It was great to see so many parents at Back to School Night. Thank you for coming. Parents are a big part of what makes Rancho a successful school, and I welcome your interest, involvement, and suggestions. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns throughout the school year.

You will find a form in this week's Friday folder concerning the newsletter (online or paper copy). Please return the completed form by Thursday, Sept. 3. You will also find a form for the Houghton Mifflin eMathBook. If you would like to have the math book on DVD-ROM, please return the signed form and I will send the DVD home with your child.

As noted in the Back to School packet, the class will take walking field trips periodically to the creek behind Rancho--to help clean up the creek and to make observations or participate in activities related to the fourth grade science standards. You will find a field trip permission form in this week's Friday folder covering these periodic walking trips. The one field trip permission form will cover the entire year. I will let parents know when we plan to visit the creek throughout the year. You are always welcome to join us on these short treks.

As I mentioned last night, students will be participating in the California Coastal Cleanup effort on Friday, September 18. Students spend about an hour at the end of the day (1:30-2:30 P.M.) cleaning the creek behind Rancho (Arroyo Avichi Creek) and the school campus. Students will document what they find, estimate the weight of the collected trash, and brainstorm ways to keep the environment clean. Students will work with partners (makes documentation easier). I would love to have at least 5 parents join us so that I can break the class into small groups. Please let me know if you can help out. Check out http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/coastweeks/coastweeks.html for a list of special activities throughout the state related to exploring California's coastal resources.

Thank you for returning the parent survey form. Feel free to send it back in the Friday folder on Monday or whenever you complete it. Thanks also for completing and returning the classroom volunteer form. If you are interested in driving for any of the class field trips, please plan to complete and return the District driver authorization forms as soon as possible. It can take up to 2 weeks for the forms to be processed. (You can find the forms online by going to http://do.nusd.org, click on "About NUSD" and then click on "District forms" to find the driver authorization form.)

We have been focused on place value, to the hundred millions place, in math. Students will have their first math test, on the first chapter, next week. They will take a practice test the day before, which they will then be able to take home to help them study for the test. We will begin daily language practice next week (grammar, useage, conventions). Students will take a related test about every 2 weeks based on the daily practice work. In addition, we have begun our study of geography. Ask your child to explain how latitude and longitude are essential to finding the absolute (exact) location of anywhere on Earth. We will finish reading Stone Fox next week, and begin using our reading textbook. Also, we will begin our study of the environment (the first of 3 FOSS science units for 4th grade) next week.

Again, I thank you for all you do for your child and for our school. I look forward to a productive year for all students. Have a great weekend!

Welcome!

Dear Room 11 Families,
Welcome to 4th grade! I hope everyone had a great summer break and is feeling rejuvenated. While it is hard to believe (even for me!), it is once again time to reestablish school routines. It will be a great year--focusing on writing and learning about the great state of California, in addition to the usual math, reading, science, music (learning to play the recorder), and P.E. (2-45 minute P.E. periods each week). We will also participate in a watershed restoration project and, hopefully, raise some trout in the classroom. I look forward to meeting everyone on August 20th!

Useful items you may want to purchase for the school year:

• pencils--you'll need 2 #2 sharpened pencils for your own use each day. Consider getting a mechanical pencil. I recommend a .9mm lead pencil if you press down hard when you write or a .7mm lead pencil if you don't.
• individual pencil sharpener--please do not get a battery-operated sharpener.
• erasers
• glue stick
• markers (there will be markers to share available in class)
• small pencil box
• binder with dividers--a great way to stay organized!

Items I recommend you have available for your use at home:

• wide-ruled binder paper
• pencils, erasers, colored pencils/crayons/markers
• 12" ruler, with both metric and standard measurement scales
• protractor and compass
• dictionary, atlas, and thesaurus
• library card--visit the Novato Public Library regularly!

In an effort to reduce the use of paper, I provide my newsletters online here, at http://rancho4-11.blogspot.com. Once the school year begins, it will also be available by going to the Rancho website, going to the staff directory, and clicking on my name.

Here's to a wonderful year of discovery and learning!