Teacher Jennifer's Dolphins

2010-03-05T13:31:00.010+08:00

Dear Parents,

This week, we saw the movie, "Alice in Wonderland", the children enjoyed it very much. Because we will perform "Alice in Wonderland" for our graduation show, it is advisable to take your child to see the 3D "Alice in wonderland" that is coming soon in theaters. I'm sure the children will like it very much with the 3D effect.

This week, we completed:

Reading - The knee-high man, and we learned words of Long U: u-e, flute, June, rule, mule, brute, and high frequency words: "carry", "been", "clean", "done", "far".

Tops - we sang and chanted a song about "New Pets".

Math - we learned about numbers made with tens, and tens and ones.

Phonics - we learned and wrote some words regarding animals.

ESL - we learned more about animals.

Art- we made door hangers.

Science - we did chapter review on planets.

This week,

Adam - He concentrates and focuses well. He puts effort in doing work, and he cares about getting the answers right, and if they were wrong, he would correct them.

Emily - She pays attention in class, and she follows direction well. When we were doing the reading book on the Long U; she was the only one who was able to get all the answers right. She has also improved in math and writing.

Erin - She has been cheerful. She concentrates well and pays attention, and she gets along well with her classmates.

Ethan - He was able to focus very well this week, and he has been generous to his classmates. He shared his stamps with them and he also voluntarily offer to share his fruit (guava) with Adam.

Joyce - She has been talkative in class, and she seems cheerful. She has been really sweet and likes to give teachers hugs.

Melissa - Melissa has been quite active this week. She focuses well and is more obedient now and listen to what the teachers say. However, she has to stop playing and talking to others during nap time.

Paige - She has been taking care of her baby sister Ruby, who is still adjusting to the new school life, Paige plays and sleeps with her during nap time. She seems happy taking the responsibility of being an older sister and taking care of Ruby.

Terry - Terry likes to challenge himself when doing math problems, he was able to solve many of them in a short time, and when he finishes doing math, he likes to offer help to his classmates.

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Jennifer

2010-02-26T17:09:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

Welcome back from the Chinese New Year holiday, the weather has been really nice this week, we all enjoyed going to the outing on Tuesday, to the Sun-Yat-Sen memorial hall to see the delicate Chinese New Year decorations. Because this year is the year of the Tiger, we saw many lantern decorations and good sayings related to the theme of the Tiger. And because it is the lantern festival this Sunday, we all made glutinous rice balls with mini chocolate fillings, and we ate them for snack, everyone had a mouthful of the sticky rice balls and liked them very much.

This week, we completed:

Math – we learned about numbers that are before, between, and after another number. We also learned about even and odd numbers.

Reading – We worked on the workbooks on the two stories, “The Shopping List”, and “Yasmin’s Ducks”.

Phonics – We identified rhyming long a words.

Tops – We did writings on the workbooks, of where things are located and about furniture.

Art – We made colorful lanterns.

This week,

Adam – This Monday, Adam was reluctant to come to school after the Chinese New Year holiday, but after about ten minutes, he was all smiling again, and he felt happy to see his classmates.

Emily – Emily has been working efficiently, she finishes work fast and can quickly comprehend the work we do.

Erin – Erin works a little slow; she didn’t get to finish work on time.

Ethan – Ethan has been quite active and cheerful.

Joyce – When Joyce is doing work, sometimes, she would look at others’ work. She needs to do work more independently.

Melissa – Melissa is really sweet, she gives hugs to teachers. She does need to focus in class though; sometimes she would drift off and do something else when we are writing.

Paige – Paige writes neatly, and she is able to complete work on time. She is more comfortable speaking with her classmates.

Terry – We are very happy to see Terry come back to school, his classmates missed him. Terry focuses well, and he does his work nicely, and he was able to do work independently.

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Jennifer

2010-02-12T09:08:00.020+08:00

Dear Parents,

Happy Valentine's day! Hope everyone will have a sweet and lovely one, and also have a great Chinese New Year!

This week, we completed:

Math - we learned about ordinal numbers through twentieth, counting first, second, third, forth, fifth, sixth, and so on.

Phonics - we learned words with the long "a" sound, and we also differentiate the long "a" and the short "a" sound.

Tops - We did our workbook on different home settings, like "living room", "bedroom", "kitchen", "bathroom", and the preposition, "under", "in", "on".

ESL - we learned about the order and sequence in a story, which came first, next, and last.

Reading - we read the "Yasmine's ducks" story, it says that in real life, ducks do not get wet because its feathers contains oil, and that oil and water do not mix.

Science - we chose some flower seeds and planted them in the soil and watered them. We also did an experiment on mixing oil and water and each student had a chance to pour water in the oil, and watch the separation of the liquids.

Art - we made Valentine's day cards to bring home, and also we color and made a paper bear. In addition, we made real chocolate to bring home for Valentine's day, each child enjoyed the making process.

This week,

Adam - Adam likes to have his work perfectly done, he cares about not making any mistakes, when he does, he would re-do it. He is a little perfectionist. He pays attention in class. By the way, thank you for bringing cookies from Yi-Lan for everyone!

Emily - Emily has been consistently improving. She not only pays attention in class, she also participates. She does her work nicely and she writes neatly.

Ethan - We saw a movie "Mr. Fantastic fox" and Ethan enjoyed it very much. Thank you for bringing food for everyone in class!

Joyce - Joyce gets excited easily, she would laugh a lot and jumps up and down. During class, she follows direction well.

Melissa - Melissa smiles a lot. I've been sitting next to Melissa in class and make sure she hears me well. I have shared with the class that Melissa has a little ear problem, so that they should speak softly to her.

Paige - She does phonics pretty well, she was able to finish work fast and get the answers right. She has grown more independent, and sometimes when her classmates do something wrong, she would explain and correct them.

Wishing everyone happy holidays!

Teacher Jennifer

2010-02-05T13:56:00.019+08:00

Dear Parents,

This week has passed by quickly, and it was the first week of a new semester! This semester we have a lot to learn! It's going to be fun and exciting! Also this month, we have a birthday girl in our class, that is Emily! We celebrated with a cute penguin cake.

This week, we completed:

Math - We did some addition practices.

Phonics - We exchanged some flashcards of particular items and talked about them.

Tops - We went over some high frequency words.

Reading - We read about owls.

Art - We made animal masks and humpty dumpty.

Science - We learned about Weather and Seasons, and that seasons always come in the same order.

This week,

A few of the students apparently has already began their holidays and were absent. Stephanie has switched to the polar bear class.

Adam - He has been talkative in class, he likes to talk to his classmates about random things. He enjoys doing art work, and he puts effort in it.

Emily - She pays attention in class, and she often participates. She does well in Math, and often finishes her work before everyone else.

Erin - She speaks up more in class now. One funny thing is that she tells her classmates that she has a boyfriend named Jay Chou. She has been getting along very well with her classmates and she likes to play with them.

Ethan - He is becoming more independent; however, he needs to catch up with Math skills, he often finishes his work last and he writes slowly.

Joyce - She has been cheerful and she speaks up more in class, she also likes to participate in group discussions.

Melissa - She has been quite sick, so she doesn't seem to have good appetite, hope she gets well soon!

Paige - She is disciplined and obedient, she follows rules and tells other to do too. She does neat work and she writes within the lines. Good job Paige!

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Jennifer

2010-01-29T16:39:00.013+08:00

Dear Parents,

This week continued to be a busy week as the semester is almost over. Everyone is learning a lot at school and growing every day. I am glad to see even the slightest improvement of my students.

This week, we completed:
Math: we continued to do add and subtract in sentences, recognizing addition and subtraction sentence.
Phonics: we reviewed phonics words from a-d.
Tops: we reviewed words related to things and people around school.
Reading: we read the stories: "The Elves and the shoemaker", and "All about me"
Art: we made paper boats.
Science: we learned about the Earth and Planets.

For this week,
Adam - He continues to be focused, he likes to listen to stories and he does his work neatly. When I correct his assignments, he always wants to get them all right.
Emily - She has been cheerful, and often participates in class. She draws very well and she is patient.
Erin - She is generous and likes to share things with her classmates.
Ethan -He is friendly to all teachers, and he likes to give them compliments. He is observant and likes to play with Terry. He is a bit slow in writing, but he has good speaking skills.
Ian - He is an obedient and sweet student. He is more outspoken now and likes to participates. He never has problem sleeping during nap time. He is often the first one to fall asleep.
Joyce - She likes to laugh. Little incidents could make her delightful. She is doing well at school.
Melissa - She has been a little naughty and stubborn lately. She often talks to her classmates during nap time and play with them even when teachers already told her not to.
Paige - She is cheerful at school. Although she is a little quiet at times, she is obedient and she is a good student. She pays attention and focuses well.
Stephanie - She focuses well in school, and she is outspoken. She is developing a strong character, and when she wants something, she often tries every way to get it.
Terry - He likes to be the first in everything. When he finishes math work before his classmates, he would say he's the strongest.

Have a great weekend!
Teacher Jennifer

2010-01-21T18:42:00.002+08:00

Dear Parents,

This week has been a fun week, we went to a nearby park when the weather was really nice on Wednesday, and we also went to the Zhi-Shan culture and ecological garden, and the children were very brave that when the tour guide explained about frogs, many of the children were not afraid to touch it, and some even let an insect climb on their hands!

This week,

We completed:

Math – we did add and subtraction in word format.

Phonics- we learned high-frequency words (of, our, one, her, have, come)

Art- we made fishes with colorful fins.

Tops – we learned to write about Pets. (rabbit, turtle, bird, mouse, fish, frog, cat, snake)

This week,

Adam – He has been very playful and he likes to hug teachers and call them his tree.

Emily – She has been participating in class consistently. Thank you for the bringing treats to everyone in class.

Erin – She likes to participate in class

Ethan – He has been good when doing work that he can work independently. Thank you for bringing treats to everyone in class.

Ian – He has been a good student, he does his work nicely and neatly, and he likes to participate in class. He is good at math.

Joyce – She likes to be close to and hug teacher. She is a really sweet child.

Melissa – She has a hard time falling asleep during nap time and she would often talk to other students; therefore, sometimes she gets punished that she has to stand facing the wall. Thank you for bringing treats to everyone in class.

Paige – She is more talkative in class now, and she always sleeps well during nap time.

Stephanie – She likes storybooks, when I read stories in class, she listens attentively.

Terry – He focuses well, and likes to participate in class. He is good at math, and he often finishes his work fast.

Tony – He is good at math, and he writes neatly.

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Jennifer

2010-01-15T19:54:00.018+08:00

Dear Parents,

This week, we have moved back to our original classroom, and we are excited about it. We have a nice blue wall, and everything seem new.

For this week, we completed:
Math - writing missing numbers from 1-100,
counting back using a number line,
practice subtraction
Phonics - we learned words with the short "o". (log, socks, jog, dog, top, hot, stops)
we read a story about foxes.
Tops - we learned to respond with "yes, I can" with a partner of the things we can do.
Reading - we read story books, "my loose tooth", "Hansel and Gretel", and "Give me half!" (learn about sharing)
- we learned about street map, shows where places are.
ESL - we learned about Animal labels (kitten, puppy, etc.)
Art - we did coloring and in the process of making a colorful fish.

This week,
Adam - He is a bit naughty, when I asked him to do something, I often had to repeat twice, but overall, he still listens and has been a good student.
Emily - She is good at subtraction, and likes to be teacher's little helper.
Erin - She likes to participate in class.
Ethan - Although he writes slowly, he is able to work independently.
Ian - He likes to participate. He always falls asleep quickly and has been a good student.
Joyce - She has been cheerful, and laughs a lot.
Melissa - Sometimes she sleeps during nap time, but most of the time, she doesn't sleep.
Paige - She is more outspoken now.
Stephanie - She writes neatly, and has been cheerful.
Terry - He likes to be teacher's little helper, and participate in class.
Tony - He likes to talk in class, and share what he knows with his classmates.

