Revised FCAT TESTING DATES...

Parents-
Below you will find the FCAT testing schedule. Please make sure your child is in school and on time during the testing period. It would be greatly appreciated if all appointments and/or trips be postponed until after testing.

Tuesday, March 11th:
Math Session I - 80 minutes

Wednesday, March 12th:
Math Session II - 80 minutes

Thursday, March 13th:
Reading Session I - 60 minutes
Reading Session II - 60 minutes

*Friday, March 14th: NRT Reading- 80 minutes

Monday, March 17th:
Science Session I - 60 minutes

Tuesday, March 18th:
Science Session II - 60 minutes

Wednesday, March 19th:
NRT Math - 70 minutes

* denotes changes to schedules

An Interesting Fact...

Easter this year is: Sunday March 23, 2008
* As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).
* This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives, and only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old and above). None of us have ever, or will ever, see Easter come as early as March 22.
Here are the facts:
* The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so, if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones who were around for that!).
* The next time Easter will fall on March 22 will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818, so no one alive today has, or ever will, see it any earlier than this year!

Ok, I can't take credit for this one! My sister sent it to me...Thanks Trina!!

More KA-BOOM PHOTOS!

Here are a few more photos from Ms. Herrera's homeroom class. They enjoyed making volcanoes in a bottle too!!

WELCOME!

We would like to welcome our pre-intern, Ms. Allen to our class! She is a junior at the University of North Florida. Ms. Allen moved from Naples, Fl to Jacksonville in January with her gorgeous dog named Tipper who is 7 years old.
We look forward to working with Ms. Allen this semester. In fact, she will be teaching a Science lesson this Friday. Welcome Ms. Allen!!!!

WATCH OUT!!

During our Science lesson today, the students created volcanoes in a bottle. Here are a few photos to show what an "explosive" time we had!
The very last photo really tells the story. Right Daniel???

KA-BOOM!!

Tomorrow the students will demonstrate what happens during a volcano eruption! The students have been divided into groups of 2. Each group will need the following items:
* clear 2 liter bottle
* small bottle of vinegar
* small box of baking soda
* an old t- shirt
I will provide the dish detergent and food coloring. We are going to have an explosive time!

A Perfect Night for a Lunar Eclipse!!

According to NASA, tonight beginning at 8:43 pm eastern standard time, we will be able to observe a partial lunar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse will occur at 10:01 pm and last until 10: 51 pm. The entire eclipse will last approximately 3 hours and 26 minutes. If you miss it tonight, you'll have to wait until 2010 to see one!

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch. It can be seen without the use of a telescope, but NASA's Web site recommends using binoculars for a better view.

Click on the links below for more exciting details and interesting photos.
http://www.discoverychannel.ca/reports/article.aspx?aid=7112
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html

Have fun watching a part of Science History!

BINGO!!

Congratulations to our Math and Science Bingo Winners! This activity was used to review Math and Science vocabulary terms. The students had a blast! Our winners are as follows:



Mrs Elmore's HR: Ethan, Casey and Hanna

Ms. Herrera's HR: Kobie, Kaitlyn, Arlie and Zoya



Way to go! Continue to review your vocabulary words on a weekly basis to prepare for your FCAT.

Valentine's Day Exchange

Below you will find a list of the students in our class if you wish to exchange cards or candy.
This is an optional activity.

Ethan
Lindsay
Bradley
Madison
Lyric
Camila
Daniel
Casey
Rossano
Jessica
Tatyana
Justin
Alexandra
Zachary
Raphael
Tristan
Hanna
Kevin
Last but not least, Mrs. Elmore!!

Study for your math Quiz!

Remember boys and girls that you have a Math quiz tomorrow. On the test you will be asked to:

**identify acute, right and obtuse triangles
*acute angles measure less than 90 degrees
*right angles measure exactly 90 degrees
* obtuse angles measure more than 90 degrees

**identify scalene, isosceles and equilateral triangles
* scalene triangles have 0 equal sides
* isosceles triangles have 2 equal sides
*equilateral triangles have 3 equal sides

**name that polygon
* a 5 sided polygon is called a ______? (pentagon)

Use your Buckle Down books pgs. 126-131 to help you..Don't forget to answer the questions on those pages as well...
Good Luck!

MORE HEROES!!!

The following students have been added to my list of heroes because they have recently completed the Math and Science FCAT Explorer programs.
Kaitlyn
Kiana
Omara
Zoya
Way to go girls!!!!!

THANK YOU!

As many of you know by now, I was involved in a serious car accident last Sunday. I managed to escape with just bumps and bruises, but I am not complaining because it could have been worse.

I would like to thank all of my students, parents and fellow colleagues who have expressed many kind words of concern. I would also like to thank the teachers who were able to step in and fill my shoes while I was out! (It is a difficult task to replace Mrs. Elmore!) Last but not least, a special thank you to all of my wonderful students who were on their best behavior while I was recuperating. You are a great group of kids!! Thank You!! Thank You!! Thank You!!