Spring Break was a welcome respite for everyone. I hope you all had a relaxing week off and enjoyed time as a family. We have been back a week now and with STAR testing just around the corner, we have had to get right back to work. As you may have heard, Mrs. Lescroart had an unfortunate accident and broke her foot. She is wearing a brace and will be on crutches for the next several weeks. The kids have shown true compassion and have stepped up to help her in any way that they can. Their team spirit is truly appreciated.
With the third quarter complete, we will have our Quarter 3 Otter Awards Assembly sometime in early May. I will send home a notice and post the date on the blog as soon as Mrs. Lescroart and I can confirm a date.
STAR testing begins next Monday, May 2. At Dartmouth, the entire school will be on a modified block schedule for two weeks. Every morning your child will go to his/her homeroom and will begin the day with testing. For sixth graders, the first two days will be language arts and the next two days will be math. Seventh and eighth graders will have additional testing days, but we will be finished on Thursday of the first week. After testing, the kids will be on a block schedule, which means that on Monday, they will go to testing, then break, 1st period, then lunch, 2nd period, then another short break, and finally 3rd period. On Tuesday, they will begin the day with testing and then go to 4th, 5th and 6th periods. We will be on the modified schedule for a week and a half. We will continue to alternate periods 1,2,3 one day and 4,5,6 the next. Studies show that kids who are well rested and well fed are more successful. Please make sure that your child gets plenty of sleep and eats a good breakfast every morning. We will supply light snacks for all students. Please send a water bottle with your child each day, preferably a reusable one (they are more environmentally sound, go green!). I will award Otter Bucks to any student who remembers to bring in a water bottle.
Our sixth grade spring social will be held on Friday, May 6. We will need many volunteers to make this event happen. Your child will bring home a flyer this week. Please sign up on our wikispace (should be online sometime this week) if you can help. Thank you in advance for your support.
In math, we are now studying area, perimeter, and circumference. Next week we will begin volume of three dimensional prisms and cylinders. In social studies we are studying Ancient Greece. This unit is an exciting one, which reads like a great adventure story. I think the kids are really enjoying it. Later on, in language arts we will connect our study of Greece and Rome with a unit on mythology.
This quarter, I started a cooking class during the elective period. My undergraduate background is in home economics so teaching this class is a treat for me. As the kids know, I love everything about food and I am happy to share that joy with my students. They are a wonderful group and I am enjoying this class immensely.
With allergy season now in full swing, we are running through our kleenex supply like there is no tomorrow. If you would like to make a donation to our classroom, kleenex tissues would be tops on our list.
Thank you for supporting your child and our class.
Mrs. Shimamoto
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