Teacher Alice's Superstars

Week 3

2010-03-11T12:36:00.001+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 3rd week of the spring semester of class. I will not be here on Friday so Teacher Paul will substitute my class.

This week we completed:

Reading: We read In My Family. It is a story about a Mexican girl and her childhood. She has many happy memories of her childhood. She loved to look at horned toads with her brother. They had fun barbecue and dancing parties. They also ate cactus pads cooked with salt and chili.

Science: This week, we took the Chapter 7 test.

Next week: We will learn more about our planet earth and how it moves. We will also read a story named Cactus Hotel. Quiz for week 2 & 3 words will be on Thursday.

Individual Student Comments:

Chanel is still having trouble with attention sometimes.

Chloe is not as careful when she does her workbook as she was before.

Lily is doing very well in class and finishes her work quickly.

Roy is doing well but is very careless sometimes.

Sam is doing well and is trying to work faster.

Allen is improving his writing skills.

Gene is doing well in class and pays attention.

Harris is doing well in class but should study vocabulary more.

Joshua should try to remember to not make the same mistakes constantly.

Kevin is doing well but needs to pay more attention during lessons.

Samson needs to improve on following directions given in class.

Homework:

- Diary (at least 15 sentences) – Write about your Chinese school friends and teachers, and things that are fun at school.

- Copy week 4 vocabulary

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Week 2

2010-03-05T15:10:00.002+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 2nd week of class and we’re starting elective classes this week. Elective classes are designed for students to learn a new skill or to improve one they already have. We have a variety of classes for students: computer, choir, drama, art, sports, and band.

This week we completed:

Reading: We read The Terrible Eek. It is a Japanese story about a mistake. A father was telling his son that he is afraid of a terrible leak but a thief on the roof heard terrible “eek”. The thief thought that an eek was a terrible monster and he was afraid.

Science: This week, we learned about learned about ways to describe weather. Scientists use many instruments to describe the weather and to make forecasts. They use barometers to measure air pressure, thermometer to measure temperature, anemometer to measure the wind speed, rain gauge to measure how much precipitation has fallen, and weather vane to see which direction the wind is blowing.

Next week: Chapter 7 science test and read In My Family.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin was not here for 3 days and needs to make up his quiz.

Chanel is doing well in this first week and got 96% on her first quiz of the semester.

Chloe is doing well in this first week and got 91% on her first quiz of the semester.

Lily is doing well in this first week and got 91% on her first quiz of the semester.

Roy is doing well in this first week and got 96% on his first quiz of the semester.

Sam is doing well in this first week and got 96% on his first quiz of the semester.

Allen is doing well in this first week and got 100% on his quiz! Yay!

Gene needs to study harder for his vocabulary quiz.

Harris needs to study harder for his vocabulary quiz.

Joshua needs to study harder for his vocabulary quiz.

Kevin needs to study harder for his vocabulary quiz.

Samson is doing well in this first week and got 96% on his first quiz of the semester.

Homework:

Diary (at least 15 sentences)

Copy week 3 vocabulary

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Spring Semester!

2010-02-26T14:10:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 1^st week of the spring semester of class. Welcome back everyone! We have 2 new students (Kevin & Joseph) in the 4:45 class 3B. We are going to play laser tag today! It's a very fun and exciting game. ^__^

This week we completed:

Reading: We did not read a story this week.

Science: This week, we learned about the weather and their different properties. Air temperature, air pressure, and wind all determine the weather conditions. When high pressure air masses meet lower pressure ones, weather changes occur. Then we learned about the water cycle. It includes evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is doing well in this first week.

Chanel is doing well in this first week.

Chloe is doing well in this first week.

Lily is doing well in this first week.

Roy is doing well in this first week.

Sam is doing well in this first week.

Allen is doing well in this first week.

Gene is doing well in this first week.

Harris is doing well in this first week.

Joseph is missing many lessons and homework assignment because he only came 1 time this week.

Joshua is doing well in this first week but should finish his assignments.

Kevin is doing well in this first week.

Samson is doing well in this first week.

Homework:

Diary (at least 15 sentences)

Copy week 2 vocabulary

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Last Week of Fall Semester!

2010-01-29T15:00:00.006+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 22^nd week of class. It is the last week of the fall semester. We’ve come such a long way since September. All the kids have worked hard, struggled, laughed, and achieved many new things. I’m looking forward to even more improvements next semester.

