A-2 All-Stars

Category: Uncategorized

  • E-2 Update October 14-18, 2024

    Writing

    3rd grade standards: 
    3.W.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. 
    3.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

    This week, students received a copy of the WPA they wrote last week and a couple of mini lessons on revising. Revising lessons will continue though Friday as students revise pieces of their choice, discuss their writing with a partner, and have the opportunity to publish and/or share by reading out loud to the class. 

    Through Unit 1, your children have been practicing the following:
    “Students learn about the use of a writer’s notebook and fill it with several entries and begin to envision what writing will be like this year and what they are capable of in a “can-do way”.
         • Students develop a seed idea and experiment with different ways of telling the same story.
         • Students write with more independence and are encouraged to go through the writing              process multiple times to increase fluency. “

    We begin Unit 2, nonfiction reading and writing, next week.

    Still true: Students may still decorate their notebooks! Please allow them to bring printouts, stickers, or photos to glue onto their notebooks. I will cover the notebooks with clear tape so the pictures stay on. 

    Math

    CCSS Standards:
    3.OA.D Solve problems using the four operations
    3. NBT.A Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic; use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.
    SMP 6: Students will attend to precision when using greater than and less than symbols to record their thinking.

    Finishing Module 3: 
    Topics include: “Place Value up to 10,000 by adding or subtracting 10 or 100 from any three or 4 digit number, using rounding and mental math and main strategies.”

    Students will work on comparing 3 and 4 digit numbers and rounding 3 and 4 digit numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

    Reading

    CCSS Standards
    3.RF.4 4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
    a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
    b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. 
    c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition.

    We are enjoying differentiated reading time, with students either working with the teacher in Istation or reading self chosen books and recording reading in logs.

    Students work with Reading buddies to retell their stories and begin to interview someone about what they are reading.

    Spelling/Vocabulary

    Reading Standards
    3.RF.3b Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words both in isolation and in text. 
    b. Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels. (Identify which letters represent the five major vowels [Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, and Uu] and know the long and short sound of each vowel. 

    Students took the Elementary Spelling Inventory (ESY) as a baseline to gauge the efficacy of spelling instruction and identify areas of focus for individuals and small groups. We are finishing the Short Oo series this week. 

    Social Emotional Learning
    Focus on: What is Bullying?, how to be an Upstander, how be a “free fish”.

    Student leaders in our class have created a Feelings Club for students to privately share and get support for interpersonal issues from a peer; another student leader has prepared a support they will share with the class on Thursday. 

    Specials

    • Earthquake and Fire Drill Combo!
      • Thursday 10/17 at 10:17 AM.
      • Our class is great at this. It will be a piece of cake!
    • Art Vistas!
      • Rescheduled for this Friday afternoon, our class will experience their favorite on site special: Art Vistas! Your children love this, and they love having their families in the classroom. I am so grateful for the class parents who are willing and able to do this for our class this year. Watch for photos of the action!

    Fall Festival:
    We hope to see you at Reed’s Fall Festival on Saturday, October 19th from 1-5 PM! Find more information in the flyer below. 

    Thank you for your attention. As always, please reach out with any suggestions, oversights on my part, or questions at sseyan@sjusd.org, right here at ParentSquare, call (408) 535-6287 x. 37143–or just stop by after school! 

    Warmly,
    Ms. Seyan :o)

  • Fall Festival October 19th

  • October 7-11, 2024: This Week’s Plans and Classroom News

    Writing

    CCSS Anchor Standards: 

    1. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
    2. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

    This week, we will take the Narrative Writing Progress Assessment (WPA) on Thursday morning. This will give students an opportunity to show what they have learned and been practicing in Writing Workshop: Writing about personal small moments, including dialogue and description in their writing, writing on the same topic over several sessions, and editing and revising our work. To prepare, students will have mini lessons in paragraphing and using a writing checklist, in addition to having time to revisit and rework writing from our notebooks and folders.

    By the way: Students may still decorate their notebooks! Please allow them to bring printouts, stickers, or photos to glue onto their notebooks. I will cover the notebooks with clear tape so the pictures stay on. 

    Math

    CCSS Standards:

    3.OA.1  Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 × 7.

    3. NBT.1 Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic; use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

    Module 3:
    -Strategies for multiplication facts when one of the factors is 2 or 4, practice with multiplying 5s, 10s, 2s, and 4s in a variety of ways. 
    -Place Value up to 10,000 by adding or subtracting 10 or 100 from any three or 4 digit number, using rounding and mental math and main strategies. 

