November 26, 2012: Some things that are coming up...

Hello Parents.

It was great to see your kids this morning. And the snow was a beautiful welcome-back as we began  our four-week-passage into December and the holidays.

We talked about Chanukah and Christmas, and we read a book called "Christmas Day in the Morning." Ask your child to tell you about it.

For sharing this week, we are telling about something we will be getting as a gift (or doing as a gift) for someone we love. That fits into our new Social Studies unit: Economics (with a focus on wants and needs.)

Upcoming Bake Sale to raise money for COTS: On the week of December 10th, we'll be asking kids to help you, their parents, bake something at home (like a batch of brownies or cookies)  that your child will then donate to our Horizon Cookie Baking Company  bake sale that will be taking place on Friday, December 14th (at lunch time and after school). Horizon kids will be making posters and banners and  whipping up business by giving presentations and singing our song to the other teams during that week. They will also be selling the "goods" and counting the profit. More details to come.

Polar Express/Holiday Celebration coming up on Friday, December 21st: we will be showing the Polar Express. The kids will be invited to come  to school in PJs  and drinking hot chocolate in the morning. In the afternoon, at the end of the day, we'll have our classroom-level  Holiday Celebrations.

Jessica Lamorey, our room mom, will be in touch with folks about donating hot chocolate and coming in to help (those who are available).
Again, more to come.

Here's to a great holiday season!

Mr. B

Nov. 25, 2012

Dear Parents,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some pictures we took on our Shelburne Farms Field Trip, "Long Ago and Today."  Our focus was on candle making,  wool-carding and wool spinning, and farm animals.

Here are some questions you can ask your child about the trip:

• Why are bee keeper clothes white? (bees associate dark colors with predators like bears)
• Why do bees need honey ?  (They eat it.)
• How much does a hive of bees need ?  (100 pound per winter.) 
• How many different kids of honey bees are in a hive? (There are three different kinds of honeybees in a hive:  female, drone, queen.) 
• How do they know if the queen isn't there?  (They can tell... kind-of like how your mom or dad has a special smell -- maybe a cologne -- that lets you know they are in the room even if you're not looking.)  In bees we call that scent pheremones.
• Why don't beekeepers put their beehives close together? (If hives are too close together, the bees could fight and stung each other! 
• How many bees are usually in one hive? (There are 100,000 in a hive.) 

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow! Get to bed early :)

Mr. Bolger

This Week in Mr. Bolger's Class

Hello, Parents!

This is an odd week because we will have a field trip tomorrow and Ms. Schwartz and Mrs. Rodliff will be field-tripping on Thursday. Also,  I will be out of the classroom on Friday (we'll have sub). So, I thought I'd send home a quick note each day rather than wait 'til Friday to report on the week:

Field Trip tomorrow to Shelburne Farms: check the weather and dress appropriately. We leave at 8:50 a.m. and we return at 2:00 p.m. Chaperones, you  may join us on the bus if you'd like.

Home-School Journals went home today. Due back on Thursday. We read a picture book about Plymouth Plantation, and they wrote to you in their journals about something that stood out for them. For your response, it might be nice if you thought about the pilgrims and wrote down something you, yourself, really wonder --- like, "I wonder how long it took them to come across the ocean?" or, "I wonder what they did if they got a bad cut and needed stitches?" or "Since there weren't any telephones or international mail, I wonder if they ever saw their friends (back in England) again?" or "I wonder, if they knew there would be people there already (Native Americans)? and were they afraid the Native Americans might be mean to them?"

No homework this week for Bolger Second-Grade Math (we are covering the material in class).

First graders do have math homework this week. It's due on Thursday.

Bolger Fundations: we just finished a unit last week, so we won't start a new one until after Thanksgiving. We will, instead, focus -- this week and next -- on handwriting.

Math today in 2nd grade: we are practicing counting easily by tens -- starting with something like 33 and going all the way up to 133.  Kids put up three fingers, then they "flashed" ten fingers and said, "thirteen". Then flashed ten more and said "twenty-three," ... all the way up to 133. Try it with your child. Today, lots of kids jumped from 73 to 93. Kids often have trouble going back and forth across 100. Practice at home!

