Winter Concert 2015 Announcement

Season’s Greetings to all Williams Elementary Families:

We will have our annual holiday concert Thursday, December 10, 2015 at 6:00pm in the cafeteria. The entire school will be involved in this production. The chorus will sing and the band will play a couple of songs. Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th will present class songs. 3rd grade will play recorders. I ask that all students who are performing please be here no later than 5:30pm so we can stage everyone and can get started on time. Also, please wear a Williams t-shirt or a red or green polo shirt and jeans. The concert should be over by 7:00pm. Participating students will also receive extra credit towards their music grade.

Thank you in advance for all your help to make this concert possible.

Edmodo Assignment: Johann Sebastian Bach

Williams Elementary 4th and 5th Grade parents and students:

There is a new assignment in Edmodo. It is called Johann Sebastian Bach. He is a baroque composer. The assignment is due November 18, 2015. It should take about 15 minutes to complete.

How to Complete an Assignment in Edmodo

Here are directions on how to complete an assignment in Edmodo. I also added a page under the page list of the same name. It is a PDF with pictures that you can download to your computer.

How to complete an assignment in Edmodo:

1. Go to Edmodo.com and log in.

     a. In the username space enter your child’s username. In the password space enter the password.

               i. Username will usually be lastname(all lowercase) then first initial, and birthday(if necessary). Students             should have written it down but you may email Mr. Thomas for the information.

               1.       Example: smithj0415

                 ii. Password for all students is abc123

2.  Once you have logged in, you may have to scroll down a little to the current assignment.

3.  Click the Turn In button. It is very important that you hit the Turn in button, otherwise it will not register that I received the assignment.

4.  Depending on the assignment you may have to:

     a. Watch a video and answer questions that are in the post.

     b. Take a quiz.

     c. Respond to a question a post.

                i. Sometimes Mr. Thomas will post study guides for students so they may prepare for a test or have        more information about something we talked about in class. Students can either print them out or use the     Backpack function within Edmodo to save them to study for later. These are not for grades but will help   your child in class.

5.  Below the post, you should see the words that say Type your response here. This is where you will put in the answers for any questions.

     a.  If it says Type your reply, then you did not hit the turn in button and I will not get the assignment once it is complete. Always, always hit the Turn in Button before answering questions.

6.  Once the assignment is complete please click the Turn in Assignment button.

Remember you can always use the help function in Edmodo. Click your child’s avatar picture and it will give you a list that has the profile, help, etc. in it. If you have questions, please email Mr. Thomas at thomasmv@gm.sbac.edu.

Edmodo Assignment Due

There is an Edmodo assignment due on October 23, 2015. Students will have approximately 2 weeks to complete the assignment. If you do not have a computer or internet access at home, please see or email Mr. Thomas to make arrangements.


In addition, your child should have a form that gives you information to join Remind.com. It was passed out several weeks ago.I will include a link on this page for it. It will text you whenever we have assignments due. Text the code and you will start receiving updates for assignments.

Also, if you go through Edmodo, your child can you the parent code so you may receive updates that way as well. The easiest way would be to log into your child account, click profile, then click parent code. You may want to add your email address to their profile so you get the notifications as well.

Please share this information with other parents either in person or via social media by clicking one of the icons below. Thank you!

Edmodo

Students in 3rd-5th grade are getting signed up for Edmodo.com. It is an online program similar to Facebook but it is meant for school work. The first assignment will be available by the end of this week once most of the classes have had the opportunity to go to the computer lab with me. Most assignments should only take about 10 minutes to complete. If you have questions, please email Mr. Thomas at thomasmv@gm.sbac.edu or stop by before school or after school.

Please share this information with parents via social media by clicking the buttons at the bottom of this post, via email, or in person. Thank you!

Club Announcements

1. Chorus practice has begun. It is not too late for your child to join, however, next week is the last possible week for new members. We meet on Wednesdays from 12:30-1:15. Chorus is open to grades 2nd-3rd. Club dues are $10.

2. Band has begun as well and it is not too late for your child to join. Band meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:45-2:30. If your child is interested, please take them to either Hoggtowne Music or Great Southern music, whichever is convenient, and have them test you for a band instrument. Their links are on this page. Club dues are $10 plus the cost of the instrument and other equipment. Band is open to students in 4th and 5th grade only. Next Tuesday is the final cut off date for joining. 

3. You may join both clubs for only $15.

Welcome to the 2015-2016 School Year!

Welcome back everyone!

For those of you that are new to our school, welcome. My name is Mr. Thomas. I am excited to be your music teacher here at Williams Elementary. This year we have many educational and fun things planned in music.  K-2 will work on fundamentals of singing and learning rhythms. They will also learn about some basic fundamentals of music such as high and low and fast and slow. 3rd grade will focus on playing recorder, 4th grade will focus on playing piano, and 5th grade will focus on playing guitar. Each grade level has a method book specific to what they are learning if you wish to purchase the book. Please click on the books we use link to learn more. Books and other musical equipment can be purchased at Hoggtowne Music or Great Southern Music or any other reputable music store. I have posted their links at the bottom of the page as well.  

We also have extracurricular activities in music. The Wildcat Chorus is open to students from grades 2nd-5th. The band is open to students in 4th and 5th grade only. We will also have Zumba Kids for the kids in the morning before school starts as well.

Just like last year, I have integrated technology into my classroom. 3rd-5th grade students will be given the chance to interact on an educational media site called Edmodo. Students will be given questions about music or performances and will have the opportunity respond. It is similar to Facebook but it is for the classroom and will be moderated by me. We have several performances planned for the year including the Holiday Concert, Black History Celebration, and many others.

My grading scale and class expectations are posted on the bottom of this page. Please remember grading starts the first day of music.

I look forward to working with you and your children this year. Please feel free to stop by the music room any time if you have any questions or concerns or would like to volunteer. 

Black History Month Songs

Parents and students here are the songs for 3rd-5th grade songs for the Black History celebration next Thursday, March 5 at 6:00pm. K-2 know their songs really well since we have been practicing since January. All of the songs are coming straight from the publishers so they may cut in and out. Due to copyright laws we can no longer have songs on the internet. We can copy the songs to CD-R's or mp3 players or flash drives. Have your child bring one to Mr. Thomas for a copy.

3rd Grade-By the Rivers of Babylon
 http://www.musick8.com/html/current_tune.php?numbering=98&songorder=11

 4th Grade-Abraham Lincoln
http://www.musick8.com/html/current_tune.php?numbering=123&songorder=10

 5th Grade-Free at Last
http://www.musick8.com/html/current_tune.php?numbering=113&songorder=15

Black History Celebration

Attention Williams Families,

The Black History Month Celebration will take place Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 6:00 pm in the Williams cafeteria. This concert will feature all grade levels.

2/18/15 Update

Parents and Students here are a few assignment alerts:


3rd-5th grade students will have quizzes this week and next week. 3rd has a quiz on Scott Joplin, 4th has a quiz on Thomas A. Dorsey, and 5th has a quiz on the "Kings" of Blues.

5th grade students please get your brain pop assignments completed. Use edmodo to get your assignment done.  If you are having trouble please let Mr. Thomas know so we can help you get the assignment completed. Thank you.

5th Grade Edmodo Assignment

5th Grade Students have a new Edmodo assignment that needs to be completed by February 13, 2015. This is a regular class grade. If you are having trouble please email Mr. Thomas for assistance. Thank you.