A brand new year...

Dear New 4th Grader,
     Welcome to a new school year and classroom! I can hardly believe another summer is coming to an end and we will begin our 4th grade journey in a few short weeks. Though there will be plenty of time to share your summer experiences with me in the fall, feel free to e-mail me over the summer and introduce yourself (if I don't already know you!).
     My summer has been the best one on record. My kids and I tried to stay busy and active every day. That meant lots of swimming, soccer, playground time, library trips, family & friend visits, reading, movies and plenty of ice cream. You'll see and hear all about the specifics once we're in the classroom...promise!
     I hope your summer was filled with as many good times as ours was and I can't wait to meet you in 2 weeks...until then, read as much as you can, spend quality time with those you love and enjoy the freedom summer affords all of us!

See you soon!!
Ms. T

Newsletter

                                                                                               

Dear Families,

            Well, our first full week of school is complete! I have to repeat something I said at Curriculum Night this week…this class is just outstanding! They are learning and focusing and growing every day. I am grateful for this group of kids every day I come to work!

            I wanted to send a note home to remind everyone of a few things happening in the classroom, or some things we need! The classroom has a set of iPads and it would be fantastic if every child had a set of ear buds to keep in the classroom. I know you can purchase them at the dollar store, if you don’t have an extra pair sitting around at home. This way, when some of the kids are using the iPads, they can tune out the rest of the class, which helps them focus (and the rest of the class doesn’t get distracted by the sounds of apps (Beat the Computer and QuickVoice were two apps we used this week. Ask your child about them!)

            We’ve been learning Geometry concepts in Math, plant life cycles in Science and writing all about ourselves in Writers’ Workshop. In Reading, your children have been making inferences about the texts they read – making claims about characters and proving their claims with details from the text. WOW, has that been challenging, but watching their brains stretch has been a treat!

            Have a great weekend…looks like Fall might be upon us!

If I'm not mistaken, today is the day most of you find out the name of your 4th grade teacher! I promise I'm just as excited as you are...

Welcome!

Another school year is about to begin, and I don't know about you, but I can't wait. I've spent my time enjoying every possible minute with my kids, soaking up the sun, reading new books and creating lots of small moments you'll hear all about!

As you're eagerly awaiting September, please feel free to browse this site for information, e-mail me any questions you have and get to know me a little bit better! I'll be in touch and continue updating the blog if any major classroom changes occur.

Until then, enjoy the sunshine!

Welcome Back to School!!

Healthy Snacks...

Some of you may be wondering about snacks in 4th grade. Well, I snack and that means you also get to snack. I have a pretty lenient snacking policy. As long as you follow my simple rules, you'll be happy snacking all year. You are also allowed to keep a water bottle on your desk, too. I do ask that you take it home to wash at least once a week. We do what we can to stay healthy so we can stay in school! Here are the 2 rules I ask you to follow for snacks in 4th grade:

1. You can eat your snack any time during the day. That means if you eat your snack when you sit at your desk at 8:45 a.m. and you are hungry again at 10 a.m. there's not much I can do about it. Being able to choose your snack time means you  learn to eat when you are hungry. For example, on gym days, you may save your snack until the afternoon. Or, if you skipped breakfast (AH!) then you can eat your snack during Math. That being said, if you choose to crunch a bag of chips while I'm teaching Writer's Workshop, I may ask you to set your snack aside until a better time.

2. Healthy snacks are a must. It's my goal (and the district's too) to help you make healthy choices. What does that mean? What snacks are considered healthy? I have some suggestions, but you and your family will make these choices together. Here are some options:

Fruits

apples

bananas

blueberries

cantaloupe cubes

cherries

clementines

grapes

kiwis - sliced

orange wedges

strawberries

raspberries

watermelon cubes

Vegetables
baby carrots

cucumber slices/sticks

grape tomatoes

bell peppers – sliced

sugar snap peas

edamame

guacamole

hummus

Grains
whole grain crackers

tortillas

corn chips

homemade popcorn

cereal bars

honey wheat pretzels

snap-pea crisps

fruit bars

granola bars

rice cakes

crisp flat breads

Hopefully all of this explains my snacking policy. If there are any questions, let me know :) Happy Snacking!

Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

Most of you most likely don't know Mr. Rogers, but I grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He used to sing a song with the lyrics, "Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor?" It made me think about...YOU. However, I change the lyrics in my head to be..."Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my STUDENT?"

It's only a matter of days before you find out who your teacher is and I find out who is in my class. I am so excited, and I can only imagine how anxious you are. Not only are you wondering who your teacher will be, but who else is in your class? Where will you sit? Is your teacher nice, mean, scary? Will you have a great year?

Well, that's what this blog and e-mail are for! If you are, in fact, in my class, please feel free to e-mail me or write to me on the blog! I am happy to answer any questions or even just chat before September 7, the big first day of Fourth Grade!

And if I don't hear from you, the first week of school I'll introduce you to this blog and e-mail so you know where to go if you ever need to contact me. Also, let me warn you in advance...I like to change song lyrics A LOT! I sing A LOT. Anything else you want to know about me...please ask!

Until then...enjoy these last few weeks of summer. I've got to go chase around a couple of little Thompsons. :)