Final Test Scores:

All scores are shown in %

Class 3A	Arvin	Chanel	Chloe	Lily	Roy	Sam
Science	107	96	107	100	104	107
Reading	90	86	90	96	94	86
Vocab.	99	98	99	100	100	98

Class 3B	Allen	Edwin	Gene	Harris	Joshua
Science	93	104	100	107	107
Reading	64	94	94	84	74
Vocab.	82	99	83	92	90

Have a great winter vacation and happy Chinese New Year!!! See you back here on February 22!

Teacher Alice

Winter Camp Started!

2010-01-22T12:39:00.004+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 21^st week of class. We are almost finished with this quarter. It’s been a bumpy ride, but all the kids have tried hard and shown that they can learn and do more than expected. Winter camp started this week and many students have gone on fun outings already. We also got sad news that Timmy will be leaving this class as he is transferring to an American school and will be unable to attend Tree House any longer. Timmy, you will be missed!

This week we completed:

Reading: No reading this week.

Science: This week, we finished the chapter 6 test.

Individual Student Comments:

Everyone is doing well… but Allen, Joshua, and Chanel need to practice and study the grammar (verb tenses & in/at/on) more!

Homework:

STUDY ALL VOBAULARY WORDS!!!

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Week 20

2010-01-15T13:21:00.002+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 20^th week of class. We are going to a night market for fun day today. There will be little games for the kids to play. It will be super fun!

This week we completed:

Reading: There are no more stories for this semester.

Science: This week, we learned about fast changes on land – hurricane, earthquake, volcano eruption, tornado, and flood. They can all change earth’s landforms and surface quickly and drastically.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is improving so much. He got the only 100% in his class on the quiz.

Chanel is doing well in class.

Chloe is doing well in class.

Lily is doing well in class.

Roy should practice and try to remember verb tenses better.

Sam should practice and try to remember verb tenses better.

Timmy is doing well in class but still forgets things very often.

Allen is trying very hard in class.

Edwin is doing well in class.

Gene is doing well in class.

Harris should practice and try to remember verb tenses better.

Joshua should work on being more responsible and better attitude.

Samson is doing well in class.

Homework:

Student Journal – Summary (at least 8 sentences)

Study all vocabulary words – total 254 words!!!

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Week 19

2010-01-07T16:32:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 19^th week of class. The weather has turned super cold this week. It makes me want to stay at home and snuggle in my bed. These few weeks have been very crazy here at Tree House as we are still going through renovations to make the school bigger and prettier! I can’t wait until everything is finished and see the new pet room, library, exercise room, art classroom, and science classroom.

This week we completed:

Reading: We did not read a story this week.

Science: This week, we learned about landforms and slow changes on the surface of earth. Different landforms include: mountain, hill, plateau, valley, canyon, etc. We also learned about different slow changes on land such as weathering, erosion, and glaciers.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is starting to write smaller and neater.

Chanel has been writing too slowly in class this week.

Chloe is doing well in class.

Lily is doing well in class.

Roy is doing well in class.

Sam has been writing too slowly in class this week and lost his vocabulary book.

Timmy needs to work on being quiet in class and think more.

Allen needs to try harder to write his summary properly.

Edwin is doing well in class but plays too much sometimes.

Gene is doing well in class but plays too much sometimes.

Harris is doing well in class but worked too slowly.

Joshua needs to try harder to write his summary properly.

Samson is doing well in class but plays too much sometimes.

Homework:

Student Journal – Summary (8 to 10 sentences)

Copy week 20 vocabulary

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T16:35:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 18th week of class. Today is the last day of 2009 and we are ready for a new year. Hope everyone has thought about what their New Year resolutions are. Happy 2010!!!

This week we completed:

Reading: We read A Cool Place to Visit. It is a short article about a hotel in Sweden called Ice Hotel. All the furniture inside and the building are made of ice and snow. A reindeer greets visitors as they arrive at the hotel.

Science: This week, we finished the Chapter 5 science test.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is doing well in class but needs to review verb tenses.

Chanel is doing well in class.

Chloe is doing well in class.

Lily is doing well in class.

Roy is doing well in class.

Sam is doing well in class but needs to review verb tenses.

Timmy is doing well in class but needs to remember to not talk so much in class.

________________________________________________________________

Allen needs to try harder to remember stuff he learns.

Edwin is doing well in class.

Gene is doing well in class.

Joshua needs to study harder for quizzes and tests.

Samson is doing well in class.

Homework:

Student Journal – Summary (at least 8 sentences)
Copy week 19 vocabulary

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-24T11:50:00.002+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 17^th week of class. Tree House has been very hectic lately as we are going under renovations. Thanks to all the students and parents for their patience as we are moving around to different classrooms. All these efforts are for a better and bigger school! This week is Christmas so I want to say Merry Christmas to everyone!

This week we completed:

Reading: We read Pecos Bill: A Tall Tale Play. It is a story about a boy named Pecos Bill who fell out of a wagon 17 years before he was found by his brother Carl the Cowboy. While he was young, he lived with coyotes and learned to be just like them. After meeting Carl, he learned how to be a real cowboy.

Science: This week, we learned about saving and conserving the resources on earth: water, fuel, plants, and animals. We should also reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is doing very well this week and has been finishing his work quickly.

Chanel is still a little lost sometimes during class but I hope she can study more on her own.

Chloe is doing well in class.

Lily is doing well in class.

Roy is doing well in class.

Sam is doing well but still needs to copy vocabulary correctly.

Timmy is doing well but needs to remember to write more neatly.

Allen should work on thinking more before answering questions.

Edwin is doing well in class but should always turn in homework on time.

Gene is doing well in class.

Joshua should work on thinking more before answering questions.

Samson is doing well in class.

Homework:

Student Journal – Summary (at least 8 sentences)

Copy week 18 vocabulary

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Week 16

2009-12-18T11:46:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 16^th week of class. This week was a little crazy at Tree House because of the Christmas Show. All the kids have been busy practicing for a great show.

This week we completed:

Reading: We did not read a story this week.

Science: This week, we learned about water in the sea, land, and sky. We learned about the water cycle and how water evaporates and condenses. We should all do our part in conserving water.

Next Week: We will learn about ways to conserve our resources. Some ways are reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Individual Student Comments:

No individual comments this week. Progress report cards will be sent home soon.

Homework:

Student Journal – Summary (8 to 10 sentences)

Copy week 17 vocabulary

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Group Games!

2009-12-11T12:49:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 15^th week of class. Everyone has done very well on the tests. However, only some of the students need to improve in reading. This week’s fun day is outdoor group games. It should be very fun as it always is when we go.

This week we completed:

Reading: We read Moses Goes to a Concert. It is a story about hearing impaired students that go to a concert. They learn that even if you are deaf, you can still become a musician. You can feel the vibrations of the instruments you use.

Science: This week, we learned about different kinds of soil such as clay, sandy, and loam. Different kinds of soil produce different kinds of plants. Plants grow better in topsoil, which has humus in it. We also learned about different fossils, molds, and casts. Fossil fuels, such as gasoline, coal, and natural gas are all very important to us.

Next Week: We will learn about the water cycle. We will learn about how water evaporates as it goes up into the sky, and then how it condenses into rain or other precipitation. Next week will be a busy week as everyone is occupied with the Christmas Show.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is working slowly this week as he recovers from being ill.

Chanel should work on paying more attention in class.

Chloe is doing well in class.

Lily is doing well in class.

Roy is doing well in class.

Sam has not finished his homework for last week yet.

Timmy is doing well in class.

Allen is doing well in class but needs to work on using proper grammar.

Edwin is doing well in class.

Gene is doing well in class.

Harris is doing well in class.

Joshua has not finished his homework for last week yet.

Samson is doing well in class.

Homework:

Student Journal – Summary (8-10 sentences)

Copy week 16 vocabulary

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Test Week!

2009-12-04T12:33:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 14^th week of class. I’m very proud of the improvements and developments that each of the students have made. They have made great effort to study for the tests, especially the big vocabulary tests. Congratulations to Chloe and Arvin for getting 100%!!! ^__^

This week we completed:

Reading: We took the Unit 1, Book 2 test. All of the students got a much better score than last time. Congratulations to Lily for getting the only 100% on this test! ^__^

Science: No science this week.

Next Week: We will learn about different kinds of soil (humus, topsoil, and bedrock) and also about fossils and fossil fuels (fossils, molds, casts).

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is doing well in class. He has made so much progress since September.

Chanel is doing well in class. However, she has to study more than she does now.

Chloe is doing well in class. She is a star!

Lily is doing well in class. She is amazing!

Roy is doing well in class. His writing is getting better and better.

Sam is doing well in class. However, he needs to work a little harder.

Timmy is doing well in class. His writing is getting better and better.

Allen needs to practice reading more.

Edwin is doing well in class but needs to control his behavior more.

Gene is doing well in class but needs to study vocabulary more.

Harris is doing well in class. He has made a lot of progress since last month.

Joshua needs to work on his attention span and working faster.

Samson is doing well in class and has improved so much in reading comprehension.

Homework:

Student Journal – Summary (at least 8 sentences)

Copy week 15 vocabulary

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-11-27T13:27:00.002+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 13^th week of class. This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. It is a day of celebration and being thankful for everything you have. Usually on this day, families will gather and have a feast of delicious food. Turkey is the main course (served with stuffing), along with mashed potatoes, and candied yams.

