4/26/2015
Good afternoon!!! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend (cold and rainy as it has been)!!
First of all, I would like to thank you all for making Teacher's Appreciation Week such an awesome week. The kids were in great spirits, worked hard all week and we had a lot of fun along the way. I also want to thank the room parents who came in on Wednesday and sent me off to lunch while they decorated my door. I am a big fan of my "MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU" door, especially since they turned me into a Jedi Knight Math Teacher complete with my very own Light Saber. Very Cool !!!
Thank you so much for everything!!
This week in Math, we are finishing up our work on Decimals on Monday. The rest of the week will be spent introducing the kids on our team to the Metric System. In Science, we are continuing to work on our Animals and Habitats Research Paper. Most of the students are finishing up their research and should be starting their "sloppy copy" of the report. They will have class time to work on their projects (including Board Builder) but if they choose to work on their project at home, they are more than welcome to do so at any time.
Mrs. Miles has posted a bunch of dates to keep in mind on her wall. Instead of duplicating them here as well, please make sure to take note of those dates on the ELA and Social Studies tab above. In addition to those dates, Mr. Faison (our new Principal) will be starting at Apex Elementary on Friday, May 1, 2015. Let's give him a warm Apex Elementary welcome when he joins our staff later this week!
Finally, we have donated 962 pounds of clothing in our Note in the Pocket clothing drive so far this year. I plan on making our second to last delivery of the year later this week. If you are in the middle of your spring cleaning and have some lightly used donations to make, please feel free to send them in before Friday. Thank you!!!
I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Have a great day,
Doug Veeder
3/8/2015
Good afternoon!!! I hope you all had a wonderful week and weekend !! It was nice having a full week of school (well, almost, the two-hour delay through us for a loop) !! Let's hope that old man winter is behind us for good and we have nothing but warm weather and smooth sailing ahead!!
Before I get to my notes, I would like to welcome Mrs. Miles to our team. She had an awesome first week of classes with the students and she is a great addition to our team! I welcome Mrs. Miles and wish her the best of luck as takes over for Miss Lee and will continue to provide a top notch learning experience to the students on our team!
Important Notes:
-- Wake County has published new make up dates for the snow days we had. You can click this link to read for yourself but our make up days will be the first three days of Spring Break: March 23rd, 24th and 25th.
-- Mr. Umstead, our interim Principal, has posted a meet and greet for March 12th at 9:00am. If you would like more information about the meet and greet with Mr. Umstead, please visit the Apex Elementary Website Homepage.
-- Thursday, March 12, 2015 at 6:30pm is our make up date for the Parent Night that was scheduled for February! Please plan on attending.
We have started our fractions units in Math. We will be finishing up our work on Equivalent Fractions this week and starting our unit on Comparing Fractions. In science, our animals and habitats project has been pushed back due to the snow. We will continue to introduce the material and after our modified spring break, we will work on the Research paper in the fourth quarter.
Have a great week!
Doug Veeder
2/22/2105
Good afternoon!! I hope you all have been safe, warm and sane over the past week as winter decided to blast us with a bunch of extended days off. We have more cold weather on the way; please make sure your children dress warmly!
There are many changes to the schedule below... please make sure to mark your calendars!
Important Notes:
-- The 100 point AR club meeting will be on Monday, February 23 from 3pm to 4pm. Please plan accordingly.
-- The Cultural Arts Weaving Program starts this week in Art Class. Please make sure to send in your items for this program.
-- Club starts on Tuesday, February 24th. I believe you have all been emailed or notified electronically.
-- The visiting author is here on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The family reading night with Jan Stevens is on Tuesday from 5pm to 6:30pm in the school library.
-- Family Night has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 12th at 6:30pm.
-- Mr. Veeder's home room: The Book Orders are due Thursday. Make sure to log in and place all orders by Thursday so that I can finalize them on Friday. Thank you!
-- THERE IS NO MATH CLUB on Monday, February 23rd. I apologize for the short notice but Math Club will resume next week.
The curriculum is the same as last week, since last week was snowed out. We will finish up our unit on Patterns. We will begin fractions this week as well. In Science, we will continue our work in our Animals and Habitats unit as we get ready to start our research project soon.
Have an awesome week,
Doug Veeder
2/15/2015
Good Afternoon!! I hope you are all braving the cooler weather today! Stay warm and stay safe in the days ahead. Please have your children dress warmly because it is going to be very cold this week. Thank you!
A few quick notes:
-- The Cultural Arts Weaving Program starts this week in Art Class. Very few items have been sent in to the class. The fewer items sent in, the kids will get less out of the program.
-- Thursday, 2/19/15 is our school wide Family Night... see you there!
-- On 2/24/15 and 2/25/15 our visiting author, Janet Stevens, will be here. She will have a family reading night on 2/24/15 from 5pm until 6:30pm.
-- Also on 2/24/15, the PTA clubs will begin after school. Placement notices should go home this week.
-- IMPORTANT: Math Club will be canceled if Wake County cancels afternoon activities due to inclement weather on Monday afternoon. This is for your safety of your child as well as your safety. If After school activities are called due to inclement weather, your children will go home like they do the rest of the week: by bus or by car pool. Please keep an eye out for announcements as they day progresses. Thank you.
In Math this week, we will finish up our unit on patterns. Depending on what day that is, we will either start our first unit on fractions late this week or early next week. In Science this week, we will continue to work on our Animals and Habitats unit.
Have an awesome week,
Doug Veeder
2/8/2015
Good afternoon!! I hope you are all out enjoying this amazing sunshine!
A few quick notes:
-- Friday is an early release day. Please plan accordingly.
-- We have donated 611 pounds of clothing to Note in the Pocket so far this year. I have a full bin and will be adding to that total soon. I am also excited to let you know that some of the other grade levels have joined us in our efforts to make a difference. Thank you all for leading by example! Together we can change the world, one person at a time. The kids are learning an awesome lesson; thank you all for being a part of it!
-- You all have received information about the Weaving Program in Art. Please have the kids start bringing in their items. I will be collecting them in the room and sending them with the students when they go to Art class.
-- For Mr. Veeder's Home Room: just a reminder that the scholastic book order is running this month.
-- Finally, if you have Sound To Sea pictures, please put them on a CD/DVD and send them in so I can start working on the end of year project. Thank you in advance for only sending in the best photos. My goal is to have of photo of every child make the final video, so please try to send in photos of all the kids in your Habitat group. Group shots are always awesome.
This week, we will be finishing up our unit on Area and Perimeter. We will begin another short unit on Patterns before starting a long winter/spring of fractions. In Science, we will start our unit on Animals and Habitats. This unit will culminate in a research project that will utilize skills in Science, ELA, Technology and Media.
Have an awesome week!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
2/1/2015
We had an awesome trip down to Sound To Sea! The kids were on their best behavior, learned a lot about the world around them and (they don't want me to tell you this) learned how to set as well as clear tables. I hope your son or daughter is rested after a long trip (they did a lot) and ready to get back to school tomorrow.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to the chaperones who joined us on the trip! You all did an excellent job! If you took pictures during the trip, please put the good ones (not all but the ones you like the most) on a CD for me and bring them in over the next week. I will return your CD as soon as possible.
This week in Math, we are finishing up our unit on two dimensional figures and line symmetry. We will be starting a quick unit on area and perimeter. Later this week, we will get started on our Animals and Habitats unit in science.
Have a great rest of your weekend!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
1/11/2015
We had a good week last week. The kids have been working hard and as we head into our last week of the second quarter, I expect them all to finish strong.
SOUND TO SEA: Please send in your Sound To Sea paperwork if you have not already. All paperwork has to be completed in order to go on the field trip. Please get this as soon as possible. Thank you.
In math, we are finishing our unit on measurement. We will be having our final assessment this week. In science, the oral reports are due on Friday. The kids will begin presenting on this date and will continue into next week. I look forward to seeing some great final projects!
Dates to remember:
Monday, Jan 12th -- Case 21 (have your child get a good night of sleep)
Tuesday, Jan 13th -- Case 21
Monday, January 19th -- MLK Day. No School
Tuesday, January 20th -- Teacher Work Day. No School.
