Middle of the First Full Week

Welcome Parents!

We are in the middle of the first full week and already are getting used to routines and procedures as the year gets off to a quick start. We have been practicing utilizing our "Where Are You" board that kids sign in and out as they leave and enter the room to go various places around the school. We are also using another strategy of management with "dot" leaders which rotate throughout the week and focus on positive group choices.

Our daily morning meetings already have a great feel to them. It is such a joy to start each day with such a community of learners and a sense of belonging to a group. I often refer to our group as a community and teach values that go beyond the classroom and school walls hoping they become life-long skills. The first two weeks are crucial for teaching the social curriculum and we are doing many activities that involve responsibility, respect, and safety issues. Look for our posters we are creating that illustrate those three topics in the hallway. We are also working on goal setting by creating a "hopes and dreams" list that will be displayed during conferences.

Rotation of classes is in full swing as of Tuesday. Mr. George Vanderport teaches the Investigations math units, Mrs. Sandy Anderson teaches the social studies, and I am teaching science, health, and computers to all fourth grade kids. We all teach our topics to our home rooms in the morning and then after lunch and read aloud we start the rotation with the other groups. Our class goes to Mr. Vanderport's room from 1:50-2:35 and then to Mrs. Anderson's room from 2:35-3:25. Rotations run Tuesday through Friday afternoons. The science topic of the next three weeks deals with measurement. We are starting with linear measurement and specifically the metric system.

That's all for now. Please let me know if you every have any questions, comments, or just want to stop into talk or visit the classroom!