Welcome to a new year!

What a great start to a new year!  I really enjoyed getting to know the kids on this first day of school.  We got a bit of a late start due to the lengthy bus arrival process, but that actually allowed the students who arrived earlier to have more time to get settled before we dove in to start the day’s activities.  Our first stop was the cafeteria to review lunchroom routines with Mr. Giannini, our principal.  Next, we came upstairs and started an activity called Good News (more on that in an upcoming post) before heading back down to the gym for our new Wellness program (replacing Physical Education and Health as separate classes).  Ours was Mrs. LeFevre’s second elementary-level class ever (She’d been a terrific middle school and high school health teacher for many decades before joining us at PGS.) and the class earned a terrific report!  Back upstairs, we were able to sort through some of the supplies before talking more about our classroom routines.  Lunch was at 12:30, and the kids did a great job walking quietly through the hallway without disrupting any classes.  (Now to KEEP that going all year!  That’s the challenge, sometimes.)

Following lunch, the kids went out to recess and then came back upstairs, where we finally finished sorting classroom supplies.  (It’s really hard to get much done until the supplies are properly put away.)  Now that we’ve finished that, we can get to more of the fun stuff!)  At 2:00, we went down to the bell ringing ceremony and then returned upstairs to prepare for homework.  Before we knew it, it was 3:15, and the kids slowly shuffled out for dismissal.  (Hopefully the dismissal process will speed up in the coming days.)  Please remember, if you are picking up your fourth grader, we need a written note that morning.  If you’re going to pick up your child daily or on a set schedule (such as every Monday and Thursday), one note can be sent in for the whole year.

Hopefully your fourth grader came home with some fun stories to share and a smile on their face.  It all gets better from here.  If you have any questions or concerns, you can always email me!

Here are a few photos from the day.  This is based on last year’s list of website restrictions (since I haven’t received an updated list).  If your child should be added to that list, please make sure that you’ve completed that form (electronically, I believe) and email me so I can remove the photo.

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Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss

Getting started!

This afternoon, once we FINALLY finished sorting all the supplies that families generously sent in, we were able to “get to work” for the first time – just in time to copy down the night’s homework!  I hope it isn’t too much for the first night! (The worksheet “The Big Day” will help us with an activity tomorrow.)

Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss

Bell Ringing

We enjoyed starting off the new school year with the traditional bell ringing ceremony in our courtyard.  Our old school bell is sounded each year on the first day by members of each grade.  We were excited to have one of our own students participate as Community Council chairperson this year!  Well done, HR!

Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss