Parent Letter

May 25, 2010

Dear Fourth Grade Parents:

Before we know it, the school year will be over and the dog days of summer will be upon us. Until then, we are still working hard in the Fourth Grade to finish up our work and close out our year of learning together.

Here is some important information about our last weeks of school. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be very hot. Linda and I would like to take the 4^th and 3^rd grades to the culvert to wade. Please send along a towel, appropriate shoes for climbing down the small hill, a swimsuit or clothes that can get wet, and dry clothes. Thank you.

Thursday, June 3, at 12:50 p.m., the Fourth Grade will perform, The Sneetches, an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s classic tale. The students adapted this to be a “Shakespearean” style play. They have been working hard on this. It should be lots of fun and also impart a valuable lesson to our audience. I hope you can all make it.

Friday, June 4, is our end-of-year trip to the Path of Life Garden. Thank you Carolyn for suggesting this trip, and thanks to Jaja’s suggestion, we have added a CT River float to the trip. We will leave TGS at 9:00 a.m., arriving at the Path of Life/Great River Outfitters by 10:00. We will be outfitted with life vests and gear and taken north to Sumner Falls where we will put into the River in rafts and have a 2-hour guided tour back down to the Path of Life. We will disembark, have a picnic lunch, and tour the garden. We will leave at about 2:00 to be back in time for buses at 3:00. It should be a fun day. Please be sure your child is wearing clothing they don’t mind getting wet (swimsuits with shorts and t-shirts are fine), good water shoes, sun screen, bug repellant (if you desire), a good snack, a picnic lunch, and plenty of water. I have the following folks who have volunteered to drive/chaperone: Sara Kagle, Carolyn DeMark, Barb Silbey, and Jaja Laughlin. William Chambers may join us. Any others of you are, of course, welcome to come, but I unfortunately do not have the budget to pay for more than this number.

The Spring Concert is this Thursday, May 27, at 6:30 p.m. Students should arrive and meet in our classroom at 6:15. Please be sure you child has his/her recorder. Please remind your student that they need to wear clothing that does not have writing, logos, or advertisements.

Next Monday, May 31, is Memorial Day and there is no school. Finally, Thursday, June 10, is the last day of school and a half-day, ending at noon. Field Day takes place that morning and the traditional end-of-school slide show. I will try to have students bring work home throughout that week so as to avoid an overload on the last day.

Thanks for all of your wonderful children. It has been such a pleasure to work with them and you this year.

All best,

Libby

Earth Day Turns 40 in the Fourth Grade

The Fourth Graders wished Earth Day a Happy 40th Birthday by brainstorming 40 ways to have less impact on our planet.

1. Drive your car less/carpool 21. No trash meals

2. Recycle 22. Be careful of packaged goods you buy

3. Buy bulk food 23. Spend free time outside

4. Grow your own food/garden 24. Use fewer electronic devices

5. Buy less things in plastic 25. Reduce non-recyclable items you use

6. Bike to school 26. Pick up trash/don't litter

7. Turn off lights when not in use 27. Limit computer use

8. Hang out clothes to dry 28. Use less paper/use recycled paper

9. Don't burn trash 29. Get electronic bills

10. Turn down your heat/save oil 30. Don't dump water bottles/use your old water

11. Ride horses/use your car less 31. Limit red meat consumption

12. Use less water/short showers,

low flush toilets 32. Use fuel efficient vehicles

13. Use earth friendly products 33. Bio diesel

14. Plant trees 34. Buy products from environmentally conscious companies

15. Don't buy bottled water, 35. Less paving

filter your own

16. Buy local foods 36. Don't smoke

17. Use solar panels 37. Buy as many things locally as you can

18. Compost 38. Don't use toxic pesticides

19. Reuse things whenever possible 39. Don't clear cut forests

20. Heat with wood 40. Wear natural fibers

Parent Letter

May 13, 2010

Dear Fourth Grade Parents:

We had a wonderful luncheon at Hamza’s house, prepared by Rudi, last Friday. Fourth graders joined the third graders to sample many different types of delicious Middle Eastern foods, as well as play some games in Hamza’s woods. The diversity of the foods, reflecting a culture different from our own, gave the children a chance to try some things completely new to their palates. Thank you to our drivers, Stephanie and Mary, and to Rudi for a delightful event.

