Christmas for Critters 2009!

A big "thank you" to everyone for showing some love for the animals and making this years collection so fantastic. With the change in the economy this past year, it was great to see that generosity is still alive and well.

Also, a huge "thank you" to everyone for the cards and gifts. They are truly appreciated. While gifts may be unnecessary, it is always nice to be thought of around the holidays, so thank you again. My sweet tooth definitely thanks you as well!

Please have a very safe and happy holiday. Enjoy your time with loved ones and friends alike. Make the most of your time together and remember to be thankful!

See you next year,

Mr. Fletcher

Twenty Questions for Hassan Basagic

Through Hassan's webpage and online photo albums, the kids have come up with some great questions for Hassan about his work and life experiences (there were actually about a hundred questions, but we narrowed them down to twenty)!

We are hopeful that if Hassan comes back to this area for a vist, he will be able to stop in for a visit and share some information about his work and travels with us in person!

Thank you Hassan!


1. How did you become a scientist?

2. What college did you go to?

3. How do you "measure" a glacier?

Antarctica Questions:

4. How long does it take you to get to Antarctica from where you live?

5. Have you ever seen any penguins there?

6. What is the coldest it has ever been while you were there?

7. Do you have to sleep in your jacket and snowpants?

8. Do you drive any vehicles there?

9. Were you nervous the first time you went to Antarctica?

10. How many times have you gone?

11. How much stuff are you allowed to bring with you?

Mount Kilimanjaro Questions:

12. How long did it take for you to reach the top?

13. How many people did you go with?

14. What kinds of animals did you see?

15. Was it hard to breathe at the top?

16. How cold was it at the top?

Kite Questions:

17. How do you take pictures with the camera on the kite?

18. Is your kite hard to fly?

19. How high can the kite fly?

And finally....

20. What is your favorite place you have ever been?

Good Luck Michelle! We'll Miss You!!

Today is Michelle's last day....for a little while. The classroom definitely won't be the same without her! We wish her all the best and anxiously await her return in the spring! Good Luck to you Michelle....hopefully your new teacher will teach you two digit times two digit multiplication....I'm glad I won't have to! (just kidding)

With a sad face,

Mr. Fletcher

Wants vs. Wishes

Since it is the holiday season I'll pose this question to you:

If you could have one thing for Christmas or Hanukkah this year, what would it be?

It could be something you wish for, or something you simply want. You decide. Just be sure to give us all your reasons or explanation for your choice.

I can't wait to read your posts!

Be creative,
Mr. Fletcher

Have a "GREEN" Christmas!

I came across this while reading a blog that I subscribe to. With all the attention our class has been giving to protecting the planet and environmental issues, I thought it was something worth sharing with all of you. Enjoy!

Mr. Fletcher



This year, I encourage you to spend as little money as possible while giving more than you ever gave! Don’t panic, here are some ideas to jumpstart your great big generous brain.

1. The best present is your presence! Be a helper – Spend time with loved ones. Maybe commit yourself to cleaning out their junk drawers. Assist someone in proper waste management. Such as, recycle their old cell phones and unwanted electronics to ensure it doesn’t hit the landfill. The good people at Electronic Recyclers can help make this easy. The green goal is to reduce your addiction to clutter. Ban the Phonebook for example. Unless your 80, I doubt there’s a need for a new one every season.

1.a – Help Mom and Dad, your teachers or boss to improve efficiency by living and thinker greener. Spend time demonstrating how easy it is to set up recycling in the home or office. Establish a community water source that eliminates the use of buying water bottles. Make sure Mom and Grandma are fully committed to using reusable canvas bags when shopping for anything. Have your home computer and company switch to eco friendly font! This is a font we use on tour. It’s clever “holy” design allows for printer cartridges to last 20% longer. Check it out here:
http://www.ecofont.eu/ecofont_en.html

2. Shop from your friends! In every community there are people who make things that could use the boost this season. In my community, I have a friend who bakes, a friend who manufactures hula-hoops, a friend who makes custom guitar straps and bags, a friend who makes musical instruments, a team who serves gratitude, and a sister who works for American Heart Association. Whether I’m sharing crafts or donating time and treasure in the spirit of giving, you are going above and beyond.

