Mrs. Graham's Fifth Grade

Turkey Trot 2010

2010-12-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Laura in ACTION!

Jose with his prize

Brrrrrr!! What a cold day for the Turkey Trot... but that didn't stop Laura or Jose. They both took 2nd place in the entire 5th grade! Way to go you two!!

Clear Creek

2010-11-22T09:26:00.001-08:00

Despite the frigid whether, we had a blast at Clear Creek this month!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!

What a SWEET turnout

2010-10-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

We had SO many guests Wednesday for Donut Date, thanks for coming, I hope you enjoyed the time spent with your student!

DONUT DATE!!

2010-10-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning parents are invited to come into our classroom from 9:15-9:45 to enjoy a donut and a book with your child. This is a fun opportunity you have to read one on one with your kiddo. Hope to see you in the morning.

Native American Unit

2010-10-16T11:34:00.001-07:00

We have completed our Social Studies on Native Americans, we had a great time! We learned a ton and were able to incorporate some fun writing and art projects into our learning. Each group was given a tribal tale from the tribe they had studied. As a group, the kids wrote scripts and turned the story into a puppet show. I was super impressed with the creativity of the students. Our final project in the unit was to make dreamcatchers, they turned out great. Now moving to EXPLORERS....

SEPs

2010-09-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, September 20th, your student will be bringing home a letter from me regarding SEPs, or Parent Teacher Conferences. Please take time this week to choose a time that will work for you and fill out the GOAL sheet attached to the letter. With so many students this year, I have cut the time down from 15 minutes to 10. Filling out the goal sheet prior to SEPs will allow more time for us to actually discuss where your child is and where we would like to see them go. I look forward to seeing each of you either October 6th or 7th. Thanks for your support!

Making the GRADE

2010-09-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

We are in a few weeks now, and that means that grades are already starting to amount. I DO NOT send home progress reports. I feel that this is a waste of paper. I expect that you check your student's grade via SKYWARD, this is a GREAT tool for you. If you do not remember your log in, or have not yet received one please contact the office. I myself am not allowed to give you your log in information.

The students are aware of the late work policy in my room. The student has TWO WEEKS from the turn in date to get late work to me. I post missing work on the back white board each time I enter grades into the computer. After two weeks, the student will receive a ZERO. No exceptions.

PLEASE check your student's grades and progress often. Thanks!

Timp Cave

2010-09-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

We had a great time hiking up to the Timpanogos Caves. What a wonder we have right in out own backyard! The rangers were kind and taught us a lot of new words like cave bacon, stalagmites, stalactites, helictites, and drapes. What a wonderful learning experience!

First Day Fun!

2010-08-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school, and it went off without a hitch! We had a lot of fun getting to know each other's names by playing Name Bingo, and learning to stick together as a class team by playing Red Rover. It was great to see all 31 happy, eager faces greet me this morning. We are going to have a GREAT year!

Hello- I'm Mrs. Graham

2010-08-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hello, I am Mrs. Graham, and I will be your teacher this year in fifth grade. I am really looking forward to getting to know you. We will be spending a lot of time together, learning with each other. I hope you are excited for fifth grade, because there are so many neat things that we will be learning about!

I just want to tell you a little about myself, so that you can get to know me. I was born in Houston, Texas and lived there a few years before we moved to El Paso, Texas. We lived there for the next 15 years of my life. I loved living there! El Paso is right on the border of Texas and Mexico. I would often go to Mexico to go shopping or out to eat. Ironically, I could be in Mexico faster than I could get to the other side of El Paso! When I was 17 I graduated from Franklin High School and went to college in Rexburg, Idaho. I attended BYU-Idaho. Idaho was extremely different from Texas. I nearly froze my first winter there! I learned a lot and made many great memories. I finished college with my student teaching in Las Vegas, Nevada. After graduation, I decided to go on a mission for the LDS church. I left in December to get ready to go to Budapest, Hungary. (Not sure where Hungary is? Grab a map or a globe! Look closely; it’s only about the size of Indiana!) I loved living in Hungary, and hope to return someday. I came home in 2007 and then began teaching at Snow Springs. I taught second grade for two years and fifth for last year. I think we have a great school and love teaching here!

This summer flew by, as always! I hiked and swam a lot. I spent a lot of time with my family and going to Seven Peak Water Park. I also went to a family reunion at Seeley Lake, in Montana. I love spending time outdoors. I love road biking and did plenty of that this summer with my husband, Andrew.

Some of my favorite things about fifth grade are: Clear Creek, the American Hero Project, Hope of America, and the fun science experiments. You have a lot to look forward to! See you soon!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Graham

Reaction Time

2010-03-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a visitor from the Discovery Gateway Museum. He conducted the Reaction Time assembly. It was so much fun to see all of his neat chemicals and reactants. We learned more about physical changes and chemical reactions. We got to see some green, blue, and red fire, and mix our own solutions. Thank you Discovery Gateway!