Tuesday, January 27th -- Report Cards go home.
Wednesday, January 28th -- Leave for Sound To Sea field trip.
Friday, January 30th -- Return from field trip.
Have a great week!!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
1/4/2015
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope your 2015 is off to a great start!!
Thank you for all of the kind gifts! You all are so kind!
Sound To Sea -- Miss Lee and I will be sending home Sound To Sea forms this week that need to be filled out and sent back to us as soon as possible. The trip is a mere three weeks away. We are very excited and can't wait! Keep your fingers crossed for great weather!
In Math, we will be working with protractors this week. If your kids have their own protractor, they may bring them to school and use them in class. If they do not have one. No worries, I have some in class that they can use. In science, we will be finishing up our classroom/lab work on rocks and minerals. The kids oral report is due on Friday, January 16, 2015. They have been working on this since early December, so I expect great oral reports. The rubric will go home this week.
Many have asked about my classroom needs. If you are out and about and find dry erase markers or tissues on sale, I can always use more of both in my classroom. If you do buy dry erase markers, please try to avoid the scented/flavored ones. They make some of the kids nauseous. Thank you!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!
See you all tomorrow morning!
Have a great day,
Mr. Veeder
11/23/2014
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. At least the rain held off until today and if all goes well, we should have decent weather for Thanksgiving.
In Math, we have wrapped up our unit on Division and have moved into our unit on Multiplicative Comparisons. We will be working in this unit for the next couple of weeks. In Science, the kids are exploring the world of Rock and Minerals. We have had some cool experiments involving mock rocks and after the holiday, we will start looking at real rocks and minerals during our lab time.
Quick Reminder: There is no school this week on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
Sound To Sea: Sound to Sea payments are due by December 5th. If you have any questions about payment for the field trip, please contact us for more information.
Note in the Pocket: I hope you all saw the letter that Miss Lee and I sent about our classroom clothing drive that we will be running for the rest of the year. If you did not get the letter, please ask your son or daughter to give it to you. If you did see the letter and you have any questions, please contact me. Thank you.
Miss Lee and I wish you all a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
11/2/2014
Good Morning! Hopefully, you all are having a nice weekend.
I am very proud of the kids for how hard they are working in Math and Science. Keep praising them for their work ethic and keep pushing them to work hard, even when the work gets tough. Especially now that we have started the Division unit. I hope you all got the division/you tube videos I sent to help you work with your child at home. Send me an email if you did not get them.
We will start working on our Rocks and Minerals Unit in Science this week. In the Science Specialty area, Mrs, Marshall has asked if anyone would be willing to donate any of the following items:
Chalk
Steel Wool
Vinegar
Cups-clear plastic
Sugar Cubes
Gravel
She is working on the Land Forms unit with the kids and could use small donations of those items to help with the experiments.
In Math, I am running low on Dry Erase Markers and tissues. We use white boards all the time to practice our math skills and if you find Dry Erase markers on sale, our class would be thankful if you would be able to donate a package of markers.
Thank you so much!
Have an awesome week!
Mr. Veeder
10/5/2014
I hope you all had an awesome weekend. The weather was nice and today, you can feel a little tinge of autumn in the air.
Last week, Miss Lee and I sent home interim report cards with your child. If they did not share it with you yet, please ask them for your copy. We also sent home the information for picture day. Our day for class photos is on October 9th. The dates for Mr. Veeder's home room to go to the Book Fair are as follows; Tuesday, October 14th is our preview day and Thursday, October 16th is our day to purchase books.
Dates to remember:
October 6th -- Book fair Art Submissions are due.
October 7th -- PTA clubs begin!
October 8th -- National Walk to School Day
October 9th -- Picture Day
October 14th -- PJ Night at the Book Fair
October 16th & 17th -- Donuts for Dads and Dudes
October 21st -- PTA club Day
October 23rd -- Parent Education Night
October 28th -- PTA club day.
October 29th -- Teacher Work day/ No school
Parent/Teacher Conferences -- If you have not signed up for a parent teacher conference, please do so today!
This week in Math, we are finishing up our work on Factors this week as we get ready to move into our unit on Multiplication. Please make sure your child is doing his/her XtraMath four days a week. This program will strengthen their math skills. In Science, we are continuing our discovery of Electricity. The kids are off to a great start and before you know it, the first quarter will be over. Keep working hard!!!
Have a great week ahead,
Doug Veeder
9/14/2014
Hopefully, you all had a great weekend. It was a little wet at times but hopefully, you all got a chance to enjoy some of the sunshine we had as well.
The kids are off to a great start this year! We just finished our place value unit in Math and our now working on addition and subtraction strategies before diving into word problems as part of the unit. We are wrapping up the magnetism part of the Electricity and Magnetism Unit. We will be starting our investigations into electricity this week. I am sure the kids will enjoy the investigation as we further discover more about the scientific world around us.
Please make sure that each child is doing XtraMath on four separate days of the week. I have been trying to give the kids as many opportunities to work on the website during the day. The more they work on the math facts, the better they will become at Math.
Dates to put on the Calendar:
Monday, September 15, 2014 -- Fourth Grade Open House! 6pm in room 412 (Mr. Veeder's room). See you all tomorrow night!
Thursday, September 25, 2014 -- Teacher Work Day (No School)
Keep and eye out later this week for Miss Lee and Mr. Veeder's conference schedule.
Have a great week ahead,
Doug Veeder
9/1/2014
I hope you all had a wonderful, long weekend! The weather was awesome!
This week, we will continue working on our Magnets and Electricity unit in Science as well as our Place Value and Rounding unit in Math. The kids are off to a good start.
Last week, I sent each child home with a letter so they could log on and do their XtraMath practice at home as well. If you did not get the letter from your son or daughter, please email me for a new one. Starting this week, all students in Math will be required to practice their XtraMath four times a week. They will have opportunities at school but also being able to log in at home will help them get stronger in Math. Thank you.
Dates to put on the Calendar:
Friday, September 5, 2014 -- Early Release Day.
Friday, September 12, 2014 -- GoPLaySave Order Deadline!
Monday, September 15, 2014 -- Fourth Grade Open House from 6pm to 7pm. I hope to see you all there!
Thursday, September 25, 2014 -- Teacher Work Day (No School)
We had a lot of fun last week as we started an exploration of new material in Math and Science. Your child is off to a good start. I look forward to another great week when we get back to school tomorrow!
Have an awesome week,
Doug Veeder
8/24/2014
Dear Parents/Guardians and 4th Grade Students,
Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful summer vacation that was filled with fun adventures and amazing memories that you created with family and friends.
I am excited to have you join me for Math and Science this year! We have a lot of amazing things to learn and discover throughout the year ahead. If you find that you want to extend your educational pursuits beyond our classroom exploration, please feel free to share what you find with the rest of the class!
Parents, we also invite you to be a part of the discovery process in our classroom. If there is a point in the year where you would like to be a part of the expedition, please contact our team and we will do our best to incorporate those investigations into our classroom journey.
I look forward to an excellent year! I can't wait to get started on Monday!
Have a great night!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
6/14/2014
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,
Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. Thank you for encouragement during my first year at Apex Elementary. I am humbled by how all of you have continually supported our team throughout the year.
I have had a great year working with your children and I think we all have learned a lot from each other. I am so proud of all of their hard work in Math and Science. I hope they will all continue to read all summer long. I challenge each child to read at least ten books over the summer break. I also challenge them to continue to work on their multiplication facts. Fifteen minutes a day on a website like Xtramath ( www.xtramath.org ) will help each of your children to progress even in the summer.
Thank you all again for your kindness. It has been great getting to know all of you. I wish your kids the best in Fifth Grade next year.
Have a great summer break!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
6/7/14
Good Evening! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. The weather has been awesome and it is evident that summer is finally here to stay! After the winter we had this year; hurray!
