Oops. Mistakes were made.

Hello,

I felt like we got off to a great start.  It was only at the end of the day that I realized that I didn't give the class the information packet (the parent homework) and the note from me (sending you to this blog).  AUGH!

Well, besides my slip ups, the day went pretty well.  I'll give you a write up of each day by 6:00 every night.  The idea is for you to get a sense of what went on and to discuss part of the day with your child.

Today was all about setting expectations for how we go about things in fourth grade.  While I'm not overly pleased with our walking in line, it was a minor hiccup in the day.  We successfully held doors open for each other, learned from each other in group work, and did really well in our first silent reading of the year.  I'm so pleased to have some motivated readers from the get go.  Not everyone, but a good chunk.

Our special of the day was art.  I heard that it went well, but I don't know what they did exactly. Tomorrow we'll have library (every other Wednesday), Friday is music, and Monday we have phys. ed. I sent a schedule home with your child.  (I didn't forget everything.)

We did a little group building activity this afternoon with large foam blocks that I noticed that the tech dept. was throwing away last week.  Our emphasis was working together, problem solving, and learning from each other.  It was great to see kids learning from what didn't work at first.  While not perfect, I saw a lot that we can build upon.  I also will be able to reference this experience later, as we get better at listening to all points of view.  My guess is that your child will have a comment or two about the experience.

We will be starting Rocket Math this week.  Your child took a preliminary test on writing speed today.  Their one minute testing goals will be based on the speed that they are able to write.  We'll revisit this later in the year, since most students get quicker as the year goes on.  Tomorrow we will take short tests in addition, subtraction, multiplication and possibly division.  These tests will tell me how much they have mastered thus far and what level they should begin at this year.  I'm a big fan of Rocket Math because each child works on the exact level where they need to be and then can advance at their own pace.

For read aloud today, I ventured off road and just told a story.  I've had a few adventures in my time and I decided to share one of them with the class.  Part of the motivation is wanting the kids to get to know me.  The stronger that we feel we know each other, the easier it will be to have tough conversations.  I told them a story about my experience in a cave that I hope shows them my sense of adventure.  My wife would say it shows my level of foolishness.  See what your child thinks of my cave story and see if they would have made the same decisions.

Outside of the rules and regulations, that was basically our day.  I'll write more tomorrow when the proper notice home ensures more of an audience.

I do want you to know how seriously I take my job.  I know that each one of these kids is the apple in your eye.  I do everything I can to get to know them, make sure that they see that I care about them, and work as hard as possible to help them see how bright their future can be.  I am always open to your feedback: sshea@brunswick.k12.me.us or 841-2599.  My door is always open.

Thanks for reading.  This is the start of something good.

Mr. Shea