"Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon."
-E.M. Forster
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Dear Parents,
Thank you for your continued support in making this a successful school year for your child. I
encourage you to check your child's homework to make sure his/her
answers are accurate. I give out "prizes" for homework that comes to school with few or no mistakes.
I am trying to emphasize the value of accurate answers. Also please remind your child to put their
name on their work! I am amazed by the amount of work with no names on it that I get every day!
In math today I gave the children a review of unit three to complete. They should use it as a study
guide, as there will be a test in unit 3 next Tuesday. Also the math interim assessment takes place
next Monday. Please continue to review
multiplication facts with your child several times a week. It is essential that they know their facts in
order to learn new math skills in fourth grade. Multiplication.com and freerice.org are examples of
great online sites where your child can practice his or her facts.
In language arts we have finished our funny feature stories and shared them with the class. I enjoyed
hearing the funny stories! We have been working with subject and predicate. I am putting a study
guide in their mail boxes today; there will be a quiz next Thursday.
In science this week the children chose a vegetable to research online. They then worked to create a
poster with the information that they found. We are finishing these up this week. Mrs. Swan, Ms.
Albanesi and I worked with some parent volunteers to dig the tulip bed. We will be planting our
Journey North tulips next week! Thanks to those of you who donated extra bulbs; they will help our
garden look great in the spring!
Also a big thank you to those of you who donated treats for our Halloween celebration last week.
They were great! We had a fabulous trip to the Boott Mill in Lowell. My favorite part was when we
got to use actual looms to weave our own fabric! Thanks to Mrs. Quackenbush and Ms. Gent for
chaperoning -- they did a great job!
If your child is taking band lessons, please remind him/her that they are expected to bring home the
work they miss and complete it that night. They must ask their music buddy what they missed. If
there is a test scheduled during their lesson time, they must reschedule their lesson.
That's all for now; have a great weekend!
Joyce Rains