3. Re-Gift. A little spit shine on an old item, something you no longer relish, could be of great service to someone else. By re-gifting you’re contributing to the easing up of unnecessary material clutter. Welcome to a new decade that will best be defined by our doing more with less.Thank you for considering the creative alternatives this year. Your credit card thanks you too. So do the kids you may not have had yet. And all the yummy fish in the sea. etc.-J

Try This Fun Activity!

Hi Everyone!

Dora's mom was kind enough to share this project that she and Dora did together. It is a really fun way to add some personal touches to flowers.


From Dora's mom, Hara:

There is this great science experiment that the kids might like.

Materials:
White carnation flowers
Food coloring
cups or glasses

Mix food coloring (blue) or any color and a little bit of water in a cup or glass
Take the white carnation flower and put the stem in the cup or glass of food coloring
Color will start to show in 20-30min but let it sit for about 1hr.or more to get a richer color.

Result the white carnation top will turn blue.

To get real creative, you can take the stem and split it half way up the stem. Take one part of the stem and put it in a cup of blue color and take the other stem and put it in a cup of red color. The result: Half the carnation flower will turn blue and half will turn red. It is so cool!! I have even split it three ways and it worked with three colors.

You can also do this with celery stalk and the students can see how the dye goes up the tube!


Give it a try! You could make some beautiful flower center pieces for your holiday celebrations.

The Best Cure for Stress....A Holiday Concert!

Unfortunately I had to dash out of the concert to pick up my boys so I didn't get the chance to tell all of you how proud I am of the AWESOME job you did in the concert tonight. You were absolutely fantastic. You looked good, you sounded good, and most of all you were good (behaved)! I will admit that I was a little nervous at the dress rehearsal this morning....I was expecting a disaster set to music tonight! But, as usual, you pulled together and pulled through when it mattered the most! Much like you do in the classroom. That is something that I am trying to keep in mind and remember. While the voyage can sometimes be bumpy...it is usually terrific when we finally get there. Once again, great job tonight. Be extremely proud of yourselves, you deserve to be. I'm sure your families join me in congratulating you on a job very well done! I can't wait until the Spring concert!

Special thanks to Mrs. Haines for giving me the pictures to post!

Happy Holidays,

Mr. Fletcher

Has It Really Been a Month?

That is the question I was forced to ask myself as I sat down to share some thoughts with all of you. Unfortunately the answer is "yes" and I am faced with the realization that in the past month I have become one of those people who gets so busy and frantic that they never take the time to enjoy the simple things around them. I made a promise to myself years ago to never become that person......ouch! I guess its time to keep promises and start working harder to not work so hard that I become a lunatic! Ask the students...they can probably vouch for the lunatic part. So with that said and my world back in check, let's get caught up on some things!

1. Student Led Conferences
I must start here because I was absolutely thrilled with the turn out and how the conferences ran. I owe a big thank you to everyone who was able to bring their child with them and were willing to try something new. While the conferences had their bumps and awkwardness at times, I think overall the experience was one that the students truly benefited from. I totally enjoyed seeing the interactions between parents and their children and loved the fact that I was able to celebrate their success and make suggestions for improvements with the students sitting right there to hear it first hand. Hopefully this will start a trend for us in fourth grade and now that the "mystery" part of the process is over, everyone will be less nervous the next time...myself included! Can we do it again for the next round of conferences?

2. Thanksgiving
One of the reasons I found myself getting behind and overwhelmed lately is all the changes in my family's personal lives that have recently taken place. To begin, my parents retired back in the spring and have begun fulfilling their lifetime dream of traveling around the country. They sold my childhood home, purchased a new truck and fifth wheel and hit the road! I have to say they are loving every minute of it, but it has forced me to realize how different things will be for my family for the years to come. This was the first Thanksgiving with my parents being away and while I usually hate the chaos of trying to visit two families and eat two dinners, Thanksgiving didn't really feel the same. Don't misunderstand me. I talk to my parents every single day and if my computer connection at my house wasn't so slow we would Skype each other more often, but it is not the same as seeing them in person. Especially when you have two young children. And not to say it is easy for my parents either. But, alas, it forces you to evaluate things in a new way....and unfortunately for me, to grow up some as well.

