SBAC testing is over! I am so impressed with the grit and determination I saw this week and last. It's good to have the testing behind us so we can move on to finishing things up and having some fun!  We all enjoyed a creemee today, thanks to Ange Smith. We thoroughly enjoyed it!

Sadly, (and surprisingly -- since I rarely find myself at a loss for words...) I don't have much to report on this week. We are still finishing up our graphic novels and our book group books. As students finish up, they are free reading and free writing, giving their peers some time to finish, and giving me some time to do some final reading assessments.  The graphic novels are adorable! They will get to bring them home when they are finished, and I plan to scan them and share them with each student so they will  have a digital version forever.

We had a lovely walk to the river on Monday. Mr. Bouchard showed us all various spots that had evidence of glacial activity MANY years ago. We used topographical maps and learned how the distance between the lines on them show us how steep the landforms are. Yesterday we used ice and sand and made our own "mini-glaciers" and investigated to see what would happen when we dragged them across "land" made from modeling clay. It definitely helped to visualize the effects that glaciers have had on our land!

I have decided not to teach the beginning of another math unit. We have covered all of the units that are required for 4th grade, and we have covered all of the "benchmark understandings." My personal feeling is that it is counterproductive to cram any new learning into full brains so close to the end of the year. Instead, we will do lots of fun reviewing of the skills we have learned this year. 

I just heard from parent Amanda Edson that she bought white t-shirts for the entire class! She got youth medium, youth large, and adult small -- some of each. Next week, I will see if I can match each student to a t-shirt that fits him/her, and we'll make adjustments as we need to. Of course, if your child needs a different size or you have already gotten a t-shirt, no worries! We are flexible.  Thank you, Amanda!

I feel lucky every single day to be a part of this community of students AND parents! Your support, your communication, and your willingness to help have made this crazy year feel almost normal! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your children are amazing, and so are you.

Enjoy your long weekend!