, your Lewis and Clark essays from your gold sheet and packet.Use the information in your packets to help your brain make excellent essays!

Due Tuesday Dec. 4th, your spelling definitions. Spelling post test on Tuesday.

Due on Wednesday, Dec. 5th, the Contest paper

On Thursday, Dec. 13th, Social Studies test

Navigators: Due Monday, Dec. 3rd, your Lewis and Clark essays from your gold sheet. Use the Information in your packets to help your brain think of excellent answers!

On Thursday, December 13th, Social Studies Test.

PARENT MEETING TOMORROW !

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening at 7:00 in the multi-purpose room when the board shares with you their strategic plan which includes whether or not there is a middle school in Seabury's future.

Yesterday was our first Popcorn Day! We sold 84 bags of popcorn and "made" 21 dollars. We have expenses which I will teach the class about in tomorrow's Economic lesson, and they'll learn the difference between "gross" and "net" profit. The popcorn was a huge success and we are well on our way to making enough money to purchase a goat through the Heifer Project and help a family in need in Africa. The class is very excited!

Math tonight for my math class is their Continental Math League (CML) math sheet.

Parent Meeting THIS Thursday

Please note: This Thursday, November 29th, there will be a Parent Meeting at 7:00 in the multi-purpose room. While I have written to you about it before, it does bear repeating. At the Parent Meeting this Thursday evening, the board and Mrs. Wollum will update parents on the strategic planning for the future of Seabury. This will include when the Board foresees whether a middle school will be in Seabury's future. I can not stress enough how important this meeting will be, so please try to attend. I look forward to seeing you there!


Today we had an amazing guest speaker, Shanon, from the Pacific Northwest Ballet Education/Curriculum Department. She gave a marvelous presentation of the subtleties of the of the Nutcracker story as told through the movement of dance. Shanon gave such an insight into the Nutcracker behind the scenes, and provided amazing details about the dancers. Shanon also brought props from this year's Nutcracker.It was amazing to see! The students were absolutely captivated. So was I!

Explorers have their "Write Stuff" packet which is due tomorrow.

Their Wordly Wise, Lesson 9, which is due on Friday.

Tchaikovsky Tomorrow

Tomorrow, our curriculum will be enriched with guest speakers from the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Their presentation and special activities will help enhance our Friday's field trip to the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker performance. Students have been learning about Tchaikovsky in Music class and have listened to my cd of the Nutcracker as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras. We are all looking forward to tomorrow's presentation and Friday's performance.

Many thanks to those of you who have turned in their child's permission slip to attend the Friday field trip to the Nutcracker. Miss Joslyn has e-mailed those parents who need to have them turned in. I appreciate your assistance.

Thus far I have received Conference forms from nearly all of my parents. If you are interested in conferencing, then please refer to my blog posting and send me an e-mail. Mr. G and I will be making the master list tomorrow afternoon. After that time, I can not ensure you receiving your preferred times. I am looking forward to all of the conferences next week.





My math class has only 20 minutes total of homework tonight. Students have 2 sheets entitled: Practice 11 and Practice 12. If students wish to work longer than the required 20 minutes,then that is fine with me!

Happy Thanksgiving

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others"

-Cicero


As we take time today to share our thanks and gratitude for all that is near and dear to us, please know that I greatly appreciate you and your children for whom I am eternally grateful to have in my life.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from my home to yours.

Enjoy today,

-Betsy Gellert

Thanksgiving's Gorgeous Gourds

The above are the wonderful Thanksgiving Day gifts your Explorer has made just for you! Please know that I am truly blessed and thankful to have your child in my class.

Seabury is also quite thankful to have your support in this year's Annual Fund. To all of you incredible parents who have given to our Annual Fund, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We have 100% participation from the board, faculty and staff. Hopefully the final numbers will prove that we have 100% of the parents as well. So, thank you to those of you who have given.

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving Feast. It will be from 10:45 until 11:45. School will end at noon tomorrow and will resume on Monday, November 26th. Remember, there will not be any Extended Care tomorrow.

Explorers:

Time For Kids JFK notes p.5 and Bonus question; p.6 Famous Quotes

Map of the 15 states which were the result of the Louisiana Purchase:

MT, ND,SD,WY,NE,CO,KS,NM,OK,LA,AR,MO,IA,MN,TX

Also, Explorers are to return the orange Conference sign up sheet by tomorrow.

