BTG Plays Due Friday, January 3, 2014

All students must submit their final copy of their BTG play on Friday, January 3, 2014.  Jake and Maddie will collect it on Monday, January 6th.  The play the class will preform will be chosen by Monday, January 13th.  For those of you who like to know things ahead of time, the performance of the 5th grade plays has been tentatively set for Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 1:30 in the school gym.  If this changes, I will let you know! 

Mrs. Finnerty

Holiday Party

Friday we will celebrate the upcoming holidays as well as the hard work students have put into this school year.  This class consistently follows the rules, shows respect and works hard so I would also like to celebrate them on Friday!  Students will be allowed to wear their pajamas, we will create a winter ornament and watch a movie.  I am looking for food donations, craft donations and volunteers to help with the craft (from 8:30-9:30).  Check your child's folder for the donation sheet.  Please return it on Monday so everyone will have plenty of time to gather their donation.  Thank you in advance for your time and your support!

Mrs. Finnerty

BTG Homework

This week's BTG homework...

• Everyone must complete through Act 2 in story form and begin Act 3 in story form.  For those of you who have completed this already, continue Act 1 in dialogue. 
• NO ONE SHOULD GO PAST ACT 1 IN DIALOGUE!! 

Mrs. Finnerty

Holiday Sale Thursday!

Holiday Sale is Thursday for our class.  Students are bringing home fliers today! 

Mrs. Finnerty

Holiday Concert

Holiday Concert is Wednesday, December 11th at 1:30 in the school gym.  Students must wear white shirts with either black or navy pants/skirts.

Mrs. Finnerty

Native American Research Project

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will begin our Native American Research Project.  This is a two part project.  The first part is a small research report which students will have class time to complete.  The second part is a visual component that students will need to complete at home.  Students will bring home an outline of the project and a rubric tomorrow.  Projects will be due on Wednesday, December 18th.  Students will present these projects on Dec. 18th, Dec. 19th and Dec. 20th.

The outline for this project can be found under the Social Studies tab on our classroom website.
https://sites.google.com/a/cbrsd.org/mrs-finnertys-classroom/

Mrs. Finnerty

BTG Homework

Students must complete Act 1 in story form by Monday, December 9th.
Scene 1 - Establish protagonist and objective
Scene 2 - Establish antagonist and objective
Scene 3 - Big moment of conflict
Act 1 should end before hero starts journey!
DO NOT MOVE PAST ACT 1

Mrs. Finnerty

Spirit Day Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is Spirit Day so wear your blue and white.  We will start our day off with a school assembly. Students from each class will present what they are proud of.  Kaelynn, Edie, Logan, Dayton and Jason will be presenting the Totem Poles they made in class today!

Mrs. Finnerty

BTG Homework due Monday

This week students are starting to write their plays!! Jake and Maddie expect that students will complete pages 45-48 in their green BTG books for Monday.  They had about 30 minutes to work on this in class today.  My suggestion is to finish this assignment before Wednesday so you don't have to work on it over Thanksgiving break!

Mrs. Finnerty

Interactive Rock Cycle!

Check out this website which has an interactive rock cycle! Be sure to stop by our classroom website to see today's video from our Science lesson which has been uploaded under the You Tube section!

Interactive Rock Cycle

Mrs. Finnerty

Show and Tell Monday in Guidance

Mrs. Mullen is requesting students bring something in for show and tell in guidance on Monday (Nov. 25th).

Here are the guidelines..

• must be nonliving 
• nothing of value
• must fit in your backpack
• nothing that will be distracting in Mrs. Finnerty's classroom
• must be school appropriate

Mrs. Finnerty

BTG Homework - due Monday, November 25th

Create a resolution to The Three Gold Hairs on page 41 of your BTG book.  You must start with your title and setting.  Please write in dialogue and skip lines between dialogue.  It must be between one and one and a half pages.  Make sure you have a clear beginning, middle and end.  Refer back to page 17 or ahead to page 67 if you need help!  

Due: Monday, November 25th ! 

Mrs. Finnerty

Math Quiz Changed to Wednesday

Math quiz on 5.OA.3 has been changed to Wednesday, November 20th.  Students have their review sheet but it can also be found on our classroom website under the Math tab.

Mrs. Finnerty

Awards for Children's Literature

This week we have had many discussions about the different awards children's literature and young adult books can receive.  We began our discussion with the Pura Belpre medal since the author of Esperanza Rising was the recipient of this award.  We also discussed the Newbery Medal well as the the Caldecott Medal.  Here is a link to the Association for Library Services to Children's website which not only has more information on these awards but also link to past winners and honors.  With the help of several students I have pulled numerous books out of my library that have been past recipients.  Students often struggle to find books to read so I have emphasized to them that if they see a book has been honored, chances are it is an awesome book and worth reading!