This week we completed:

Reading: We read Web Wonders. It is a short article from Time for Kids about spider webs. We learned that spider web silk is super strong and it can even trap birds! One day, scientists hope to use spider silk in more things (jeans, car bumpers, etc.) to make them stronger.

Science: This week, we finished the Chapter 4 Test.

Next Week: We will learn about different kinds of rocks (sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous). We will also learn about different minerals in nature.

* It’s test week next week so we will be taking a reading test and also the “big big vocabulary test” (Weeks 1 to 13)!

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is improving more in vocabulary. His writing is also becoming neater.

Chanel is doing better this week. She got 100% on her vocabulary test!

Chloe is doing fine in class. She got 100% on her vocabulary test!

Lily is doing well in class. She got 100% on her vocabulary test!

Roy is improving on his writing and being less lazy.

Sam needs to improve on being ready and studying more for vocabulary quizzes/tests.

Timmy is improving more and more in vocabulary and writing neatly.

Allen has improved so much. He got 97% on his vocabulary quiz.

Edwin is doing well in class. He still needs to work on writing smaller and neater.

Gene needs to work on studying more and being ready for vocabulary quizzes.

Harris is improving more and more. He got 95% on his vocabulary quiz.

Joshua needs to study more and be ready for vocabulary quizzes.

Samson needs to study more and be ready for vocabulary quizzes.

Homework:

Student Journal - Summary (at least 8 sentences)

Copy vocabulary for week 14

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Week 12

2009-11-20T14:09:00.001+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 12^th week of class. The weather had been dark and gloomy all week. It’s also starting to feel very chilly. But I’m glad because now I get to wear the sweaters that have been stored away!

This week we completed:

Reading: We read Spiders at Work. It is a story about many different types of spiders. We learned that black widow spiders are poisonous and can cause serious illness or death for humans. Tarantulas are big hairy spiders that may look dangerous but is not deadly.

Science: This week, we learned about adaptations that organisms have for survival. Some adaptations are for finding food or for reproducing. There are also a few kinds for defense, such as camouflage and mimicry. Animals can change their color or body shape for camouflage and they can also look like another animal for mimicry. We also learned about changing ecosystems. We learned that a big change in an ecosystem affects all the organisms that lived there. Some threats to organisms are hunting, pollution and natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, floods, droughts, and fires.

Next week: We will take the chapter 4 science test and a vocabulary quiz. We will also read more about spiders.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is improving in his reading in class but still works too slowly on class work.

Chanel is improving since 2 weeks ago but is still working too slowly on class work.

Chloe is doing well in class and reads loudly and fluently.

Lily is doing well in class but sometimes reads too softly.

Roy is improving on writing more clearly and neatly but can still improve more.

Sam is doing well in class but needs to improve the neatness of his writing.

Timmy is doing well in class and reads more loudly now.

Allen needs to improve on writing neatly and smaller.

Edwin is doing well in class but I hope he can improve his writing.

Gene is doing well in class.

Harris is still making improvements. His writing is much more neatly now!

Joshua is working on reading questions more carefully and writing neatly.

Samson is doing well in class.

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Week 11

2009-11-13T13:39:00.004+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 11^th week of class. All of the kids are making a lot of improvements and taking their studies more seriously.

This week we completed:

Reading: We read Dream Wolf. It is a story about Tiblo and Tanksi (brother & sister). They got lost while berry-picking with their mother. Then Tiblo had a dream about a wolf and it led them home. Everyone was happy to see the children.

Science: This week, we learned about competition among living things. Living organisms compete for space, water, food, oxygen and shelter. They fight when they have similar needs and the stronger usually wins.

Next week: We will learn about how animals adapt and adjust to their environment (camouflage & mimicry). We will also learn about changing ecosystems and what happens when there is a huge change (animals relocate or perish).

Individual Student Comments:

Please check report cards.

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Week 10

2009-11-06T18:34:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 10^th week of class. I was not here for a few days due to being sick. Teacher Jason and Teacher Paul taught my classes while I was gone. Our Fun Day this week is science experiments. Each teacher will have an experiment for the kids to try!

This week we completed:

Reading: We read The Sun, the Wind, and the Rain. It is a story about a little girl named Elizabeth. She made a sand mountain and she is comparing it to a real mountain.

Science: This week, we took the Chapter 3 test.

Individual Student Comments:

No comments this week.

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Halloween Madness!

2009-10-30T12:40:00.002+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 9^th week of class and it’s almost Halloween! We are all so excited about this fun holiday… All the teachers have been busy preparing the haunted maze and games for the kids. If you haven’t been to a Tree House Halloween night before, you won’t want to miss it!

