Titus' Travelers

The Travelers are on the move!

  
  
 
 

 

newsletter 12.5

With only 3 weeks left in the grading period, we are going to be very busy in the coming weeks!  In math, we are finished combining our shapes, and we are busy counting, writing and matching numbers to sets 11 – 20.  We are still working at making change with pennies and nickels to ten cents.  We are almost finished with our Day and Night unit in science and will wrap up the semester we will be learning about gravity.  The last week we will be learning about our five senses.  

Reminders: 12:16: Decorations for Gingerbread houses Book order due 12.21: Holiday Party 12.23- 1.9.12: STUDENT HOLIDAY 1.9.12: Students return

I know there are lots of questions about the holiday party.  It’s true we are going to be decorating gingerbread houses on the 21^st.  I have received most of the slips letting me know if your child will have a representative here to help decorate.  The holiday party starts about 11:30 and will be finished by 1:00.  If you are coming to participate, parking will be available at Publix. If you have not returned the participation slip, please do so this week.

I am very impressed with the recent demand for me to test children on their sight words.  Many children have gotten several new colors recently and I also have a few children that are earning points for the accelerated reader program in the library.  The more points they earn, the sooner they get to go to the special library treasure box!  Keep practicing!

 

Have a great week!

Newsletter

Can you feel the excitement in the air?  I am not sure if it is because the end of the semester is near or if it’s due to the upcoming holiday break.  I have noticed that there has been drastic improvement in our handwriting.  I bet is has something to do with us getting ready to write a letter to Santa. 

Reminders: 11.16 Thanksgiving Lunch @ 11:25 11.21-25 NO SCHOOL 12.20 Mrs. Titus’ Birthday 12.23- 1.9 STUDENT HOLIDAY 1.9.12 Students return

Did you know we are having a holiday party? It’s true we are going to be decorating gingerbread houses.  I will be sending home donation slips for decorations soon.  Speaking of parties, there have been a few issues with birthday invitations.  Please read the requirement from the county office.

In an effort to protect the sensitivity of all children, students are not allowed to distribute party invitations to classmates while at school, unless the entire class is invited.  Birthday parties cannot be held at school.  If you would like to send in an individually wrapped snack or treat to the students in your child's class, please clear this with the classroom teacher.  Please do not send in whole cakes as they are difficult for students and teachers to manage.  Cupcakes are more easily served during snack time or lunch time. Please refrain from sending plates, cups, napkins, etc.  Personal gift items (flowers, balloons, telegrams, etc.) cannot be delivered to students in class.

With only 3 weeks left in the grading period, we are going to be very busy in the coming weeks!  We have a lot of assessments to do and we will be busy learning about gravity.  Please continue to practice those sight words nightly. I will test on Tuesday and Friday this week.

 

Have a fantastic holiday break.  Travel safe!  See you in 2 weeks!

Newsletter 11.7

It is that time of year.  We have had several students that have come to school with flu like symptoms.  There have been lots of deep nasty sounding coughs accompanied with lots of nasal drainage.  Please DO NOT send your children to school if they have had a fever within the last 24 hours. 

Reminders: 11.8: NO SCHOOL & Mrs. Hart’s Birthday 11.16 Picture Retakes & Thanksgiving lunches 11.21-25 NO SCHOOL

The month is already half way gone and we are already half way through the second nine weeks! Progress reports will only be coming home next week only for those students that are experiencing difficulties.

We are starting the week learning about our Veterans and why they are important.  Next we will be gearing up for Thanksgiving.  We will be talking about pilgrims, Indians, feasts, and the first Thanksgiving.  After Thanksgiving we will spend a week and learn about our five senses - where every day we will learn about a different sense. 

In Math, we are discovering patterns in our world as well as two and three dimensional shapes.  We are also learning how to combine shapes together to make a picture.  We have been practicing our new dime rhyme and are beginning to figure out the ways we can make change using nickels and pennies.

Before you know it, the end of the grading period will be here and so will the holidays.    Have a great week!

newsletter 10.10

It seems like school just started and this Friday, we are already finished with the first nine weeks!  That means conferences are coming!  I am sending notices home today.   Please return the bottom portion of the conference form to confirm your scheduled time.

Reminders: 10.12: Picture Day 10.14: End of the 1st nine weeks 10.19: Fall festival donations due 10.24-28: Dismissal @ 12:30 due to parent conferences 10.29: Fall Festival

Bring your smiles!  Pictures are being taken Wednesday morning.  These are individual pictures and are prepaid.  Our class picture will be taken in the spring. 

