Add My Blog!

If you are one of the few and the proud that check my blog, please be sure to add it by "following" where you can automatically get updates when I post. Today I showed the class my blog so hopefully you can take an opportunity to check it out with your child. Thanks!

Class Party on Friday

To celebrate Christmas break, we will have a fun last day of school on the 18th. At 9:30 there is the annual All-School sing along and then immediately following we will have our own class party. Students may bring in juice and/or cookies to celebrate in the festivities and we will watch a movie. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. I will be sending home a note with additional information tomorrow or Tuesday. Thanks!

Thank You! (And a few other things)

Thank you to those of you who made it out for conferences. It was a great turn out and it was nice to talk about the great things your children are doing in 4th grade.

We have a very busy week this week.

We have our good citizens assembly at 10am on Thursday. Also, our class won for the 4/5 pod in the canned food drive. Because of our big win, our class will go to an assembly at 12:45 that Thursday, a magic show put on by the Fire Department! Yipee!

Of coarse, Thursday evening is the Civil War, Go Beavs! =) Have a great week!

Busy Week!

We have a super busy this week! Here are just a few reminders to help keep on track!

Tomorrow:

Title 1 Parent Meeting 5pm

PTC Meeting 5:30pm

Math Night @ MES 11/17


-All students, family and friends are invited for an evening of fun-filled Math activities. Math night will start at 6-7:30. There will be pizza and cookies served!!! Hope to see you there!

-The Book Fair will be open tomorrow evening.

Wednesday:

Grandparents Day- Students can bring Grandparents or other special family members to celebrate and have lunch. If you choose to have your child go home with their grandparents, please make sure to have a note at the office. If we don't have something in writing, students won't be permitted to leave.

We will also be having a Read-In in class. This means students can bring a pillow, blanket (if it fits in their back), books, magazines, etc. Since students are in and out, we will focus on Reading to ourselves and others during the day!

Friday:

Turkey Bingo- PTC is putting on Turkey Bingo. There will be prizes, including a Thanksgiving Feast! Please join us!


Will be our November conferences. Thank you to those of you who confirmed your time. I look forward to meeting with you! I will post the schedule on here sometime this week!

November Conferences

On Monday and Tuesday, November 23rd and 24th we will be having conferences. Today I am sending home a note so you can let me know what your preference of time will be. It is essential that you return the slip so I can fit you in at a time that will work for your family. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email or call me here at school.

Halloween

On Friday October 30th our class will be having a small class party. Our party will start at approximately 2:00, where kids can change into their costumes (if they choose to bring one that is easy to wear). Students will just be wearing a costume, not applying any make up. We will watch a magic show starring Mr. Bledsoe at approximately 2:15, so they have 15 minutes maximum to get changed. Following the magic show we will share treats. If you would like to provide a treat for the class, we have 24 students. Any treat brought in needs to be store-bought. If you have any additional questions or concerns please let me know. Thank you!

Testing Tomorrow

A note went home today to let you know we are starting State testing tomorrow. We wills start with Math and then follow with Reading on Thursday. It is highly encouraged that students get a good night sleep and breakfast tomorrow. I look forward sharing results with you shortly.

Spelling Week of 10/19

Spelling Word List- For my Reading Group

missed
willing
balloon
spelling
pretty
still
off
added
letter
different
pattern
middle
Mississippi
zipper
carry

State Testing

Our class will start Oregon State testing next week. It is essential that students get a good night's sleep and breakfast in the morning (either at home or here at school). If you have any questions please feel free to email or give me a phone call. Thanks!

Reminders

Just a few reminders...

* No homework for my Homeroom class.

* NO spelling this week for my Reading Group.

* We have optional conferences this Thursday. I sent home a note if you wanted to request to meet with me. If I have not heard from you I am assuming you just want to wait until our regular conference time in November. Please email me if you have questions/concerns or want to schedule something for Thursday.

* We do not have school October 7-9th. The 7th is a grade day for teachers, the 8th is Optional Conference day, and the 9th is a Statewide Inservice.

*Fundraiser packets are due October 13th.

Nicholson Fundrasier Begins Today!

Your child will be bringing home their Nicholson Fundraiser packets today. Please go through the packet with your child. Today at the assembly we really stressed the importance of selling to people that the kids know and ALWAYS going with an adult. Please re-iterate that with your child. This fundraiser helps our school with many things: field trips, materials, teaching resources, technology, and a lot more. Participation is encouraged! Thanks!