Some of you know already that my mother in law has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has begun treatments recently. This meant for the first time, she was unable to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I was thrilled and honored when she asked me if I would fill in for her and do the cooking. Thanks to my awesome sister-in-law we pulled it off. And, while it was delicious, again, it still wasn't the same. My wife and her mother are extremely close and it hasn't been easy for my wife with how far away we live from our families.

While it may seem like I am dumping a lot of personal stuff on you (I am) it is for a couple of reasons:
1. I truly believe that I won't ever get to know my students and their families until they get to know me. This includes life outside of the classroom. I always tell the kids to take a second and think about what may be going on outside of school before they judge someone. Hopefully they have done this for me when I've been a little snappy from time to time.

2. Take time to appreciate your family and let them know how important they are to you. Make your time together special and meaningful.

I am making an early New Year's Resolution to get back to posting at least once a week. Even if I don't have anything to say....which rarely happens!

Thanks for letting me vent....now I can go back to breathing and get back on track!

Don't ever let your mind stop you from having a good time,


Mr. Fletcher

Our Trip to the Longhouse!

On Friday, October 30, 2009 we visited the SUNY Oneonta Field Campus to spend the day learning about Iroquois Native Americans in a longhouse. While it was a little smoky at times inside the longhouse, the kids powered through and had a great time. Hey Team -- what did you think of this trip? Share your comments!

HA!

Mr. Fletcher

Our Trip to Sugar Maples!

We had such an AMAZING day at Sugar Maples. We owe a huge "Thank You" to Miss Rita and her students for everything they did to make this a fantastic and memorable experience for us.

We will be studying a unit on protecting the environment and we couldn't have asked for a better way to kick it off! Today's trip to Sugar Maples was part of our "Bring Your Own Bag" campaign to reduce the number of plastic and paper bags we use when shopping....and inspire others to do so as well. The kids did a beautiful job designing and then painting their reusable canvas bags. The messages and designs the kids put on their bags are inspiring and it is great to see their excitement about being an active part in protecting the world we live in. I couldn't have been happier or prouder of the kids and the behavior they displayed today. Well done Team!

Here's something for you to comment on: Did you have a good time at Sugar Maples? Tell us all about it! Also, please explain what you plan to do with your awesome new bag. How do you see yourself or your family using your bag?

Thankful....and it's not even Thanksgiving

Over the weekend, I continued down the road to recovery and tried my best to leave this cold behind me. I also spent some time curled up on my couch while the boys napped to do some planning for future lessons and activities. As I was going through some stuff, I came across a writing prompt I usually give around Thanksgiving time, and then I started thinking of all the things I am thankful for right at this moment and all year long. Why do we tend to only think of what we're thankful for around Thanksgiving? Why not all the time? Could you imagine? As I mulled over these questions and what the possibilites of a world where we showed the kind of thanks that we do around Thanksgiving, all year round would be like! So with that in mind, here are some things that I am thankful for as of late...in no random order.



1. My class this year and their families.

As I hurriedly put together the permission slip this afternoon for our trip to Sugar Maples andThomas Locker's studio, I realized how lucky I was to have the students and families that I do, who although short notice, embrace and support the eduational opportunites available to their children. I'm not sure with any other group that I would be able to get a field trip off the ground in a day, so thank you for being you, and most importantly for being supportive and encouraging! (and understanding when I miss a typo in a permission slip)



2. Where we live.

Thinking about our upcoming field trips made me also think about how lucky we are to live where we do. There are so many fantastic places, people, and opportunities all around our school and we are so lucky to be able to take advantage of them. As I work on my certification for the National Board, I am constantly reminded of how important the community is to the success of the school. As someone who is not originally from our area, the support of the community in encouraging the success of my students has been amazing. Thank you Hunter and surrounding towns for making me feel welcome and helping me to give my students as many opportunities as possible.



3. Dogs

Mine especially, but all dogs in particular. I always seem to smile when I see one. I'm not dissing cats for all you cat lovers out there. My cats make me just as happy....when my dogs are not around!



4. Technology...most of the time.

I'm thankful to have this format to share work and thoughts with all of you. It's nice to have this space where I can catch people up or explain my thinking on any wacky idea I may come up with. This gives you the opportunity to back me up and reassure me or let me know that I am indeed out of my mind if something isn't going to work.

