Thursday, the Big Spin and MIX & MATCH DAY

Howdy all, and thanks for checking in. We were fortunate enough to have Captain Gilbert from the Aptos / La Selva fire department visit the fourth grade today. The kids got some great safety information that will follow them home on Monday in their Blue Folders. In the meantime, make sure that you have changed the batteries in your fire detectors within the past six months.

Tomorrow is a spirit day at Rio. It's a mix and match day, which apparently means the kids are supposed to be as fashionably uncoordinated as possible.

Tomorrow is also the student achievement and recognition assembly. We'll be honoring students that have demonstrated academic and personal excellence. From our awesome classroom, we'll be honoring Joshua Mitchener and Megan Eldredge for their outstanding efforts with reading / literature, and Sachi Land and Trevor Foley for their embodiment of the school's motto of "kind hearts and open minds".

Tonight, the kids are responsible for the following:

- reading log
- math 19.4
- study spelling words
- complete "What Do You Know" in the By the Great Horn Spoon packet (page 11)

Respectfully, Mr. Bryant

Wednesday and beyond

Howdy all, and thanks for checking in.
The math odds were in our favor today, and the kids really seem to be grasping the connection between relating decimals to fractions, and vice versa. Hopefully this trend continues, as we will be exploring the two areas of math heavily as the year winds down.
We are just venturing into the Gold Rush, and the kids already have gold fever. Apparently several of them are coordinating efforts to get up to the gold country ASAP!
Tomorrow we are fortunate enough to have a local fire fighter visit us to go over issues of fire safety and prevention.

Tonight, the kids are responsible for the following:

- reading log
- math 19.3
- practice spelling words for Friday

Respectfully, Mr. Bryant

Tuesday

Howdy all, and thanks for checking in. For this short day, I have only a short message.

The kids are responsible for the following tonight:

- reading log
- nature log entry
- math 19.2
- reading practice book pages 327 - 328
- if necessary, complete descriptive sentences for your alter ego.

Respectfully, Mr. Bryant

Monday

Howdy all, and thanks for checking in. Now that the report card fallout has subsided, we are full steam ahead with our final trimester together. We are beginning our exploration of the Gold Rush tomorrow. We'll begin reading By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman, and then get into a very fun Gold Rush mining simulation next week. We will be wrapping up our work with land biomes this week. We have just two left to look at and work through. With that, the kids will have a full week to complete their biome packets and study for their closed-book exam on Friday, March 26. We'll have an ample amount of time to write this grading period, and Tuesday brings a unique subject matter for the kids to engage with. Ideally, we'd like to turn the efforts into books for the May 1st Book Faire @ the Capitola Mall. We'll see how things go.

For tonight, the kids are responsible for the following:

- reading log
- math 19.1
- reading practice book pages 331 - 332

Respectfully, Mr. Bryant

Thursday & Friday, and ....duh, duh, duh.....REPORT CARDS!!!!

Howdy all, and thanks for checking in. We had a few minutes to experiment with Photobooth in the computer lab this afternoon. Please indulge in our excess.

We'll the report cards went home in their greedy, nervous little hands. Again, please take some time over the next day or so to have conversation with your child about his or her successes and areas for improvement. Also, it would wonderful to get the signed report card envelopes back in a timely manner.

The kids are responsible for the following tonight:

- reading log
- reading practice book page 319
- study for tomorrow's spelling quiz
- math has two pieces tonight; the kids needs to finish the chapter 18 pretest that went home yesterday. When that pretest is completed, they have the option of completing textbook page 408 (problems 1-20) for extra credit / test prep.

Respectfully, Mr. Bryant

Wednesday

Howdy all, and thanks for checking in. Just a quick note regarding homework. The kids are responsible for the following tonight:

- reading log
- reading practice book page 321
- complete math problem o' the week
- math 18.4
- I am sending home the math practice exam for Friday so the kids can spend time with it in preparing for their quiz. It is not due until Friday.
- remember to bring library books Thursday!

Respectfully, Mr. Bryant

Tuesday & the report card roller coaster

Howdy all, and thanks for checking in. I want to remind folks that I will be out on Friday with the district Math Department. Mrs. Abelar will be in my place. As I will not be here on that date, I will instead be distributing report cards on Thursday afternoon as the kids leave for the day.
I would like to take a moment to prepare folks as to what they should expect. Firstly, the second trimester is often a difficult one, especially with the lengthy winter break. The work load increases, and the kids need to stay abreast of numerous projects as they juggle their schedule. As such, grades during the second trimester are generally, but not always, less stellar than the first trimester. I look at the year as a roller coaster; we amp up as the year begins. We establish routines, norms and expectations. As the second trimester begins, we are in that freefall after the coaster reaches its initial climb. The kids just hang on and hope to make it through the twists, turns and loops. There are lots of them, and they can be scary and frustrating! The third trimester is the reward; they have made it through with varying degrees of success. Some are terrified to get back on the ride, but others are thrilled to get back into that seat as soon as possible. These last 12 weeks of school will fly by, but during that time that kids will appreciate the ride (if they don't already). The third report card generally reflects their best efforts.
This report card will give everyone the opportunity to reflect on their successes and areas for improvement. The comments I include are honest and never sugar-coated, but extremely mindful of the age group they are reaching. My expectations are high, both academically and personally, and the kids know this. Please take time on Thursday evening to sit with your child and review their report cards. Please applaud their successes, but be fair in discussing how they might improve themselves as we prepare to buckle in for the last part of the ride.

Tonight, the kids are responsible for the following:

- math 18.3
- nature log entry
- reading practice book pages 312 & 313
- reading log

Respectfully, Mr. Bryant