Ms. Raethke

Spelling Words Week of 9/28

For students in my Reading Group:

under
such
much
young
touch
use
your
you
unit
cute
few
new
fuel
human
music

Ms. Raethke's Reading Group Spelling- 9/21-9/25

Our words this week are:

rocket
pocket
hold
told
often
grow
throne
so
sew
most
almost
both
coach
open
also

Book Orders Due Tomorrow!

I sent home book orders on Tuesday. They are due this Friday. If you would like to order online, scholastic has a new feature where you can actually pay online (with a debit or credit card) and then books are sent directly to our school. To learn more, check out my parent ordering website.

Parent Order Website***Click Here***

Thank You!

I appreciate those of you that made it out to Open House last night! It was great to meet you (and some of you, it was a nice re-introduction). This year has got off to a fantastic start and I am excited to continue to work with and teach your children.

Today was the first PTC Meeting. PTC Meets every third Tuesday of the Month and I will work to remind you through my blog about upcoming meetings. Its a great opportunity for parents to work hand in hand with teachers at MES to make it better! It was a great turn out, if you were unable to make it, I encourage you to make it to a meeting or event.

A couple reminders... Our official PE day is Thursday. 4th grade has a PE time where we can "challenge" other classes in PE games. Please be sure your child has the appropriate footwear. Last PE day we had a few students in flip-flops which are definitely unsafe for PE. One option is if you would like your child to have a spare set of tennis shoes and socks here at school, put them in a shoe box and send them. I will find a spot where we can keep them, just to be sure students are prepared for PE. Some non-PE days we even walk the track so it's best to be prepared.

Also, homework packets are due EVERY Friday. I am expecting that students read each night for 20 minutes. They also will have a short reading comprehension passage and some math problems. This all has to be signed as well for students to be considered for Fun Friday. Students seemed to enjoy their well deserved extra recess for turning in their work. It is their responsibility but reminders are encouraged! =)

Please feel free to email me at any time. That is by far the best and quickest way to get ahold of me. My school email address is raethkej@molallariv.k12.or.us

I look forward to a fun and exciting year of learning! =)

Welcome!

I just wanted to take a minute to Welcome parents and students of my 2009-2010 class! I will use this blog as a forum for updates, pictures and a place to communicate upcoming events! I look forward to spending this year with you and each of your students. =) Enjoy and feel free to check out some of the updates that have already been featured with my class from last year!

Thank You!

I just wanted to thank each student and family for a fantastic year. I will miss you guys and hope you have a fantastic summer. Make sure you guys visit me next year when you are 5th graders!!!!!

End of the Year Party!!

Is tomorrow at 11:30... Hope you can make it!

End of the Year Celebration

Dear Families,

I wanted to thank you for your continued support throughout this year in our classroom. It was been a fantastic year full of fun and learning. As the year winds down I wanted to celebrate both the end of our year together as well as our summer birthdays.

On Wednesday, June 10th at 11:30 am we will have our celebration. If you would like to contribute (juice, cookies, etc.) please feel free to send it with your 4th grader. I will also then debut a video slideshow that I have been working on throughout the year that includes pictures of different activities we have done. Feel free to join us if you can… 

This has been a fantastic year and I have enjoyed getting to know each and every student. Please encourage your child to continue reading and have a nice summer!

Sincerely,

Ms. Raethke

No School Friday or Monday

This Friday will be a teacher work day, no school for students. Then on the following Monday the 25th there will be no school for Memorial Day. Have a fantastic weekend and hopefully we can all enjoy nice weather! =)

Remember swimming lessons will be the next few weeks. Our remaining swimming lesson days are:

May 20,21
May 26,27, 28 and...
June 1, 2, 3

Students need to continue to bring towels and bathing suits :)

Swimming Lessons Start TOMORROW!

We will begin our 3 weeks of Swimming lessons starting tomorrow. Make sure your child brings their swimsuits, a towel and then whatever they need to change in some sort of bag. Used plastic grocery bags work well to tote wet suits and towels. If you have any questions please email me. We will leave MES around 10:15 and will return around 11:15. Its sure to be an exciting time!

Science Projects

Just a reminder, Science Inquiry projects are due Thursday the 21st. Please be sure it gets turned in by then. If you haven't got a chance to get started then now is a great time.

Attendance Reminder

As the school year winds down, I just wanted to reiterate the importance of your child's attendance here at school. We have many end of the year requirements and its very hard to catch students up if they miss class. If students are sick, that is definitely understandable. Please just consider the amount of work your child will miss if its for something minor. It really does make a difference in their learning. Thank you!