5. The compassion of my students.

While I was under the weather, one of the things that made it a little easier was knowing that my students would do fine without me. I was thrilled, and more importantly, proud, to see all the great comments that the substitutes left for me. In addition, while I was at school, to have kids wishing me well, completely on their own and out of the goodness of their hearts was some of the best medicine. It doesn't hurt my ego either when I say I have to leave and my students genuinely look sad instead of relieved or excited. So to my class...thank you for being the awesome group that you are!

I could keep going on and on with the things I am thankful for, but this is supposed to be a space for all of us. Take a minute or two and think about everything going on in your life. Now, I'll pose the question to you.....What are YOU thankful for?

I can't wait to read your comments.....which I am also thanful for!

With many thanks,

Mr. Fletcher

Open House...A Great Turnout!

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to open house. I was feeling a bit under the weather that night, but seeing all the families that came out to support the school and our class was fantastic. We had sixteen out of 19 families represented at open house. That is phenomenal! The massive showing of support is something that I am truly thankful for. It seems hard to believe but October is upon us already and as I reflect on that I can't believe how fast time has gone. It seems like the first day of school was yesterday. With that said, I must complement the kids on how smoothly they are making the days go. Believe me... this is not an easy thing. With a lot of bodies, not a lot of room, and a picky, anal-retentive teacher, the kids have affirmed that this year is going to be as awesome as I had hoped. Congratulations team!! Despite what may seem like my constant nagging...you are all doing a fantastic job and I'm very proud of all that you have accomplished so far. Keep up the great work!

Kudos,
Mr. Fletcher

Changes when Commenting... Please Read!

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to make everone aware of a couple of things that I have changed with our class blog. I have changed the comment settings on the blog so that any comments you make are sent to my email address first and then will be posted after I have read them. I have done this for two reasons:

1. Safety. By submitting comments this way, I am able to monitor the blog and make sure everything being posted is appropriate for the site and the students to view.

2. If I know when you have commented, I can then respond to your comments if needed. As the number of posts grows, it is hard for me to keep track of who is commenting on which posts. With the comments going to my email first, I can be sure to comment in return if needed regarding a post from past months.

Thanks for your help and understanding. Keep commenting and be sure to check out the awesome pieces that the kids wrote about peace. Don't forget Open House is on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. I hope to see you there.

Best Wishes...
Mr. Fletcher

Celebrate Peace

To celebrate the International Day of Peace, students wrote reflective pieces about what they think about when thinking of peace. Here are the ones who wanted to share theirs. Enjoy!

When I think about peace, I think about being alone and having fun watching t.v.. I like to play video games with my brother. Peace means being alone when I'm mad. I like to be alone all the time every day except for when I'm in school. When I get out of school, I go inside of my house and I do the rest of my homework if I have any. When I don't have homework I play video games. I don't like to be played with when I get home from school. My two friends named Caleb and Adler always want to play with me all day every day.

by Daniel


When I think about peace I think about butterflies, peace signs, friends, waterfalls, and flowers. Why? Because these things I see, I hear, and think of. Like butterflies on a sunny day. When I think of peace signs it looks like my folder. When I think of friends, they are playing on the playground. When I see waterfalls in my head they look rocky around them like the Five Cabins in Hudson Falls. Flowers are all around my head. I love peace in everyway. Peace!

by Molly


When I think about peace, I think about animals being unharmed. I think about a baby deer being born, a horse learning to run. I think about baby animals learning to do something it couldn't do before. Whey my grandma's dog learned to play I thought of peace. He learned something new. When he learned not to scratch when he wanted to be pet, I thought of peace. Whenever I see a person trying something new I go out of my mind and think crazy about peace. When I learned to read, I thought of the most fantastic word..peace.

by Leana



When I think about peace, I think about when my family comes over for Christmas or Thanksgiving and spends time with each other and laughs. I also think about peace when I go over to my baby cousin and when she smiles or laughs with me. I love to see my whole family smile or have fun and laugh alot. I have peace when my cat comes and sits on my lap or lays with me on my bed or makes a cute face. I had peace when my dog came over and put his head on my lap and also made a cute face when he looked up at me. When I have fun and laugh I have peace.

by Rachelle


When I think about peace, I think about the anniversary of 9/11. For all of the thousands of souls that were lost that day. The sorrows that were felt that morning, but thanks to the people for risking their lives trying to save them. Some have survived, but most have died. It was a horrible thing that happened September 11. No one will ever forget that day.

