Mrs. Laplander's Class

5/12/11
Parents,
Several notes came back today asking how students can raise their grades in their classes. Please remember that students may redo any assignment for a better grade. They just need to ask the teacher for a copy of the assignment if it's not in a book, and carefully redo that assignment - making sure to complete the assignment thoroughly and accurately. Advisory time is a great time to talk to the teacher, and/or get extra assistance on an assignment as well.


2/28/11
Parents,
I have three important announcements today.
1. You will be getting a sheet in your child's Wednesday folder about a refund from the Camp Timber-Lee trip if s/he signed up to participate in the horseback riding or the skiing (both of which were canceled due to the weather/lack of snow).  Please check off if you'd like the money to be deposited in the lunch account or if you would like a reimbursement check written to you. The office would like the slips back by Friday. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

2. The 6th grade will be culminating their Greek mythology unit with a Greek god/goddess symposium.  The students have researched a variety of gods and goddesses in Greek mythology through various stories and myths of ancient Greece. They have created a god based upon their personality traits, the traits of the gods they researched, and their likes and dislikes. Students will be presenting their gods to a council of gods (their teachers) Friday morning at about 9:00 in Miss Volden's room.  They will be dressed in their Greek chitons, wearing crowns and sashes, and holding their scepters or staffs.  Students will also share with the class the creation story of their god and a poem which tells us about him/her. Please feel free to join us on Friday morning. Presentations usually last approximately 2-3 minutes each and we are typically done at about 11:15.

3. Our mid-quarter incentive celebration is coming up this Friday. Students will need at least 20 stamps and no missing work in order to participate.  We are having our celebration in the afternoon in conjunction with the Greek god symposium theme.  We will be watching Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.  We have also arranged for Mrs. Pieger to host a Greek Feast for those who have all of their work in and 20 stamps.  Permission slips will be coming home in the Wednesday newsletter.

2/16/11
Parents,
My exploratory group is in need of about 25-30 paper towel tubes. If you empty a roll in the next two weeks, we'd appreciate your donation. Please send the rolls to my classroom.

Mrs. Laplander


2/15/11
Parents,
Please don't forget that the Six Flags, Read to Succeed logs are due this Friday. At the present, I only have five students who have turned in their logs. I know that so many students have the required six hours done. If you need an extra slip, there are more tacked to my bulletin board.
 


1/13/11

It’s time for the Ice Cream-Palloza Game-o-rama Spectacular!

On Friday, January 21^st, sixth graders who have 40 stamps and no missing work will be rewarded by having an opportunity to make an ice cream sundae from the interactive ice cream bar and spend time playing various groovy group games. We will have our reward at school from approximately 1:15-2:45.

So 6th graders, don't miss out on the good times! Be sure to have your 40 stamps and missing assignment sheet all turned in by the end of advisory on Thursday, January 20th!

1/3/11
Happy January!
This is a quick reminder that Timber-Lee is THIS Thursday and Friday! Please review the supplies needed for our trip in the column to the left and start packing. Students may bring in their bags early! Please pack all personal items in a duffel bag/large backpack for easy transport to and from our cabins.
Please email me with any questions.

Mrs. Laplander


12/15/10
There are two notes for today.
1. Midquarter reports will be coming home in the Wednesday folders. Please sign and return them tomorrow.
2. On the afternoon of Wednesday, December 22, 2010, the 6^th grade will be having a mid-quarter reward. Students who have all homework completed and at least 10 stamps by Tuesday, December 21, will be able to attend.
We would like students who are able to attend to bring the following:
Last name beginning with:           

A-F        please bring a roll of wrapping paper

G-L        please bring 1  2-liter of soda

M-O       please bring a bag of chips or popcorn

P            please bring approx. 60 cups

R            please bring approx. 60 plates

                                           S-W        please bring other treats

Z            please bring approx. 60 napkins

 

Please remember that all food items should be store bought/packaged.

Thank you very much! Happy holidays!

12/2/10
Parents, 
This is just a note that I am giving children change back today if they paid more than the $7.12.  Thank you for your patience.
Mrs. Laplander

12/1/10
Parents,
Can you believe we are already in December? I know I can't! I just wanted to send out a few reminders today...

TIMBER-LEE
1. Timber-Lee permission slips and money are due on December 16th. The earlier we get the forms in, the better. :) Please don't forget to send in the overnight medication form that you received at conferences. If you need a new slip or another medication form, I do have them outside of my classroom on the bulletin board.
2. Speaking of Timber-Lee, we are still in need of chaperones! If you are interested in joining us, we'd love to have you! Please make sure your background check is up to date for this year, and send in the fees with your child.
3. Lastly, I have added a link on the left side of the screen which says, "Supplies for Timber-Lee". Use this when packing for our trip on January 6-7.

HOME IS...
Home is... frame money is due as well. The cost for the frames is $7.12, and checks can be made to TWC.  If you plan on purchasing your own frame, please let me know, so your child does not have a missing assignment.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break,
Mrs. Laplander

11/9/10
Parents,
We are starting our holiday writing piece HOME IS soon, and I am quite excited. This is one of my favorite descriptive writing pieces to teach, and the students work so hard on it.
One portion of this requires students to bring in a picture of the outside of their home. I would appreciate it if you would send a picture in either digitally or a hard copy before the Thanksgiving break. 
This project is also going to be framed in an 18" x 24" frame that I will purchase for the students.  I am currently researching the price, and will send a note home with students in the next week or so with the cost of the frame. (The last three years I purchased Trend Setter frames from Walmart, and the cost has ranged between $9.00 - $10.00.) Some parents in the past have purchased their own frames and sent them in, and that is fine too. :)
Please feel free to email me if you have any questions about the project,
Mrs. Laplander


11/3/10
Parents,
Next Friday is our FIELD TRIP!!! Has your child returned his/her permission slip and money?  Chaperones, please make sure that you are at school no later than 8:15 so that we can start boarding the bus ASAP.
This is just a reminder that students need at least 35 stamps on their stamp card and no missing work on Friday in order to participate in next week's incentive trip. Teachers will be taking a stamp count Friday morning. FYI: All students have a stamp card attached to their assignment notebook.  Missing work slips should have come home in the Wednesday folder. You may also check for missing work on Skyward. It is our goal that ALL students participate in the incentive field trip.

Language arts grammar tests for 6L and 6K students should be coming home today. Please review this test with your child, sign it, and return it in the Wednesday folder. Students have the opportunity to raise their grade by making corrections on the test. They will receive a 1/2 a point for each mistake that is fixed correctly.
Please email me with any questions,
Mrs. Laplander

10/19/10
Parents,
We are planning a field trip to the Burlington Water Treatment Plant and Trackside Roller Skating Ring on Friday, November 12th, and we are looking for a few (6-8) parent chaperones to join us on our adventures.
For the safety of our students, all chaperones attending will need to make sure they have a current background check on file with the district. You may check with the office if you are unsure whether your background check is current.
We will be leaving at 8:30 and returning around 2:30, and the cost per student/chaperone is $5.75. Students will need to bring a bag lunch or money to purchase snacks at the skating ring.
Please note: students will need to have 35 stamps and no missing work on November 5th in order to attend.
Field trip forms will be coming home in the Wednesday folder.

Mrs. Laplander

10/13/10
We are GREAT on the pallets! Thank you so much for the quick response!

10/12/10
Parents,
I have a few notes today...
         1. I am looking for 10 pallets. Do any of you have access to pallets? We have a great plan to create an inexpensive 3 part compost bin recycling pallets. If you do, and are willing to donate them to the courtyard, we'd appreciate it. 
         2. If you are able to help out this Friday or Saturday with the patio laying, please contact me so I may purchase the appropriate number of refreshments for workers. 
         3. I am including the link to the FlowerPower fundraiser as some of you have not received the link to it via the program. I know my inital emails from it went into my spam folder. Thanks for your patience on the matter.  http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=3966 
    

10/8/10
We are going to be having a work weekend next Friday and Saturday, October 15th and 16th to lay out the patio area in the courtyard.  At this time I have five parents who are willing to assist Mr. Hovey, our landscaping professional and me with the labor. We really could use some more muscle. If you are able and available, we will start work after school on Friday and work until about 6PM, and then we will resume work on Saturday morning at 9AM and continue until the afternoon. Any and all help will be appreciated - even if it's just for an hour or so. :)
FYI: Book orders are due next Friday as well. Our classroom's code is GX36B.

9/21/10
You may be receiving an email or two from me via Flower Power. Flower Power is a fundraiser that the 6th grade has done the last few years to raise money for revitalizing the courtyard. All money raised, will go towards purchasing supplies.
Thanks,
Mrs. Laplander

9/17/10
Thanks for all of the check boxes! I do not need any more. If you received my email to come to this page, you do not need to subscribe... I did it for you.

I just wanted to remind you that book orders are due today. You may still place your order online until midnight tonight. Our class code is GX36B.    I will be placing the paper orders on Saturday. It usually takes about a week - sometimes two for the books to come in.

Today I handed out research topics for the Courtyard Project. On Monday, students ranked the project choices, and I did my best to give them their first choice. Some students did get a 2nd or 3rd choice though. Although there may be more than one student with the same topic, at this point in the project, the students are working as individuals on their research. They began to formulate a set of questions to answer through their research and have a planning packet to assist them in recording information. We only had a short time today to work on our research, but we will have more time next week.  NOTE: There is NO homework on this project at this point.

I am still looking for a few willing parents to help with laying the patio in the courtyard. If you are able to help, please contact me via email or phone.

Time Capsules are due on Monday (Tuesday for 6L). This includes decorating the box, writing/typing the letter, and adding their items to the inside. I have received several letters via email. Thank you! :)

In grammar, we are reviewing nouns. At this point we have reviewed the types of words that are nouns: people, places, things, and ideas; and identified compound nouns. Next week we will be working on common and proper nouns, and reviewing for our first test (Wednesday 9/29).

Have a great weekend and call me if you have any questions or concerns.
Mrs. Laplander



9/15/10
Dear Parents,

The sixth graders are busily creating time capsules in language arts class, which will be stored away until their eighth grade graduation.  These time capsules are decorated with words and pictures that describe your child’s interests and are filled with items that they like right now.  The students are also writing letters to themselves about who they are right now. 

This year I thought I would add something new. I would like parents to add a short note as well.  Please keep in mind that these time capsules will not be opened until eighth grade graduation. If you would like to email me the note, I would be more than happy to add it in to your child’s time capsule for you. Otherwise, please send it to school in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and the words, “Time Capsule Note” on the front.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at laplandertl@twc.k12.wi.us or call at 262-862-2356.

Thank you,

Mrs. Laplander