Conferences

It was so good to see you this week at conferences.  I am thankful for this time as it allows us to take a short break from the crazy schedule of school and reflect on how the kids are doing and how far they have come. They truly are a great bunch of kids, and I'm so glad to be a part of their school journey!

I wanted to recap some of the themes that came up during conferences, as well as some of the conversations we have been having in class - both academic and social.

• Work carefully and check your work.  
• Show your work and prove your answers.
• Perseverance, effort, and hard work make the biggest difference.
• Cooperation and teamwork help us learn and make our classroom a much happier place.  :)  We have been talking about how we use our voices with each other, how to help without being bossy, and how each person needs to be involved and do their part.  
• Be responsible for your work and your learning.  It's not mom or dad's responsibility to turn things in for you or to keep pestering you about things.
• Start building good habits now.
• Have fun when it's time to have fun, and work when it's time to work.  

All that being said, they are 8 and 9 years old!  :)  I'm a parent as well, so I know that it's a process and it takes time, but I also know that these conversations help begin to build character and hopefully good habits.  We all want the best for them, and I do appreciate all that you do to help support your child.

What can families do to support at home?
Read.  Math fact practice.  Have them explain math homework to you. Ask questions and have conversations - builds vocabulary and thinking.   Practice typing skills - Typing Agent is a great place to start.  And read!

I also mentioned at conferences some different websites and apps specifically for math.
They are listed below:
*MobyMax (math concepts and some fact practice)
https://www.mobymax.com/signin

*XtraMath (fact practice)

https://xtramath.org/signin/student

*Front Row:  (math concepts)
On iPads, download the Front Row app from the App Store (free).
On a computer, go to https://student.frontrowed.com/#login
2. Have students enter their first name, last name and the class code: uk3vbv

*Apps
There are tons of apps out there, but these are a few that I like:
Operation math - math facts; spy theme makes it "cool"
Sushi Monster - math facts (free)
Math Fact Master
Math Duel - 2 player split screen - math facts
RocketMath (free)
Thinking Blocks - word problems (free)