And in case you missed the Ellis Bobcat Blast...

Parents,
At the beginning of November, we began participating in the Pizza Hut Read-a-Thon program. Each child agreed to a goal of 3 books for the month and some children even set higher goals for themselves. As we end the month on Wednesday, please gently remind your child of his or her goal so that they can receive their coupon for a free personal pan pizza.

The PTA also began a Read-a-Thon in November and students were given pledge sheets to encourage family members and friends to donate money to the students when they met their goals. If your child participated, money is due November 30. Students that raised $100 will receive a $10 gift certificate for the Book Fair.

And speaking of the Book Fair...the fun takes place the week of December 5.

On November 28, your child will come home with a Letter of Intent regarding the 2017-2018 school year. As we begin planning for next school year, we need to know if your family will be with us. Please return these forms by Monday, December 5.

Donations to the Emmaus House continue. Please send in paper products that we can give to this wonderful organization.

We have the wonderful opportunity to mentor with Ms. Natalie's 1st grade students every Monday afternoon. Last week, we worked with our special friends to create friendship bracelets related to Thanksgiving. We are planning on working on Christmas/Holiday crafts with our little buddies the last two Mondays of December. If you have any concerns about this, please let me know and we will make other arrangements for your child. And, if you have any ideas about simple projects we could do, please let us know :)  Our 6th graders are great examples of grace and courtesy when working with our younger friends.

Lastly, The Montessori Education Society of Savannah known as MESS would like to invite all of the Ellis family to a holiday celebration and fundraiser on Friday, December 2nd at Bland Tredway’s house on Victory Drive featuring food, drink, and a raffle. The party is free and open to everyone. MESS will have child care available at the school for your children who attend Ellis. Please save the date and more details will follow soon. If you have any questions or would like to help with the fundraiser, please contact us at savannahmess@gmail.com. 

Have a great week!!

I forgot to mention...

• For the next three weeks, each child is assigned a writing assignment about a current event. You can find the directions in Google Classroom. One article will be due each Friday beginning this week, Dec 2.
• We are using www.newsela.com, www.readtheory.org, and www.digitalreadworks.org to help with reading comprehension and vocabulary development. I have assigned articles of interest on the Digital Readworks site to assist us with preparing an argument (our ELA focus this week). All three sites give great information about student progress and help inform lesson needs.
• Tutorial for ELA is on Thursdays from 3 - 4 pm. Your child should have a permission slip to attend.

Week of November 28 - December 2, 2016

Hello Families,

I hope you all had a restful and relaxing break, spending time with family and friends. I was fortunate to have two Thanksgivings; one in Tallahassee, FL, and one here in Savannah. I graduated from Florida State University in 1991 (Wow! That makes me sound O - L - D!), so it was so great to visit the campus and see the town again. It really is a beautiful place to visit. On that note, I want you all to know how greatly thankful I am for each of your children. They are funny, inspiring, witty, and encourage me to do my best each and every day.

Here is what's happening in English/Language Arts and Social Studies this week:
Monday, 11/28:
ELA: Identifying Parts of an Argument; Practicing Accountable Talk
SS: Compare and Contrast Economies (Command, Market, and Traditional)
Homework: Complete Google Classroom assignment: Identifying Parts of an Argument

Tuesday, 11/29:
ELA: Continue to work on Identifying Parts of an Argument
SS: Compare and Contrast Embargoes, Quotas, and Tariffs
Homework: Review Economic Vocabulary Terms (QUIZ: THURSDAY)

Wednesday, 11/30:
ELA: Developing and Supporting a Position
SS: Complete visual aids for Compare and Contrast assignments
Homework: Vocabulary Worksheet (Unit 2); study for Economic Vocabulary Quiz

Thursday, 12/1: (Can you believe it is already December?!?!?)
ELA: Developing and Supporting a Position
SS: Economics Vocabulary Quiz
Homework: None

Friday, 12/2:
ELA: Identify and Label Parts of an Argument (Assessment)
SS: Interactive Lessons on Economy
Homework: Any incomplete assignments

Wishing you all a wonderful week,
Ms. Susan

Evacuation Drill Tuesday

Good morning ~

Just wanted to pass along information about an evacuation drill that we are having tomorrow morning. Our plan is to leave Ellis and walk to the Presbyterian church on Washington Avenue. Please be mindful of the temperatures in the morning and have your child dressed appropriately. Also, if your child has asthma or other medical concerns that will be impacted by the walk, please let Nurse Chris know so that we be prepared to assist your child in the most helpful manner.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me. 

November 14 - 22, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!

I apologize for not updating the blog last week - my husband and I recently moved and things got a little wonky but all is well.

