Ms. Perrigo's Classroom

Dear Parents and Families,

We only have a few short weeks left of school! This year has moved so quickly, but I’m so excited to see how much each and every student has grown this year. I am very proud of them all! Next week, students will be finished with State Testing, and will be completing a District Writing assessment. I am thrilled to see what great writers our 4th graders have become! 

Fourth and fifth grade students will be performing in their music performance on Tuesday May 15^th. The theme is “Tropical Beat.” The show begins at 7pm in the old gym/cafeteria. Students will arrive early and will come to their homeroom classrooms at 6:45. Thanks!

Students in room 12 have worked very hard fundraising and participating in Irving’s Jog-a-thon. The funds we raise help pay for field-trips, supplies, assemblies, and for the 2011-12 school year PTO funds even paid for some teaching time to help support the 3rd grade classes of 34 students. So far our class has brought in $140.00. Our class has set a goal of $250.00. If we reach it we will be having popcicles and and extra P.E. period!  Thank you to all the Irving families for your support!   

On Wednesday May 23^rd students will be going on a field trip to the Aurora Colony in Aurora, Oregon (near Portland). Students will get to live like a “Pioneer” for the day making quilt squares, candles, bread, and learning how to work in the barn. This is an extremely fun field trip that ties right into our Oregon & Moving West units. More details to come! Look for a parent letter/chaperone request letter in the Tuesday Envelope.

The second set of progress reports will be going home May 15th. The first progress reports for 4th quarter went home last week. I apologize for not notifying you. I had technical issues with our Blog. The “Publish” and “Save Draft” buttons are very close together.   

Please Mark your calendars:

Wednesday May 9th : National “Bike to School” day

Friday May 11^th: Please have Jog-a-thon money turned in

Tuesday May 15^th: 4^th/5^th Grade Music Performance at 7pm

Wednesday May 23^rd: Aurora Colony Field Trip

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at school!

Thank you,

Ms. Perrigo

(541) 688-2620 ext. #2414

Good morning!

I hope you all enjoyed your spring break! We had a very busy first week back to school. Shanda rejoined our class  Tuesday. Students and teachers are thrilled to have her back! We also welcomed a new student to our class Wednesday. Allana (pronounced All-ee-on-a)  comes to us from Gilham and our class has welcomed her with open arms. One of the things I love  about the children in room 12 is how compassionate, open and friendly they are.

I don’t know if your child mentioned it to you, but Aydin in our class had surgery Tuesday and had his adenoid out. I learned something new, I always thought we had a pair of adenoids like we have a pair of tonsils. I learned that actually people have one adenoid and it is a mass of tissue that makes up part of the anatomy of the throat. Aydin is recovering well at home with a freezer full of popsicles. He will hopefully be rejoining us Monday. Nobody else is allowed to get sick, injured or need surgery in the next 43 days of school. No, I am not counting down, Mr. James is the one who told us there are only 43 days of school left. I completed 3rd quarter report cards today and Monday we officially start the 4th quarter. I can’t believe the year has gone so fast! It seems like such a short time ago that we all got together for the back to school barbecue!

We also completed our speeches this week. The kids did a fantastic job giving their speeches about their families and showing off their creative finger puppets they made to represent the members of their family. We are now starting our unit which combines Westward Expansion, the Oregon Trail, and our study our our state history. We will be recreating covered wagons this coming week. With that in mind, I am asking for donations of any and all empty shoe boxes so we can make our wagon frames. When we discussed this in class, a couple of the girls raised their hands and said that their mothers had lots and lots of shoe boxes they could donate. I had to laugh, apparently we have some closet “shoe-a-holics”. My other shoe story for this week is that one of the young ladies in our class commented yesterday on the fact that, “Ms. Perrigo you finally got some new shoes!” (She was the same student who told be before spring break that I needed new tennis shoes.) She said, “I really like them, you don’t have to wear old lady shoes anymore!”  Yeah, well the story doesn’t stop there! I was sharing this ancedote with Mrs. Moss and Mrs. Castillo. They of course cracked up. Laughing Mrs. Moss asked me what kind of shoes I had before that the student was referring too. I explained that they were just sneakers! I said, “There is nothing wrong with them, but they are New Balance because they make a wider width that my orthotics fit in.” At this point my- oh so loyal teaching partners- burst out laughing! Mrs. Moss said, “Your What??!” I finally did concede that maybe my student had a point! We all had a good laugh over it, and I thought you all might enjoy hearing about how your children torment me! 

