International Towne is Wednesday, February 19th

Legacy Academy 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will be attending International Towne in Denver the Wednesday following parent-teacher conferences.

Background

International Towne is a one-of-a-kind educational program geared to expose middle schoolers to global economics through fun, hands-on, experiential learning.

Legacy Academy’s middle school teachers have used the curriculum developed by the Young Americans Center for Financial Education to teach concepts in the classroom, which in turn has prepared students for the most crucial (and fun) part of the program: a day running International Towne. 

International Towne is a life-like simulation of a global marketplace where students physically apply concepts they’ve learned as they step into roles as world citizens. All this takes place on-site at Young Americans Center in a 5,000 square foot space architected to be a 16-country mini-world.

What parents need to do now

An online permission slip request has been emailed twice to all parents/guardians of middle school students. The $30 field trip fee is due Thursday, February 13. The fee covers transportation, tuition, and pizza. 

Important note: the permission slip must be completed even if your student will not be attending the field trip.

Who to contact if you still have questions?

Mr. Tallent at dave.tallent@legacyk8.org.

 

Market Day will be on Friday the 13th, 2013

Market Day, December 11, 2008

Welcome, parents, to the Fourth Grade Market Day to be held in the cafeteria on December 13. While Mesdames DeWolfe and Koenen will allow some classroom preparation, this is largely an out-of-school project.

Here’s a brief podcast I did regarding what to expect at this year’s Market Day.

What parents need to do next:

• Find the personalized “4th Grade Market Day [online] in-school field trip permission slip” email I sent to you,
• At the bottom of the email, go to the link and complete the permission slip online.
• Listen to the podcast. Read this blog post. Watch the videos. Have no fear.

We’ll need parent helpers for two shifts beginning around:

• 12:30 pm for setup (wipe down tables, sweep, remove trash, move tables into rows; arrange waste containers), and
• 2:45 pm for breakdown (wipe down and store tables, sweep, remove trash; other tasks as assigned by custodians).
• Room Moms will be working with me to coordinate the shifts.

Individual business ownership is encouraged, but your kiddo may work with a business partner from either class. So, to be clear:  s/he can run the operation solo or have 1 partner.

• Parents can work side-by-side with their students during Market Day.

If your students wish to use an electrical outlet during Market Day, it’s okay provided an adult is in their booth with them throughout the event. Electricity is not to be used for signage or other advertising, but, as most have requested, for heating foodstuffs.

This project is about entrepreneurship. Therefore, your child keeps any money they make selling their wares or services.  In the spirit of the season, they are also encouraged to donate a portion of their profits to a charity.

Now some basics on the four P’s of Marketing:

• Product (or Service). It should appeal to kindergarten through middle school, staff, and parents (around 500 shoppers will tour the market). Don’t overstock: the market will be open for only 90+ minutes. Products can be handmade, store-bought, baked, or recycled. Previous marketeers have offered brownies, cookies, candy, cupcakes, beads, bracelets, rings, hair ties, drawings, toys, postcards, outgrown stuffed animals, trading cards, leather goods, 8 ounce cans of pop, and digital photos. They have painted fingernails and faces, sprayed, beaded and braided hair, given massages, and told fortunes.
• Pricing. This is tricky: a price high enough to make it worth their while, but low enough to keep their merchandise moving. Individual shoppers may have only a buck or two to spend during all of market day. One dollar for any item is almost certainly too high. 50 cents is pushing it, but allows a merchant to lower prices if necessary. At a quarter an item they’ll have steady traffic. Some kind hearts sell at discounted prices to the wee ones in kindergarten through first or second grades.
• Place. Biz owners will use cafeteria tables to sell their products and services. Hopefully the setup will allow foot traffic around the ends of tables (i.e., no one will be located down a one way, dead end street). They’ll also need to remember to bring change and a drawer or pouch to store their moolah.
• Promotion. Signage is important. It tells the world what they’re offering. It will be displayed in front of their “booth.” They have been working on advertising copy during workshop and I’ve discovered a common mistake: their text is either too small or too busy. Keep it simple: BIG BOLD LETTERING of the product or service and the price. Business names and elaborate artwork will be lost on the loud, crushing mob of shoppers.

Random stuff:

• Images will be posted to my Flickr account during and after Market Day. Please check back.
• The videos below are from 2011 and 2012, respectively, and provide a glimpse of the good craziness of Market Day (the 2011 group of fourth graders sold at a rate of approximately $10 a minute, grossing over $900!).

Caveat emptor!

