Dear Students and Families,

What?  Fourth Quarter?  How can that be?  Stay focused and end the year with a flourish. The year is flying! Please be sure to check rvs for missing work, and A.R. for progress toward goal, at least twice a week. A.R. early incentive is due on 5/3.  Your final Holy Infant A.R. is due on Wednesday, (NOT FRIDAY) 5/9.  The library closes for the year on Friday, 5/11.

We are begining our study of Shakespeare.  The play Othello will be performed by Shakespeare Festival St. Louis on Wednesday, 5/2.  Stick with me as we embark on this challenging voyage.

Your "Express the Music" stories have been judged by the St. Louis Symphony. Congratulations to Gabriele Hoffman and Maggie Schomaker, our two finalists.  The symphony judges chose the girls' stories from a blind judging of 3,000 applicants' work.

Remember that on essay tests, what you say is equally important to how you say it. Divide your answers by paragraphs when you change topics; support your answers with facts and details from the literature; write well; plan your writing on the available time; and pay attention to the point value of the questions.

The due dates for A.R. for 8th graders for third quarter, along with the early incentive date, have been posted on the board and recorded in your assignment notesbooks.  Your reading ranges remain the same as those for 3rd quarter.  Remember that you must meet goal, have an 85% or higher on accuracy on tests, and average within your STAR designated reading range. Think of AR as practice for all of the reading that you will have to complete in high school and college. As soon as I receive your STAR testing scores, we will set goals and due dates for third quarter.

Read, read, read!

Mrs. Gillian