Field trip and the Iditarod

 Hello families, 

We have a wonderful field trip coming up. We are going to a STEM-based facility in Pembroke, run by the National Guard, over the course of 5 weeks. Our dates are Thursday 3/27, 4/3, and then Tuesdays 4/8, 4/15 and 4/22. Fortunately through grants and such, the field trip is free for students. Permission slips went home today and have all the information. These are due back on the 11th. Late or missing ones will mean your child will have to remain at school, so please bring them back by next Tuesday! I'll also need to know a week in advance if your child will need to order a bag lunch from the Cafeteria for any of the above dates. It's usually sandwiches. If you know now and want to tell me dates your child needs a lunch, send me an email and I will order it for them. Otherwise, plan on them needing a home lunch. 

A form for the Fisher Cats reading program also went home today. If your child reads 5 age-appropriate books, they can send the form to the Fisher Cats to receive 2 free tickets, with additional tickets available for purchase. Details are on the flyers. 

There have still been some problems with the misuse of materials. Please talk with your child about using glue sticks for papers if we're doing projects. They are not meant for bodies or desks. Also leave toys, lotions(unless medically necessary), and beauty/ hair care products at home. Some people have also been taking rubber gloves. Admin believes students might be taking them from the cafeteria. Please tell your child that these are not for their use. 

On another note, we are in need of some supplies. Pencils, paper towels, spoons/forks, cups, markers, and hand wipes (not Lysol wipes) are needed most at this time. Any donations are appreciated.  

The Iditarod is a 1,000+ mile dog sled race that is starting today! We will be learning about why the race started, what the rules are and the children are learning more about a musher they picked. They will be following their musher throughout the race and will track their progress daily. We learned that this year, there is not enough snow on the typical route, so they had to rearrange the route and are taking a trail they have not done in the 25 years, I've been following the race! It adds an extra 100 miles to the race, so we'll see what difference that makes to the mushers' times and stamina. You can follow along on Iditarod.com. 

Young Entrepreneurs Project and End of the Year Announcements

 YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

To finish up our economics unit, the children are going to become entrepreneurs. They are in charge of creating their own business, coming up with a plan, getting a loan from the bank to buy supplies, designing their own commercial, and making their product to sell! I wanted to let you know how this unit will go because some kids want to work "overtime" at home and there are some rules they need to follow.

First, the kids had to create a business plan. Some of them got the approval to start tonight to make a model to show the "bank" tomorrow. They can use their own supplies at home if they want to, but any supplies that are used from school need to have a loan taken out. No one has any school supplies yet.  

The only supplies are PAPER! No glitter, googly eyes, model magic, paint, chenille stems, pom poms, etc...  The paper can be cardstock or colored paper, but it can only be made using paper. They are able to use capital resources like scissors, tape, glue, markers, and staples. I showed them some examples today, but they can also look online at home for other ideas and directions for how to make them. 

The kids will be creating their products in class, but as I said, some kids want to work overtime at home to make sure they have enough inventory to sell on Friday. please make sure they bring anything they make at home to school for Friday. The kids are also working on making a Google slide newspaper-type ad. Some kids also want to do this at home. They get one slide. I called it a commercial in class, but there's no video. Just words and pictures or whatever they can incorporate onto one slide.

I told them that whatever they choose, they have to stick with it. They can only make one type of thing. They can't make a bookmark, paper snowflakes, and a card to sell at their store. They can only pick one thing and make different styles of it. For example- a card. The cards can be different designs and pictures and sayings, but the whole store needs to sell only cards. 

END-OF-THE-YEAR ANNOUNCEMENTS

Field day is on Thursday! If there is sun, putting sunscreen on at home is strongly encouraged. Also, kids need water bottles to bring around with them. They may not be allowed to go inside often to fill a cup. Free lunch is also being provided. Kids don't need to bring a lunch (unless you know you have a picky eater) They will still need snacks but there is no snack cart on Thursday.

Popcorn is available on Friday.

If your child has any library books -either school or WPL, please return them ASAP.

Report cards go home on the last day of school. That is next Tuesday 6/20. If your child will not be here on the last day, then report cards will be mailed to your home. Students will be finding out next year's placement over the summer. It will not be listed on their report cards. A separate letter will be sent. 

