Weekly Newsletter

              September 2, 2008

Dear Parents,

    It is hard to believe that summer is over with the warm temperatures. The class has fallen into the routine quickly and we are off to a great start. Thank you to all of you who came to Parent Information Night. It was nice to meet everyone and go over the upcoming school year. Don’t forget that the hours of the school day have increased. School begins promptly at 7:45 and ends at 2:32. Students are marked tardy at 7:45 with every three tardies counting as one absence.
   
MATH MINUTES…
    Students that are working with Mrs. Helberg are covering place value. They have been spending a lot of time talking about numbers and their parts.
    Students working with Ms. Hammond are spending 20 minutes of every class reviewing place value and mental math strategies. The Investigations unit we are learning about is geometry. The focus of the past week has been on determining the number of centimeter cubes can fit in student constructed boxes and coming up with a theory for the challenge.

READ…READ…READ…
    Reading has been spent as a whole class focusing on the literary elements and the importance of them in reading. The class has been focusing on identifying character, setting, problem, solution, and theme using several popular picture books. The end of the week was spent learning how to appropriately lead a literature circle and practicing this skill. This will be necessary for literature circles in fifth grade. Without practicing this skill, groups in the future can not be successful. The current read aloud is The Wind in the Willows.

WRITERS CORNER…
    The class designed picture frames with a definition of their first names. These are on display with their photographs on the classroom window. If you would like a copy of your child’s photograph for home please let me know.
    Each student has written a poem on a specific emotion and how it can be described with the senses. The goal of the poem is to be descriptive and paint a picture of the emotion in the reader’s mind. Please come in and read them on the bulletin board outside the classroom.

SCIENCE STATS…
          Science is off and running, or should I say rolling? Lab teams of three have been formed and challenges have been gives. Lab groups are focusing on cooperation skills necessary to complete lab experiments, the speed of vehicles and how weight affects the distance they travel, and how to create technical drawings from different angles. Following a lab and completing a lab write up has proven to be a difficult skill so this in itself will be the focal point of many of the labs to come.
    The STARBASE program began on Friday. The day was jam packed and a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to chaperone. You can join us when you would like so let me know if you decide to. The rocket and hot air balloon launch will take place at the Rutland Airport on September 19th.

   
IMPORTANT DATES…
9/5-STARBASE-8:15-2:30-Rutland Armory
9/8-After School Program begins
9/10-1/2 Day
9/12-STARBASE-8:15-2:30-Rutland Armory
9/17-Vermont State Wide Teacher In-Service
9/19-STARBASE-8:15-2:30-Rutland Airport
9/23-STARBASE-8:15-2:30-Rutland Armory
10/3-STARBASE-8:15-2:30-Rutland Armory
10/11-PTG Harvest Fair