MAC 3 Oak news * updates * interesting info
November 29, 2020
We want to be sensitive towards the challenges our families are facing. If Thanksgiving is a holiday you observe, it probably looked very different than it typically does. No matter what you did, it is our hope you had a restful, safe break.
If your student comes to Lake Bluff to meet with an adult, needs to make a book exchange, or pick up or drop off something, please know there is a COVID-19 screener students and staff are expected to complete prior to every arrival. Here is a link to that screener. Your student should expect to be asked upon their arrival if they have gone through the screener at home, before they got to Lake Bluff.
Your student's report card will be available electronically on Tuesday. You will receive an email (through Infinite Campus) that will explain how to access it. I was wrong a few weeks ago when I shared that the report card would be mailed, sorry about that. As a reminder, our School Board decided that 5th and 6th graders will not receive letter grades on their report card. Rather, you'll see BG for beginning, DV for developing, or SC for secure. You'll see some Work/Study Skills and Social Skills are marked with an "X" because we just don't feel like we are able to accurately provide feedback for some of the descriptors. You are likely doing tasks that are typically our responsibility; we are grateful for your partnership on behalf of your student!
Kathleen and I need to pack up our entire classroom over the next two weeks. Our room is up next in the renovation process. We are getting new carpet and paint. We won't be back in our space until sometime in late February. We are letting you know because we would rather get books in our students' hands than pack them away. Would you like your student to borrow books from us? Thinking about the upcoming winter break and the fact that the Shorewood Public Library has returned to curbside pick-up only... If your student would like to come in to check a stack of books out, please let us know and we can work to schedule that sometime this week. I will have many books at my house (I live right off the LB playground) that will be available to "check-out" too.
Click here to access a letter from our room parent, Jill Keuler and our Lake Bluff PTO from November 22, 2020.
The Lake Bluff Newspaper November issue was published a few weeks ago. Check it out here! We had many MAC 3 Oak students who contributed in many different ways (video creating, writing, and illustrating). Student participation is encouraged! On Wednesdays the Newspaper Club meets from 1:30-2:00 pm. If your student wants to share something, they can do so through this link.
There were two numbers from September: 18,822 and 92 we shared with our students the first week in October. You may know your student is tracking the number of minutes and what they are reading each day. Collectively, the students in MAC 3 Oak read 18,822 minutes between September 8-September 30. They read a combined total of 92 books. It was exciting to share this information with them.
Our reading data is in for October! Students in MAC 3 Oak read a total of 26,123 minutes or 435 HOURS of combined reading over the course of the month (that's equivalent to 18 consecutive 24-hour days!). Our students read a combined total of 114 books. We talked about the importance of investing time and effort as readers to continue to grow as readers as well as accurate data collection. Students will continue to track their daily reading through the use of a reading log. It's their choice whether they keep that data either through a printed log or a digital copy.
As November comes to a close this week, look for November reading data next weekend.
Typically we would have no problem making sure our students had a book to read. Things are a bit more challenging now. We realize that access to books is a fundamental need for all students. For that reason the 5th and 6th grade teachers created a lending library students can access from the office (still located in the cafeteria) at Lake Bluff. Interested in more information? This slide deck walks you through the process. If your student needs a book, please let us know. Mrs. Miller is thrilled to select and deliver books to your front door for your student to choose from.
Orchestra schedules are now posted for November - January. All of our sixth graders participating in orchestra will have their lesson on Tuesdays. And all but one of our fifth grade students will have their lesson on Wednesdays.
Band schedule for our fifth and sixth graders are posted. All of our fifth graders except one have their lesson on Wednesdays. Our sixth graders have their lessons on Fridays.
We created a Padlet as a means to capture questions and needs from the adults in our students' lives. We will keep it open and vow to check and respond at least once a week. If you'd like to check it out, click here.
Below you can see some highlights for this week.
Our reading data is in for October! Students in MAC 3 Oak read a total of 26,123 minutes or 435 HOURS of combined reading over the course of the month (that's equivalent to 18 consecutive 24-hour days!). Our students read a combined total of 114 books. We talked about the importance of investing time and effort as readers to continue to grow as readers as well as accurate data collection. Students will continue to track their daily reading through the use of a reading log. It's their choice whether they keep that data either through a printed log or a digital copy.
As November comes to a close this week, look for November reading data next weekend.
Typically we would have no problem making sure our students had a book to read. Things are a bit more challenging now. We realize that access to books is a fundamental need for all students. For that reason the 5th and 6th grade teachers created a lending library students can access from the office (still located in the cafeteria) at Lake Bluff. Interested in more information? This slide deck walks you through the process. If your student needs a book, please let us know. Mrs. Miller is thrilled to select and deliver books to your front door for your student to choose from.
Orchestra schedules are now posted for November - January. All of our sixth graders participating in orchestra will have their lesson on Tuesdays. And all but one of our fifth grade students will have their lesson on Wednesdays.
Band schedule for our fifth and sixth graders are posted. All of our fifth graders except one have their lesson on Wednesdays. Our sixth graders have their lessons on Fridays.
We created a Padlet as a means to capture questions and needs from the adults in our students' lives. We will keep it open and vow to check and respond at least once a week. If you'd like to check it out, click here.
Below you can see some highlights for this week.
This week's highlights...
Monday - Math drop-in sessions from 1:00-1:30 pm (with Ms. Snider and Mrs. Miller)
Battle of the Books will not meet today. Students are reminded to keep reading! (Advanced Learning activity)
Their SPECIAL is SPANISH.
Tuesday - Optional synchronous Art session from 2:00-2:30 pm
Math Olympiad meeting today from 2:30-3:00 pm (Advanced Learning activity)
Orchestra lessons for participating 6th graders.
Their SPECIAL is ART.
Wednesday - Optional creative writing session 9:00 -10:00 am
LB Newspaper Club from 1:30-2:00 pm (Advanced Learning activity)
Orchestra AND Band lessons for participating 5th graders.
Their SPECIAL is LIBRARY.
Thursday - WordMasters from 2:30-3:00 pm (Advanced Learning activity)
Their SPECIAL is MUSIC.
Friday - Math drop-in sessions from 1:00-1:30 pm (with Ms. Snider and Mrs. Miller)
Band lessons for participating 6th graders.
Their SPECIAL is PE.
Battle of the Books will not meet today. Students are reminded to keep reading! (Advanced Learning activity)
Their SPECIAL is SPANISH.
Tuesday - Optional synchronous Art session from 2:00-2:30 pm
Math Olympiad meeting today from 2:30-3:00 pm (Advanced Learning activity)
Orchestra lessons for participating 6th graders.
Their SPECIAL is ART.
Wednesday - Optional creative writing session 9:00 -10:00 am
LB Newspaper Club from 1:30-2:00 pm (Advanced Learning activity)
Orchestra AND Band lessons for participating 5th graders.
Their SPECIAL is LIBRARY.
Thursday - WordMasters from 2:30-3:00 pm (Advanced Learning activity)
Their SPECIAL is MUSIC.
Friday - Math drop-in sessions from 1:00-1:30 pm (with Ms. Snider and Mrs. Miller)
Band lessons for participating 6th graders.
Their SPECIAL is PE.