Web Parent Newsletter - December 15, 2000

http://www.elm.esu3.org/elementary_
	Elmwood Murdock Web Parent Program News If your email software presents text only, please view the newsletter online at http://www.elm.esu3.org/webparent/newsletter/WebParentNewsIssue1200.htm December 15, 2000: Issue 2 In this issue: • EM Web Parent Program Featured in the Lincoln Journal Star • All EM Elementary Classrooms Have Websites • Fourth Grade Dad Enjoys Being a Web Parent • Reading Gifts and Harry Potter Links • Activities for Holidays, Snow Days, Vacation Days • Grades 4, 5 and 6 Getting Email Pen Pals	Feedback Subscription Web Parent Home Page
Top of Page

EM Web Parent Program Featured in the Lincoln Journal Star
	The Web Parent Program was pleased to receive recognition from the Lincoln Journal Star. Our program was featured on the front page of the Local section in the December 16th edition. Reporter, Ray Parker of the Lincoln Journal Star corresponded with Marie Gregoire about the program for a number of weeks, and then came to visit our last training session to interview participants. A photographer was sent out the following week, and the third grade was happy to participate in the photo shoot. The article was a good description of our program. If you missed the article, you can still view it online at: http://www.journalstar.com/nebraska?story_id=1697&past=	View the Lincoln Journal Star article online.
Top of Page

All EM Elementary Classrooms Have Websites
	Congratulations and many thanks to all of our web parents and teachers! Every classroom at Elmwood Murdock now has a website. The sites are serving many purposes and we hope the parents and kids are making the most of the information available. Most sites have the daily schedule, and other schedules such as show and tell, and holiday parties. All sites can be accessed from the elementary page: http://www.elm.esu3.org/elementary_ The list below is not all inclusive, but gives you some highlights of each site. Kindergarten: Great links to online educational games, craft projects, lyrics and music to delight kindergarteners. By Diane Vice and Dawn Hromanik. First Grade 1A: Young Author section gives stories and pictures authored by kids, Interview section gives kid's response to interview questions. Special projects shows learning excitement in 1A. By Emilie Cook and Carol Buck. First Grade 1B: Clever graphics and background give good information and provide playground rules. By Vanessa Drueke and Dan Brown. Second Grade 2A: See how the 2A kids used History, Geography, Reading, Math, Art and the Internet all in a unit on The Gingerbread Man. By Linda Glantz and David Philson. Second Grade 2B: This site gives the 6 pillars of character, the 6 traits of writing, and provides online access to the weekly spelling lists. By Margie Nielsen and Jayne Brockhoff Third Grade 3A: Great exhibits of kid's artwork and writing. Assignment forms and spelling lists. Recent entertaining addition is the Letters to Santa in the Creative Writing section. By Cindy Backemeyer and Cindy Meyer. Third Grade 3B: Entertaining graphics, lots of good info and links, weekly spelling lists. Art projects coming. By Dan Schafer and Renise Rosenboom. Fourth Grade: Curriculum detail to find out what your kid is doing in school. Art projects, meet the teacher. By Diane Willadsen and Mike Winter. Fifth Grade 5A: Links to learning sites and online spelling lists. By Ryan Knippelmeyer and Jon Murphy. Fifth Grade 5B: Class schedule and online spelling lists. By Sue Dobson and Connie Drake. Sixth Grade: There is so much on this site it is hard to pick the highlights. Every parent and child should check it out. Parents will find value in the curriculum details presented. The math section shows the graphing done in a recent project. There are links to pertinent online resources, including "Sites for Parents" and "Sites for Kids". By Robin Kuhlman, Brenda Vogt, Bonnie Brewer and Teri Bowman.
Top of Page

Fourth Grade Dad Enjoys Being a Web Parent
By Mike Winter I was involved in the Web Parent program this fall with Mrs. Willadsen, the 4th grade teacher. I enjoyed working with the teachers and parents and it was good to put names with faces as I met people involved in the Web Parent program. I was impressed to see that the Educational Unit is helping keep the schools technologically up to date. It is good to see this program at the elementary level so teachers and parents are better equipped to expose their children to web page development in the classroom and at home. Since the Web Parent program took place in the evenings it provided a good way for me to be involved in my child's education. Some evenings it was hard to get to the Web Parent sessions on time but I have not regretted the experience at all. I sincerely hope that all the teachers continue to find willing parent volunteers to help keep their Web pages updated and exciting through each year so the students can watch the progress and participate in the future.
Top of Page