I am trying to reschedule our performance of The Sneetches and it looks like we will have to do a time other than all-school meeting. SSR (12:50 most days) is an ideal time, as most of the school could come. I am thinking of Thursday, June 3, at 12:50. Does that work for everyone? If not, please let me know days that do work best so I can schedule the day.

That same week on Friday, June 4, I would like to take the children to the Path of Life sculpture garden in Windsor, VT. In order to do this I will need drivers for seven children. Please let me know if that date would work for you to join us and we’ll finalize a plan.

If you have time to stop down when you are next at school, please take a look at the Egyptian amulets displayed outside the Fourth Grade classroom. The Ancient Egyptian word for amulet is sa, which means protection. These were worn in daily life and in funerary rituals. They wore them as individual charms or as part of larger jewelry pieces. They were also wrapped inside mummies to protect and guide the bearer in the after life. Each amulet had a particular significance and 3^rd and 4^th graders fashioned their own amulets out of Sculpey clay and researched each one’s history and meaning.

The end of the year is approaching quickly and the next few weeks will be busy ones. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns and we head toward the end of the year.

Best regards,

Libby

Parent Letter

May 6, 2010

Dear Fourth Grade Parents:

What a busy week! The Music Man has been a wonderful experience for the children, and they have been giving it their all. Thank you for all of your support at home, helping them learn their music. They are such a great addition to the show.

Here are a few items to tell you about. We have had to postpone our play, due to the Music Man schedule. So we will not perform next Wednesday but hope to perform it either May 26 or June 2. I will let you know.

As you know, tomorrow, the 3^rd and 4^th grades will travel to Hamza’s house for a Jordanian/Egyptian lunch prepared by Rudi. Stephanie Cabot, Mary Osgood, and I are driving, as are several 3^rd grade parents. I am still looking for one more driver if possible. Please do let me know if you can drive.

May 27^th is the K-4 concert, which begins at 6:30. Students should be at school no later than 6:10 for warm ups in the 4^th grade classroom. Please be sure they remember their recorders and binders.

On the academic front, students are currently learning to calculate the areas of polygons and how to make drawings to scale. Next week our Egypt unit will focus on mummy masks and a mummification experiment with zucchini. Students have finished their VT endangered species sketches and research and will continue our study of U.S. Geography with a look at the western states. A brief unit on rocks and minerals, stones and sedimentary rock will finish out our science work this year.

Next Tuesday, 4^th graders will join several other TGS classes at Vermont Academy to see storyteller extraordinaire, Odds Bodkin perform his version of The Odyssey. It should be an informative and engaging event.

I hope your children stay healthy! There are some bugs going around. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to seeing you at one of the many end-of-year events.

All best,

Libby

Fourth Graders Learn About Ancient Egypt

Who was Djehutynakht (je-hooty-knocked)? Why is a 4,000-year-old tomb like a crime scene? What is an archaeologist? What is the significance of the scarab beetle to Ancient Egyptians? How did Egyptians prepare a body for the afterlife? Fourth graders are currently engaged in a study of Ancient Egypt (along with the Third Grade). Last week we took a trip to Boston's Museum of Fine Arts to view the permanent Egyptian collection and to see the new exhibit, The Secrets of Tomb 10A. Students have explored Egyptian artifacts from the Children's Museum, completed portraits of King Tutankhamen, are creating their own tomb paintings and amulets, and are learning about the topography and rich history of the Nile River valley.

This week Fourth Graders were asked to write poems in the style of William Shakespeare. Using the natural world as their backdrop, students painted word pictures of their surroundings. Here are some examples of their work.

There is a place where the daffodils grow,

Far over the windy hill of beauty the carts go,

Like hawks that fly up in the sky,

Next to blue jays way up high.

There is a place I like to play,

Where the tall pine tree roots like to stay,

The silly squirrels run past the warm, squashy soil,

This place is so beautiful, it almost makes me feel spoiled,

With this horizon that looks like cheddar,

This place shall not get any better.

