Dear 4A Families,
We made it! The last week of school and the last newsletter of the year. I am always a little sad writing this letter as I say good-bye to my students and their families. It has been a wonderful year with such a creative, enthusiastic and talented group of students. I have so appreciated the kind support of all the 4A families and I will truly miss this special class.
Some important messages:
- Most Recent final tests, assignments and grade sheets will come home Monday. The students will have placed all the tests is a small folder to keep them together. You may receive a few stragglers on Tuesday. Expect to see the math final and some timed tests, reading tests (quite a few), Flat Stanley and mystery report grade sheets, religion, spelling. You might want to check through the filers as well to clean them out as I passed back several tests last week as well.
- Cleaning Days Tuesday and Thursday! We will do the major desk clean out on Tuesday. Students are asked to bring in a sturdy bag or two to bring home the contents of their desks, as well as some rags for cleaning. Thank you.
- On Thursday the students will bring home their 4th grade portfolios. In the portfolios you will find many of the bigger projects of the year. This is a nice compilation of fourth grade work neatly stored.
Report cards will be sent home on Friday. You will find many important inserts including Iowa and CogAT test scores and information about the summer reading program Mrs. Harris provides as well as a new summer math challenge. I am asking students not to open their report cards until they get home or in their car. That way no important notes will be lost. I will be sealing the envelopes
In the tabs at the top of the 4A webpage you will find “Summer Math”, “Summer Reading” and “Summer Writing” tabs. In each section you will find links to great websites, resources and ideas to help with summer review. The links on the right side of the webpage that the students have used all year will remain as well, and there are many great review and practice sites there as well. FYI: Fifth grade students will have to know both the states and capitals next year—so taking some time to review the states this summer is a great idea.
- The main Holy Rosary Site has also compiled a whole section on Summer math resources and apps that will be great resources. I will have this site linked in my math page as well. Students that participate will be eligible for a special ice cream party in September!
Those students that can bring in evidence of their summer work in math (worksheets, website online program results, or completed workbooks can bring them in for some fun little prizes/goodies for a job well done. It is so important to take time to continue to practice math facts as well as review the many math concepts we have learned this year. Summer work does not need to be laborious, just short, focused, regular sessions will make a real difference and reduce summer slide.
I have to give one more plug for summer reading! It is the best way to keep skills strong and reduce the summer learning loss.
Tuesday: The students do have their final test of the year—the second set of Greek and Latin Roots. We will practice in class on Monday as well. Remember to send in a sturdy bag for your child to put the contents of their desks and lockers in. We love to have some rags for cleaning if you have any to spare. These generally are not returned.
Pray for sun!! Our final field trip of the year will take place Wednesday the 11th. Hopefully we will have nice weather. We will first be exploring below the streets of Seattle on the very entertaining and historical Underground Tour. Following the tour we will get back to sea level as we head to Alki to eat our lunches and have some playtime together where the Denny Party landed in 1951. Students should bring their lunch and a water bottle. We plan to be back at school between 1:45 and 2:00. If you signed up to drive/chaperone you should have received an email from me last week. I will also send out a reminder on Monday evening. Students may enjoy free dress on this field trip. Please follow all rules regarding free dress days. They should wear tennis shoes, not sandals or flip flops for the tour. It is dusty and dirty below! Please check the weather. Students may need a rain jacket. Chaperones— we will go to the beach if it is sprinkling…and only return to school if rain is hard and steady. Bring an umbrella for yourself.
Thursday is a half-day and a free dress day as well. We will finish up our cleaning and organizing and we will even be presenting a play to 3A! We will hopefully enjoy a viewing of a slide show (that I am very behind in working on) chronicling our year. It is fun putting the slide show together, and it is amazing to recall all of the great work and many projects the students did this past year. My hope is to have a cd of the show for each student by Friday—barring any technical difficulties.
Friday is our final day, and the students are asked to dress nicely as we celebrate the final Mass of the school year. Report cards will be passed out after Mass.
That is about all for this last newsletter. Again, I want to thank you all for a wonderful year. I hope you all have a fun and relaxing summer.
If any students would like to write me letters in Montana (a great way to practice those writing skills) I would love to hear from them. I will send postcards from Seeley Lake, Montana in return.
My summer address is:
P.O. Box 97
Seeley Lake, MT 59868
Wishing you all a wonderful, relaxing and rejuvenating summer.
Sincerely,
Mary Simpson