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!

Warmly,

Ms. Perrigo

Dear Families,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I am sending home progress reports in Tuesday folders today. I am also trying to get the book order sent in this week, but I’ve had several students tell me that they are planning on ordering books. If you want to order and haven’t turned yours’ in yet, please get it in by Thursday.

The traveling  journals the kids did back in November have started to trickle in. This was the project where the kids wrote an essay about a hero. Then they asked other friends or family members to contribute an essay of their own about a hero. Each student was trying to get 4 or 5 entries. If your child hasn’t turned his or her traveling journal in, please get it turned in by the end of the month. 

There are two fundraisers coming up for Shanda this month. This Thursday and next Thursday there is a can and plastic bottle round up happening  that Kendall and Brooklyn, students in our class organized. Please bring your cans and bottles before school and deposit them into the receptacles that will be in the main parking lot. There is also a fundraiser March 20th at Papa’s Pizza on Coburg Rd. There are flyers going home today in Tuesday folders with the information.

The latest update I have about Shanda is that she will be up in Portland until at least the 23rd, although I know her mom is trying to get her sprung on the 20th to come to Papa’s pizza. Shanda is continuing to work on using her right leg and is working on stringing at least three words together when she speaks in sentences. Shanda is not using her right arm yet, but is becoming more skilled with her left. She misses all of her classmates, almost as much as we miss her! Please continue to send her your prayers and positive thoughts.

Thank you,

Ms. Perrigo

Hello all!

I wanted to thank all of the families who have shown so much compassion and caring for Shanda and her family. Tamera and Jeremiah, Shanda’s parents also asked me to convey their heart felt thanks. I was able to go and see Shanda yesterday afternoon. She was just coming out of recovery from a pretty invasive test, but through it the doctors were able to determine the cause of Shanda’s stroke. There is a major artery at the back of the neck that leads to the brain. That artery sustained a tear or rupture that caused Shanda’s stroke. Shanda was happy to see me yesterday and excited about all the cards and things from her classmates. Shanda was able to speak with me, although her speech isn’t always 100 % clear. One thing Shanda was very clear about is that she was really looking forward to the french fries she was told she could have for dinner! They are moving to Emanuel hospital today where they will start working really had on rehabilitation and physical therapy. Shanda’s friends have put together a fundraiser March 20th at Pappa’s Pizza . There will be more information coming.

Best wishes,

Ms. Perrigo

Good afternoon,

We received a call from Shanda Fontaine’s mother Tamera.  Shanda had an “adult-sized stroke” about 7:00 pm on Friday night.  It has affected the right side of her body as well as her speech.  She was taken to Riverbend and then transported by ambulance to Doernbecher’s in Portland.  She is currently in ICU and is expected to be at Doernbecher’s for about a week before being transferred to a rehabilitation center at Emmanuel Hospital in Portland. Please reassure your children that this is not contagious and rare in children. The kids made cards for Shanda today, and we are putting together a basket of “goodies” for her. We will also be making a video for Shanda to help lift her spirts and let her know that we are all thinking about her. I will be leaving at lunch time on Thursday to go and visit Shanda in the hospital. If you would like to contribute anything to Shanda’s goody basket please bring it in by Wednesday afternoon. They are working on strengthening her left hand as she is unable to move her right arm and leg. So play-dough or coloring books might be good items. Also, her family is doing a lot of traveling back and forth; (Shanda has a 5th grade brother and a middle school aged sister). So gas cards or things like that would be helpful too. Please call or e-mail if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Christy Perrigo

Hello,

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend! I am sorry Tuesday folders went home a day late (today). I wanted to make sure an include the first progress reports for this quarter. Please remember that your child’s grades can be changed if they correct and return assignments or turn in missing assignments. The progress reports are a way for me to be able to communicate with families about their child’s work. If you have any questions,  just send me an e-mail or give me a call.