American Heroes Wax Museum

2010-02-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

We have just spent the last 2 months researching an American Hero. Yesterday was the culminating activity: we BECAME our hero. The kids did an amazing job with their costume and props. We turned our classroom into a wax museum. All day long the kids stood still as the school poured through the door. Last night parents were invited to attend the NIGHT AT THE WAX MUSEUM. The students counted and said that over 200 people came to push their button. When a student's button was pushed, they had to recite a quote that their hero said. It was fabulous to see all the student's hard work pay off! Here is a video of all the classes.

CHEMICAL REACTIONS...

2010-01-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

We have been learning about physical and chemical changes in Science. We have had a lot of fun with this! Today we cleaned some pennies by making hydrochloric acid (vinegar and salt) to take care of that oxidation (rust) on the pennies. Look what we found...

Christmas MAGIC

2010-01-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

The cute little snowman treat.

Tying the quilts.

Making some nice bookmarks.

Another group tying the quilts.

THANK YOU so much to all the parents who helped with the Christmas party. Mrs. Searcy, our amazing room-mom had an incredible idea. She wanted the kids to help others this year. At our party the kids made quilts and book marks for the kids down at the Juvenile Justice Center. I think the students really enjoyed serving, and still having fun! Hope you all had a wonderful break and are ready to go go go! :)

I SCREAM... YOU SCREAM!!!

2009-12-21T11:37:00.000-08:00

All semester long we worked on passing of our multiplication tables... 1-12. Today, all of the hard work paid off! For every number passed off, the students got a little something.... from a bowl all the way to whipped cream atop their banana split! WAY TO GO FIFTH GRADERS! Next up... DIVISION FACTS! :)

COSMO in the house!

2009-11-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

Today we had a very special guest. Cosmo, the BYU cougar took time out of his busy day to visit us. During his visit, the students were able to get his autograph and get a class picture! THANK YOU COSMO!! Go BYU!!!

Calling all Knitters....

2009-11-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

I have recently picked up knitting. It is addicting and so much fun! I think that teaching the kids to knit would be a fun way to pass on this disappearing art! :) I cannot imagine teaching 27 kids to knit. I am hoping there are some knitters among our parents that could come in for an hour or so and help us get started. I am in the process of finding needles and yarn, so I don't know the exact day this knitting party will take place. I would like to to get an idea of how many helpers we may have. Please send me an email, or a note in with your student. THANK YOU in advance!

Mrs. Graham

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT Halloween! Awesome costumes and great fun at our party. THANK YOU for sending in goodies for our witches brew. Marianne and the other volunteers were WONDERFUL! Thanks for putting so much effort into our party. The kids loved it. Hope you all have a safe halloween!

Book Reports and Party

2009-10-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hello! This is just a reminder that tomorrow is the last school day in October, so the October book report is DUE. This month the assignment was to read a Newbery Award winning book. The students were to create a brochure based on the book.
We will also be having a Halloween party. Yes, students are allowed to wear costumes, all day. However, fake (and real for that matter :)) weapons are prohibited, as well as masks. Our fearless room mother, Mrs. Searcy, has asked that each student bring in 2 cups of something to share in our "brew." Ideas include: popcorn, candy corn, M & Ms, cereal, pretzels, candies, small crackers, etc.
Thank you for all you do!

Proud to be... DRUG FREE

2009-10-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

This past week was Red Ribbon week. I have fond memories of red ribbon week when I was in elementary school! :) The kids all pledged to be drug free, wore red wrist bands, and had a contest on Friday to see which class wore the most RED. We did a pretty good job!

dOnut date...

2009-10-21T20:28:00.001-07:00

Snow Spring has a great tradition... Donut Date. It's a special time when once a year parents accompany the kiddos to school. They enjoy a donut and a book with their special student. We had a great turn out this year! (yahoo) How can a kid not feel special when their mom or dad takes 30 minutes out of their busy day to sit and read. :) Thank you for coming!

Fall Break

2009-10-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Don't forget: No school on THURSDAY OR FRIDAY for Fall Break. ENJOY! (This might be a good time to read-- book reports due October 30th)

THANK YOU!

2009-10-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you all so much for coming to SEPs. I loved parent teacher conferences. They allow me a few minutes to get to know the great support behind my stellar students. I hope you feel comfortable enough to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns. I also appreciate any comments or suggestions. THANK YOU!

MAKING THE SWITCH....

2009-10-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

Instead of staring a whole new blog for my new FIFTH grade class, I though I would just keep on adding to our blog from last year. Boy, did we have fun last year?! This year has been GREAT!! The fifth graders are a hoot. Thank you parents for sharing your kids with me! I learn from them everyday. Here are some pictures from our overnight camping trip at Clear Creek.

