News and Notes 5/22

News and Notes

From Fourth Grade

Inquiring...

The fourth grade scientists were faced with their first ever standardized science assessment this week.  The state of New Hampshire asks that all 4th, 8th, and 11th graders in the state take the "Science NECAP" testing in the spring to demonstrate how they are progressing in their study of science.  The first three days of this week were full of fourth graders digging around in their minds for all of their science knowledge.  This test is unique because the third day provided the students with the opportunity to show off not just their science content knowledge, but also their inquiry abilities.  They worked through the steps of the scientific process to ask a question, make a hypothesis, follow the steps of an inquiry task, and then reflect and form conclusions.  What an unusual picture to see the "TESTING!" sign posted on the door of a classroom that is full of students talking and exploring through a hands-on science experiment.  Nobody can pretend that this spring hasn't been very full of assessments for these fourth graders, but it is so encouraging to see them continuing to put forth good effort!  It is certainly evidence of their great love of science to see how hard they were willing to work on this assessment!

Remembering

One of the great privileges of being a fourth grader at Simonds School is having the opportunity to help the local veterans prepare for Memorial Day.  Each spring the fourth graders walk down Main Street to the Pine Grove Cemetery.  They meet with local veterans and learn about the traditions associated with Memorial Day.  They work in small groups to replace worn and faded flags on gravestones.  The fourth graders show such great respect for the veterans and do an amazing job of showing self-control during our time in the cemetery.  If we are really lucky, the veterans will share some of their own stories about Memorial Days gone by and their life experiences.  It is a really sweet time of community and gives our fourth graders a chance to say thank you to those who have served their country in this unique way.  So, on this Memorial Day in Warner, when you see the bright red, white, and blue placed on the gravestone of a veteran, you can know that there was a generous local veteran who helped a fourth grader thoughtfully and respectfully place it there!

Editing and Revising

We are in the home stretch!  The majority of the fourth grade writers are working through the "edit and revise" stage of their research papers.  You can see the enthusiasm grow as final drafts are finished and students begin "fixing up and fancying up" their writing.  We hope that by the end of next week we will have a class of published research writers.  This is by far the most involved writing assignment of the fourth grade, and it is encouraging to see just how dedicated and motivated these fourth grade writers have been through the whole writing process!  They have worked step-by-step and are eagerly awaiting the moment when their papers and bibliographies are finished and they can declare that they have indeed published a true research paper. 

Finish Well

As the spring quickly zooms past and the summer approaches, we remember that this fourth grade experience won't last forever.  As we near the end of the year, we have been spending time refocusing our minds and attitudes on our three school rules: Be safe.  Be respectful.  Be responsible for learning.  Before we know it, these students will be fifth graders!  As the oldest kids in the school, they'll need to be dedicated to following these school rules for their own benefit as well as to set an example for all the younger students who are looking up to them.  So, our challenge now is to finish well and look ahead!