Just a couple of notes for the upcoming week. Please remind your child that the science project that we have been working on in class is due on Monday. I know a few of the kids took parts of the project home to work on it over weekend. Don't let them forget it at home on Monday. They will have time on Monday to finish but they need to bring everything back to school so they can turn in the materials.
TUESDAY is the math/science raffle day!!! I have nine items for raffle in each class. If your child has his/her blue tickets at home, they can start writing their number on the tickets. Do not have them write their names on the tickets. Thank you.
WEDNESDAY is the 4th grade recorder concert. The concert starts at 8:45am. Please make sure the kids are at school on time on Wednesday so we can get the concert started promptly at 8:45am.
THURSDAY is the 4th grade picnic and the last day of school. If you are attending the picnic, you must have a green badge. If you are planning on viewing the Sound To Sea presentation, please be in our rooms by 11:30am on Thursday. The picnic will directly follow the presentation.
FRIDAY... enjoy your summer vacation!!
I know I will post one more message before the end of the year but I would like to thank all of you for a successful first year at Apex Elementary School. I have had an awesome time working with your children and getting to know all of you. If I do not see you before summer vacation starts (please stop by the room), thank you for everything you have all done to support our team.
4/27/14
Good Evening! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. The weather has been awesome. I hope it stays.
We would like to thank the parent volunteers and the students for all of their hard work during Teacher Appreciation last week. We truly appreciate all of your hard work to support our team and our newly decorated classroom doors look awesome. I never knew we had that many Giants fans at Apex Elementary school!
This week, in Math, we will be finishing up our unit on Decimals and moving onto our next unit in Measurement. This will be our last unit as we wind down the year (can you believe that?) and get ready for summer. The kids have been working hard and I expect they will all finish strong so that they are ready for Fifth Grade next year.
In Science, we will continue our Landforms unit. The paragraphs about "Erosion and Weathering" are due on Friday. They will have some time in class this week to finish them up, but it will also be assigned for homework on Monday night as well. I expect to read some great paragraphs next weekend!
Have an awesome week!
4/13/2014
I hope you all had a wonderfully warm, sunny spring weekend. After all of the snow we have had, this is the kind of weekend we all like best!
Thank you for all of the birthday cards, well wishes, special snack and the gifts. You all are too kind. Thank you.
Reminder: Report cards went home on Friday. Please return the signed envelope tomorrow. Thank you. Also, there is no school on Friday. Please plan accordingly.
To those of you who shared photos from Sound To Sea with me, I will be returning those to you this week. I am still working on the project but I have uploaded all the photos. I am in the process of editing. Thank you for your help.
This week, in Math, we will be finishing up our unit on Multiplying Fractions and we will start working on Decimals. The kids have been working hard since we have come back from Spring Break, I hope they keep it up as the days get warmer and warmer. We will be starting on Land Formations unit in Science toward the end of this week and that unit will continue throughout the rest of the quarter.
Have a great week!
3/18/2014
Looks like Old Man Winter Struck again! I hope you all enjoyed your St. Patrick's Day as well as your day off from school. At the current time, I do not have an update on when we will make this day up. Please keep checking the WCPSS website for information regarding make up days.
Thank you to all of you who have shared Sound To Sea pictures. I have not gotten to all of them yet as that project has fallen down to the bottom of my "to do" list with the end of the quarter fast approaching. I am hoping to get back to work on that project over the spring break and in early April. I will return discs and flash drives as soon as I have finished.
This week, in Math, we will continue to work on comparing fractions. The quiz scheduled for Wednesday will be moved to Thursday. Homework from last night should be completed for class tomorrow. In science, we are finishing up our unit on Magnetism and Electricity.
And an early reminder that March 28, 2014 is no longer a day off. It is a make up day for an earlier snow day. Please make note of that for next week.
Thank you!
3/4/2014
Good Morning! Looks like Old Man Winter has decided to stay around a little longer. Enjoy the day with your kids!
Second Request: If you have pictures and/or video clips from the Sound To Sea trip and you don't mind sharing them with me, please send them in with your son or daughter on a Compact Disc or on a flash drive. I can return them to you if you put your name on the item you send in with your child. Please do not send in printed pictures, I am unable to scan them at this time. Thank you to those who have sent in pictures.
Reminder: This Friday is not an early release day. Friday is a regular day of school.
Thank you!
2/17 & 23/2014
I just realized that I wrote a note last week and never posted it. So if some of this sounds a little old, I apologize! Posting Both this week!
Welcome Back! I hope you all enjoyed some time off to enjoy another blast of snow courtesy of Mother Nature! It looks like better weather is on the way.
We should all take a moment to thank Dr. Crissman, Mrs. Pratt, Mr. Faulhaber, Mrs. Hale and Miss Lee for all of their hard work putting the Sound To Sea trip together. There are so many other people who did a lot of work to support them over the past year as we put together this trip. There are too many to list here but to every person who worked on this trip; THANK YOU! Your hard work paid off! We had successful trip and the kids learned a lot!
We would all like to thank all of the parent volunteers who took time off from work to support all of the children on the Sound To Sea field trip. You time, help and work as chaperones on our field trip was awesome!! THANK YOU!!
Finally, to all of the students, thank you for a successful adventure. You worked hard and learned so much. Great job! Keep up the great work!
REQUEST: Sound To Sea field trip; if you took pictures and/or video clips, I could use copies of them! Please send them to me on a CD or on a flash drive (the flash drive and/or CD will be returned if it is labeled with a name). The more pictures and video clips I am able to collect, the better. So if you have pictures and/or video clips that you can make digital copies of and send them into me, it would be greatly appreciated!
Updated: We finished up on our unit on Patterns and started our work on Fractions. We will be working with Fractions for the rest of the quarter. In Science, we are still working on our Magnetism and Electricity Unit.
Reminder: Please continue to work on multiplication facts with your children. This will continue to strengthen their Multiplication and Division skills.
Yearbook orders are due on Monday. Boxtops competition ends this week. Club sign-up forms are due on Monday. Please plan accordingly.
One last request: In math, we use white boards in small groups a lot. If you are able to donate a package of dry erase markers, it would be greatly appreciated. I only ask that you do not buy the flavored markers. When we use them a lot, students have complained of nausea when the combination of the aromas permeate the room. Thank you!
Have a great week!
2/9/2014
Sound To Sea is finally here! Make sure you are at the school as close to 7:00 am as possible. We have to check everyone in and load up the bus so we can get on the road. The sooner we all arrive, the sooner we can depart.
For those students that are not coming on the field trip, Miss Lee and I told your children which fourth grade classroom they will report to on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The office, as well as, the other fourth grade teachers will know which room if your son or daughter has forgotten.
Thursday will be a regular school day and Friday is an early release day! Please plan accordingly.
See most of you bright and early tomorrow morning!
2/2/2014
Just in case you were wondering, as of right now, we have school tomorrow. Miss Lee and I hope you all had a nice few days off and that your children are ready to come back to school. The information about make-up days can be found here: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/calendars/2013-14/make-up.html
Reminder; the Box Tops competition begins this week. If you have been saving up your box tops, you can start sending them in starting tomorrow.
If you have not send in all of your Sound To Sea forms, please do so. Chaperone forms need to be submitted as soon as possible so we can process all of the paperwork.
In Math, we will be picking up where we left off before the snow rolled in and finishing up our work with Area and Perimeter. In Science, we will also continue to work on our unit on Magnetism and Electricity.
Have a great week!
1/26/2014
First of all, I would like to thank you all for not pointing out that all of my dates were still labeled 2013! I have changed them but thank you!
I hope you all had a nice weekend after a short week. We started the quarter off with a unit on Area and Perimeter. The kids are working hard and we will be finishing up that unit later this week. We will also be starting our unit of Magnetism and Electricity this week. Because of the trip to Sound To Sea, there will not be a science project this quarter. We will be focusing exclusively on the experiments, assignments and Discovery Education materials that will tie the entire unit together.
Speaking of Sound To Sea, please submit any and all final paperwork that has not been sent in to us. It is imperative that we collect this paperwork before the field trip so we can plan accordingly. If you are going to be a chaperone and have not sent in the chaperone paperwork, please do so as soon as possible.