Have a great weekend!
Teacher Jennifer

2010-01-08T09:24:00.018+08:00

Dear Parents,

(sorry due to the school's renovation, there will be a delay in posting students' pictures, thank you for your kind understanding)

Hope everyone had a fabulous New Year celebration last Friday! This week, the weather has turned much cooler and rainy, please be reminded to wear enough clothes and keep yourself warm!
On Monday, we had a birthday celebration for Terry, he told me he turned six, and he was very happy to receive a birthday present, and had a birthday cake. He also made a birthday wish.
This week, we learned:
Math - reading time, days of the week, and months of the year.
Tops - fun time (outdoor fun - Jump, play soccer, ride a bike, swim, etc.)
ESL - "what are they doing?", "draw, read, write, sing, play, draw, make things", and "Yes, I can", we also talked about Opposites.
Reading - We read several Scooby-Doo's phonics books.
Art - We drew New Year's fireworks.
Science - We learned about moon and stars.
This week,
Adam - He has been a good boy, he asks to sleep beside Terry and promised me that he won't talk to Terry during nap time, and he kept his words and slept well. During play time, he rather stays in class to finish his drawings.
Emily - She has improved in being more outspoken in class, and she participates more, she is eager to learn.
Erin - She likes to participate more in class now, even though she doesn't know the answer to the question, she would still raise her hand to show she is involved in the discussion.
Ethan - Although he has been a little naughty this week, he likes to be the teacher's little helper.
Ian - He is very considerate and curious as well. He is a quick learner, and he does well in Math and Science, and he often participates in class.
Joyce - She is curious and often likes to ask me random questions. She likes to play with Emily and Paige.
Melissa - She is cheerful; however, she has been a little stubborn lately that when I ask her to do something, I would often have to say it twice.
Paige - She takes her work seriously. She draws well and does neat work, and she has good handwriting.
Stephanie - She concentrates well and takes her work seriously. She can follow directions well.
Terry - He is a smart boy and a quick learner. He often raises his hand in class. We want to thank him for being so sweet and considerate, bringing gift packs to teachers, his classmates, and friends.
Tony - He likes to participate in class, and he learns and works quickly. He also does his work nicely and neatly.

Have a great weekend!
Jennifer

2009-12-31T19:07:00.007+08:00

(sorry due to the school's renovation, we currently do not have internet connections, will post the pictures next week, thank you for your kind understanding)

Dearest Parents,
We are approaching the end of the year of 2009, hope everyone is looking forward to the new year of 2010, and that many good things are to come in the year of 2010!
This week, we have completed:
Math – review zero in subtraction, and learned “Vertical” and “Horizontal” subtraction.
Phonics – We reviewed phonics from A to Z.
Tops – We reviewed “Living room”, “bathroom”, and “kitchen”.
ESL – We learned the five Ws. “Why”, “Who”, “What”, “When”, and “Where”.
Reading - We read two stories, “The bike lesson” and “Peter Pan”, children enjoyed both stories.
This week,
Adam - He likes to read books and do colorings, he often asks me if we could read stories and do colorings, which we did today, and he was very happy.
Terry – Terry likes to participate in class, and he concentrates well.
Joyce – She is a little quiet, but likes to play with Paige and sit beside her in class.
Paige – She does her work nicely, and she has nice handwriting.
Erin – She is cheerful, and likes to play with her classmates.
Melissa – She likes to share things with her classmates.
Tony – He concentrates well and is attentive in class.
Ethan – He is active and he often participates in class.
Stephanie – She likes to share things with her classmates, and she is outspoken.
Emily – She draws well, and does her work nicely.
Ian – He concentrates well, and he is well mannered.
Wishing you a joyful year of 2010 with great health and prosperity!
Teacher Jennifer

2009-12-24T19:10:00.016+08:00

Dear Parents,

This week we had two outings. We went to the "Discovery Center of Taipei" near the City Hall. We explored the old Taiwan. The most exciting part was to watch a film surrounded by TV screens on a revolving stage. The children were amazed by the technology. We also went to the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel to take pictures with the giant Christmas tree, and we saw the gingerbread man. Also, in the lobby of the hotel, there was a nutcracker and some nuts, so each child got a nut and the teachers helped cracked the nuts with the nutcracker. Everyone enjoyed eating the nuts.

For this week,

Math - We learned subtracting zero.

Reading - We learned the words, "map", "shack", and path". We also worked on the workbook, learning "hallway", "classroom", "gym", and "office", which we will go over them again next week.

Science - We learned about the sun, which gives the earth light and heat.

Art - We made drawings related to the Christmas theme.

This week,

Adam - He has been active and cheerful.

Joyce - She has a little cold, hope she gets well soon!

Paige - She does her work neatly.

Erin - She has been playful and cheerful.

Terry - He is outspoken. He is good in math, and he does his work nicely.

Ian - He is sweet and he likes sharing with his classmates.

Tony - He is observant and likes to participate in class.

Stephanie - She likes to draw. She sometimes talks with her classmates during naptime.

Melissa - She enjoys the outings, but has been absent for two days, hope she gets well soon!

Ethan - He is considerate and sweet. He constantly needs help in math.

Emily - She draws well, and does her work neatly.

Wishing you Happy Holidays!

Teacher Jennifer

2009-12-18T16:21:00.021+08:00

Dear Parents,

Finally, all our hard work practicing and rehearsing for the Christmas show has come to an end, it was a success. Every student remembered their lines and dance steps on stage. Hope everyone enjoyed watching the show.

Due to the preparation for the Christmas show, and going back and forth to the public library, we had little class time.

This week,
For Math class, we learnt subtraction/Difference.
For ESL, we learnt spelling from one to ten.
For Art class, we colored Christmas trees for our classroom’s decoration.
For Science, we learnt more about seeds, roots, and the word, “Predict”.

This week,
Joyce – She is a sweet girl, and she has been generous to her classmates.
Stephanie – She is very active and talkative in class.
Emily – She still has a cold, and she eats slower, but in general, she is cheerful.
Adam – He concentrates well and does his work nicely, and he is becoming more independent.
Terry – He likes to participate in class, and he is outspoken. He did a great job at the Christmas show!
Tony – He is observant. He does his work nicely and he works fast.
Paige – She is quiet, but cheerful. She gets along well with her classmates.
Ian – He didn’t come to class this week, hope he gets well soon!
Erin – She is a sweet girl, and likes to tell stories to her classmates.
Ethan – He was sick for two days. He did his work slower, yet he is expressive.
Melissa – She is becoming more independent. She is very active.

Have a great weekend!
Teacher Jennifer

2009-12-11T16:08:00.017+08:00

Dear Parents,
This week, we continued to practice our Christmas skit and dance. Most of the students have already memorized their lines. On Tuesday, we went to the City Library, where the performance is going to take place, for rehearsal. It went well. Everyone quickly finished their lunch and slept well during nap time that day. Then, we watched the cartoon, Dr. Seuss' “The Grinch who stole Christmas”, which helped students understand more of the script, and how they should perform on stage. We have been doing the rehearsals almost everyday as the Christmas show is coming soon on December 16th, hope everyone can come attend.
In class, we handmade Christmas ornaments and hung them on the school’s Christmas tree; most students liked the gingerbread man. For Phonics class, Tops and Reading, we reviewed the previous chapters, and also worked on the ESL workbook and learned the difference between “I”, and “We”. And also learned the meanings of “forest”, “creatures”, and “grew”. For art class, we made Christmas cards. For Science class, we learned about seeds, that it can grow into a plant; for example, an apple seed grows into an apple tree.
This week,
Erin – she likes to share things with her classmates and she is polite.
Emily – she writes nicely. She’s been coughing a lot during nap time.
Ian – He likes to read.
Paige – She is not yet familiar with the days of the week.
Tony – He is a curious child and likes to ask many questions.
Melissa – She is a sweet girl.
Adam – He is not yet familiar with days of the week.
Joyce – She likes to play with Paige and sit next to her.
Stephanie – She is outspoken in class.
Terry – He is outspoken and likes to participate.
Ethan – He is a smart boy, and likes to participate.
Have a great weekend!
Teacher Jennifer

2009-12-04T16:26:00.019+08:00

Dear Parents,

Hi! Today is my 2nd day taking over Teacher Sandi's Dolphins class, I found that everyone in this class is very active and talkative. I am getting to know each student's personality better, and learning how to make them behave.

This Tuesday, we had a birthday celebration for all the kindergarten children born in December. Ethan from our class had a birthday cake and got a present. He also shared gift packs with everyone. He enjoyed the celebration very much and was very happy.

As Christmas is approaching, we are using our class time to practice the Christmas show and dance. We only have less than two weeks before the performance, so we handed out the script to each child to bring home, and asking parents to help your child remeber his/her lines.

About each child:

Emily - She likes to play with Erin.

Tony - He likes to ask many questions.

Terry - He is a sweet child and can read well.

Ian - He is well liked by his classmates.

Melissa - She is talkative.

Paige - She is quiet.

Joyce - She is a sweet child and likes to smile.

Adam - He is talkative in class.

Erin - She is observant.

Stephanie - She is talkative.

Ethan - He is very active in class.

Have a great weekend!
Teacher Jennifer

Important Announcement

2009-11-27T13:58:00.000+08:00

To all parents,

This is Teacher Paul and I have some unfortunate news to report.
I took Teacher Sandi to hospital this morning because she wasn't feeling well.
Both the doctor and all the staff members at Tree House are very concerned for her health.

Teacher Sandi wants me to tell everyone that she is sorry that she has been absent many days this month because of her health.

We wish her the best and hopefully she can get well soon.

2009-11-20T16:36:00.005+08:00

Hello, I hope your week was a good one. This week we started rehearsals for the Christmas show. The kids are very excited and very cute. The children will be bringing their scripts home next week so please encourage them to practice their lines. I have started a "writing practice" class in order to improve the children's penmanship. Some of you have expressed concerns about your child's writing, so I wanted to focus on that for a while and make sure everyone is able to print clearly and neatly. We will be working on printing for a period each day. On Tuesday we will be visiting the Fire station, so don't forget to send your children to school dressed for the outing.

Melissa is progressing well in terms of her class work, however I sometimes have to tell her to sit down too often. She also has a tendency to play with things in class when she should be listening. Melissa is a very smart girl and I think she would get more out of the class if she focused.

I usually have to repeat myself several times before Stephanie listens to me. She constantly wanders around the room and talks while I am talking. I have tried moving her around the room but she seems to talk with everyone. Stephanie needs to practice her listening skills so she knows how to do the work.

Erin has a tendency to do things after I tell her repeatedly not to do them. I always find her playing with stickers and other toys during class time. Erin needs to know that there is a time to play and a time to work.

Paige is doing very well in the printing class. She takes her time and she really focuses. She is also doing a good job reciting the script. Keep up the good work.

Joyce needs to know that sometimes she has to focus on the task at hand. She is very smart, and very capable of doing class work, but sometimes she refuses to concentrate and instead, distracts other students.

Emily did really well this week and she is doing a great job in rehearsals. She seems very happy these days and her class work is impressive. Keep up the good work.

Terry is progressing, and his class work is impressive. His writing needs some work as it is a bit sloppy sometimes. Also, Terry sometimes has a tendency to shout with his friends, or even to continue talking after I ask him to stop.

Adam's writing is a bit sloppy at times and he often does not leave spaces between his words. Sometimes he prints his letters backwards. I will continue to help him practice his penmanship. Otherwise, he is working hard and I am proud of him.

Ethan has a tendency to get upset and whine sometimes. I am trying to break him of this habit. He needs some work on his spelling, but he also needs to focus and not give up half way through an assignment.

Ian is quiet and attentive during class. I am very impressed with the quality of his work and the pride he takes in doing a good job. Keep up the good work!

Tony sometimes becomes rough with other students and with me. I know he does not mean to hurt others, but he needs to know that he should be more careful around others. He is doing a very good job in class and he is working ahead in all his books.

Have a great weekend!

2009-11-13T09:06:00.005+08:00

Hello everyone, it was great to come back to work after being sick last week. This week we worked on word problems in math class. The students cannot do the problems independently yet, but they can accomplish the work as a group. In reading class we read a story and practiced reading comprehension and spelling. In science class we had a small oral quiz and I was very pleased with what the children could remember. On Tuesday, we went on an outing to the local television station and the students got a change to sit in front of the blue screen. We had a really great time. We learned new stretches in phys-ed, and I taught the children the "banana cheer" (you should ask them to show it to you). We will start rehearsing the Christmas play soon, so please encourage your children to practice at home.

Paige was a very attentive student this week as usual. The quality of her spelling is improving everyday. Her reading comprehension is also good, she can always answer the questions about the stories we read as a class.

Melissa sometimes needs to be reminded to pay attention and stop fooling around. She has a hard time staying with the class and I often have to tell her to stop flipping the pages in her book. That being said, she can usually complete her work with only a little help from me.

Stephanie was a bit silly in class this week. I had to tell her several times to sit down and to pay attention. She tends to play with things or daydream while I a teaching a lesson. However, she did finish her work in the end. I would like to see her applying herself more in class and talking to her classmates less.

I was very happy to see Joyce participating in morning stretches this week. It is usually difficult to get her to stand up properly and join the class in the morning. I was happy to see her participating with her friends.

Emily seemed like a happy little girl this week. She was focused and payed attention to the lessons, which made it easier for her to work independently on the assignments.

I noticed Erin participating more this week, and getting the right answers! I am glad to see this improvement. I will continue to work with her on her reading ability. Erin sometimes finds it hard to focus and often disrupts the class. I would like to see her working a bit more quietly.

