What a beautiful day! We enjoyed Taiko drumming outdoors first thing this morning and then had lunch outside this afternoon. It's been a struggle to get everyone outdoors regularly with the rainy, cold weather. Today made it possible and we took full advantage!

Academics this week were simple: We read our books and worked HARD to write about our reading in our notebooks. We started drafting our last narrative (graphic novels for most) and we practiced division over and over and over again!  We have learned and reviewed three or four different strategies for long division, and now we just need lots of practice. Ask your child to show you how she or he would solve 1,448 divided by 4!  Ask how s/he will know if there is a remainder or not. You'll be amazed at the skill and understanding!

The big topics this week have been Taiko, SBAC, and the track meet. It seemed like everyone really enjoyed the drumming. Sensei Stuart showed them a lot of cool drumming techniques. He also taught them the importance of self-control and respect for the sensei, or teacher. It was a wonderful opportunity and I wish we could have had more of it! The track meet was also really successful. The weather was perfect, and I really enjoyed seeing all of the students cheering each other on in a healthy, inclusive way. A few were disappointed in their own performance, but in the end they realized that the fun outweighed the disappointment.

SBAC testing starts on Tuesday morning. We will do the ELA (Reading/Writing) first. The first session is more short answer and reading for comprehension. The second session involves lots of reading and writing. We practiced this one today, and I tried my best to assure the class that even though they need to try their best, this test is just a snapshot of ONE moment in time! For equity reasons, I am going to have all the students use school-issued headphones for the testing. If you child has fancy headphones from home, please remind them that they can't use those for SBAC testing.  Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns about the SBAC testing.

I think that's it for this week! We are busy planning a fun celebration for the end of the year. It looks like parents may be able to join, from a distance, for part of this celebration, although details and guidance change regularly. I'll give you more information as I get it!

I hope you all enjoy the lovely weather this weekend!