Gold Dust or Bust: "Thank you!" to all the parents who were able to come to the play yesterday. The students loved having an audience! I was proud of their performance--their hard work and enthusiasm really showed! And, "Thanks!" to Abby for bringing all those mustaches. The students were very happy to feast on all the delicious food families so generously contributed--a great way to celebrate a wonderful performance. I also want to thank the parents who were able to stay and help serve the food, as well as my last minute technical assistant (music), Mrs. Obukhov. It was a wonderful day.

Classroom Books: I would love it if everyone would look at home for any books your child may have brought home that belong in my classroom library. I would really appreciate having them all back by Tuesday of next week Thanks.

Parent Science Survey: As I have mentioned previously, NUSD has been working with BaySci on a very generous grant related to science education in elementary schools. As part of the grant, parents are being asked to complete a short parent survey. The survey is in this week's Friday folder. We would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to fill the survey out and return it to school by Monday or Tuesday of next week.

Science Test: Yes, it is true. Students have been studying magnetism and electricity, and they will take the test on Wed., June 9. The test will cover magnetic poles and magnetic fields and how they interact with each other, circuits (open, closed; series and parallel), and electromagnets. Here's the good news: no tests on the last day of school!

Last day celebration: All the 4th grade classes will be having a joint end-of-the-year ice cream sundae celebration on the last day of school. Everyone is welcome. Please contact Amy Sullivan or Kristin Van Weele if you'd like to contribute something.

Summer: I suspect we are all looking forward to summer, but I encourage everyone to continue the good habits practiced during the school year. Please help your child continue reading on a regular basis. Summer is a great time for book clubs for kids (having someone to talk to about what you are both reading enhances comprehension and is usually fun, especially when accompanied by food). In addition, it is great to find ways to help them use what they have learned--estimating, measurement, fractions, money, etc. And don't forget, you have a fabulous tool available all summer long, Study Island (http://www.studyisland.com). Your child knows their username and password. This is available to all Rancho students for their use at home, paid for by the Rancho PTA. Not only is Study Island a great learning and review tool, it is fun! My parting thought on this subject: it really is true that practice is important!

Have a great weekend!