Adam is like a whirlwind of energy. He has a lot of energy and this is a good thing. I think sometimes it is hard for him to focus but when he does focus he can produce very good work.

Ethan got in trouble a few times this week for having outbursts in class. He sometimes becomes very loud during morning exercises and thus, finds it hard to follow the routine because he is fooling around. This week I did, however, see an improvement in the number of times I had to remind him to focus on his work. He payed attention through the whole reading lesson on Thursday and I was very happy.

Terry did very well this week. He volunteered answers and also volunteered to read aloud several times. I also noticed him reading to his friends on Thursday while we were getting ready to go home. Keep up the good work, Terry!

Ian seems to be opening up more. He is socializing more with his classmates and seems happier. He is also producing good work and I notice more confidence in his voice when he reads in front of the class. Way to go Ian!

Tony worked ahead in all of his books this week. Since Tony is older, I usually give him work that is a bit harder. He had a good grasp of the material and worked very well independently without disrupting the rest of the class. Good Job Tony!

I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend. I look forward to seeing all of your children back here on Monday, and I look forward to reading through the script for the Christmas show with them.

2009-11-02T13:23:00.002+08:00

Good day everyone and I hope you enjoyed yourselves over the weekend. I would like to apologize for my late blog. I became quite sick over the weekend. Last week was a very busy and exciting time at Tree house, and we all had so much fun putting on the haunted house for the students and watching them enjoy the Halloween festivities. I saw a lot of really cute costumes and it was nice to see my students all dressed up. Last week in science class we reviewed the concept of food chains and started talking about food webs. In math class we worked on simple double digit addition with no carrying. I would like to start subtraction very soon, but I want to make sure all the students understand the material as math is a cumulative subject. I have noticed the children's reading abilities have improved over the last weeks and it is now much easier to get through group reading. They seem more confident while sounding out words and I am very proud of their progress.

Terry continues to improve and finds it easy to understand class material. I enjoy his eagerness to learn and I can see he is becoming more independant everyday.

Ethan can be very sensitive sometimes, and I hope to help him become more secure and focused. He is finding it a bit hard to keep up sometimes, but I think this is gradually improving.

I have noticed an improvement in Ian over the last week. He seems happier although he still tends to withdraw sometimes. He is a very bright boy and I would like to help him come out of his shell a bit.

Adam loves singing in class. He has a lovely voice, actually. He someties needs to be reminded to remain focused. I am very proud of his persistance when it comes to reading. He always tries his best and his perservereance makes him a very receptive student.

Tony does not seem unhappy despite the fact he seems to prffer the company of adults. I believe this is a phase, and I think he may just be a bit more mature than his classmates at the moment.

Paige is quiet in class and finishes classroom activities in a timely manner. She loves showing pride in her work and she takes great care to produce a neat result. I am constantly impressed with her effort and work ethic.

Erin's behaviour has improved. Sometimes she daydreams in class or talks to other students during lessons. But it happens much less now and I think her attitude towards other students has drastically improved.

I am so happy to see Emily happy these days. I believe she is a very sensitive girl and it took me a while to identify her needs as a student. I love watching her progress in reading and math, and to see her smiling and laughing in class.

Melissa sometimes finds it hard to follow instructions, however I believe this may be partly the language barriar. I notice an improvement when I speak to her individually and in simple terms. She excelles in math and I would like to see if I can spend some extra class time with her in the area of reading and printing practice.

Joyce sometimes becomes distracted during class activities. She seems to want to talk to the teacher alot. Of course she is a lovely girl and I love hearing the funny things she tells me, but I would like to help her maintain a bit more focus.

Stephanie seems less aggressive these days. She is behaving more calmly on the playground and has been socializing with more girls in class. She is also participating more and her focus seems to be improving. I am proud of her progress.

I hope everyone had fun at the Halloween party and I am very happy I could be part of the fun! I had a bit of a fever today and could not make it to school but i have been planning some fun activities for the upcoming week and I am looking forward to seeing the kids again tomorrow.

2009-10-22T13:33:00.010+08:00

This week in Science class we learned the concept of a "food chain" and my class got a chance to make their own food chains to display in the class. This activity was a good way to introduce food chains and food webs, and also a great opportunity for the class to practice their fine motor skills by gluing together paper chains. In math class, the children learned how to use an addition chart. It took some practice, but they eventually got the hang of it and some of the children even started double digit addition using their charts. We read "What Does Pig Do" together in reading class and talked about calendars. I was impressed with the improvement in group reading, everyone was eager to participate. I am pleased with how co-operative the class has been during morning exercises, and it is nice to see everyone participating and warming up their little muscles for the day. Getting the blood flowing is good for a sleepy brain early in the morning. In arts and crafts this week we looked at the famous painting by Edvard Munch called The Scream: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream. Then I had all the children create their own versions of the scream and we talked about how the pictures made us feel. There were some very creative pictures.

Tony is such a great kid and he is very friendly and funny towards the staff, however I feel like he sometimes does not enjoy the company of the children in his class. I don't see him engaging with other kids in the class although he is constantly joking and laughing with me.

Adam is a very funny and intuitive child. He is also smart as a whip and has a gift for noticing details. My concern with Adam at the moment is his "sportsmanship." He tends to get very upset and sulky when he doesn't win a game or finish his work first.

Terry really likes to shout out answers. The answers he shouts out are always correct, but he needs to practice some self-control in this area. I am aware that Terry knows the answer but I need to make sure that everyone else understands the material also.

It was nice to Ian back in class today and I know all of his friends missed him. Welcome back Ian!

I would like Ethan to concentrate on his work more in class. Again this week he did not finish his phonics activities because he was fooling around while I was helping another student. Although I constantly remind him to focus, he needs to maintain that focus while I am helping other students.

Emily volunteered to read several times during group reading. I am very happy with her progress. In math class she remained focused during the lesson and she followed instructions very well while using her addition chart.

Erin persists in arguing with other students and talking and whispering to the other girls in class while I am talking. She has a lot of potential but I often see her making faces or sticking her tongue out at other students instead of focusing on my instructions.

Melissa is also frequently fighting with other students. She has made improvements over the last few weeks and I am very proud of her, however she still gets aggressive with other students, often grabbing their belongings or pushing them in line.

Joyce's work is satisfactory, however I would like to see her pay attention to her work a bit more instead of wandering around the classroom and hovering around my desk. She is a joy to have in class but she needs to draw the line between work time and play time.

Paige reminds me so much of Frank. She is well-behaved and a good influence on her peers. She tried her best this week during math and her efforts paid off. I never see her give up or say "I don't want to do this," and as a result she always finishes classroom activities with an understanding of the material.

Stephanie is a fairly good student and she tries to stay focused in class. I would like to see her following instructions more efficiently. There are a few girls in the class who seem to have a hard time following instructions, so Stephanie is not the only one. I often have to say things several times and then call their names individually so they will listen. I would like to see her a little bit more responsive.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you all at the haunted house next weekend!

2009-10-16T13:39:00.011+08:00

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a good and productive week. We have been having fun and working hard getting ready for Halloween. This week we reviewed what we have learned so far in science class. So the children should know the difference between birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and insects. They should be able to tell you the different characteristics of each. Also, they should know the 3 different ways to identify a mammal. In math class we worked together on a Halloween activity. We had to add double digit numbers in order to reveal a secret Halloween message. Most of the children in the class found this quite difficult, but I think with some hard work they will be able to figure out the sums on their own. This week's wordsearch was a vast improvement and I am proud of my class for applying themselves and really working hard to find the words. We learned a Halloween chant, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear the children's lovely singing voices during music class. They really know a lot of the words and they all have their favorite songs from the C.D. Thank you all for playing it for them at home.

Emily worked very hard in math class this week and she was determined and focused throughout the lesson. I was proud of her listening skills and her great effort.

Sometimes Joyce says the funniest things. She is a very clever girl and she often surprises me. During math class she came to me and said "teacher I don't know how to do it" and when I looked at her work she had gotten almost all the answers right.

Paige's confidence while reading seems to be improving. She still finds it difficult sometimes to sound out all the words but I am very impressed with the improvement. She is always willing to participate and she always applies herself during class.

Melissa has her ups and downs. It is sometimes difficult to get Melissa's attention and she is often busy talking with her friends or fidgeting with things in her hands. I truly believe Melissa is capable of great things she just needs to focus a little bit more.

Stephanie is a very smart girl. She can follow instructions when she listens but sometimes it is hard to get her to stay in her seat and stop talking. During lessons I have asked her to sit at the front facing me instead of the other students and I think this method is working.

Erin seems to spend a lot of time fighting with other students and bickering and making faces at other students while she should be listening. When she arrives to class late she often breezes in disrupting the whole class instead of entering quietly and finding a seat. Academically I feel she is progressing, however I would like to see her fighting less with her classmates.

Tony makes me laugh everyday when I see him. I am very happy to see he has developed a routine now at school so he is not constantly forgetting his water bottle, passport, and reading books. It is nice to see him maturing and becoming more independent and responsible for his belongings. Way to go Tony!

Adam has an incredible memory. When we played the science review game today, he had his hand up for every question. I am very proud of his social progress also. At the beginning of the semester he seemed to have frequent outbursts and now he is more in control of his emotional responses.

Terry loves to set a good example for the rest of the class. He always helps his classmates with their work. The other day Terry was helping Adam with his work and Adam said: "teach me how to do it, but don't do it for me" and Terry was a wonderful teacher. I am very proud of his sensibilities, he is a strong and sensitive little boy.

Ethan, as you know, is adorable. He tries to focus in class, but sometimes it takes him twice as long as the rest of the class to finish an activity. I don't think this is because he is slower that the rest of the class, I think it is because he is often thinking about everything else except the task at hand.

Ian did very well this week in math class. He was very excited when I was teaching the lesson and said: "I know how to do this, my mommy taught me!" Ian is always up for a challenge and he rarely asks me to help him during classroom activities. Good work Ian!

I hope I see all of my students beautiful faces at the haunted house next weekend. Have a great weekend.

Hello everyone!

2009-10-09T16:19:00.003+08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful week. I forgot to mention the monthly reports in my last blog. I wanted to tell all the parents not to worry about the "incomplete" check marks on your children's reports. These check marks do not indicate that your children are doing poorly in school, these boxes are marked as "incomplete" because we haven't covered and mastered the material in these areas yet. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding but I assure you that all of your children are progressing at acceptable rates.

This week we worked on some addition and subtraction in math class. I think the students are finally getting a handle on basic addition and subtraction. In reading class we read a story called the Seven Sillies and the kids thought it was very funny. Then we learned the word "reflection" and I was very proud of your children for remembering what this word meant. In science class we reviewed plants and mammals, and talked about the life-cycle of a frog. In phonics we discussed the difference between the sounds "th" and "sh." We also learned about when we should add an "s" to the end of a verb: such as, 'she sits,' 'they sit.' I was happy to see most of the children completing their word searches this week, as it used to be quite difficult for some of them in the past.

Adam is making good progress in his reading. Please encourage him at home to sound out the words at home while reading. The more he practices the easier it will be for him to identify the sounds of the vowels and consonants.

Terry is doing very well in the area of reading. He is able to read larger words all the time. I am impressed with his ability to identify patterns both in English and math.

Ethan is progressing nicely. I think it will take him a little bit of time to build up his confidence. He is still very unsure of himself and this causes him to second guess himself while answering questions.

Ian seems to be okay in class although he sometimes gets upset. I have been observing him lately and I think he is an exceptionally sensitive boy. He sometimes isolates himself from the other students and says he doesn't want to sit with anyone. He is keeping up with all his classwork and his reading is improving.

Tony sometimes has a hard time staying in his seat, however he is improving in this area. He has been well behaved for the most part last week. For the most part he finishes his school work and does it correctly, however sometimes he says "I don't know how to do it" when he doesn't feel like finishing a task.

Joyce's reading is improving all the time. Over the next few weeks I would like to focus on improving her basic mathematical skills as she seems slightly disinterested during math class. I think at this point it is important for Joyce to be a well-rounded student.

Paige is very patient. She always takes her time and never rushes. I never see her pushing her way to the front of the line or knocking into people trying to get somewhere first. She shows the same patience in her work. She is thorough and likes to understand and finish things before she moves on. Please encourage her to ask me if she does not understand something.

Emily is a sharp student who seems to take joy in completing her work. She continues to impress me with her ability to catch on to classroom activities. She also has a very good memory for vocabulary. She doesn't find it difficult to focus even when there are distractions around her.

Erin likes to talk. While I encourage her to practice her English, I would like her to practice some self-discipline also. I sometimes have to repeat instructions several times because Erin was talking through the lesson. I would encourage her to practice reading out loud at home also. She can identify vowel and consonant sounds but she needs to learn to blend them together to sound out the words. Also, Erin has not been filling out her reading journal at home and only has one entry so far, please ask her to finish her homework.