I also wanted to remind families that all students have spelling homework each week no matter who their reading/spelling teacher is. The pre-test should come home Mondays (or whatever the first day of the week is) and students need to pick three activities off the back side of the page to complete and turn in by Thursday.

This week we are wrapping up our unit on Lewis and Clark and starting a science unit called “Veggie U”. This is the 2nd year of a 3 year grant that the 4th grade received. The unit focuses on teaching about healthy food choices, agriculture, and our ecosystem. The kids will get to taste different vegetables, grow their own vegetables, and learn how to compost with worms. It was a great learning experience last year and a lot of fun.    

Warmly,

Ms. Perrigo                                                                                                                               (541) 688-2620 ext. #2414                                                           cperrigo@bethel.k12.or.us

Good morning!

We are very busy in room 12 this month! In social studies we have been studying about the Lewis & Clark expedition. We completed a web-quest, and this week we will be working in groups to make a board game based on the expedition.  

In language arts we are learning about sentence variety and elaboration to make or writing more interesting. We will be starting a project making finger puppets and writing paragraphs about our families.

This Friday is our School Dance Party titled Pirate Rendezvous! There will be music, food, and lots of fun activities. I hope to see you there!

Also quickly approaching is Valentine’s Day. We celebrate with a class party and we share Valentine Cards. Please bring a Valentine Card for everyone in the class! Watch for a class list in the Tuesday folder this week so you can make sure to include everyone. We will also be having a “Valentine’s Box” contest. Everyone will be a winner! Boxes must be completed at home, must include the student’s name that is easy to read, and an opening that Valentine Cards will fit into. One hint: kids will need a way to get the Valentine’s OUT of the box too! Be creative and have fun. Boxes may come to school on Monday, February 13 and Tuesday, Valentine’s Day.

Thank you,

Christy Perrigo

Good afternoon,

We have a lot happening this week and I just wanted to make sure everyone has all the information. Today and for the next six weeks, we will have a guest teacher in P.E..  Denise Morrow is a certified fitness instructor and is volunteering through the Healthy Moves organization to come in and work with the kids on fitness. Please remind your child to wear or bring appropriate shoes for our P.E. days Monday and Thursday. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because they are trying to exercise in high-heels or slick soled shoes.

Next, we are having our electronics/pj party this Wednesday the 25th. If students want to bring a handheld electronic device they can put it in my office which I will keep locked throughout the day. There will be a movie playing, and we have the net-book computers that are available for students to use if you prefer for your child not to bring items from home.

Wednesday is also the last day to turn in any correct and returns,  or missing work for report cards which I will be filling out Friday.  

We have a practicum student, Kelsey Atkins from NCU that will be working in our classroom Monday and Wednesday mornings. She will teaching a few lessons to the students in the next few weeks.

As always if you have any questions, please e-mail or call.

Warmly,

Ms. Perrigo

Hello,

I just wanted to let you all know that I sent home progress reports today. Report cards come out in 2 weeks, so it is really important that students turn in their missing assignments and correct and returns as soon as possible. I have been holding students in at morning recess if they owe work, reminding students every day what they need to do for homework, and I have lists posted in the classroom on my “Where Is It?” board of any assignments students are missing. The kids know where the extra copy trays are if they have lost an assignment. I am doing my best to have clear communication and expectations with the kids. The responsibility also needs to be on your child. If you have any questions, please e-mail me, or call me before 8:00 am or after 2:30 pm. cperrigo@bethel.k12.or.us      541-688-2620 ext. 2414

Warmly,

Ms. Perrigo

Hello,

I just wanted to send a quick update. I sent home progress reports today, so if your child doesn’t show them to you, you can ask for them. Any missing assignments or correct and returns are highlighted and can be completed to improve his/her grades.

Also, Sallie Foster and cookie dough came in and will be going home sometime this week.

Thank you,

Christy Perrigo