    Students are encouraged to talk through multiplication rather than seeing the lessons as rules to follow. They may also have difficulty conceptualizing numbers as large as 10,000. We will focus on counting by place value column to support with this.

    Reading

    CCSS Standards

    3.RF.4 4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
    a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
    b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. 
    c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition.

    This week in reading we will stake the October ISIP on Monday and Tuesday.  During reading Workshop, we will have mini lessons in the importance of reading, share our reading plans, share book recommendations, and get new reading buddies.

    If you would like extra reading logs to use with your child at home, let me know!

    Spelling/Vocabulary

    3.RF.3b Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words both in isolation and in text. 
    b. Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels. (Identify which letters represent the five major vowels [Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, and Uu] and know the long and short sound of each vowel. 

    We are continuing with the Short Oo series this week. 

    Social Emotional Learning

    • Reed ROCKS Review and Anti-Hate unit review
      • Each day we will focus on a different letter of the Reed ROCKS matrix: Responsible, Organized, Considerate, Kind, and Safe.
      • We will reteach and practice classroom routines.
      • We will also revisit the Anti-Hate/Anti-Bullying unit with new activities and get more student input on how we can be a safe, supportive classroom for each other!

    Specials

    • Art Vistas!
      • On Friday afternoon, our class will experience their favorite on site special: Art Vistas! Your children love this, and they love having their families in the classroom. I am so grateful for the class parents who are willing and able to do this for our class this year. Watch for photos of the action!!
    • College Week!
      • On Friday morning,  our class will attend talks by guest speakers on various career pathways and education options. Total time spent listening will be approximately. 2-3 hours.
      • If you would like to visit our class to share your experience in school, training, college, or work, please let me know! Your children would love this. ❤

    Thank you for your attention! As always, please reach out with any suggestions, oversights on my part, or questions at sseyan@sjusd.org, right here at ParentSquare, call (408) 535-6287 x. 37143–or just stop by after school! 

    Warmly,
    Ms. Seyan :o)

  • Great First Day!

    August 8, 2024 

    Dear Families,

    I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to share a recap of our fantastic first day of school!

    Today was filled with making connections, seeing old friends, making new friends, and learning a bit  about how things will be different in third grade. There were quiet, boring moments, confusing moments, and some super fun moments on our first day as a third grade team. 

    Our day began with getting-to-know-you-time followed by writing and decorating an “About Me” page. We did regular first-day-of school-things, such as a school tour with Mrs. De La Cerda’s third grade class, figuring out how lunch is going to work this year, and practicing lining up in “number order”. We  also started using some Social Emotional Learning (SEL) routines, which we will continue through the year.  

    Tomorrow, we will emphasize routines and procedures throughout the day, so please remind your child that we “go slow to go fast”, and HOW we go about our activities is really important. On the academic side, we will share today’s writing with our class, do some fun math skills review from last year’s curriculum, and take a spelling inventory that will help me understand what type of word word work to focus for the next several weeks. After recess, we will attend our first Reed ROCKS assembly of the year. Big day! Please note: Our Chromecart is not ready yet, so I will not get students into Istation or Dreambox until next week.

    Speaking of next week: We will essentially be following our instructional schedule for the year beginning Monday, going slowly and practicing procedures so students are comfortable they know the routines and our instructional time is maximized.  We will also start sending homework folders to you next week, but homework will be just getting to know you or information about class.  The folders will also include a flyer for PTA’s first Dinner Night Out of the year. More on homework later!

    Before I close, I do want to say that it was wonderful to meet so many families this morning! I was grateful to see familiar names and faces, and was touched by how warmly new (to me) families greeted me. One of my goals is to be better personally at connecting with families and bringing your hopes, ideas, talents, and assets into our classroom, and hopefully to our school community.  After meeting many of you today, I am even more excited for this year’s possibilities!   

    Thank you for your continued support and for entrusting us with your child’s education. Please reach out through ParentSquare to connect about your child or the class.

    Warmly,

    Ms. Seyan  

    For Friday: 

    Morning Lineup

    In the morning, we will line up as indicated on the map, near Mrs. Daly’s room and between Mrs. De La Cerda’s and Mrs. Khamis’ lines.

    FRIDAY EVENTS  🎉

    Reminder that tomorrow is a Spirit Day – Neon or Tie Dye. Our first family event, the Glow Stick Dance, will be held in the Reed cafeteria from 6:00-8:00 PM! I hope to see you there. :o) 

  • Welcome to Third Grade!