Quick Reminder: If you signed up to send snacks on the field trip, please send those in on Monday. Tuesday latest. Thank you!
Have a great week!
1/12/2014
I hope you had a great weekend! I know many of you asked me when the Sound to Sea trip is... the dates are February 10th, 11th and 12th. We leave early on Monday morning and will return on Wednesday afternoon. Please submit your paperwork, your permission slips and your payments so that we can finalize everything for the trip. Thank you!
Reminder -- Friday is an early release day! Please plan accordingly.
In Math, we will finish up our work on Two Dimensional Figures this week. The kids have been working hard all week and I look forward to them finishing the quarter strong.
In Science, I look forward to reading their final research papers this week. I also look forward to the presentation of their Animal Adaptations Video project. It will be a great way to finish the quarter!
Have an awesome week!
1/5/2014
Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful Winter Break. Thank you to those families who gave me holiday gifts. You are very kind and it was greatly appreciated.
Miss Lee and I would like to take a moment to thank David's father and Chris' mother for meeting with our classes in December and sharing their cultural traditions with the students. We invite all families to contact us if you have any cultural traditions you would like to share with our classes.
I also would like to thank Abbie and Avery's moms for coordinating the Winter Learning Experience, as well as all of the parents who came in to help with the projects. Thank you all for making it a great experience for the kids!
The Sound to Sea field trip is fast approaching. Many of you have told Miss Lee and I that you are planning on sending your children on the field trip but have not submitted your paper work. We will be contacting you this week to finalize plans for the Sound to Sea field trip. Please submit your paper work as soon as possible so we can register your child for Sound To Sea.
In Math, we will finish up our work with Measurement of Angles and we'll be starting a unit on Two Dimensional Figures. These will be the last two units of the quarter that ends on January 17th.
In Science, we are finishing up our work on our research papers and photo stories as part of our Animal Studies unit. The students have been working hard and Miss Lee and I look forward to seeing their completed projects!
Have a wonderful week!
12/1/2013
Welcome back! We hope you all had a happy, safe and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
As we get ready to come back to school on Monday, please remember to send in your Sound To Sea information. If you have not sent in your payment or made arrangements with us, please send it in as soon as possible. Thank You!
This week in Math, we continue to work on various types of word problems. In Science, we will begin work on our research paper and project.
Have a great week!
11/23/13
Thank you for your patience. We have been experiencing technical difficulties for the past week and a half. I believe we have them fixed. So now that report cards are complete and the web site is fixed, we should be back in business moving forward.
Welcome to the short week of the year. Please remember that there is no school on Wednesday. We will have school on Monday and Tuesday.
This week, we are continuing our work with word problems in Math. We will be wrapping up the unit when we come back from Thanksgiving break. Please keep working with your children on their multiplication facts.
In science, we are still working with physical and behavioral adaptations. When we come back from Thanksgiving break, we will start working on our joint science/language arts research project. The kids have been doing a great job getting ready for the project.
Have an awesome week and a Happy Thanksgiving!
11/12/13
I hope you all had a wonderful, long weekend. Make sure your children dress warmly this week as the mercury should dip into the forties most of the week.
Once again, sorry for the long delay between messages. We have been working on getting the report cards done. As Most of you now know, the County has delayed report cards again. Report cards should be coming home somewhere around the 25th of November.
Thank you again to all of you who donated books to our class library. The new adventures that have been added to our shelves will provide the students with countless hours of great reading! Thank you!
We will be finishing up our unit on Division this week. In Science, we will continue learning about adaptations.
Finally, there will be information coming home about the Sound To Sea field trip. Their will be an online payment option available as well. We will be forwarding this information to you as soon as we have it all finalized.
Have a great week!
10/29/2013
Sorry for the long radio silence. The end of the quarter has been hectic. Your children did a great job on their oral reports in Science. I am proud of all of them. They worked hard and gave excellent presentations!
Due to the Case 21 exams, there is no Math homework tonight. Have your child get a good night of sleep and a good breakfast to start his/her day.
Thank you to those who donated books to our class library! We appreciate all of the books and look forward to reading some great adventures!
Reminder, please submit your field trip permission forms for the NC Symphony as soon as possible. Please fill out both sides of the form.
Reminder, the Scholastic book order is due on Thursday. Please submit all orders online or in class by 10/31/2013.
Have a great night!
10/11/2013
In math this week, we started our multiplication unit and will be working on more complex equations over the next couple of weeks. Please remind your children to give the full thirty minutes each night for homework. If they do not finish the assignment please remember to initial or sign their homework, so that I know they spent thirty minutes on their work. In science, we are wrapping up our unit on rock and minerals. The shift over this next week will be to finish their oral reports which will be presented in class during the week of 10/21. The kids have been working hard on this project. I look forward to hearing these reports.
The Book fair is this week. Our preview day is Tuesday morning during first period (roughly 8:35am) and our purchase day is Thursday morning at the same time. Pajama Night is Tuesday night!
If you have not signed up for a Parent/Teacher conference, email me and I will send you the link once again. Please do not wait as time slots are filling up quickly.
Finally, Friday is an Early Release day.
10/4/2013
Please remember to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences. If you need the information sent again, please contact Miss Lee or myself and we will send it to you.
Picture Day is on Tuesday, October 8, 2013.
One more reminder: Please limit the Math homework to thirty minutes a night. If your child gets stuck or has difficulty with their homework, please sign the homework after they have tried to do it for thirty minutes. Then have your child bring their questions in the next day and I will work with them to understand any problems they might have. Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend!
9/30/13 (Part II)
Miss Lee and I are working on our Parent/Teacher conference schedule. Stay tuned this week for more information!
The kids are working hard. We finished our unit on Adding & Subtracting Whole Numbers last week and I am proud of the progress the kids are showing. I hope they continue to work hard and strive to improve every day. We started a unit on Factors today and will start working on Multiplication soon.
In Science, the kids continue to work on their experiments in class. Their oral reports are due the week of October 21st. I will be handing out the rubric this week.
9/30/13 (Part I)
I will have more news to report later today. There is no Math Homework tonight. The kids can either get caught up, work on Study Island or their oral report. Thank you.
9/20/2013
I apologize for the long post. I have a lot of news to share with you today!
The kids had a great week! They are showing good progress in both Math and Science. Tell them to keep up the good work.
In Math this week, we started a new unit on Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers. We should wrap up the unit next week. Please make sure your children are doing their homework every night. It allows me to see where the kids’ strengths and weaknesses are foundationally and for the kids, it allows them time to work on and practice their skills.
In Science, we are continuing to work on the Rocks and Minerals unit. We have a number of activities going on involving hands on experiments as well as classroom discussions and small group activities. Today and Monday (Miss Lee’s home room will get this information on Monday); the kids will be starting to work on their oral reports that are due on October 21, 2013. Two weeks ago, they chose partners and today (Monday for Miss Lee’s home room) we (will) went over the project requirements as well as the guidelines for the project. Each child has been given a graphic organizer in order to pull together their information. On Monday, each child will have a rubric for the oral report so they know exactly what they oral report should look like.
The PTA bulb sale/fundraiser has been extended until Wednesday, September 25, 2013. My Scholastic book order went home earlier in the week. If you are ordering online, please place your order by Monday, September 30, 2013. If you are sending in an order form, please send that in by Friday, September 27, 2013 so I can mail out the book order at the end of next week.
Please return all Sound to the Sea reservation forms by Friday, September 27, 2013. We do not need the money for the field trip at this time but we do need to have an idea of how many children will be going on this field trip.
Please remember that Friday, September 27, 2013 is an early release day.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
9/11/2013
Because of the Math test today, there is no Math homework unless your child needs to correct his or her journal prompt from last night. The students need to finish their Science pages for homework.
9/10/2013
Welcome to Open House! I look forward to an excellent year working with your children. Please check this space often. I will provide classroom news, information and announcements in this forum. Please feel free to email me at "dveeder at wcpss dot net" with any questions you may have. Have a great week!
