Hello Parents & Families!

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weekend. This last week of school before winter break is filled with fun and learning. Monday this week is a full school day. Tuesday through Friday are half-days. Your child does not need to bring a lunch, but should bring a snack.

In History, we will play a review game on Monday in preparation for Tuesday's test on Ancient Rome. A study session for the test will be held in Ms. Headrick's room Tuesday morning at 7:15. All students are welcome to attend. I encourage children to come with questions or ideas that need further clarification. Your student received a study guide last week. We discussed study skills in class and students contributed the following ideas: re-read the textbook, re-write the study guide, quiz yourself with a friend, parent, or sibling, make flash cards, explain important/ concepts to someone who will listen, make a graphic organizer, highlight important information. Later in the week, we will finish watching the film on Ancient Rome that we started on Friday. The short film reviews what students learned throughout the quarter about this influential civilization.

This week is the Alice Celebration! We are looking forward to an excellent party to celebrate reading this classic tale. Please see the link below to donate your time or materials to make this party a success. In Language Arts, we will discuss the idiom "Let bygones be bygones" in a Socratic discussion. We will continue our learning in grammar and writing. There will be no new Riggs words this week. Students will be tested daily on the five words as planned, but there will be no introduction of new words. The list will start fresh after Winter Break.

As we wrap up our study of the nervous system in Science, we will make models of the brain and spinal cord to review the anatomy of the nervous system. We will also review learned facts about each component and write them to accompany the model. We will play a review game on Wednesday. A study session for the Science quiz will be held in Ms. Headrick's room Thursday morning at 7:15. All students are welcome to attend. As stated earlier, students should come prepared with questions.

Winter conferences will begin on January 2, 2013. I look forward to meeting with parents who I did not meet with in Fall as well as parents who have questions about the semester evaluation. A signup will be posted on the Archway website after December 19.

As always, feel free to email me with any questions or concerns.

Yours in Learning,

Ms. Headrick