Stephanie is focusing more these days. She is learning to be more independent during classroom activities and is actually finishing her work instead of wasting time. Keep up the good work Stephanie!

Melissa is very good at math. She understands simple math problems and can identify mathematical patterns. Her spoken English seems to be improving, however, she seems too shy to try reading. She should be encouraged to read short English books at home and practice sounding out the words slowly. I know she can do it!

I hope your weekend is fun-filled and relaxing and I'll see everyone back here on Monday!

2009-10-02T13:46:00.012+08:00

This week was a fun week! We had a couple of birthday girls in the dolphin class, and we got to celebrate the moon festival.

This week in math we worked on the concept of "more" and "less" and the children did some worksheets to help them understand the difference. Their mathematical reasoning seems to be improving. In Science class we reviewed the characteristics of mammals and we made a poster together with different kinds of mammals. In the afternoons we continued to work on phonics. We reviewed long and short vowel "i" and talked about the different ways "i" can sound in different words. For arts and crafts we made Moon Festival playing cards and had fun playing a little memory game with them. I also told the class different legends about the moon festival.

Thank you to the parents who sent Moon cakes to me. I have never had one and I am eager to see what they are like.

Ian seems a bit better these days. I have been keeping an eye on him in class in order to figure out how I can make him more comfortable. He is very quiet and does not fight with the other children. His work is very neat and he grasps concepts very quickly. I will continue to watch his progress.

I was very impressed with Terry this week when I was teaching the class about "integrity." I spelled the word on the board and I asked the class who could read it. I didn't expect anyone to raise their hands, but Terry sounded the word out and said it correctly! I was happy with his effort and it payed off!

Adam is a lively student and sometimes he finds it hard to be quiet. He has an amazing memory for songs and stories. When told him the Moon festival legends he remembered them all the next day. He's usually quick to finish his work and I am happy to say he can stay focused when he is busy, however I would like to help him practice his patience as he seems to get very loud while he is waiting for other students to finish their work.

Ethan is always very eager to help. He tries very hard during class (although he sometimes starts to act silly and it is very hard to reign him in for work). There are a few things I noticed about Ethan and they are his lack of confidence in spelling and sounding out words, and his tendency to take very long while completing assignments. He often erases his work several times because he doesn't think it looks nice. He needs to find a medium between sloppiness and perfectionism.

Tony really needs to check his bag for items when I ask the class to hand them in. I don't know how many times I have asked the class to hand in their reading books or their passports and Tony says: "I didn't bring mine," only to find out later that it was in his bag the whole time. Other than this minor problem, Tony is doing well and progressing nicely. He is always eager to work ahead in his books.

Erin is becoming more independent when it comes to doing class work. She is often one of the first in the class to finish assignments and she usually catches on to material rather quickly. She sometimes becomes loud during lessons but she responds very well when I remind her to be quiet.

Emily is a very bright girl. She caught up on all the material that she missed during break time this week. You don't need to worry about the material Emily missed as she is a very good student who learns very quickly. Her level of reading is improving and she takes great care in her written work.

Joyce's reading is progressing very well. Sometimes she daydreams in class and has to write quickly to catch up, and I often wonder if she is listening to what I am saying because she rarely volunteers answers. I Sometimes walk around the classroom only to find that Joyce has been playing or doodling in her book instead of writing the answers. She has the potential to be a great student she just needs to focus.

Paige is progressing well. She is very artistic like her brother. She is well behaved and eager to answer questions. She is very independent during arts and crafts, whereas many of the other students ask me for help while cutting and folding. She seems eager to do things for herself and often says: "teacher, I can do it by myself."

Melissa is putting forth a good effort. I notice a change in her behavior and she seems less aggressive. Her phonics are progressing and she can sound out words with some help. She seems to be able to identify words on paper. She should practice reading words out loud at home if she can.

Stephanie is a good student for the most part. She can follow instructions and she produces good written work. She sometimes gets distracted and I have to remind her to pay attention. She also seems to get into arguments with the girls in the class sometimes. I have to remind her to be a little bit nicer to her classmates at times.

For the next two weeks the theme here at Tree House is "integrity." We will be discussing integrity and teaching the children the value of integrity.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Halloween is approaching and the teachers are all VERY EXCITED about building the haunted house and having a fun weekend with the kids!

2009-09-25T09:46:00.002+08:00

Hello everyone.

This week the Dolphins had another terrific week. Everyone worked really hard. We continued our work on addition and "spotting patterns" using numbers and colors. In science class we learned about the animal kingdom and what it means to be a "mammal." In art class we learned about depth and shading and the kids all did a really great job on their assignments. In phonics class we worked on identifying consonants "t" and "s." We also got a chance to go to the park last Tuesday because it was such a beautiful day.

I am very excited to meet you all tonight at the open house, see you there!!

2009-09-18T09:09:00.014+08:00

This week the dolphins worked hard on math and science in the morning and phonics and ESL in the afternoon. They've been applying themselves all week and I am proud of them for their continous effort. In science we learned about the animal kingdom. In math we worked on simple graphs and the kids really got a grasp of the activity.

Stephanie worked hard this week. I hope she is feeling better and recovering from her illness. She was more attentive this week and proved she could follow instructions.

Joyce tried very hard to focus and she did a good job. She finished her work first several times this week. Her writing was also very neat and she seemed to be applying herself more.

Paige follwed instructions very well during phonics class yesterday and barely needed my help to finish the activity. She seems to be more confident these days and doesn't need to ask me for help every step of the way.

Emily used to be very timid during classroom activities. She often had to ask me several times if she was doing something right. Her confidence has increased significantly in the past couple of weeks and she is much more independant while finiishing her assignments. Keep it up Emily.

Melissa's behavior has improved since the beginning of last week. She seems more calm and less agressive towards other students. I am very happy to see Melissa applying herself and controling her anger. Keep it up Melissa!! You're doing a great job!

Erin is progressing academically. She participated during science class and even asked if she could do the next page of her ESL book. I am very happy with her progress and how well she is adjusting to K3.

Adam is a lovely singer. I don't know how he remembers the words to so many English songs. He often only hears them a couple of times and can already sing them. He has a very good memory. He has been trying to focus more in class and as a result, he is finishing more of his work on time. Way to go Adam!

Ethan is a very sweet boy. He sometimes becomes discouraged during class if he doesn't get his work finished. He also sometimes becomes distracted and starts dancing or talking to other students when he should be working. However, he is trying very hard, and I notice a big improvement from the beginning of the year.

Terry always finishes his work and likes to participate in class. I am very impressed with his ability to accomplish class work, however, he sometimes developes a bad attitude, or rushes through his work because he thinks it's easy, only to get answers wrong because he wasn't paying enough attention.

Ian works hard in class and rarely gets distracted by the other boys in class. He is quiet and he listens when I am giving instructions. This means he does not have to ask me to explain the same thing several times. Keep up the good work, Ian!

Tony joins our class for afternoon English classes. He catches on very quickly and finishes his work in a timely fashion. Howvwer, he has a tendancy to rush through his work, making mistakes that could have been avoided if he had payed more attention.

Overall, I see vast improvements in both the children's behavior, and the quality of their work. I look forward to meeting many of you next Friday. Have a great weekend!

Give your kids a pat on the back!

2009-09-11T19:12:00.005+08:00

This week we made tremendous improvements. Not only are your children following instructions better, they managed to work silently through a whole period of math class! I was very proud of them all, they certainly are turning into quite the big girls and boys.On Tuesday we all had great fun at Fan Pu Lin learning about different plant life and going on a nature walk. We also got to make candle holders and lady bug toys., and they served us a wonderful lunch. On Wednesday we worked on our science in the morning; we learned about the different parts of plants and what they do. I was impressed by how well the children remembered the different parts when it came time to draw their own pictures of roots, stems, flowers, seeds, and leaves. In the afternoon we had story time and did a phonics lesson. I am pleased to say that everyone in the class can now identify the io and ou diphthongs. On Thursday we practiced math by putting together math puzzles (see the pictures), this was a great warm-up for third period when the children applied their knowledge in their math work books. Thursday afternoon we played spelling bingo and the kids worked on their ESL books. At home time we played musical animals, when the music stopped and I said an animal they had to find their partner and make an animal pose.

Joyce has been a little sad this week about Elie. Her performance during work time has been alright, however she sometimes shuts down during group activities and she seems distant and unwilling to participate. I am not really sure why, when she gets like this I ask her what is wrong and she does not respond. Perhaps she misses her sister?

Ethan is doing much better at his schoolwork. He has been trying very hard to focus and be quiet. Today he even said: "teacher Sandi, they are too loud and I cannot think." I am impressed with his progress.

Paige has always been very attentive, however the last few days she has been more independant while doing her work. She used to need constant re-assurance during classroom activities and now she seems to have more confidence.

I am very impressed with Emily this week. She has been participating regularily and the quality of her work is definitly improving. When I ask her a question now she is not afraid to answer it loudly. Way to go Emily, keep it up!!

Erin never forgets to raise her hand. She was exceptionally focused during math classes this week and really applied herself during spelling bingo.

Terry seemed like he was developing an attitude problem last week, however this week he has turned things around. He did not bother other students during nap time and he set an example for the whole class by raising his han before shouting out an answer.

The quality of Ian's work is steadily improving. He is building his confidence and slowly becoming more comfortable with working independently. He does not have to ask me: "teacher, is this right"?

Melissa has her ups and downs. I really try to focus on discipline with Melissa because I know she can be a very sweet girl. She can become destructive at times and needs to be reminded to keep her hands to herself. On the positive side, her work has been very good and she is keeping up with the material in class.

Tony has a hard time being quiet in class, but I am very proud of his effort. He has been trying very hard to listen before talking and as a result he has been much more focused in class and has been producing better work. Keep up the good work!

Adam overall behaved well during writing assignments and I am really happy with the positive progression. He still has a bit of a way to go but as he keeps pushing himself, I'm sure it will benefit him emensly.

We missed Stephanie most of this week, so I was pleasently suprised to see that she was in high spriits Friday. Hope to see her in good health on Monday, gets lots of rest!

2009-09-04T09:02:00.007+08:00

Hello everyone! I hope you have a great weekend. It's been a good week for the dolphins. We have been working on our vowel and consonant blends. We worked on some math earlier in the week and had a fun Friday doing arts and crafts in the morning and ESL in the afternoon.

Irvin's reading skills are fairly good. He has no problem reading out loud when I ask him to. He is always excited and happy in class but sometimes too excited. His focus is improving and he needs to be reminded less to pay attention. Irvin needs to practice his writing skills and focus on the neatness of his printing. Good job.

Tony is a good student but he needs to learn to listen to me and put up his hand instead of talking to other students and distracting the class. It is very good that he knows the answers to questions but he needs to wait his turn. Tony needs some more practice in reading, and I would like to focus on his identifications of vowel blends like "oi"and "ou."

Stefanie has made some progress and seems much more relaxed in class. Her speaking and listening skills are quite good, and I would like to focus on her writing and reading skills. She has a basic knowledge of phonics but sometimes she has trouble putting the sounds together to pronounce a word.

Erin tried very hard this week during math class. She applied herself while we were learning how to correctly use a ruler and her efforts paid off. I hope to see this same effort when we practice our reading and phonics. Erin will need to work hard and practice consonant and vowel blends.

Melissa is a bright girl. Her printing is fairly good but she gets a little bit messy when she is writing. I think this is because she rushes through her work at times. I think she has the ability to produce much better work, she just needs to apply herself.

Paige always takes great care in her work. She takes her time during all of the assignments and always takes pride in the finished product. She has made improvements in her ability to follow instructions and complete tasks on her own.

Joyce is an extremely good reader. She is progressing very well on this level. I would like to focus on her writing ability and work on getting her to a point where she can spell words independently.

Emily is usually very quiet so it is difficult for me to determine where she is academically. I often ask her questions and she does not answer, but I am not sure if this is because she is shy. I would like to work with her on her phonics and make sure she can identify different vowel and consonant blends.

Ethan is a sweet boy and he is quite a good reader. I would like to see him applying himself a little bit more. It often takes him too long to finish classroom activities. This could be because he is busy talking. He has the ability to excel he just needs to focus a bit more. Good job so far Ethan!

Ian has made vast improvements. He seems much more focused these days. I would like him to practice reading and sounding out consonant blends and vowels. He can usually identify the sounds of letters but seems to have a bit of difficulty when it comes to putting all the sounds together. Keep up the good work Ian!

Terry excels in the areas of reading and writing and he is often one of the first students to finish his class work. I would like to see him practice his reading more and challenging himself in this area.

