Happy Halloween

Dear Otter Families,

I hope you have a safe and happy Halloween tonight. Don't forget, it is a school night, so don't stay out too late! Friday was our costume day at Dartmouth. What a crazy day. The kids were so excited all day, and we teachers went home exhausted. Thank heavens for our fabulous Art Vistas moms who bravely came to share an interesting hands-on lesson on cave art. The kids really enjoyed it.

Friday was the last day of the first quarter. Grades will be finalized this week and report cards will be mailed out by the end of the week. Congratulations to the students who worked hard all quarter. Your efforts are reflected in your outstanding grades! Monday marks the beginning of the second quarter, and at that time, grades begin anew. As is our tradition on the Otters team, we will move several students within the team from Mrs. Lescroart's morning group to my morning group and vice versa. Our goal is to give the students an opportunity to meet many teammates as well as to even out the groups. Currently, we have one group that has a disproportionate number of girls and one group is also larger than the other.

In math, we are continuing our study of fraction concepts. Last week we looked at simplifying fractions, as well as improper fractions and mixed numbers and their relationship to decimals. The kids took their weekly quiz on Friday. Many did well, but I think that the distraction of Halloween was just too much for some of them. Grades from Friday's quiz will be reflected on the second quarter grade. Remember, quizzes are meant as formative assessment. This means, that they are only a measure of progress toward mastery of a given concept. That is why revisions and journals are always allowed on quizzes. This week we will spend some time in the computer lab working on a data analysis mini-project.

In social studies, we are wrapping up our study of early humans and Mesopotamia. We will review for and take the end-of-unit test this week. Thanks again to our Art Vistas volunteers for an interesting lesson on cave art, which was tied to our studies in social studies.

In math intervention, we continue to strengthen our math skills with homework assistance, previews of the day's lesson, and skills practice. On good days, when we get through the lesson, the kids are rewarded with math games, which also help reinforce skills.

Mark your calendars. Next week, November 11 is a holiday, and November 12 is an inservice day for teachers. The students will have a 3 day week. The Thanksgiving holiday is also just around the corner. School will be closed on the 24th, 25th, and 26th.

We have yet to schedule our 1st quarter awards assembly but anticipate that it will be sometime in the next few weeks. I will let you know as soon as a date is set. We will also hold our first Otter auction in the near future. Thanks to those who have sent in items for this exciting event.

Happy Halloween.

Mrs. Shimamoto