The last day is a half day. Students are dismissed at 11:30 on the 20th. 

And lastly, THANK YOU! The support you have given, and the fact that you have shared your child with me for the last 10 months has been a joy. I have loved getting to be with your child and helping them navigate a new school and make new friends and ultimately, seeing them grow. Take care of them and I can't wait to see them in the halls next year!

Field Trip and Other Important Dates

Strawberry Banke, Here We Come!! Thursday we go on our field trip. Your child went home with a letter with helpful tips about the trip. Please check your child's backpack. We are leaving as close to 8:00 as we can. Please make sure your child is at school before then. They need a snack and lunch unless they ordered school lunch previously. It is expected to be in the 50's while we are there so have your child dress appropriately. Toys, electronics, and money should be kept at home. 

Friday is a half day for teacher workshops. Dismissal is at 11:30

Monday is Memorial Day so we have no school. Enjoy the long holiday weekend.

Students will be starting their end-of-the-year benchmark assessments next week. 

6/15 is field day. They need to come dressed to play outside! (Consider putting on sunscreen at home since we will be outside for a few hours.)

Our last day of school is Tuesday 6/20. It is another half day. Report cards will be sent home then. 

 The end of the year is upon us. With that comes some things that we finish and close out the year. We are having our last visit to the Weare Public Library tomorrow. There are a few kiddos who have books to return so please try to have them remember them for tomorrow.  But please don't let that stop you from visiting the library over the summer. There are so many wonderful programs that the library runs; such as Pokemondays, video game afternoons and they will have activities over the summer for families to enjoy. Please check out their website for more information. 

Our last book fair is next week. This one is a buy one get one free fair. Your kids have the chance to get a few extra selections for summer reading for a really good deal. The flyers went home today. 

Our last field trip to Strawberry Banke is in just over 2 weeks. Please bring in the permission slip and $25 if I don't have it yet. If you need help with the money, please let me know. We do have some sponsorships available. Remember your child will need to bring their own lunch. Chaperones, please let me know how fingerprinting is going. I will send out another update to families and chaperones as we get closer to the date. 

We are working on our unit on fractions. Soon the children will learn how fractions tie into decimals. As part of an interdisciplinary unit in reading, writing, technology, and social studies, the children are researching events that led to the American Revolution. The children are taking notes from various reading sources, planning out how they will combine the facts they learned about into an informational writing paper, and creating their own slide presentations on these events. In Science, the students are learning how sound works. We've looked at how sound vibrations can change the way sand, water, and fire move. They have looked at shock waves and learned how far a whisper can travel by making their own string telephone. 

Guess What? It's Spirit Week!

I didn't realize it, but we have spirit week this week. So going ahead: 
Tuesday- Crazy Hair
Wed. Mismatch Day
Thurs: Anything but a backpack
Fri. PJ Day

We will also be visiting the Weare Public Library tomorrow. If your child has any books to return, please have them bring it. We only have a few more visits before the year ends. 

I hope the children enjoyed our special day. It was a great day to have ice cream! Again, a big thank you to all the parents who helped with bringing supplies in! I had a great outpouring of support and I am truly grateful. 

Enjoy your vacation. 

Sundae, Stuffy and Movie Day!

Hello Families,

We have earned another class reward! The children have decided that they want to watch a movie and have some ice cream while doing it. Children can also bring a stuffy in on Friday. We would like to watch Jumanji with Robin Williams. It is a tie-in to the author study we are doing on Chris Van Allsburg. However because it is rated PG, I do need permission from you to watch this. The permission slip was sent home yesterday, so if you didn't see it, please check your child's backpack and return it to me by Friday. An email giving permission will also work. A big thank you to those who have brought things in already. I now have cherries, sprinkles, and bowls. Please let me know if you are able to help with whipped cream, chocolate or vanilla ice cream and chocolate shell or chocolate sauce so I know what I should pick up for Friday. Again, thank you for all your help!  

Please note that we will still be having our spelling test and homwork is due on Friday.  

If you haven't returned your child's permission slip for our Strawberry Banke Field trip next month, Please do so soon. If you need another copy, just let me know and I'll get one to you.  