by Kaylyn


When I think about peace I think about when I look at my flag at my house. When I think of peace it is when I hear birds outside my house. When I think of peace, I think of doves because doves are so peaceful. When I think of peace I think of my family because they take care of me. I love peace.

by Ellie


When I think about peace I think about babies sleeping. There is alot more to name like when in you're in school and it's silent reading time. Everybody gets really quiet. These are some things I really think are peaceful things. When you see a dove think of peace. Plus, peace is a very nice thing.

by Olivia



When I think of peace I think of my dog Cocoa. She is the best dog in the whole wide world. She loves to play. She always rolls on the floor. She gets happy when I give her a bath and when I brush her. She is the happiest dog ever.

by Nicholas


When I think of peace I think about a quiet and calm place. When I see my two dogs playing and when one dog sleeps on top of the other that makes me peaceful. Even when I walk with my dogs, just the sights I see are amazing. When I get my homework back and I see that I got a 100, that makes me so relieved. Everymorning I sit outside and hear the birds chirping on a sunny day. That makes me peaceful. When my family from Florida comes up for Thanksgiving and when I held my baby cousin is peaceful. Plus, one year we went down to their house and I was sad and the smile on her face warmed my day and I felt happy again. Wow! I neve realized how many peaceful things there are in the world. Peace!

by Dora


When I think about peace I think about when I don't talk it makes my face special. Peace is quiet to me. It makes me calm down. It helps me concentrate on my work. It brings me joy. It helps me read things. It brings me peace where I go. When my cat and dog died I was crying. I still cry when I think of them. When I go in my room it is quiet so I do my homework there and watch t.v..

by Griffin


When I think about peace, I think about nature. Nature to me is bluebirds singing and flowers blooming. But, when I hear the word "peace," I am in a quiet, peaceful place. Peace to me is love, hope, and generosity. If I have a peaceful mind and a concentrated mind I feel very peaceful in my whole body.

by Skylar



When I think about peace I think about my friends because they make me happy and also if I don't make friends then I will be bored and I will have no one to talk to. I would be really sad and have a frown on my face everyday. But I have lots of friends and that's why I always have a smile on my face everyday. My friends bring me peace. But the person that's mostly peaceful to me is my best friend Skylar. Skylar always brings me peace and this is what I think of when I think of peace.

by Winnie


When I think about peace I think about sitting at a bonfire, eating some roasted hot dogs, listening to the crickets chirping and the fire crackling. I get calm when it's peaceful and I get tired when it's peaceful. I think about going fishing with my dad. Listening to the frogs croaking, the fish jumping out of the water (at a pond). It is quiet and peaceful at the pond I usually go to. I think of peace when I spend holidays with my family. Peaceis about love and friendship. I am very happy that we live in a peaceful world.

by Jared



When I think about peace I think about seeing my grandma again because she passed away and I never got to see her again. I really miss her a lot. She meant a lot to me. I think I got the ball from the Wizards because I thought a lot about her. I really want to see her one more time. I really love her. She was the best grandma. When I went to her funeral I was crying because I didn't want her to pass away because she meant a lot to me.

by Richard



When I think about peace I think about when I get to see my grandparents all the way in the Czech Republic. I think that because the family is together. We only get to see them one month in the summer every year. All of us have fun seeing my friends and catching crickets in the field behind my grandmother's house. That's what peace means to me.

by Michelle


When I think about peace I think about my calm, peaceful dog Meika who was had died because she was very sick. I also think about my dead hamster Buddy who was very playful. Also I think about libraries. A dove makes me happy because they are nice and friendly to humans.

by Eric

Where did the green go?

Driving home today I was struck by the beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges all around me and I immediately wondered...when did this happen? I swear the trees weren't these colors when I drove into school this morning! What happened to the green?

We are off to a great start in the class. Having one large group has been all that I had hoped it would be and more. The kids have been working extremely hard to get used to our routine and meet classroom expectations. Thank you to all of you who have stopped by to read these posts and make comments. I truly believe that once I am able to get the kids on and interacting with this, we will have some pretty amazing things to share and comment on. The kids' eagerness for this whole blog thing and some of the other ideas I have come up with and shared with them so far has truly been inspiring.

Enjoy the colors,

Mr. Fletcher

My New Favorite Thing!

I recently discovered this AMAZING website through a blog that I subscribe to. My creative wheels are spinning. Especially since we study time this year in math. Here's the description posted from the blog I found out about this site from:

"If you love photography, synchronicity, and celebrating humanity, then you should check out the human clock. Every 60 seconds, a different image is displayed that somehow tells the time. There are plenty of obvious pictures with people holding the sign of the time giving a shout out to their hometown or favorite band, but Human Clock also has many colorful pictures that fall into the charming category of awesome coincidences. Check it out! They offer a tidy little desktop window so you can watch the pictures change throughout the day."

http://www.humanclock.com


Maybe we'll be seeing some familiar faces on the Human Clock once our unit on time rolls around!

Feeling Inspired,

Mr. Fletcher

You want answers????

Each year I give the kids a sheet on the first day of school where they get to reflect on the day. Part of that assignment asks the kids to think of some questions they would like to ask me. I usually collect the papers and read the questions and answer them on the spot in front of the class. However, since we have this awesome blog going now.....I'll be answering the questions from this year's crop here. In no random order.......

What is your age?
By far the most popular question. I'm 25. That is how old I feel so that is what I am going with. All you need to know is that I am significantly younger than Mrs. Lafferty.

Okay....I'm 33, but I try not to act it.

When is your birthday?

January 2. Every year. Mark your calendars.

Do you like being a teacher?

No. I LOVE being a teacher. I can honestly say that I have chosen the right path for me and never regret going into this profession or wish I was doing something else.

How long have you been a teacher?

Nine years.....my very first class in 2001 are seniors this year! OMG!!

Are you married yet?

I'm not sure what the "yet" part means...but yes I am married and have been since 2003. I think.

What is your favorite food?

This is a tough question since I have so many foods that I enjoy, but if I had to choose one I would say chicken Parmesan.

What is your favorite thing to do?

Read. Read. Read. Read.

What are we going to do this year?

A lot. (This is how I always answer this question.)

Will we have homework on the weekends?

Not if I can help it. Ultimately I like to keep homework to a minimum by giving assignments and providing time during the school day to get them finished or as much as possible. I pretty much stick to the belief that if we don't waste time we'll have more time to get work done in school. If we waste time.....I can't make any promises.

What is your favorite subject?

Social Studies.

What is your favorite book?

That is kind of like asking me to pick a favorite child. There are so many books that I love in different ways.

How tall are you?

I am five feet eleven and three quarters. I was never able to reach that six foot mark.

What is your favorite holiday?

Earth Day.


How old are your kids?

Jacob is 2 and a half and Chase is five months.


Do all your animals get along?

I have two dogs, two cats, and two turtles. The dogs and cats get along fine....most of the time. The turtles get along great....most of the time.

Do you like how our class is?

I love the combined group this year. I think it is so cool that we are the only fourth grade class. I think it is going to be a great thing for everyone.

What town did you grow up in?

I grew up in a small town in the middle of the state called Cedarville in Herkimer County. It is smaller than Hunter if you can believe that.

What character from a movie is your favorite?

Jack Skellington from A Nightmare Before Christmas.

How many jobs have you had?

A lot. Let's see....I've worked at KMart, WalMart, a full service gas station, an amusement park as a life guard, a waiter, selling time shares, and now teaching.

Are we going to have Critter Christmas?

Great question. YES!

Who is your favorite Yankees player?

Jorge Posada is a long time favorite, but I would have to say Johnny Damon as well.


Thanks for all the great questions....I know I didn't answer them all but hopefully I answered enough so you feel like you may know me a little better.

Feel free to make comments!!!

Happy New School Year,

Mr. Fletcher

Preschool....or any age!

In the September 2009 issue of Parenting magazine (for early years) there was a humorous article written by an anonymous preschool teacher offering up twenty five pieces of advice for success in preschool. While reading the article, I realized that many of these tidbits are also true for fourth grade as well. What I especially enjoyed about the article was the humor used by the author to tackle a few areas that can sometimes be uncomfortable for both sides. I'll share with you some of the ones that I felt were applicalbe to fourth graders.....

• Don't ask me about any other children.

If I tell you that your child is doing well on something, don't ask me if Julian is doing that, too. And don't ask me if Julian is doing that too. And don't ask me if your child is the smartest in the class. I won't tell you. Teachers prefer to compare a child's progress to himself, not others.

