I read this great article tonight after leaving Open House. It pulled my whole spiel together- no matter how much homework actually gets done each night (don't go over the 45 minute mark including 20 minutes of reading....) please don't ever skip your daily dose of reading. it has a much larger impact on each child's future than most of us ever imagined. I include reading to your child in this as well- whether your child is reading on his/her own at night, or you are reading aloud to them- it helps enhance their vocabulary and boost their imagination far beyond no reading at all. Here is the link below....
We are very blessed to have a pool at Laurel that we have never taken advantage of once camp ended each summer....until this year. We are the luckiest to be able to have kept it open, and with the hot and humid weather we have had this week, the kids sure were happy to hop right in. As the tourists leave our wonderful place we can call home and a new school year begins, I can almost always use one word to describe the feeling....nostalgic. The air has the weird smell of "back to school", and you can actually hear the ocean roar for the first time in a couple months. I distinctly remember my first day of 4th grade, which is why I love teaching this age group. It's the time when kids are old enough to start to remember things (or they will be able to look back at this age and remember it), and they are still young enough that they love coming to school, and are eager to learn. On the first day I love to do a "get to know you"/icebreaker project with Skittles called "Colorful Introductions". The students absolutely love the sweet treat, and get to know eachother all at the same time. Below are some pictures of them presenting their "Introductions". Can you believe they got up in front of the class with no fears on the first day?! The Laurel School is a special place that truly makes students feel comfortable and safe the second they walk in the door. And then we teamed up with Ms. Karin's class to do a cooperative challenge. The students were given 20 pieces of spaghetti, a marshmallow and tape. The challenge was to see who could build the tallest tower with only the provided materials....and it was quite the challenge. A fun and positive one for sure! We are going to give them another go at it later this week. Below are some photos. First off, I would like to say I am so honored to be your child’s teacher in fourth grade.
I am looking forward to working with you and your child in reaching his or her full potential. We will have many wonderful experiences and opportunities to learn and grow in the days ahead. I believe that communication is the key to a great parent-teacher relationship. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time. You can send me a note or email me at [email protected]. I will also do my part by updating my daily/weekly blog. On here you can find out what we are doing in the classroom, "rainy day" books for 4th graders, recent research pertaining to our classroom teaching and learning, and reminders of projects/important school days coming up. If we do have snow days, your child is sick, or if you are on vacation, you will be able to access what we are doing in the classroom so that everyone is up to date and not falling behind. I have listed some things below so that you know what to expect during the upcoming school year and also just a reminder on school procedures. Homework: Each day your child will be bringing home their homework folder with any work that needs to be completed. These can be found on the left side of the folder. On the right side of the folder will be completed/corrected class work. I recommend emptying out the right side at least once a week. Also, the fourth graders will receive a homework/communication planner. Students will be responsible for bringing their planner to & from school on a daily basis. Homework will be written there on the current day so that parents know what needs to be completed. Lastly, the students are expected to be reading at least 15-20 minutes a night. Each Friday they will have a reading journal due. I will be sending home details about this the first week of school. If students have a busy end of the week, I recommend getting the Reading Journal done earlier in the week so no one is in a panic on Thursday night. I want to emphasize that students in fourth grade are still kids, they should only be spending an average of 45 minutes per night on homework. If you find that your child is spending more time, or getting frustrated with their work, keep this time in mind. I want students to be excited about learning, and still have time to do after school activities and play. Book Reports: Fourth grade is all about book reports. The students will be doing one report per one and a half months. I will be sending home a list of what genre each month will be and the actual due dates. Don’t panic! They will have time to read these books in class during independent reading each day and I will be checking in weekly to make sure that everyone is on track. Birthday Treats: Birthdays are still celebrated in 4th grade. Students may bring in a treat to share with the class on their special day or on their “half”-birthday.” The students will soon learn, I LOVE birthdays! Absences: If you know of planned absences due to family events, please notify me as soon as possible. We can work out an arrangement for missing schoolwork and activities so that your child does not fall behind. You will also be able to access what is going on in the classroom on my blog, as well. Inclement Weather: If we do have snow days (or hurricane days!), school closings will be advertised on our new webpage, my classroom blog, and also on Channel 4- WBZ CBS Boston, and Channel 7-WHD Boston. It will be advertised under “The Laurel School”. That is it for now! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns as the school year gets started. Thank you, Ms. Ryann |
Ryann Zabielski
Elementary Director Archives
May 2015
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