The class had a wonderful time on Monday's field trip. Their decorations looked great, they enjoyed sharing the experience with Mrs. Dees' class, and they were well-fed at the lunch. A huge "Thank you!" to everyone who made the day possible--the Thomson family for initiating the field trip, our drivers (Mrs. Gutierrez, who got a rental car because her own car wasn't working properly; Mrs. Garbarino, who volunteered to drive at the last minute to make sure all the students in Mrs. Dees' class would have a ride; Mrs. Stevenson, Mrs. Leonard, Mr. McKay, Mrs. Mercurio, Mrs. Hamilton-Tsao, and Mrs. Thomson), and the other parent chaperons (Mrs. Kwong, Mrs. Ding, Mrs. Wedrychowski, Mrs. Clark, and Mrs. Thomas) who helped out on the ferry and with the luncheon. Thanks as well to everyone who sent in food to the potluck. Rancho parents are fabulous! We could not have gone without parent support. I hope you'll have a chance to ride the Larkspur Ferry sometime during the holidays to enjoy the decorations.

A huge "Thank you!" to all the parents driving and chaperoning our Chabot field trip today as well (Mrs. LoVetri, Mrs. Stevenson, Mrs. Garbarino, Mrs. Gutierrez, Mrs. Clary, Mrs. Buckley, and Mrs. Mercurio). I know there will be other parents coming along to help with the day, and I thank all of you as well. This has always been a very fun and educational field trip, and I expect it will be again today.

Reminders about the State Fair:

• the date is Wednesday, Dec. 17; it will begin at 8:45 A.M. and end at noon.
• Students are strongly urged to dress in some way that is representative of their state (farmer, businessperson, historical figure, fictional figure, state animal, an athlete on one of the state's college teams or professional teams, etc.). Please do not go out and buy a costume; just use what you can find or borrow.
• Students should bring in 2 or more artifacts that are representative of their state (a Frisbee, if the Frisbee was invented in their state, a golf club if there is a well-known golf course where professional golf tournaments take place, 1 or 2 apples if the state is known for producing apples, etc.) Again, no one needs to go out and buy things; use what you have on hand or can borrow.
• Students MAY bring food to share. IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT REQUIRED, and will not impact their grade. Each year several students bring in small samples to share (bite-sized!). For example, if your state is a major wheat-producing state, a student might bring in a loaf of bread, cut each slice into multiple cubes, and then let State Fair visitors have a cube to taste. If you have ANY questions at all, please contact me.

Just to reiterate: the State Fair shouldn't cost any family any money at all--we even provide the boards! Have your child use his/her imagination to come up with a "costume" for the day, and look around the house for simple things (artifacts) to represent significant activities or events associated with their state. Most of us love food, so students are allowed to bring food, but they are most definitely not required to do so. FYI: All food that has been brought in to share will be on one long table (with a card identifying the state and the food) that State Fair visitors will go to just before leaving the multi-use room. The State Fair will be great.

Our class will have a party on Friday, Dec. 19, from 1:30 until the end of school. Everyone is welcome to come and help out. Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Garbarino are organizing the afternoon, so please contact them if you have questions or would like to help.

Have a great weekend.