Five For Friday

Well since I have been on bed rest ALL week I don't have much to post about my class but I have been working on a few things, and I couldn't miss out on this linky party!

1.  Monster Math
About a month ago my co-teacher and support teachers were discussing ways we can help our students review and retain math skills.  My co-teacher mentioned that her cooperating teacher (she just finished student teaching in the fall) would give her students a math review sheet at the beginning of the week  and students were required to work on it through out the week.  On Friday the students were given the exact same sheet for an assessment grade.  We decided to try this with my class, only changes were we would go over the answers with them each morning and there would only be five problems.  Sounds like an easy 100, nope!  My students did horrible the first week...we couldn't believe it!  We have continued to use them for a month now and have seen great improvements.  Last Friday we attended vertical team meetings, all of us who plan Math 2-5 met, ELA, Science, etc.  As a vertical team we decided to use Monster Math has a school wide review tool.  I have been working on the 4th grade Monster Math Assessment, it is very time consuming but worth it!

I photocopied their papers and writing my comments on the copy, their originals are on our hallway bulletin board.

2. Grading
I am caught up on grades!  Well until I get all the papers my students have done while I am out :(  I finally finished grading my students "Spot On Research" papers...this was a long process!

3.  Working on our Debt Snowball
We FINALLY got our tax return...Woohoo!  I won't be hitting any sales :( it's all going towards our goal of being debt free...Dave Ramsey would be so proud!

Another way to work on paying off our debt I have decided to open an online jewelry boutique with Kitsy Lane.  There are no upfront cost, no parties to host, and no catalogs to hand out.  All items are viewed and purchased from my online boutique, "My Treasure Chest".  There are a variety of styles and a price point for any budget!  Visit my site and leave a comment telling what your favorite piece is, I will choose TWO lucky people using Random.org to receive a one time coupon code for $20 off of your $45 purchase. (Winners will be chosen Friday, March 22nd.)

Here are a few of my favorites :)

4. Friends and Family
This week I have had to rely on many family members and friends.  My hubby has done a wonderful job making sure I take my meds, the house is clean, the kids are fed and dressed, and taken them to their school and appointments.  My Co-teacher did a fabulous job of keeping order in the classroom and keeping me updated on my students, she even led a conference I had scheduled for Monday and called me so I could be there via the phone.  My Principal has been very supportive in my week off, I am fortunate that he understands the importance of family and health.  Many friends and family have checked in to see how I am doing and I even received a card from one of my sweet students in the mail yesterday.

5. A Great Deal!
My step-mom's birthday is March 17th and I am HORRIBLE at remembering to buy gifts or send cards. Well thanks to bed rest she is getting a gift this year!  York Photo has a great deal on a Eco-Friendly Grocery Tote....$1.00 plus shipping...Total $4.99!  I love these bags because you can use them for more than just groceries.  Sorry the picture is bad but this is what hers will look like...cute!  She LOVES her grandkids, actually she couldn't wait for grandkids and she ended up with 6 in 6 years!

If you order one the promo code it TOTELOVE, the offer ends 3/31.