We have completed our first full week of school! Students have already shifted into full gear "learning mode" as we begin all of our curriculum areas. Please note that students will be using our "Spelling City" computer program this year in lieu of the normal paper spelling homework. They are required to spend 30 minutes per week studying their words using interactive games on the site, and taking a practice test on the site. I then test with a spelling dictation quiz each Friday. I have been using Spelling City for several years, and I find that students learn their words more readily when they're having fun doing it!

Please remember that Wednesday, Aug. 31 is "Back to School" Night! My presentation will take place in Room 17 from 6:15 to 7:00 PM - there will then be a short teacher introduction in the GLC. I hope you are all planning to attend - please remember that on parents are invited to come to this event. I will review with you the curriculum highlights for this year, as well as talk to you about any questions or concerns that you might have about our class.

Scholastic Book orders went home on Friday - please remember that with parent online ordering, our class gets one free book per order! All orders, both online and paper, are due on Friday, Sept. 2. Please also make a point of jotting down our WalkAround date for this year, which is Saturday, Oct. 1! Many parent volunteers are still needed for this big fundraising event, so please give a few hours of your time to this important cause! Have a great week!

Welcome to Room 17!

It is with great pleasure that I welcome your child to our combination 4/5 class for the upcoming school year! We will undertake many adventures together, and I look forward to great learning experiences and good times. Having previously taught several combination classes, I personally feel that multi-age classrooms are a blessing in disguise - older students gain a greater sense of responsibility by helping out the younger students in facilitating their educational experience, and younger students take become more responsible for their own goals and behavior with older students as their role models. I will look forward to explaining my philosophy in greater detail at our Back to School Night on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 6:15 PM. Be sure to save the date!

Today, your child brought home a package with important information to review and complete. Several items should be completed, signed, and returned to school. Those documents include: your child's enrollment card, technology usage agreement, and district agreement (which is part of the District information pamphlet). Please return these in your child's Friday folder on Monday. If your child will be getting hot lunch, and there were no funds left over in their account from last year, please send in the blue hot lunch envelope with a check for their lunch accounts.

I will update this page once a week during the school year with news and upcoming events, so please bookmark it on your computer and check it often. I will also send out e-mail updates for any important announcements and upcoming events. In an effort to go paperless, there will be no monthly newsletters sent home, so please check this page frequently.

Please do not hestitate to contact me by phone, although e-mail is checked more frequently and typically receives quicker responses. This information was in my "Welcome Back" letter sent home with the first day of school packet. I am looking forward to a warm and rewarding relationship with your student this year....the best is yet to come!