Students have finished their state SAS testing. The children worked so hard and put forth some great effort! You should have received a notice last week letting you know how to access their results. 

Tonight is the Talent Show. Tickets are $3. The show starts at 6:30.

There was supposed to be a dance on Friday, however, it has been postponed until after vacation. The date is TBD. Children who already paid can get a refund.

Friday May 12, at 4:00 there will be a 5K fun run. Click the link below to sign up by April 21st.
https://runsignup.com/Race/NH/Weare/WMS5KFunRun

There is 1 more week before vacation. I hope the weather is as nice as it has been this week and that you get to go out and enjoy it!!

There's a lot to talk about!

 Hello Families,

Welcome back from vacation. There is a lot of info that I have to share with you.

First off we are following the Iditarod!  It is a 1000mi. sled dog race that goes from one side of Alaska to the other. The children have been following a musher as he or she makes their way along the trail. The race began on Saturday and the racers are about halfway done already. We should have a winner early next week. The kids have been researching their musher, learning about its history and rules, and reading stories and we will be writing a letter to Zuma, the k-9 dog reporter next week. This unit is very fun to follow and there is a lot that we learn from this mini-unit! Feel free to follow along at iditarod.com

There is a dance this Friday from 4:30-6. The theme is decades, and the kids are welcome to dress up in any decade they wish if they so choose. Tickets are $5 and must be purchased here at school before the dance. 

There is no school on Tuesday. It is a teacher workshop day. Go vote!

Grades close on the 17th. Report cards will be sent home the following Friday. (In case anyone is wondering, we do not have any parties for St. Patrick's Day)

The book fair is on. It starts on Friday and ends on the 17th. The children went home with a flyer yesterday with more information. Children can come with families after school till 2:40 and we will be visiting the book fair next week to fill out wish lists or make purchases.

The other thing is our boatload of pennies charity drive! The students in 4th grade chose to raise money for the SPCA - animal shelter. If you are able to donate any change or bills, we would certainly appreciate it. Donations can also be made online. I am attaching the link to learn more about this fundraiser and to make online donations here: Boatload of Pennies Fundraiser.  Let's make a change!

There will be a talent show on April 12th. If your child would like to participate, they need to sign up with Ms. Gorham by 3/31. You can also reach out to Serena Gorham at serena.gorham@sau24.org if you need more info about this event. 

This is a reminder to turn in your field trip permission slips and $25 to Strawberry Banke if you have not done so yet.

Optional Landform Project

 

We have been learning about landforms in science. This week, the kids will be doing a research paper in class on a landform they have chosen. I threw it out there that if they wanted to, and if time allowed, they could make a project at home about their landform. It will count as extra credit and points will not be taken off if they don't do it. They can use materials like construction paper, model magic, playdough, paper mache, legos, food goods, clay or make a drawing and paint or color it. Sky's the limit! I thought this could be just something fun to help them be more hands-on and to learn by doing. If they chose to do it, it is due Friday or they can bring it in earlier. 

Thank you!

Spirit Week

 Next week the school will have Spirit Week. This is always a fun time to get creative and show school spirit. Your child is welcome to partake but does not have to, or they can pick and choose which ones they want to do. 

Monday- Mismatch Monday

Tuesday-Dress like a Fictional Character

Wednesday- Green Day (4th grade color theme day)

Thursday- Throwback Thursday

Friday- PJ Day 

The week after that is vacation. I hope you enjoy it and take time to rest and recharge. When we come back we will be starting a mini-unit on... Well it's a surprise for now, but your kids will tell you all about it when we begin I am sure
. I'm looking forward to it and I know they will love it!  

Snow Day Remote Learning Info

It looks like we may have some upcoming remote learning snow days. I wanted to make you aware of what our days will look like. 

The kids will begin their day with morning work. The first snow day's morning work is to choose ONE item for our Zoom show and tell. It can be a pet or a favorite object. Anything they want to show the class over zoom. Our zoom meeting begins at 8:00. The link is front and center on my Canvas Homepage (https://sau24-org.zoom.us/j/82360336858)  After our meeting, they can get to work on their packets. We have gone over it together already so they should be familiar with what they are expected to do. 

