Hello! It was nice to have PARCC testing behind us and have a fairly normal schedule. Thank you to all of our classroom volunteers. Your help anytime we ask is so appreciated and makes our jobs so much easier.
Thank you so much for your understanding of the unexpected day off on Friday. Saying goodbye to our dear friend and colleague was incredibly difficult, but the fact that we could all do it together made it very comforting.
Science was fun this week, the kids love the hands on experiments. They built tops and twirly birds this week. In each case the goal is to make changes to find the design that gives the best results.
In music class the kids are working with BoomWackers. Basically it’s a hollow stick of different lengths that they bang on their hands, thus making different notes. They follow some music that is displayed and just like that they are making songs. It’s pretty neat to hear the music they are making.
In PE they have been playing softball and in Art they’ve started working with clay. I have no pictures of either because I’ve been playing softball and making a clay pot right along with them! What a fun job!
In reading fourth graders are reading a science book that goes along with our current science unit. They are working on cause and effect. Writing has been focused on an essay about what they learned about the Revolutionary War.
Recess continues to be ridiculous. One day they are playing in the snow and the next they have t-shirts and shorts. Unfortunately that didn’t last.
In honor of “No Child Left Inside” we got out to do some fun activities along the lake after a short hike. We also went out to our gardens and planted some lettuce in our cold frames, and then did phenology. Hopefully nice weather becomes the norm and not the exception soon.
April is Disabilities Awareness Month. As a result I’ve been reading a book about a child with autism to the class. The entire staff also wore matching autism awareness t-shirts on Thursday. A few of our students helped create a Disabilities Awareness Month bulletin board in the hallway between our classroom and Muir Hall. It looks really nice and they did a fantastic job.
That’s it for this week. Please check the weather reports daily next week. Due to Earth Week we will be outside for many hours each day and we need the kids dressed appropriately. Have a great weekend!
~ Mrs. Steinbeck