BRES 1st Family Fancy Dance! Friday, May 24th, from 5:45pm-7:45pm. All Banks Road students are invited to come with their families to this FREE event. Come in your Sunday best to the Multi-Purpose Room and dance with your BRES family to celebrate another successful school year. Diane McKinney Photography will be on hand to take family pictures that will be available for purchase after the dance. The DJ will keep the fun going all night. Light refreshments will be available. Do not miss this exciting event which is possible due to the efforts of our teachers, staff, amazing PTA, and fantastic student council!

With a new 4th quarter starting last week and warmer weather, we have many new things to celebrate in our classroom!  Students have been really polishing up their Daily 5 skills and working hard to build their stamina.  We have recieved many compliments from visitors to our classroom who have come to observe our use of technology.  I couldn't be prouder of the students when they work hard, work well, and follow the rules.  They really are starting to look more and more like 4th graders each day!

As we start to think about the students becoming 4th graders in a few months, we also think of EOG's.  This can bring up a lot of worries, questions, and/or concnerns.  So please feel free to contact me for a 4th quarter conference to address these questions or concerns.  If you send me an email or note I can let you know of available times and dates.  Your child's success is what's most important, so let's work together to help them make growth!

Last week students took the Case 21 test based on skills they learned from Q3 in reading and math.  The test is a good indicator of their performance level and are used to help d

End of 3rd quarter is here!  On Friday, March 22nd, quarter 3 report cards will go home!  Please look for these in your child's Friday Folder.

Our Art Museum field trip has been rescheduled for Friday, April 5th at 10:30am.  New permission forms will be sent home this Friday, please return there ASAP, thank you!  If you have already paid for the trip, then there is no additional cost to you.  If you would like to be a chaperone on this trip, please email me so that the school can make sure you have WCPSS clearance.  You can apply for chaperone clearance on the WCPSS website, which can also be done in the media center at BRES.

Dates:
March 23rd - Spring Beautification Day
March 26th - Talent Show Auditions @ 4:15pm
March 29th - NO SCHOOL
April 17th - Cultural Arts Performance
April 18th - PTA meeting 6pm & Family Fun Night 6pm
April 25th - Talent Show
May 8th - 15th Teacher Appreciation Week

Even though we will be tracked out there is still lots going on here at BRES!  Check out the dates and information below to stay in the loop while tracked out!

February 1-13th:  The Book Fair Continues.  Come in anytime to make a purchase or scroll down to my previous blog and use your Smart Phone to scan the QR code, preview the items in the fair and make your purchases online from the comfort our your home!  (Technology is great!)
February 1-March 22:  ACCESS testing window.  Students who are identified as English Limited Proficiency will take the ACCESS test.  Dates vary by track. 
February 4th-8th:  School Guidance Counselors Week:  Celebrate Ms. Wu for the work that she does to support BRES!
February 4th:  2nd Grade, Track 4 In House Field Trip:  Science Fun for Everyone!
February 5th:  We will release our Boosterthon Video during morning announcements!
February 7th:  Kindergarten Kick Off.  If you have a rising Kindergarten student or know someone who does, please share that WCPSS will be registering rising Kindergarten students at each elementary school throughout the county.  Come on and in so we can help get you ready for the 2013-14 school year! February 7th:  Moonlight Reading Night!  Come out to BRES and have some fun.  Our Book Fair will be open for your to browse and make purchases.  We will have various activities for you and your family to participate in.  Join us from 6:00-7:30 p.m.  Please call the school at 919-890-7333 if you have any questions. 
February 8th:  Early Release at BRES!  We will release all bus and carpool students at 1:15 p.m. 
February 11th-15th:  Love the Bus Week!  Join us in thanking our bus drivers this week.  We have a small thank you for our bus drivers planned each day of the Love the Bus week!  I'll post pictures as we take them during the week.
February 12th:  Boosterthon Video preview during morning announcements!
February 13th:  Book Fair Ends! 
February 14th:  3rd Grade Field Trip to the Art Museum
February 18th:  Presidents Day--School is in session!
February 19th:  SIP Quarterly Review
February 19th:  BRES Spotlight on Student Recognition
February 19th -28th:  Boosterthon activities & character education mini-lessons
February 22nd:  Pre-K Family & School Partnership Day
February 22nd:  Interims go home for Tracks 3 & 4
February 26th:  Parent Are Connected Night 6:30-8:00 p.m.
February 28th:  Boosterthon Fun Run & Finale

The book fair is here!!!!  Our class went to the media center today to preview the wonderful selection at the book fair and even made a wish list.  Students can bring in their money over the next few days to purchase books during a convenient time in school.  We even have an entire 30 minute block of time Monday, from 1-1:30 where anyone from our class can go and purchase books.  If you want, you can even come to the school with your child while we are tracked out and visit the book fair to make a purchase.  Don't forget that Moonlight Reading is Thursday, February 7th, from 5pm - 7:30!!  There will be lots of fun activities for all ages and the book fair will again be open for buying!

Parents,
With the inclement weather we have been experiencing lately, our schedules have quickly changed.  Thank you all for being so understanding about the last minute early release on Friday, and therefore the cancelation of our field trip on 1/25.  All of our students got home safely and that is what matters most!  The 3rd grade team is working to get the trip to the Art Museum rescheduled as quickly as possible.  Once we have new confirmed dates for Tracks 1 & 2, we will notify you immediately.  There will be a NEW permission form sent home for the new dates once they are scheduled.

Also, Friday Folders went home TODAY, 1/28, since we had such a quick & unexpected dismissal on Friday.  Please look through the student work and return any forms etc... if there are envelopes in your child's Friday Folder.  Otherwise, please sign the back pink sheet for conduct & work habits and send back to school tomorrow. 

Thank you again for all your cooperation and hopefully a warmer week!

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that this holiday season was filled with happiness, love, & good health!  The students have been back for their first week of school, which was very short, and seem to be transitioning well between vacation and back to the "grind."

Report cards went home on the last day of Quarter 2 on December 20th, so please return the WCPSS envelopes as soon as you can.  Also, if you would like to schedule a conference please contact me at [email protected].  If you checked the "conference" box on the report card envelope, I will contact you over the next few days to schedule a meeting.  Of course if you have any other questions or concerns about your child's performance contact me at any time and we can chat.

In the new quarter students will be learning about a variety of literature genres like mysteries, poetry, and biogoraphies.  We are also very excited to write our very own narrative mysteries as well!  In math we have some very large units and projects to work on dealing with area, perimeter, and fractions.  Social studies this quarter is very exciting too with our large Geography Unit.

Lastly, keep a look out for the Field Trip Letter that is being sent home today about our 2 upcoming field trips this year.  Can't wait!

HAPPY 2013 EVERYONE!