Fuller BRAIN ~ who knew the title of the blog would have even more meaning!

Crazy Days!
It has been nearly 4 weeks since I have been to work.  I am missing my students terribly, as well as the routine of teaching and hanging out with my friends during lunch and recess (I know I sound like one of the kiddos when I say it that way... :))
I had a large pituitary tumor removed just before Valentine's day, and have been on the mend.  Good news is that it is not cancerous and that I will recover. Bad news is that they had to shave most of my hair off (which is upsetting and makes me scared to go back to work) and go in through the top of my head near my forehead to get in, so it is taking longer to recover than we had originally thought. I have been super tired and have spent WAY too much time watching home renovation and cooking shows on TV.
I have some appointments with each of my doctors this week to see about getting back to real life.  I'm hoping to be deemed healthy and strong.  I am feeling stronger. Not quite back to where I was (I mean, there was a doctor poking around in my brain after all... :/ ), but for sure stronger. 
It is still kind of freaky to think about, so I try not to, lol. Good old denial.  
Anyhow, I have missed field trips, fractions, and our electricity unit.  I hope my kiddos have been working hard and learning loads of new things.  I know that they have missed me, and I have missed them.
Hopefully I will be back soon!
Mrs. Fuller

Off to a Super New Year!

Hello!

I am so SUPER excited for this new year to begin!  It has been a fun summer, although busy!  We are listing our home to sell as I type, so I may have some big changes before I know it!  I love teaching 5th grade at Westridge, and look forward to meeting a whole new group of kiddos.  Our theme for the year will be SUPERHERO's, so be thinking about things that make people extra wonderful.  Some of my first thoughts are about people who serve in the military. What can you think of?

We will have a fantastic year filled with loads of learning; reading, math, science, history, my fun stories, and much more. :) 5th grade is a time when most students work and learn harder than ever before.  There is so much to think deeply about and to discover.  I look forward to getting to know each of you and your families.

Mrs. Fuller :)

Hello,
     I am so excited about our state reports on Thursday, March 5th!  The students have put so much work into their research and have displayed so much creativity.  Please stop by if you get a chance between 12:30 (we will start setting up then) and 3:00.  Feel free to ask questions about their state and what the favorite things are that they have learned about.  We will have in-class presentations the following week.
     Another great thing in our classroom is the incubator full of duck eggs.  We have 20 eggs, and have seen the veins and hearts through the shells when we candle the eggs in the dark.  Please ask your child about this!  It is part of our unit on heredity and traits.  We will be having a drawing for ducklings right before Spring Break.  It will require a signed permission slip for a student to be able to put their name in.  We will send those after the ducks hatch. QUACK! QUACK!
     In math, we are just coming out of the decimal unit and heading into the fraction unit.  This is usually a challenging time of year in math for 5th graders.  In reading, the students have just started another round of book clubs with some amazing chapter books from our UVU reading study.  It is very helpful to have some great literature to share with the kiddos.
     Ask your student to share some of their assignments with you from their Google Drive account so you can see what they are doing!  I recommend their camouflage slide shows!  These kids keep amazing me!
Keep READING,
Mrs. Fuller

Great Day!

Today, we had a class meeting, which we call "Circle Time" (because we sit in a circle on our chairs).  As part of this meeting, I teach the children how to give (and receive) a meaningful compliment, such as: "I would like to compliment __________.  I noticed that he/she included kids at recess that looked lonely."  After we went one round about the circle, complimenting the person who sat at our left, several piped up about how much fun they had and asked if we could go another round.  We did, and I heard students comment about how nice it felt to have someone say something nice about them, and also how nice it felt to say something nice.  We realized that a compliment could be given to a different gender person and it didn't mean that they were getting married! :) (~ big stuff for 5th grade!!!)
I about cried at how sweet and genuine the children were.  What a dynamic group!  Bravo Parents for raising children who enjoy being kind.  

On an unrelated note, remember that it is Fall Break and we have NO SCHOOL on Thursday, Friday, or Monday!  Please encourage your kiddos to read a good book or two.  Have a wonderful holiday!
Mrs. Fuller

One Month Countdown

Just a quick reminder to read like a superstar!  We have about a month until SEP's, and have set goals to read 11 - 12 reading level books by then ~ with a goal of 40 for the year.  Tick Tock.... :)  Fall break might be the perfect time to catch up!  

Also, Westridge is focussing on kindness this month, so keep track of all the great things you are doing so we can add links to our chain!  This should be easy for our class, as you are super nice anyways.

