Thursday Thoughts!

Though this has been a short week, we have packed in a lot of work! We are reading a story entitled, America's People. It talks a great deal about ancestors and immigrants coming through Ellis Island. There was a terrific show on public television a week ago on Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. If you have the opportunity to see if the show will have a repeat performance, it is well worth the watch. I wish that I had known ahead of time, I would have encouraged my kids to watch it. Our reading theme discusses traditions and customs of all people. I have been asking the children to think about family traditions and customs that you may have in your home. We will have a math test next week on Unit 1. I will spend a day reviewing the major skills and giving them a practice test. They can then use this practice test to gauge their studies at home. Please make sure that you review all homework and drop me an email if you see any problems at home with the work . We have begun our Scientific Journal by outlining the scientific method and making our own hypotheses. You will want to ask about the baking potato. We are working on a Friendship essay this week. We will begin our study of Personal Narrative writing next week. Remember that the geography project is due on Sept. 14 and picture day is Sept. 15. We had our first fire drill today and the children did a wonderful job. They knew exactly what to do and followed directions to the letter. Always know that your child's safety come first. We enjoyed the introduction to the new Sunshine State books that Mrs. Smay provided on Wednesday. I am encouraging my children to read at least 3 of the titles on the list that she provided. This list should be in your child's homework folder if you have not already seen it. This can be a part of their nightly 20 minutes of reading as a part of the homework process. Thank you for sending me such eager children!