A Note from Mr. Stephan

(9/97)I am looking forward to a great year and the opportunity to meet you and your children! I feel that communication and support between parents and teacher have a positive effect on student achievement, so please feel free to communicate with me, anytime during the year, either by phone, notes or in person.

As the school year begins, we are making a big push for positive routine habits. Please encourage your child to get plenty of sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, read at least 10 minutes a day, and have a set time and place to do homework.

All homework should be turned in on a daily basis. The Thursday Folder is sent home weekly. It contains school messges, weekly work, and other pertinent information about the week. Please remember to sign the folder each week.

Your child may bring in a water bottle each day. Their name must be placed permanently on the bottle. I don't mind if your child brings in supplies but remember he / she will be given all the materials needed for the year. If you do choose to send materials with your child, make sure they are small enough to fit in their desks. He / she will not be allowed to store them on the ground.

In case of absence, an absence note is required the first day your child returns to school. It should include your child's name, dates of absence, the reason for the absence and the parent's signature.

As part of our Social Studies and Language Arts curriculum, our class will receive the Weekly Reader. This is a second grade newspaper that focuses on events that happen around the world that week.

My goal is to maintain a classroom environment where all children can feel successful. Classroom rules are always posted, and we go over each rule on the first day of school. I use a postive reward system where "Stephan Bucks" are awarded to the children to reinforce desired behaviors. "Stephan Bucks" are redeemed periodically for small incentives.

I will be team teaching this year with Miss Hook. I'll be teaching Social Science to both classes while Miss Hook will be teaching Science.

    Mr. Stephan

Spotlight on Mr. Stephan

Mr. Stephan chose to teach because he wanted to help children learn and to make a positive difference in their lives. His favorite teacher was his 6th grade teacher, Mr. Phil Hunt, from whom he learned how important it is to have lots of patience and understanding each day; and to treat children with respect and as equals.

He grew up in La Cresecenta with his parents, one older brother and two younger sisters. His fondest childhood memories are of his family's summer camping trips. Even today the Stephan family still enjoys many activities together. Family includes canine companion, Tuggs, a female mixed breed, who reportedly fetches the morning newspaper and brings it into the house. Mr. Stephan recently married Miss Melissa Schwade, whom he met during her time as Monte Vista's teacher specialist several years ago. Miss Schwade will be assigned this September as a Vice Principal at one of the South Glendale Schools.

Bristish Columbia is Mr. Stephan's favorite destination because of it's beauty and history. But if he could visit someplace new, he would head off to England, because he is intrigued by what he has learned of its culture, history and heritage.

Mr. Stephan's favorite children's books are the Amelia Bedelia series by Peggy Parish and the Berenstain Bears' Series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. His favorite adult book is Last Train to Alcatraz by Leon Thompson, and he enjoys any book by Stephen King. After a nice steak dinner, Mr. Stephan would be content to watch a Tom Selleck movie, especially An Innocent Man. His musical preference is the Eagles. When Mr. Stephan has some free time he likes to attend sporting events, especially hockey and football games. But he is not just an armchair athlete, he'll play almost any sport. For you basketball fans, Mr. Stephan played varsity basketball for three years in high school. When he visits the zoo, you can be sure to see him checking out his favorite animal, the elephant. For a hobby, he began collecting nut crackers because he saw that they are really works of art. His favorite nut cracker artist is Steinbach.

Mr. Stephan hopes that the future brings world peace and lower taxes!

Mr. Stephan's Homework Tips:

• Never be afraid to ask questions.
• Have a homework time where you have no distractions and no television.

Daily Schedule

The reading log will be sent home each week in your child's Thursday folder. Your child should select a book of his or her choice and read with an adult for 20 minutes. In order to make this a pleasant experience, you may use this reading time in any of the following ways:

• child may read to adult
• adult may read to child, or
• adult and child may alternate reading

A page in the reading log needs to be completed each week. The Notes section should be brief -- something about the story or a feeling about the book.

Please be sure to sign the log and have your child return it to school the next morning.

Writing Activities

Encourage your child to do writing activities at home. It is a great way for you to show that you value writing and for your child to practice skills learned at school.

• Watch in magazines and newspapers for free information and materials your child can send for. For example, there are magazine ads promoting tourism to many states and countries. In a matter of weeks your child will receive interesting information in the mail.
• Have your child add a line to a letter that you write to a friend or relative.
• To increase your child's chances of receiving return letters, have your child write a note that can be photocopied and sent to several relatives or friends.
• Take along a booklet to write in during a family trip or vacation. Each day you and your child can write about the day's events in the book. At the end of the vacation, you will have a trip diary. A book with blank pages for writing works well for this. You can use it year after year for family vacations and special events.
• Get some cute writing paper and colorful pens and pencils for your child to use for writing at home. This makes writing more fun to do! Your child can create special writing paper by putting a sticker or a colorful design on plain paper.

  Every child benefits from extra writing activities!

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  Student Work

  Click on picture next to the title to see our work!

  Summer Stories

  
  

  Thanksgiving

  
  
  
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  Book Reports

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  Field Trips

  On our field trips this year, we will be visiting the our neighbors in our community.

  Month	Place
  November	Public Library and Fire Station
  December	??
  March	Sheriff Station
  May	Post Office and McDonalds
  June	CPR Training and Stargazers

  
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  Teacher Aide: Meribeth Buck
  Room Representative: Tami Bardin

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  Copyright © 1996, Monte Vista Elementary School, Last Updated - February, 2000
  Web Page Author - Mary Beth Baker
  Staff Advisor - Carla Walker