Dear families,

I am really enjoying your talented and inquisitive children!

With our third week of school accomplished, we are all settling in to our routines and working on practicing our play. Our music has been shared with all families. Please let me know if you are having trouble accessing the shared folder on google drive. Micha will be here helping with choreography starting Monday Sept. 11 from 9-12 M and W and in the afternoons on T and F. It is important for all students to know their lines and the words to all the songs. We practice daily at school, but your child should read the play as nightly reading in order to memorize and get comfortable with the dialogue.

**Play dates: Thursday Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Pac room for families and friends and Friday Sept. 29 at 11 a.m. in the Pac room for all students. To volunteer to help with our play, click here

Art, Music, and P.E.: your child is enjoying a full, well-rounded curriculum that includes the arts and physical education.  We are so very lucky to have these very talented teachers supporting our students. Thank you Mary Beth Duncan, Ket Tom-Conway and Kim Fleming!

Reading Buddies: our buddies are Ms. Martin's first graders this year! Both the first and fourth graders are doing very well with this and enjoy reading to their buddies on Friday afternoons before going home for the weekend. Happiness is a reading buddy!

The Blue Binder: includes the planner, a homework pocket for homework assignments. This binder has four sections: notes; homework/classwork; tests; lessons. This is the only binder that will travel back and forth every day between the classroom and home (comes home on Fridays, too). Your child's planner is the best place to see what is assigned and when it is due. We fill in our planners every morning and Shauna, our wonderful aide, will be checking to see that homework, planners, and signatures/initials are complete every morning. This is a system to help your child manage and organize class work, homework and a schedule. We support each child with this, but it is very important that your child brings his/her binder each day with a parent signature.  Academic success can be impacted if this is a regularly forgotten item. It is helpful to complete and pack the binder in the back pack and place it by the door the night before so that in the rush of the morning it is not left behind. We appreciate the support you give your child with this at home.

The red My Reading Life Folder: this folder should travel between home and school M-F. Although there is not reading homework on Wednesday, your child should be reading every night and logging their time. A parent initial is required on the homework sheet and the log for nightly reading.

Math: we have been reviewing whole numbers and place value up to the millions. We will continue to review math facts and begin to go forward this week with estimation, approximation and rounding. We will, as a general rule, have a test every Friday to assess the week's concepts. In addition, we are working on a POM (problem of the month) and continue to do math story problems each period to reinforce concepts.

Social Sciences: American history with an emphasis, currently, on The American Revolution.

Science: we will move into our Foss curriculum on electricity and magnets this week. Our Tech museum field trip (details below) supports this.

Read Aloud Novels: Wringer, The Tiger Rising 

Accelerated Reader: Information on how to use and support your child with Accelerated Reader will come home this week, and I will be modeling this with students so that they become comfortable with it. 

Novel: Patty Reed's Doll.  This will be our first novel and deep dive into literature. We will read this aloud together on the doc camera so that all students are supported regardless of varying reading levels. This was read to your child last year as a read aloud, and now we are using a second-read (common core strategy) to study this more in depth and develop a deeper understanding of the text  (comprehension, literary devices, academic vocabulary and discussion).

Growth Mindset video: I support best practices and a growth mindset in the classroom. Please click here to view an excellent video on this concept. Your child has viewed this video already.

**Our First Field Trip: Tech Museum Fri. September 22 from 8:15-12:00. Drivers needed. Please be sure that you have filled out the necessary paper work with the office. You will find our field trip drivers sign up page on our blog if you are interested in driving and joining us. I select drivers on a first-come-first-serve basis. Look for the field trip permission slip in the Monday folders today. Please return asap. There is a $6.50 fee per student this year.

**Back to School Night: Wednesday September 27. At 6:15 Ms. M. will meet all families in the PAC room with current Mt. topics, presentation and discussion--all parents are encouraged to attend. Then, teachers will give classroom presentations for everyone at 7:00 and again at 7:30. 

Classroom volunteers: please find the volunteer expectations for our classroom here.  If you are interested in volunteering in our classroom, know that we appreciate it very much! It's what makes Mountain so special.  You can find the volunteer list on the Beginning of Year Business page of our blog. Thank you.

Student Council Election packet coming home today: 4th grade can run for secretary. There is an application and speech guidelines in the Monday folder. Speeches are on the calendar for October 5 in the PAC room.

Mountain nightly homework duration policy: 10 minutes per grade level plus reading--40 min. + 30 min. for reading = 70 min. 

Warmly,

Mrs. Young and Shauna