Well, we are off to another new year!  I can hardly believe how fast the time goes.  I hope everyone had a wonderful summer.  I am amazed that it is already over... I wish I had made it to the pool!  The links on this blog have some wonderful practice and helps for the kiddos ~ please try them out and let me know your favorites!  I will update some of them and load new ones during the first few months of school to better help you.  I feel lucky to work with such a fantastic bunch.  Thank you parents for all you do to help our classroom be successful and for the many supplies which have come our way!  Every bit helps!  It feels like a good year, doesn't it!? (I know, double punctuation is such a bad example, but sometimes I just have GOT to do it! :) )

State Reports are coming soon!

Hello!
We are off to a running start this January!! We have district testing in language arts this week, math next Wednesday, as well as end of term 2 on Friday.  Report cards will be saved for SEP's on February 5th and 6th ~ sign up online as soon as you can.  If you're not sure how, I think there are directions in the Westridge Wednesday Wildcat.

State Report Packets are being assembled as I write.  Your student selected a state on Monday and will be doing research and other fun assignments about their state.  We will wrap up the research with a State Fair in the gym on March 6th at 2:00.  Parents are invited!  The packets have all the due dates and summaries of what each assignment entails.  Much time will be given in class to work on these, but your child may need a little additional time/help at home.

Thanks for all that you do!  I am really enjoying this year ~ we have a great bunch of kiddo's!  Thank you also for all your time volunteering, for supplies that keep coming in, for the very thoughtful Christmas gifts, and for sending such great kids to interact with!

Mrs. Fuller

NEW LINKS!!

Hello! 
I am so excited by 2 new links I've attached under the Language Arts section.  A parent asked me at conferences for some book ideas for his child, so we brainstormed an idea about putting some helpful links on my blog.  SOooooo, long story longer; there are now 2 links (GreatSchools and Goodreads) that list LOADS of titles.  One site even has a summary with each title!  Hooray!  Now, please keep in mind that I personally did not make these lists, so there may be titles that are too "mature" for your child, so please do your own monitoring!  
Thanks for  all you do and for the fantastic supplies you have been sending to our class!
Mrs. Fuller

New school year, new blog format, new links.... whew!  I'm excited about all we have planned for 5th graders.  We have mapped out the whole year week by week for science, math, and language arts; with a bit of social studies mixed in :).  I am looking forward to meeting each of you and getting to know about you.  I love teaching and am excited to get started.  Hopefully you are anticipating a great year for yourselves, as that will help you learn ~ attitude really matters!
Keep being awesome,
Mrs. Fuller 

New School Year ~ Time for some changes!

Hello Kiddos!
I promised that I would get some things changing on this blog, and it is time to start!  I went to a cool math training today (that's why I had the sub) that showed us a cool site or two for you and your parents.  Hopefully when you need some homework help, you remember to poke around the blog for help!  I think you are wonderful and I am so lucky to be your teacher.  Every year, I wonder if I can possibly adore my class as much as the year before ~ and every year I am so lucky to say, "Yep!"  I always miss the ones who leave, but am grateful for a new batch, too.  Visit this site bunches, and I'll see you in school ~
Mrs. Fuller

Hey Kiddo's ~ and other viewers :)
I will be overhauling this blog over the next several months, so please be patient and keep looking for old favorites.  I will be teaching 5th grade next year, so I will have mainly 5th grade practice sites under the main teaching headings, but under the "fun places" heading, I will keep some of the general links you have been using.  Please continue to visit often and leave suggestions and comments!
Mrs. Fuller

Hey Kiddo's,
I can't believe our time together is quickly coming to an end.  I have enjoyed being your teacher and think I absolutely have the best job on the planet!  Thank you for filling my days with joy.  Come back and visit the blog during the summer to play and keep your brain full :)
Next year will be so different as I won't get to "keep" 1/2 of you.... I will miss that.  It has been a wonderful experience to have you for 2 years in a row.  I AM however excited to teach ONLY 5th grade.  It will be filled with many changes and challenges I'm sure ~ one bonus for me:  I can repeat my stories (and it won't have been so long that I've forgotten them).
I wish each of you success in your future and much happiness.  Remember that I think each of you is an amazing person ~ no matter what.
Study for your tests, pay attention in class, be respectful and responsible, and READ often!
Love You Guys,
Mrs. Fuller :)

New Links!!!

Check out the new Science and Social Studies links I put on the blog recently!  I also added a new song or two to the play list. :)  I am ever grateful to work with such great kiddos ~ thanks for being YOU!
Mrs. Fuller

Parent Teacher Conferences

I just finished conferences with most of you.  What an amazing bunch of kids ~ and neat parents!  Thanks for working so hard.

Welcome to My Brain!

I am creating this blog mainly to provide educational AND fun links for my students (and for others) who love to learn about great stuff!  I think that kids like to have fun when they learn (and who doesn't?).  So... I found some great places (links) to practice concepts that we are learning about and also to find out about other cool stuff.  I got the idea from my sister-in-law who is also a teacher.
I hope you enjoy your journey and leave with a fuller brain!