We also read a great picture book called, "Edward and the Pirates" The kids loved it. Ask your child.
Ask your child, too, about the Splinter Cat in the Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.  He is a cat-in-the-hat kind of figure. A little fun and a little not-trustworthy. He has tricked Lindy into going to his place, and he has lulled her to  sleep.  What we don't know yet is that because she is so smart, he is trying to trick her to keep her and her brothers from reaching the Whangdoodle -- the mystical king of Whangdoodle Land. It's a little-bit Wizard-of -Ozish.

If your child read in a reading group today, he or she may have a book to read in his/her backpack. Please send it back tomorrow.

Look at the cool designs on Ananya's hands.

It's called "henna."

Have a nice night, Everyone.

Mr. Bolger and Class

Nov. 11, 20012

Nov. 11, 2012

Dear Parents,  

The Election
It was an exciting week as we watched and the presidential election. Students voted on Monday, and they had many questions and earnest thoughts about it. We posted all of this on our Kidblog which can be accessed from our class webpage. Thank you, parents, for commenting on our posts!

Upcoming Field Trip:
Our field trip to Shelburne Farms is on Wednesday, November 14^th. Please sign and hand in your permission slip (if you haven't already) by Tuesday. We will be leaving at about 8:45 a.m. and returning to school at 2:15 p.m. If you offered to chaperone, I will be in touch with you in the next couple of days. 

Children should be dressed for the weather. Every child will also need a lunch from home and a drink to take with them. The trip is about farm life long ago and today. Shelburne Farms does a fantastic job with their field trips. We’re looking forward to it!

Our First Snow: we went for a walk outside Monday morning to marvel in the snow squall. PJ Zimakas (Nina's dad) happened to be in the classroom, so he joined us. And students decided that the sharing for the week should be "What we like to do in the snow."

Sharing for This Week and Next Week (combined): "What I am thankful for."

Snack: I think these kids are growing! Many kids, recently, have come to me at snack time to say that they finished their snack and they are still hungry. Please chat with your child to see if  he or she needs a little extra as the cold days arrive.

Fundations and Math Homework:
A few students got out the door on Friday without having handed in their Math or Fundations work (due Thursday). Please take a quick look in your child's backpack to see if their homework is still there. Also, check in the Friday Folder to see if there is any make-up work or Monday.

Thanks Everyone.

Mr. Bolger

November 4, 2012

Nov. 4, 2012

Nina's Dad, PJ, talked to us
about the human body.

            

Dear Parents,

Julia's mom, Jessica, talks seeds
in our  4 Winds lesson

Thanksgiving came early this past week. We are so fortunate to have dodged that storm. The day we returned to school from Hurricane Sandy, we looked at Weather Channel videos to see the damage in New York and New Jersey. I also showed the kids my slide show from my experience in Moretown with Irene last year. We talked about how people get through all sorts of calamities when we help each other out.

Science: we finished up our science unit on The Body's Senses this last week. You can carry the, learning forward by talking to your child about seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting, when the opportunity arises. Now we are moving on to a study of economics – “Wants and Needs” – a good topic for the holiday season, don't you think? We have contacted COTS, and we'll be collaborating with them over the coming eight weeks (see their letter below).

Four Winds: we had a GREAT Four-Winds class on Friday as the kids learned about the different ways that seeds get carried (wind, animals, water, etc.) so they can land in new soil and grow. We realized that even a pencil comes from a seed – mostly. Thank you to all the Four-Winds volunteers!

The Election this Week: student will be voting for president on Monday. I've encouraged them to ask you to help t hem understand the difference between the two candidates.

Reading: we have changed our book-exchange day in the library to Thursday. Please make a note of that. We won't be exchanging books on Mondays, now.

Conferences: I have had a chance to meet with about half of you so far. Thank you for taking the time to come in. I have very-much enjoyed sitting down with you.. Please sign up on the schedule on our class blog if you haven't already done so.

Food Drive: can you donate a food item this week?

We are doing a one-week food drive beginning tomorrow (Monday) to collect food items for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf and the Winooski Teen Center. All the houses at ABS are doing it, and we're holding a fun competition to see which house can come up with the highest total number of food items. This competition is meant to be all-in-fun and not to stress out our families. If you could donate one item this week, that would be great. Here is the letter from the folks at UVM who are sponsoring the food drive:

We are University of Vermont students involved in the Campus Kitchen Project here in Burlington. The CKP is a non-profit organization, which aims to bring the greater Burlington and UVM communities together for one common cause: ending hunger! Ending hunger is a pretty daunting goal, so Campus Kitchens works in the area to turn donated food items from organizations all over Vermont into delicious meals to serve at the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf and the Winooski Teen Center.