By Colton

I know a tree where the seasons go by,

The four sisters go by like clouds in the sky.

Gentle Spring makes the tree’s leaves bud,

Awakens the grass, un-thaws the mud.

Scalding summer bids Spring good-bye,

She makes the tree leaf and shield out the sky.

Tender Autumn brings on the cold,

The tree drops its leaves, it does what it’s told.

Then Evil Winter chases Autumn away.

She hates fun, she hates to play.

The tree still lives for it does not mind

If the seasons are mean or the seasons are kind.

By Susan

April 2, 2010

Dear Parents of Third and Fourth Graders,

This week we began our unit on Ancient Egypt by studying borrowed artifacts from the Museum of Science. In two weeks, we will take a field trip to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts to view the permanent Egyptian collection and the new exhibit, The Secrets of Tomb 10A.

WHEN: Friday, April 16

HOW: BY TGS SCHOOL BUS

Please note that we will leave TGS by 7:45 a.m. and return to TGS by 5:00p.m.

While this trip is an important part of our social studies focus on this ancient culture, it is also an important time for us to be together as a whole group. Granted favorable weather and traffic conditions, we hope to have one or two opportunities in the park (across the street from the museum) for outdoor games and a picnic lunch.

There is no need to send money, and there will be no trips to the gift shop.

Please make sure your child has ample beverages and food for the long day of travel (morning and afternoon snacks as well as lunch) and is wearing comfortable shoes.

We will soon begin to prepare the children with our expectations for all aspects of this day. We do request that electronic games/devices be left at home. Travel games, drawing supplies, and books are encouraged.

In split groups they will tour the gallery’s seven rooms and, together, complete a set of questions. Each group will then take an audiotape guided tour through the special exhibit, The Secrets of Tomb 10A. We are hoping to have time for sketching as well.

We are all excited about heading to Boston (Libby and Linda checked it out this past weekend). It has traditionally been a positive experience for all, and we expect that this year will be a great time and a great day of learning!

Sincerely,

Libby and Linda

April 1, 2010

Dear Fourth Grade Parents:

My apologies if this week your Fourth Grader called you a knotty-pated, greasy tallow-catch or a luxurious mountain goat. It is all in good fun as we begin our unit on Shakespeare. We are studying Shakespeare’s use of language and how he employs it to great effect in his plays and sonnets. We read an adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream aloud in class, and today we will choose a picture book that the students will re-write in the style of a Shakespeare play. We are researching facts about life during the Elizabethan period. Students are fascinated with this time in history, particularly some of the gruesome details of crimes and punishments.

Our current literature selection is In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. This story, set in Brooklyn, NY, in 1947, is the tale of a young girl who moves from China to New York at the age of 8. It chronicles the challenges and successes she experiences in her new life. Students have engaged in lively discussions about the cultural differences the main character must contend with. It is a wonderful and touching story, rich with imagery and evocative language.

In math, we are exploring fractions and mixed numbers, plotting coordinate points, and investigating probability. In science we have been engaged in a study of bubbles – their properties, the best bubble producing solutions, and what makes a good bubble maker. We will begin a more extensive science study next week when we begin our unit Stories in Stone, in which we will explore rocks and minerals and examine the basic processes that have shaped and transformed the Earth over billions of years.

This week we have also begun our unit on Ancient Egypt, which we are studying with the Third Graders. As part of this study, on Friday, April 16, Linda and I will be taking the class to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts to see the Egyptian collection and a new exhibit, The Secrets of Tomb 10A. A letter will come home tomorrow with further details of this trip.

Thanks to all of you for consenting to have your children be in the cast of The Music Man, Jr. We had our first rehearsal on Monday, and it should be a fun experience for all. Several parents have asked if 4^th graders need to be at the after-school rehearsals. They do not. Alli and Lili are not sure if they will need the children for any Saturday rehearsals but will let us all know a.s.a.p. if they do.

A few housekeeping items – cross-country ski equipment can go home. Also, given how muddy it is outside, I request that students have inside shoes so that our rugs and floors sustain minimal mud damage. Thanks in advance for your help with this.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your wonderful, curious, and engaging children.