Association For Library Services to Children

Mrs. Finnerty

BTG Homework - Due Monday, November 18th

Complete the story graph on page 32.  Use a movie, book, or play to complete this graph.  Use the example you completed together in class to guide you.  Remember, it is due this Monday!

Mrs. Finnerty

Kittredge Annual Food Drive

The annual Kittredge Food Drive will begin Tuesday, November 12th and run through Friday, December 20th.  Donation boxes are located in the front of the school.  All food and monetary donations will go directly to the Hinsdale Food Pantry.

Mrs. Finnerty

Plastic Bags

The PTO is getting set to start their annual food drive.  The fifth grade mentors will be helping to bag and deliver the food to the pantry.  We are looking for donations of plastic bags because all the bags need to be double bagged before they are brought to the pantry.  If you have extra plastic grocery bags, please send them in!

Mrs. Finnerty

Scholastic Book Fair

Students will have a chance to preview the book fair and make wishlists on Tuesday during school.  The book fair will be open Wednesday during parent-teacher conferences only (not during the school day).  The book fair will NOT be open on Thursday this year.  All purchases must be made on Wednesday!

Mrs. Finnerty

Technology Survey

I would like some feedback on the effectiveness of my classroom website and blog.  Please take a minute to complete this short survey.  I appreciate your feedback and input!

Parent Technology Survey

You also received a hard copy of this survey with your child's report card.  Please complete either the paper version OR the on-line version!

Mrs. Finnerty

BTG Homework due 11/13/13

This week's BTG homework...

Reversing Red Cap Scene page 27 in your BTG book.

Your scene must include...
-setting
-characters (you must use Little Red Cap, Wolf, and Judge)
-Use dialogue and skip lines between each dialogue

Follow the directions on page 27.  They are very clear and specific.  While this assignment does allow you to be creative, please stay within the guidelines of the assignment! It will be due Wednesday, November 13th.

Mrs. Finnerty

BTG Homework due Monday, Nov. 4th

As mentioned before, students will have BTG homework every week.  Here is this week's assignment. 

• Write a conflict dialogue scene.  There is an example of this on page 17 in your green BTG book.  Use page 11 and 14 to help you.  Remember to use what you work on today in class! 
• Minimum of 1 page but story must be fully developed with a beginning, middle and end as well as a conflict and resolution.  Please follow all guidelines in the assignment. 
• Due: Monday, Nov 4th 

All BTG work will count towards your writing grade on your report card! 

Mrs. Finnerty

Halloween

On Thursday, October 31st we will be celebrating Halloween.  We are asking students to bring their costumes to school.  They will be allowed to change into their costumes after lunch.  We will have a small party to celebrate at the end of the day.  Please check your child's bag for a notice coming home tomorrow regarding the party.
Your child brought home a letter today stating what is acceptable for costumes in school.  Please review this with your child as they prepare to bring their costume to school.
Reminder - PTO Halloween Party Friday from 7:00-9:00 at Kittredge!

Mrs. Finnerty

PTO Halloween Party

Mark your calendars....the PTO will be hosting a Halloween Party Friday night from 7:00-9:00 in the gym!  There will be a costume parade, fortune teller, music and more! All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Mrs. Finnerty

Box Tops

The Box Top competition ends this week! Please send in any box tops you have.  The winning classroom earns Kittredge Cash which can be used at the school store.

Mrs. Finnerty

BTG

Berkshire Theater Group began their 16 week residency with our 5th graders today!  Jacob and Maddy will be with our class this year.  Please make sure your child shows you the contract paper which requires you to sign on both sides!  Each week students will have written homework from Jacob and Maddy.  This will also count towards their writing grade on their report card.

Mrs. Finnerty

Slow posting

I know there has been a long delay between when I post to the blog and when you are notified of my post via e-mail.  I am still looking into this.  No one has an answer for me but I won't give up!  Thank you for being patient!  Remember you can always go right to the blog each night to check for any updates.

Mrs. Finnerty

Spirit Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Spirit Day at Kittredge so wear your blue and white!  We will kick off the day with a short assembly in the morning where students will share work they are proud of.  Thank you Cameron for volunteering to represent our classroom tomorrow!