Last week, we worked on:
ELA: Practicing text structure, taking our second Spelling test, and writing a persuasive essay about whether or not turkey should be Thanksgiving's main dish.
SS: Studying economic vocabulary, comparing different economic systems (traditional, command, and market), and learning more about the economy in the United States.

This week:
ELA: Review Points of View by engaging in a debate related to our Thanksgiving essay.
SS: Continue working on our understanding of economics by comparing and contrasting the three primary economic systems.

Also - PowerSchool is fully updated and students will be receiving a Missing Work report that will help them take care of any missing assignments. It is definitely better to have work turned in late than not at all, so if your child's grades are not where they need to be, please encourage them to get all assignments turned in as soon as possible.

As always, please feel free to email me if you have any questions or concerns.

Wishing you and your families a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving,
Ms. Susan

Quick Note About Tutorial...

Happy Monday, Families :)

Just a quick note about tutorial sessions starting in 6th grade this week. Some students were given letters last week inviting them to attend math tutorial with Mr. Trent or reading/writing tutorial with me. Please ask your child if they received a letter and let us know if you have any questions.

Details:
Math tutorial - Wednesdays
3 - 4 PM

Reading/Writing tutorial - Thursdays
3 - 4 PM

If this applies to you, we ask that you be vigilant about picking up your children promptly at 4:00. If you feel your child would benefit from extra practice but did not receive a letter, please send an email to Mr. Trent or myself.

Thank you. I hope you all had a restful weekend :)

It's A Fashion Show of Cultures ...

A note from Ms. Jazmin...

Hi Friends!

I'm helping the Cultural Committee PTA person, Beverly Williams, with getting the communications together and spreading the word etc. about the different cultural events this school year. 
The first one is in January and is a cultural dress fashion show. If you feel that you could contribute in any way, please do! We have lots of different cultures represented here within our own staff! I'm going to dress Louisa and Belia in traditional Cuban and Puerto Rican costumes for the event. What can you do to show your cultural roots? It's open to children and adults. There are more details in the Sign Up Genius and also a link to ideas for cultural costumes and clothing in case you've never done it before. ANY and ALL cultures are encouraged! 

Thank you and please help spread the word with your students and families!

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4faaaa23a0f58-parade

Parade of Cultural Fashion www.signupgenius.com

Week of November 7 - 11, 2016

What's Happening in ELA and SS This Week?

Monday, 11/7
ELA: Review short story, "The Great Fire", to identify the theme and supporting details.
HOMEWORK:Write an effective paragraph that summarizes the story. Ideas and a rubric are attached in Google Classroom.
SS: Relate to events that took place during WWI and/or WWII. Students may use historical magazines (in the classroom) or www.newsela.com (Class Code: 827EV7) to find an article about one or both of the wars to read and summarize in a well-written paragraph.
HOMEWORK: Complete the paragraph

Tuesday, 11/8
ELA: Introduction to text structure. Students will take notes on text structure types and identify what type(s) were used in "The Great Fire".
HOMEWORK:Study for Unit 1 Vocabulary Test 
SS: Read about how the Communist government of the Soviet Union controlled the lives of its citizens.

Wednesday, 11/9
ELA: Vocabulary TEST - Unit 1 (List is available on Google Classroom). Following the test, students will practice identifying and understanding text structures. Students will review a sample text to practice this skill. 
HOMEWORK: Identify text structure of Article 1
SS: Introduction to different kinds of economies (traditional, command, and market, etc) along with other economic terms.

Thursday, 11/10
ELA: Review capitalization (a weakness identified by recent student work). Students will work in the Language Network texts to practice and review proper capitalization.
SS: Students will continue definitions and create a visual aid that compares the traditional, command, and market economies.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Progress reports will be coming home tomorrow (Tuesday, 11/8).
• We are participating in a reading program sponsored by Pizza Hut called "Book It". Our goal for November is for every child to read at least 3 books. Once they complete the book, they should write a brief summary and turn it in so they can receive their personal pan pizza coupon. *Allowances are made for students who are reading larger books and some students have set a higher personal reading goal :)
• In addition, information will be coming home this week to describe the Read-a-thon. Students will be sponsored according to how much they read. Any student who raises $100 or more will receive a gift certificate to the book fair in December. Funds raised from the Read-a-thon will be used to buy interactive, online science and social studies books for our classrooms.
• Last, but certainly not least, Friday, November 11 is a school holiday in honor of Veteran's Day. We need to appreciate the freedoms we have because of the sacrifices made by our many military families.

Have a great week :) Be sure to check Google Classroom with your child to check on assignments, due dates, and resources.