Best,

Libby

Today is Thursday, March 4, 2010. It is Crazy Hair/Pajama Day in the Fourth Grade. We are experimenting with bubbles, writing descriptions of our ideal bedrooms, and exploring the partial quotients algorithm for division.

February 10, 2010

Dear Fourth Grade Parents:

What a beautiful day it was yesterday at Grafton for our last ski day. Next Wednesday, we will have an all-school ski there with a scavenger hunt, but our regular ski program is at an end. All of the Fourth Graders seem to have had a great time at Okemo and Grafton.

Thank you all for coming in and meeting with me at conferences. I appreciate your time and the opportunity to discuss your children and their work thus far. Please continue to feel free to contact me whenever you have questions or concerns.

In the classroom, we are busy exploring U.S. Geography, having just finished maps of the Northeast region and researched some of the natural resources that come from these states. We move on to the Southern region this week and will investigate the varied waterways and the industries they support in this area of the country. Our current literature selection is The Island of the Blue Dolphins. Students have enjoyed some lively discussions about this poignant story of survival and perseverance. We have been writing more poems using poet Jack Prelutsky as our guide. In math we have been learning division strategies and rounding multi-digit numbers. In the next few weeks we will begin our study of the life and language of William Shakespeare, including a look at Elizabethan history. We will also undertake a number of language explorations as we endeavor to understand a bit of the Bard. Students will re-write a well-known children’s story in the style of Shakespeare to be performed by the class.

This Friday, 3^rd and 4^th grades will have a Valentine’s party in the afternoon. Linda and I request that children not bring in candy. Instead, we would like to make a large fruit salad with them, so please send in with your child some fruit to be included. Apples, pears, pineapple, bananas, berries, citrus fruit - whatever your child enjoys - would be great! Linda and I will provide cream for whipping. If you child wants to bring in Valentines, please be sure they include everyone in the class. They may also wish to make them for the third graders. That is up to them.

Finally, I am thinking of skating with the Fourth Graders on the new rink. Please let me know how you feel about this, if your child has skates, and if they can be brought to school. While the school does not require helmets, I will be sure that your child wears a helmet if you require them to. If you do not have skates, I can ask Kathy if she has any extras that we might borrow.

Enjoy the snow!

Best,

Libby

Parent Letter

January 13, 2010

Dear Fourth Grade Parents:

Students are getting back into the rhythm of the school day after enjoying their holiday breaks. We are so pleased to have Kit Blazej join our group. She is a wonderful addition to the class, and all of the fourth graders have been so excited to have her with us.

Our first weeks back have been filled with activity in the classroom. We have started to read Scott O’Dell’s classic, Island of the Blue Dolphins. As part of this literature study, students will select an endangered species, indigenous to Vermont, to research for a report.

In math we are working with multi-digit multiplication and estimation, and in science we are testing paper towels for wet strength and absorbency and comparing the unit costs of different brands. Students are using general methods of scientific investigation as they design and implement controlled experiments, measure physical characteristics, record their data, and draw conclusions. The unit also encourages students to question manufacturer's claims and use their test results to inform their decisions as consumers.

In celebration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., third and fourth graders have been sharing what they know about Dr. King and his legacy. We listened to his I Have a Dream speech and discussed his hopes, dreams, and the power of his words. Students have also painted black and white portraits from photographs of well-known figures important to the civil rights movement.

Here are a few items to tell you about:

Parent/teacher conferences are on January 29, from 11 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Please be sure to sign up with Tammy in the office. If this time is not convenient for anyone, I can be flexible and meet one day after school.

With snow abundant and sand on the driveways and walkways, boots get pretty dirty this time of year. I request that students have indoor shoes to change into after they have been outdoors. They can be slippers, sneakers, Crocs, whatever works for you.

January is the Fourth Grade’s month to collect food for the Putney Food Shelf. There is a box outside our classroom and in the hall outside of Tammy’s office. Please bring in non-perishable food items if you are able. The Food Shelf is quite empty at this time. Thanks in advance for your help with this.

As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns. It is such a pleasure to work with your children.