Adam can identify basic consonants and vowel blends. He loves to "sound it out" and I encourage him to continue trying. He should practice putting all the vowels and consonants together.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I look forward to next week and more hard work and fun times at Treehouse!

2009-08-28T12:37:00.006+08:00

I am happy to report that the dolphin class is making some great progress. This week went smoothly, and the dolphins followed instructions and had a great week! I am very proud of all my my students and I would like to welcome Tony, Ian, Stefanie, and Irvin to the Dolphin class. This week in math class, we practiced simple addition using pictures and we also learned how to properly use a ruler. In science class we talked about plants and what they need to live. We talked about how plants are a little bit like people and they need water, nutrients, and sunlight to live and grow. In health class we learned about the 5 major food groups and what each food group does for the human body. We talked about our favorite foods and how they make us strong. During English class we worked on the "family" unit in our Tops books. This morning, we had phys-ed in the park, and for arts and crafts this afternoon the dolphins will be making Popsicle-stick puppets that they will use during story telling time.

Irvin has adjusted well during the last week and he is now following the rules of the classroom and listening very well. Keep up the good work!

Tony has been raising his hand in class instead of shouting out, and I am happy to see an improvement in his behavior. He is also listening to instructions and focusing on classroom tasks.

Ian is a quiet little boy and he always tries his best. He does his work during class and he is friendly to other students. Keep up the good work Ian!

Stephanie has really come out of her shell this last week and she is now laughing and talking much more to the other children. I am glad to see her more relaxed and am happy to report she has been focusing during class.

Melissa always finishes her work and always does a neat job in all classroom activities. She really takes pride in her work and it shows. Her behavior continues to improve and I am proud of her progress.

Joyce rarely gets into trouble. She is quiet and she never shouts or plays rough with other children. She loves to play games at playtime with her sister. She is focused and very verbal.

Paige is a quiet and focused little girl. She is very caring and helpful to her classmates. She was all smiles at the park this morning while she was climbing and swinging on the bars.

Rain's focus has been improving over the last week. I used to have to tell him to be quiet many times and now I only have to say it once. I am very pleased with his effort.

Terry is focusing much better in class. He has been talking less and paying attention to the teacher more. Way to go Terry!!

Ethan loves to ask questions and I think that is great. He is a very social boy and he has been trying much harder to accomplish classroom activities this last week.

Adam did very well this week when we were learning how to use a ruler. He barely needed any help and he really took his time and drew the lines carefully. I was very impressed with his attention to detail.

Overall, the Dolphin class has made big improvements this week and I am looking forward to the weeks to come. I knew they would improve with a little bit of focus and I am glad they are all applying themselves and participating. See you next week Dolphins!!

2009-08-21T09:12:00.007+08:00

Hello everyone.

The dolphin class has made significant improvements this week and I am proud to say that your children adjusting to the new school year and applying themselves during class. This week in Science class we continued working on our five senses. We made "touch charts" with different material on a cardboard and I had the children use their sense of touch and tell me how the different materials felt. In math class we continued our work on addition and I introduced subtraction. During reading class we read a story about a pig and I had the children answer comprehension questions.

Terry's concentration is improving. Although he tends to talk to the other boys, he has made significant improvements and is now focusing more on his work. Way to GO Terry!

Rain has also improved in this area. He was one of the first people to finish his work yesterday during Science class and I was very impressed. Keep up the good work Rain!

Ethan is a smart boy, although he sometimes gets distracted. When I remind him to do his work, he does a very good job. His concentration is improving slowly. He loves to talk and I enjoy talking to him very much, as he is very funny and has many questions and stories. I am very happy to have him in class.

I am glad to see Adam is feeling better and I am very happy to have him back in class. Adam is quite smart when he applies himself. He is a very creative boy and loves to ask questions.

Melissa is improving in regards to her work, however she sometimes has difficulty following directions or listening to teachers. She often fights with her classmates. She is one of the more advanced students and I am happy to see her academic progress. I will continue to work with her on her temperament.

Paige is a quite and helpful student. She listens very well and is eager to learn. I am very happy to have her in class. She always has a smile on her face and she brightens the classroom with her positive attitude.

Joyce makes me laugh! She is such a talkative and funny little girl and she is so loving towards her little sister at playtime. She seems wise beyond her years.

A few reminders to parents: I send home a book every Friday. Please make sure your kids read the book and fill out the reading book. Also, please make sure they bring the book back on Monday. A lot of the time when I ask them where their book is they answer with "I don't know." Also, I believe it is important for children to eat snacks as this prevents them from being hungry throughout the day and gives them energy so they can do their class work. I will enforce this rule unless the parents tell me otherwise, so please let me know if there are any health issues that prevent your children from eating at snack time.

I look forward to talking with all of you in the months to come. Please do not hesitate to approach me with any questions or concerns.

Happy Weekend!

2009-08-14T16:35:00.009+08:00

This week we all got to go to the Pixar museum for a field trip. My students were full of questions and they really enjoyed the displays and short films. In science class we learned about our 5 senses (touch, sight, taste, smell, and hearing) and all of the ways we use our senses to identify the world around us. In math class we practiced writing our numbers and started learning about math symbols such as "plus" "minus" and "equals." We also did some addition picture problems as a class and your children got the hang of it quite quickly. I was impresed with their abilities. In art class we worked on painting with straws. I asked the children to express themselves through the selection of colours. Again, I was impressed with their care and attention to detail and the pictures all turned out great. Unfortunatly, some of the children got paint on themselves while they were leaning over their art work.

Rain is working hard on his focus issues and I feel that he is trying very hard. Sometimes he needs to be reminded, but after a quick reminder he goes back to work. I have seen an improvement since I spoke to him. We are working on his eating habits at home and he has promised teacher Paul and I that he will eat faster at dinner time.

Ethan has alot of energy. Sometimes he finds it difficult to follow instructions I think because he is always asking what comes next. We are working on this and I think we are making progress. I was impressed with him in math class today.

Melissa sometimes talks when I ask her to listen. I know she is very curious and likes to ask questions and I think she gets too excited and forgets to keep her voice down. She has been having some behavioural problems lately in regards to other students. She seems to argue with the other kids quite a bit, when I ask her about it she often smiles at me instead of answering. I don't know if maybe she is just nervous. I will continue to work on this with her.

I have not seen alot of Terry this week and I hope he is getting better. When he was here he was well-mannered and hard working.

We are all looking forward to Erin's return and hope she is recovering quickly.

I was impressed with Adam's art work this week. He took alot of care in painting and when I asked him about the colours he chosefor his work he said he really likes "strong things." We are still working on his tendency to talk out of turn, but he is learning slowly to listen carefully before he talks.

Paige was a model student this week. The class got into a bit of trouble this Friday for talking and playing during naptime. I am proud to say that Paige was sound asleep. She always behaves herself and tries her best in class.

I love to talk to Joyce. She is such an interesting girl with so much to say. For the most part she is well-mannered, however she sometimes becomes moody and will not listen to instructions. This is not a big problem as it does not happen all the time. I think she just needs some gentle reminders about listening to teachers.

We have had some ups and downs as a class this week, and we are facing some challenges regarding concentration and listening skills. The children are a little older now and have moved up a level, and I think they are experiencing a period of adjustment as they learn to fullfil new expectations. I am confident that the Dolphin class will progress together over the next months and become mature and responsible students.

Hello new students and parents.

2009-08-10T12:05:00.004+08:00

The new semester has started and I am looking forward to getting to know all of my new students. We have already started the new material for this year and I am assessing each student's level. This week we started our reading, and math workbooks and the students are all eager to do well. They also had fun making father's day cards on Friday and they were very excited to give them to dad.

Rain is a very talkative boy. Although he has alot to say he needs to practice self-discipline when it comes to talking out in class. He is often distracting to other students. His reading ability is quite good and he likes to volunteer to read in class.

Terry is a very bright young boy. He is always the first to finish his work and enjoys helping the other students if they are having difficulties.

Adam is very friendly and affectionate. At times he needs to focus a bit more but I am sure his level of focus will improve as the semester continues.

Ethan always has a smile on his face. He is a positive and creative student. At times he becomes distracted by other students and has trouble focusing. I am watching his progress and making sure he stays focused on the task at hand.

Melissa has grown alot since she started at Treehouse and she has adjusted very well to the other students in her class. I rememeber when she needed help with her work and now she offers help to other students.

It is a joy to teach Paige, just at it was a joy to teach Frank. She is a very bright and well-behaved girl. She does not allow herself to be distracted by other students and she pays great attention to detail when she is doing her schoolwork.

Joyce is a very funny little girl. She always contributed to classroom discussions and she really enjoys herself in the classroom. She always has something to tell me when she gets to school in the morning and I always look forward to her funny stories and questions.

I am looking forward to getting to know all of your children better as the year progresses, watching then grow, and helping them overcome obstacles.

Congratulations Kidergarten Class!

2009-07-24T09:15:00.012+08:00

This week wraps up the last week of this semester. The graduating class has worked very hard this year and I am proud of them all for their accomplishments. This week the Armadillo class worked on correcting their workbooks, and reviewing the material from the past few months. I have sent home their workbooks along with their artwork and yearbooks. During my time here I have often used sumplimentary material in class such as worksheets and quizzes, so the workbooks can be used as practice over the break.

On Tuesday we went to the park and got a guided tour of the different trees and insects and reptiles. My class seemed to really enjoy it. We saw lizzards, and beetles, tree frogs, and praying mantises. It was an interesting day out and the guides were impressed by the children's knowledge.

On Wednesday we got a chance to witness the rare elipse that took place. The children were very excited about the "moon eating the sun."

Lily has overcome some challenges this semester. I know she will be very successful in grade 1. She took it upon herself to work ahead in all of her workbooks and finish them all.

After speaking to Lauren about her outbursts, she has improved 100%. She has been behaving like a mature responsible student who is definitly ready for grade 1!

Sunny loves to learn new things. I have noticed lately that she always pays attention to new information and she loves to find out "why." She took a real interest in the elclipse on Tuesday.

Esther was very helpful to the teacher this week. She often offered to help me with tasks around the classroom. When we went to the park she was fearless around the insects and didn't mind touching them! She might make a great scientist one day!

Frank has expressed that he will miss his classmates and teachers from Treehouse. I think he is a very sweet and considerate boy and I will miss him very much. He did an excellent job this year. He was very helpful and his work has improved dramatically.

Jerry seems excited to be going to grade 1. He has excelled in math this semester and I am very proud of his progress. I know he will continue to improve throughout his elementary years. Congratulations Jerry!

I will miss my class very much and I hope to see all of their little faces soon, and hear about all of the exciting things they are learning and all of their wonderful accomplishments.

2009-07-16T15:16:00.006+08:00

I hope you all enjoyed the performance on Wednesday. We had such a great time putting it together with the kids. I was so proud of my class for remembering theor lines so well and really giving an adorable performance. I know they are all very proud of themselves and excited to be graduating. It's a nice change of pace to get back to the regular scedule and curriculum.

This Thursday my class got a chance to get creative as we put together a make believe solar system. We designed our own planets and aliens and then wrote stories about the aliens we invented. This excercise provided a good chance to practice grammer and sentence structure as well as an opportunity to excersise our creativity, which I feel is very important skill to posess. As Einstein said: "Imagination is as important as knowledge."

On Friday we reviewed the semester and the students made corrections in their workbooks.

Esther has a lot of energy and she is a very enthusiastic student. She was very excited about the performance and she remained focused through the whole thing. I am very proud of her and I think she is definitely ready for grade 1.

Lily is very sharp and loves to write. I can see the signs of a great author in her. She is very creative and her sentence structure is impressive, especially for a 6 year old! I can't wait to see what she accomplishes!

Lauren has been studious and helpful this week. She took the performance very seriously and gave it her full attention. I was impressed with her commitment to it and the way she took charge during the performance. Good job Lauren!

Sunny is a very intelligent and soft spoken girl. She has a very unique way of looking at life. She kept a smile on her face even when things became hectic during the show and she followed the stage directions and took pride in her performance.

Frank is a serious boy who has many great insights. The other day when some students were arguing over an erasure Frank said: "It's okay, it's just an erasure." I was impressed with his ability to put things into perspective, something that is often difficult for children so young.

Jerry always brings laughter to the classroom. I was impressed how hard he worked on the performance. He had a lot of lines and managed to remember them all even under the pressure of performing for family and friends. He's a very bright boy. Way to go Jerry!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!! See you back here on Monday.

2009-07-10T13:37:00.003+08:00

Happy Friday everyone and it couldn't have come sooner for all of us who have been hard at work on the school performance. Treehouse is buzzing with excitement for next Wednesday, so don't forget your cameras because we have some adorable acts for you to enjoy.
This week we had our frist dress rehersal and it went fairly well. Everyone tried very hard and it seemed to pay off in the end.

