Parent Update for Mr. Peterman’s Room

Well here it is and it seems like winter struck very early. It is hard to think that we already have had 3 snow days and it isn’t even December. I am sure everyone is thinking the same but then that is why we live in Michigan. I want to give you a few updates on things as we approach December. As many of you may know we cancelled conferences and are now looking for a makeup date. This date has been set for December 2, 2014. The time for conferences is the same time as they were before. The times established are 5:00 – 8:00 in the evening. Some of you had times scheduled and I will honor those times once again on that night. If you didn’t set a time for conferences and you still want to her is what I have available as well as a reminder to those who already have a time:

Tuesday, December 2 ,2014

4:30 – 5:00 – Dodie Vandyke          5:00 – 5:30  - Open            5:30 – 6:00  Ruthann Odren

6:00 – 6:30 – Dianne Potter            6:30 – 7:00- Open             7:00 – 7:30 – Open    7:30 – 8:00 – Open

If you want to sign up for an open time just let me know. If your current time now doesn’t work let me know also.

 Just to remind you as well that we will continue to ice skate on Mondays for the next six to seven weeks. The dates are November 24, December 1, December 8 , December 15, January 5, January 12 This is our regional competition and everyone is welcomed to attend and route on your son or daughter. The final date is January 26 with a makeup date of February 2 if we have a snow day on a Monday. Please remember to send proper clothing for each Monday. Be sure to include warm coats, gloves or mittens as well as snow pants to stay dry. We skate the full hour so we want our students to remain warm while they skate.

The next important event is our annual shopping day to Target and to Rivertown Mall. We are leaving here at 8:45 and returning at 2:00. We will shop at Target first and then on to the mall. If you want to chaperone please let me know. If you intend to have us buy gifts then please be very specific as to what you want us to purchase. Make your list simple and try and keep cost at 10:00 per person. I would prefer to shop only at Target so if you could center your list around that store it would work great. Also, we will be eating lunch at the mall. Most students can purchase a lunch for around 5.00. There is a A&W so most can get a kids meal for under 5.00. We will also do some window shopping and enjoy the mall festivities if any going on at the time. Iwil send home a reminder the closer it gets.

If you have any questions please let me know. enjoy your Thanksgiving Day . the greatest thing I am thankful for is your cooperation and sharing of your son or daughter. Not a day goes by where I am thankful for each day when I get the opportunity to share and mold my students as they get older. I truly care for each and am thankful they are part of my life.

With Grateful Thanks

Doug Peterman

Update for October 27 - 31 Mr. Peterman's Class

Well here it is and the leaves are almost off the trees.Our Fall has been great and it seems like the colors are so vibrant this year. The kids seem to be enjoying the beautiful weather and we have tried to take advantage of it and go outdoors. If you see grass stains on their clothes it is because they have rolled around and enjoyed the freshness of the well groomed lawn. From what the weather man says it sounds like our nice 60 degree weather will soon come to a close. In regards to Fall activities I want to just reiterate that we don't celebrate Halloween in the Middle School. We have found that the kids lose to much focus and sometimes get a little carried away. Our class will be decorating cookies and playing a simple DVD game called Candyland. If you would like to send in a treat that is fine but not something that is required. We will sent home any treats the kids receive. Also we will be sending home their pumpkin from Nelson's pumpkin patch. Our art teacher, Mr.Crawford planned to decorate them with the kids so I had to wait to send them home until they were done and dried.

With that note I want to let you know that our swimming season is almost over. this Wednesday is our last time for the year. the kids have truly loved it and it is good exercise for them as they paddle around on noodles and tread water in the deep end of the pool. We have discovered that the kids have become quite brave in the water and that we actually have some pretty good swimmers.

It is hard to think that November is just around the corner. I want to point out some important events that will be happening in November so you can plan ahead. Here are the dates as they are scheduled at this time:

November 13 and November 18--- Teacher Conferences       Time: 4:00 - 7:00

- this will be a time to review goals and objectives and to look at progress being made since September. I will be sending home a sign up sheet for times listed above. Conference times will be scheduled for 20 minute blocks for both evenings.