Science Fair

2009-04-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

The boys and girls who chose to participate in the science fair did an AMAZING job!! We were all very interested and entertained by the cool experiments.

wowsers...

2009-04-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I have given an update, and I am sad because so much has happened... I will try to pick out a few highlights.... Starting with St. Patrick's Day. The boys and girls were very creative with the traps they made in hopes of catching Lucky. Lucky was the leprechaun terrorizing our classroom the whole month of March.
We also had fun graphing Lucky CHarms.
The kids presented me with this awesome poster put together by the amazing Dawn Sabey, for teacher appreciation week. I was definitely spoiled that week! THANK YOU!! :)

all JAZZED up

2009-03-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

Because of all of our amazing students, we were able to read enough minutes to get a JAZZ player to come to our school. LAst week CJ MILES of the JAZZ came and read with us. One of our very own students was even able to ask him a question. It was pretty fun for the kids to get up close and personal with a star athlete! :)

LOVE is in the air

2009-02-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

Thank you Jodi, Becca, Dawn, and Meledy for your help. We had a great party! I always get a kick out of the boys and girls as they pass out their valentines. It is so much fun.

After School Reading PARTY!!

2009-02-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

We had a great time Friday afternoon, reading away. WE are trying to earn minutes toward the JAZZ READ A THON!! Last week we read about 10,000 minutes as a class. I was way impressed. Thank you for helping you child keep track of their minutes. :) Hopefully we will read enough minutes to get a JAZZ player at Snow Springs... AGAIN!! :)

BIG THANK YOU!!

2009-02-06T11:13:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you who came it SEPs. It was very nice to meet with you and discuss the progress of your child. It is always nice to visit with you and get to know you all a bit better. Thank you for your support.

2009-01-28T15:13:00.000-08:00

100th Day of School!!

2009-01-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

WOW- what I milestone! We have been counting the days of school, since day 1, and have already made it to 100! We had such a fun day! We were jumping 100 times, rolling dice 100 times, flipping coins, creating works of art with our 100 items, and of course wore really cool glasses! I told the kids everyone would get 100 cookies on 100th day... they took my word and were a bit disappointed to find only 3 cookies that said "100." However, they were still happy and ate them right up! We had a lot of fun today!

More Pictures....

2009-01-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

A few pictures to show how great our party was. Thank you to all the amazing helpers!

Bagpiper...

2009-01-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

My husband Andrew was able to come and share some musical talent with us, he blew our ears out with the bagpipes. :) The kids thought it was pretty cool.

Merry Christmas

2009-01-05T15:29:00.001-08:00

This is a little late, but we did manage to get a picture of all of us in front of our class Christmas tree.

Thoughtful note....

2008-12-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

I got this email from a mom, I really appreciated it and her thoughtfulness. Sometimes you never know the outcome of something, so I was thankful for her feedback! :) Thank you!
Hi there!

Thanks for the fun experience at Greenwood Manor. Taylor and I stayed a bit longer since we got there late. We had a great time untieing the blankets for each elderly person there and laying it on their laps. They were excited to see them unwrapped.... and made comments such as, "Blue is my favorite color," or "Isn't that nice!" etc. Taylor liked seeing who had his blanket too; we talked about her grandbabies and if any of them liked trucks. It was a lot of fun. We sang Amazing Grace and during our song, Jacob and his dad came too. So, they helped untie two other blankets and place them on the elderly people's laps. It was a sweet experience for us and I'm glad my son had that opportunity! Thanks for being so thoughtful and for making that a life experience for him!

p.s. I love that Taylor can tie blankets now! I had two blankets to tie for humanitarian purposes and kept putting them off... then Taylor told me that he knows how to do it and sure enough he had both of them tied shortly (which I had been putting off for weeks). Thanks for teaching him a new skill! I love it!

Operation Blankets :)

2008-12-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

We delivered the blankets on Saturday and had a wonderful time. The boys and girls sang a few Christmas songs and enjoyed passing out the blankets and cards they worked so hard on. BIG thank you to all who came out in the blizzard!

Blankets

2008-12-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

Twas the night of Thanksgiving, I just coundn't sleep,
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned - The dark meat and the white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infactuation.

So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling, so plump and so round,
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.

But, I managed to yell as I soared passed the trees....
Happy eating to all - pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump,

May your yams be delicious may your pies take the prize.
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING BE BLESSED!!
HAPPY THNKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

Service Project

2008-11-21T15:04:00.000-08:00

Hello! I just wanted to give an update on the service project that is in the making. We will be making small fleece blankets ( 1 yard) for Green Wood Manor, a local care center. We plan on having all the blankets finished to be delivered to the center on Saturday the 13th at 1:00. Everyone will be invited to give our gifts of love to these sweet elderly people. If you are interested in donating a yard of fleece, we will gladly accept. :) I found it on sale at Wal-Mart for $4.00/yd. It does not have to be anything fancy. Let me know if you have any question.

