January 7th, 2015 - First Day of the Spring Semester

Happy New Year!

The last two weeks went by fast, and of course, all the items on my to-do list fell by the wayside due to the temptation of relaxation and holiday food!

My goals for the Spring semester are to try and keep focused on all the many projects that are upcoming while keeping students enriched with valuable skill sets.

What we have to look forward to this semester:

• A more organized environment to ensure students are understanding the benefits of keeping organized
• More hand-outs and handwriting worksheets 
• More blog updates

What we are doing this week:

• First day of class assessment, includes; print letter, print numbers, and cursive handwriting 
• student survey
• homework and note taking handout
• class expectations. 

What we'll do next week:

• Handwriting handouts (print and cursive)
• Note taking skills
• Listening Skills
• Organization (using 3 ring binder)

If you are new to this class, you may this information useful: 

We encourage students to carry a binder for their schedules, notes, and class work. Students often ask if using digital devices, such as a smartphone, is acceptable for taking notes and carrying their schedules; although the devices are helpful in keeping organized and on schedule, we discourage the use of digital devices in this class as we are working on our handwriting and take any opportunity we can to strengthen our skills. Our notes, schedules, quizzes, and test are handwritten. Students are encouraged to incorporate the use of handwritten schedules and notes along with the use of digital schedulers and note taking devices.

Students need the following materials for class:

• Thin 3 ring binder (around 1”)
• Paper (single sheets or in perforated spiral)
• Pen (black and/ or blue ink)
• Pencils 
• Erasers
• Dividers (with pockets encouraged)
• Sheet protectors

Students are evaluated on a check system by handwriting, note taking, listening, participation, assignments, quizzes, assessments, organization, and extra credit. A report is sent out with final assessments and feedback at the end of the semester.

If you have any questions, please contact me to let me know. Thank you, and let's have a great semester!