Naaktgeboren's Class Blog

Greetings Families, One of the most important times of the school year is nearing, Athletic Field Day! Well, I'm sort of kidding. I am a very competitive person though. Athletic Field Day is March 11th, and will be in the afternoon. Coach Rubino is looking for volunteers to help run the events and keep scores. If you are interested you can find the sing-up page here . Coach also asked that we share our city and symbol. Parents have, in the past, chosen to make shirts for this event, but please do not feel as though that is necessary. If they want to have team pride, you may simply allow them to wear a yellow shirt. We are Crete. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I hope you have enjoyed your week. A number of students have been out because of illness, so I hope they all recover quickly and are restored to us next week. If you have any concerns because your child has been absent, please reach out to me. Though all of our content is important, my greatest concern for students who are absent for a number of days is math, mainly because of how it builds on itself. Any student who falls behind may attend math tutoring (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 3:05-3:35) until they are caught up. I hope you enjoy your weekend.  Assessments at a Glance Fractions Quiz will be on Thursday History Projects will be due on Thursday Spelling Test is on Friday Poetry Recitation will be March 15th Language Arts: We will be completing a Spalding rule page in our blue notebooks and will have 20 words in our spelling list. In grammar and writing we will be creating an opinion piece as a class; our focus will be to state ...

Greetings Families, I need to apologize for a mistake I made with homework last night. If your child was struggling on their homework last night, it is because I put the wrong pages on the whiteboard. I put tonights homework on the whiteboard for last night. I am very sorry about my mistake. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I first want to apologize for some confusion regarding the science homework. I accidentally had that placed in the students' yellow folders a couple of weeks ahead of time and many students were unsure how to complete the worksheet. If your child is confused, their is an article in their binder, "Light Bounces," that should be used to answer the questions. I also wanted to update you on how we are addressing history and science homework going forward. From now on, all history and science homework will be given out on the first day of the week. Students will then have until the first day of the next week to complete the assignment. We have done this because we are aware that some nights have more homework than others and there are times when other commitments make heavy homework nights very difficult. We cannot adjust the Spalding and math homework, because nightly practice is so important, but we felt like giving students a week to complete science...

Greetings Families, It is unfortunate, but a student in our class found graffiti in the restroom today. It would be appreciated if you would take a moment to discuss the importance of respecting and preserving school property. I do not believe the action was taken by any of 3A's students, but it would be a good conversation to have at home as a positive and preventive measure. Thank you for your support. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings, A number of students still do not have their copy of The Little Prince  and it is important that they bring their book to school as soon as possible. Families who need to, a copy can be borrowed from the front office. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I hope your weekend is going well and that your child came home and shared with you the joy they had at the MIM. All of the students seemed to really enjoy the trip and wanted to share their stories with me when we returned to school. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to go. I understand the trust it takes to allow us to take your precious child off campus and I am honored by your confidence in me. I also want to say a special thanks to the volunteers and staff who joined us. Without your willingness, it would not have been possible. For those who volunteered, but where not selected, thank you for your willingness to serve our class. Here are the lessons and quizzes for this week.  Assessments at a Glance Monday: Math Assessment - Fractions Friday: Spalding Assessment  Major Assignments on the Horizon Native American Project - March 3 Poetry Recitation - March 15 Lessons Language Arts We will...

Greetings Families, Tomorrow is our class field trip. Please pack your child a good snack, as we will be eating a late lunch after we finish our MIM tour at a park near the facility. We anticipating leaving at 10 a.m. and will be returning at 2 p.m. If an emergency arrises and you must contact a student during the trip, please notify the front desk and they will call me.  Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families,  I hope everyone has enjoyed their long weekend. I was privileged to go to the Phoenix Art Museum with my wife as a part of the Great Hearts in-service Friday. I am thankful to work for an institution committed to life-long learning. Far to often, we as teachers talk about a love for learning, but get so bogged down with teaching that we fail to do it ourselves. It was a joy to go and to be inspired by such beautiful works of art, and to grow in my appreciation for the rich Western tradition I have been gifted. If you haven't had a change to visit the Art Museum recently, let me encourage you to find a time to go. Their current exhibit featuring Michelangelo is fascinating!  General Announcements Speaking of  museums  and a going love for learning, this coming Friday is our field trip to the MIM! Please send your student to school with a sack lunch that day....

Greetings Families, Let me start by encouraging you to register your child for the MIM field trip ( click here ). There are currently only 16 of our 30 students signed up and the trip is on February 19! Next, let me thank the many individuals who volunteered to serve as chaperones. I wish we were able to supply spots for all of you. The parents who have been randomly selected are Kris Zinke, Krista Hall, Sonya Orona, Heidi Wallace, and Anastasia Iskreva. Please register and pay for yourself using the same online registration. Remember that fingerprint clearance is mandatory. Please inform me as soon as possible if you have been selected, but are unable to attend. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

As Great Hearted scholars and families we enjoy showing kindness and generosity to others through our annual service project. This year we will participate by partnering with A New Leaf . Last year A New Leaf served 21,140 individuals with resources, including homeless and domestic violence shelters with services, affordable housing solutions, behavioral health, foster care, counseling, financial literacy coaching, and basic needs. To lend a helping hand to the families served by A New Leaf, we will be collecting various goods that the organization is in desperate need of. Each grade level will have a specific goods or supplies to collect; this allows us to cater to many needed items. See below for our grade level’s list of items. Please ensure that all donations are brand new, as gently used items cannot be accepted. Kindergarten: canned food, baby food, condiments (jarred, canned, and bottled food items) First Grade: bath towels and washcloths Second Grade: twin sheets and ...

Greetings Families, First, thank you for the kind words and support many of you have offered since Ruth was born last Thursday. I also want to extend great thanks to my awesome replacements, Mrs. Geyer and Ms. Powers. Your students, and I, are blessed to have a community of competent teachers who are ready to serve.  Service Project: Here shortly, I will be posting a message about this years service project, as we partner with A New Leaf .  General Announcements Please keep in mind that there is no school Friday 2/12/16 or Monday 2/15/16. Please have your student's copy of  The Little Prince  brought in as soon as possible. We will begin reading this book Tuesday, February 16th.  3rd Grade Field Trip coming up February 19th! Please be sure you have signed the permission slip for your student. Currently, only 15 students have signed up to go. The 2nd book report of the quarter will be collected February 22nd. Poetry recitations for "Th...