    August 7, 2024

    Dear Families,

    We are thrilled to welcome you and your child to third grade! As we begin this exciting new school year, we want to express how eager we are to meet your children and start this wonderful journey together.

    In our classroom, we believe that building a strong sense of community and honoring each individual’s unique qualities are key to creating a successful and enriching learning environment. We strive to create a space where every child feels valued, respected, and supported. Our goal is to inspire and nurture their curiosity, creativity, and leadership skills so that they can become the thinkers, leaders, and creators of tomorrow.

    We are also committed to fostering a transparent and open relationship with all our families. We believe that when families are actively involved and engaged, it enhances our ability to work together and ensure that each child has a positive and productive learning experience. We encourage you to participate in classroom activities, share your insights, and communicate openly with us. Together, we can create a collaborative and supportive atmosphere that benefits everyone.

    We look forward to working closely with you and your child throughout the year. Here’s to a fantastic start to third grade, filled with growth, discovery, and many memorable moments!

    Warmly,

    Ms. Seyan 

    **Where to meet in the morning**

    Our class will line up on the blacktop at the rear of the school on the Reedhurst side of campus. 
    We will be close to the building by the library this year, and not against the fence as upper grade classes were last year.

    Look for a cone marked “Seyan”, between Mrs. De la Cerda’s and Mrs. Khamis’ cones.  Please see the attached map for more details.

    See you at 9:05 tomorrow!

  • Mrs. Ellner’s Science Lab

    Hello E-2 Families,

    Today, our class visited Mrs. Ellner’s Science Lab, set up once a year for Reed students to experience. Heree is csome feedback from your children:

    1. Troy-There were a lot of different viruses and the skin of animals, earthworms, fish scales. My favorite one was the popcorn one that looked like viruses on the moon.
    2. Key: I noticed that-I tried all three of the slides-and the ancient shells looked like a popcorn ad! Then I learned how to draw with the slides.
    3. Yiming: I tried all three of them. I noticed that the fur and feathers one looked like feathers, and I learned how to draw feathers.

    Be sure to ask your child about theirexperience with the science lab!

    Warnly,

    Ms. Seyan

  • 12 more days of school…

    May 14, 2024

    Dear E-2 Families,

    I hope this email finds you well. As we near the end of the school year, I wanted to take a moment to reach out and provide you with an update on what’s coming up in the next few weeks, as well as express my gratitude for your ongoing support throughout this academic year. I am sorry that I have not reached out as much as I would like in the past few weeks. This school year has flown by so quickly, and with an increase in school-related activities and deadlines looming, my “writing family posts” time has all but evaporated. 

    In the remaining weeks of the school year, we have a few important events that I want to make sure you are aware of:

    1. May 15th Musical Performance. Reed Elementary students will display their new and/or improved musical skills on stage in the cafeteria tomorrow! The 3rd-5th graders’ performance will begin at 10:00. Please arrive early as the TK-2nd graders’ families will be leaving after their earlier performance.
    2. May 21st Open House and Art Show. Please visit the art show in the cafeteria  starting at 4:30 PM, then make your way to your children’s classrooms between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM for Open House. There won’t be presentations, so feel free to come and go as you prefer!
    3. May 30th Sports Day. Mrs. Daly piloted it last year and I can’t wait to participate again! Most classes from 1st-5th grade will join in the fun where students are assigned to mixed-age groups that rotate through fun centers. This year, I will host a water games center again. *Note to approved volunteers: We always appreciate more adults around during Sports Day. If you are available in the daytime and don’t mind having fun with children in the cheerful morning sun, please reach out to one of your child’s teachers! We would be so grateful for the help.
    4. May 31st, Minimum Day and last day of school. I hope to send everything home that needs to be sent home by or on Thursday, May 30th-report cards, recent scores, workbooks, and student work. Then, on the last day of school, out class will clean our desks with shaving cream, do Kahoots! and free choice on Chromebooks, then participate in *my* last day tradition, a graduation ceremony with 4th grade “diplomas”! Yes, everyone is graduating, even if they did not finish all of my Assignments in Istation. Right after lunch at 1:00 PM, your children will be dancing out the classroom door, ready for a summer filled with rest, growth, fun, learning, and laughter…until it all starts again in August!
    5. It has been a pleasure working with your child this year, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support in their education journey. Your involvement and encouragement have played a significant role in their academic success, and I am truly grateful for the partnership we’ve formed.

