First week - DONE!

August 30, 2017

Dear Families,

We survived the first day and, by all accounts, it was successful and fun! We will have an official UES Open House in a few weeks (September 28) so families can explore classroom learning and become more familiar with fourth grade curriculum.
This is an informational note full of tips and useful info to help you as you start the year. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need anything.

Arrival - 4th grade students convene on the upper playground in the morning. They can arrive anytime between 8:00-8:15. Unless your child is having breakfast or has previously planned lessons, students stay outside until I come out to meet them at 8:15. Please plan to bid your child farewell either outside or in the main office (if s/he is tardy) rather than in the classroom  - it helps immensely with transition.

Dismissal - Bus riders and car pick up students get dismissed at 2:45. Walkers will be dismissed at 2:50. I typically end the day outside on the upper playground with my kids (we can hear announcements out there), it makes dismissal much less chaotic.

Home/School Folder - Your 4th grader will come home with a YELLOW folder which will serve as the communication folder for notes back and forth. I seldom have time to check my classroom (225-8243) messages during the day but I do check my email (melissap@mpsvt.org) at lunch time. For any important or time sensitive messages, plan to call the main office (225-8205) and Pam/Diana will relay messages to me or your child. I do almost all communication via email (and class blog - uespierce.blogspot.com) so please be sure I have any email addresses you want included on my list.

ECO (Educating Children Outdoors) - We are lucky enough to have my friend, NBNC naturalist Ken Benton, as our ECO teacher this year. We will begin in September and will be going out on some Fridays to either Hubbard Park, Harrison Field or Sabin’s Pasture. We will also have a full day of service work at Hubbard Park, a full day session at NBNC and our last ECO of the year will be in my wooded backyard trails! The ECO schedule will be sent home next week in paper copy as well as electronically.

Snack - We will have a scheduled snack and recess each morning at 10:00. You can choose to send a snack with your child or order one from the school snack program, which will begin in a few weeks. Since we have such a late lunch, I would suggest a hearty morning snack (recess-friendly choices like cheese, fruit, hard boiled eggs, nuts) for your kiddo to sustain energy all day.

Lunch - Our scheduled recess/lunch is from 12:45-1:30 daily. Again, you can pack a lunch from home or your child can buy a school lunch. I don’t photocopy lunch menus (to save paper) but there is always one posted in the classroom and it is also on the school website and on our class blog.

Daily Schedule - Look for your child’s daily schedule in the yellow folder. Please remind him/her to have sneakers for PE days and library books for library day.

Monday  - PE with MJ
Tuesday - PE with MJ
Wednesday -  Music with Ms. Funk
Thursday - Art with Mrs. Kane
Friday - Tech/Library with Mr. Jarrad or Mrs. Frey

Every other Thursday - Guidance with Mrs. Francke


Supplies - Your child doesn’t need to bring any school supplies, I will provide everything. If you want to donate supplies for everyone to use - we can always use more tape, glue, construction paper, etc. I will also send occasional seasonal wish lists. Thank you!

Change of Clothes - I believe strongly in outdoor play time EVERY DAY - rain, shine, ice, snow. Developing brains need natural light/oxygen and developing bodies need movement. I don’t require kids to stay clean outside so a change of clothes and shoes (in a labelled bag) left here at school is a wise idea. Please be sure your child is dressed for the weather. Some kids choose to leave a pair of indoor shoes (like slippers, moccasins or crocs)  here for the whole year so our classroom floors stay clean and the students’ feet stay comfortable.

Homework - Your 4th grader should be reading every night. There will be occasional Math homework to practice a new skill. There are a few long term projects that will need to be worked on at home. However, daily homework will only consist of important work that your child did not complete during the school day. There will never be weekend homework. The time outside of school should be spent playing and working outside, practicing sports, spending fun time with family and friends, reading together, and getting adequate sleep.

Monthly Birthday Breakfasts - See attached

Our class - We have a terrific group of 19 kids. I have attached the class list for your reference.

Again, be in touch with any questions or concerns. Thank you!
Melissa