First Week of 2011

I hope that everyone had plenty of quality family time over break. My wife, Lauren, and I had fun spending time in Manhattan & Bern, KS. However as my lovely, beeping alarm clock went off this morning, I realized it was time to start the learning process again. In 4th Grade we are preparing to take the Reading, Math, and Science State Assessments. We will still be studying many concepts, but I will also have lessons on proper test taking strategies. I am excited for these tests for one reason, to show all of my students how much they have learned.

As for this week here are some key points:

1. We will have a class Spelling Bee to determine our representative in the school wide contest.
2. There will be no pretest in spelling this week, everyone will take the same exam on Friday
3. We will continue to work hard on Kansas research, preparing for our program at the end of the month
4. I also want to encourage the students to read independently for Scholastic Reading Counts points. The goal is 15 points per semester and only 6 students met it last month. If they read 15-20 minutes a night this goal should be no problem!

Finally I want to thank everyone for the lovely holiday gifts. You were all more than generous. It just reassures me of what I already knew, I am truly blessed to be here at Rising Star!

Have A Great Week!

Mr. S