Posts By: Jon Moss
July 2, 2013
RSA’13 Is Off and Running!
Welcome back to another wonderful summer at Renbrook Summer Adventure! I was sad to miss the first week of camp (I work in one of the school districts that ran quite late this year.) but I am so glad to be back! Our senior technology campers are focusing on Minecraft this session. Last year, many of the campers managed to get Minecraft installed on our computers, and after much effort, they managed to convince me of its value. This summer, Renbrook has purchased licenses for our lab, and we have our own Minecraft server running. Our campers are building a collaborative Minecraft map that takes players on a tour of the Renbrook campus. In order to learn the size, layout, and scale of campus landmarks, we are using aerial photography from Google Maps (BORING!) and – of much more interest to the campers – footage filmed onboard remote control helicopters. We just set them up yesterday and have enjoyed working with them so far.
Posted in Renbrook Summer Adventure|By Jon Moss
June 27, 2013
Welcome new fourth graders!
Are you a third grade graduate who is visiting our website to see what you can expect in fourth grade? Welcome! I’ll post updated information in early August, but here is a brief introduction to me and to our class! (more…)
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
June 27, 2013
Thank you, Class of 2013!
The end of the year is always bittersweet for me, as I know it is for the children! As proud as I am to see them graduate and move off to TBS, I will be sad to see them go. We’ve spent a tremendous amount of time together in the past 10 months, and they’ve become very much a second family for me.
In 180 days, we have covered a lot! From textual connections to expository writing, and from decimals to long division, our studies in class have been expansive. I enjoy ending the year with our Number the Stars unit, because our study of the Nazis’ bullying-like ways in the novel allows us to discuss situations that the kids have and will encounter with bullies in their own lives. Anti-bullying efforts have always been a major focus in our class, and I sincerely hope that the kids remember our lessons as they move on in life. The two big ideas are:
- Online is not anonymous. What you write online can never be unwritten, it can hurt, and it will be traced back to you.
- “Failure to act out or speak out against evil is, itself, evil.” Although this quote was said about fighting the hatred seen during the Holocaust, it apples equally to bullying. Nobody gets to be a silent witness. If you see bullying, do something about it. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking up to the bully, speak up to the victim to show your support, or speak up to an adult to help stop the bullying. But don’t be silent.
There is no doubt in my mind that these 22 students are ready to be successful in fifth grade. Each has the potential to achieve great things in school and beyond, and I hope that you’ll keep in touch down the road. You all have my email address, and you know where to find me.
Kids, each day we’ve been together has been a pleasure. Every single one. Thank you for being an incredible class. While I truly appreciate your class gift to me and your individual gifts too (thank you, everyone!), your best gift is being a terrific group of learners.
Over the summer, I want you to be sure to read. Whether its a book, a magazine, a website, or something else, read, keep reading, and don’t stop. And don’t stop being who you are. Be Fireworks. Show your fifth grade teachers who you are and how stellar you can be. You’ll be fine.
Keep in touch. Enjoy your summer. Thank you.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
June 19, 2013
June 18, 2013
What should Caroline know about her dad?
Caroline is only a week and a half old, but she is already getting to know her family! Tonight, please think of one thing that Caroline should know about her dad. It can be serious or funny, but it MUST be true.
When you post your comment, be sure to include the following:
- EXPLAIN what you think Caroline should know about me?
- SUPPORT your answer with proof.
- EXPLAIN why you think it is important that she know this.
- Use proper grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
Take a look at this sample answer:
Caroline should know that her dad is really, really mean. I know that he is mean because he likes giving extra homework to the Yankees fans and he giggles when kids give wrong answers in class. I think Caroline should know this about her dad because if she ends up being a Yankees fan, she should be prepared for him to be mean to her.
Ok, hopefully this sample paragraph WASN’T true! But notice that I started by telling what Caroline should know about me (that I’m mean) and that I then supported my idea by giving proof (to show HOW I am mean). Lastly, I explained WHY it was important that Caroline know that I am mean. My grammar, spelling, and mechanics were all accurate.
Posted in Homework Assignments|By Jon Moss
June 18, 2013
Poetry recommendations?
Have any recommendations for good poems for your peers to consider for their poetry project? If so, leave a comment to this post with the name of the poem, the author, where you found it, and why you recommend it. This is optional! (Just a way to help your classmates out!)