Good afternoon!!! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend (cold and rainy as it has been)!!
First of all, I would like to thank you all for making Teacher's Appreciation Week such an awesome week. The kids were in great spirits, worked hard all week and we had a lot of fun along the way. I also want to thank the room parents who came in on Wednesday and sent me off to lunch while they decorated my door. I am a big fan of my "MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU" door, especially since they turned me into a Jedi Knight Math Teacher complete with my very own Light Saber. Very Cool !!!
Thank you so much for everything!!
This week in Math, we are finishing up our work on Decimals on Monday. The rest of the week will be spent introducing the kids on our team to the Metric System. In Science, we are continuing to work on our Animals and Habitats Research Paper. Most of the students are finishing up their research and should be starting their "sloppy copy" of the report. They will have class time to work on their projects (including Board Builder) but if they choose to work on their project at home, they are more than welcome to do so at any time.
Mrs. Miles has posted a bunch of dates to keep in mind on her wall. Instead of duplicating them here as well, please make sure to take note of those dates on the ELA and Social Studies tab above. In addition to those dates, Mr. Faison (our new Principal) will be starting at Apex Elementary on Friday, May 1, 2015. Let's give him a warm Apex Elementary welcome when he joins our staff later this week!
Finally, we have donated 962 pounds of clothing in our Note in the Pocket clothing drive so far this year. I plan on making our second to last delivery of the year later this week. If you are in the middle of your spring cleaning and have some lightly used donations to make, please feel free to send them in before Friday. Thank you!!!
I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Have a great day,
Doug Veeder
3/8/2015
Good afternoon!!! I hope you all had a wonderful week and weekend !! It was nice having a full week of school (well, almost, the two-hour delay through us for a loop) !! Let's hope that old man winter is behind us for good and we have nothing but warm weather and smooth sailing ahead!!
Before I get to my notes, I would like to welcome Mrs. Miles to our team. She had an awesome first week of classes with the students and she is a great addition to our team! I welcome Mrs. Miles and wish her the best of luck as takes over for Miss Lee and will continue to provide a top notch learning experience to the students on our team!
Important Notes:
-- Wake County has published new make up dates for the snow days we had. You can click this link to read for yourself but our make up days will be the first three days of Spring Break: March 23rd, 24th and 25th.
-- Mr. Umstead, our interim Principal, has posted a meet and greet for March 12th at 9:00am. If you would like more information about the meet and greet with Mr. Umstead, please visit the Apex Elementary Website Homepage.
-- Thursday, March 12, 2015 at 6:30pm is our make up date for the Parent Night that was scheduled for February! Please plan on attending.
We have started our fractions units in Math. We will be finishing up our work on Equivalent Fractions this week and starting our unit on Comparing Fractions. In science, our animals and habitats project has been pushed back due to the snow. We will continue to introduce the material and after our modified spring break, we will work on the Research paper in the fourth quarter.
Have a great week!
Doug Veeder
2/22/2105
Good afternoon!! I hope you all have been safe, warm and sane over the past week as winter decided to blast us with a bunch of extended days off. We have more cold weather on the way; please make sure your children dress warmly!
There are many changes to the schedule below... please make sure to mark your calendars!
Important Notes:
-- The 100 point AR club meeting will be on Monday, February 23 from 3pm to 4pm. Please plan accordingly.
-- The Cultural Arts Weaving Program starts this week in Art Class. Please make sure to send in your items for this program.
-- Club starts on Tuesday, February 24th. I believe you have all been emailed or notified electronically.
-- The visiting author is here on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The family reading night with Jan Stevens is on Tuesday from 5pm to 6:30pm in the school library.
-- Family Night has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 12th at 6:30pm.
-- Mr. Veeder's home room: The Book Orders are due Thursday. Make sure to log in and place all orders by Thursday so that I can finalize them on Friday. Thank you!
-- THERE IS NO MATH CLUB on Monday, February 23rd. I apologize for the short notice but Math Club will resume next week.
The curriculum is the same as last week, since last week was snowed out. We will finish up our unit on Patterns. We will begin fractions this week as well. In Science, we will continue our work in our Animals and Habitats unit as we get ready to start our research project soon.
Have an awesome week,
Doug Veeder
2/15/2015
Good Afternoon!! I hope you are all braving the cooler weather today! Stay warm and stay safe in the days ahead. Please have your children dress warmly because it is going to be very cold this week. Thank you!
A few quick notes:
-- The Cultural Arts Weaving Program starts this week in Art Class. Very few items have been sent in to the class. The fewer items sent in, the kids will get less out of the program.
-- Thursday, 2/19/15 is our school wide Family Night... see you there!
-- On 2/24/15 and 2/25/15 our visiting author, Janet Stevens, will be here. She will have a family reading night on 2/24/15 from 5pm until 6:30pm.
-- Also on 2/24/15, the PTA clubs will begin after school. Placement notices should go home this week.
-- IMPORTANT: Math Club will be canceled if Wake County cancels afternoon activities due to inclement weather on Monday afternoon. This is for your safety of your child as well as your safety. If After school activities are called due to inclement weather, your children will go home like they do the rest of the week: by bus or by car pool. Please keep an eye out for announcements as they day progresses. Thank you.
In Math this week, we will finish up our unit on patterns. Depending on what day that is, we will either start our first unit on fractions late this week or early next week. In Science this week, we will continue to work on our Animals and Habitats unit.
Have an awesome week,
Doug Veeder
2/8/2015
Good afternoon!! I hope you are all out enjoying this amazing sunshine!
A few quick notes:
-- Friday is an early release day. Please plan accordingly.
-- We have donated 611 pounds of clothing to Note in the Pocket so far this year. I have a full bin and will be adding to that total soon. I am also excited to let you know that some of the other grade levels have joined us in our efforts to make a difference. Thank you all for leading by example! Together we can change the world, one person at a time. The kids are learning an awesome lesson; thank you all for being a part of it!
-- You all have received information about the Weaving Program in Art. Please have the kids start bringing in their items. I will be collecting them in the room and sending them with the students when they go to Art class.
-- For Mr. Veeder's Home Room: just a reminder that the scholastic book order is running this month.
-- Finally, if you have Sound To Sea pictures, please put them on a CD/DVD and send them in so I can start working on the end of year project. Thank you in advance for only sending in the best photos. My goal is to have of photo of every child make the final video, so please try to send in photos of all the kids in your Habitat group. Group shots are always awesome.
This week, we will be finishing up our unit on Area and Perimeter. We will begin another short unit on Patterns before starting a long winter/spring of fractions. In Science, we will start our unit on Animals and Habitats. This unit will culminate in a research project that will utilize skills in Science, ELA, Technology and Media.
Have an awesome week!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
2/1/2015
We had an awesome trip down to Sound To Sea! The kids were on their best behavior, learned a lot about the world around them and (they don't want me to tell you this) learned how to set as well as clear tables. I hope your son or daughter is rested after a long trip (they did a lot) and ready to get back to school tomorrow.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to the chaperones who joined us on the trip! You all did an excellent job! If you took pictures during the trip, please put the good ones (not all but the ones you like the most) on a CD for me and bring them in over the next week. I will return your CD as soon as possible.
This week in Math, we are finishing up our unit on two dimensional figures and line symmetry. We will be starting a quick unit on area and perimeter. Later this week, we will get started on our Animals and Habitats unit in science.
Have a great rest of your weekend!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
1/11/2015
We had a good week last week. The kids have been working hard and as we head into our last week of the second quarter, I expect them all to finish strong.
SOUND TO SEA: Please send in your Sound To Sea paperwork if you have not already. All paperwork has to be completed in order to go on the field trip. Please get this as soon as possible. Thank you.
In math, we are finishing our unit on measurement. We will be having our final assessment this week. In science, the oral reports are due on Friday. The kids will begin presenting on this date and will continue into next week. I look forward to seeing some great final projects!
Dates to remember:
Monday, Jan 12th -- Case 21 (have your child get a good night of sleep)
Tuesday, Jan 13th -- Case 21
Monday, January 19th -- MLK Day. No School
Tuesday, January 20th -- Teacher Work Day. No School.