Snack is scheduled for 9:50, but the time is flexible as long as they are working throughout the morning.

There is a writing assignment in the packet. I have told the children that if they'd rather type it on a google doc and email it to me they can. They know how to do that.

Remote Days are counted as early release days. I have told the kids that as long as they have finished their work, their day is technically done at 11:30. If they finish earlier than 11:30, and they have done their work well, they can read or go onto Prodigy, abcya.com, or any of the math or reading gaming websites posted on canvas. They can have lunch after.

The children have a mix of computer and paper assignments to do. Once we are done with our morning meeting, they are working independently. They can click back into the zoom meeting if they have any questions and I can work with them as needed.

Because this is a half day, we are not having the children bring home their chargers. The Chromebooks are going home fully charged and should last just fine. The Chromebooks are to be used for school-related assignments only. If they are worried about the charge, they can do all the computer assignments first and then move on to the paper assignments. Shutting down the Chromebooks will also help maintain the charge. 

Chromebooks and all work are due back the NEXT SCHOOL DAY.

If you or the children have any questions they can click back into the zoom  https://sau24-org.zoom.us/j/82360336858 at any time until 11:30. If you have any questions, I will be checking my email, Stacy.stanley@sau24.org

SIDE NOTES:

Book orders are due Friday-Or the next day we are back in school. Online Orders are also welcome. Scholastic.com class code h48j8

Spelling test will be on Monday if school is closed on Friday.

We are doing mid year assessments next week, therefore with the short week this week and the testing we are doing, I will not be sending home any homework for next week. 

Field trip permission slips and chaperone info also went home this week. You may return the permission slips any time between now and early May.

Holiday Spirit Week and Party

                      

We have a very busy week ahead. First off there will be no homework this week. Just keep reading and enjoy. Second, this week is spirit week. A list of what each day is, is on the picture. Third, The holiday concert is now on Tuesday. Students should arrive at 6. Doors open to the public at 6:45 and it starts at 7. Fourth, our holiday party will happen on Wednesday. So much happens on the last day of school that we want to make sure we get it in. Also in case there are any weather surprises, we can have a "rain date." I am sending out a link to sign-up genius in case anyone would like to bring in some goodies for our party.  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A4AAAA829A2FC1-christmas

We had so much fun on our field trip to the state house. Although he was with another group, some of the kids got to see the governor. The state house was beautiful and the kids got to sit in the senators' seats and in the balcony where the state representatives make their laws. The Historical Society had the original eagle that was on top of the state house for over 100 years. We got to see a 500-year-old Abenaki dugout canoe, and other artifacts. It was very interesting. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

(In front of the state house)

(The closest we can get to the gold dome)

(Sitting in the senators' chairs trying to pass a law as to whether or not the school day should be extended for an extra hour)

(Walking past Govoner Sununu) 

An update on the canned food drive...The whole school donated 2067 canned goods for the food pantry. Thank you for all your continued support and I hope you have a wonderful holiday and school vacation!

Field trips, book orders and report cards, Oh, My!

 Welcome back from our Thanksgiving break. I hope everyone had time to relax and spend time with family.

There are many things happening this week that have a deadline.

The first thing is book orders. They are due tomorrow. You can place an online order on the scholastic website and enter my code H48J8. If you spend $25 and then use the code reads, you can get a freebook for up to $5. Forms were sent home and those can be sent in tomorrow with a check made out to Scholastic. If you want anything to remain a secret  please let me know and I'll do what I can to make it discreet so they won't know.

Field trip permission slips and $15 are due on Thursday. We have our field trip to the state house on The 15th. Please remember that you will need to provide a bag lunch for your child unless you submit the lunch request with the permission slip. 

There is a 4th-5th grade dance on Friday. It is from 5-6 and costs $5. Students must buy tickets ahead of time as tickets will not be sold at the dance. There is an email that went home with more details. Please reach out if you have questions. 

Friday 12/9 is the deadline for our canned food drive. Thank you to those who have donated thus far. Report cards also go out that day. 