November 17 and November 24, December 1,8,15 January 5, 12, and 26th                         

Special Olympic Ice Skating Sessions Begin

It is that time when you need to dig out the winter clothes and get the kids prepared for our ice skating sessions. These sessions will be held for eight weeks( not in succession due to Christmas break).Each student will be given the chance to skate at the Griffs Ice House. This is an Area 11 sponsored event and all students need to have a Special Olympic physical on file. I have notified you earlier and sent home forms but if you are unsure please contact me. This is a good leisure skill for the students to learn because it is something you can do with them during the winter months. Please send them dressed with a warm coat, gloves, snow pants if possible and warm socks. We skate for one hour.

November 26,27 and 28th  Thanksgiving Break

If you have any questions please email me at doug.peterman@spartaschools.org

Mr. Peterman's Update for October 6- 10

Dear Parents,

    Another week has past and it sure does feel like fall. Please remember to send your son or daughter dressed for the weather. We do periodically go out and catch some fresh air or even go for a walk. I want to be sure the kids have proper clothing so they don't get cold. This Friday you should have received a picture calendar of events to occur during the month of October. These events are all planned and are part of our activities during October.

     Please be sure to send a towel and swim suit on the days we swim.  Also be sure to send a sack lunch every Wednesday through the end of October. This has worked really well and the kids like this for a change. Our swimming will last for another 3 weeks and then we will begin skating. I am unsure of the exact date but it usually starts in November and goes for 8 weeks.
     As I continue to send out posts I hope you are reading them. the posts have alot of information in them and it helps you to prepare your son or daughter for the week. Please be sure to remind your son or daughter that our events are a privilege and they need to earn their time. also be sure to check the notebooks for the day. these notebooks can help you stimulate conversation of what has happened during the day. This is also a good way to communicate to me or the assistants if there is something we need to take note of.
     Also I want to remind you again of my policy in regards to picking up students at school. Please be sure to send me a note or an email early enough so I don't put your son or daughter on their bus. If I don't see a note then my procedure is to send them home on their bus. this is only because at times my students don't want to ride the bus and they tell me yo are picking them up. Sometimes the information is incorrect .If this happens then they miss their bus. for some of you Sparta is a long drive so I want to be sure this doesn't happen. If yohave any questions please let me know.
Doug Peterman
 

    

Peterman's Update for September 29 - October 3

Dear Parents,

Well another week has passed and it has been a good week.The students are really adjusting to what I expect and have been doing a good job following the rules. Each student is learning to except consequences for their behavior. Whether these consequences be small or large they are starting to recognize how they can improve themselves.

     This past week we focused on behavior skills and learned how to accept our behaviors and recognize that I have learned from my mistakes. The students are excepting their time out of the pool and realize they have alot of chances to still be part of the pool bunch. At this point I don't have many students with over 10 minutes of missed swim time. this week is another week so we will see if they have learned.

During class time we have been studying about coins and money. Please continue to practice these skills with your son or daughter as we progress through the year. I simple technique is to empty your pocket change at the table and have your son or daughter recognize the different coins and name their value or better yet have them try and determine how much it is. Have them take the pop cans back and count them out and have them practice their skills of counting by tens. these are simple ways to help your son or daughter be exposed to simple money concepts we are practicing as well.

     Each week we also have been working on basic reading skills. to assist your son or daughter have them read to you the stories they come home with on Friday. these stories are either symbol written or have actual words. I have been trying to influence vocabulary and want the kids to speak in whole sentences where possible. If they have a story, practice with them and keep track of unfamiliar words and then review.

     During our domestics we will also try and do a simple recipe with the kids. the recipes can be repeated and are ones simple to read. this week we did Smores. the kids loved them and they were simple to make. the recipe we followed came home so give it a try as well.

     Just to remind you  that on Wednesday, October 1,2014 we will be swimming again. the kid had a good time last week and really enjoyed the time in the pool. Please be sure to label your son or daughters suit and towel if possible. this makes it alot easier for me to know whose suit or towel one belongs to if I find it on the floor. Once again feel free to come and watch. We swim from 11:00 to 12:00 at the Kent city pool. We would love to have you join us if you like to swim.

     This week I plan to incorporate manners into my lessons. Please help your son or daughter with this daily. We want to be sure we appreciate what others do for us and make them recognize this as well.

    I want to remind you as well. Please check your emails. I will send out a blast weekly to remind you of events or even give you a weekly update. 