You may be wondering, what we want from your classrooms? Well we want to help teach your students about hunger. And not just hunger in general, hunger here! In Vermont! In fact, we are one of the hungriest states in the US! And that includes kids, just like the students in your classrooms, living right next door! So we want to help your kids understand how close to home the issue of hunger is. We are also asking them to make difference in our fight against local hunger! How do you ask? With friendly competition!

We want to have a food drive for the Campus Kitchens Project in your classrooms, your houses specifically. We are in dire need of food here at UVM to help make meals to feed the 12,000 kids that rely on Vermont food shelves every month! We are hoping to have the food drive during the week of November 5^th-9th. Ideally on the Friday before the food drive begins, we would like to meet with each House to explain the issue of hunger briefly (10 minutes) and inform the students about the food drive. If there is a date or time that would work best, we hope we can work with the Houses schedules to figure out an agreeable time! We will be picking up the food at the end of each day, and keeping a running count on which house in the lead. At the end of the week, we hope to announce the winning house and award a small prize to the students! We really believe your students are the future of humanity, and with their help, we can reduce hunger in Vermont. Thanks so much for your time, and for your willingness to help!

Shelburne Farms Field Trip on November 14th – Please send in your permission slip if you haven't already done so.

Have a great week, everyone!

Mr. Bolger

...oh, and Brendan lost his tooth.

                                                               

Updated Conference Schedule

Mr. Bolger’s Tentative Schedule for

Parent-Teacher Conferences 

Updated Sunday, 11/4/12 

Your time is confirmed if your name appears below.

Tip:  if you haven't signed up yet,  choose your first second, and third choices, and email them to me. Then, bookmark this page to easily check back for your confirmed slot. 

Note: conferences are for 20 minutes each.

Weds, Oct. 23, 2012

2:50 Cotter

Thursday, October 25, 2012

3:00 Clos

Friday, Oct. 26, 2012

3:00 Allen

Monday, Oct. 29, 2012

4:00 Pudvar

4:30 Fellows

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012

4:00 Rohatgi

4:30 Zimakas

Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012

3:00 Jennings

Monday, Nov. 5, 2012

4:00 Giroux

4:30 Forrest

Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012

4:00 Tharp

4:30  Steinman

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012

3:00 Beaudry

3:30 Willey

Monday, November 12, 2012

8:00 Lamorey

8:30 ___________________

9:00 ___________________

9:30  Olszewski

10:00 __________________

10:30 __________________

11:00 __________________

11:30 __________________

12:00 __________________

12:30 __________________

1:00 __________________

1:30 __________________

Tuesday, November 13, 2012
12:25 Fisher/St.Cyr

Note: If you can’t make any of these times, let me know, and we’ll figure something out. I’m looking forward to getting together with you!

David

Oct. 21, 2012

Dear Parents,

Important upcoming events:

Can you donate a cup of cut-up veggies to our Stone Soup by Tues or Weds? Also, please send in a mug and a spoon for your child - See below for Andrew Wolfe's letter.

Sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences. Check your email. I am scheduling conferences across the next three weeks. Email me with your choices. We'll make it work. Note: students may come and play in the Kiva while we talk. Then, they may join us for the last 5 minutes or so. 

Taylor Swift talks about reading: Horizon students will tune in on Wednesday to a presentation by Taylor Swift on why reading  is important to her. 

Our Nutrition Field Trip Shaw's has been posponed to October 31st. The original field-trip permission slip you signed will suffice. Opt out by emailing  me if you do NOT want your child to go to Shaw's on the 31st.
  
Halloween Celebration: 1:45-2:30 October 31st. Jessica Lamorey will be contacting the parents who signed up to donate goodies  or a craft.  :)

Some highlights from the week:

In Science:
We continued our workshops on The Senses. What did your child learn this week about seeing, hearing, smelling or tasting?

In Writing:
We worked on our "An Important Event" stories. Ms. Le Clair, our student teacher, taught a lesson on similes, and students are learning use them to give more "punch" to their writing. We also did a quick-write on what we like to do with our Moms.  That was also our sharing theme  for the week.