Mrs. Finnerty

IXL App

We logged onto the IXL App on the iPads for the first time today and we LOVED it! If you have an apple product (iPad touch or iPad) I would highly recommend downloading this free app! Every student has a subscription paid for by the school.  They know their user names and passwords.

Mrs. Finnerty

Book Orders due tomorrow 10/17!

Book Orders are due tomorrow! Pre-order Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck or purchase the new Heroes of Olympus #4!

Mrs. Finnerty

Science Videos

Check out www.makemegenius.com for some great kid friendly science videos! Also, keep checking my website for new YouTube videos!

Mrs. Finnerty

Berkshire Theater Group

BTG will be here Wednesday afternoon to kick off their 16 week residency with the 5th grade.  They will present The Emperor's New Clothes to the whole school.  We are very fortunate to have this program.  I can't wait to see the students become playwrights!

Mrs. Finnerty

Picture Day Wednesday!

Reminder...picture day is Wednesday!

Mrs. Finnerty

New App!

Here is a great app for practicing spelling words!  It provides letter tiles and a board.  Students can drag the tiles to form the word.  The app says each letter sound and then puts the sounds together to form the word!
The app is called Word Wizard and on the app icon, it says I Speak Words.  It is $2.99 but I thought it was worth the investment if your child struggles with spelling or if your child is looking for a different way to learn their words!

Mrs. Finnerty

MCAS Scores

2013 ELA and Math MCAS scores are being sent home today.  I'd be happy to meet with you to discuss these scores in terms of strengths and weakness but also how to interpret them!  Please let me know if you would like to schedule a time before or after school to meet!

Helpful hints...
Students' scores are important but so are their growth percentiles.
The back page lists specific ELA and Math strands and the percent correct your child received.

Hope this is helpful!

Mrs. Finnerty

Science Review Sheet

Unit E Chapter 1 Review Sheet has been uploaded to our classroom website!  A hard copy will go home with all students tomorrow! 

Mrs. Finnerty

How to Open Google Documents From My Website

To open a Google Doc...

1. Find the file you would like to open and look all the way to the right.  You will see a green arrow pointing up.
2. Click on the green arrow. It will bring you to the Google Sign In.
3. Sign into your Google Account (this is why having a g-mail account is helpful!!!)
4. Once you have signed in, the document should appear.
5. You can print or save the document to your Google Account.

Let me know if you are interested in learning more about Google!  I can set up a 20 minute class after school some day (around 4:00 or 4:30) to show you the basics!

Mrs. Finnerty

Slow posting

I know some of my posts have been slow to post and arrive in your e-mail inbox.  I am looking into this!

Mrs. Finnerty

Decimal Quiz Moved to Tuesday

The decimal quiz scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed until Tuesday, September 24th.

Mrs. Finnerty

IXL

Students received their IXL log in and password today.  This is a great way for students to practice 5th grade skills!  I did not assign written math homework tonight so I would like students to spend 20 minutes working on IXL tonight.  This is a great way to prepare for Friday's decimal quiz!

Mrs. Finnerty

Open House Presentation

I will be presenting at 7:30 tonight! See you then!

Mrs. Finnerty

Open House

Open house is Tuesday, September 17th from 6:00-8:00.  As soon as I know my time slot for presenting, I will let you know.  I hope to see everyone there!  I am looking forward to meeting new families!

Mrs. Finnerty

Kickball Cook Out

Reminder the PTO Kickball Cookout is tonight from 5pm - 8pm!  I heard there may be 2 different bouncy houses!!  I hope everyone can come and celebrate the end of another great school year!

Yesterday's Jog-A-Thon was so much fun!  Congratulations to all who broke their personal goals. I can't believe how many great runners we have in 4th grade.  A big thank you to Mr. Keefe and all the parents for their help and support!

Ty Allan Jackson

Tomorrow local children's author Ty Allan Jackson will be at Kittredge!! He will be talking with students from 10:00-11:00.  Your child brought home an order form if they would like to purchase any of his books tomorrow.  He will autograph books and bring them to school on Thursday!  I have heard he is not only an excellent author but a great presenter as well.  We have read some of "Danny Dollar Millionaire Extraordinaire - The Lemonade Escapade"  which has been published weekly in the Berkshire Eagle.  Thanks to the Berkshire Eagle for allowing this to happen!

Mrs. Finnerty

Spring Concert

Spring Concert is Wednesday, June 12th at 1:30.  Make sure you wear black/blue bottoms and a white top!

Field Trip Monday

Please come to school prepared for the field trip Monday.  Depending on weather, we will make a decision about whether to postpone the trip until Tuesday.  Please make sure you wear sneakers or hiking boots, weather appropriate clothing for hiking and bring a water bottle and a bag lunch with a drink.  Hopefully we will be able to go on Monday!