Donations Needed

I sent home a little note last week about our class needing the following donations

• Clorox (or other brand) anti-bacterial wipes
• hand sanitizer

These are things we use regularly and with all the germs floating around it really helps. If your family can donate either of those things we would appreciate it. Thank you!!!

Doggie Dash

This weekend, Lucy & I as well as some friends and family are going to participate in the Oregon Humane Society's annual Doggie Dash. Its a great cause for our 4-legged friends! If you are interested in participating, check out my link below...

Doggie Dash Information

Here are some pics from us at the Doggie Dash a couple of years ago....

Summer Reading Resources

As the school year is quickly coming to an end, this leaves many families looking for ways to keep their children entertained... Below are a few web resources that have book lists. Reading is a great way to make sure your child is ready for their next year of school and also can keep them entertained (at least for a bit! haha). Enjoy!

4th Grade Summer Reading- Education World
5th Grade- Education World

Reading Tips/ Book List
4th Grade List

Enjoy!

State Testing

Next week the 4th graders will be starting their last round of state testing in Math and Reading. Please make sure your child gets enough rest and something for breakfast in the morning. This really does make a difference for them. Thanks!

PTC Bingo Friday

Our Pink basket is looking amazing! If you have any more items to donate, please get them to me by this Friday. That evening we will have our Spring PTC Bingo Basket festivities! All the action starts at 7pm so it would be great to see you all there!!! =)

Reminders

• Tomorrow is Take Your Child to Work Day... If you are choosing to send your child to work, make sure the school got a call or a note about it--IF--- your child did not get the permission slip in on time. Since we will have so many absent kids we will have an in class Read-In. Kids can bring pillows, blankets and books to enjoy throughout the day but it must all fit in their backpacks!

• Friday is MES Beautification Day! Our class will pair up with Mrs. Johnson's 1st graders and will be in charge of cleaning up MES' Library!
• Tuesday the 28th will be our field trip to the Movie Earth. There was no spot on the form for chaperones. I do possibly have room for one parent to come. Please let me know ASAP if you would like to join us. We will leave promptly at 9 am to be to Clackamas Town Center in time for the show... I've heard great things about this film and it will fit in great with our Science Curriculum

As the end of the year approaches, I will try to make sure and post reminders and things. I can't believe its almost MAY! Wow! Please don't hesitate to email me or call me with any questions or concerns. I appreciate all of your continued support throughout this year!

Spelling, Week of April 17th

Last week students struggled with our spelling list. Please make sure that you are checking in with your student to make sure they are studying. I don't assign specific Spelling Homework but I did mention to my reading group today that if scores do not improve I will be sending home spelling homework starting next week. I will try and keep you posted if that change needs to take place. As you may notice, words are definitely getting harder as we transition from the 4th grade spelling words to 5th grade... Regular studying needs to take place! Thanks for your continued support at home!

This week's words:

multiply
imagination
favorite
computer
citizenship
invisible
undercover
enjoyment
discussion
America
unusual
example
melody
temperature
understanding
experiment
explanation
oxygen

Pink Basket!

Yesterday I sent a note home about the PTC basket. Please send in any donations as soon as possible so I can start to put together our class' PTC Bingo Basket! Any donations would be great!

4th Grade Presentation from 4/3/09!!!

Here is the video of kids from both my class and Ms. Accuardi's. They worked really hard on practicing for the dance and did a fantastic job! Enjoy!

Spelling Words Week of 4/10

disappear
disappoint
disagree
dishonest
unable
uncertain
unbeaten
uncomfortable
unkind
unknown
rewrite
review
rebuild
recall
misbehave
misuse
misunderstand
misspell

Good Citizens Assembly Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is our month good citizens assembly. This is gonna be a great one because Ms. Accuardi has taught the 4th graders how to do a group dance! It should be fantastic! If you can make it the assembly will start at 1:30!

Spelling

Sorry this is late!!!

hopeless
careless
homeless
tireless
hopeful
fearful
cheerful
careful
graceful
happily
friendly
angrily
swiftly
suddenly
darkness
goodness
sadness
kindness

PTC Basket Bingo!

On Friday May 1st will be PTC's basket bingo! It is a great opportunity to come together as a MES community and money goes straight to PTC. Each year teachers need to plan a basket theme and help get donatations. This year, I decided to use the color pink as a theme. Anything that you can donate that has to do with pink (think spring, flowers, candy, anything really!). We will also need some sort of basket. The dollar store would be a great place to check for items and any donations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Donations Needed- Anti-Bacterial Wipes

If any of you have extra anti-bacterial wipes (I know Costco has them as well as Bi-Mart and some other local stores), we are in need of more. We go through them quite a bit to try and keep away the germs. If you find you have extra or can donate that would be wonderful! Thanks!

