Dear Families,
This will be our last weekly update as next week is only a half week with a field-day scheduled for Tuesday, June 15th.
It is hard to believe that the school year is almost over. It has been a pleasure to spend this last year with all of you and I will miss the students very much. The journey we took together this past year was filled with new learning experiences. It was also filled with new learning tools; learning tools that hopefully allowed for a broader and more inclusive definition of learning. Collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills are vital components of today’s society and your child practiced those skills every day in our classroom. Thank you for your support.
This week, we finished our quick study of geology. The students learned about the Rock Cycle and the various rock types. They learned about how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are formed. The students also explored minerals and crystals.
The students have brought home many materials from various classes this week. Spelling and Writing notebooks have been sent home. Math books and journals have also come home. Please take the time and looks through your child’s learning materials. In 3rd grade math, in particular, there are many unfinished pages in two separate books: EDM and Investigations. I hope you and your child will find the time to use these books as resources over the summer and finish these unfinished pages. I will not send home any additional summer work as the students already have many resources at their disposal. Please remember that my wiki will always be available, although it will be de-linked from the HCS web-site shortly. Simply use the url to get to it. A list of web-sites is provided below.
Our traditional grade-level field-trip is scheduled for next Tuesday, June 15th. Please make sure you send a packed lunch and snack for your child and weather appropriate clothing as the students will spend a considerable amount of time outside. Also note that this day is an extended day, with buses leaving the school at 7:30am and returning around 4pm. Please make transportation plans accordingly.
Our grade-level barbeque is also scheduled next week on Monday June 14th between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. Thank you for helping out with the food and beverages. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Web-sites:
Wiki:
www.inspirefirstgrade.pbworks.com
Blog:
www.summit34blog.blogspot.com
Digital Portfolio:
www.summitprojects.pbworks.com
Colonial Times Newspaper:
www.colonialtimesinthe21stcentury.weebly.com
Once again, thank you for a wonderful school year. I hope to see you soon.
Have a great weekend.
Regards,
Maria McCormack
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Weekly Update
Dear Families,
It is hard to imagine, but the school year is almost over. This week it really felt like it as all the students participated in a variety of end-of-the-year assessments. The students completed their assessments in math, spelling and reading and I have already discussed the results of many of these with them. Report cards will be mailed out at the end of the school year as conferences are not routinely scheduled this time of the year. Please know that you can certainly contact me if you wish to get together before the end of the year. I am happy to meet with you.
This week also allowed us to celebrate all the learning that has taken place this past year. Our “Colonial Breakfast in the 21st Century” was a huge success! Thank you all for coming and bringing traditional and modern foods. Also, thank you all for taking such an interest in our Colonial unit and online newspaper. If you wish to receive a fully printed copy of this newspaper and did not receive one, please let me know and I will gladly print another one. I hope our online newspaper will not only serve as a representation of the students’ learning throughout this social studies unit, but I also hope it will serve as a visual representation of how students can present and document their own academic learning digitally. Imagine that the newspaper website is the website for your child’s academic year in school. Instead of a title, the students name is entered and instead of a sidebar that opens up into various pages of a newspaper, each tab links into different academic subjects, such as math, reading, writing, science and social studies. The possibilities are endless….The students would, of course, have to learn how to update and manage this site. They are ready and they can do it. I say that with confidence because they have spent the past year learning various digital tools to show their understanding. They have not only mastered many of them; they have also learned to evaluate between their respective usefulness in various project settings. They have learned that some tools might be effective in one type of task, but might not be as effective in another. They have also learned the significance of originality and creativity as words, and images, are honored and properly cited. As 21st century technology offers more and more, in and out of school, it is important not to lose sight of the importance of developing a digital culture, a culture that reflects the norms and expectations established outside its immediate realm. Be involved in your child’s computer ventures, chat about emails and online sites. Talk to your child about computer games and why they are so popular. Encourage your child to speak up when something does not seem right or does not make sense. Having access to all of these tools is a privilege; it is not a right. Let’s do our part to maintain its usefulness.
Our grade level has our traditional field trip to Billings Farm and Museum next week, on June 15th. Unfortunately, I will not be able to join the class as my back can not handle sitting in the bus for so many hours. The students will have a substitute teacher and I know they will have a wonderful day. I am very sad that I will miss the trip, but I hope the students will “flip” during the trip and share their adventures with me when they return.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Regards,
Maria McCormack
It is hard to imagine, but the school year is almost over. This week it really felt like it as all the students participated in a variety of end-of-the-year assessments. The students completed their assessments in math, spelling and reading and I have already discussed the results of many of these with them. Report cards will be mailed out at the end of the school year as conferences are not routinely scheduled this time of the year. Please know that you can certainly contact me if you wish to get together before the end of the year. I am happy to meet with you.
This week also allowed us to celebrate all the learning that has taken place this past year. Our “Colonial Breakfast in the 21st Century” was a huge success! Thank you all for coming and bringing traditional and modern foods. Also, thank you all for taking such an interest in our Colonial unit and online newspaper. If you wish to receive a fully printed copy of this newspaper and did not receive one, please let me know and I will gladly print another one. I hope our online newspaper will not only serve as a representation of the students’ learning throughout this social studies unit, but I also hope it will serve as a visual representation of how students can present and document their own academic learning digitally. Imagine that the newspaper website is the website for your child’s academic year in school. Instead of a title, the students name is entered and instead of a sidebar that opens up into various pages of a newspaper, each tab links into different academic subjects, such as math, reading, writing, science and social studies. The possibilities are endless….The students would, of course, have to learn how to update and manage this site. They are ready and they can do it. I say that with confidence because they have spent the past year learning various digital tools to show their understanding. They have not only mastered many of them; they have also learned to evaluate between their respective usefulness in various project settings. They have learned that some tools might be effective in one type of task, but might not be as effective in another. They have also learned the significance of originality and creativity as words, and images, are honored and properly cited. As 21st century technology offers more and more, in and out of school, it is important not to lose sight of the importance of developing a digital culture, a culture that reflects the norms and expectations established outside its immediate realm. Be involved in your child’s computer ventures, chat about emails and online sites. Talk to your child about computer games and why they are so popular. Encourage your child to speak up when something does not seem right or does not make sense. Having access to all of these tools is a privilege; it is not a right. Let’s do our part to maintain its usefulness.
Our grade level has our traditional field trip to Billings Farm and Museum next week, on June 15th. Unfortunately, I will not be able to join the class as my back can not handle sitting in the bus for so many hours. The students will have a substitute teacher and I know they will have a wonderful day. I am very sad that I will miss the trip, but I hope the students will “flip” during the trip and share their adventures with me when they return.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Regards,
Maria McCormack
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