I also want to make sure to thank Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Johnson for the classroom help they have given me lately! You ladies have definitely made my life easier this week!
Here are this week's major attractions:
2. This week I asked the students how many pages they should read each night. It was very interesting to hear their responses. Answers ranged from 10 to 40 to "I don't know." Finally a child shouted out the correct response: "You never told us we had to read a certain number of pages." I reminded the students that the requirement is simply that they finish a book each week. The students have set their own goals for the number of pages based on the books they have chosen. We talked a lot on Thursday about how if they are stressed about getting their reading done each week, they probably have chosen books that are too hard for them. We compared picking out the right book to putting on the right pair of shoes. Some kids need to just read the minimum 90-page books each week because that is the right fit for them. Other kids are comfortable with a 250- or 350-page book, so they should continue to challenge themselves each week with longer and harder books. You can support your child at home this year by reminding him/her that there is no reason to stress about this and that he/she can choose easier books if he/she is having difficulty finishing in time. Most kids seem to have a good grasp of the expectations now, and I hope that this clarifies any misunderstandings you might have had about the requirements.
3. Thank you so much for everyone who made it to the parent meeting Thursday night; I know how hard it is to sacrifice an evening away from home. If you missed the meeting, the documents you need are on the Parent Resources page of my website. Please make sure you read them, sign them, and send them back Monday with your child. Once we have this information from everyone, we will be able to determine final costs for the trip. The second payment will be due September 24th, and we will let you know sometime this week how much it will be.
4. Curriculum Night is this Thursday. You can attend either a 6:30-7:10 session or a 7:20-8:00 session. These important meetings are where I will talk to you about the academic expectations for 4th graders and answer any questions you might have about homework, technology, etc. Hope to see you there!
5. This week's homework menu is posted on my website. The kids who are working on their activities over the weekend and/or early in the week are consistently turning in quality work and are far less stressed than those who wait until the last moment. Please encourage your child to begin these assignments early and to use the checklists to make sure all requirements are fulfilled. Remember, all assignments are due Friday.
6. If your child has not blogged yet this week, please remind him/her that this must be done by Sunday. Also, there are a handful of students who did not ever respond to last week's post. If you are having trouble with this (or with anything else), please email me and I will be happy to help!
7. On the first report card, your child is held accountable for being able to complete 100 addition and 100 subtraction problems in 5 minutes. Please help your child practice flash cards daily so that he/she can master this goal.
