Monday, October 29, 2012

Malnutrition, Giving & Grades

Help Our World

Last Friday, the 3rd and 4th grade class began studying MALNUTRITION.  We looked a website called 30 Hour Famine.  We learned many facts about The World Food Crisis.  (Please go to the link and check out the facts).

We discussed the quote, "Give a man a fish, feed a man for a day.  Teach the man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."  The students were very passionate about helping this cause.  They recognized the difference between just giving away money to buy food for malnourished people, and using resources to provide tools, medicine, and ways to help educate the people in need.

World Vision is an organization that, among many other things, helps to provide children from over 100 countries in the world with access to healthy food, clean water, education, and medicinal needs.  They have a "Sponsor a Child" program.  For about $70 Reais per month, our class can sponsor a child.  Here is more information regarding child sponsorship.

In order to sponsor a child for a year, our class needs to raise about $850 Reais.  The kids volunteered to give all of the money that we raised from Children's Day, $380 Reais, toward raising this amount of money.  We also discussed how much money they use at our school's canteen.  The kids realized that if they gave up one or two snacks a month and put the money towards sponsoring a child, that we would reach our goal very fast!

I challenged the kids NOT to go home and say, "Mom, Can I have money for sponsoring a child in Miss Duke's class?"  I challenged them to choose to sacrifice something that they usually spend their money on to go toward our class goal, or even see if there is an extra job they can do around the house to raise money.  Please have this talk with your kids.  Challenge them to sacrifice a candy or soda and give that money towards the sponsorship.

Neither you nor your children are not obligated to give.  It is entirely optional.  However, I made a deal with the class.  Whatever they give toward our class goal, I will match.  So, if your child gives $2 Reais, then I will give $2 Reais.  If they give $850 Reais, then I will give $850 Reais.

Let's make a difference.



Help Our Community

This week we will also begin collecting Rice, Beans, and other items for a Creche in Santa Maria.  Send these items with your child so that our class can impact our community!

Our class will go on a trip to the Creche in December to spend an afternoon with the kids!

Want to be able to know you child's grades all the time?

Please use the pink slip in your child's agenda to go to the ENGRADE website. Use the access code on the slip and create a username and password.  By doing this, you can see your child's grades at anytime!  As long as I have updated them!


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Field Trip, Grades, & Important Dates

3rd - 6th Grade Art Field Trip
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
8 am - 2 p.m.
$10 per child

We will be going the Museu Nacional, A Terra Vista do Ceu Photography Exhibit, McDonalds, and The TV Tower.  Parents are invited to attend as chaperones.  Students either need to bring a sack lunch or money for McDonalds.  They can choose to bring money for souvenirs, however this is optional. 

Grades
I use an online grading software called Engrade.  With this program, parents are able to go to Engrade to create a username and password.  Please check your child's agenda tonight for a pink access code and ID so that you can access your child's grades for the course subjects that I teach. 

Upcoming Test Dates
Thursday, November 1 - Unit A Ch. 3 Science Test
Monday, November 5 - Ch. 5 Math Test
Thursday, November 5 - Bible Verse Test