News and Notes 8/29

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

Pancakes

The first week of school at Simonds began with the annual First Day Pancake Breakfast.  What a great time of reconnecting and meeting new friends!  After a long summer full of adventures, it was great to have some time to ease into the school routine once again.  Thank you to all the families who took time out of their busy schedules to join us for the breakfast.  Your participation in these school activities helps demonstrate that we are all on the same team.  It is so essential for students to know that families and teachers are working together toward the common goal of helping each child receive a quality education.  What a great way to start our year together!

Routines and Expectations

The first week of school was completely filled!  We spent much of our time this week learning about what life will be like in fourth grade.  The students did a tremendous job of listening to directions, practicing routines, and asking questions about expectations.  It is essential for our success in fourth grade that we all start out with clear lines of communication and a vivid understanding of what is expected in fourth grade.  From walking in the hallway to using materials and books to sharing ideas in class, the fourth graders did a great job of picking up the routines for fourth grade!  As we are officially part of the intermediate group and have left behind the days of primary school, it is even more important that the fourth graders are willing to take on their roles of responsibility.  This class seemed particularly eager to step up to the plate and set an example to the younger students in the school.  It seems that if we continue to demonstrate the safety, respect, and responsibility we have shown this week, it will be an excellent year in fourth grade!

Classroom Contract

Signed, sealed, and delivered!  This week the fourth graders created a classroom contract.  On this contract are all the things we expect of each other this year.  The students took turns sharing their ideas and discussing whether or not these should be put onto the contract.  In the end we had a great list of expectations including, be safe/respectful/responsible (our Simonds School rules), be kind to each other, have a “can do” attitude, raise your hand, listen to others, and “remember the golden rule.”  It is always exciting to see what things the students will put on their contract, and this year’s class did a great job of creating a document that we can all try to live by.  In the end we each signed our names as a sign that we would do our best to follow the contract.  This document is an important piece of our developing classroom community, and the fourth graders were proud to have it posted in our classroom.