Before we fly away this Christmas Eve day I wanted include a link to the Adapted mind website a (hopefully) great new website we are trying for math https://www.adaptedmind.com/login.php https://www.adaptedmind.com/login.php. Letters have been sent home about this. Please encourage your child to use it and remember 20 minutes of reading everyday even over Christmas break.
The kids were given a reading challenge to complete over break. If they complete it and bring it back it is worth a WHOLE DOT SHEET! (Your kids know what this means).
Merry Christmas to ya all!

Hey parents, I have a strange request. We are going to be doing a special craft this week but I have been unable to find one component for the craft. If you have or can find and would like to donate to our class small foam packing/bean bag filler beads we would love it. If you can find a donate this item we need it by Wednesday or Thursday. Thanks for checking!
Mrs. Saxton

We have fieldwork on Monday, December 15th to the Natural History Museum of Utah. This field work is intended to build background knowledge for the upcoming expedition. The horse exhibit we will be visiting will end before the expedition begins so we had to go now. But since this current expedition is on communities visiting a community museum and exhibit about how horses have impacted our lives and communities still fits. :)
**Please remember to send your child with their booster seat.

Lasts Monday's fieldwork was a great success and our kids were able to experience a great culturally enriching performance that helped them meet many core standards while having a great time doing it. They loved Christmas Village, they were a good audience, and over all they were pretty well behaved. Thank you so much to the parents that drove and helped!

Dear parents,
Here is a link and instructions for accessing your child's progress report. Please keep in mind that progress reports will be updated regularly and you can access them anytime to check on your students work. A final progress report for the semester will be sent home in January but for now please email me a confirmation of receipt so I do not have to sacrifice a tree and send a paper copy of the mid semester check in. :) Thanks!

A few things to remember when viewing your child's progress report:
We grade on a rating scale 1-3 means they are beginning, 4-6 means they are developing, 7-9 means advanced and 10 is accomplished. With the exception of things like spelling and math tests 10 are rarely given. Percentages are not an accurate reflection of our grades and grading process. Neither are letter marks (A, B+, B,... etc). Your child's grade will not transfer well to these interpretations. However the Aspire system likes to attach a percentage, if you notice a percentage please disregard that. 
We are in the first part of the year so expect to see many beginning and developing scores. If a data point is blank or showing 0 that is most likely due to a missed assignment or no name. Hopefully when students see that they can not receive credit for assignments they do not write their name on or turn in they will become better about that as well. 
Finally, please keep in mind that we are striving for a growth mindset not an end all mark that suggests set intellectual levels. Thanks for all you do.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Saxton
Link or copy and paste instructions for how to access here:
https://mail.promontoryschool.org/owa/WebReadyView.aspx?t=att&id=RgAAAAD7rSpS5efZRo3J1xzJ27U%2fBwBZzoAnixTMQbocje2u2uFVAAAAS540AABZzoAnixTMQbocje2u2uFVAAAAakrrAAAJ&attid0=BAAAAAAA&attcnt=1&pspid=_1416271471323_68280587 

This is your friendly reminder about fieldwork tomorrow. Please be sure your child has their booster seat, coat, hat, and gloves. Stretchy gloves are preferred since they will be doing some sketching and writing outside.
Drivers please arrive 15 minutes early to get checked in, instructions and your passanger list. Thanks so much!

Dear Parents,
Just a reminder that we have fieldwork coming up on Tuesday, November 18th. We still are missing quite a few permission slips. If you would like your student to attend please remember to sign and return that. If you need a new copy please let me know and I can send one home with your child.

All that have volunteered to drive we do need and please send a quick email to confirm that you are still planning to drive. Please plan to arrive about 11:30 to get checked in at the office and get your passenger list and instruction. And THANK YOU!

Also yesterday your child should have brought home an invitation for a community member to come and speak with our class. As part of becoming a leader of their own learning I wanted the kids to have the opportunity to do the inviting. Many of our students were really excited to invite their own parents or grandparents and they ALL are very proud of what you do for our communities.
Some decided on other people to write an invitation to and I would encourage you to take the opportunity to help them track down and invite whomever that may be if it is possible, but this is not required or expected. You may do what you are comfortable with.
If you have been invited I hope you will consider coming as it is an excellent way for our kids to learn more about the huge variety of occupations and valuable contributions people make to our communities. Having family come also helps the kids to personally connect themselves and their families to the bigger communities we live in.
While I know this message is getting lengthy I would really like you to come if you can. Please contact me via email or by phone through the schools ph# after school hours @ 435-919-1900.

And finally I am excited to announce that thanks to a parent helper we finally have a functional class blog up and running!
http://saxton1-2.blogspot.com/ is the web address/link.
 I plan to post regularly what is going on in our class so please use that as a resource.
Thanks so much for all your support and we look forward to visits from our parent and other experts, those who have come so far have been amazing and the kids have loved it. (For example Mrs. Bradford is a regularly spoken of hero.)
Thanks again,
Sincerely,
Mrs. Saxton

The following are excellent sites to assist in student learning.

http://www.raz-kids.com
http://www.spellingcity.com
http://www.starfall.com
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/math.html#numbersensegames
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr