Tuesday September 29, 2009
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This month is a very busy month. Take a look at the October Calendar and you
may see why?
First on Thursday October 8th, we will be taking our first class bike ride on
the College Estates safety course. Students will be instructed and tested on
their hand signals and well as their ability to control their bike. We will
be riding a short distance to the College Estates. Here students will be
riding through an obstacle course showing their ability to stop on a dime;
control a bike through a narrow passage; weave in and out of cones; and
finally a slow race showing control of steering and balance. After everyone
passes the test, we will take a short ride through Remington’s Estates and
then back to school. A signed permission slip is required for your child to
participate. Please look for it in this weeks Tuesday folder, sign and return
it. I will need a few parent helpers to set up the course prior to the riders
arriving. Please let me know if you can help by bringing water or setting up
the course. Also let me know if your child either can’t ride yet or needs to
get a bike. We will try and work something out for them to feel apart of this
event.
On Monday October 12th we will be starting our extended learning days.
Attached to this letter is a note indicating your child’s extended day(s).
These groups are not set in stone. Students may move depending on their
motivation and willingness to learn new skills. Later on in the year we will
be starting a Math “Facts Wise” program designed to help students learn their
multiplication facts in a way that they will have in their memory banks for life.
We have some great parent helpers coming into the classroom and helping your
child in math. Often I will send home the math book with your child to finish
or “Fix” work that they didn’t complete in class. Math papers will have a
correct it or “Fix it” stamp and these need to be corrected as they are key to
your child’s success in math. I sometimes have students stay in at recess to
finish work, but when this is not possible or we run out of time the work
needs to be finished at home. It also lets you know what standards or skills
in math are more difficult for your child.
This month is the month for the Rainforest buffet! This year I am applying
for a grant of $250.00 to be donated to help save an acre of rainforest land.
I will be writing a proposal of this wonderful caring and sharing rainforest
buffet project and submitting it to the Santa Barbara Foundation. Hopefully
we will be awarded this money. Last year we invited four classes K-4th to come
into our tropical rainforest decorated classroom and partake in all the
wonderful foods and products of the rainforest. The “Rainforest Buffet” will
be held Thursday October 22nd from 12:30 until 2:30. To get ready for this
event, this class wants to make Tropical bread and posters asking for $1.00
donations from the classes, grades K-4th, who come to visit as well as adults
so that we can help save our rainforests. We will be getting into rainforest
regional teams in a couple of weeks so your child will be bringing home a list
of tropical items that they can bring and make for our buffet. Please also
remind your child that Monday October 19, is the deadline for their rainforest
report and diorama. We will be sharing them on that day and all week long.
Sometime this month students will partake in another musical adventure. This
time students will be going to the Christian Academy to enjoy playing
orchestra instruments. A date has not been sent as I need to correlate it with
the new third grade teacher at the Christian Academy. Every year the Santa
Barbara Symphony Van sets up a display at the Christian Academy demonstrating
a variety of musical instruments. After the show, students will be allowed to
play or make noise for a few minutes on each kind of orchestral instrument. A
permission slip for this event will be coming home soon.
Finally you may want to start planning your child’s Halloween costume if you
celebrate “All Hallows Eve”. The Charter School teachers want to remind you
that we will not allow weapons of any sort, no masks or blood with the
costume. The School will have an all school parade on Friday October 30th.
We also will be having our class party on that day too. More about times and
details will be coming home this month.
As always if you have any questions you may call, leave a message, or e-mail
me. linda.mayer2@verizon.net. Volleyball season is in full swing with both
the girls A and B teams practicing and having games this month. I am very
busy after school coaching from 3:30 until 6:00 but will be happy to meet or
call you before school or after 6:00 p.m. I also stay up late and I am up at
5:30 a.m. So don’t hesitate to call me late at night or early mornings if you
need to reach me about anything. Your child’s learning is important to me. I
probably should mention that we recently bought a new home in Santa Maria and
are in the process of moving. Right now my husband and I are spending our
weekends putting in new light fixtures, wood flooring, paint, bathroom
cabinets and much needed gardening and landscaping. It is a bit overwhelming
as I cater in the Santa Ynez Valley on some weekends too. But, we are enjoying
starting over on this new fresh pallet of a home. I will miss the old one,
but Conoco Philips bought us out as they found contaminated soil from oil
wells in the 1930’ and 1940’s underneath our garage and possibly our home. It
may have to be torn down. We have until end of November to move.
Thanks for all your great help in the classroom. You are a wonderful group of
parents.
Sincerely,
Linda Mayer