Thankful Wreaths

2008-11-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

We are feeling thankful at this time of year. We all have so much to be thankful for! The kids did a great job writing down the different things they were thankful for on leaves, then putting them together to create these cute "Thankful Wreaths." I am thankful that I have such a wonderful class. I am thankful for each of the students and for the energy and life they bring to our classroom. :)

Turkey Trot....

2008-11-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

Last year my cute little Hannah W. was the proud winner of a 20 pound turkey. How you might wonder? She was the first second grade girl to race across the finish line. The annual Turkey Trot is next Tuesday, the 25th. (If weather permits.) I hope to be the proud teacher of yet another turkey winner! Athletic shoes would be the most appropriate. Good Luck!!

Hansel and Gretel

2008-11-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

Today we hopped on the bus and headed for Orem Jr. High where we watched their production of Hansel and Gretel. They did a fantastic job! The kids really enjoyed watching the play. I hope that some of the kids were inspired to be involved in plays and productions as they get older. Field trips are a lot of fun! Big "thank yous" to Meledy, Dawn, Rochelle, and Christy. You were a GREAT help!

Halloween FUN!!

2008-11-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun on the spookiest day of the year! We had all sorts of costumes. I had asked the kids what I should dress up as. Each gave a suggestion, and drew me dressed in their idea. Jacob Shepherd suggested a graham cracker... I am sure you can make the connection. :) We had a great party. Decorated cookies, heard spooky stories, played "binghost" and made a fun craft. THANK YOU for all your help. School is so much better when parents are involved. :)

Red Ribbon Week

2008-10-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

Red Ribbon week is when students pledge and commit to live a drug free life. We signed big red flags, tied our red ribbons on the fence, and wore red wrist bands to remind us. :) There were also some fun days, like pajama day, and crazy hair day. The kids looked so cute, and so much younger in their little pjs!! :)

Fall is here....

2008-10-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

I love the Fall, it may have something to do with the fact that I didn't experience a real fall until I was 18 and moved away to college. El Paso is known for many things, salsa, Marty Williams, but unfortunately not for it's beautiful falls!! :) One thing I love about fall are all the fun art projects... here are the kids working on our first little project.

2008-10-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

Super SEPs

2008-10-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

Can you believe we have made it to week 9!? The school year is flying by. I am really enjoying the year, and am looking forward to a lot of fun activities ahead. This week, with SEPs it has been fun getting to know the parents better. The students are so fun and cute, it is neat to meet the parents; in a way it helps me understand the students better. :) It always fascinates me to see the way the student I know and spend 7 hours a day with acts when the parent is in the room! All of a sudden that boy is shy? News to me. :) I see the opposite as well, those who are angels in the classroom and obviously feel a bit more comfortable with the parents. :) I love getting to see my students in different situations. This week has been a long one with 12 hour days, but a fun one. I really look forward to SEPs and look forward to them again in the Spring.

Fall is here....

2008-09-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

WOW- I cannot believe that fall is here. We are into week 6 of school. I am really enjoying getting to know the kids better. I think we have got the routines down (YAY).... and can start getting into some more fun activities. I wanted to say thank you to you who have helped stay on top of homework. It can be a daunting task, but I know your support really helps your child. THANK YOU! I also wanted to give a heads up.. SEPs will be on October 8th and 9th from 4:00-7:30. Please be as flexible as you possibly can on times. Meeting with the parents of 27 students in 8 hours, can be a tricky. Thanks for your cooperation. Hope you have a super day!!

The First Day of School

2008-08-19T15:09:00.001-07:00

The first day of school has already come and gone... I cannot believe it! We had a great day, I hope your child is feeling comfortable and happy in our classroom. We played some fun get to know you games, but that is something I love about kids, they are so quick to accept others and make new friends. We also reviewed our class rules and procedures.
I sent home a Weekly Newsletter today, the 19th. You do not have to sign the newsletter this week. I just wanted to explain how it all works. :) Hopefully this will be a way that you will always be aware of your child's behavior and I will be aware of your child's reading at home. Thanks so much for everything!! - Kristen Graham

2008-08-08T14:07:00.001-07:00

2008-08-04T14:22:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our classroom blog spot. I thought that with the rising popularity of blogging... we could not be left behind. I hope that this will be a fun and convenient way to keep connected throughout the school year. Please feel free to contact me in a way that is easiest for you. I am so excited for this upcoming school year and know that we are all in for a learning experience.