How to no longer receive Twitter (text message) updates about Mr. T’s classroom

Thanks to all of you who chose to receive my (hopefully) short, timely text messages from Teacherman (aka Mr. Tallent).

It’s the end of the school year, however, and you will not hurt my feelings if you no longer wish to stay updated on what’s going on in my soon-to-be shuttered for the summer classroom via Twitter. 

To no longer receive text messages from me:

• On your mobile phone, text “unfollow MrTeacherman” to 40404.
• If successful, you will receive a “You are not following @MrTeacherman on Twitter” text message. That’s it.

Thanks to everyone for another special year

At home, my family has finally become accustomed to my habit of calling my students, “my kids.” For example, I’ll see something on television that’s funny and will say to Sam and Sophie, my son and daughter, “My kids would love this.” For a time, they looked confused. Now they understand that in a tug-of-war for my attention and affection on an extended, daily basis, 27 fourth graders are formidable foes.

I begin each new academic year certain that my previous class was the “best ever.” Just as certainly I am proven wrong. This class was diverse, bright, and always challenging.  They will be forever special and treasured by me because they, as it has turned out, are the last group of fourth graders I will teach at Legacy Academy. I’m going to miss them all. Keep them reading and writing this summer and have them stay in touch (drop me an email at dave.tallent@legacyk8.org).

My heartfelt thanks to everyone that volunteered this year. I couldn’t have done it without you, especially my Room Moms Mmes. Baum, Egan, and Land. Nearly everyone participated in some way (often multiple times) whether hosting classroom/birthday parties, guiding field trips, setting up/tearing down for the Medieval Feast or Market Day, assisting in the dissection of sheep hearts, taking pictures or video, sending me postmarked postcards, or working one-on-one with students in the classroom. The list goes ever on. Don’t get me started on the spontaneous gifts of coffee, chocolate, baked goods, and gift cards. I only hope I haven’t left something or someone out.

Also, you long-suffering parents: thank you for your comments, ideas, constructive criticism, support and patience throughout the year. Thirty odd weeks of car pools, tutorials, projects, and homework should earn you a citation. All I can offer is my sincerest “thank you.”

Week 36 (May 20-23, 2013)

iPads and chargers (with cords) will be returned Tuesday, May 21. You will be billed for the cost of any missing equipment and your child’s report card will be held as ransom until it is paid.

MobyMax math baseline testing results for the 2013 (only) academic year will be emailed to you this week.

Paint Mines field trip, Wednesday, May 22. Click here for the basic lowdown on the field trip paying particular attention to the equipment list.

The Wednesday, May 22th weather forecast for beautiful Calhan calls for a high temperature of 71 degrees and a 5-10 mph wind out of the southeast in the afternoon.  No rain is predicted. It looks to be a perfect day for hiking. That said:

• the UV (sunburn) index will be “very high,” so bring your sunscreen,
• dress appropriately (i.e., in layers). We arrive around 9:30am and it may still be cool.
• bring enough water (about 32 ounces, i.e., 8 ounces per hour) and
• trail food in addition to your disposable lunch and drink (examples: granola bars, toaster pastries, cookies, trail mix, dried fruit, Fig Newtons, M&M’s, sunflower seeds, hard candy, crackers, candy bars, or cheese)

Field Day and early dismissal (at noon) takes place this Thursday, May 23 at Casey Jones Park.

• Help is needed (all volunteer hours are doubled) to run stations, lead a group of students, supervise, pictures, and a variety of other jobs.
• Please contact Mrs. Chamberlain (1st – 4th grade) at maggie.chamberlain@legacyk8.org.
• There will be a meeting for all field Day Volunteers on Monday, May 20th, at 3:15pm in the cafeteria.

 

There will be no new homework assignments this week in any subject. Any missing work and makeup testing must be completed by Tuesday morning.

 

What to do this summer. Your kiddos will be able to use two powerful websites, both accessible from any computer or smart device (not just Apple products), throughout the summer. So, before they unload their backpack for the summer, write down their usernames and passwords for:

• MobyMax (math, vocabulary, language arts), and
• Discovery Education (science)

If young minds do indeed soak up information like sponges, then it is reasonable to suppose that their little brains, like sponges, will dry out and shrink if not put to use. In that spirit, Instructor magazine from Scholastic offers:

• activities to help students maintain their reading and math skills over the summer, and
• a list of the best new summer books for every reader.

Paint Mines field trip, Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Our science field trip to the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in El Paso County is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22. It’s my favorite activity of the year and is both challenging and unusual.