Sunny did well this week. She memorized her lines and payed attention during rehersals. I noticed this week she was very helpful to her classmates.

Esther has been enthusiastic about her role in the school production. I love her positive attitude. I have heard her say many times this week: "I love being the Mongoose, and I love the stage!"

Lauren's behaviour has improved over the last week. She seems less tempermental and she is controlling her outbursts. Keep it up Lauren! Also, I noticed while we were doing paper-folding that she was very focused and barely needed help at all making complex folds.

Lily has been working very hard this week. She has a lot of lines to remember and she is doing very well during the rehersals. I am very impressed with her enthusiasm. During classtime however, I feel that Lily rushes through her work at times so that she can be first to finish, and as a result she makes unnecissary mistakes. I would like to encourage her to slow down while she is doing her work.

Frank makes a very cute Antelope! Frank is always a joy to have in class and he constantly makes me smile. His English is improving all the time and he is a very focused boy. He seems to really enjoy art and his fine motor skills are impressive. He did very well during our paper-folding class today, and remained focused and followed directions. Way to go Frank!

Jerry is a joy to have in class but he is a bit unfocused sometimes. He has a tendency to ask a questionm and then not listen to the answer. This means that he often asks the same questions several times. Despite this small problem Jerry is a sociable and delightful student.

I have not had as much time with my afternoon kids this week due to the graduation production. I am looking forward to returning to regular afternoon classes. This week Carson, Eliza, Trisha, and Henry showed their maturity as they worked independently on finishing their workbooks. I also gave them a small writing assignment on Thursday. I asked them to write "a day in the life of..." I gave them a list of objects to choose from and then asked them to describe what it would be like to live a day in the life of that object. The responses turned out to be quite creative and I was pleased at their imagination during this creative excersise.

I am looking forward to seeing all the parents on Wednesday night and I know the kids are very excited to finally show you all their hard work! See you soon!! Have a great weekend!!

Happy Friday!

2009-07-03T09:26:00.003+08:00

Well we are another week closer to the graduation performance and everyone is very busy with rehearsals. The kids are all very excited. They are working extrememly hard and memorizing all of their lines. Despite the performance, we still managed to get down to our school work this week.

July 1st was Canada Day so I was able to share a bit of my heritage with my students. We talked about some of the Canadian traditions that take place on this day and we learned about "independence." We read an article together in class and then worked on a word search.

This week in math class we continued to work on solving word problems. This is a very important skill for the children as it combines reading and mathematical reasoning.

The teachers are all very busy building the set for the school production and putting the props together. We are enjoying watching the kids rehearse; they make adorable jungle animals. It is always a joy to watch them sing and dance and enjoy themselves.

Monthly evaluations are going home this weekend so please take a look at them and feel free to adress any problems or concerns.

Have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone back here on Monday!

2009-06-26T09:18:00.003+08:00

It's getting really busy here at Treehouse with the approaching graduation performance. The kids are all very excited to perform for their family and friends and the show is coming along very nicely.
This week we worked on our yearbooks and end of the year performance. We are rapidly approaching the end of the semester and we have been reviewing our books.
In math class we have been working on word problems and learning to use our reasoning to solve simple math equations. This has proven to be good practice for both math and English.

Esther continues to participate in class and she seems more focused these days. She is having fun in rehearsals and is learning her lines.

Sunny is having fun helping her classmates learn their lines. She is a leader and she enjoys being in charge of tasks.

Lily is continuing to excel in classroom activities. She enjoys making jokes and having fun but she remains focused and finishes her work.

We have all missed Lauren this week and we wish her a speedy recovery! Get well soon Lauren, we can't wait to see you at Treehouse!

Frank is an extremely creative boy. He loves to find new ways to accomplish tasks. He is an independent thinker and he marches to the beat of his own drum.

Jerry is very talkative and loves to discuss things with the class. He sometimes becomes distracted but he is very quick witted and catches on to classroom activities very quickly.

Trisha continues to be a pleasure to have in class. She always makes me smile and she is a very focused student.

Eliza is quiet and focused. Her class work is constantly improving. Keep it up Eliza!!

Carson is very pleasant and always applies himself during class. His grammar continues to improve.

Henry gets along very well with his classmates. He works very well during group activities. Keep up the good work Henry!!

In the weeks to come we will be rehearsing for the big show. I ask that you encourage your children to practice their lines and learn their songs at home. On Monday we will try to run through the play without looking at the scripts. I am very proud of all my students as they get ready for graduation. Congratulations class of 2009!!

2009-06-12T12:13:00.005+08:00

Well, it's a week closer to graduation and the graduating class has been working very hard on their play. We've been rehearsing every morning with Teacher Scot's class and the hard work is paying off. The kids have all been very hard-working and dedicated.
This week we took a trip to the IKEA furniture store and the kids all had a great time going through the store and practicing the words for different kinds of furniture.
During our special science lesson last Saturday, we learned about acoustic resonance, or "sound movement." During our unit on sound we determined that in order for their to be sound there must be a movement or vibration. On Saturday we explored whether or not sound could move things. In order to demonstrate "acoustic resonance" we watched a short film on the Tacoma Bridge Disaster of 1940. We then created a chart of different sounds and talked about frequency and vibrations. At the end of the lesson the kids had fun strumming my guitar and watching the strings vibrate.
In math class we reviewed double-digit adding and we learned how to carry numbers. The kids caught on quickly and enjoyed the "math races" we had on the white board.

Frank is a very creative kid. His fine motor skills are very developed. He enjoys arts and crafts and I am delighted to see him explore his creeative side. Good job Frank!

Lily is an exceptionally smart girl. She follows direction and is very perceptive. She was in very good spirits this week.

Sunny is a very enthusiastic student. She is enjoying rehearsing for the show and she makes an incredible zebra! She is a natural performer.

Esther loves to read and discuss books that she has read. This week she brought in a book about "Chanticlear" the singing rooster. She enjoyed sharing this book with the class.

Lauren is a joy to have in class. During our science lesson on Saturday Lauren volunteered to sing "way back into love" while I played the guitar. Good job Lauren, you have a lovely voice!

Jerry is very charming and witty. He likes to make jokes and always has a smile on his face. He is also very curious and loves to learn new words and use them in conversation.

Tricia is very funny. She enjoys adding humour to the classroom lessons and I think this helps her remember what she has learned. During our phonics lesson this week I was emphasising the different consonant blends and she was enthusiastically repeating them back to me. we all had a good laugh while we learned something.

Eliza seems to be opening up more in class. She enjoyed strumming the guitar on Saturday and she was laughing and smiling which was nice to see from such a serious girl. Keep up the good work!

Henry has a very active mind and loves to keep busy. He is very creative during classroom discussions and always adds a unique point of view to the lesson.

Carson is always very friendly and has a very calm disposition. He is not loud during class time and always has a smile on his face and a pleasant greeting for his teachers and classmates. He brightens up the afternoon and he's a joy to have in class.

Well, hopefully the rain clears up enough this eekend to see a little bit of sunshine. I hope everone has a happy and restful weekend! See you Monday!

Back to School After a Long Weekend

2009-06-04T13:43:00.008+08:00

It looks like we managed to avoid the rain over the long weekend, and after 4 days of perfectly sunny weather, we were past-due for some well-needed showers.

This week the graduating class received their scripts for the big show! Everyone is very excited to begin rehearsals, and we ask that you run through the lines with your children if possible. We will begin official rehearsals next week, so please ensure that your child brings his/her script to school every day.

For reading class this week we did “story puzzles” together. The children worked in groups arranging the lines of a story in the correct order. They really enjoyed this activity, and loved reading the final product out loud.

In science class we discussed different sounds and made charts categorizing loud and soft sounds. For this week’s Saturday make-up class we will talk about sound waves and discuss the basic physics of sound.

In math we finished up the algebra unit and we have now started double-digit addition problems. We have also been working on word problems and practicing our mathematical reasoning.

We had a special visit from the doctor on Wednesday to make sure all the kids were healthy.

Lauren is a bright girl who sometimes becomes discouraged in class. She sometimes becomes involved in arguments with classmates and this can be a distraction from her learning. Lauren does very well on all of her assignments.

Esther is an avid reader. During our Tuesday classes she enjoys reading to me and answering comprehensive questions about the story. Keep up the good work Esther.

Although Sunny is a natural leader, she sometimes finds it difficult to take direction. I am sure her listening will continue to improve.

Lily has a tendency to become silly during class. She has a great sense of humour and she is very bright.

Jerry likes to ask questions and is always curious about things, a sign of an inquisitive mind. He continues to improve in class.

Frank lacks confidence sometimes. He can become frustrated when he doesn’t understand something right away. He is very hard working in class. Keep up the good work!!

At times Carson finds it difficult to focus. He is often chatting to his neighbour while I am explaining something, so I find myself explaining the material again. He’s a very bright and funny boy and I am sure his focus will improve if he applies himself.

Henry doesn’t always pay attention in class. He often talks when he should be listening. Overall he is a good student with a lot to say!

Tricia continues to excel in her studies. She enjoys helping her classmates and always participates during class. Keep up the good work Tricia.

Eliza is very bright but she lacks confidence. She often gives up on a task before she fully applies herself. She needs to have faith in her abilities and I am sure she will continue to improve.

We will all be here this Saturday bright and early and ready for a great day at Treehouse! Hope to see all my students for our special Science class on sound waves!

Happy Long Weekend!!

2009-05-27T08:59:00.010+08:00

This week was packed full of fun and the kids had a great time getting ready for the Dragon Boat Festival. Last week we made miniature Dragon Boats in art class and all the kids had fun painting their own boats. On Tuesday we went to the Dragon Boat Festival in the morning and the kids were all very excited to watch the races. On Tuesday afternoon we watched a movie together and had a small pre-graduation celebration. My class composed a small paragraph about themselves.

Although Lily had a couple of problems last week, her behaviour this week has improved.

Frank is applying himself during class and as a result of his efforts he is constantly improving.

Sunny had some trouble focusing last week. She is listening better this week and participating in discussions.

Esther becomes distracted at times but she is very enthusiastic and thoroughly enjoys classroom activities.

Lauren is a great student who always helps her classmates. She often corrects her own mistakes and also helps her friends correct their work.

Jerry often works ahead in his work books. He understands classroom assignments and he enjoys participating.

Henry sometimes forgets to raise his hand and sometimes becomes talkative. He is an energetic boy who likes to ask questions and get answers.

Eliza is opening up more in class and participating. She always raises her hand before speaking and she consistently does her best during classroom assignments.

Carson has been more focused the past week. He really took an interest during last week’s science lesson. Keep up the good work.

Tricia continues to apply herself in class and always has a positive outlook.

This week was a short week and we are all looking forward to a relaxing break. The students and teachers are getting ready to begin rehearsals for graduation and everyone is excited to start practicing for the big show.

Rainy Weather

2009-05-22T12:42:00.008+08:00

This week was rainy outside but still sunny inside the classroom as the children enjoyed classroom activities and remained bright-eyed despite the weather. This week we’ve been working on algebra charts during math class. The kids have been practicing their mathematical reasoning by working through number charts. During reading class we enjoyed a story about a little blue bird that was afraid to fly but soon learned to overcome his fears. We then discussed moments in our own lives when we felt afraid and how overcoming those fears made us stronger, more capable people.

In science class we discussed magnetic forces and talked about what makes magnets “stick.” We also did experiments and created charts to find out what kind of things a magnet will stick to. We discovered that magnets will only stick to certain things: metals containing iron.

We took advantage of the nice weather on Wednesday and had P.E in the park. The kids loved the relay race with Teacher Cory.

In celebration of the Dragon Boat festival we’ll be making small wooden boats over the next few days, and next Wednesday Treehouse Academy will venture out to the riverside park to watch the races. How exciting!

Lauren: Lauren is always helpful and interested in classroom discussion. She is a bright student who will continue to progress.

Melissa: Although Melissa is a shy girl, she seems to be adjusting slowly but surely.

Esther: Esther is a bright student who is always helpful to her classmates.

Sunny: Sunny is a very outgoing girl. She can accomplish great things when she puts her mind to it.

Frank: Frank always does his best during classroom activities. He is progressing well and he will continue to improve.

Jerry: Jerry is a focused student with a lot to say. He always finishes his work during class, and he enjoys challenging himself.

Lily: Lily is an energetic girl. She enjoys participating during class, and always volunteers to read and answer questions.

Carson: Carson pays attention during class and always follows along. He enjoys learning new things and likes to participate in discussions.

Henry: Henry enjoys sharing his thoughts and ideas with the class.

Trisha: Trisha is very friendly and always has something to contribute to classroom discussions.

Eliza: Although Eliza is shy, she is making an effort to participate during class discussions. Keep up the good work!