Tuesday, January 27th -- Report Cards go home.
Wednesday, January 28th -- Leave for Sound To Sea field trip.
Friday, January 30th -- Return from field trip.
Have a great week!!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
1/4/2015
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope your 2015 is off to a great start!!
Thank you for all of the kind gifts! You all are so kind!
Sound To Sea -- Miss Lee and I will be sending home Sound To Sea forms this week that need to be filled out and sent back to us as soon as possible. The trip is a mere three weeks away. We are very excited and can't wait! Keep your fingers crossed for great weather!
In Math, we will be working with protractors this week. If your kids have their own protractor, they may bring them to school and use them in class. If they do not have one. No worries, I have some in class that they can use. In science, we will be finishing up our classroom/lab work on rocks and minerals. The kids oral report is due on Friday, January 16, 2015. They have been working on this since early December, so I expect great oral reports. The rubric will go home this week.
Many have asked about my classroom needs. If you are out and about and find dry erase markers or tissues on sale, I can always use more of both in my classroom. If you do buy dry erase markers, please try to avoid the scented/flavored ones. They make some of the kids nauseous. Thank you!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!
See you all tomorrow morning!
Have a great day,
Mr. Veeder
11/23/2014
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. At least the rain held off until today and if all goes well, we should have decent weather for Thanksgiving.
In Math, we have wrapped up our unit on Division and have moved into our unit on Multiplicative Comparisons. We will be working in this unit for the next couple of weeks. In Science, the kids are exploring the world of Rock and Minerals. We have had some cool experiments involving mock rocks and after the holiday, we will start looking at real rocks and minerals during our lab time.
Quick Reminder: There is no school this week on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
Sound To Sea: Sound to Sea payments are due by December 5th. If you have any questions about payment for the field trip, please contact us for more information.
Note in the Pocket: I hope you all saw the letter that Miss Lee and I sent about our classroom clothing drive that we will be running for the rest of the year. If you did not get the letter, please ask your son or daughter to give it to you. If you did see the letter and you have any questions, please contact me. Thank you.
Miss Lee and I wish you all a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
11/2/2014
Good Morning! Hopefully, you all are having a nice weekend.
I am very proud of the kids for how hard they are working in Math and Science. Keep praising them for their work ethic and keep pushing them to work hard, even when the work gets tough. Especially now that we have started the Division unit. I hope you all got the division/you tube videos I sent to help you work with your child at home. Send me an email if you did not get them.
We will start working on our Rocks and Minerals Unit in Science this week. In the Science Specialty area, Mrs, Marshall has asked if anyone would be willing to donate any of the following items:
Chalk
Steel Wool
Vinegar
Cups-clear plastic
Sugar Cubes
Gravel
She is working on the Land Forms unit with the kids and could use small donations of those items to help with the experiments.
In Math, I am running low on Dry Erase Markers and tissues. We use white boards all the time to practice our math skills and if you find Dry Erase markers on sale, our class would be thankful if you would be able to donate a package of markers.
Thank you so much!
Have an awesome week!
Mr. Veeder
10/5/2014
I hope you all had an awesome weekend. The weather was nice and today, you can feel a little tinge of autumn in the air.
Last week, Miss Lee and I sent home interim report cards with your child. If they did not share it with you yet, please ask them for your copy. We also sent home the information for picture day. Our day for class photos is on October 9th. The dates for Mr. Veeder's home room to go to the Book Fair are as follows; Tuesday, October 14th is our preview day and Thursday, October 16th is our day to purchase books.
Dates to remember:
October 6th -- Book fair Art Submissions are due.
October 7th -- PTA clubs begin!
October 8th -- National Walk to School Day
October 9th -- Picture Day
October 14th -- PJ Night at the Book Fair
October 16th & 17th -- Donuts for Dads and Dudes
October 21st -- PTA club Day
October 23rd -- Parent Education Night
October 28th -- PTA club day.
October 29th -- Teacher Work day/ No school
Parent/Teacher Conferences -- If you have not signed up for a parent teacher conference, please do so today!
This week in Math, we are finishing up our work on Factors this week as we get ready to move into our unit on Multiplication. Please make sure your child is doing his/her XtraMath four days a week. This program will strengthen their math skills. In Science, we are continuing our discovery of Electricity. The kids are off to a great start and before you know it, the first quarter will be over. Keep working hard!!!
Have a great week ahead,
Doug Veeder
9/14/2014
Hopefully, you all had a great weekend. It was a little wet at times but hopefully, you all got a chance to enjoy some of the sunshine we had as well.
The kids are off to a great start this year! We just finished our place value unit in Math and our now working on addition and subtraction strategies before diving into word problems as part of the unit. We are wrapping up the magnetism part of the Electricity and Magnetism Unit. We will be starting our investigations into electricity this week. I am sure the kids will enjoy the investigation as we further discover more about the scientific world around us.
Please make sure that each child is doing XtraMath on four separate days of the week. I have been trying to give the kids as many opportunities to work on the website during the day. The more they work on the math facts, the better they will become at Math.
Dates to put on the Calendar:
Monday, September 15, 2014 -- Fourth Grade Open House! 6pm in room 412 (Mr. Veeder's room). See you all tomorrow night!
Thursday, September 25, 2014 -- Teacher Work Day (No School)
Keep and eye out later this week for Miss Lee and Mr. Veeder's conference schedule.
Have a great week ahead,
Doug Veeder
9/1/2014
I hope you all had a wonderful, long weekend! The weather was awesome!
This week, we will continue working on our Magnets and Electricity unit in Science as well as our Place Value and Rounding unit in Math. The kids are off to a good start.
Last week, I sent each child home with a letter so they could log on and do their XtraMath practice at home as well. If you did not get the letter from your son or daughter, please email me for a new one. Starting this week, all students in Math will be required to practice their XtraMath four times a week. They will have opportunities at school but also being able to log in at home will help them get stronger in Math. Thank you.
Dates to put on the Calendar:
Friday, September 5, 2014 -- Early Release Day.
Friday, September 12, 2014 -- GoPLaySave Order Deadline!
Monday, September 15, 2014 -- Fourth Grade Open House from 6pm to 7pm. I hope to see you all there!
Thursday, September 25, 2014 -- Teacher Work Day (No School)
We had a lot of fun last week as we started an exploration of new material in Math and Science. Your child is off to a good start. I look forward to another great week when we get back to school tomorrow!
Have an awesome week,
Doug Veeder
8/24/2014
Dear Parents/Guardians and 4th Grade Students,
Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful summer vacation that was filled with fun adventures and amazing memories that you created with family and friends.
I am excited to have you join me for Math and Science this year! We have a lot of amazing things to learn and discover throughout the year ahead. If you find that you want to extend your educational pursuits beyond our classroom exploration, please feel free to share what you find with the rest of the class!
Parents, we also invite you to be a part of the discovery process in our classroom. If there is a point in the year where you would like to be a part of the expedition, please contact our team and we will do our best to incorporate those investigations into our classroom journey.
I look forward to an excellent year! I can't wait to get started on Monday!
Have a great night!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
6/14/2014
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,
Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. Thank you for encouragement during my first year at Apex Elementary. I am humbled by how all of you have continually supported our team throughout the year.
I have had a great year working with your children and I think we all have learned a lot from each other. I am so proud of all of their hard work in Math and Science. I hope they will all continue to read all summer long. I challenge each child to read at least ten books over the summer break. I also challenge them to continue to work on their multiplication facts. Fifteen minutes a day on a website like Xtramath ( www.xtramath.org ) will help each of your children to progress even in the summer.
Thank you all again for your kindness. It has been great getting to know all of you. I wish your kids the best in Fifth Grade next year.
Have a great summer break!
Sincerely,
Doug Veeder
6/7/14
Good Evening! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. The weather has been awesome and it is evident that summer is finally here to stay! After the winter we had this year; hurray!