Doug Peterman

Peterman’s Page

Update for Week of September 22- 29

Dear Parents,

Well we have made through another successful week. The kids seem to be in a routine and are getting used to the business of their school schedule. We have a very good routine and the kids seem to enjoy this. We have been doing a lot of reviewing and determining where the kids are at in their academics. This helps me place them in an appropriate group when we work on our academics. We have started on our field trips and we also have been working on our behavior. We all need a lot of reminders but I want the kids to realize we need to respect each other, follow the rules within our classroom and community. We also have worked on setting goals for our self that require changing our behaviors. I also ask the kids Who is responsible for their behavior and who can change it. I canguide it but I cannot change it for them.

Next week we begin our swimming at Kent City pool. Each student will be given the opportunity to swim but they need to earn their time. Earning time in the pool is a privilege and not a right. Students can earn their time by following the rules of the classroom and keeping their behavior in check. Some of the simple rules to follow are: 1. Having respect for others- Keeping hands to yourself, Not saying bad things to others, not talking back to the teacher or other adults. I want them to be polite, Be courteous. Be thoughtful and Be Mannerly. If students get caught breaking these guidelines they must accept the consequence. Students can earn up to 50 minutes to swim. They will be monitored by an individual chart each week that shows them time they have gained or lost. If they have 50 minutes at the end they swim the whole time. If they lost time they sit at the beginning until their time is up. This goes on for all the weeks we swim and starts over each week. The charts will run from Wednesday to Wednesday. The dates for swimming are as follows: September 24, October 1, 8, 15,22, and 29. Please send in a towel, swimsuits and a plastic bag for wet suits in the end. If the kids want to bring goggles they may do this as well. If you would like to join us please feel free any time. The more eyes in the pool the better. We will be at Kent city pools swimming from 11:00 to 12:00. If you have any questons please feel free to call or send me an email  at doug.peterman@spartaschools.org

Thankyou for all the supplies sent in. It is nice to have extras as the seasons change. If you sent in money to help with the cost of outings this is appreciated as well. I will continue to send updates via email so check them on a regular basis if possible. I am intending to send home communication notebooks or planners. My planners have not arrived but look for them soon. Thanks for all your support.

Sincerely,

Doug Peterman

Mr. Peterman’s Update for week of September 2-5

Dear Parents,

Well we have made it through the first week. The kids were a little tired at times but really did quite well. We are working to get ourselves into a routine so hope that helps. The kids seem to be happy to be back. I am overly happy as well to see their smiling faces once again. I have seen a lot of growing up in some of my students and look to them having a wonderful year.
This year we are happy to welcome Christian Everett comes to us from Appleview and Sandra DeVault comes to us from Byron Center. I also want to welcome back to our class my teacher assistants. My teacher assistants are as follows: Mrs. Dorwin and Mrs. Fuller (new to the class) these ladies are with me on Monday, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. New to the classroom and with me only on Tuesdays are Mr. Dorwin and Mrs. Wilde.

I want to thankyou for being efficient in returning the forms I handed out at open house or on the first day of school. If you haven’t returned them please do so. If you lost them I can get you another one. These forms help me when needing information in case of an emergency. If you are working on getting a Special Olympic physical just turn in the form when it is completed.

As we begin the year I look forward to working with each and every one of you . Your son or daughter is a very important part of my life and I want to be sure you feel the same. Your decision are very important to help me get to know your son or daughter better.  As I stated in my earlier letter the best way to get ahold of me is through email. I can be reached at doug.peterman@spartaschools.org  the phone does work and you can dial 616-887-8211 /ext 2319 and I will get your message as well. I will work as efficiently as I can to return your emails or phone calls. I am working on getting daily planners to be used for communication as well. These planners have been ordered and should arrive at yor doorsteps soon. These messages wil be short notes to help you communicate with your son or daughter as to how their day may have been.

Just a few updates on upcoming events:

Thursday, September 11, 2014 School Picture Day. I am sending you a form today so you can review and return if you desire to have school pictures of your son or daughter. Please be very specific and put the money in an envelope. I will be sure the photographer gets your packet.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014(tentatively scheduled) we are planning on going to the movies. We will be seeing the LEGO movie at Celebration cinema. The kids will have pop and popcorn for a simple cost of 3.00 if you can help subdue the cost.

Finally, if you could help out with some simple supplies it is greatly appreciated. We can always use Kleenex, sanitary wipes, markers, expo markers or even hand held sanitizers. Anything is appreciated.

As the months go by I will send out email blasts so you have the information provided. Most of this will be an attachment to email so I hope you get it. Thanks for your listening ear and support as always. I look forward to a great year.

Doug Peterman