This week we completed:

Reading: We did not read a story this week.

Science: This week, we learned about the different roles that animals play. They are predators and they hunt for prey. They can also be a scavenger like a hyena and eat dead animals that they did not kill. Organisms can also be a parasite or a host. Animals play a big part in helping plants reproduce too. Squirrels can help oak trees bury acorns in the soil.

Individual Student Comments:

No individual comments this week. Report cards will be passed out next week!

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Astro Boy!

2009-10-23T13:09:00.001+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 8^th week of class. I am very pleased and happy that all of the students improved so much! See, hard work pays off! ^__^ This week, we are going to watch a movie – Astro Boy. It should be very fun to watch!

This week we completed:

Reading: We read City Green. It is a story about a girl named Marcy. She helped in her neighborhood. There was an empty lot and she helped turn it into a beautiful community garden.

Science: This week, we learned about ecosystems and different habitats in each. Each ecosystem includes all the living and nonliving things. Communities are made up of all the living things in the ecosystem. Each community is made up of all the members of each single species. We also learned about food chains and food webs.

Next Week: we will learn about the different roles that plants and animals play. Plants are producers for consumers to eat. Animals can also be a predator or a prey. They can also be a parasite or a host.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is improving so much in his study skills and paying attention in class.

Chanel is doing well in class. She finishes her work quickly but makes a few careless mistakes sometimes.

Chloe is doing well in class. She finishes class work quickly and quietly.

Lily is doing well in class. She finishes her work quickly but makes a few careless mistakes sometimes.

Roy is doing well in class. He should learn to be more careful when taking tests.

Sam is doing well in class. He finishes his work quickly but makes a few careless mistakes sometimes.

Timmy is improving in remembering to bring his supplies to class and finishing class work more quickly.

Allen is improving so much in his study skills and paying attention in class.

Edwin is doing well in class. He finishes class work quickly and quietly.

Gene is doing well in class. He finishes class work quickly and quietly.

Harris is trying to improve his study habits.

Joshua is improving in his study skills. However, he gets silly sometimes.

Samson is improving in his study skills and paying attention in class.

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

Test Week!

2009-10-16T16:00:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 7^th week of class and it is test week. This has been a very hard week for the students as they are being tested in reading, science, and vocabulary.

This week we completed:

Reading Test - Unit 1, Book 1

Science Test – Chapter 2

Vocabulary Test – Weeks 1 to 6 words

Next Week: We will be learning about Ecosystems and habitats of animals, and about food chains (consumer, producers, and decomposers) and food webs.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is improving in his test scores. He got 98% on his vocabulary test!

Chanel got 100% on her vocabulary test! Wow!

Chloe got 100% on her vocabulary test! Wow!

Lily got great scores in reading, science and vocabulary!

Roy got high scores in reading and vocabulary.

Sam got great scores in reading, science and vocabulary!

Timmy is improving in his test scores. He got 98% on his vocabulary test!

Allen improved so much! He got 90% on is vocabulary test!

Edwin is doing well in class. He got the highest score on the reading and science tests!

Gene is improving in his vocabulary.

Harris should improve his study habits. He needs to take the class seriously and study more. It will only help him (even with TAS materials).

Joshua should practice reading more to improve his story comprehension skills.

Samson has improved in reading and vocabulary.

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice

The Week before Test Week

2009-10-09T12:36:00.006+08:00

Dear Parents,

It’s the 6^th week of class. Next week is test week. It’s going to be a little bit stressful but I hope everyone is studying hard.

This week we completed:

Reading: We read Champions of the World. It is an article about a little league baseball team that won the world championships. They beat Japan in the final game to win the victory.

Science: This week, we learned about parts of animals – legs, arms, fins, gills, etc. We also learned about different kinds of animals. We learned that they can be classified into 2 big groups – vertebrates & invertebrates. There are also fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.

Next week is test week and we will review science and vocabulary and then we will be taking the Chapter 2 science test, unit 1 reading test, and vocabulary test for weeks 1 through 6.

Individual Student Comments:

Arvin is improving and working more quickly this week.

Chanel is doing well in class!

Chloe is doing well in class!

Lily is doing well in class!

Roy is doing well in class!

Sam is doing well in class!

Timmy is very forgetful and still needs to try to remember where his things are.

Allen needs to work on his thinking skills and study more vocabulary. He should also try to work more quickly on the class work so he can leave on time.

Edwin is doing well in class!

Gene is doing well in class!

Harris should try to work more quickly on the class work so he can leave on time.

Joshua is doing well in class!

Samson is doing well in class!

Have a great weekend!

Teacher Alice