Hello, dear 4th grade families of 2012-2013, we have arrived at the final week of this school year. This milestone always seems so far in the future, and then it comes so quickly, and just like that we have to bring our units of study to a close, ready or not! I have just a few hundred things I still would have liked to cover with our kids!! :) Learning does truly never end, no matter what a school calendar tells us. Hopefully, that message has been one our students have come to realize better this year.
We will start off our final week with a bang - our day long visit to the Cave of the Mounds. We will have a full dozen parents coming with our class, so that will be lots of fun! The weather forecast is looking quite promising! I asked the students to write this list in their assignment notebooks: Wear our grade's tie dye or blue shirts if possible, bring a light jacket or sweatshirt for the 50 degree cave, wear sturdy shoes for some hiking and slippery, damp surfaces, bring a completely disposable lunch (chaperones, don't forget your own!). If anyone wants to bring a water bottle, cap, camera, or money, it is their own responsibility to keep track of these items. There will be a short time to browse the gift shop. We will be meeting with guides to learn the history of this remarkable site, hike above ground to see signs of the cave, see a short video before entering the cave, which will be about a 45 minute tour, pan for gold, and have time for a picnic lunch and runaround time outside on grass with picnic tables. Note: if any chaperones would have a large cooler they could stow in their car for our lunches, that would help! If you do bring a cooler along, bring it along into the classroom at 8:35, and we can fill them with our lunch bags. Thank you!
Then on Tuesday, we have more special plans. Don't put the good hiking shoes away - after lunch we will board buses to get to Pope Farm Park on Old Sauk Road by noon. Naturalists and geologists will lead us on an exploration of glacial landforms and evidence of Wisconsin's past - more hiking! - until 2:15 pm. We have six parents who have committed to joining us there, and if any parent would still like to come meet us there, feel free! No admission, no limit - just a great and scenic afternoon hike (with 73 fourth graders - ha!). AND for our class we have one last very special lunch in Room 117 that day -- at 11:00, Luigi's dad is bringing in his amazing pizzas for us from Café Porta Alba! Woohoo - can't wait! Thank you so very much! I will treat the class to Izzies to go with the pizzas. Anyone up for baking some cookies for our dessert?
Next week is also our building-wide Celebration Week. In honor of the last week of all of our hard work of the year practicing the West Middleton Way of Being Safe, Respectful, Responsible, and a Learner, we will wear neon clothing on Tuesday, dress like twins or triplets with friends on Wednesday, and wear Badger colors on Thursday, along with a special surprise for everyone at school Thursday afternoon during the last hour of classes.
In between all these special events, our class will find time to organize our papers, projects, and materials. These items will come home a little each day. A special note about the Everyday Math books coming home (2 journals, 1 studylink, and a yellow folder containing all unit tests and reviews): I encourage you to save these over the summer. If you are able to spend periodic time over the summer to help your student practice the skills contained on these pages, it will give your student an excellent start to next year's math lessons. Pay particular attention to staying practiced on the basic facts for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Everyone gets 'rusty' in a big hurry if they don't keep using them. It will be key in 5th grade to know their basic facts.
Next week we will share our beautiful Informational Booklets with each other and also a class of 2nd graders, have a few math contests reviewing some of our skills, see a couple more National Geographic presentations on our country's breathtaking National Parks, teach each other the fantastic Space Factoids we have been collecting in Science, take one last WM Prairie Walk, and do some reflecting on what has meant the most to us during this past year of great growth and hard work.
I take this opportunity to tell you most sincerely that it has been a huge privilege to work with each and every one of your children - and you, the parents! - for this important 4th grade year. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed seeing the progress your child has made in so many ways, and how much I have enjoyed getting to know you and your families. I will miss our visits and our teamwork! I feel lucky that at least you will all be around next year yet, and I can see you and the kids in the hallways - the last year that will happen, since next year's 4th graders will start the move to middle school for 5th grade. Your feedback and support and thoughtfulness has made my role as a classroom teacher even more of a pleasure. Thank you!! Melanie Hannam