In Technology -- See COMMENTS below...
We learned (and Second Graders reviewed) how to post comments on a blog. Students "commented"  on the question, "How do you know that someone loves you?" The class will take the many comments and use them to fashion a Whole-Class Poem.

In Math:
First and Second-Graders are doing projects. In Second Grade Math, we are starting a unit on ants that builds number sense.  Kids practice thinking about -- "If I have 25 ants in all, with 14 of them underground, how many ants are above ground?"  Also, first graders are learning different combinations to 10 while second graders are learning combinations to 20.

At-Home Reading: 
Students who are building independence (i.e., building their word-attack skills/building their fluency and  expression/building their ability to use phonics, pictures, and grammar knowledge at the same time -- to figure out what words mean) will take home the book they have just read in reading group, and they should read that at least once to you. Encourage them to first practice it silently and then read it to you with great expression and enthusiasm -- as though they were reading it as a read-aloud book. 

 If your child is reading more-independently (having bridged into chapter books), you will see books from reading group only occasionally. But you can really help your child by having them silently practice a page of their choice and then read it with expression to you. This is so important for building fluency and also for your checking in to see if that book is a good level for your child.

Skimming your child's book and asking them questions/ helping them make connections to their life/talking about why the author chose to do this or that  --  is another thing that'll give you lots of bang for your buck.

That's all for now. Looking  forward to seeing you at Parent-Teacher Conferences!

David

________________________________________________________________________________________

Andrew's Letter to Parents:

Tuesday October 16^th 2012

Dear ABS Parents,

It is time again to celebrate the harvest by sharing another batch of stone soup in the garden at our fine school. Please bring a bit of goodness from our generous land to put into the pot.

The meal will be served at your regular lunch time with milk, apples and bread provided by the cafeteria. Kids need to bring their own eating utensils and a mug or bowl for soup. The meal will be made up of pre-chopped veggies and rice brought from everyone's home*. Please bring these items to the office in the morning on Tuesday October 23^rd or Wednesday October 24^th so we can begin to make the broth. Any tupperware will not be returned. The celebration will take place on the 25th of October during each classes lunch time.

Also, please contact your FAP rep for parent volunteers to help serve the soup and direct the flow of the event. It is especially great if some parents can help for the whole time, from 10:30 until 1:30.

*Here are some great ideas for items to bring.

Try to use fresh whole foods and leave meat, nuts, dairy and gluten out for sensitive kids. Rice, Quinoa and lentils make a great substitute. Bring enough to fill a mug or bowl.

Brown Rice	Onions	Garlic
Lentils	Radishes	Kale
Beans	Corn	Peas
Celery	Carrots	Sweet Potato
Potato	Tomato	Squash
Peppers	Brussels Sprouts	Fresh Herbs
Fruit for clay oven baked pies!	Peaches	Apples
Berries	Plums	Quinoa
Leeks	Taro root	Burdock
Ginger	Dandelion Greens	Jerusalem Artichokes

I'll be happy to answer any questions by phone or E-mail. Autumnally yours, Andrew 222-7976 guerillagardens@gmail.com

A question for My Students

October 12, 2012

 "I know my mom loves me because..."

"I know my cat loves me when..."

Dear Class Poets,

Welcome to our class blog. There is something I am trying to figure out: 

Every day, we hear people say, "I love you,"  to each other.

And lots of times you can tell someone loves you by what they do.

 Do people at your house say something to let you know they love you?

Does someone at your house do something that shows they love you?

Where do you see love? How do you know someone loves you?

Please write your answer so we can make a list of the ways. Then together, with all your comments,
I will help you join your ideas to make a gigantic, class Love Poem.

Thank you for your quiet, loving thoughts this morning.

Mr. Bolger

October 5, 2012

Looking for Insects in our Four-Winds Lesson (Thanks, Parent Volunteers!)

October 5, 2012

Dear Parents,

We have been scientists this week! We began our study of the Human Body. We learned a lot about bones, we learned about germs, and today, we had 4-Winds where we caught and observed insects. We remembered that a bug is an insect if it has 6 legs. It’s a spider if it has eight legs, and a slug isn’t any bug at all. Ask your child what insect he or she caught.  Try at home: lay a sheet under a bush and shake the bush. It’s fun to see what interesting creatures fall into your sheet!

