September 8, 2009
Dear Fourth Grade Parents:
It’s wonderful to be back in school and working with all of your children. We have an exciting year ahead, and we’re off to a great start.
Our first week of school has been geared toward helping the students adjust to a new classroom and teacher, designing classroom rules and expectations, and beginning our curricular units for the fall.
An overarching theme for this year’s curriculum is a study of sustainability. We will begin by developing an understanding of the impact we have on the planet. Good sustainable practices are based on an understanding of and commitment to our local communities. To that end we will begin the year with several mapping projects to give students a tangible sense of our place within our community. This year-long study will encompass a look at local farming practices, investigate the nutritional and environmental benefits of eating locally produced food when possible, and examine how the choices we make within our communities can have a positive impact on the health of our environment.
Our science work has started with a study of mysterious mushrooms. We took an exploratory hike into the woods last week to see how many different varieties we could spot. Students also did detailed pencil sketches and labeled all of the parts of these fascinating fungi. Rest assured that we began this unit with a discussion of the importance of not handling any mushrooms from the woods due to the fact that some are poisonous. Students will not be handling mushrooms themselves unless they are edible ones I have purchased from the store. You may notice a heightened awareness of mushrooms on your next hike through the woods. I hope they will have lots to share with you.
In math we have started our first unit in the Everyday Mathematics program with an exploration of lines, line segments, rays, and angles. Students are also working on learning the properties of polygons. Our Language Arts studies have begun with the class reading Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary. Students will respond to this literary selection by exploring new vocabulary words, answering comprehension questions in classroom discussions as well as in written form, and with drawings of certain sections from the text. Regular journal writing is also a big part of the Language Arts program, as are poetry and story writing and research projects.
PSD as well as soccer and cross-country running practices began this week. Please be sure your child has proper shoes with them for these activities. Crocs are fine for indoor shoes but not ideal for running around. It is also important that they have a bottle for water.
Some important dates to remember:
This Friday, September 11, is the all-school potluck, at 6:00 p.m.
September 16 is photo day for the lower school students
The Medieval Faire is just around the corner. Please be sure to stop in the main hall and sign up for duties before and during the faire. Thanks in advance for your help!
That’s all for now. It has been a pleasure to start the year with this wonderful group.
Please call or e-mail if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
All best,
Libby
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