No School Tomorrow!

Just a reminder, tomorrow is a teacher work day... No School for Students! I look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday!

Happy Spring Break Everyone!!!

Have a safe and relaxing Spring Break! I will see students on Tuesday, March 31st.

A special Thanks!

Today your students will likely be bringing home a black USB bracelet. Bryce in our class and his mom were able to get a bunch of USB bracelets donated. PBS' kids website http://pbskids.org/go/ has more information (and games). We will explore our new USB Bracelets this afternoon so kids should get a better idea how to use them. Here are the directions for using the USB drive (these will also be sent home).

"1. Insert the USB drive into your computer's USB port (Mac or PC)

2. A window will pop up with 2 folders labeled "mac" and "pc"- double click on the folder that corresponds with your computer type.

3. Double click on the Adoble Flash Player icon titled "click me"

4. A window will pop up prompting you to first "get password" and then "go to the secret vault".

5. Have fun exploring all the fantastic PBS kids Go! creative assets, including computer wallpapers, ringtones, podcasts and videos featuring our most popular Go! Characters!

Top 5 Things to do:

1. Watch what you want, when you want.
2. Check out the amazing Huggy Dance game!
3.Play Arthur's video detective game to see how much you can remember!
4. Watcg clips and music videos with the Electric Company.
5. Vote on your favorite clips and games.

Questions: 856-346-3456
pbskidsgo@buzzmg.com"

Have fun exploring and thanks again to Bryce and his mom! =)

Update

Make sure to turn in swimming permission forms as soon as possible. Also, book orders are due on Friday!!!

Swimming Permission Slips

I sent home swimming permission slips a few weeks ago. If you have not yet turned in the permission slip and/or the 8$ please do so as soon as possible. Swimming is part of our PE program, and is a great opportunity for our class. If you are unable to pay the fee please let me know either via email or phone. There are scholarships available.

Also, if students cannot participate for some reason then they must be picked up by a family member and then returned to school. We don't have supervision for students who do not participate. We encourage all students to participate... They do a great job in making sure to place students appropriately by swimming level in a fun and safe way.

Ms. R's Reading Group Spelling

For the week of 3/16

quiet
quite
angel
angle
already
all ready
desert
dessert
weather
whether
pitcher
picture
loose
lose
aisle
isle
dairy
diary

Thank YOU!

There was 100% turn-out for our Spring conferences!!! Thank you for coming.... It was great to meet with you and discuss the growth that has taken place over the past two trimesters. =)

Conference Schedule

Here is a copy of my conference schedule for the next couple of days. Please take a moment to double check the schedule. I try to keep conferences to about 15 minutes to allow for travel time for families with other MES siblings. If I see our conference is going over I may ask to make an appointment to discuss any lingering issues. Thanks.

*Click on the date of your assigned conference to get a clearer view of times... =)

What We've Been Up To!

Here is a quick by-subject update to what we have been doing in class. I am sure we will discuss some of this a bit at conferences but wanted to keep you all up to date!

Math- Everyday we work on Math in Minutes... It's each students' warm up... It covers a variety of areas in math, from reading graphs to fractions. We correct it together and students SHOULD BE =) taking home their corrected versions. It continues to get more difficult and we are just about to switch to the next highest level. Way to go class! In Math Trailblazers we are currently working on order of operations... (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction or how I recall from school "Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally" (to remember the order :)) We are zooming along!

Reading Group- My reading group and I are continuing to read Charlie and the Chocolate factory. We are really focusing on the vocabulary (its pretty difficult) and understanding the text (comprehension). Each week students get spelling words to take home and study as well as a class packet to work on that is due each Friday. Each reading group does something differently at MES. Be sure to ask your 4th grader what they are currently reading/working on in their groups!

Writing- We just survived the State writing test. Boy, our class sure worked hard! Students have been excited to take edited pieces of writing and are in the timely process of word processing their works. We luckily have an additional classroom computer so two students can type at once! How exciting!

Science- In Science,we just finished up our unit on Life Science. Students did a fantastic job and learned a lot. We completed a KWL chart (we talked about what we know, want to know and then finally learned about Life Science). Our chart ended up to be completely full with great things students learned. Once we return from break students will rotate to other 4th grade classrooms to learn about Earth Science (with Mr. Bledsoe) and then Electricity and Magnets (with Ms. A). Here is a picture of a bulletin board we made for science....