Reading Gifts and Harry Potter Links
Reading has become more and more essential, especially to use the world wide web. It is true there are a lot of graphics to guide your way, but when it gets down to getting real information, you still have to read. This holiday season, when you think of giving a gift in the vein of "buying them something they would enjoy, but wouldn't buy for themselves", think of a book. Listed below are resources at the American Library Service to Children (ALSC) website to guide you to the award winners in children's books. After you select the title you want, you can avoid the hassle of going to the bookstore and finding the item, just order it online at one of the many online bookstores (amazon, barnes and noble, etc.) and it will be at your door in 3 days. The past few years the Harry Potter books have infused tremendous excitement in children's literature. Books like this can make an excellent children's gift. Harry Potter gift items can continue to fan the excitement for a child that is already "hooked" on the Harry Potter books. A new game board, "Mystery at Hogwarts" has received good reviews for it's clever play. Listed below are links to Harry Potter sites for the Harry Potter fan. Keep on Reading! ALSC Award Winners and Notable Childrens literature: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awards.html#notable Kids Book Reviews, 1st grade to 6th grade: http://www.nhptv.org/kn/vs/bookrev.sht Christmas music, classic stories: http://www.memphis-schools.k12.tn.us/admin/tlapages/christmas2.htm Harry Potter Links Page: http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/hplinks.htm Online Harry Potter Games: http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/harrypotter-q.htm
Top of Page

Activities for Holidays, Snow Days, Vacation Days
Does this sound familiar? The kids are stuck in the house "with nothing to do". School has been called off due to bad weather, or holiday vacation and they are bored. Planning a days worth of activities wasn't what you expected to do. There is an answer. Don't let your child's absence from school stop the learning experience. With many of the activities referenced below, they can have fun and not even know that they are learning. They will be far from bored. You might even have a hard time getting them to come in for lunch! Word of caution. If you're connected on a modem dial up connection, some games may take a while to load, but be patient. It's worth the wait. HOLIDAY ACTIVITY SITES: This site has Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa: http://www.night.net/kids/index.html-ssi Christmas music, stories and activities: http://www.holidays.net/christmas/ Christmas activities that you can do offline: http://www.santas.net/christmasactivities.htm Links page to a wealth of Christmas sites: http://www.nebo.edu/nebo/holidays/christmas.htm Familyeducation.com's Parent home page gives a "Holiday Survival Kit" including an "imagination station" for arts and crafts activities. www.familyeducation.com ANYTIME ACTIVITY SITES: Puzzles! The old fashioned option of putting together a jigsaw puzzle on a rainy day just got more exciting! Checkout Binary Arts site for online puzzles, mazes, magic, optical illusions and origami. http://www.puzzles.com/PuzzleUp/PuzzleUpYoungFrameSet.htm Funbrain.com is renown for it's online activities that are fun for the brain. Try it, you'll love it! http://www.funbrain.com/ Funschool.com has activities and games separated by grade level: http://www.funschool.com/
Top of Page

Grade 4, 5 and 6 Getting Email Pen Pals
	In our last newsletter we told you about ePALs, the email specifically built for classroom exchanges across the world. Mr. Dan Schafer has been instrumental in implementing ePALs at the third grade level at Elmwood Murdock. He is now working with grades 4, 5 and 6. Parents should look for a release form authorizing their children to use this safe email tool. The kids will each be assigned their own address. Family and friends can communicate with the student. ePALs provides coordination between participating classrooms around the world, making an exchange between cultures very manageable. Talk to your children about their experiences with ePALs. To learn more about ePALs, go to www.epals.com.	To find out more about the unique ePALs program for classroom email please go to: ePALs.com
Top of Page
	YOUR FEEDBACK If you have comments, questions or suggestions for this newsletter, please write to Marie Gregoire, Web Parent Project Coordinator: mgregoire@alltel.net. To subscribe send email to: mgregoire@alltel.net. To unsubscribe send an email to: mgregoire@alltel.net. NEWSLETTER ONLINE You can view the Elmwood Murdock Web Parent Program News online http://www.elm.esu3.org/webparent/newsletter/WebParentNewsIssue1200.htm. FORWARD TO A FRIEND Keep your friends, family, community and educational colleagues up to date on the Ed-site-ment happening at Elmwood Murdock Elementary. Please forward this newsletter and spread the good word about preparing our kids for success in the age of technology.