Naaktgeboren's Class Blog

Greetings Families, A student approached me today in regard to her mom not receiving her evaluation. If it is the case that you did not receive an email from the school with your student's evaluation, please notify me as soon as possible. I would be happy to send you a copy of what you should have received. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, For the fourth quarter, our poetry selection is "Pocahontas," by Rosemary Carr Benet. This poem may be found in The Harp and Laurel Wreath on pages 86 and 87. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I hope you have enjoyed the long break. My week has been filled with excitement as I traveled to California for a basketball tournament and my wife has had me busy with some home improvements since my return. It has been great being able to spend some time with my children, though. I hope the break has allowed your family some extended family time without the burden of homework. I also wanted to make a reference to the report cards that went home. Like the end of the second quarter, there are no formal times for conferences. However, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's evaluation, please feel free to email me or to set up a time to talk in person. Evaluating a student in two paragraphs can be a challenge and letter grades do not represent who he or she is as a person and student.  Below you will find the lesson for the week. I look forward to seeing my students again! Assessments at a Glance Friday: Spalding Assess...

Greetings Families, Our students are in the process of working on an opinion writing project. Due to the length of this activity, they need to complete some of the drafting work at home. If they have been present and have completed each daily task, they should have all of the work they need to write their draft. The project requires a specific outline, which I have provided below. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I want to thank the many families who supported us today during Athletic Field Day by providing snacks and helping out during the event. The students showed great perseverance and effort throughout and we came home with the silver. I'm very proud of the class for the way they supported one another throughout the day. Two special notes:  There will be no tutoring this week or the first week of the quarter. There will be no reading or math groups this week. Here are the assessments and plans for the week. Assessments at a Glance Wednesday: Science - Light and the Eye Thursday: Spelling Lessons Language Arts We will have a 20 word list for Spalding. In writing and grammar, we will be wrapping up our  opinion piece. We will be using our usual literature time for Touch Pebbles lessons as well as poetry recitation. Math In math this week, we are going to be reviewing concepts that we have covered so far this...

AzMERIT Test Schedule Change There has been a slight adjustment to the AzMERIT testing schedule. Originally, third grade was schedule to take the writing test on Thursday, April 7 th ; however, it became apparent that the spring concert on Wednesday, April 6 th may result in a lack of rest and preparedness for testing the following morning. Therefore, we will have the third grade students take the writing portion of the AzMERIT test on Friday, April 8 th . This is the only change that has been made to the testing calendar. Please see the updated schedule below and send any questions or concerns to Assistant Headmaster, Lucia Pantalena at LPantalena@ArchwayArete.org . DATE GRADE LEVEL TEST Monday, April 4 5 th Writing Tuesday, April 5 4 th Writing Friday, April 8 3 rd Writing Friday, April 8 4 th AIMS Science Monday, April 11 5 th Reading and Math, Part 1 Tuesday, April 12 5 th Reading and Math, Part 2 ...

Greetings Families, Only a few days until Athletic Field Day. As a class, we discussed some important things about the day, and I would like to pass those things on to you. Every child needs to bring a water bottle. Students must wear athletic shoes. They may be any color. Students should wear athletic shorts and t-shirts. Items with pop-culture are not permitted, but may have brand logos and may represent a sports team. Students may wear their uniforms.  Students should wear shorts or skorts and should be the school approved length.  It is recommended that students wear a hat, but it is not required. Students should have sunscreen applied before school. Teachers will not assist students in applying sunscreen.  Best, Michael Naaktgeboren 

Greetings Families, Ms. Caro, one of our excellent third grade teachers, posted a great picture on her blog about the importance of reading. I won't take the time to exposit the image, as I think it speaks clearly for itself. I was impressed by the data myself. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I hope everyone's weekend is off to a great start. I wanted to let you know that I was very impressed with your children's project presentations over the past two days. I can tell they put a lot of effort into making their dioramas, posters, scrapbooks, and PowerPoints presentations. We will have a similar activity coming up soon in the fourth quarter in science. I hope I get to see the same sort of enthusiasm.  I also wanted to remind you that Friday is Athletic Field Day. On Friday, all students should bring a water bottle and may wear athletic clothing. Please ensure that students do not wear any clothing with pop culture references, but sports apparel is acceptable. If students would like, they may wear a yellow shirt to match our city's symbol.  Here are the upcoming events and lessons for the week.  Assessments at a Glance Monday - Spalding Benchmark Assessment Tuesday - History Test (Native Americans Unit) Thursday - Literary Te...

Greetings Families, As noted in an earlier post, history and science homework is being sent home on the first day of the week and is not due until the first day of the following week. Yesterday we sent a study guide home for history. This study guide will not be collected until next Monday, but the quiz is on Tuesday. It is recommended that you review this material with your child before Monday night. They should be able to answer all of their questions with completed notes. If your child is missing notes, please email me or have them tell me. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren