November School-Wide Food Drive

“Paws Hunger”: A Food Drive Benefiting Second Harvest North Florida November 12, 2013 – December 6, 2013 Thank you for your school’s support in putting a “Paws on Hunger!” Food drives help enable Second Harvest to provide food to the less fortunate families in our community who are struggling to put food on the table. They are in need of healthy shelf-stable items that families can build well-rounded meals from. Their suggested food drive menu items include: 1. Canned fruit: fruit cocktail, sliced peaches 2. Canned vegetables: corn, green beans 3. Canned meats: tuna, beef, all others 4. Canned beans: pork ‘n beans, black beans 5. Canned soup: chicken noodle soup, vegetable soup 6. Canned tomatoes and pasta sauce 7. Grains: pasta, rice 8. Breakfast cereals and granola bars 9. Peanut butter and jelly (non-glass containers) 10. Shelf-stable milk At the conclusion of the food drive, Second Harvest will weigh your school’s donations. The winning schools will be determined by comparing the total pounds of goods collected from each school to the number of students enrolled to identify the average pounds per student. The school with the highest pounds per student is the winner!

Boosterthon Information

Parents, The Boosterthon Fun Run kicked off with a thrilling Pep Rally and I am super excited about this year’s program. The Boosterthon Fun Run program involves all students in a fun, team building, fitness event while helping our school raise much-needed funds. The central focus of this year’s character program is FRIENDSHIP. This year’s character theme is CAMP HIGH FIVE, and the Booster Team will take students on a fun-filled journey teaching them the importance of friendship. Here’s how you can help: 1) LOG ON to your student’s website at www.FunRun.com using your student’s access code on the Pledge Book that cam home with them today. Log on each night to watch the Camp High Five character and music videos, and enter pledge information. 2) GET PLEDGES by connecting your student with 10 sponsors. The new funrun.com has many ways to use social media in the pledging process and pay online. Be sure to capture and record the e-mail address of each sponsor, as they will have an easy opportunity to pay for your student’s pledge by credit card online. 3) COME TO THE BOOSTERTHON FUN RUN NEXT WEEK! Remember, students will be running 30-35 laps and we would love to have lots of support for our team! Thank you for supporting our classroom and our school! I’ll see you next week at the Boosterthon Fun Run on 11/14 @ 8:45 Sincerely, Ms. McDonnell mcdonnellv@duvalschools.org

Help our classstuff a stocking...

Our class will be "Stuffing a Stocking" for a United States Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine that will be on deployment during this holiday season. Pleae feel free to send in any of the below items for donation between now and October 31st. *Instant Coffee Packets *Sweeteners *Powder Coffee Creamers *Beef Jerky *Slim Jims *Granola Bars *Cracker Jacks *Oreos or other cookies *Pringles *Sandwich Crackers *Protein Bars *Trail Mix *Nuts *Hard Candies *Gummy Candies *Hot Chocolate Packets *Chewing Gum *Crossword Puzzle Books *Sudoku Books You can also feel free to send in any other type of snack item (EXCEPT CHOCOLATE AS IT WILL MELT IN THE HEAT DURING SHIPPING!!!) Thank you in advance for your giving spirits! Ms. McDonnell

Scholastic Book Orders for October

Scholastic book orders for the month of October are due by 10/11/13.

Reflex Math

Parents, Your child has received a log in for the program Reflex Math. This program helps students with math fact fluency. It is recommended that they log into the program at least 3x a week in order for it to be most effective. I would highly encourage the use of this program at home for math enrichment. It's not only educational but it's also a fun and FREE resource for the students. If you have any additional questions please feel free to e-mail me @ mcdonnellv@duvalschools.org Thank you, Ms. McDonnel

Student Picture Day

Friday 9/27/13 is school picture day. Please be sure to have your child dressed how you would like them to be seen in the school year book.

BSE T-Shirts

Here is a sneak peak at this year's Bartram Springs T-Shirts!  They will be on Navy Blue shirts with white writing.  Froms will be sent home from the PTA on Friday if you would like to order them.  Friday is usually school spirit day here @ BSE so let's all show our Bartram Pride!

E-mail me if you have any questions,

Ms. McDonnell

Open House

First Grade will be having our Open House this Thursday September 12th at 6:15. Please feel free to come see some of your child's work as well as find out more information about the classroom. We look forward to seeing you. Ms. McDonnell

Peanut Butter Collection

Our school is collecting jars of peanut better to support an organization called Feeding America. The class with the most participation and support in regards to items donated will receive a treat! Let's instill the lifelong trait of being giving to others in the students starting now! If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me. mcdonnellv@duvalschools.org

Volunteer Orientation

Volunteer orientation for parents is 9/12 @ 8:30 in media center

What a great start!

What a great start! Parents, Thank you for all your assistance in making the start of your child's 1st grade year great!! If you haven't finished filling out the papers in the folder (including page for the code of conduct) please do so as soon as possible. Please have all supplies in to the classroom by Friday 9-6-13. I have sent home a Scholastic book flyer. This is such a great way for you to get your child excited about reading as well as help us earn FREE books for our classroom. This is how I build my classroom library to make a variety of book available for your children to enjoy. Even just buying 1 book (as low as $1.00) can really make your child excited. All online orders are due by 9/13/13. The resource schedule is going to be different then it was last year. We are on a track not a weekly rotation. So we will not have resource on the same day every week i.e. (Thursday = p.e. this will not happen the same every week anymore). Next week (9/3/13-9/6/13) we have a resource on Thursday @ 12:55 (Music) that is the only resource for that week. Please be sure to check the blog weekly for updates about the classroom. Thank you, Ms. McDonnell mcdonnellv@duvalschools.org

School Lunch Information for 2013-2014 School Year

Paid Lunch Meal Price Increase

The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010 requires that we review and adjust the price students pay for “paid” lunches on an annual basis. For the coming 2013-14 School Year, a $0.05 meal price increase is required per HHFKA, this will only affect “paid lunch” meal prices. Free & reduced students are not impacted by this lunch price increase. The Paid Lunch Meal price for elementary school lunch will increase from $1.65 to $1.70. At this new $1.70 price, we still remain below most elementary school lunch pricing in the surrounding counties and large Florida districts. The Paid Lunch Meal price for secondary schools will increase from $2.15 to $2.20 per paid lunch meal and is also below most other districts.

Horse Hardcover Book

Your child received the 1st of 2 books they will get as part of the upcoming field trip to the Jacksonville Equestrian Center on May 30th.  Today's storybook is called "Little Black, A Pony".  These books are for them to keep and enjoy @ home.  I have placed their name inside the front cover to avoid them getting lost.  The 2nd book will be sent home on Friday May 17th. 

Received Today

Will recieve on May 17th

End of the Year Celebration!

Attention Parents,

     Our classroom end of the year celebration will be on Thursday June 6, 2013 starting @ 11:30.  The class choose the theme of "Indoor Picnic".  I have sent home items that we need donated to our celebrations.  If you are able to donate, donations can start being sent in on Monday June 3-Wednesday June 5.  Parents are more than welcome to attend, I just need to know in advance to make sure we have enough food etc.

Thank you and feel free to e-mail me if you have any additional questions.

Ms. McDonnell

This week in our classroom...

Spelling Words Theme 10 Week 3


(Last week of Spelling Words for the year)

1. deepest

2. newer

3. faster

4. richer

5. highest

6. warmest

7. kindest

8. smaller

9. happier

10. quietly

Main Story: (To be tested on Friday)- Days With Frog and Toad

Target Skills: Base Words and Endings –er, -est; Cause and Effect

Vocabulary skill: Suffix –ly; Clothing Words