Just a couple of notes for the upcoming week. Please remind your child that the science project that we have been working on in class is due on Monday. I know a few of the kids took parts of the project home to work on it over weekend. Don't let them forget it at home on Monday. They will have time on Monday to finish but they need to bring everything back to school so they can turn in the materials.
TUESDAY is the math/science raffle day!!! I have nine items for raffle in each class. If your child has his/her blue tickets at home, they can start writing their number on the tickets. Do not have them write their names on the tickets. Thank you.
WEDNESDAY is the 4th grade recorder concert. The concert starts at 8:45am. Please make sure the kids are at school on time on Wednesday so we can get the concert started promptly at 8:45am.
THURSDAY is the 4th grade picnic and the last day of school. If you are attending the picnic, you must have a green badge. If you are planning on viewing the Sound To Sea presentation, please be in our rooms by 11:30am on Thursday. The picnic will directly follow the presentation.
FRIDAY... enjoy your summer vacation!!
I know I will post one more message before the end of the year but I would like to thank all of you for a successful first year at Apex Elementary School. I have had an awesome time working with your children and getting to know all of you. If I do not see you before summer vacation starts (please stop by the room), thank you for everything you have all done to support our team.
4/27/14
Good Evening! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. The weather has been awesome. I hope it stays.
We would like to thank the parent volunteers and the students for all of their hard work during Teacher Appreciation last week. We truly appreciate all of your hard work to support our team and our newly decorated classroom doors look awesome. I never knew we had that many Giants fans at Apex Elementary school!
This week, in Math, we will be finishing up our unit on Decimals and moving onto our next unit in Measurement. This will be our last unit as we wind down the year (can you believe that?) and get ready for summer. The kids have been working hard and I expect they will all finish strong so that they are ready for Fifth Grade next year.
In Science, we will continue our Landforms unit. The paragraphs about "Erosion and Weathering" are due on Friday. They will have some time in class this week to finish them up, but it will also be assigned for homework on Monday night as well. I expect to read some great paragraphs next weekend!
Have an awesome week!
4/13/2014
I hope you all had a wonderfully warm, sunny spring weekend. After all of the snow we have had, this is the kind of weekend we all like best!
Thank you for all of the birthday cards, well wishes, special snack and the gifts. You all are too kind. Thank you.
Reminder: Report cards went home on Friday. Please return the signed envelope tomorrow. Thank you. Also, there is no school on Friday. Please plan accordingly.
To those of you who shared photos from Sound To Sea with me, I will be returning those to you this week. I am still working on the project but I have uploaded all the photos. I am in the process of editing. Thank you for your help.
This week, in Math, we will be finishing up our unit on Multiplying Fractions and we will start working on Decimals. The kids have been working hard since we have come back from Spring Break, I hope they keep it up as the days get warmer and warmer. We will be starting on Land Formations unit in Science toward the end of this week and that unit will continue throughout the rest of the quarter.
Have a great week!
3/18/2014
Looks like Old Man Winter Struck again! I hope you all enjoyed your St. Patrick's Day as well as your day off from school. At the current time, I do not have an update on when we will make this day up. Please keep checking the WCPSS website for information regarding make up days.
Thank you to all of you who have shared Sound To Sea pictures. I have not gotten to all of them yet as that project has fallen down to the bottom of my "to do" list with the end of the quarter fast approaching. I am hoping to get back to work on that project over the spring break and in early April. I will return discs and flash drives as soon as I have finished.
This week, in Math, we will continue to work on comparing fractions. The quiz scheduled for Wednesday will be moved to Thursday. Homework from last night should be completed for class tomorrow. In science, we are finishing up our unit on Magnetism and Electricity.
And an early reminder that March 28, 2014 is no longer a day off. It is a make up day for an earlier snow day. Please make note of that for next week.
Thank you!
3/4/2014
Good Morning! Looks like Old Man Winter has decided to stay around a little longer. Enjoy the day with your kids!
Second Request: If you have pictures and/or video clips from the Sound To Sea trip and you don't mind sharing them with me, please send them in with your son or daughter on a Compact Disc or on a flash drive. I can return them to you if you put your name on the item you send in with your child. Please do not send in printed pictures, I am unable to scan them at this time. Thank you to those who have sent in pictures.
Reminder: This Friday is not an early release day. Friday is a regular day of school.
Thank you!
2/17 & 23/2014
I just realized that I wrote a note last week and never posted it. So if some of this sounds a little old, I apologize! Posting Both this week!
Welcome Back! I hope you all enjoyed some time off to enjoy another blast of snow courtesy of Mother Nature! It looks like better weather is on the way.
We should all take a moment to thank Dr. Crissman, Mrs. Pratt, Mr. Faulhaber, Mrs. Hale and Miss Lee for all of their hard work putting the Sound To Sea trip together. There are so many other people who did a lot of work to support them over the past year as we put together this trip. There are too many to list here but to every person who worked on this trip; THANK YOU! Your hard work paid off! We had successful trip and the kids learned a lot!
We would all like to thank all of the parent volunteers who took time off from work to support all of the children on the Sound To Sea field trip. You time, help and work as chaperones on our field trip was awesome!! THANK YOU!!
Finally, to all of the students, thank you for a successful adventure. You worked hard and learned so much. Great job! Keep up the great work!
REQUEST: Sound To Sea field trip; if you took pictures and/or video clips, I could use copies of them! Please send them to me on a CD or on a flash drive (the flash drive and/or CD will be returned if it is labeled with a name). The more pictures and video clips I am able to collect, the better. So if you have pictures and/or video clips that you can make digital copies of and send them into me, it would be greatly appreciated!
Updated: We finished up on our unit on Patterns and started our work on Fractions. We will be working with Fractions for the rest of the quarter. In Science, we are still working on our Magnetism and Electricity Unit.
Reminder: Please continue to work on multiplication facts with your children. This will continue to strengthen their Multiplication and Division skills.
Yearbook orders are due on Monday. Boxtops competition ends this week. Club sign-up forms are due on Monday. Please plan accordingly.
One last request: In math, we use white boards in small groups a lot. If you are able to donate a package of dry erase markers, it would be greatly appreciated. I only ask that you do not buy the flavored markers. When we use them a lot, students have complained of nausea when the combination of the aromas permeate the room. Thank you!
Have a great week!
2/9/2014
Sound To Sea is finally here! Make sure you are at the school as close to 7:00 am as possible. We have to check everyone in and load up the bus so we can get on the road. The sooner we all arrive, the sooner we can depart.
For those students that are not coming on the field trip, Miss Lee and I told your children which fourth grade classroom they will report to on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The office, as well as, the other fourth grade teachers will know which room if your son or daughter has forgotten.
Thursday will be a regular school day and Friday is an early release day! Please plan accordingly.
See most of you bright and early tomorrow morning!
2/2/2014
Just in case you were wondering, as of right now, we have school tomorrow. Miss Lee and I hope you all had a nice few days off and that your children are ready to come back to school. The information about make-up days can be found here: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/calendars/2013-14/make-up.html
Reminder; the Box Tops competition begins this week. If you have been saving up your box tops, you can start sending them in starting tomorrow.
If you have not send in all of your Sound To Sea forms, please do so. Chaperone forms need to be submitted as soon as possible so we can process all of the paperwork.
In Math, we will be picking up where we left off before the snow rolled in and finishing up our work with Area and Perimeter. In Science, we will also continue to work on our unit on Magnetism and Electricity.
Have a great week!
1/26/2014
First of all, I would like to thank you all for not pointing out that all of my dates were still labeled 2013! I have changed them but thank you!
I hope you all had a nice weekend after a short week. We started the quarter off with a unit on Area and Perimeter. The kids are working hard and we will be finishing up that unit later this week. We will also be starting our unit of Magnetism and Electricity this week. Because of the trip to Sound To Sea, there will not be a science project this quarter. We will be focusing exclusively on the experiments, assignments and Discovery Education materials that will tie the entire unit together.
Speaking of Sound To Sea, please submit any and all final paperwork that has not been sent in to us. It is imperative that we collect this paperwork before the field trip so we can plan accordingly. If you are going to be a chaperone and have not sent in the chaperone paperwork, please do so as soon as possible.