The link to where you can complete the online permission slip was sent two weeks ago to all fourth grade parents via email (the deadline to complete it is Monday, May 20th). Once the form is completed online, all that is required of you is to send $9 for your student’s bus fare (parent volunteers ride for free).

Your student will need a disposable sack lunch and drink and lots of other stuff – more on that later.

I have 14 parent volunteers to ride on the school bus and act as field guides. Volunteers will receive their list of the kids in their group by Wednesday morning. If you’re one of the gluttons for punishment and have questions about your chaperone duties, please contact Mrs. Koenen or me.

Super important information. I’ve warned the kiddos that this “ain’t no hippie field trip:”

• Have your student eat a good breakfast and take in lots of fluids.
• There is no shelter on this trip other than the outhouses at the beginning and end of the hike. Also, there is no potable water available.
• Students will be outdoors the entire time (about 4 hours) on high, wind swept plains and will hike a minimum of 4.3 miles on designated trails.
• There are no outhouses along the trail.
• Students must bring a backpack large enough to carry their own discarded layers of clothing, field guide and pencil, trail snacks and two or three containers of water.
• Other suggested gear: sunscreen, handkerchief, hat, sunglasses, windbreaker, hand sanitizer or wipes, binoculars, gloves and camera.
• Kiddos can wear street clothes that conform with Legacy Academy’s dress code for our trip.  Regardless, it’s über important to dress your student in layers in anticipation of temperature fluctuations (i.e., don’t put them in a t-shirt and ski jacket).

Week 35 (May 13-17, 2013)

iPads and chargers (with cords) will be returned this week. Students will turn in their iPads and charger blocks on Thursday, April 16 Tuesday, May 21. You will be billed for the cost of any missing equipment and your child’s report card will be held as ransom until it is paid (Hey, I’m just the messenger).

MAP testing results for the academic year 2012-13 will be emailed to you this week. While results were already distributed with the 3rd quarter report cards and discussed with virtually all parents, if you have any lingering questions about how to decipher the information, please contact me before May 22.

An email with the link to complete the online permission slip to attend the May 22nd field trip to the Paint Mines was sent last week to all fourth grade parents (the deadline to complete it is Monday, May 20th). Only one email bounced back to me because of a funky email address. If you were that person (you’ll know because you didn’t receive the email), please contact Mrs. Koenen or me. Once the form is completed online, all that is required of you is to send $9 for your student’s bus fare (parent volunteers ride for free).

For your calendar:

• Monday. After today, your student becomes a fifth grader in 7.5 “school” days.
• Wednesday. Library books are due.
  
• Thursday. iPads and chargers are returned by students.
• Friday. All school Dress of Choice

• May 13-17 (all week) Spring MAP testing (language, science; make-ups), for an hour each morning..
• May 22 (Wednesday), Paint Mines field trip, Calhan, 8:30-2:30.

iPads. Please make certain your student brings a fully-charged iPad each morning.

How we’re working in the classroom:

• Spelling. No spelling this week. Instead, they will create a story using 20 carefully selected spelling words and phrases.
• Vocabulary. The class will study for their vocabulary test using their black and white notebooks.
• Reading. Please have your student listen to the story at least one time at home during the week before iPads are turned in.
• Math.  Ask your student to show you her/his progress in Moby Max. They took another baseline test to see their growth since January. I think you will be pleased. Also, write down and save their Moby Max username and password so they can continue to use it on their home computer or other device.
• Science. All work will be done in the classroom using Discovery Education.

Liquid nitrogen plus 1,500 ping pong balls:  what could go wrong?

Week 34 (May 6-10, 2013)

Spring Fling. So many parents from my classroom attended Spring Fling that I received a gift for their participation from PTO. It was a groovy night all around. Please send me any pictures of my band, Martyrs, taken last Saturday (with, of course, any flattering images of me) for our website. Thanks.

So, how was your day?

For your calendar:

• Monday. After today, your student becomes a fifth grader in 12.5 “school” days.
• Wednesday. Library books are due and Star of the Week
• Thursday. Star of the Week

• May 6-10 (all week) Spring MAP testing (reading, writing, math; science), for an hour each morning.
• May 9-10 (Thursday and Friday), Mother’s Day Flower Sale, Library, 8-4.
• May 22 (Wednesday), Paint Mines field trip, Calhan, 8:30-2:30.

iPads. Please make certain your student brings a fully-charged iPad each morning.

