Weekly Update

We have had a busy yet exciting first week of school here in RM 21! Students participated in many activities to get to know their classmates and our classroom. On our first day students look the Paper Chain Challenge and on Wednesday students worked together in teams to Save Sam the gummy worm (See pictures below). We focused on making sure each team member has a job and positive talk, even when the tasks becomes hard.

Students also began the process of making our classroom rules by answering questions like... Why is school important? What does Mrs. Williams need to do in order to help you be successful? Our classroom should be ____ everyday. What do I need to do in order to be successful? I will have these on display for you at Curriculum Night. Ask you child how we used colored dots to make these groups (there was a lot of giggling:).

This week students also learned more about how their brains work. We discussed the benefit of making mistakes and the importance of taking risks and really s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g your brain. Ask your child about the very challenging Paper Challenge. We also read several picture books that taught us to persevere. We brainstormed things we can't do and wrote them on a t-shirt. We are officially retiring these statements. 

Important Dates:
Thursday September 12- Curriculum Night

FAMILIES- don't forget to "follow by email" in the top right side of the page to get email notifications of new postings. I am looking forward to a great year together!

All Are Welcome

Welcome 4th Graders!

 Dear Student,

    My name is Mrs. Williams and I am so excited to be your teacher this year! We are going to do so many fun things this year and of course we will learn a lot. 

     Just so you know a little about me, I thought I'd include a few details. This will be my 7th year teaching here at JFK, and this will be my 4th year in fourth grade! My hobbies include photography, swimming, going to the beach, reading, and tending to our garden. Mr. Williams and I have two daughters Riley and Emily. We are also very excited to announce that we will be expecting a baby boy this December! This summer we traveled to Cape Cod and enjoyed searching the "mud flats" for all kinds of neat creatures when the tide went out. Riley and I also braved the cold Atlantic waters and the sharks ;) in our kayak. We were able to reach a large sandbar off the coast only accessible by boat. It was fun to pretend that we were on our own private island! I hope you had a fabulous summer and I can’t wait to hear all about it. 

Can you spot the hermit crab? Hint: the hermit crab is colored in the unique way that allows it to camouflage into its environment. We will learn all about animals adaptations this year! :) 

     I have been busy getting our classroom ready for your arrival, I can't wait for you to see it. Be sure to check back soon for a sneak peak! I have also been reading some amazing books for fourth grade! Some that we can read together and others that you may read in books clubs or on your own. There are so many things to learn in fourth grade. Remember reading letters on the chart at the doctor's office to check your eye sight? This year in science we will study light energy and do an exploration to see how the eye actually works. Which US states have you traveled to? In fourth grade we will also study the many regions of our country. I am very excited to take this journey together! 

     When you come to school, I want you to bring your own unique personality and know you can be yourself. You should never be afraid to try new things or make a mistake. That's how we learn! 

     Enjoy the next few weeks of summer. I will see you soon! :) 

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Williams

Parent Letter

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