There is a competition brewing among students to see who can get the next color for sight words.  I can tell they have been practicing.  Every Thursday your children are able to get a new book from the library.

 I encourage you to read it with your child and have them pick out the sight words or better yet, let them read it to you!  You will be amazed at how fast they pick up new words. 

In support of our school lunch program, we ask that you do not bring in food from restaurants.  Also, carbonated drinks are not allowed in our school dining room.   I love to see the reactions when your child notices that you are waiting to join us for lunch.  Thanks to those of you that have been able to join us.  I know you have busy schedules and will come when you are able. 

 

Next week we will be starting our Christopher Columbus unit in Social Studies and learning a new rhyme for the dime.  Dime, Dime, little and thin, I remember you’re worth ten.  We will also be working on trading coins (nickels and pennies) to equal the value of the dime. 

 

Halloween falls on a Monday this year and Cobb County policy states that your children are not allowed to wear their costumes to school.

Book Orders will be due on the 31^st.  We are having a book fair in the media center during conference week.  If you don’t find what you’re looking for during the fair, you can order it.

«««««««««« The Essence of Determination "Determination is born out of purpose...knowing that you are gifted for something and this something must be attained. It is never enough to rely on luck or natural talent. You must, above all, believe in yourself, face your goals, and then fight as if your life depended on it."   ««««««««««

Have a fantastic week!

newsletter 9.26

We are going to the fair on Wednesday.  Please dress your children appropriately. 

We are rapidly approaching the end of the first nine weeks.  Does your child know the first ten words on the word ring? Every Friday I check to see how many words your children know. Please continue to practice those nightly.  Several children have moved to the next level already! Keep up the good work!

Reminders: 9.28 Fair Field Trip 10.12: Picture Day 10.14: End of the 1st nine weeks 10.24-28: Dismissal @ 12:30 due to Conference Week 10.29: Fall Festival

Conferences are coming!  I will be contacting you about scheduling your child’s conference soon.  Conference week is the last week of October. 

We are starting our Labor Day unit.  By the end of the nine weeks, your child should be able to define the following words: allegiance (loyalty), pledge (promise), liberty (freedom), and indivisible (can’t be broken apart).  They should also be able to tell you why they had a day out of school.  Ask them what the stripes and the stars mean on the United States flag and what the Georgia flag and the United States flag have in common.

Our treasure box has gotten lots of use lately – and that’s a really good thing!  I am very proud to report that last week all of the kids went home on green.  With that being said, we are in need of donations for the treasure box.  Donations graciously accepted.

Have a fantastic week!

Newsletter 9.12

It’s already the middle of the first nine weeks.  Can you believe four and a half weeks have already gone by?  Progress reports will be coming home this week.  Individual parent teacher conferences will take place the week of October 24^th.  More information will be coming home in the next couple of weeks.

In the last two weeks we discovered important facts about the nickel.  We even learned a new rhyme that will help us remember (Nickel, Nickel, thick and fat, you’re worth five cents, I know that!). We also learned that the President on the nickel was Thomas Jefferson and the building on the back is the Monticello building.  We are still working to make fair trades.  This has not been an easy concept for some students to learn.

We are working on Animals in Science, matching moms to babies and identifying similarities and differences.  We will soon be visiting the animals at the North Georgia State Fair.  Permission slips are needed for your child to attend.  I hope your children are working on their sight words.  Most students went home last week with a yellow word ring.  These are the first ten words they are required to know by the end of the nine weeks.  It helps if these words are practiced nightly.  The faster they learn these words, the quicker they will learn to read.  I will be testing for new sight words on Fridays starting this week.  Have a fantastic week! Quote of the Week:   Essence of Vision Advance confidently in the direction of your dreams and endeavor to live the life you have imagined. The future is not just some place you are going to, but is a place you are creating, and the paths to it are not found, they are made. Follow your passion as long as you live, and on this you will reach success.  Reminders: 9/15: Parent Orientation 9/23: Field Trip Permission Slips Due

Newsletter 8.29

Travelers' Advisory            8.29

What a fabulous and busy first two weeks!  We quickly discovered that most of us already knew someone in class and we have been very busy making lots of new friends.

Your children are getting comfortable with the routines, rules and their friends.  It usually takes about 3 full weeks of school for children to understand both the rules and routines.  Please remember to initial the behavior sheet each day.