• Lice can happen to anyone.

You needn't be embarrassed. Just let me know so I can prevent an outbreak

• Read my notes home.

I know they're chirpy and have way too many exclamation points. But sometimes I have important news about classroom events to share with you.

• Try to trust me.

If I tell you that your child could benefit from further evaluation in an area of development, realize that I would not say such a thing frivolously. (It is never easy to tell a parent that his or her child might have a problem, however minor it may be.) I see your child through the eyes of a teacher, as part of a group, and I'm not just thinking of him now, but also in the future. I want to make sure that if your child needs a little extra help he gets it sooner rather than later. And it's not a big deal if he does; lots of kids get services like speech or occupational therapy. If you think I'm wrong, go see a specialist and then come back and let me know how off base I was. I'll probably be almost relieved as you.

If you would like to read the article in its entirety, you can find it at:

http://http://www.parenting.com/article/Child/Daycare--Education/Preschool-Confidential-What-Teachers-Want-You-to-Know

Best Wishes,

Mr. Fletcher

The Room is Ready!

I spent the day yesterday, setting up the classroom for the upcoming school year. It is always one of my favorite times as it is when I feel at my most creative. I have to keep a notebook out as the ideas seem to pour into my head during the unpacking and organizing. This year's list looks pretty good. I've moved some furniture around, purchased materials for some new centers, and managed to fit all the desks and chairs into a layout that I think will work well for the group. Ican't believe how fast the summer has gone, but as I look back at it, I accomplished quite a bit....more than I had even planned on! That's a great feeling to go back to school with. I can say that I'll be one hundred percent back in school mode since I was able to complete the two major things on my list for the summer.....1) a lawn and 2) the boys playset. I managed to have both done by the first part of July, which gave me a ton of time to enjoy both and be able to do some traveling as well! Here are some photographic highlights of my summer......

Making Progress!

I spent the day working with my colleagues today. We discussed this year's schedule, ideas, and things we are planning to accomplish for the upcoming school year. I have to say that it was pretty cool to hear all the great ideas the group had, but what was even better was witnessing the dedication that everyone has to their students. It makes me incredibly thankful to work with and be a part of such a great learning community. These students are so fortunate to have such a caring group of individuals as their teachers.

Greetings Everyone!

Big news! I found out today that we have a new student joining our class this year. I'm very excited to meet him and his family. I'm sure the kids will do a great job of making him feel welcome and helping him get to know the school.

As I looked at my class list today, I realized how many of you I have had as parents already! This has got me really excited since I have enjoyed working with you in the past and I look forward to getting the awesome opportunity to work with you again. This makes me think about my first year at Hunter when I didn't know anyone. I can't believe how fast the years have gone by. I guess I'm extra nostalgic today because I was passed in my car by a student from that first class of fourth graders. My very first class.....driving! Boy, did I feel old. Not so much for getting passed, but because as I looked down at my speedometer I was going 45 in a 55 and my right turn signal had been on for who knows how long. I would have passed me too! I guess as I get older, I'm learning to slow down and enjoy the scenery. I hope I'm able to pass this on to my students before they are in their 30's. Think of all the stuff they may not miss because they were going too fast. Or, it could be a rite of passage. To that former student of mine, I thank you for passing me on Rte. 23A. You've given me a lot to think about. Just remember to slow down and take in the scenery sometimes......and I'll try not to drive like an old man.

Take Care,
Mr. Fletcher

It Is Going To Be A Great Year!

Hello Everyone!

I'm so excited to get this blog up and running and can't wait to see what you all have to say. I know this may be new to some of you, but I'm hoping that this will serve my class for years to come and be a way that we can all share our thoughts and feelings about what is going on in and outside of the classroom.

This year is going to be extraordinary in a number of ways. First, I will be the only fourth grade teacher this year, which opens up an incredible amount of opportunities for our class. Secondly, as a way to show my students that you never stop learning, I have officially become a candidate to become a National Board Certified Teacher. This is a process that will probably take me the better part of a year and will be an incredible amount of work, but also a challenge that I am more than ready to take on!

I strongly encourage you to comment on the posts that are made here and make this space something special! We can bounce ideas around, share thoughts, stories, and basically connect as a classroom.....outside of the classroom.

Here's to a great year!