Parent Letter 11/30/2008

Dear Parents,

I trust you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and a restful Thanksgiving holiday break. We have so much to be thankful for. I am grateful for the opportunity to be with your children and share the joy of learning with them. They are an amazing group of people. Thank you all for your continued support of your child's education and myself.

Many thanks to Barbara Okamura for her help with our "thanksgiving feast" last Tuesday. She made tortillas and butter with the students followed by "Pilgrim Hat" cookies. Thank you also to Sonia Perez for jumping in and preparing all of the tortillas for pressing. It was a great treat which we shared with the other 4th grade class and they prepared a wonderful tasty compliment which we all enjoyed. Muchas gracias!

We have completed our first trimester and on Monday begin the second trimester of 4th grade.
Report cards will be going out around December 9th. Winter break will be in three weeks
beginning December 20th.

Spelling: This week we will have spelling back again as usual. Look for the student's words to come home and study.

Math: We will have a Unit 4 math assessment on Thursday. I will send home a study guide for Wednesday night study.

Reading: We will begin a new set of book clubs this week. The book club groups will choose a new book from a selection I provide. We will spend the next several weeks on these books.

Science: As we work on finishing our Earth's Changing Surfaces unit, we will also begin a unit on Coastal Ecosystems. In January, we will take advantage of low tides to explore the tidepools and beaches as well as go on a field trip to the aquarium. It should be a lot of fun.

Homework:

Math: Monday - Study Links Monday: 4.9, Tuesday: 4.10 Wednesday: Study for test
Work with fact triangles for 5-10 minutes each night
Spelling: Study words each night, test on Friday Read 20 minutes each night, record in planner.

Best wishes to all,
Mary Welsh