Wow, Halloween...high energy day! Thanks to everyone who helped make our day festive, from the decorations to the yummy treats and fun activities! Children love Halloween!

Thanks to everyone who's let me know about their parent/teacher conference time. If you have not yet replied, or if you need to change your time, please let me know as soon as possible.

As you may have noticed, we have been focusing on algebra in math the last couple of weeks (and will continue to do so for a while). This can be very challenging for students who are still very concrete thinkers. We will continue to practice and discuss strategies so that eventually everyone will be more comfortable. Algebra can be so much fun; I think it is really important not to let children get discouraged. The most important concepts in these units are: 1) what a variable is and how a variable can be used, and 2) how you can use what you know about inverse operations (addition/subtraction, multiplication/division) to help you solve equations. We will continue to work on these concepts throughout the year.

Thanks to everyone who has volunteered to help with our upcoming field trips. If you are willing to help and still have not contacted our field trip coordinator, Pam Allan, or me, please do so as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT CORRECTION FROM LAST WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
In the paragraph about reading and AR goals, I mentioned a monthly goal of 15 points. THAT IS INCORRECT, and I apologize for not catching it (Thanks, Mrs. Dalrymple, for calling it to my attention). The AR goal for each month, beginning with the month of October, is 10 points.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you read something that doesn't make sense or if you have any questions. Thanks!

Enjoy your Halloween weekend! Don't forget to turn back your clocks this weekend. Enjoy that extra hour!