Thank you to all those who came to parent teacher conferences. There are a few people that I wasn't abe to connect with, and if you'd like to do that please reach out to me. If there is a need, I'll have another afternoon that we can meet. 

Homework went out yesterday and is still due on Friday.

 

Conference and Homework Info And Canned Food Drive Kick-Off

Parent-teacher conferences are this week. If you haven't signed up for a slot yet, please do so. If no conference is needed, please fill in the Thursday slots. I will be sending out zoom links this weekend if you signed up for one. If I am not on at the start of our time, please be patient. I will be with you as soon as I am able. If you signed up for a phone conference I will call you at the number you provided. Please be aware that the school phone # is listed as private and some homes do not accept calls from private callers. If I can not get through I will send you an email notification letting you know I was unable to reach you. 

Sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A4AAAA829A2FC1-parent

As for the in-person conferences. You are invited to park in the bus loop along 114. Our wing is the 1st one to the left of the courtyard. We will have signs posted for the 4th gr. wing. Please come in and wait in the hall outside my classroom. If I am running late, please knock to let me know you are there. 

Since we had a 3-day week last week, our normal schedule was not followed. Instead, we worked on science research projects and we learned about habitats and the different adaptations animals have to survive. The kids got to create their own made-up animal and research a real one. Because of the change, we did not have spelling tests this week, so if your child did their homework last week, they will not have any due this week. We will have the spelling test this Friday and there will be no homework over Thanksgiving break. If your child did not complete their homework, they have another week to work on it. 

Many of you have already returned the field trip permission slips. Thank you. If you haven't done so yet, you still have some time, but I just don't want anyone to forget. This is our first field trip in years so we are very excited to have this again. 

A form went home about a free eye screening for your child. If you are interested, please return that form this week. If you need a new form or field trip permission slip please let me know. 

Thursday we had a Veterans Day assembly. The children did a wonderful job listening to the presenters and the kids that performed. We learned many things about the day and about the different branches of the military. 

Last week began the annual canned food drive to help collect non-perishable food items for the local food pantry.  You can bring in non-perishable food items until Dec. 9th. Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place classrooms. Help us help the community!

And coming up next week the 4th grade will be having NH Day! We will team up with all the 4th grade to rotate through different stations and learn about NH. 

The kids also earned 20 compliments from other teachers and earned another class reward day. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, we will be celebrating. the kids will choose what the reward is this week. They'll let you know what they decided. 

Halloween and Other Upates

Our costume event for Halloween will take place this Friday. Remember, no weapons, masks, full face paint, or inflatable costumes. This is, of course, optional.

Our Halloween Party will take place on Monday. Please let me know if you are able to bring in some treats or party supplies. We really appreciate your help with this. 

We are having a pumpkin decorating contest and we ask that small pumpkin and decorating supplies be brought in by Tuesday. I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Picture Retake Day is this Thursday, If your child was absent, they would get their picture taken. If you want a retake, please bring in the proof and package (if you got one) and they will send you a new picture package /proof.

Parent-teacher conferences will take place 11/14-11/16.  Conferences are in person, however, you can indicate if you'd prefer zoom, phone call, or none needed at this time. Sign up for a slot on   signupgenius.com

WMS and CWES and their PTO's are partnering together for a fall festival of fun! This Saturday from 2-6 there will be a variety of things for families. There will be a trunk or treat, craft fair, chili cook-off, silent auction and much more. This event is $8 for a wristband with access to everything(including the movie) or you can come and watch Hocus Pocus from 6:30-8:30 for $2. Proceeds go to help fund the 8th Gr. D.C. Trip. We hope to see you there! 

Reminders that we now have popcorn every Friday available for $.50 and every Thursday, a snack cart comes by with some snacks and drinks available to purchase. Items are between $.25 and 1.50.

Open House

 This Thursday is our open house. Families are invited to come in and learn about what goes on during your child's day. The open house begins at 5:30 in the gym where there will be a welcome from the administrative team. After that, you will go to our classroom and I will have a small presentation about what goes on from day to day, the curriculum, grading, and homework. That takes place from 5:45-6:15. After that, you are welcome to visit the Unified Arts classrooms and the book fair. Everything ends promptly at 7, so if you intend on visiting the book fair, please make sure to do that sooner rather than later. You do not need to stay till 7

If you have children in other grades, the 5:45-6:15 slots are in common rooms where the whole grade level team will be doing a presentation. Then the 6:15-7 slot is for visiting their homeroom, UA teachers, and book fair. 

