Fourth Quarter Begins

Hello Otter Families,

Last week was an exciting one for the Otters. We went on a fantastic field trip on Tuesday and had a chance to hear the Symphony Silicon Valley and explore at the Tech Museum. Thanks to those of you who volunteered to chaperone and share the day with us. We couldn't have done it without you. The kids were impressively well behaved and they said that they had a really good time. I hope all of the adults did too. Thanks again!

Tomorrow is the first day of the fourth quarter of school. A few students from each Otter group will be switched to the other group starting tomorrow. We do this every quarter for a variety of reasons; it helps us to keep our groups balanced and gives students an opportunity to meet a larger group of their peers. Grades for the quarter will be turned in on Tuesday and report cards should be mailed home by the end of the week. Congratulations to the many students who have worked hard all quarter.

Open House will be held on Wednesday evening from 6:30-7:45 p.m. Classrooms will be open for you to see examples of what your child has been doing. It is a great time to touch base with us, but in this short time period, we will not be able to hold individual conferences. If you have any issues or concerns that you would like to discuss with us, please schedule an appointment. We would be happy to meet with you. Open House is also an opportunity to meet some of your child's peers and their families. The Union School District is interested in your input regarding your child's experience at Dartmouth. Please let us know what you think by participating in the online parent survey. You can also complete the survey in the computer lab at the Open House. We look forward to seeing you Wednesday evening.

In Social Studies, we are now working on a timeline project. The first part of the project is a personal timeline based on each student's own history. I have set aside time in class for the kids to work on their projects. The personal timeline will be due on Tuesday. Part two is a comparative timeline based on two civilizations of the student's choosing. The purpose of the project is to increase student awareness of the simultaneous existence of various civilizations. Part two will be not be due until students return from the Spring Break. The due date will be Tuesday, April 19, but I will give extra credit if the project is turned in by Friday, April 8.

In Math, we took the third quarter district-wide benchmark exam last Wednesday. We have since resumed our study of geometric concepts. We should finish Chapter 9 and end the week with a chapter test on Friday. Our next unit will continue with geometry, focusing on area and volume.

Next week is our week-long Spring Break. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing week off.

I am looking forward to seeing you at Open House on Wednesday evening.

Mrs. Shimamoto