In Mrs. Powers’ 1^st grade math class, students are using buttons to learn all the combinations you can use to make 6 buttons. In Mr. Bolger’s 2^nd-grade math class, students are doing the same thing, except they are reviewing combinations that equal ten. Next week, they’ll be moving on to combinations (to learn automatically) to 20. Another thing second grade math students  learned was: does an odd plus an odd equal  an even?  (We found that when we put an odd number of little squares together, it’s impossible to make a rectangle.  There is always one extra square.   But if we make two  odd-number arrangements, like 3 square plus 3 square, the extra little square in each of those “arrangements” can find each other so that everyone has a partner.

And when everyone has a partner, you know the sum of those two arrangements will be even. Ask your child about Clock Partners (Bolger’s Math) .

A note about homeowork for  both classes: Mrs. Powers and I will be sending home weekly math games for you to play with your child. Please feel free to adjust the directions so they work for you. For example, you don’t need to laminate game boards and you can use dice instead of making a spinner. And if your family is wiped out on Wednesday and just can’t do the homework,  send in a note, and we’ll gladly work it out.

Sharing: our sharing next week is Who do I admire? Please help your child think about someone they admire – preferably a family member or a friend – someone they really know.

I have introduced the idea of “admiring” someone. You might have a chat with your child about it too. Children may bring in a picture if they wish or some other item to represent the person they admire. Suggestion: explain who YOU admire, but then ask your child who they admire without giving them a suggestion. It’ll be very interesting and empowering for you to let them decide. Ask them to come up with three reasons for admiring (wanting to be like) that person.

Some other things we learned this week:

Clockwise vs. Counter-clockwise and how long it’d take to get to the moon if there were a long bridge that could reach it, and if you didn’t stop to eat or sleep. (A: about 9 months –the kids had guessed about 18 year.) One student offered this: “well, I know that it takes 9 years for a rocket to get there, so I figured I’d double that, and that’s how I got 18 years.”

Volunteers: Now that October is underway, we are ready for classroom volunteers! If you have expressed an interest in coming in, I’ll contact you in the next few days to set up a time. If you haven’t spoken with me yet, please email me, and we’ll get you in here.

Final Request on Friendship List: Jessica Lamorey, our Room Mom, is putting together our 2012-2013 Classroom Friendship List. Please tell us ASAP if you do not want your email or phone number on our friendship list.

Have a great weekend, everyone. The air smells so good, the leaves are gorgeous, and don’t you just feel like you want to roll around in the wet grass? 

Mr. Bolger

Sept. 30, 2012

September 30, 2012

Dear Parents,

First, thank you all for making the effort to come out to our Horizon Curriculum Night.  We are proud of all the learning that takes place here every day, and the Curriculum Night is something we look forward to every year– a rare time when we get to have you, the children’s parents,   in our classrooms  --  to talk about our shared product: your children.  Once again, we very-much enjoyed the night. Please don’t hesitate to email me if any of your questions did not get answered.  

Reading: in this, our third full week of school, we are nearly done with the reading assessments.  Students know what their “Just Right” reading level is, and they know how to use the “five finger” rule to test out if a new book is, indeed, “just right” for them.  Remember, when your child is doing “at-home” reading, it is a perfect time for practicing what they have learned rather than trying to break new ground.  Ask them to read to you out loud (especially if they are “beginning” readers – usually Level A-J).  If they are laboring through a story, it’s usually an indication that it’s too hard. Have them pick something easier so they can read it quickly enough to be able to use expression.  Developing an ear and a voice for smooth, expressive reading is just as important as developing an eye for accurate reading.  An accurate-but-painfully-slow reader won’t learn any more quickly, and they’re less likely to fall in love with reading.  I will be contacting you shortly to let you know your child’s instructional level and independent level. (A child’s instructional level is usually one letter beyond their independent level.

In Writing, students are writing the second drafts of their first short stories. They are learning (or for second graders – remembering)  how we run Writer’s Workshop, when it is ok to talk, and when it’s necessary to be quiet so everyone can pay attention to their memories and their imaginations. In the writing pieces themselves, students are learning to write with strong voice, i.e., writing it the way they would say it.

In Math, students in First and Second are equally excited to begin the October Calendar and see what pattern it reveals!  We are now extending our study of patterns (repeating patterns and growing patterns) to study sorting. Sorting is everywhere from our grocery store to our sock drawer.  Students are getting lots of practice with increasingly-difficult sorting challenges.