Last week we discovered important facts about the penny.  We even learned a new rhyme that will help us remember (Penny, penny, easily spent, copper brown, worth one cent). We also learned that the President on the penny was Abraham Lincoln and the building on the back is the Lincoln Memorial.  We will soon be working on information for the nickel and the dime as well as discussing fair trades.  Fair trades happen when we can exchange 5 pennies for 1 nickel or 2 nickels for 1 dime.

To help strengthen your child’s fine motor skills, I will be sending a homework packet (alphabet practice sheet and number matching) on Monday.  These sheets will be due on Friday and should not take more than 5-10 minutes to complete. 

Now sit back, relax, they are along for the ride.   Your children already are showing Kindergarten pride. 

We’ve been talking about the theme for this year.  Ask your child about being a bucket filler.

Quote of the week:

The Sky's the Limit

"Everyone has potential…It is an infinite resource that cannot be exhausted, but can be lost in the clouds of fear and complacency. It may take courage to embrace the possibilities of your own potential, but once you've flown past the summit of your fears, nothing will seem impossible." Michael McKee

Have a fantastic week!

 

Schedule

Mrs. Titus’ Class Schedule

           

·    7:15-7:50  Arrival/Morning Work/Bathroom

·    7:50-8:00   Announcements, Attendance

·    8:00-8:30  Calendar/Words Their Way

·    8:30-8:50  Writers Workshop /Bathroom

·    8:50-9:45  Shared Reading Lessons

   9:15 - 9:30   Snack and bathroom break 

·    9:45-10:40  Guided Reading/Literacy Centers

·    10:41-11:11  Lunch

·    11:15-11: 25  Bathroom

·    11:30-11:50 Outside Recess

·    11:50-12:40 Math /Math Centers

·    12:40-1:00  Science/Health/Social Studies Focus

·    1:00-1:20   Pack up/Rest

·    1:20-2:00   Specials Rotation

·    2:00-2:30   Dismissal

 

Being a bucket filler, not a bucket dipper!

Meet the Teacher

Welcome to the Traveler’s blog!

  I am thrilled that you and your child have joined me at Bells Ferry Elementary for another year full of adventures in learning. 

Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, after 22 years, I decided it was time for an adventure.  My solo, three week, cross country road trip, brought me to Atlanta.  After working in various positions in Corporate America, I decided it was time to return to school. 

In 2006, I graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education.  This school year I have started my 6th year here at Bells Ferry.  First stop: 4^th grade.  Next stop (for 2 years): Early Intervention Program (EIP) reading and math specialist in 1^st through 4^th grades, and finally, the wildest journey yet for the third year - Kindergarten!!

Our class has already started traveling through the alphabet, down numbers lane, and skipping through the holidays. 

I have been married for 11 years and have 4 children.  Our two very active boys, Colin and Patrick, always keep us running from practice to practice.  Let’s not forget our other 2 kids, the furry boxer dogs, Sierra and Kodiak.  With 4 high energy kids, we are always on the move.

Although my journeys have taken me through 32 of the 50 United States, I have also been to Mexico, Bahamas, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and Japan.  Marietta has been my home for the past eighteen years. 

Bells Ferry's Vision, Mission and Beliefs    Our Vision  Bells Ferry Elementary is a school where students, staff and parents are given the instruction, support and guidance to develop individually, emotionally, physically, and socially to their fullest potential.    Our Mission  The mission of Bells Ferry Elementary School is to establish and maintain a positive and safe learning environment that promotes maximum educational, social, physical and emotional growth for every student.  Our Students’ Mission Boys and girls must be safe, all day, every day. Boys and girls must be learning, all day, every day.  Our Beliefs WE BELIEVE that home and school should work together to provide experiences leading to the development of academic skills, aesthetics, good citizenship, self discipline, responsibility and moral values. WE BELIEVE that our school should provide a positive, safe atmosphere which encourages eagerness for learning. WE BELIEVE that our educational program for Bells Ferry students should be carefully planned and individualized to the rate of growth and development of the individual while targeting established standards. WE BELIEVE that students at Bells Ferry should be taught basic and extended communication and mathematical skills to provide a basis for continued academic development and personal growth. WE BELIEVE that all children can learn and that Bells Ferry should teach and assess measurable skills as the foundation of its basic instructional program. WE BELIEVE that the Bells Ferry community (our staff, parents and students) should foster the social development of our students based on recognized values that promote good citizenship. WE BELIEVE that Bells Ferry staff members should be professionally diligent, caring, understanding and supportive in our school setting.  Each classroom should be welcoming, warm and challenging and provide opportunities for success.