    Looking ahead to the summer break, I want to reassure you that I will be available to support your child’s academic needs, should they arise. Whether it’s questions about summer reading lists, recommended activities to keep their skills sharp, or any other concerns, please feel free to reach out to me. I am here to help ensure a smooth transition into the next grade level and to provide any assistance your child may need over the break.

    Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or if there’s anything specific you’d like to discuss regarding your child’s progress or plans for the summer.

    Thank you once again for your continued support and partnership. It has truly been a pleasure working with you and your child during this very memorable year. I will miss them very much!

    Warmly,

    Ms. Seyan

  • Picture Day, Report Cards and Conferences, Caramel Apple Fundraiser

    March 12, 2024

    Dear E-2 Families,

    Please see the below for a few quick and important class updates.

    • Tomorrow, Wednesday March 13th, is Spring Picture Day. Our class will be taking their class picture right after Mrs. Gillis’ kinders, at approximately 10:30 (schedule may vary)!
    • Report cards for our class will go home in Thursday envelopes this week, unless you have signed up for a conference- in that case, I will share the report card at our meeting. 
    • I still have conference times available, and I would love to meet with you if you would like to discuss your child’s progress. Please follow the link to sign up for a meeting time, or reach our here at ParentSquare to connect!
    • We have started a Caramel Apple Fundraiser for 4th graders ahead of next year’s Science Camp. (Mrs. Slaugh only ordered 30 print catalogs, because she did not know how many 4th grade families would be able to fundraise right now.) Two families from our class have offered to support Mrs. Slaugh – thank you, Mrs. Corona and Mrs. Carlsen!- and if you would like to help as well, please reach out to Mrs. Slaugh. 
    • Here is more information on this fundraiser for next year’s Science Camp:
    • “Dear 4th grade parents,
      • We are selling caramel apples to help with the cost of next year’s 5th Science Camp. If you are interested in selling caramel apples to your friends and family, please see Mrs. Slaugh in room A-6 for a catalog. Please remember that we are fundraising as a class of future 5th graders, and not individual students. 30-35% of our sales will be donated back to our 5th grade class. Order forms and payment are due March 25th. Make checks payable to Jacklyn Haze Corona, or Venmo at @jacklyn-haze (9773). Cash is always welcome as well. Caramel apples will be picked up from the factory April 16th or 17th and will be sorted and handed out to families by April 18th. If you are interested in helping with the sort of apples when they come in, please let Mrs. Slaugh know.”

    Thank you for your time and attention! As always, please reach out here with questions, comments, or concerns.
    Warmly,
    Ms. Seyan

  • March 2024 Update

    March 3, 2024

    Dear E-2 Families,

    There are a lot of exciting things going on in our classroom, at Reed, and in San José Unified School District. 
    Here are a few quick updates for you.