Social Studies- In Social Studies we are starting a unit on The Northeast. We previewed the unit finding interesting facts. Did you know that in Hershey, Pennsylvania that all the street lamps are shaped like Hershey kisses???? =) We will continue working and learning about the Northeast. We finished up a unit a month or so ago and we talked about all the cultures that have made contributions to America... Students worked very hard on their contribution posters! See below...


Lion's Quest/Health- We have been discussing positive choices... As students grow older they are having to make more and more difficult decisions. We have just started our unit and will have some tools to help us problem solve various situations.

We have been busy to say the least! I continue to enjoy spending time with your children. The year is just flying by! Anyway, I look forward to seeing you all at conferences. Have a great week!

Valentines Day Party Pictures

Since this whole blog thing has been a fairly new endeavor... Here are some pictures taken from our Valentine's Day Party on February 13th! Enjoy!

Conferences This Week!

I think I have mostly every family confirmed for conference time. Please make sure and call or email me if there are any changes or last minute cancellations. Conferences (especially Wednesday) are jam-packed so its very hard to reschedule but I will do the best I can.

During spring conferences we will discuss goals, testing, students work on their multiplication facts, behavior and a few other things. If you have any questions feel free to ask me! Students are well on their way to 5th grade and I am happy to help as best I can! I look forward to meeting with you on Wednesday and Thursday. Remember, no school on Friday! :)

Read- In Tomorrow!

I know its late notice but I sent slips home today about a Read-In tomorrow. Students may bring books, blankets, pillows and take time to read with friends. All of their stuff must fit in a small bag or backpack! It should be a great day! If you have any questions please email me!!!

Conference Slips

Please return the yellow conference slips as soon as possible. I have received a handful of them but would like to confirm you got the slip regarding your conference time. If it doesn't work, I have a few options to change but would like to do so as soon as possible. Thanks.

*P.S. Your child will receive a jolly rancher upon return of their conference slip! :)

Swimming Lessons

Today students will be taking home a swimming lesson permission slip. We will be heading to the Molalla Aquatic Center in May, more details to come... Please make sure to sign the slip and return it with the 8$ student fee, as soon as possible.

Also, we are taking donations for students who cannot afford the student fee (if you can). If your family is in need and cannot pay the fee please let Ms. R or the office know.

BTW- Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss... Today is Read Across America Day.. We will have our good citizens assembly and then students will go all over MES to hear guest teachers read. Should be a great day! Happy Monday!

Spelling for Ms. R's Reading Group- Week of March 2nd...

Last week was a pretty tough week for spelling words... No students got 100% which was very surprising. This week we will just repeat our words from last week to try and master them... =) Please make sure these are studied throughout the week! =)

Oh and have a fantastic weekend!!!

cinder
circle
cardinal
cereal
cycle
concert
dancer
celebrate
twice
dangerous
strange
ledge
damage
geography
gentle
signal
regular
sugar
vow
despicable

Thank You Again...

I have been getting quite a bit of feedback on my new blog. Thank you to all of you that have emailed me...This is something I will definitely stick with if I know I have an audience and so far so good. Also feel free to comment or email me about any posts. This has been a very positive addition to my classroom and I am happy to hear about any opinions you may have thus far! Anyway have a fantastic weekend!!!

email me @ raethkej@molallariv.k12.or.us
=)

Fun Friday Madness

So as most of you know, each week when students turn in their weekly homework packet they get "Fun Friday" time. Its an extra recess (or inside free time on rainy days) that rewards those kids who are responsible and bring in their work. Last Friday a group of kids from Ms. A and my class decided to put on a little musical. Luckily enough, I had my phone that records video to get some of the action. =)

March Conferences

I know its early to be talking about conferences (seems like we just had them) but they are approaching quickly. This year we have decided to carry over the times from last fall. I will be sending home an appointment slip with your child by the end of the week. Please make sure to respond and get back to me as soon as possible as conference times fill up rather quickly. Thank you!

*Note... Some conferences were changed slightly from last trimester... I tried to keep as many of them the same as I could, and notes will go home Wednesday or Thursday. Please return the slip to confirm or change the time as soon as possible. Spots are limited (especially evenings) so Ms. Raethke will do her best to accommodate any specific changes as needed. *

Ms. Raethke's Reading Group Spelling 2/23

These are the spelling words for my reading group this week...

cinder
circle
cardinal
cereal
cycle
concert
dancer
celebrate
twice
dangerous
strange
ledge
damage
geography
gentle
signal
regular
sugar
vow
despicable

OAKS/ TESA Testing Next week...

