Hi Families,

This will be a quick blog post since so much of our week was taken up by SBAC testing. The students really impressed me with their stamina and perseverance on our testing days! They worked super hard and no one was in a rush to finish.  I have no idea if their answers were correct or not, but I am proud of them for trying their best!

During the times that we haven't been testing, we have been trying to get outside and play. I have given a lot of reminders about healthy competition and how winning is not as important as having a good time and staying kind. I think the emotions are running pretty high right now!

Today Gregg Martin from BRMS (Guidance Counselor) came to JES to talk to the 4th graders about the school, the teams, the clubs, etc.  I think they are all pumped (AND nervous!)

We also started a new math unit this week -- does that seem crazy? This unit is all about data and ways to represent it, and it is a fun and stress-free unit. We won't do much of it next week since we will be having the math SBAC tests, but we will get back to it a little bit here and there over the next few weeks.

The next few weeks are a little crazy! Here are some important dates for you to remember:

T, W, and Th next week: SBAC testing

F May 20: 4th grade track meet at MMU

W May 25: Final Camp Swampy trip

F May 27: Move Up Day at BRMS

T June 9: 4th Grade Celebration at MRP

Please feel free to email me with any questions about any of the above. It's a busy time!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay cool!

 Hello and happy Friday! There is a lot of important information in here, so I will try my best to be brief.

The week has seen a lot of reviewing and preparing for our SBAC testing. We did a few practice SBAC tests, mostly so the students could get used to the format, to logging in and out, and to see what kinds of questions they should expect. I told the class how I feel about SBAC testing: It is a snapshot of a moment in time, and honestly says more about me as a teacher than it does about them as human beings. Of course it is important to do your best, but getting nervous about it is not necessary! It is only a survey of how 4th graders are doing across the country, and is not a reflection of their intelligence or worth. I hope you will give the same message. We start on Monday!

Thank you to those of you who have signed up for (and approved your children to attend) our final Camp Swampy trip. Here is the document for you to complete to sign up to volunteer and to grant permission to your child to attend.  If you plan to chaperone, please complete this form and read this document as soon as possible so you can be approved and get on our list!  In other Camp Swampy news, I have gotten approval for us to have a fire and make S'Mores while we are there. I would love some volunteers to send in ingredients for these, and also someone to send in juice and cups. If you can help with either of these, please let me know. If your child can't have S'Mores for any reason, also please let me know and we will find an alternative that works. I am looking forward to it being a fun-filled day! I hope we have nice weather because we don't currently have a rain date. Stay tuned!

As you may have heard from the JES office, we are making yard signs for each 4th grader. The signs will have their photo, their first name (only) and the JES logo on them. We would like to place these in front of the school facing Route 15. Please complete this form to let us know if it is okay to display your child's yard sign. If not, we will display it inside the school building. All yard signs will be displayed at our 4th grade celebration at Mills Riverside Park, and you will be asked to take them home with  you on that day.

Finally, this is that time of year when I start noticing how many books are missing from my shelves... I feel like I'm not doing my job if I don't lose at least a few each year, AND I would love to get the majority of them back! If you see books around your house that belong to my classroom or the JES library, please try to get those sent back. I appreciate it!

I hope to see you all at the Green Up Day breakfast tomorrow!