KEENE KIDS' NEWSLETTER - MARCH 23, 2009

Dear Parents,

Welcome back!!! I hope everyone enjoyed the break! It’s always hard to get back into “school mode” after a long break, so please help encourage your child to get re-focused on school. It’s hard to believe we only have 10 weeks left until the end of the year!!! Time sure does fly when you’re having fun! Our final quarter will be full of exciting projects and lots of fantastic learning!


REPORT CARDS will be going home on Wednesday, March 25th. Please watch for the envelope in your child’s organizer. Many students struggled with time management/organization issues this quarter, but overall most of the students did quite well. I’m proud of their efforts. If you have any questions about your child’s report card, please feel free to call or email me to set up a conference*. *Due to a very busy schedule this quarter, I would greatly appreciate it if you would schedule an appointment to meet with me, rather than just stopping by before or after school. This will ensure that I have time devoted to speak to you about your child without any distractions!*

**Please note: Due to a copier problem over break, I was unable to make copies of some of the students’ work for their files. Therefore, I will be sending home extra work from 3rd quarter on Wednesday with the report cards. Please watch for it! :)**


AIMS TESTING STARTS NEXT MONDAY (March 30th) with the WRITING TEST. READING AND MATH TESTING will be on APRIL 6-8th, followed by the SCIENCE FIELD TEST ON APRIL 9th. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOUR CHILD IS AT SCHOOL ON TIME AND RESTED FOR ALL THE ABOVE DATES. Please make sure to speak to any coaches ahead of time, as last year we had several students up until almost 10 pm the night before testing due to a late baseball game. I will be sending home a form for food donations so we can have snacks available throughout the testing. Brains work better with lots of sleep the night before and a full tummy for “brain fuel.”

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Many thanks to all the parents who volunteered to help with the Pitfire. We couldn’t have done it without your help and donations!!!! Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this event such a HUGE success. An extra special thank you to Deb Jeppson, Nancy Smith and Karen Arnold, who worked as coordinators for this giant event! J

As always, you can contact me via email at bkeene@amphi.com or call me at 696-6030 with any questions.
Have a great week!

Bonnie

KEENE KIDS' NEWS - FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Dear Parents,

I’m happy to report that our “trip back in time” to 1885 was a huge success, and everyone is now safely back in 2008. J We had a wonderful time, and I’m so grateful to all the wonderful parent volunteers who came along. Thank you to everyone who baked bread and cookies, made homemade butter (yum!), and donated water, beef jerky, etc. WOW! Thanks for everything. It’s great to be back to “reality,” and the students and I are right back on track and excited about the week to come! ** Parents, please send in any photos you took from the field trip (you can email them to me, or send in on a CD or flash drive (memory stick). We're trying to put together a CD of the best photos. Thanks***

PITFIRE is MARCH 12th! Thank you to everyone who has sent in items for the Pitfire (or volunteered your time!). We still need lots of Gatorade, and other items, so please let me know if you are interested in donating supplies or time. Our fantastic “SUPER MOMS,” Deb Jeppson and Nancy Smith are working hard to make this year’s Pitfire a huge success. Thank you both for taking on this huge job!

PLEASE NOTE: “READING LOGS” are now kept in the agendas, and the total hours read are DUE EVERY MONDAY (SIGNED BY A PARENT!) The reading logs are part of your child’s reading grade each quarter. In addition to tracking the hours read, the students are also now required to fill out 5 days worth of "connections, predictions, etc." made while reading. (They should keep this packet in their Bobcat Organizer under "Reading."

AGENDAS: Please be sure to check your child’s agenda each night and sign it!
Your signature shows me that you’ve seen and read the Monday packet each week.

READING OLYMPICS REMINDER: Each student should have turned in AT LEAST 3
Reading Olympic AR Tests (with a score of 80% or better) or book reports by Monday, March 9th.

As always, please don't hesitate to email me with any questions at bkeene@amphi.com. You may also call and leave a voicemail at school at 696-6030. However, email is the fastest way to reach me.
Have a great week!

Bonnie Keene