I understand that not everyone can be in 2 or 3 places at once, so I will find time to go over the presentation again if you need to do another child's grade level meeting first. 

I do hope that you are able to attend and see what your child gets to do for most of their day. I look forward to meeting you!

Loving the start to the year!

What an amazing group of kids in this class! I have seen so many helpful and kind behaviors, as well as some very well-mannered kiddos. So far we have been working on community building and learning about respect in our Character Counts lessons, and these children do a great job reflecting that!

This past week we began working on our core subjects. In math, we reviewed place values and adding 3-digit numbers. The children discussed various strategies they solved these problems, and now we are preparing for our beginning of the year assessments. If your child has a pair of headphones/earbuds that they have yet to bring in, please do so soon. They use them for the computers when we take our assessments. Thank you.

In language arts, we are reviewing parts of speech and we have begun reading a chapter book. We discuss strategies that the author uses in the book and how good readers identify these strategies to help them read and understand as they go. 

New Hampshire is the main focus of the social studies curriculum. The children have learned about the physical features of the land and how glaciers and our weather helped form our landscape.

The children helped me make a story for writing. We wrote about ice cream. We identified paragraphs, where to indent and how many sentences a paragraph may have. We discussed run-on sentences and how to edit some writing to change it up. This is a precursor to them writing their own paper about themselves. 

Some things to know: 

*We have no school this Tuesday.
* Picture Day is 9/20- To order prints online go to geskusprints.com and use the code B8N7DXYG
* We'll also be taking our first visit to the Weare Public Library. If your child is in need of a library card and you didn't receive a little yellow form to fill out for one, please let me know. If your child already has a card, they will be able to look them up in the system and the kids will be able to check out some books that day. 
* Open House will take place Thursday 9/29. Families are welcome to come see our classroom and take a tour of the school. There will also be a book fair taking place in the library. It is open to everyone. If you can't make it, we will be visiting the fair and the kids will have the chance to create a wish list for you to look at. Forms should be going home soon with additional information about e-wallet and dates. It runs through 10/6.
*Lastly (for now) Please, Please, Please send in a water bottle with your child. I have some cups that they have been using, but they are small, they spill, and I don't have many left. I'd rather see them reuse a water bottle than waste a cup. It also saves time with children having to leave the classroom. I truly appreciate your support with this. 

It's Happening!!

 Hello Families, 

A new school year is upon us! It's almost here. I am very much looking forward to working with you and your child this year. I love this time of year because I get to meet so many new people and get back to doing what I love. 

As you read through the blog, you will notice on the left side are titles of different things that will answer many of the questions you have about the school, classroom, and generic procedures. On the right is a list of upcoming events. You can check here to see if there is anything coming up or if things are due.

I will send out an email when I update the blog so that you can check in from time to time. I do my newsletters electronically, but if you do not have access, please let me know and I will get you a printout of the latest post. 

Please reach out at any time by phone or email. I understand what uncertainties can come with the start of a new year, so please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. 

Field Day

 As many of you know, Field Day is tomorrow!  There are some recommended items that your child should have to help make this more comfortable for them. 

1. We will be outside for half the day and there is no real shade. Please apply sunscreen /bug spray at home.
2. Darker t-shirt, (we're playing in the water and dark shirts tend to not be as see-through).
3. Towel
4. Socks and sneakers- or water sandals. No flip-flops or shoes that shouldn't get wet. These should be shoes that won't fall off.
5. Change of clothes and /or shoes
6. Water Bottle
7. We will still have snack and lunch will be 30 min earlier. It will be a picnic BBQ-type lunch. If your child would still like to bring in their own lunch that is fine. 

A lot to Talk About

 There is a lot that has been happening in our classroom that I want to share with everyone. First, we had a winner for the Iditarod. Brent Sass won this year's race and one of our students was following him. 

