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