    • Classroom News
      • I am now reaching out to families with whom I would like to meet for conferences; every family who would like to meet and discuss their child’s progress is more than welcome to sign up for a meeting. Click on the link here and please indicate the day, time, and mode of conferring you would prefer by writing your child’s name in the appointment slot and including my WebEx link or your contact information alongside it. Questions or comments? Please reach out through ParentSquare.
      • Class work for the next few weeks will focus on the following:
        • Reading nonfiction, especially historical nonfiction and science texts.
          • This includes reading our Social Studies and Science texts.
        • Writing opinion essays to convince a reader by supporting a claim.
        • Math Modules 8 (more fractions and division) and 9 (yet more fractions and a focus on measuring capacity) will be completed by the end of March. Module 10 (decimals!) will follow in early April. 
        • Remaining Second Step lessons focus on Taking Responsibiltiy for your Actions, Dealing with Peer Pressure, and reviewing all Second Step Skills.
      • ArtVistas parent volunteers will be working on our class’ mask projects on Friday, March 22. We urgently need more volunteers to make this happen! Please reach our to me if you are able to volunteer for this fun activity. SJUSD requires volunteers to apply through the district before working at school sites. To apply, follow this link. For more information on the volunteering process, click here. 
      • Our second-to-last BioSite field trip of the year will be on Wednesday, March 27th. Reminder to students that when you are on this trip, you are still at school; Reed ROCKS expectations are in place, including being Considerate of and Kind towards our Pioneer High School student teachers. I was disappointed when presented with two yellow (disciplinary) slips after the last Bio Site trip. As an educator, I personally feel there is no reason why any of our fourth graders should make it difficult for their high school student teachers to make BioSite a fun, educational experience for all, and I am looking into what standard procedures for consequences are in place when a yellow slip is given. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or follow up about our behavior expectations, whether at school or on a field trip. 
      • Speaking of Field trips: The fourth grade team, Principal Ponzio, and our front office staff have been working hard organizing the Sacramento bus trip on May 1st.As we started planning this later in the year, we are being creative and proactive in ensuring that all students can attend the trip and that we see as much of the Capitol as we can. I will be sending home more information and sign up forms in the next few weeks. For now, here are some brief updates:
        • We have reserved one bus for the trip. Three students will be driven by their parents, and additional parent chaperones will be driving themselves and meeting their students at our destination.
        • The requested donation for students who take the bus will be $50.00.  Scholarships are available and absolutely no student will miss this trip due to lack of funds.
        • If you are able to volunteer, we could use the family support! Again, information on registering to volunteer can be found here. 
    • Reed Elementary Events
      • Spring Picture Day: March 13th. More information will go home later this week.
      • Minimum Days for conferences: March 14th and 15th (*Note that this is a correction from my prior post). All students will be dismissed at 1:00 PM on that Thursday and Friday.
      • We’re hiring! From our principal: “Would you like to work at Reed as an Instructional Associate or know someone who would be interested in working as an Instructional Associate? We are currently hiring. Click the green link for more information: Instructional Associate Job Description. Interested persons can apply at go.sjusd.org/jobs. Any questions can be directed to Principal Ponzio at jponzio@sjusd.org
      • Girls on the Run begins Monday, March 4th! 3rd-5th grade girls are eligible to join. Team Reed will meet Mondays and Thursdays from 3:15-4:45 on the blacktop by the 3rd-5th grade line up area.  Girls who are interested but not quite sure if they’re ready are welcome to attend TWO training sessions before March 14th to see if they would like to sign up. Financial Aid for the program is available through Girls on the Run and our coach, Ms. Seyan. Click here to register your girl. Please email Ms. Seyan at sseyan@sjusd.org with any questions.
        • Fun fact! The photo on the “Programs” page linked above is of Reed’s 2023 team!
    • San Jose Unified’s Family Newsletter

    I’m so grateful to be part of such an active, engaged, and generous community here at Reed. As always, please reach out to me with any of your suggestions, concerns, and questions through ParentSquare.

    Warmly, 
    Ms. Seyan 

  • Welcome Back, Short Announcements, and an Urgent Volunteer Request

    February 25, 2024

    Hello E-2 Families,

    I am looking forward to welcoming your students back tomorrow!  When I visited the classroom this weekend to get a head start on our return, I realized that I was happy to be there, even on a Saturday! And today, when I saw a few students on our Reed campus, I felt grateful for the community and the relationships we have formed. So when I say I am looking forward to welcoming your students back tomorrow, I mean it. :o) 

    This week will be a typical week in the classroom, with our regular schedule in place and the only real “special” event being Friday’s Pajama Day. I have my jammies already picked out for this spirit day, which highlights Read Across America Day, and encourages us to get cozy to read. Remember to take photos of your child in their PJs for the yearbook! (Photos can be uploaded through Konstella or emailed to Mrs. Ellner at nellner@sjusd.org. Thanks!) In addition, check out the  “Silicon Valley Reads” resources page at the San José Public Library for readers of all ages. Let’s keep the reading momentum going!

    March 13th and 14th are the dates for optional Spring conferences for elementary schools in SJUSD. I will be sending out the link for an online sign up form next week; I will also be reaching out to families with whom I would like to meet. There will be times offered the week of the 10th through the 14th, and there’s flexibility on time of meeting and location, whether in person, by phone, or online. Again, details and a link to follow next week. 

    One important thing I would like to highlight for families is the need for adult volunteers for our fourth graders’ projects, field trips, and events in the coming few months. We have the 4th grade mask making craft that is a huge part of the fourth grade experience and a major draw at the Spring Art Show. We will need parent drivers and chaperones for Wednesday, May 1st’s Sacramento field trip. Last but not least, Gold Rush Day, on Friday,May 10th this year, requires a small army of dedicated folks to plan and then staff the event.

    We can’t do any of these things for our students without you, our community. Please check out the San Jose Unified volunteer information page here, or go straight to the  online volunteer application here. The entire process takes a few weeks to complete, so please get on it as soon as you can and join us at Reed to support these fourth graders.

    Warmly,
    Ms. Seyan