Just a reminder... The 4th graders will be starting their 2nd round of computerized state testing. My homeroom will start Monday and we will begin with the Math assessment. It should take us about 2 full school days to complete and then Ms. A and Mr. Bledsoe will follow.

Please make sure your child gets a good nights' sleep and eats breakfast in the morning! Thanks for your continued support. I will be sharing the results with you during March conferences.

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the sunshine! =)

Thank You! And a Few Other things...

Thank you for all of you that came out to show MES support at McTeacher night! I ended up running around selling cookies, raffle tickets and then lastly passing out food... It was a great time and nice to see so many familiar faces.

Also, we have survived day 2 of writing testing. Students are working very hard and I hope to have these finished up by Friday.

My homeroom is finishing up our unit on Life Science. Each student planted a pea plant and due to the requirements on the buses I have to send them home when a student is picked up. If your child is regularly picked up, I will begin sending these home this week or early next week. Otherwise, I will plan on getting the plants to you during our scheduled March conferences. Enjoy your Wednesday!

Reminders

Tomorrow the 4th graders will begin the State Writing test... Please make sure students get a great nights' sleep all this week!

Also, tomorrow evening is McTeacher night! I will be there from 5:30-6:30. 20% of all sales go directly to MES! Hope to see you all there! =)

What We've Been Up To...

This year is just seeming to fly by. I thought I would update you as to what we have been working on throughout the subject areas...

Math- Everyday we work on Math in Minutes... It's each students' warm up... It covers a variety of areas in math, from reading graphs to fractions. We correct it together and students SHOULD BE =) taking home their corrected versions. In Math Trailblazers we are currently working to review place value and double numbers. We just finished a unit going over and reading various types of graphs.

Reading Group- My reading group and I are currently reading Charlie and the Chocolate factory. We are really focusing on the vocabulary (its pretty difficult) and understanding the text (comprehension). Each week students get spelling words to take home and study as well as a class packet to work on that is due each Friday. Each reading group does something differently at MES. Be sure to ask your 4th grader what they are currently reading/working on in their groups!

Writing- We have just finished a unit on Organization. Students wrote "Life Stories" which turned out really well. We also have pen pals we write to in Hillsboro and end up writing to them about once a month. Next week we will begin working on the State Writing Test.

Science- In Science, I am finishing up our unit on Life Science. We covered plants, animals, lifecycles, food chains/webs. We also each planted a pea plant that will be coming home shortly. Next week we will rotate through and students from my class will receive Science instruction from our 2 other 4th grade teachers in Electricity/Magnets and Earth Science. Students have really enjoyed the fun, hands-on learning that coincides with Science.

Social Studies- In Social Studies we are starting a unit on The Northeast. We previewed the unit finding interesting facts. Did you know that in Hershey, Pennsylvania that all the street lamps are shaped like Hershey kisses???? =) We will continue working and learning about the Northeast.

If you ever have any questions or concerns, be sure to email Ms. Raethke. That is typically the best way to get ahold of her. Have a great 3-Day weekend! Hope to see you all this Tuesday at McTeacher night! =)

McTeacher Night

On Tuesday, February 17th MES is participating in McTeacher night at the Molalla McDonald's. Molalla Elementary teachers will be there from 4:30-6:30. I will be there and would love to see any students that can make it. Both Ms. Raethke and Ms. A and a few other teachers from the Sky Pod will be there at 5:30-6:30. 20% of sales will go straight to MES programs and classrooms, its a great fundraising opportunity. Hope to see you all there! :)

Valentine's Party

This Friday, February 13th we will be having our Valentine's Day party. I sent home a class list and some specific details about plans for the day. Our party should start at approximately 2:15, directly after P.E. If students decide to bring valentines and/or treats (only store-bought treats allowed) please be sure each classmate receives one. If you have any questions please contact Ms. R @ MES... raethkej@molallariv.k12.or.us

Welcome!

So this is my first attempt at creating a blog for my class. During conferences I had mentioned to many of you that I was planning on finding ways using technology to keep into contact. Well, this is my idea.. We shall see how it works! :) Please forward this to other parents. I plan to write a weekly update to things we are doing in the classroom and use this as an opportunity to discuss all our 4th grade happenings. I look forward to using this great tool to keep in contact! :) Thanks!

Ms. Raethke :)