Quick Reminder: If you signed up to send snacks on the field trip, please send those in on Monday. Tuesday latest. Thank you!
Have a great week!
1/12/2014
I hope you had a great weekend! I know many of you asked me when the Sound to Sea trip is... the dates are February 10th, 11th and 12th. We leave early on Monday morning and will return on Wednesday afternoon. Please submit your paperwork, your permission slips and your payments so that we can finalize everything for the trip. Thank you!
Reminder -- Friday is an early release day! Please plan accordingly.
In Math, we will finish up our work on Two Dimensional Figures this week. The kids have been working hard all week and I look forward to them finishing the quarter strong.
In Science, I look forward to reading their final research papers this week. I also look forward to the presentation of their Animal Adaptations Video project. It will be a great way to finish the quarter!
Have an awesome week!
1/5/2014
Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful Winter Break. Thank you to those families who gave me holiday gifts. You are very kind and it was greatly appreciated.
Miss Lee and I would like to take a moment to thank David's father and Chris' mother for meeting with our classes in December and sharing their cultural traditions with the students. We invite all families to contact us if you have any cultural traditions you would like to share with our classes.
I also would like to thank Abbie and Avery's moms for coordinating the Winter Learning Experience, as well as all of the parents who came in to help with the projects. Thank you all for making it a great experience for the kids!
The Sound to Sea field trip is fast approaching. Many of you have told Miss Lee and I that you are planning on sending your children on the field trip but have not submitted your paper work. We will be contacting you this week to finalize plans for the Sound to Sea field trip. Please submit your paper work as soon as possible so we can register your child for Sound To Sea.
In Math, we will finish up our work with Measurement of Angles and we'll be starting a unit on Two Dimensional Figures. These will be the last two units of the quarter that ends on January 17th.
In Science, we are finishing up our work on our research papers and photo stories as part of our Animal Studies unit. The students have been working hard and Miss Lee and I look forward to seeing their completed projects!
Have a wonderful week!
12/1/2013
Welcome back! We hope you all had a happy, safe and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
As we get ready to come back to school on Monday, please remember to send in your Sound To Sea information. If you have not sent in your payment or made arrangements with us, please send it in as soon as possible. Thank You!
This week in Math, we continue to work on various types of word problems. In Science, we will begin work on our research paper and project.
Have a great week!
11/23/13
Thank you for your patience. We have been experiencing technical difficulties for the past week and a half. I believe we have them fixed. So now that report cards are complete and the web site is fixed, we should be back in business moving forward.
Welcome to the short week of the year. Please remember that there is no school on Wednesday. We will have school on Monday and Tuesday.
This week, we are continuing our work with word problems in Math. We will be wrapping up the unit when we come back from Thanksgiving break. Please keep working with your children on their multiplication facts.
In science, we are still working with physical and behavioral adaptations. When we come back from Thanksgiving break, we will start working on our joint science/language arts research project. The kids have been doing a great job getting ready for the project.
Have an awesome week and a Happy Thanksgiving!
11/12/13
I hope you all had a wonderful, long weekend. Make sure your children dress warmly this week as the mercury should dip into the forties most of the week.
Once again, sorry for the long delay between messages. We have been working on getting the report cards done. As Most of you now know, the County has delayed report cards again. Report cards should be coming home somewhere around the 25th of November.
Thank you again to all of you who donated books to our class library. The new adventures that have been added to our shelves will provide the students with countless hours of great reading! Thank you!
We will be finishing up our unit on Division this week. In Science, we will continue learning about adaptations.
Finally, there will be information coming home about the Sound To Sea field trip. Their will be an online payment option available as well. We will be forwarding this information to you as soon as we have it all finalized.
Have a great week!
10/29/2013
Sorry for the long radio silence. The end of the quarter has been hectic. Your children did a great job on their oral reports in Science. I am proud of all of them. They worked hard and gave excellent presentations!
Due to the Case 21 exams, there is no Math homework tonight. Have your child get a good night of sleep and a good breakfast to start his/her day.
Thank you to those who donated books to our class library! We appreciate all of the books and look forward to reading some great adventures!
Reminder, please submit your field trip permission forms for the NC Symphony as soon as possible. Please fill out both sides of the form.
Reminder, the Scholastic book order is due on Thursday. Please submit all orders online or in class by 10/31/2013.
Have a great night!
10/11/2013
In math this week, we started our multiplication unit and will be working on more complex equations over the next couple of weeks. Please remind your children to give the full thirty minutes each night for homework. If they do not finish the assignment please remember to initial or sign their homework, so that I know they spent thirty minutes on their work. In science, we are wrapping up our unit on rock and minerals. The shift over this next week will be to finish their oral reports which will be presented in class during the week of 10/21. The kids have been working hard on this project. I look forward to hearing these reports.
The Book fair is this week. Our preview day is Tuesday morning during first period (roughly 8:35am) and our purchase day is Thursday morning at the same time. Pajama Night is Tuesday night!
If you have not signed up for a Parent/Teacher conference, email me and I will send you the link once again. Please do not wait as time slots are filling up quickly.
Finally, Friday is an Early Release day.
10/4/2013
Please remember to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences. If you need the information sent again, please contact Miss Lee or myself and we will send it to you.
Picture Day is on Tuesday, October 8, 2013.
One more reminder: Please limit the Math homework to thirty minutes a night. If your child gets stuck or has difficulty with their homework, please sign the homework after they have tried to do it for thirty minutes. Then have your child bring their questions in the next day and I will work with them to understand any problems they might have. Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend!
9/30/13 (Part II)
Miss Lee and I are working on our Parent/Teacher conference schedule. Stay tuned this week for more information!
The kids are working hard. We finished our unit on Adding & Subtracting Whole Numbers last week and I am proud of the progress the kids are showing. I hope they continue to work hard and strive to improve every day. We started a unit on Factors today and will start working on Multiplication soon.
In Science, the kids continue to work on their experiments in class. Their oral reports are due the week of October 21st. I will be handing out the rubric this week.
9/30/13 (Part I)
I will have more news to report later today. There is no Math Homework tonight. The kids can either get caught up, work on Study Island or their oral report. Thank you.
9/20/2013
I apologize for the long post. I have a lot of news to share with you today!
The kids had a great week! They are showing good progress in both Math and Science. Tell them to keep up the good work.
In Math this week, we started a new unit on Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers. We should wrap up the unit next week. Please make sure your children are doing their homework every night. It allows me to see where the kids’ strengths and weaknesses are foundationally and for the kids, it allows them time to work on and practice their skills.
In Science, we are continuing to work on the Rocks and Minerals unit. We have a number of activities going on involving hands on experiments as well as classroom discussions and small group activities. Today and Monday (Miss Lee’s home room will get this information on Monday); the kids will be starting to work on their oral reports that are due on October 21, 2013. Two weeks ago, they chose partners and today (Monday for Miss Lee’s home room) we (will) went over the project requirements as well as the guidelines for the project. Each child has been given a graphic organizer in order to pull together their information. On Monday, each child will have a rubric for the oral report so they know exactly what they oral report should look like.
The PTA bulb sale/fundraiser has been extended until Wednesday, September 25, 2013. My Scholastic book order went home earlier in the week. If you are ordering online, please place your order by Monday, September 30, 2013. If you are sending in an order form, please send that in by Friday, September 27, 2013 so I can mail out the book order at the end of next week.
Please return all Sound to the Sea reservation forms by Friday, September 27, 2013. We do not need the money for the field trip at this time but we do need to have an idea of how many children will be going on this field trip.
Please remember that Friday, September 27, 2013 is an early release day.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
9/11/2013
Because of the Math test today, there is no Math homework unless your child needs to correct his or her journal prompt from last night. The students need to finish their Science pages for homework.
9/10/2013
Welcome to Open House! I look forward to an excellent year working with your children. Please check this space often. I will provide classroom news, information and announcements in this forum. Please feel free to email me at "dveeder at wcpss dot net" with any questions you may have. Have a great week!