For the past 2 Fridays, we've been doing a sort of enrichment project with one of our Paras. She is originally from South Africa and the children showed a real interest in learning more about it. Every Friday (we hope) She will spend some time talking to the children about the culture, animals, schools, and facts about South Africa. Last week, she taught the children where South Africa is and they learned about the different languages. She brought in a custard pie for the children. This week she spoke o them about the schools, dances, and we got a special surprise. Her Aunt-in-law is the principal at one of the schools. They got the 4th graders there to say hello, just to us!  We will be recording a message to send back to them this week. We got to try some fried dough drenched in syrup and chilled. These are true South African dishes and it's been wonderful that we've been able to have this experience. Below is the message from the other 4th grade students. 

                    

Your child brought home some flour Friday. There was a paper in there explaining the premise of "baking for good" and how to help the community. I hope some of you were able to bake bread with your child and if you were able to make extras for the food pantry, they are collecting it tomorrow. 

We are collecting pennies (or other monetary donations) for the Miles of Pennies Challenge. The goal is to collect 84,480 pennies to equal 1 mile ($884.80). The donations received will be shared between 4 charities; Dana Farber Cancer Institute, SPCA Animal Rescue League, and St. Josephs's Indian School. This runs until April Break- 4/22.

The Weare Fun Run 5K is coming up Friday May 13th @ 4pm. I hear this is a lot of fun! Registration forms were sent home with children who were interested. If you would like one, you can find it online, in the main office, or please let me know and I can send one home. 

"The Help Desk" is a play performed by our middle school students. It is Friday, April 15 @7pm, or Sat 4/16 @2pm. Tickets are $8 each or 4 for $28. Tickets are not sold at the door. Please order online at wearemiddleschool.net

We will be visiting the Weare Public Library every other Monday. If children have books to return or ones they want to check out this would be the time to do it. We will be going tomorrow. 

And lastly, there have been some changes in the way students have been speaking to others and their overall tolerance of classroom procedures. I did speak with them last week and told them that I would be pointing out the times they called out. I wanted to show them how often they caused some type of distraction. This worried many children and they were afraid that they'd get in trouble or not be allowed to do some of the things we'd been able to do before. Many seemed worried of failure. This discussion prompted many emotions that had been bubbling below the surface for many children. Although we had a very emotional day on Thursday, it was, I think, a much-needed conversation. Children got to express their feelings, talk to others about things that bothered them and we tried to come up with ideas and solutions. We started to work together. We began Friday with Munchkins to sweeten our day (Thanks to one of our moms). We got the surprise message from the Children in South Africa, and we ended our day with the King Arthur Flour Bread demonstration. Friday was much more relaxed and peaceful and I hope that feeling continues. 

The Race is On!

The Iditarod is called The Last Great Race. It is a 1,050-mile sled dog race across Alaska. It is something that we have been focused on for the last 2 weeks. The children have been learning the history behind it, researching their veteran mushers, tracking the distances their mushers go each day, and they graph that distance every day. We've been working on writing letters to the dog K-( journalist team. There are several dogs who report out about what's happening on the trail and the kids are typing these letters so we can email it to the dogs. This has been very interesting to follow as many of the mushers the kids are following have been in the top 10. We will probably end it next week as I expect the race to have its winner Monday or Tuesday. We'll keep tracking the mushers until the race is finally finished when the last musher has crossed the finish line.

Monday starts our book fair. It lasts until Friday. I will send home order forms tomorrow so you can look through them and see if there is anything you might like your child to purchase. My hope is to go down on Wednesday afternoon. You can either send your child in with money, or they can write a wish list. If you would like them to get a book from their list, you can send them in with the exact change Thursday or Friday. You are also welcome to come shopping with your child after school. 

 Trimester 2 is ending in 2 weeks. I will be sending home report cards Monday, March 28. 

Your children have been working this triester on researching people and creating a biography report. They have been reading different fractured fairy tales and are about to create their own. We've been learning different parts of speech and grammar skills. In math, more in-depth multiplication has been our main focus. We are spending this month learning long division. In science, we learned about sound and light energy. We got to do some fun experiments. 

Remember that there is an early release Tuesday 3/29. Dismissal is at 11:30. 

Popcorn Days are every Thursday and are 50 cents each.