In Tech Lab this week, First and Second Graders logged onto their email accounts, and they exchanged emails with me. Parents, if you haven’t already done so, please email your child at firstnamelastname@cssu.us  that way, he or she can reply to you and you will be off and running.  In addition to our weekly project in the Tech Lab, I will have students working on ongoing, laptop-based projects in the classroom, so they will have ample opportunity to check their emails and respond to you.

Sharing:  Students did a wonderful job sharing their ME bags. They shared enthusiastically, and they asked sincere and interesting questions of each other. It was a great way for us to get to know each other.

 The Sharing theme for this week is “Something I collect” or “Something someone I know collects.”

Four Winds: we are excited for this year’s first Four Winds lesson (this week on Friday morning). Can’t wait!

That’s it for now, Everyone. Have great week.

Mr. Bolger

September 9, 2012

September 9, 2012

Dear Parents,

It’s been another packed, productive week! In Reading, we began a new Read-aloud book called The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles (written by Julie Edwards – yes, Mary Poppins herself.)  Ask your child, over the coming days and several weeks, to keep you updated on the story – two brothers and a 2^nd-grade sister go on a quest to find the mystical Whangdoodle… 

We discussed what it means to pick a “just-right” book, and we practiced picking books from our classroom library and sitting quietly and respectfully to read.  We also paid our first visit to the ABS library,  and we will have Monday as our regular, weekly day, to drop off and pick up books.

Reading Logs:  my apologies for not getting a fresh Reading Log into the Friday Folder this week.  I will send it to you by email so that you have a digital version that you can copy if you ever run out of them in the future.

In Writing, students received their Writer’s Workshop folders where they will keep their growing portfolio of work. We learned that good writing comes from good spelling and good grammar, but it often comes especially from noticing well and remembering well. We talked about how if I say, “Tell of a time you hurt yourself,”  for most kids, that will prompt a memory. Let that memory come up. Pay close attention to it,  and tell the story that it brings. We learned about how good writers  also often tell their stories verbally before settling in to writing them down. We decided that writing is going to be a lots of fun of us this year!

In Fundations students at the first and the second grade levels have been reviewing the considerable content and learning routines from last spring. Homework went home for all students on Friday. Note: as you know, Mrs. Powers teaches 1^st-grade Fundations, and she will be contacting the first-grade parents shortly with homework expectations at her level.

In Math, both the first and the second graders are exploring patterns – repeating patterns and growing patterns. We are using our Number Corner calendar every day to explore and expand our understanding of this central math concept. Second graders got their Math notebooks this last week. This will be a place for reflecting on what they are learning. I will use it often at the end of a class to build a record from each child of what they have understood or not understood during the lesson.

In Social Studies, we are studying “Long Ago and Today”, and we compared life 100 years ago to today: from the plow to the diesel tractor. From the washboard to the washing machine. From oil lamps to compact fluorescent and LED lights of today. In the coming day, you children will be creating a timeline of their lives. They will also be interviewing an elderly member of their family to learn about what life was like in their “family” long before they were born.

To keep the blood pumping to our brains, we also did an outdoor activity each morning  with Mrs. Powers’ class. We played Scatter, Deer Habitat, Partner Tag, Toilet Tag (!) , and Cross the River When the River Rises. Especially if you are new to the classroom, you could ask your child to explain these games to you . You could certainly play them at home.

A few other notes:

We have a child in the classroom who has a (non-life-threatening) peanut allergy. It’s not necessary for you to refrain from sending in peanut butter sandwiches or other peanut products, but it would be helpful if you would have a chat with your child about the importance of washing hands before and after eating an wiping up our desks after we’ve finished snack.  

Since we’re talking about health… I’ve noticed this last week that many kids are dog-tired. My own kids are dog-tired! Thank you for remembering to hold the line and get them to bed at a consistently-good hour so that they can come to school refreshed and open to learning.  We adults know what a difference a good sleep can make, and for little kids, it’s huge.

We are looking forward to seeing you at our Horizon Curriculum Night on Wednesday the 19^th (6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)  Let us know if you have a particularly-keen interest in a certain aspect of the curriculum so we can be sure to address it.

Don’t forget that this week’s sharing theme is “My ME Bag.” I sent home a schedule of students’ sharing days in the Friday Folder. If you have questions, please email me.

That’s about it for now.

Have a great week, everyone. It’s nice to have these cooler nights, isn’t it?

Mr. Bolger