We’re very excited for the upcoming week. It is sure to be fun-filled! We’re all looking forward to the Dragon Boat festivities as well as a movie on Wednesday. Next week is a short week, so we will all be able to enjoy a well-deserved rest. Have a great weekend.

2009-05-15T17:02:00.009+08:00

My first week at Treehouse has been great! I am having a wonderful time getting to know all of my students. They are all such smart kids. This week I introduced some Yoga warm-up exercises in class and the kids had fun creating the ir own “animal poses” while we listened to some music. I told them a bit about myself and where I am from and they asked many questions and were eager to know more about my home. During science class we studied “the way things move” and we talked about different forces that affect movement. As an experiment, we all made paper airplanes (different sizes and shapes) and tested them to see which ones would fly further. All the children had a chance to fly their planes once inside and once outside. The kids were all interested to see whose plane would go the furthest while they learned about wind as an unpredictable “force.”

Tuesday was an exciting day for the kids as we visited the yogurt factory and had a picnic in the park. The kids had fun learning about how yogurt s made and touring the factory. They were all very entertained watching the machines in action.

I’ve been talking to my class and finding out their interests, and I have exciting and educational activities planned for the month ahead, including science experiments, story-writing, and arts and crafts. The graduation show is also coming up and the students and teachers are very excited to start rehearsals.

Lily:
Lily is a very funny little girl. She always has a smile on her face and she is a joy to teach. She helps her classmates and she loves to talk and ask questions.

Melissa:
Melissa is a quiet and thoughtful girl. She loves to play with her friends and she gets along well with the other students. She is interested in learning and always asks questions if she doesn’t understand.

Sunny:
Sunny is a very smart kid. She is inquisitive in class and is always eager to ask questions. She’s very sharp and likes to crack jokes. She’s a helpful and attentive student.

Lauren:
Lauren is very smart and her reading skills are advanced. I am often impressed when she volunteers to read out loud for the class. She is helpful and considerate towards her classmates.

Esther:
Esther is a brilliant student. She always volunteers to answer questions during class, and she is always eager to know more about the subject we are studying.

Frank:
Frank is very helpful; during class. He’s a sharp student and he catches on very quickly. He always participates during class discussions and he is comfortable speaking and asking questions if he doesn’t understand.

Jerry:
Jerry is always making the teacher laugh! He’s is a bright and loveable kid with a lot to say. He’s a joy to have in class and he always brightens my day.

Carson:
Carson is an intelligent boy with a lot to say. He participates during class and is always very creative when answering questions. He listens to his teacher and enjoys contributing to class discussions.

Henry:

Henry has been very helpful during my first week of class. He helps me around the classroom and is always eager to participate.

Eliza:

Eliza is a quiet and studious girl. She always finishes her work during class time. Although she seems a little shy, she always has something interesting to say when I call on her in class.

Trisha:

Trisha is a bright girl who always has a smile on her face. She is eager to help her classmates and she always volunteers during class activities.

I am very excited to get to know the unique personalities of all of my new students and I am sure we will have all kinds of fun during the months ahead. They are a great group of kids and they brighten my days!

Hi, I am teacher Sandi.

2009-05-11T17:01:00.005+08:00

Hi, I am teacher Sandi. I have been living and teaching in Taipei for a year and a half. I recently joined the Tree house family. I grew up in Canada, where I went to university and graduated with a four year honours B.A in English Language and Literature from the University of Western Ontario. I look forward to getting to know your children individually, and becoming a part of their learning experiences.

April 30

2009-04-30T09:21:00.003+08:00

We've had a fun week. We've been learning about measurements such as cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, kilograms, grams, pounds, inches and centimeters. We had fun using what we learned in math class by cooking a cheese cake these last few days. We've also been reading a story about a bear who can't find the peace and quiet to get a good night's sleep and singing lots of new songs.

Sunny has been very well behaved and focused in class. She has come to school with a positive attitude each day.

Esther has been doing solid book work in class and her spoken english is more and more accurate.

Lauren has been doing good work in class. She told me that from now on she will be wearing her eye patch from the beginning of school until 10AM.

Lily has been well behaved this week and continues to have a very positive attitude.

Jerry is doing good work in class. I saw that he got a bump the other day after class. He told me that he was racing on one of the cars a little too fast and fell over. We spoke about being a bit more careful when he's playing outside.

Frank is doing great work and making substantial progress. Keep it up!

Tricia is continuing to improve in class. Her speaking ability is really taking off

Eliza is still a little hesitant to volunteer to speak out in class but she responds to questions with more and more accuracy.

Carson's attitude is still positive everyday and his spoken english is continuing to improve. Keep it up!

Henry is putting forth a very strong effort to pay attention and work hard and it is paying off.

April 24

2009-04-24T09:17:00.003+08:00

Hi everyone! What beautiful weather we have today! The graduating class went to a photo studio and we all had a grand old time posing for the photographer. The Armadillos looked like proper young ladies and gentlemen and the staff of the studio kept telling me, "Wow, they are so well behaved! Much better than most of the other students we see."

Sunny impressed me again this week. We were learning how to find the circumference of a shape. She picked it up very quickly, and then made the jump to answer a few much more advanced questions as well.

Lily and I have continued our ongoing conversation about being bossy and telling other people what to do. I think she is beginning to understand.

Lauren did seem very shy at the photo studio, but she looked so pretty in her dress. You will enjoy the pictures, I am sure.

Esther has gotten into a little bit of trouble for bickering with her classmates recently. Academically, her work is still very strong.

The photographer was very impressed with Jerry. He said he was a 'born natural.' He is very photogenic.

Frank looked very handsome in his suit earlier this week. He has been doing very good work in math class.

Tricia has such a vibrant personality. I am continually impressed by her positive outlook.

Eliza has had a little bit of trouble paying attention in class today. I have had to remind her where we are in the books a number of times.

Henry's reading is beginning to take off. Keep up the great work ethic!

Carson's reading is getting better and better. His pronunciation is beginning to improve as well. Keep it up!

April 17

2009-04-17T08:55:00.003+08:00

We celebrated Easter on Monday of this week by decorating real eggs, hiding plastic eggs and making bunny ear hats. On Tuesday we took a trip to the Public Library next to Daan Forest Park where they have an impressively large English Children's book collection.

Lily got into a bit of trouble yesterday for being bossy in class and chatting during naptime.
She and Lauren were both very excited for their quiz in teacher Andy's class. We reviewed a bit during play time.

Lauren has mostly had a good week. She got into a bit of trouble for chatting during nap time. She accepted her punishment in good form and was very excited to study for her vocab quiz that afternoon.

Esther had another productive week in class.

Eliza was complaining about a headache and not feeling well yesterday. We checked but she did not have a fever. I hope she is feeling better today.

Tricia has been jubilant all week. It was very nice chatting with you earlier in the week.

Henry has been very focused this week. Keep up the good work.

Carson is continuing to be very active and focused in class. He is making extraordinary progress.

Jerry is very focused in class. He is a little bossy sometimes but we are working on it.

Frank is doing great work in class. His conversational English is steadily improving.

Sunny is continuing to do very good work in class. She has been well behaved and hard working this week.

April 10

2009-04-10T10:01:00.014+08:00

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It has been a pleasure to meet with all of you this week. We did a special project this week preparing and draining the Easter eggs we will decorate next week. We also did a fun Montessori style project practicing how to tie our shoes, zip up a zipper, open and close buttons etc. These projects should be useful information and also will help to improve fine motor skills. We read a story about an American who accidentally discovered how to make popsicles by leaving a glass of soda outside on a cold night with a stick inside. We also made our very own popsicles which we will enjoy this afternoon.

Lily and I will continue to work on what we spoke about in the meeting. She especially enjoyed using food coloring to dye her hollowed out egg this morning.

Jerry has gotten into trouble once or twice this week for speaking when he ought to be listening. I hope this won't become a reoccurring problem. He has been so well behaved in the past.

Lauren has been focused in class this week. She has been productive and well behaved. This morning, when she was drying off her hollowed out egg at the end of our project, she squeezed it too hard and broke it into lots of pieces. We will continue to decorate these eggs next week. If she likes, she may hollow out a new egg at home over the weekend and we can dye it at school on Monday. If that is too much trouble, she is welcome to use the egg that I have already prepared myself for demonstration.

Esther has been doing good work in class and has maintained her pleasant demeanor. I was worried to hear that she feels like she has been targeted by her friends. I keep a very close eye on them and I am quite sure that she is not being bullied. There are times when not everybody plays together. Some days Esther plays in different groups. Other days other girls play in different groups. Esther is not being individually left out. The things that she mentioned to me, when I asked her, actually happen to all of the girls from time to time. In the future, if she feels like she is being treated unfairly, I have told her that she should speak to me directly about it. If you have more questions about this, please feel free to let me know.

Sunny has continued to do good work in class. She seemed to especially enjoy the preparations we have done for our Easter egg decorations.

Frank has continued to work very hard in class. He had some trouble at first learning how to tie a bow but he kept at it and eventually got it. We will practice again next week to make sure that everyone still remembers. He should, now, be comfortable tying his own shoes.

Eliza has had a good week. She seemed to enjoy the popsicles we made in class. I hope these sorts of activities will make science class more interesting for her.

Tricia has continued to bring a very positive attitude to class each day. She is full of energy and both her conversational English and reading are progressively improving.

Carson has continued to work very hard in class. His reading has improved considerably. Keep it up.

Henry has been very hard working and focussed in class for the last two weeks. His reading is beginning to take off. Keep up the great work!

March 27

2009-03-26T10:00:00.009+08:00

This week we have been learning about more than and less than as well as number patterns and ordering double digit numbers. We had a story reading contest on Tuesday which was very successful. Each student stood up in front of the whole school and read book. The Armadillo class chose one of the scary stories we have read called, “The Green Ribbon.”

I spoke to Lily the other day about the importance of first impressions. She ought to be on her best behavior when she has a new teacher.

Frank didn’t quite understand the math we were working on the other day but just continued to write down answers during our independent work time. We spoke about how he ought to ask questions when he doesn’t completely understand.

Jerry’s work has begun to get a little bit messy again. I have been reminding him to write neatly and take pride in the appearance of his work.

Sunny has made a big improvement on her independent work and her general work ethic. Keep it up!

Lauren came in first place in the story reading contest. Congratulations! She stood up straight, read clearly and accurately. Her hard work is clearly paying off.

Esther came in second place in the story reading contest. She stood up straight, read clearly and with great emotion. Great job!

I was so sad to see that Tricia got bumped while she was sleeping. But she took it in stride and hasn’t complained one bit. She was back in class that very afternoon and ready to get back to work.

Eliza has been doing good work this week. I have placed her up in the very front of the class where she can see the board more clearly.

Henry has been putting forth a very good effort this week. He had his homework prepared and completed properly on time. Great work.

Carson has continued to work very hard and focus in class. His reading really has improved considerably over the year. Keep up the great effort!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-20T09:08:00.004+08:00

We have continued working on the past and future tense verbs in morning circle. We had fun in Daan Park on Tuesday. Teacher Scott told us all about the story of St. Patrick's Day and we wore the hats that we made the day before. Then we came back to Tree House for some special green dumplings. In math class, we have continued learning about two digit numbers and moved on to adding and subtracting double digit numbers.

Jerry is doing very good work in class. Every now and then, his skin gets very itchy. I always tell him not to scratch but I understand that it must be very hard. When his skin gets like that, is there anything I can do to make him feel more comfortable? A glass of water or a special cream?

Lauren's work ethic is still very strong in class. She told me the other day that she doesn't like math because she's not very good at it, but she had just answered a very complicated problem that nobody else knew the answer to. It's funny, because she is actually very good at math. When I told her that, I don't think she believed me.

Frank is continuing to do very good work in class. He surprised me in math class the other day. He raised his hand and said he really wanted to answer a new, hard question and got the answer completely correct. He's clearly putting forth a very strong effort and it is paying off.

Esther's command of the past and future tense is very strong. She is learning to speak very accurately and has a strong command of the new math we are learning.

Lily has continued to do superb work in the classroom. Her attitude hasn't been the best this week. Once or twice I found her crying over things that seemed rather trivial. Sometimes it's hard to tell if she is just pretending or if something is really bothering her. I think, part of it, may be looking for attention. I will keep my eye on her next week.

Sunny has been doing very good work in class and seems to be more and more excited about learning. Her attitude has been very positive and she has been making great progress in class. She needs to work on her pronunciation of R and L sounds. We have been working on that in class and I will keep my eye on her.

Henry still hasn't finished his homework that was due last Monday. Our homework assignments are not very hard and shouldn't take long to finish. This has been a problem for him all year long.

Carson's strong work ethic is really paying off. He's doing very good work in class and is very focused. His reading level has improved considerably. Great work.

