Mr. Light’s Blog

June 18, 2009

Dear Sixth Grade and Parents,

Welcome! I’m looking forward to working with each of you next year. There are a few things I want to share with you as we prepare for the end of this school year.

READ! This is the one most important thing I want each of you to do this summer! Find a book that you enjoy and read it. Write on my blog to let us know about your book and how you liked it. Then, choose another book and read some more!

Visit my Blog! I will be using my blog to keep in touch with you and your families. Please check it out at http://tlight.edublogs.org Please leave me a message when you visit. Knowing that people are reading and writing keeps me motivated to publish to it. I am also hoping that you will share the books you read this summer. Click on the “comment” button. If you don’t want your comment to be posted, just let me know in the note.

Home Improvement! As you know, I will be trading rooms with Mrs. Koskela so you will all fit in the room. On top of that, some renovations will be happening in the building this summer. I want you to help me make decisions about our space.

I had hoped to invite you all to join me to help plan our space Monday, June 22. I want to get your ideas about where to have our class library, where to have a science space, and perhaps on some brighter colors for some of the book shelves. Unfortunately, the contractors will be starting to take out the radiators that day so we won’t be able to get into the classroom. I am hoping to get some of you in before school starts to help plan and arrange our room. I will contact you when I have a date when we can get into the classroom.

Needs: I would like to build some bookshelves for the classroom similar to the ones in my old classroom. I also want to build some corner shelves for 3-ring binders. To do this, we need:
9-10″ shelving boards.
2″ strapping
4-5 2′ square 3/4″ plywood (for notebook shelves)
Nails
Paint (colors to be determined by our new sixth graders)
Help building shelves and painting

Fundraising We are planning a 3-day trip to Bryant Pond 4-H camp this fall to strengthen our team and deepen our understanding of our reading and writing. We will need to raise some money to help pay for this opportunity. Please help out however you can! I will be contacting some parents who have offered to help with this in the next few weeks.

School Supplies!
It is worthwile to buy sturdy materials. We want them to last all year long. I’ve added links to some Office Max (they are in Auburn) products that look sturdy.

3-ring binder (1 inch) with paper. Look for one that is sturdy! http://www.officemax.com/office-supplies/binders-accessories/daily-use-binders-3/1-non-view-binders/product-ARS25748

Pocket dividers for 3-ring binder (These have pockets to slip in papers that are not hole-punched.) http://www.officemax.com/catalog/sku.jsp?skuId=04013454

Writer’s Journal: Composition notebook (or a journal with lined pages)
 

Math and Wordwork – 2 (70 page) Spiral notebooks

Reading: We will use your reader’s notebooks from last year. If yours is full, you can use a spiral notebook or a composition notebook.

Plenty of Pens and Pencils!! Extra erasers. You can make yours unique with paint or tape!

Optional but helpful:

Markers, Colored Pencils, Scissors, Calculator