Posted in Homework Assignments|By Jon Moss
June 5, 2013
Student News: Waiting for Baby Moss
By 4 and 11:
As we all know, Mr.Moss is leaving us soon. In fact, today is his last
day! We all will miss him. If you are reading this, and you have no
clue what we are talking about then, this is the story. A few months
ago, Mr. Moss has announced that his wife, Mrs.Moss, is having a baby.
They did not check if it is a boy or girl so it can be a surprise. I
bet you also didn’t know that the baby is due on June 7th. Our whole
class guessed if it was going to be a boy or girl,what day, what time,
and what names. This is the number of people that might
get it right. The number is……………………12!!
is accurate as of June 5, 2013, 2:45 PM. As the article Mr.Moss posted
said, Mrs. Nori is going to fill in. I don’t know if we are going to
live without him. Hopefully, we will still have Mrs.Deming. As we
said, we will all miss Mr.Moss. We are proud to have him as a teacher!
🙂
Moss’s Note: Thanks for the very kind words, 4 and 11! 🙂 I miss you all already!
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
June 3, 2013
Statistics Review
This video will help with tonight’s homework. This evening’s worksheet is more challenging than what this video covers because it asks kids to APPLY their skills in different ways. (In finding the median, for example, kids aren’t working with purely NUMERICAL data values. It’s possible, however. But to find the MEAN, kids will definitely need to get creative to choose a strategy! PARENTS: Don’t be alarmed if your son or daughter is STUMPED with the last question. It’s meant to be an ultra-challenge. The math isn’t so hard, but it’s intended to cause kids to develop some “outside the box” strategies!) Please let me know if these sort of videos are helpful to you!
Posted in Class Updates, Homework Assignments, Learning Resources|By Jon Moss
May 29, 2013
Upcoming Dates
Here are some important notes for the next two days:
Thursday
TBS Transition Day (Dress appropriately for the weather!)
Spring Concert and Open House (Kids MUST arrive by 6:30pm. Families are invited to the concert, starting at 7:00pm. Please plan to stay for Open House in the classrooms after the concert!)
Friday
Decathalon (Wear sneakers and your gr. 4 shirts)
Spirit Day (Wear funny, mismatched shoes)
World No Tobacco Day (Wear Blue)
Yup! Three activities that each ask you to dress up in a special way! How’s that for a fun challenge?! 🙂 Are you up for it, gang?
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
May 28, 2013
My Growing Family
Hello families! First, let me take this opportunity to express my belated appreciation for the beautiful handprint artwork (that you see hanging in Charlie’s new bedroom) and for the birthday celebration that you surprised me with! I always appreciate your kind gestures, big and small! (…and Charlie appreciates the artwork; so much, in fact, that he keeps trying to give high-fives to the kids’ hand prints!)
I think most of you know that Charlie will be a big brother any time now! My family is eagerly awaiting our new baby’s arrival, and I’d like to give you a preview of what the next few weeks will be like in our class. When Baby Moss comes, I will take a brief leave to be with my family. I expect to be out between one and two weeks. If Baby Moss does not come early, my last day will be on Wednesday, June 5th. During my absence, Mrs. Nori will be teaching our class. She has subbed for me several times this year alone, and has worked in my classroom for many years. She knows our class routines well, and she is very familiar with my expectations. She covered my leave when Charlie was born in 2009, and she has my complete confidence. I am leaving detailed plans for her so that meaningful instruction will continue during my absence.
In the event that Baby Moss comes today, tomorrow, or Thursday, please know that TUSS presentations will be delayed until I return. Additionally, because our open house activities are directly tied into many of the technology-focused presentations, if the baby comes early and I am not able to set up the computers for the 15+ tech-based presentations, our class’ open house night will be postponed. Students will still come to school for the spring concert, and they are invited to remain for the ice cream social, if they have RSVP’ed for the event. In the event that this happens, I will tentatively schedule our class’ TUSS open house night for Tuesday, June 18th. But again, this is only in the event that Baby Moss arrives early, which is not likely. I do expect this Thursday’s open house evening to go as planned.
Thank you in advance for your flexibility over the next few weeks. While I will be in regular communication with Mrs. Nori and Mrs. Deming during my absence, I appreciate your understanding that I may not quickly reply to emails so that I can focus on my family. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact me.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss