Dear Parents,

Hi! It was great to see many faces, new and old, last Thursday night at Open House. Thanks for coming in to see what your child has been up to. Here is an update on recent happenings in the classroom.

Science: We have completed our mini unit on solar energy but I anticipate revisiting its concepts and ideas throughout the year. It is encouraging to see and hear students’ increased awareness of the power of the sun. We will embark on the yearlong unit on geology this week. Moretown resident geologist David Westerman who spent an hour talking to us about and pointing out outcrops, soil types, changing landforms, and erosion recently visited us. He was fascinating to listen to! This unit will focus on three essential questions: how do geological changes affect our earth? To what extent do the water cycles, climate, weather, and seasonal changes affect changes over time on earth? And What role do people play on how we use our natural resources?

Math: The "Data about Us" statistic unit is winding down. Students have done a wonderful job with this unit that involves measures of center, or averages, such as mode, median, and mean, and using line plots, bar graphs, and stem plots to organize data. Students will receive the final project and rubric, "What are some of the characteristics of a typical middle-school student?" today and tomorrow. Ms. Baker and I will soon be assessing students to determine placement for the next unit on multiplication and division. In addition, we complete daily "math minutes" that test basic computation skills.

Literacy: Students have been writing and illustrating free verse poems as well as list poems. Students did a great job reciting their poems Friday-Wow! In addition, we have been reading fiction and non-fiction stories in both Scholastic News and Story Works. As soon as we have enough copies, we will start the book Seedfolks as a whole class read. In conjunction with the geology unit we will also be reading Out of the Dust. Much of our writing also connects with the math and science units as well.

Fundraising: Ms. Baker and I met the other day to discuss fundraising that supports the end of the year trip. In the past we both have taken trips that require vast amounts of money. We are considering a fundraising idea of selling energy efficient light bulbs, as well as the old stand-by of selling American Flatbreads, with the results of each venture supporting the trip. The outcome of each would determine the kind of trip we would take. Consequently, the trip may be more low key than in the past. What do parents think about this? Are parents willing to participate in fundraising, as well as help fund a large-scale trip to, say, Boston or Montreal, or would you rather see us find a more local, inexpensive destination? Any and all thoughts are welcome!

Book Orders: Three book orders are headed home today. All of three of them are affiliated with Scholastic therefore you need to write only ONE check for all the orders-no need to write separate checks! Again, please, no cash unless it is absolutely necessary.

Dates to Interest:

NECAPS October 2-4, 5, 8, 15-17.

Photo Day October 8

Early Dismissal October 10 at 11:55 am

Teacher Convention October 18-19 (no school)

School wide assembly October 29 at 2:15

As always, feel free to contact me at school, via email, telephone, or in person if you would like to discuss your child’s needs.

Sincerely,

Patty