How we’re working in the classroom:

• Spelling. All spelling words are on your kiddo’s iPad in their Google Drive. They know how to access them. Also, if they’ve done their Monday classwork, they will have them entered into their spelling app and can take pretest after pretest at home throughout the week.
• Vocabulary. The class will use flashcards created on Quizlet.com to study the week’s vocabulary words. Again, their vocabulary words are listed each week in their iTunes U language arts course.
• Reading. Please have your student listen to the story at least one time at home during the week.
• Math.  Ask your student to show you her/his progress in Moby Math. Review with them any practice sets where they scored lower than 70% (they will be highlighted in yellow).
• Science. All work will be done in the classroom using Discovery Education.

Week 33 (April 29-May 3, 2013)

While I still have not uploaded images from Market Day (I’m working on it), other 2012-13 photos can be seen here. 

Race to Read (Week 6). Mr. T’s class is currently in 3rd (from last) place:

• While optional, students are highly encouraged to participate in this 6 week incentive program to encourage reading at home. Race to Read started March 25, the Monday during our Spring Break.
• Additional log sheets can be obtained from Mrs. Littlefield.
• We are emphasizing honesty when filling out the log sheets. A parent’s signature is required with each completed sheet.
• Just read, man!

For your calendar:

• Monday. After today, your student becomes a fifth grader in 17.5 “school” days.
• Wednesday. Library books are due and Star of the Week
• Thursday. Star of the Week

• May 4 (Saturday), “Spring Fling Fiesta.” This is Legacy’s big annual fundraiser (my band, Martyrs, will be playing. Hope you can make it). Volunteers are needed with your hours tripled (details here).
• May 6-10 (all week) Spring MAP testing (reading, writing, math; science), for an hour each morning.
• May 9-10 (Thursday and Friday), Mother’s Day Flower Sale, Library, 8-4.
• May 22 (Wednesday), Paint Mines field trip, Calhan, 8:30-2:30.

iPads. Please make certain your student brings a fully-charged iPad each morning.

How we’re working in the classroom:

• Spelling. All spelling words are on your kiddo’s iPad in their Google Drive. They know how to access them. Also, if they’ve done their Monday classwork, they will have them entered into their spelling app and can take pretest after pretest at home throughout the week.
• Vocabulary. The class will use flashcards created on Quizlet.com to study the week’s vocabulary words. Again, their vocabulary words are listed each week in their iTunes U language arts course.
• Reading. Please have your student listen to the story at least one time at home during the week.
• Math.  Ask your student to show you her/his progress in Moby Math. Review with them any practice sets where they scored lower than 70% (they will be highlighted in yellow).
• Science. All work will be done in the classroom using Discovery Education.

Perfect physics

Week 32 (April 22-26, 2013)

Various 2012-13 photos can be seen here.

Race to Read (Week 5). Mr. T’s class is currently in 3rd (from last) place:

• While optional, students are highly encouraged to participate in this 6 week incentive program to encourage reading at home. Race to Read started March 25, the Monday during our Spring Break.
• Additional log sheets can be obtained from Mrs. Littlefield.
• We are emphasizing honesty when filling out the log sheets. A parent’s signature is required with each completed sheet.
• Just read, man!

For your calendar:

• Monday. After today, your student becomes a fifth grader in 21.5 “school” days.
• Wednesday. Library books are due and Star of the Week
• Thursday. Star of the Week, Hat Day ($2), and ice cream social for adult volunteers
• Friday. Teacher in-service (no school for students)
  

• May 4 (Saturday), “Spring Fling Fiesta.” This is Legacy’s big annual fundraiser (my band, Martyrs, will be playing. Hope you can make it). Volunteers are needed with your hours tripled (details here).
• May 9-10 (Thursday and Friday), Mother’s Day Flower Sale, Library, 8-4.
• May 22 (Wednesday), Paint Mines field trip, Calhan, 8:30-2:30.

iPads. Please make certain your student brings a fully-charged iPad each morning.

How we’re working in the classroom:

• Spelling. All spelling words are on your kiddo’s iPad in their Google Drive. They know how to access them. Also, if they’ve done their Monday classwork, they will have them entered into their spelling app and can take pretest after pretest at home throughout the week.
• Vocabulary. The class will use flashcards created on Quizlet.com to study the week’s vocabulary words. Again, their vocabulary words are listed each week in their iTunes U language arts course.
• Reading. Please have your student listen to the story at least one time at home during the week.
• Math.  Ask your student to show you her/his progress in Moby Math. Review with them any practice sets where they scored lower than 70% (they will be highlighted in yellow).
• Science. All work will be done in the classroom using Discovery Education.