Navigators:

Map of the 15 states which were the result of the Louisiana Purchase:
MT, ND,SD,WY,NE,CO,KS,NM,OK,LA,AR,MO,IA,MN,TX

CONFERENCE SIGN UP SHEET

It's time for Fall Conferences!



It is because Mr. Gonzenbach and I share all of the Navigators and Explorers that we will be having joint conferences this year. We would like to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to receive the most popular times. So, please choose your top three choices for a conference time and we'll make every effort to fit you into one of those. If your child has a sibling in another class and you've already scheduled a conference with the other teacher, please make a note of that in the comments section.

Mr. Gonzenbach and I are available at the following times:

Thursday, December 6th ......9 a.m. until 8:00p.m.

We will be available at half hour intervals beginning at 9 a.m. (So 9:00 until 9: 20 for the actual conference and then the next conference starts at 9:30 until 9:50. Then the next conference starts at 10:00 etc.) Our last conference will begin at 7:30.

Friday, December 7th..........9:00 a.m. until noon.

We will be available again at half hour intervals, same as above, with our last conference beginning at 11:30.


My top three choices


1. __________________________

2. __________________________

3.___________________________


Comments:
_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

This form is going home tomorrow, so please be on the lookout for it.





Math homework is the FRACTURED MATH page 13,
problems 1-9

Welcome Back!

As you all are aware, Veterans Day, November 11th, is a federal holiday set aside to honor all those who served honorably in the military during war and in peace-time. I thought you might enjoy learning a bit about the most frequently asked question of this federal holiday and a bit of history regarding Veterans Day.

Q. Which is the correct spelling of Veterans Day?

a. "Veterans Day"

b. "Veteran's Day"

c. "Veterans' Day"

A. Veterans Day (choice a, above).

Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does include an "s" at the end of "veterans" because it is not a day that "belongs" to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans.

Here's a brief chronology of the events that led to our Veterans Day holiday:

1918
World War I, then normally referred to simply as "The Great War" (for no one could imagine any war being greater), ended with the implementation of an armistice [temporary cessation of hostilities—in this case until the final peace treaty, the famous Treaty of Versailles, was signed in 1919] between the Allies and Germany at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November, 1918.

1919
November 11: President Wilson proclaims the first Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…" The original concept for the celebration was for the suspension of business for a two minute period beginning at 11 A.M., with the day also marked by parades and public meetings.

1920
On the second anniversary of the armistice, France and the United Kingdom hold ceremonies honoring their unknown dead from the war. In America, at the suggestion of church groups, President Wilson names the Sunday nearest Armistice Day Sunday, on which should be held services in the interest of international peace.

1921
Congress passes legislation approving the establishment of a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. November 11 is chosen for the date of the ceremony. According on October 20, Congress declares November 11, 1921 a legal Federal holiday to honor all those who participated in the war. The ceremony was conducted with great success.

1926
Congress adopts a resolution directing the President to issue an annual proclamation calling on the observance of Armistice Day. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, most states establish November 11 as a legal holiday and at the Federal level, an annual proclamation is issued by the President.

1938
Congress passes legislation on May 13 making November 11 a legal Federal holiday, Armistice Day. The United States has no ‘actual’ national holidays because the states retain the right to designate their own holidays. The Federal government can in fact only designate holidays for Federal employees and for the District of Columbia. But in practice the states almost always follow the Federal lead in designation of holidays.

1941- 1945
1950- 1953
World War II and the Korean War create millions of additional war veterans in addition to those of the First World War already honored by Armistice Day.

1954
On June 1, President Eisenhower signs legislation changing the name of the legal holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

1968
Congress passes the Monday Holiday Law which established the fourth Monday in October as the new date for the observance of Veterans Day. The law is to take effect in 1971.

1971-1975
The Federal observance of Veterans Day is held on the fourth Monday of October. Initially all states follow suit except Mississippi and South Dakota. Other states changed their observances back to November 11 as follows: 1972- Louisiana and Wisconsin; 1974- Kentucky, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, South Carolina, West Virginia; 1975- California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming

1975
Legislation passed to return the Federal observance of Veterans Day to November 11, based on popular support throughout the nation. Since the change to the fourth Monday in October, 46 states had either continued to commemorate November 11 or had reverted back to the original date based on popular sentiment. The law was to take effect in 1978.

1978
Veterans Day observance reverts to November 11.

Explorer Homework:

Due tomorrow-Polar Projection Packet "Monday-Wednesday" portion.

Due Thursday- Polar Projection Packet "Thursday and Friday" portion.