I have split up Tricia and Elisa in class and it seems to be helpful for them to remain focussed. Elisa mentioned to me yesterday that she had trouble seeing the board. I will make sure to have her sit in the front from now on.

Tricia comes to class everyday with such a positive attitude and a big smile on her face. Her level is improving quickly which is mostly due to her strong work ethic. Her postivie attitude and outgoing personality will be very helpful towards language learning down the road.

Eliza has shown a definite improvement in her work ethic recently. She is slowly becoming more and more outgoing in class. I'll keep my eye on her continue encouraging her to speak out more.

2009-03-13T12:24:00.003+08:00

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We've had a great time this week. We made para sail pencils last Friday. On Tuesday we had another PE class in the park. It's great to take advantage of this nice weather. We have been reading about the 5 senses, smell, taste, hearing, sight and touch. We have also learned a poem about raindrops and spoken about cleanliness and not sharing germs.

Henry has shown a noticable improvement recently. He is putting forth a strong effort and it is paying off.

Carson is continuing to work hard in class and focus. His hard work is really paying off.

Eliza has been doing better in class. She and Tricia have been better about staying focused and have been integrating with the rest of the class. I think it may be positive for the two of them to sit separately for a while in order to make other friends and use more English regularly.

Lily has been doing very strong work though her attitude sometimes slips. A few times this week she has bumped her finger and then burst into tears. On a certain level, I think this is a call for attention. I'll keep my eye on her.

I have been enjoying helping Lily and Lauren prepare for their vocabulary quizzes during break times.

Lauren is doing very strong work. Her vocabulary is improving very quickly. I think Teacher Andy's class is proving very productive for her.

Esther has grown into a very independent young women. She is very good at completing a project from start to finish all on her own. This is a rare quality in girls her age and should be praised.

Sunny is doing very strong work and seems to be getting more and more interested in her school work. Keep it up!

Week 5

2009-03-06T09:01:00.003+08:00

We've had a very fun week. We finished lots of math work, focusing on patterns and odd and even numbers. We read a poem about raindrops and a story about our five senses. In Science, we reviewed our three units on solids, liquids and gases. We've also made a lot of progress in our tops books, working out some of our problems with grammar word order.

Feb 27

2009-02-27T09:20:00.005+08:00

We’ve had a very fun week. We took advantage of the nice weather on Wednesday to go to the park with Teacher Scott’s Panda class. We played with the basketball and did some relay races. We all had fun at the Children’s Art Museum on Tuesday and we’ve been working on fine motor skills in our arts and crafts segment this morning.

Lily has been doing very good work in class. I will talk to her about “White Lies” and about how sometimes, not telling the whole truth is the same as telling a lie. It will be a good exercise for the whole class.

Lauren had a bit of a scare yesterday. While she was playing, she bumped into another girl. The other girl fell over and cut open her lip. They both should be more careful, but I do think it was an accident. Regardless, Lauren was a little shaken up afterwards. I will talk to her about it today.

Esther has been continuing in much the same manner. She does solid work in class. From time to time, I have to remind her not to chat with her friends when she has finished her work.

Sunny has been very focused in class this week and her reading is improving considerably. Keep it up!

Jerry does solid work in class and has continued to ask lots of questions outside of class. He brings a very positive work ethic towards language learning. Keep it up.

Frank has been putting forth a good effort in class. He still needs some extra time to pick up new ideas I math, but he does get it when he puts in the effort.

Carson has been making great improvements in class. He has grown into a real science wiz and often answers comprehension questions that nobody else can.

Henry has been doing better but he still needs to focus in class. He has a lot more trouble with reading than his classmates and thus really needs to focus in class each day.

Tricia’s continuing to do stellar work. Keep it up!

I spoke to Teacher Paul about Eliza’s hearing. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I will pay special attention to her in that regard.

February 20

2009-02-20T08:53:00.004+08:00

This semester, so far, we have a few big points to focus on. Students should be speaking and writing in full sentences, not with one word answers. We should be conjugating present tense verbs properly in the first and third person. Question words should go at the beginning of the sentences. No more “Chinglish” sentence patterns. A few students still need to improve their handwriting and fine motor skills. We are also beginning to devote a portion of morning circle time towards using the past and future tense accurately in conversational situations. This week, we worked on our large motor skills and hand eye coordination during PE class on the basketball court. We have been continuing to work with larger numbers, up to 100 in math class. We began reading a new story called The Shrinking Mouse and a poem called The Peach. We’ve been learning about solids and liquids in science class. Next week we will move on to gasses.

Sunny has shown a very positive work ethic this week. As a result, she has been very productive and made lots of progress.

Frank picks up new ideas a little slowly sometimes and that is OK, but he needs to put in an extra effort to focus in class. Without reminders, he often spaces out.

Jerry brings a great work ethic ad a positive attitude to class every day. Keep it up!

Lauren’s fine motor skills are improving. She is beginning to take more care over her work. She was the first student to score a basket in our PE class on Wednesday.

Esther has developed very fine penmanship to compliment her strong, independent work ethic. She was a real star when we played basketball in PE class. She's a born natural. Great work!

Lily’s vocabulary has improved significantly. I can tell that she is beginning to use words that she has learned in teacher Andy’s class. Her energy level seems to have returned after a short snag last week. Keep up the great work!

Tricia brings enthusiasm and a positive attitude to class each day. Her spoken English is improving considerably as a result of her outgoing attitude.

Eliza has remained a little withdrawn in class. Each day, it takes her a considerable amount of time to wake up. She still doesn’t feel comfortable expressing herself in the English language. She is polite and attentive in class, but she stays very quiet and tries to answer questions with single words instead of complete sentences. I’ll keep my eye on her and try to bring her out of her shell. The only way to learn the English language is to actually speak English.

Henry needs to focus in class every day. He put in a very concerted effort yesterday after getting into trouble for chatting and not paying attention the day before. This is becoming a cycle. I’d like to see him putting in that type of effort every day, not just for a few classes after he gets in big trouble.

Carson is doing great work in class and making positive progress. Keep up the strong work ethic!

2009-02-13T09:46:00.004+08:00

I’m still rather amazed by the car Frank brought into show and tell. When he told me it walks on walls, I thought he was joking. He’s been focused this week and been making good progress.

Jerry has been in very high spirits. He has been doing good work and has been focused in class. I wrote before that Jerry had been getting a little bossy with the other students, telling them what to do as if he were a teacher. He has made great improvements in this area and isn’t doing that anymore.

Lauren has brought a great attitude to class each day this week. She has been positive and focused. Keep up the good work!

Lily has been doing very good work these days. She has made such extraordinary progress over the last few months. I was very happy to see that she brought in that book last week and asked questions. Any time she would like to bring in something for us to read in class, she is more than welcome to do so.

Sunny has, for the most part, been doing very good work this week. She got into a little bit of trouble for talking in class earlier this week. I think she understood why she was punished and don’t expect it to be an issue again. Otherwise, she has been focused and well behaved.

Esther has been doing solid work this week. I was very happy to see that she brought in two books for show and tell today. We will try to find time to read them this afternoon.

Tricia returned to class in very high spirits. She’s a real joy to have in class. I’m looking forward to having her for another semester.

Eliza was well behaved and focused in class this week. She’s always much quieter during the first half of class than the second. Maybe she’s just slow to wake up from naptime. I’d like to see her be a little more outgoing and speak up in class. Sometimes it is very hard to hear what she is saying.

Carson has being doing very good work in class. He is focused and hard working. His reading is progressing but his reading comprehension is really top notch. He’s often the only student to fully understand the science reading the first time through.

Henry has been better in class this week. I’d still like to see him paying more attention while other students are reading. He always moves his finger along with the book, but sometimes I can tell that he’s just moving his finger, not really following along mentally.

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

2009-02-06T09:06:00.004+08:00

Welcome back everyone! I hope you had a wonderful and rejuvenating holiday. I know I did. We’ve been getting right back into the swing of things. We enjoyed reading a few new poems, learned about hide and seek and read lovely story about the Seven Sillies. I we all agree that the real seven Seven Sillies are the Armadillo Class.

Lily has been in good spirits and focusing in class but she looks a little out of sorts. She seems like she has a little bit less energy than usual. I noticed that she had a bit of a rash. Is everything OK?

Lauren has been in very high spirits. She has been focused and alert in class and very well behaved. Keep up the good work.

Esther has been doing solid work, especially during math class. She picks up new material very quickly. Great work.

Sunny has been coming to school with a very positive attitude this week. It’s wonderful to see the transformation between the first few months of class and now. Keep up the good work!

Jerry has been doing solid work. He still goes out of his way to tell me stories about his weekend and loves talking about his father. He was very welcoming to some boys who visited our class the other day. Thank you for that.

Frank has continued to improve in class. His motor skills, small and large, are improving, but he has a long ways to go. We’ll keep working on it.

Hapy Chinese New Year!

2009-01-21T16:21:00.002+08:00

We've been wrapping things up this week. Everybody has made such great progress this year. We should finish decorating our ginger bread house later this week. Happy New Year everyone!

Mountain trips and gingerbread houses!

2009-01-16T08:53:00.007+08:00

My apologies for posting the blog late this week. I was a little bit sick yesterday so I stayed home to rest and recover. We had a great time visiting the mountain on Tuesday. We learned all about how to make bamboo sticky rice, Beatles, went for a walk and lots of other fun activities. It was cold out but we did our best to stay warm. We've started working on our ginger bread house. It has been a very educational activity and we have been using cooking as a practical way to review and improve on what we have been learning about fractions in math class.

Esther hasn’t had the best week. She hasn’t been focusing in class and she’s been getting into trouble for misbehaving. I hope her behavior will return to normal next week.

Lily has been doing well this week. We’ve been learning about fractions and she picked up everything very quickly.

Sunny has made such great improvements this semester. Her attitude has improved greatly and she has been making great progress in class. She really is a very smart kid.

Lauren has been doing good work. I think she has a firm grasp of the new math material we have been covering. She has surprised me once or twice by answering questions that none of her classmates could understand. Keep it up!

Jerry has been doing good work. He continues to be outgoing and take advantage of every opportunity to use the language.

Frank has been coming along. New material takes him some time to grasp but he is working hard and improving. His reading has improved drastically over the last few months.

Eliza and Tricia are a real joy to have in class but they have both been chatting with each other a little too much. I recognize that they are the only two older girls in the class and very bright. They both do good work. I would prefer not to separate them because they clearly have grown to be good friends. If they both wish to continue sitting next to each other, they will need to stop focus more in class.

Samson’s behavior has begun to deteriorate in class. He got into big trouble earlier this week. He needs to focus and stay on task. He also needs to stop flipping to the back of his book and looking at pictures while we are working.

Carson has made great progress. His reading has improved considerably and his comprehension is very very good. Keep up the hard work!

Henry needs to focus in class. I can’t stress this enough. He is at great risk of falling behind.

2009-01-08T13:57:00.004+08:00

We have been reading a lovely story about firefighters and learning about fractions in math class. We learned about halves, thirds and quarters the other morning. Some of the students’ handwriting has gotten a little messy so we did a demo this morning going through the stroke order of each letter and working on forming full, round, fat, pretty letters. We are going to spend our arts and crafts time over the next 2-3 weeks working on building a ginger bread house from scratch. I’ll be sure to post some pictures when we’re done. Happy New Year everyone!

Lily has been doing great work. She seems a little bit under the weather with her stuffy nose but her attitude is still positive.

Sunny is also a little sick. Her cough sounds better than before, but she’s still, clearly, a little under the weather. Her attitude has been productive and she has been on task in class.

Lauren has been doing good work though she has been a little too chatty with her classmates. We did some good work on improving her dexterity.

Esther has been on task though she, also, is a little too chatty with her classmates. She is rarely naughty when she thinks I’m looking, but if she thinks I’m gone she sometimes misbehaves.

Jerry has also been a little too excited in class this week. I’m glad that he is happy and interested in our work but he needs to work on not speaking out of turn.

Frank has had some trouble concentrating this week. Maybe it’s because he has been a little bit sick.

Carson came back to class on Wednesday with a very positive attitude. His listening comprehension is really quite good. When I ask the class questions about a reading, he almost always has the answer.

Eliza is still very quiet in class but she’s doing good work. It seems like she’s the most talkative when she is chit chatting with Tricia.

Tricia should put an effort into keeping on task and not chit chatting with Eliza too much.

Samson does read extremely well and has great comprehension but he needs to work on speaking with complete sentences and with correct grammar.

Henry has not has a good week. He didn’t do his homework over the weekend. In class, he has not been concentrating. He has trouble so I give him a lot of leeway as far as reading and comprehension, but he needs to try. If he isn’t trying, then he will continue to get into trouble.