September 5, 2008
When making up the volunteer lists for Back to School Night I forgot one very important job, Art Docent. Yikes! If you'd be willing to take on the job (I very much hope that someone will!), please let me know. Thanks!

This first Scholastic book order is in today's Friday folder. Orders are due back to me by Thurs., Sept. 11. This is a great opportunity to buy books at very reasonable prices AND each purchase earns points for the classroom. I use those points to buy books for the classroom library. I hope you'll consider participating.

The class is settling into useful routines; we'll be ready for our first full week of school next week. Students were scheduled to take the first geography test today but it has been rescheduled for Tuesday. Students will take the chapter 2 math test on Monday. The first of the states tests will be given on Tuesday (Northeastern States-Part 1: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut). The next test, the following week, will be on the rest of the Northeast (Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland). Don't forget to check out http://sheppardsoftware.com/ web_games.htm for fun ways to learn the 50 states and capitals.

Students have been investigating mixtures and solutions, and using balances to discover that adding salt to a specific amount of water, to make a saltwater solution, increases the mass of the liquid even though the solution still looks like pure water. Things to ask your child: how is a solution different from a mixture and how can mixtures be separated?

Mark the date: Thursday, Sept. 18, Coastal Cleanup Day at Rancho.
This year's class will be participating in the California Coastal Cleanup, along with Mrs. Dees' class. Students clean up the school campus and Arroyo Avichi Creek. Although the official statewide date for the Coastal Cleanup is Saturday, Sept. 20 (and you can check online for places around Marin to clean up on Sat. as well), we'll be conducting our cleanup on Thursday, Sept. 18. Parent volunteers are needed to help supervise the groups--it is much more effective to work in groups of 4-6 than whole class. We'll begin after the first recess (10:50 A.M.), and will be back in the classroom to clean ourselves up before lunch (by noon). Please let me know if you can help. Mrs. Dees will be soliciting volunteers as well. All participants must sign the Coastal Cleanup waiver and permission slip, which will go home next Friday.

Don't forget that next Friday, Sept. 12, is Rancho's Family Dinner. I hope everyone will be able to join in the evening's activities as it is always a fun night. And please consider joining the PTA if you haven't done so already. The PTA makes so much possible at Rancho!