Here is a brief list of important general and ELA-specific news:
1. For my homeroom: the school is collecting donations for Pennies for Patients, an annual drive for patients with lymphoma and leukemia. Please use the collection boxes to collect change in your house for the next month.
2. In the spirit of giving, our classroom has sadly run out of many important things; if possible, please donate any of of these classroom supplies:
- printer paper, loose leaf, and construction paper
- markers
- clear tape
- post-its
- tissues (allergy season is nearing and we are out of tissues!)
3. ELA Curriculum: We are starting Romeo and Juliet now; expect students to be reading the text at home and completing other relevant homework assignments. Students will also be acting out certain scenes in class. I encourage you to help immerse yourselves and your children in Shakespeare. Watch movies based on his plays or go see a live performance.
We are going on an ELA trip together on March 14 to see Much Ado About Nothing. Permission slips and $10 are due now. Please volunteer to chaperone if you can.
I strongly urge the students to go to a bookstore and purchase their own copy of the book, the Folger's edition, so that they can annotate the text and keep it for the future. A majority will read this book again in high school and/or college.
4. Grades: Detailed reports of your children's grades are on jupitergrades.com. If you have not signed up with your email, please do so. I gave out passwords in the beginning of the year. If you need them again, email me and I will send it to you.
5. ELA Standardized Test: April 17, 18, and 19. The test is longer and includes more questions than last year's test.
The best way to help prepare the students for the test is to make sure they are doing their independent reading in a variety of genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They should be reading at least 45 minutes at a time, at least 5 times a week. Engage them in critical thinking conversations about texts as well, even if the texts are newspapers or magazine articles.
6. Important websites:
- www.ms51.org
- www.msgalangenglish.blogspot.com
- www.jupitergrades.com
7. Ways to help your children be successful in my class:
- visit my ELA website for important assignments
- read and follow your child's ELA blog; there are links on my website to your child's blog
- check and go over their grades on jupitergrades
Remember, on parent-teacher conferences, we only have 3 minutes to talk. If you need more time, please schedule a meeting with me on another day or arrange a phone conversation; email is also a great way to communicate (denise.galang@gmail.com).
Warm regards,
Denise Galang
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