Everyone needs to wear slippers to school once in awhile...

Friday 12/16 was slipper day at school! The students were cute AND comfy!

New Trimester

The first trimester came to an end of November 22nd. The new trimester begins on Monday, November 28th. The first report cards will be sent home on December 7th with open parent conferences on Wednesday, December 14th from 2:45-4:00. These conferences are optional and will be on a first come first serve basis. If you require a set conference time, please contact me to make other arrangements for another day. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!

In with November...

Welcome to a new month! We had a very busy October--new information, Acuity computer testing, our first classroom party and fall break! We are moving full steam ahead as the first trimester comes to an end on November 22nd. I do not have information about if or when there will be report conferences, but you'll be the first to know when I do. In the meantime, thanks to those families who contributed to our fall party. A great time was had by all! As always, contact me any time with questions or concerns! Happy November!

Progress Reports Already?

Hard to believe but the first trimester progress reports come home on Friday, October 7th. Please be sure to check your child's HORSE folder for your copies. Please remember to sign and return one of the copies on Monday, October 10th. The other copy is yours to keep. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about your child's report. I am happy to meet and discuss his/her progress!

End of September Reminders

We will wrap up our first full month toegether this coming Friday. A few reminders:
1) The first book project on realistic fiction, the windsock, is due on Friday 9/30. Many students have turned theirs in early. Please remember this is part of the reading grade!
2) The weather has become cooler so remember to dress accordingly! Also, sweaters and hoodies can only be worn in the classroom if they are school wear--no logos or writing can be on them and they must be school wear colors.
3) Planners, reading logs, and HORSE folders must be brought to school everyday with all completed homework!

Finally, a big THANK YOU to all the families that came to last week's Back to School Night! I had 18 families attend. It was great to meet all of you and I look forward to getting to know your families better!

Back to School Night

Just a reminder that BTS Night is tomorrow--Thursday, September 22nd at 4:30-6:00pm. I look forward to meeting all of you!

Finding "Good Fit" Books

We have been spending time learning about how to choose books that will help us become better readers. The students are aware that choosing a book that is too easy or too hard will not help them improve their reading skills. One of the important lessons from Daily 5 we recently worked on included making an anchor chart to remind us of these important facts before choosing books to add to our personal "book baggies" used during the Read to Self block. This is the chart below.

You can help with these ideas at home also. The widget below is from Scholastic and allows anyone to look up a book and check the levels for it--both Lexile and Guided Reading. We use both at Harding. Your student should know his or her levels and is learning to use these as a guide to "good fit" books.


Happy Reading to all!

A Few Reminders

Just a few reminders--

• Reading logs are to be filled in each night and returned to school each day. I will stamp them each morning so you know that I have seen them. It is the students' responsibility to fill in the reading logs!
• Please check school wear guidelines when students bring sweaters and hoodies to school--they can only be worn in school if they are school wear colors (red, navy blue, light blue or white) and have NO writing, logos, or pictures on them.
• All 4th graders exit the building from Door N. Students cannot leave the building from any other door unless arrangements have been made with the office ahead of time.
• I have had the chance to talk to several parents this week. I look forward to speaking to and meeting all of you! The Back to School Night is on September 22nd at 5pm. I hope you are able to make it!
• Feel free to contact me by planner, phone or email--I check all everyday and make every effort to get back to you the same day!
• Have a great weekend! 

Long weekend

I hope you are enjoying this 3 day weekend! The first monthly newsletter came home on Friday. Be on the lookout for a new one at the beginning of each month. Also, the reading logs went home on Friday. Students are responsible for logging their at-home reading each night. This is a part of daily homework. The log should be filled in for Friday and Monday when they return to school on Tuesday!

Yeehaw! Welcome to a NEW school year!

Welcome to my new class--a trip to the "wild west"!! Today was the first day of school and it was a GREAT day! It was exciting to meet my new students and see them happy and excited to be in 4th grade. As your student has probably told you, we accomplished a lot today. We discussed new routines, made new friends, talked about our plans for the year, shared information about ourselves and did some organizing of our new materials. The students have many pages of information to share with you this evening so please take some time to look through it and fill out the forms that need to be returned to school. Thanks to everyone who sent in the supplies today. I've let the students know they can bring them in all week. The monthly newsletter will be coming home on Friday so be on the lookout for MORE info! = ) I look forward to meeting all of you and working with your child this year. It is going to be a FANTASTIC year!!

3...2...1...

Just a few more days until school begins. I hope everyone is ready! I'm looking forward to meeting my new students!

Gearing up for a new school year!

It's nearing the end of July and I have begun planning for the new school year. I am looking forward to meeting a new group of 4th graders!