Mrs. Finnerty

End of the year activities

There are only 17 more days of school!  While that may still seem like a lot, we have plenty of activities planned during these last few days.  Here are the dates and times so mark your calendar!

June 7th - Kittredge Play - Time TBA

June 10th - Field Trip to Mount Greylock - 9:00-1:00

June 11th - What is a Watershed? 2:00 - Mrs. Finnerty's classroom

June 12th - Spring Concert - 1:30 Kittredge Gym (wear black/blue pants/shorts/skirts and white top)

June 13th - Owls/Birds of Prey - 11:00 Kittredge Gym

June 18th - What is a storm drain? 2:00 - Mrs. Finnerty's classroom

June 20th - Jog-A-Thon

June 21st - Jog-A-Thon rain date and 5th Grade vs Staff Kickball Game

June 24th - Last day of school....hooray!!

Mount Greylock Field Trip

The fourth grade will be taking a field trip to Mount Greylock on June 10th.  We will leave Kittredge at 9:00 and return around 1:00pm.  Students need to bring a bag lunch and water bottle.  Please apply sunscreen before coming to school.  Students must wear sneakers or hiking boots....NO FLIP FLOPS!! We can't wait to explore the beautiful mountains right here in our backyard!

**Please return your permission slip if you haven't turned it in!

Mrs. Finnerty

Field Trip

Stay tuned...our 4th grade field trip will be announced soon!!

Come out and support Mrs. Finnerty and Craneville Friday Night!!

Reminder...This Friday night (May 17th) the Harlem Rockets will take on the "Dalton Dream Team" at 7pm at the Wahconah gym!  Come cheer me on!  I can promise lots of laughs and a good time!  You can purchase tickets ahead of time at a discounted price from Sweet Pea Ice Cream, the CRA and Craneville.

Hope to see you there!!

Mrs. Finnerty

Come support Mrs. Finnerty and Craneville Elementary School

On Friday, May 17th, at 7:00pm, the Craneville PTO will be hosting the Harlem Rockets, a talented and entertaining comedy basketball team, at Wahconah High School Gym!  The Craneville PTO has put together a Dalton Dream to play against them and I will be playing on the Dream Team!  Bring your family to come cheer on myself and the Dalton Dream Team!  It is sure to be a night full of laughs!  Hope to see you there!

Mrs. Finnerty

Math MCAS - May 13th and 14th

Math MCAS are Monday and Tuesday next week!  Please make sure your child has a good breakfast in the morning and is at school on time!

Math MCAS

Math MCAS are right around the corner!  As of right now we will be testing Monday, May 13th and Tuesday, May 14th.  A great way to review past concepts with your child is by having them log on to www.ixl.com.  Check out your child's progress and see the skills that they have mastered!  Just 20 minutes a day will make a difference!  As a class we have completed over 20,000 problems!  I'd love for us to complete 50,000  before the MCAS!  If we achieve that goal, I will give them a reward of their choice after the MCAS!
**Students should log on and go to reports.  Any skill that is not mastered, they should work towards mastering!

Mrs. Finnerty

Food Adventures

Yesterday we had a nutrition program called Food Adventures.  They spent about an hour and a half in our classroom helping us make vegetable fried rice. Everyone had a job from chopping to mincing to cooking and cleaning.  Each group even had a head chief!  It was so fun to watch the students work with fresh ingredients and make such a delicious dish!  I am so proud of everyone who tried the vegetable fried rice.  I even heard a few students say they hope their parents would make it for dinner some night! Everyone received a recipe to take home so maybe it will become a family favorite!

Mrs. Finnerty

MCAS

CONGRATULATIONS 4TH GRADE!!! We have finished the ELA Reading Comprehension and Long Composition MCAS tests.  Everyone worked hard and showed a lot of perseverance. I am so proud of everyone's improvements and accomplishments this year!  Now it's on to preparing for the Math MCAS in May!

Mrs. Finnerty

Field Trip - April 10th

The 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be taking a field trip to the Colonial Theatre to see a performance on the Civil War.  Please remember to return your permission slip by Thursday, March 28th!

Bringing Technology Into the Classroom

Everyone that knows me knows that I am passionate about incorporating technology into teaching.  Anytime I can use technology to enhance or support a lesson I will.  I am excited about the addition of an iPad mini cart at Kittredge.  Check out my school fuel page to see a list of meaningful apps!

Mrs. Finnerty