Due Friday- entire Polar Projection Packet

Due Friday Wordly Wise packet #8

Navigators' homework :

Due tomorrow -"Tuesday and Wednesday" portion in the Polar Projection Packet

Thursday - Lewis and Clark pictures glued and cut out

Friday- Polar Projection Packet due

November Calendar

NOVEMBER CALENDAR

November 1 and 2 No School In-Service-Self Study (Thursday and Friday)

November 7 Field Trip NW Puppet Show: "Coyote Sings" (Wednesday)

November 9 Dash Point State Park Stream Study (Friday) CANCELLED

November 12 No School Veterans Day (Monday)

November 21 Early Release NOON -No Extended Care (Wednesday)

November 22-23 No School Thanksgiving Break (Thursday and Friday)

November 29 NO Cedar and Salmon presentation Rescheduled to 1/24/08

November 29 PARENT MEETING- 7:oo p.m. Thursday multi-purpose room

November 30 Field Trip Nutcracker (Friday)

Please note that there is the November 29th Parent Meeting at 7:00 addition to this month's calendar.

At the Thursday, November 29th 7:00 p.m. Parent Meeting, the board will update parents on the strategic planning for the future of Seabury. This will include updating the parents on when the Board foresees whether a middle school will be in Seabury's future. I can not stress enough how important this meeting will be, so please mark your calendars.

Social Studies Test Tomorrow Thursday, Nov.8th!

COYOTE SINGS

In keeping with our first trimester curriculum learning about Native Americans, we went to te Northwest Puppet theater to see their performance of The Coyote Sings. It was done in a modified Japanese Bunraku puppet theatre motif with the puppeteer being viewed as part of the puppet performance. Students were able to see the similarities in the production of this Native American folktale with last year's Thistle Theater production of the Japanese folktale "The Peach Boy" along with the performance we saw at the Pantagus Theater last spring of "Out of the Mist the Dragon". I was very proud of my students for their attentiveness and their ability to make the cultural connections with today's performance.

Here's a little background information on The Northwest Puppet Theater which is run by the Carters. Their website states that, "The Carters have been professional puppeteers since 1976. They trained with master puppeteers of Romania, Sicily, and China. Stephen Carter received the Fulbright Award for puppetry studies in 1984 and holds a postgraduate degree from the Institute of Theater and Cinema in Bucharest. The Carter Family Marionettes have been featured performers at National and World Puppet Festivals from Scotland to Uzbekistan. They have presented their plays in five different languages and have also been invited as guest director/designers internationally. The company has been awarded the "UNIMA/USA Citation of Excellence" (the highest award in American puppet theater) for three of their productions. Chris and Stephen Carter were the Directors of the 1999 Puppeteers of America Festival of the Millennium held at the University of Washington August 1999. The Carters are especially known for their mastery and preservation of the traditional Sicilian marionette theater known as Opera dei Pupi.
Chris and Stephen Carter founded the Northwest Puppet Center in 1986. In 1993 they purchased and renovated a charming church in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle. The center presents a family season of puppetry by the Carters and selected guest artists with over 250 performances each year. The Northwest Puppet Center provides a valuable resource and fascinating entertainment for children and families." It was a fun , informative, and very educational field trip today.

Social Studies test tomorrow. Students received yesterday the study sheets. All will do very well if they study and think through each question.

Mrs. Gellert's Math Class: Page 6 questions 10-13 of the Continental Math League (CML) sheet. Only 20 minutes is required homework. Students who want to continue on may do so; but it is not required.

FIeld Trip Tomorrow

Field Trip Tomorrow!

Students must arrive at school prior to 8:20 for we will be loading the bus at 8:25. We will be departing Seabury at 8:30. We will be returning prior to the end of school.

All students are to bring a sack lunch tomorrow with a disposable drink.

Social Studies homework for both Navigators and Explorers:

Test on Thursday for Weeks 1-8. Students were given 3 pages of Social Studies/Geography study sheets today and they have reviewed them in class. The test will be a 4 part True-False/Multiple Choice/Short Answer/ and map identification. All students will do very well if they study.

Language Arts: Explorers are to complete the pink packet on Lewis and Clark by Thursday.

Remember: Wordly Wise, Lesson #7, is due on Friday.

Welcome Back !

HALLOWEEN FUN
>>>BOBBING FOR APPLES<<<<

SPELLING TEST TOMORROW!

Don't forget to study your definitions.

Explorer homework: Wordly Wise Lesson #7 is due Friday, Nov. 9

Mrs. Gellert's Math Class: Pink Packet due tomorrow